Because of strict confidentiality agreements, we cannot disclose our partner's name to the public. Certain aspects of the project may also be obscured.
A Running App with Personalized Shoe Recommendations: Fix It and Scale It
Context
Our partner, a prominent hardware manufacturer based in Japan, engaged us to enhance their cross-platform mobile app, a project spanning over three years and involving various subcontractors. Unfortunately, they were dissatisfied with their current subcontractors, struggling to find skilled teams who could systematically advance the continuously growing application.
Objective
The primary aim was to streamline the codebase, making it current and adaptable for future updates. The mission encompassed refactoring the existing app to fix bugs and introduce new features. Moreover, we were tasked with creating a new app with a specific purpose, sharing the codebase with the established app.
The app offers a rich array of features such as interactive goals, performance tracking, endurance building, and tailored suggestions for improvement. It gathers diverse metrics, like ankle angle and footstrike impact, to offer shoe recommendations perfectly aligned with each user's running style.
In addition to the personalized shoe suggestions, the app needed to flawlessly integrate with compatible watches, motion sensors, fitness trackers, and third-party applications, facilitating comprehensive data analysis and exchange.
Process
1.)Acquainted ourselves with the existing codebase.
2.)Identified and prioritized areas with bottlenecks for improvement.
3.)Revamped critical sections of the app to facilitate future enhancements while retaining all current functionalities.
4.)Separated reusable code into a distinct codebase for integration with the app's new version.
5.)Continued the ongoing development, which included regular meetings, addition of new features, and addressing bugs for both versions of the app.
Scope
Mobile App Development
Tech Stack
Vue
Vuex
Cordova
MySQL
NodeJS
Challenges
Navigating the legacy codebase, which had suffered from years of unsystematic, unplanned, and ill-defined development. The existing code was outdated, poorly organized, and lacked modularity.
Our partner chose to retain the existing Apache Cordova framework, making modernization a complex process. This required crafting custom native plugins and tweaking existing Cordova plugins.
Synchronizing two apps to have a unified login, secure storage, and hardware management, while also ensuring compatibility with a broad range of devices, including older and smaller phones.
Result
Now, users can enjoy a cross-platform (iOS and Android) mobile app that not only helps track their running advancements but also offers personalized shoe recommendations, thanks to sophisticated analytics.
Over two years, the Scriptide team has steadfastly supported our partner's project, delivering both apps in a stable and refined form. We transformed the codebase into a modular, maintainable, and scalable solution, paving the way for continued success in the East Asian market with over 10,000 satisfied users. Both our partner and their users have expressed high satisfaction with the improved app experience.
We provided our partner with critical technical insights, guiding them on how to plan and implement a project of this magnitude. Our team has been an integral part of the journey, fostering a close collaboration with their team. This partnership not only prevented potential missteps but also enabled the swift launch of a parallel app targeting a different user group.
By adopting a cross-platform approach, we expedited the rollout of new designs and features, yielding considerable cost and time savings for our partner compared to traditional development methods.
19,200
development hours
Our team dedicated about 19,200 hours to develop and support this application, working collaboratively to bring our partner's vision to life.
~50%
cost savings
By refactoring a large-scale monolithic application, we saved our partner a substantial amount compared to the cost of rebuilding.
10,000
satisfied users
Our collaboration has been instrumental in advancing the project, creating a valuable and satisfying experience for over 10,000 users.