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Come one, come all! Last month, Dave Wright, our Chief Innovation Officer, shared out the winners of our inaugural The Devvies: App of the Year Contest.
In case you missed the announcement at Knowledge ‘23, read on to learn more about the applications that were crowned App of The Year and Citizen Development App of the Year.
The Devvies is where developers worldwide come together to showcase their app innovation, make a significant impact, and inspire the ServiceNow Community. It’s a thrilling showcase of coding prowess, creativity, and out-of-the-box thinking. Developers unleash the power of their in-production apps, highlighting the transformative effects they have had on their organizations. As they compete for the coveted title of “App of the Year,” participants not only receive major kudos and brag-worthy prizes but also contribute to the collective inspiration that drives the ServiceNow Community forward.
A total of 182 contest participants entered, presenting 109 in-production apps that are actively used in their organizations, thus showcasing the remarkable impact and value they have provided. Throughout the course of The Devvies, all entrants underwent a multi-stage judging process where a panel of esteemed judges examined their apps. All entrants were considered in a preliminary judging phase before announcing the finalists.
Finalists not only had to create a compelling 5-minute pitch video but also participated in a live virtual grill session where they faced on-the-spot questioning from our panel. Accompanied by our Senior Developer Advocates Chuck & Lauren, our judging panel consisted of the following ServiceNow Executives who challenged the finalists to demonstrate their expertise and showcase the transformational impact the app had on their organization.
- Dave Wright - Chief Innovation Officer
- Jithin Bhasker - VP & GM - App Engine
- Rajeev Sethi - VP DT, Emerging Technologies
- Rajesh Munshi - VP, App & Automation Engine Engineering
The pitch videos created by the nine finalists allowed them to showcase their apps in a concise and engaging manner, highlighting key features, benefits, and the impact they had on their organizations. Across our finalists, we saw exceptional results, with one app saving over 9 million minutes a year and another showing an increase in customer satisfaction from 37% to 94%. All in all, these videos served as a powerful medium to communicate the essence and value of their creations to the judges as participants demonstrated their apps and shared testimonials from real users in their organizations.
Next, the live grill sessions added an extra layer of excitement and challenge to the competition by providing a unique opportunity for the finalists to impress the judges with their ability to think on their feet, defend their app’s innovations, share incredible results and convey the passion behind their work.
Throughout the evaluation process, the judges assessed the apps based on a set of comprehensive criteria, including business impact, scale, richness, innovation, and citizen development* (*applied specifically to the citizen development category). The weighted scoring and judging feedback ensured a fair and thorough evaluation of each finalist’s application. Finalists who attended Knowledge ‘23 also met with our judges during a meet & greet session to network, ask questions, and socialize.
The combination of live grill sessions, pitch videos, and the meticulous judging process set the stage for an unforgettable inaugural The Devvies competition. It celebrated the remarkable talent and innovation within the ServiceNow developer community and showcased these apps’ significant impact on businesses worldwide. The journey was challenging, but the rewards were extraordinary, making The Devvies a truly remarkable event in the realm of app development.
Through all the exceptional submissions, only one app in each category could come out on top. Let’s take a closer look at them now.
APP OF THE YEAR: University of Toronto Mississauga, AskRegistrar, built by Cesar Mejia, Lovedeep Grewal, Erli Fan, Nia McCash, and Guilherme Henriques
The University of Toronto Mississauga has secured its place as the grand prize winner and won the title App of the Year with their creation, AskRegistrar. The university recognized an unmet need to modernize services, enhance the student experience, and optimize staff workflows – a need they were able to achieve through ServiceNow.
AskRegistrar emerged as a direct response to challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and was created in just five months. Leveraging the power of the ServiceNow platform, this app has revolutionized the way their Office of the Registrar operates and has benefited over 15,000 end users.
This comprehensive app offers students six levels of remote service, ensuring their queries and requests are promptly addressed. From an AI knowledge base that provides immediate assistance to a ticket system that enhances transparency and accountability, AskRegistrar streamlines processes and eliminates the need for traditional communication channels such as email. Furthermore, it enables students to book appointments with advisors, facilitates online payments, and maintains a log of all interactions, which empowers staff and students alike.
