Engineering note by David Garcia Saragih
More Than Just Code: Building "The Judge" to Protect My Team at UNIFY 2025
System architecture isn't just about uptime; it's about the human moments at the front gate. Driven by the fear of becoming a burden to my team, I spearheaded the development of "…
When I build a system, I don’t just worry about the server going down. I worry about the human moments at the front gate. I’m the type of person who always calculates the worst case scenario, mainly because I’m terrified of becoming a burden to my own team.
During UNIFY 2025 (the grand finale of UMN FESTIVAL 2025), I spent the day at the registration desk alongside the ticketing division. My biggest fear? An attendee showing up only to find out their ticket had already been used. That anxiety is exactly why we built "The Judge."
It wasn't just an audit trail; it was a "witness" for the team. We designed it to capture: The exact timestamp of every scan. The specific staff member who performed the scan. A photo of the situation at that very moment.
This meant if a dispute happened, the team had the data and evidence they needed to handle the situation with confidence.
Working on this system taught me that the best features are often the ones that solve the most "annoying" problems. Together with the team, we focused on: 💳 Eliminating Manual Verification: By integrating Midtrans payment gateway, we saved the ticketing team from the nightmare of manually verifying thousands of payment slips. Seeing the status flip to "Paid" automatically was a massive win for everyone. 🎫 The "Life Saver" Features (Resend & Edit): It sounds simple, but the Resend & Edit Email features saved us multiple times. We could fix a typo or recover a lost ticket in 5 seconds at the gate without any manual database intervention. 📈 Operational Autonomy: We made sure the team could track referral codes and manage discounts independently, allowing them to drive sales without needing a developer on standby.
I’ll be honest: I was a bit of a wreck during the event. I kept waiting for a QR code to fail or the system to bug out. But as the registration period ended and we realized everything had run perfectly, the sense of relief was overwhelming. Hearing the ticketing team say the system actually made their lives easier was the best feedback I could have asked for.
This wasn't a solo effort. A massive thank you to the Web Division crew who put in the work from day one: my partner Fabian Dustin, our PIC Paramitha Irgina Sugianto, and the team: Gadiel Narain, Gregorius Frederico, Alto Dev, Axell Muhamad, Steven Jonathan, Davin Christoper, and Vieny Evelyn. 🙌