SmartFind Express

SmartFind Express is fine. It’s just barely fine. But it is also a perfect example of what is wrong with the app ecosystem these days. Developers provide solutions without really knowing what the problem is, and so the results are these generic platforms that do a couple of things okay, but fail at Dieter Rams’ instructions to design for the customer first and foremost. And the fact that most people give it a 4-star rating shows just how helpless and dependent we are on third party developers. Is SmartFind a mostly-functioning app that is better than a live operator calling a phone tree every morning? Sure. But its users have had the same complaints for years, and no one does a thing about them. Connectivity: Users are randomly signed out, for alleged security reasons. Basic database interpretation: When a job is canceled, one might get a notification that the job is no longer available. But selecting the “acknowledge cancellation” option creates a message that the job is no longer there to delete. Or worse, the wrong job pops up. I’m supposed to acknowledge that Job A was cancelled, but it shows me Job B when I try to accept the cancellation. That’s just lazy programming. On the web version, the notification window that one must wait ten seconds to check again for jobs actually blocks the tab headers that allow the user to switch to a different view. Interface with single-sign-on services. I’m presently stuck in a loop where signing in via our district’s Microsoft account returns me to the sign-in page. Closing the app (simply closing it, not quitting it) requires me to reload the district’s code. This happens frequently with this app. Design: Again, lazy development here. Does not appear to use dynamic fonts and is not optimized for the device in hand, so half the time you can’t read a prompt, the other half the text bleeds out of the box. It’s all so depressing. There’s no excuse for software development to be where it is right now. But users have been numbed into submission, so “barely good enough” passes for four stars. Sad. (Going to share a secret: There’s a 10 minute inactivity timer – 600 seconds – that will sign you out if you’re not using the web app. But the timer doesn’t start if the window is not active, so you can walk away for hours, and when you open the window again, you will see the prompt taking down “… 598, 597, 596 …” Do they not do internal app reviews in this organization? Who is verifying that a new feature does what it is supposed to do? )

You can browse and accept jobs. It also shows you completed and future accepted jobs. A good time saver.

The app is not easy to navigate. My biggest problem is that it sends me endless lists of jobs and not just the schools I chose to work in. It also lists areas of qualification that are incorrect, but I can not edit them. I have called Kelly almost daily and sent numerous emails, but no one responds and if they do they transfer the call to someone who never answers. Very frustrating There needs to be a tutorial for who to use this app! And then the app needs to work

The app used to be useful but after the last update that’s changed. I’m not able to access available jobs, the app says I “timeout” after a search. I never had this issue before the update, very frustrating. At this point, I’ve uninstalled the app and gone back to using the site in a browser, it’s much more reliable that way. You might want to do the same.

It used to work and then everyone in the district complained that it didn’t load jobs. Then it only did when you put in specific dates. Now all it ever says after buffering is error. Annoying!

This app needs a severe upgrade. Too slow, limited setting options. Its only good use is to view jobs but it only works best for the next day. You can not view any other possible job dates. The calendar function is useless also. And forget about having the option to block future calls, you need to log into a computer for that. This app is very basic and it’s very slow. It’s a shame that for a large city, large population, we have poor technology for city workers.

I substitute often and have experienced good and great substitute management systems. This is by far the worst app out there for subbing. It often crashes before I can even log in. Plus, when there are jobs available, I can’t even accept them because they are being offered to people over the phone. So then why even have the app?? It seems futile to rate the app since I don’t really think anything can be changed, but if there’s anyone out there who reads these and can do something…please do!!

The app is good and simple, easy to understand. The reason I gave it 3 stars is because it does not have a touch ID option. Please add it ASAP

The app does not give information on what classes/grade the teacher teaches. That is info I would like to know when taking a job.

This is among the most embarrassingly bad apps I've ever had to use. 1 out of about 10 times it keeps me signed it, the other 9 times I have to put my password in and get a text code. Every single time I open the app. Sometimes it'll get stuck loading infinitely once I am finally in, and I'll have to close & reopen it 2-3 times for it to work. Sometimes it'll just plain old crash. Its latest trick, for me, has been refusing to pull up the text box when prompting me to sign in, thus locking me out of the app entirely. This problem was not even fixed by completely reinstalling; still no text box. Incredible stuff. If I were a kindergarten teacher, and a 5-year-old student made this app as a project, I would fail him. Utterly broken.