Lalafo’s digital commerce transformation:
Custom app development
Meet our client and listen to their Solo
Ever since the onset of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the charitable C2C (consumer-to-consumer) online platform Lalafo has been active in Poland. A dedicated group of volunteers meticulously gather, categorize, snap photos of, and write detailed descriptions for various items, which are then listed on a virtual platform. This platform enables people to browse and select products they require, no matter their particular needs or whereabouts in Poland.
The key task of this project was to develop a photography app.
The company planned to scale and open warehouses with photo zones in different cities. Our task was to reduce the cost of these photo zones.
- App development
In order to significantly reduce the cost of the photo zone by 2-2.5 times, we proposed using an Android smartphone instead of a professional camera, and a tablet instead of a laptop.
For these devices, we recommended the development of two applications that can communicate with each other via a local network – Wi-Fi. The first device – the smartphone – would serve as the camera, affixed to the photo zone, and responsible for capturing and transmitting the photo to the server. The second device, a tablet, would oversee the entire process. Once the photo has been taken, the operator can add several descriptive tags to the item, following which it will be saved onto the server.
- Application Testing
The application testing was delivered into two phases.
First, we conducted internal QA testing to ensure functionality, performance and usability met our requirements. Next, the photographer tested the application at the photo zone for real-world validation. Successful testing enabled commercial and charitable use, with ongoing support from our team.
Our collaboration process
- Team Development
Team Development - Setting goalsSetting goals
- MVPMVP
- App releaseApp release
An interesting project in terms of cooperation with the client. The whole process is very structured: design sprints, brainstorms, the client was happy to share his experience. It was a challenge because the idea was adventurous. Fortunately, we have good developers.
Andrii Dukhniak, Project Manager
Collaboration results
Benefits
We’ve developed two applications that can communicate and collaborate with each other over a local network, allowing them to create a complete product object that includes a photo of the item and its corresponding information. Once generated, this product object is sent to the server for further display on the client’s website. This approach has helped to significantly reduce the cost of the photo area while simultaneously increasing productivity and providing greater opportunities for future expansion.
- General information about items
The photographer now has the ability to specify the color, size, and condition of the subject in question after taking the photo. This information is then automatically integrated into the CRM system. - Barcode scanner
A scanner is integrated into the photo zone, which can quickly scan the barcode and sort the goods according to their respective code in the customer’s warehouse. If the scanner is mistakenly not connected, the application will display a prompt reading “Please connect the scanner.” - Localized photo zone
Each photographer is assigned a unique personal login and password to gain authorization and access to only the items that they have photographed and their corresponding numbers.
To realize the connection between the two devices, a WebSocket connection was immediately put forward, and WebRTC technology was used to send video in real-time. The entire backend part has already been implemented on the client side, so their API is used entirely. Since this is not a direct commercial product, but a warehouse product, the project does not use Google Play for updates, it was decided to update via AWS Storage provided by the customer. APK files and meta-files that store information about APKs are located on AWS. Apps first download metafiles, compare app versions, and if they differ, download the APK and install the new version.
Testing takes place in two stages:
- QA testing on our side
- Testing by the photographer himself at the photo zone
Now the applications already perform the main function and are already used in commercial and charitable needs by our customers, while our team continues to support this project.
Thanks to SoloWay Technologies’ efforts, an app is now faster and has fewer errors. The team’s workflow was effective despite constant changes in the scope of the project. With that being said, questions were answered promptly and everything was delivered within the given timeframe.
Yuriy Mukhin, CEO at Lalafo