The impact of this application in the scope of business outcomes has been immense. By centralizing student interactions and on-demand services, the app has provided the university with accurate statistical reports and a deeper understanding of critical processes. The ticket system has improved response rates and allowed subject matter experts to be easily reached within the office, leading to increased productivity and faster resolution times. In fact, students can now expect a response within 1-3 business days, a significant improvement from the previous average response time of 2-5 business days or even 14 business days during peak periods.
As well as this, the application has eliminated the need to hire additional staff to meet demand, resulting in an estimated savings of $775,000 over 12 months. With over 116,000 tickets completed, the app has become invaluable to the university. Take a look at the total impact detailed in their pitch video below:
Built using a range of ServiceNow features and capabilities, including Flow Designer and Developer Studio, the team’s dedication to excellence has been acknowledged by several prestigious awards beyond The Devvies, including the University of Toronto’s 2021 Excellence Through Innovation Award, the CAUBO Quality & Productivity Award 2021, and the OURA Innovation Award.
With the power to streamline the workflows of over 60 dedicated staff members, this app is a true force. Let’s raise our glasses to the University of Toronto Mississauga for their outstanding achievement in revolutionizing the world of student services. Cheers to their well-deserved victory!
Citizen Development App of the Year: Universitat de Girona, Qualitat, built by Santi Cots
Built by Santi Cots, the Technical Coordinator of the Institutional Quality Accreditation Project at Universitat de Girona in Spain, this app has transformed quality management at his organization. Santi took on the challenge of leaving his mark on the Quality Management department at his university.
UdG Qualitat is a comprehensive tool for managing quality improvement plans, dashboards, reports, and process tracking. By providing a centralized platform, it enables multiple schools to collaborate and share plans, objectives, and actions. Accreditation bodies can be effortlessly reported to, and essential processes are automated, saving precious time and effort.
The app’s impact on business outcomes is undeniable. It has replaced a collection of Excel files, allowing for real-time sharing, consistent data control, and easy reporting. The app’s influence extends beyond internal operations, as Santi also developed services to seamlessly publish information to the corporate website. It acts as a documentation repository, ensuring information is readily accessible and transparent to all.
As far as impact, Santi shared in his pitch video that the app now has more than 500 end users, and it is used weekly, if not daily. In his grill session with our judges, he cited that he could utilize “ServiceNow as a lever for a cultural change” within his organization. ServiceNow features like Flow Designer and Developer Studio enabled Santi to bring his streamlined idea to life, creating improved productivity, streamlined processes, and significant cost savings. Our finalist judge Rajeev Sethi applauded Santi in his grill session, stating that “it looks like [he] created it over the last five years” and that he can tell how complex the app must be. When asked to comment on how he felt about his victory, Santi shared some insight on his submission, stating that for him, “winning was completely unexpected” and that “the result took [him] by surprise, a beautiful surprise.” Having told nobody that he entered the competition, receiving the Citizen Development prize was “a fantastic experience and a moment of joy” for him that will resonate for years to come.
Let’s give a round of applause to Santi and his incredible creation!
Not only did our winners get to take satisfaction in earning their titles, but they were also able to claim their trophies on the CreatorCon Keynote stage at our annual Knowledge conference in Las Vegas. Along with their much-deserved App of The Year Trophy, winners will also be taking home a The Devvies 2023 Exclusive Prize Bundle, two complete passes for Knowledge 2024, and a whole lot of glory. Cesar Mejia of AskRegistrar’s team commented on their victory, stating that “winning the contest was a surreal experience. For [his] team, this is an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. It was a validation of all the hard work, dedication, and passion [they] had poured into developing our applications, especially AskRegistrar.” Cesar went on to discuss the competition and shared that it was very humbling to have “come out on top among a pool of talented competitors” and expressed his excitement as he and his team members realize how “winning the contest [has] opened doors to new possibilities and [they] already have a lot of new ideas for future projects in ServiceNow.”
But wait, the journey continues - stay tuned for more exciting updates and details on next year’s The Devvies contest. We invite all creative minds to unleash their innovation and join us on this remarkable adventure. Together, let’s push the boundaries of what’s possible and create groundbreaking apps that shape the future. We can’t wait to see what you bring to the table. Get ready to show us what you’ve got for The Devvies 2024, coming this Fall! We plan to make next year’s edition bigger and better with more categories, increased prizing, and a lot of recognition. So, if you have an app in production or are building one that will be, follow the link below to sign up for updates on all things The Devvies 2024.
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