Chicago Roboto 2020: Let's Talk Dual Screens & Mobile App Development
Tags: surfaceduodev, android, mobile, events
Published: 2020-09-25 21:28:17

---
title: Chicago Roboto 2020: Let's Talk Dual Screens & Mobile App Development
published: true
description: I'm speaking at Chicago Roboto 2020 on dual screens, multi postures and mobile app development. Join me!!
tags: surfaceduodev, android, mobile, events
cover_image: https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/xiymiw1th0zkm8cn4t5s.png
---

> Found this interesting? Here are some useful resources:
> 1. Subscribe: [Surface Duo Dev Blog](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/surface-duo/?WT.mc_id=surfaceduodev-blog-ninarasi)

> 2. Read: [Creating Apps for Dual Screen](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dual-screen/?WT.mc_id=surfaceduodev-blog-ninarasi)

> 3. Follow: [#SurfaceDuoDev tag on dev.to](https://dev.to/t/surfaceduodev)

> 4. Bookmark: [Azure For Mobile Developers](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/developer/mobile-apps/?WT.mc_id=surfaceduodev-blog-ninarasi) 

---


# About Chicago Roboto

[Chicago Roboto](https://chicagoroboto.com/) is a 2-day developer conference held in one of my favorite places - the Windy City aka "Sweet Home Chicago" ♥️. The audience is primarily Android developers but topics can range from programming languages (Kotlin, Java) to cross-platform frameworks (Flutter, React Native) and general areas like accessibility, ethics, and open source.

This year is no different. We have a packed agenda and fantastic speakers and I can't wait to attend & learn!
 * The [Schedule](https://chicagoroboto.com/schedule/)
 * The [Speakers](https://chicagoroboto.com/speakers/)

---

# 2017: "Data Driven Development"

Chicago Roboto is [community-driven](https://chicagoroboto.com/about/) and that makes a difference. Chicago is also one of the cities I've called home, so being back there to do my first talk in 2017 was doubly significant. This year's conference is virtual but I hope to be back in person in 2021.

{% twitter 848564572915208193 %}

In 2017, I was fascinated with Mobile Analytics and using data-driven development to understand, and respond to, user behaviors within our mobile apps.

{% twitter 855149611459203073 %}
{% twitter 855161002006020096 %}

Since then I've pivoted to other things. I worked on web development (React) and cross-platform development (Flutter). I also joined Microsoft Developer Relations and spent almost two years working on developer programs for the North America (US + Canada) region ecosystems. Android was not on my priority list.

Until 2020. When Microsoft launched the Surface Duo, I knew I wanted to get back to mobile development and explore the features and affordances of this unique device. So I switched roles and became a Cloud Developer Advocate focused on mobile and fusion teams. And I began to dig into the amazing changes and evolution of the Android platform and ecosystem that I missed out on.

Want to follow my Surface Duo Development adventures? Bookmark this article and track the series!

{% link https://dev.to/azure/surface-duo-dev-do-one-better-with-dual-screens-2k1p %}

---

# 2020: "Dual Screen & Multi-Posture"

So this year, I will be doing my first Android talk in a while. I am nervous and excited all at once. I have three simple goals:

1. **Awareness:** - I want to get more developers to be aware of trends and advances in the foldable devices and dual-screen apps space. We are in the early stages so having more developers explore capabilities and provide feedback will help us all move the chains faster.

2. **Action:** - I want to have folks install the Surface Duo SDK and emulator and take the samples for a spin. Get a tangible sense of what the design considerations and best practices are. Migrate your app over (to run as is on single screen) as a simple first step - then incrementally play with different ideas to rethink user experiences.

3. **Amplification:** - I want to get people excited to think _beyond_ the current limitations and examples. Once you know the how, ask "what if"? What are the possibilities for new or enhanced user experiences - from multi-tasking productivity to context-aware companion apps or content experiences.

The talk will have links to various resources to help jumpstart your development journey. _And I will be updating this post with more resources over the week_.

> [Learn more about my session here](https://chicagoroboto.com/sessions/dual-screen-multi-posture-lets-rethink-mobile-apps/)

---

# Call to Action

#### 1. Post your questions & comments

I will put a link to this post in my talk and I encourage readers and attendees to use this forum to post their questions - so everyone can benefit from the discussion! Have a question? [**Post it here**](#comments)

#### 2. Subscribe for slides & recording

Once my talk is over I'll post slides here, and update this with a link to the recording when available. Want to be notified when that happens? [**Click Subscribe**](#comments)

#### 3. Bookmark these resources

The [Surface Duo Dev](https://twitter.com/surfaceduodev) team are an incredibly passionate and supportive group of engineers and developers who are looking to understand the pain points and development needs of the community.

 * [Follow the Surface Duo Dev Blog here](https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/surface-duo-sdk/bd-p/SurfaceDuoSDK?WT.mc_id=surfaceduodev-blog-ninarasi
)
 * [Post your Surface Duo SDK issues here](https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/surface-duo-sdk/bd-p/SurfaceDuoSDK?WT.mc_id=surfaceduodev-blog-ninarasi
)
 * [Check out the Azure Mobile Developers Hub](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/developer/mobile-apps/?WT.mc_id=surfaceduodev-blog-ninarasi)

> I can't wait to share more with you all soon!