A young tech entrepreneur developer introduced his first mobile application during Montserrat’s National ICT Expo last week.
Dexter Small, who teaches at the Montserrat Secondary School, has launched Yado. Yado is an app built on the Android platform which will connect service providers with customers needing help.
Small explained that he first got turned on to app development after participating in the App workshop taught by Dr Samuel Joseph in 2016, which was sponsored by the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports. As he got busy with work, he was not able to put his idea to the test until a year later. Since June, he’s been working on the app and is now looking forward to the next step.
The app is to be offered in the Google Play Store as soon as a few minors hitches with Google are worked out.
Small explained that someone who wanted their yard cut or a plumber or more creative jobs can post on the app. Service providers would then bid to do the job. The app will be free for service providers but the job poster will have to be a paid subscriber to use the service. Customers can then rank and review the work provided which will increase their visibility and opportunity to get more work.
Currently, the app will be tested on Montserrat before it is opened up for other countries to use. As online payments by credit card is not yet the primary way services are procured on island, the customer will have to pay the service provider directly. Small says he hopes that eventually the primary way that payments will be done, will be directly through the app.
