Best of Galaxy Store Awards 2019 Winner: Vienna Studios' Tomas Joscak Speaks to Blending Design and Technology to Become a Top Galaxy Store Seller
Samsung Developer Program
Our second annual Best of Galaxy Store Awards were announced at the Samsung Developer Conference in October 2019! The awards recognize publishers who have stood out amongst the crowd in the Galaxy Store's boutique of expertly-curated apps.
To kick off our Best of Galaxy Store Awards 2019 series, we spoke with Tomas Joscak from Vienna Studios, the winner of the award for Best Indie Watch Designer.
How did your path as a developer/designer begin?
I got my first smartwatch as a present from my brother Jakub, and I wanted to have my own designs as a watch face. After playing around I finally found a big opportunity at the Galaxy Store, where a lot of smartwatch users and later Vienna Studios fans liked my models.
Tell us a little about your career with Vienna Studios as a developer and a designer. How did you join these two creative forces together to make such a stunning product?
I have a strong technical background and PhD degrees from technical universities in Austria and Slovakia. This might be why I have an affinity for classic mechanical time piece design. On the other hand, I was a CEO of start-up company Dascanova for seven years. I do think that combination between engineering/developer skills and leading a store like a real business on the highest professional level possible, makes the success in this case.
How long have you been building for Samsung? We understand your watch face is exclusive to the Galaxy Store. Why choose Samsung?
My first free watch face was published only one year ago. I could not believe when I saw thousands of downloads in the statistic tool after the first day. I knew immediately that this is the right place, and there is a huge opportunity on this platform.
What was your inspiration for building watch faces for the Galaxy Store?
The design possibilities on a smartwatch are without limits. However, a lot of users like the look of a luxury mechanical watch. I do try to combine these two factors, and I do offer a classic design with functions and mechanisms, which could not be realized in the analog form.
We noticed your all your watch faces contain significant features such as animations and motion. Can you share about your experience marrying design and technology? How does Samsung help you create the best user experience?
Samsung provides us with a powerful instrument where a watch face could be designed and composed without knowledge of coding. This helps to focus on the most important thing - what the user is looking for, which is a great design with all important functions included. I try to always add an extra element or factor, making my fans and customers happy with my products.
As an example, I use the gyroscopic 3D feature to reveal advanced information or functionality, such as a hidden, animated heart to show heart rate.
Tell us about the Samsung Developer Program. How did you get involved?
I feel supported as a developer since day one, as I opened my first store. However, after I was informed that I’m a Top Seller on the Galaxy Store, I joined the program, I now feel I am part of team. The most amazing experience was to meet all of the members live at SDC 2019 and to discuss future development opportunities, which we are now a part of.
What advice do you have for other developers, designers, or creators who want to grow with Samsung and get the most of the product family?
There is a lot of information, blogs, video-tutorials, and presentations out there. I was doing research, and learned from Samsung team members and successful designers, weeks before I started selling on the Galaxy Store. Advice on how to be successful was compressed into three words by Chis Shomo from Infinity Watchfaces: design, branding & promo-video.
Thanks to Tomas Joscak for sharing his insights on what it takes to blend creativity and technology to create an elegant, luxury watch design. If you're on a Samsung device, please check out his award-winning collection.
Be sure to follow us on @samsung_dev for more interviews with the 'Best of' 2019 winners in the coming weeks.
