Meet Josh
Josh Davies,
Software Engineer
Introducing…. Josh Davies, our Software Engineer.
This week we have an audience with Josh to give you more insight into his career transition, life at IRIS and his talents as an artist.
What do you do and how long have you worked at IRIS?
‘‘I have worked at IRIS for one year now. I code the front end of our App, including the user interface and front-end logic.
I make sure all aspects of the user journey are optimised and build the guest-facing parts of the app – from browsing, ordering and payments to messaging staff, menu designs and layouts - all the features that the guest can use.’’
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
‘‘Coffee, coffee and more coffee.’’
What’s your background?
‘‘I have previously worked in art, events and property management before finding a passion for coding. Bit of an unusual career path but coding combines my creative and problem-solving skills. I previously worked for an educational company, building a user-based platform.’’
What is one of the most interesting tasks/projects you’ve worked on at IRIS?
‘‘Carrying out an accessibility review of our app to ensure that users who rely on assistive technology, like a screen reader, get the same customer experience as everyone else.
I’ve enjoyed modernising the look and feel of the app to ensure it’s always looking fresh and innovative. Also designing new features to give hotels more choice – for example, hotels now have 4 new menu designs to choose from.’’
What is your favourite hobby?
‘‘Going to the gym or painting watercolours - landscapes and city scapes are my forte (see J. Davies - jdaviesillustration.com)’’
What inspires you about working in hospitality?
‘‘Browsing all the photos of food and beautiful views that the hotels upload!
We have many stunning clients that look amazing –I get very tempted and would love to stay at them or even dine at their restaurants by the look of all their menus!’’
What is your most significant achievement to date – personal or professional?
‘‘Transitioning into a career in software was a challenge that I am grateful I took on. I find it rewarding to create solutions and build something that helps thousands of people.’’
What did you want to do when you were growing up?
‘‘A vet or an artist’’
What is your guilty pleasure?
‘‘Easter eggs – there’s something about Easter egg chocolate that tastes better!’’
What’s the best thing about working at IRIS?
‘‘We are always taking on new challenges and growing the functionality of the App. I’ve recently worked on time slots to help prevent bottlenecks and help kitchens stagger orders to prevent them from getting overwhelmed with orders at busy times.
I’ve been involved in developing the Open tab which is an exciting new feature that we’re about to launch.
Also my teammates!’’
