Early remote work adopter, iOS Engineer, and forever curious. Get to know Barbara!
Barbara — komoot’s Senior iOS Engineer — remembers times when remote working wasn’t cool. She also remembers times when iOS wasn’t cool. And yet, her interest in both concepts helped her to persist and become an expert in both. Luckily for us!
Having joined komoot in 2016, Argentinian-born Barbara is one of the longest-serving members of our team. When she’s not fiddling with Swift, she’s painting, traveling, cooking, baking, slow biking, and discussing psychology — amongst other things — to satisfy her never-ending curiosity.
Originally from Argentina, Barbara now alternates between Bari (Italy) and Berlin (Germany) — and calls both of these beautiful places home. We sat down with her to see what she is up to these days.
Hola Barbara! Could you tell us a little bit more about yourself?
My name is Barbara and I joined komoot 6 years ago, in June 2016. I’ve got a degree in Computer Sciences and since I’m a super curious person I started working on iOS in 2010, when no one around me knew much about this new technology. A company from the USA trained me for 2 months and delivered all the equipment I needed to do my work from home! Yes, in 2010! No one believed that I was actually working from my house… I‘ve gone from being “stigmatized” for being a remote worker, to being a cool expert with a work-from-home office. What a journey!
What do you do @ komoot?
At komoot I take care of everything to do with monetization on our iOS Platform.
What is the most exciting thing you are working on right now?
At the moment I’m working on finding new ways to enable our users to discover our products in the best possible ways for them. I’m also involved in the promotion of our subscription plans, making sure that everybody can enjoy komoot.
Which other teams or experts do you mostly interact with?
In my daily work, I have the support of the copy/content team, analytics team, my squad designer, QA, developer peers on Android and web, and our backend team. There’s an ongoing interaction with the product management area and occasional interaction with other teams, such as marketing and security.
What was the biggest impact you and/or your team had on komoot?
Without my iOS team and our level of expertise, we would be missing out on serving all the people who are Apple users. When I think about the coolest technical thing I have done in these 6 years, the project I enjoyed the most was providing the weather graphs. You can access these on komoot Premium when you go to your Tour details to see rain, UV index and wind direction breakdowns. The sunset curve was an especially interesting one to code.
What aspects of the komoot culture do you enjoy most? And why?
I enjoy freedom very much. I need a lot of independence and freedom to be at my best and I get that in spades at komoot. Managing my working hours is key in my life since I travel a lot and spend my time between two countries. The combination of core time and flexible working hours is a great combination and helps me handle the changing seasons. My body and mind work differently in winter than in summer, and I need to change my routines depending on the weather.
Komoot’s mission is to make great adventures accessible to all. What does adventure mean to you?
Adventure for me is a mindset, from a 2-kilometer walk in a park close to my house to crossing several Japanese islands by bike. I think adventure does not discriminate against fitness level, age, or nationality. Anyone can have adventures outdoors. When I see my friends with their toddlers doing a picnic in a nearby park, my elderly neighbors walking in the garden, or when I see influencers crossing the Alps and going into the wild, I’m able to see adventure in all these scenarios. For me, it is about discovering and enjoying nature.
What’s your favorite Tour on komoot?
One of my favorite tours was the Shimanami-Kaido bike route in Japan.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like many things, and that’s sometimes a problem. My interests keep changing and every year I try new things. 2022 is about home renovation projects. I’m painting and building some furniture.
And last but not least, which of these do you prefer?
Beach or mountains?
Always beaches, with rocks! Like south Italian/volcanic beaches.
Summer or winter?
Summer, ideally with at least 32 degrees!
Morning or evening?
It depends on the season and the country I am in.
Hiking or cycling?
Both, but slow, please. Slow biking, slow hiking
Home office or coworking?
When I’m in one location for over a month, co-working. When I’m moving around, home office, with my laptop holder for ergonomic, back-pain-free working.
Thank you, Barbara! 💚
Interested in knowing more about Barbara’s adventures? Follow them on komoot here.
You cannot applaud your own story
