jbierfeldt / smartscribe-swe-intern-test

Code Challenge For SmartScribe SWE Interns

SmartScribe SWE Intern Code Challenge

Welcome to the SmartScribe Software Engineering Intern Code Challenge! This challenge is designed to give us a glimpse into your problem-solving skills, coding abilities, and creativity. As you work through the stages outlined below, remember that while we do appreciate a touch of flair in UI design, our primary focus is on functionality, code clarity, efficiency, and your ability to follow instructions and implement features.

Getting Started

1. Clone this repository: Start by cloning this repository. We suggest naming your cloned repository in a way that reflects the challenge, such as SmartScribe-Intern-Challenge.

2. Set up your environment: Ensure you have a development environment set up for React and TypeScript. You'll need Node.js installed on your computer, and we recommend using an IDE like Visual Studio Code for its excellent TypeScript and React support.

3. Install dependencies: Navigate to your project directory in the terminal and run npm install to install the necessary dependencies.

4. Start the development server: Once dependencies are installed, you can start the development server by running npm run dev. This will launch the project in your default web browser.

Objectives

Your task is to build and improve upon a React component that allows users to record audio, name their recordings, download the audio file, and simulate an upload process for transcription. The challenge is divided into stages, each with its own set of requirements. You'll find the specific instructions in the INSTRUCTIONS.md file in the repo.

• Stage I: Focuses on fixing some existing bugs.
• Stage II: Aims at improving the user experience based on given criteria and using browser media APIs.
• Stage III: Involves implementing a new feature related to audio upload and transcription simulation.
• BONUS Stage IV: (Optional) Enhances the application by providing visual feedback on microphone input volume.

What We're Looking For

• Problem-solving skills: Your approach to debugging and making improvements.
• Code quality: Clean, readable, and well-structured code.
• Understanding of React and TypeScript: Effective use of React's features and TypeScript's type system.
• Creativity and initiative: Any additional features or enhancements you decide to implement.

Time Consideration

We understand that your time is valuable, and this challenge is not meant to take an excessively long time. Aim to spend no more than 2-5 hours on this challenge. It's okay if you don't complete every single requirement within this timeframe; we're more interested in seeing your thought process, coding practices, and how you prioritize tasks when time is limited.

Submission

Once you have completed the challenge to your satisfaction, please submit your work by pushing your code to a GitHub repository and sharing the link with us. Include a README notes you think might be helpful in understanding your approach and thought-process. If you spent a lot of time going down a path that didn't prove fruitful—that's software development!—include a note in your README.