2026.09.02 15:20 ~ 16:00 Meerkat

Personal development as a testing ground: Four freedoms for Android engineers

Development Process 日本語

When I started developing Android apps professionally as a beginner, the first reality I faced was "there is too much to learn." Jetpack Compose, Jetpack Navigation, Android Gradle Plugin, the wave of AI coding tools... I am sure many feel that catching up with everything during work hours alone is frankly quite tough. I filled this gap by "fully utilizing personal development as my own testing ground." The topics are three apps: "Mitsubachi" (travel logging), "Tokidoki Roppo" (statute learning), and "OneMoreCoffee" (store visit records). For me, personal development is a testing ground where Android engineers can exercise "four freedoms." 1. Freedom to operate on Alpha versions In professional work, stability is prioritized, making aggressive library updates difficult at times. On the other hand, in personal development, you can align the entire app with Alpha version libraries and keep them up to date with Renovate and auto-merge. Landmines stepped on during Alpha version operation become "prior investments" that allow you to introduce features to work in a "already tested" state as soon as the pre-release stabilizes. 2. Freedom to bring ideas into implementation In personal development, you can introduce AI agents without constraints. However, running AI-driven development requires domain intuition. I built the first app, Mitsubachi, with minimal AI assistance to build my own intuition for Android development. This also functions as the "best reference implementation" that AI refers to in subsequent apps. In later apps, simply jotting down an idea enables a workflow where AI plans and implements it. I will talk about the premise of "domain intuition + reference implementation" and the line between tasks AI excels at and tasks requiring human judgment. 3. Freedom to minimize process In personal development, you can simplify the consensus building and quality assurance that are originally required. In exchange for the speed of "starting immediately upon coming up with an idea," it comes with the responsibility of defining quality gates. My apps auto-merge on the condition of passing CI + AI review. A separate agent evaluates suggestions from AI review and fixes only valid ones, creating a pipeline that minimizes human burden. I will also touch on reproducing a "scaled-down version" under business constraints. 4. Freedom to build apps for yourself In commercial products, engineers themselves might not become users. Personal development starts from "making it because I want it / need it," allowing you to continuously improve it as a user. "My own user experience" seen from this position highlights perspectives often overlooked at work. As a result of intentionally using these four freedoms, there were many times when I looked back at difficult situations overcome at work thinking, "I'm glad I tried this individually first." In this presentation, I will discuss the insights brought into work, areas that could only be achieved through personal development, and their boundaries, citing commits and PRs from my own apps. This session is for those who have started or are about to start Android app development at work, those who want to build personal development as a career testing ground, and those who want to make full use of AI coding tools. I would be happy if you could adopt the idea of "intentionally designing four freedoms" into your personal projects starting tomorrow. (Translated by the DroidKaigi Committee)

Intended audience

- Those who want to hone their design sense by making apps for themselves - Engineers who have started or are about to start Android app development at work - Those who want to design personal development as part of their technical practice and career strategy - Those who want to know practical examples of incorporating AI coding tools into their development workflow

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