Focused on a smooth and pleasant user experience, front-end developers bring the interface to life. In the continuation of our series of articles on the backstage of a legaltech, Pierre and Thomas, Software Developers at Hyperlex, present their daily missions and help us decipher the codes of development in the service of ergonomics and accessibility.
Can you present your background and what motivated you to join a legaltech like Hyperlex?
Pierre: After 10 years in the public sector, I chose to reorient myself as a developer. That's how I came to be an intern at Hyperlex in February 2017. I immediately connected with the team and felt that I was joining a company that was conducive to my own development.
Thomas: I arrived in 2017 at the creation of Hyperlex, following a meeting on Linkedin with Alexis Agahi, the CTO of Hyperlex. What attracted me was the adventure: there was everything to do with an innovative product and an inspiring team.
When you think of a developer's job, you don't necessarily think of the legal sector... Why this choice?
The legal profession is a traditional one, with tools and processes that are sometimes a little outdated... What is interesting in our profession is that we can bring them the latest technology by combining a SaaS product with artificial intelligence.
The aim is to facilitate the daily life of these professionals by freeing up their time so that they can concentrate on their mission as experts.
We talk about "developer" but this is a group that includes many different professions: back-end developer, front-end developer, software developer, web developer... Can you explain these different professions and their interactions at Hyperlex?
Indeed, the profession of "developer" is very rich but it also varies according to the sector of activity or the size of the company.
At Hyperlex, we are all software developers divided between the front-end and the back-end. The front-end - which we are - is in charge of the visible part of Hyperlex: all the elements that are displayed when the user connects to his Hyperlex account. Conversely, the back-end is in charge of the part in the shadows that the user does not see, administering the database.
The special feature of Hyperlex is that all data is encrypted on the server for security reasons. This means that some of the complexity of the work is shifted to the front end: a certain number of tasks that could be carried out on the server (back-end) must be processed on the client side (front-end). We have to guarantee the confidentiality and security of our users beyond the ergonomics of the platform.
At Hyperlex, what does your job as a developer involve on a daily basis?
Our objective is to offer our users a business software that is beyond reproach in terms of accessibility and responsiveness. Unlike a marketplace, for example, we do not seek to optimise the user's experience in order to make them buy, but to make their interaction with the application, their work and therefore their daily life more fluid.
In concrete terms, we use the "Agile" method to develop our functionalities.
→ How is it organised?
At the beginning of the week, the product team collects customer requirements and divides them into "tickets", representing tasks to be completed. These are not technical tasks but user requirements. We divide the tickets among ourselves and translate them into technical specifications.
Once completed, each task will be reviewed, commented on, approved or modified by another team member before final integration on the platform. This process creates a real emulsion between all the brains.
We are the first testers for Hyperlex and the first to be able to tell if things are working or not. We have a real responsibility in this area and we have to challenge the product department, just as much as they try to challenge us.
Thomas Brodusch, Senior Software Developer at Hyperlex
In addition to the delivery of new features, our daily routine is also punctuated by the continuous improvement of the existing software: performance optimisation, bug fixes, etc. We don't try to get the perfect product the first time, but to quickly release a first pragmatic version corresponding to the client's needs, by proceeding through iterations. This is one of the many advantages of the SaaS mode: the customer has a software that improves from week to week.
Finally, in an AI company such as Hyperlex, it is important to always remain at the cutting edge of our business practices. This is why we devote a little time each day to technology watch.
What is your daily motivation? What makes you want to get up in the morning?
P: When I chose to do this job, I asked myself what framework I wanted to do it in. What I like about the start-up environment is the direct impact we can have on the product and the rapid return on investment. We get immediate user feedback, which allows us to adapt the product accordingly.
T: What motivates me every day is working with the best. You are surrounded by motivated people who want to constantly improve the product to make the company grow.
What are the qualities needed to do this job?
T: Humility. You have to be willing to question yourself and always go beyond your limits. The developer is a real "problem solver". There's a detective aspect to our profession: we have to find the solution to a problem and as soon as it's solved, we have to tackle a new problem, and so on! That's why you have to be passionate and eager to learn.
P: You also have to be curious and open-minded. Technology watch, for example, should not be a pain but should be done naturally and with pleasure.
What difficulties do you face?
P: The challenge of our job is to act as a link between the different departments, to ensure the transmission between the technical and non-technical teams. A good developer is able to explain his missions and development constraints.
It's a technical job, but the central pivot remains the human element and communication.
Thomas Brodusch, Senior Software Developer at Hyperlex
T: The first difficulty as a developer comes from the consideration that others may have of our profession. There is a lack of knowledge and understanding of what we do. It's a very cerebral profession that requires a lot of concentration.
The latest features integrated into Hyperlex that you are particularly proud of?
P: I had been at Hyperlex for 6 months when I was asked to develop the functionality to export all the contractual summary sheets to Excel in one click. I painstakingly produced a first version of the export in almost a month, with many iterations. For the client everything worked, but in terms of code it was far from optimal.
One year later, following a redesign of the summary sheet, I had to recode the Excel export. I was looking forward to this: to be able to evaluate myself 1 year after my arrival. In 3 days I developed the functionality with a much better quality and readability of code compared to the first version. This is the proof that my personal work has paid off.
T: I'm proud of two things. The first is technical: I developed a business tool to help Hyperlex's internal teams take over our clients' contracts during the project phase. With this tool, the teams have improved their productivity by 15%.
👉 Read also: [INTERVIEW] Behind the scenes of a LegalTech: the mission of Customer Success
And my second pride is Pierre. He arrived at Hyperlex as an intern and today he is a seasoned developer, confirmed on a permanent contract for 1 year at Hyperlex.
What are the main challenges of this profession in the legal sector?
The evangelisation of a sector where the immediate value gain from digital transformation appears less obvious than in other sectors.
Pierre Tsiakkaros, Software Developer at Hyperlex
Our goal is to allow lawyers to focus on their core business by removing repetitive tasks from their daily lives.
When is a victory for you...?
P: When we finally solve a priority bug that seemed to have no logic after days of research. The other real pleasure of this job is the transmission. It's rewarding to help teams who don't necessarily have development expertise to become autonomous on these subjects.
T: When a member of the team gives me feedback from a customer who has been won over by the solution.
A message to the lawyers who read you and who are considering the installation of an AI solution within their legal department?
T: Find out about the solution you're going to implement and the team that runs it and develops it... Ask yourself: "Who is making this product and why are they doing it? It's important to know their approach and to be able to project yourself.
P: Don't choose a product just because it's fashionable or because others are doing it. Before making a decision, there is a lot of analysis and reflection to be done within your company. Think about your real needs and problems beforehand. The right product will emerge naturally from this reflection.
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Read also the interview of our Head of Product: Interview with Silvana de Santis, Head of Product 💖