Today I sat down with Daniel Shaffer, iOS Engineer and Pace University grad, to talk about his experience at RapidSOS.
Q: Why did you decide to work at RapidSOS?
A: I’ve been doing tech for a long time and the biggest thing I’ve noticed is that everyone is trying to do the same things all the time, with just slight changes. RapidSOS is so different from anything that I have ever heard of and I am intrigued by the goal to use tech to fix a problem and save lives.
Q: What is your favorite part about working at RapidSOS?
A: What I’m working on has the power to reach millions of people – it can impact and literally save lives. This is different from anything I have done in the past.
Q: What’s the coolest thing you have worked on outside of RapidSOS?
A: In 2014, I founded an app called Piximity, which gives users a bird’s eye view of photos taken in their area. This lets people follow events through the eyes of people attending. The tech is also really useful for universities so they can get an aggregate view of everything happening around campus and in their area.
People sent me emails thanking me for creating Piximity, telling me that they have used the tool to experience something different. That was the coolest part of the whole project.
Q: Which project that you have worked on at RapidSOS are you most proud of?
A: The interface for the way the app works now. It’s very scary having to call 9-1-1, but I think we have done a great job at making something simple and easy to use to give people one less thing to worry about during an emergency.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
A: Working here and helping to improve this already phenomenal technology.
Check back next week for “A Day in the Life” of the RapidSOS designers and don’t forget to get Haven!