A mobile app for improving men’s health

Integrating Bluetooth control over medical devices
Ionic
Vue
Firebase
Customer Overview

The customer is a German product company specialized in men's health. Based on the comprehensive research and self-conducted medical studies, they created a device aimed to help men improve sexual functions. For controlling the original device and tracking user progress, the Customer needed an all-new mobile app for both platforms – iOS & Android.

Business goal

The Customer came to us with a completely outdated mobile app that had already been removed from the App Store and was about to be removed from Play Market. We needed to rewrite the mobile app using the latest technology stack to run the app on devices with the latest operating systems. Additionally, according to the gathered feedback, the app lacked certain functions that users wanted to see inside:
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- Easy-to-track daily and monthly analytics
- Possibility to input and edit data manually (in case of a mistake)
- Fast import & export of user data
- Better motivation for keeping on track while using the app (advice and achievements)

Furthermore, after completely reconstructing all the initial features, the Client asked for the all-new functionality – controlling original external devices via Bluetooth. 

Scope of work

- Hybrid Mobile App Development
- Native iOS / Android plugins customization
- Publishing the app to the App Store & Play Market 

Technology challenges

- Time zones. As the app records certain time intervals, it was challenging to divide intervals into astronomical days, especially if users travel and move in different time zones. This issue was to be solved to ensure displaying daily statistics and progress properly.
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- Android File System Restrictions. Once we implemented the 1st version with the import/export user data feature into the device file system, Android announced new Android 11 file system restrictions. We had to reconsider the chosen approach and reimplement an updated Android API.
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- Plugin customization. Some plugins weren’t performing properly. For example, a local-notification plugin didn't support both modes – specific time (once tomorrow at 10 AM) and frequency (recurring notifications every Monday and Friday at 11 AM). That made us dig deeper into native source code of that plugin and customize it according to the needs of the app.

Solutions

To develop a new, radically improved version of the existing mobile app, we stopped on Ionic – for 2 reasons. First, the Client was familiar with the framework and could maintain the released app with in-house resources. Second, Ionic allowed substantially cut development time and reuse some parts of existing code.

In the beginning, the client didn’t consider changing the app's UI which was obviously outdated. We conducted a market research that included competitors' comparison and user feedback. The result showed that in order to fit the market and be competitive the UI needed to be updated. Therefore, we redesigned the UI, using branded colors and making it intuitive.

As the old app was already removed from the App Store, a new version was needed ASAP. To ensure app’s availability for users in the early stages of the project, we reimplemented all the existing features in a short time and got the app back to the Store. Once the first fresh version was published, we switched to developing new features.

We implemented Push Notifications using Firebase Message Service – an easy to use and feature-rich tool.

As the app contains sensitive user data, the Client wanted to be 100% sure of data safety. On the other hand, there should be a possibility to import and export data. So we offered a simple and secure way of data management – export & import data straight into user mobile devices.The solution turned out to cut the Client development costs as it eliminates the need for implementing an external server along with all the features required to prevent data leakage. 

With the very first app version built long ago, we also had to take care of the App Store & Play Market delivery flows, which implies responsibility for the company's sensitive data such as admin credentials, signing and uploading keys, etc.

Outcomes
  • Launched in 2 months. Despite the unforeseen challenges, like completely new UI and repetitive changes in the delivery flow to the App Store & Play Market, we managed to launch an updated app within 2 months as was planned.
  • Loved by the mobile users. The fresh app was so comfortable for users, it got 4 &4.5 ratings in the Play Market and the App Store accordingly.
  • Bluetooth integration with health improving devices   We implemented Bluetooth integration with medical devices produced by the Client, helping introduce the product to the market and creating a niche for the product.
  • Future app direction determined.  The new app helped gather enough data & user requests for new, wanted features and further improvements.
Notable new features & Technology stack
  • User data is completely stored on the user device and is not shared anywhere
  • Brand-new design for comfortable user experience
  • Control & Track – Bluetooth integration with the tangible devices
  • Serverless approach
  • A straight-to-the-App-store, cross-platform app that supports all modern devices together with most outdated ones.

Testimonials

Collaboration with Altence by client’s eyes
Andrei Hrabouski
Co-founder of Epicmax
Altence delivers excellent solutions on time and within budget. The team of Altence works closely with our in-house development team. We use their expertise in web on an ongoing basis. What matters to us is that their developers are always willing to offer more efficient solutions.
Konstantin Danovsky
COO at Akveo
Give Altence a problem, they'll shortly come up with a working solution. The team always delivered top-notch code quality. They are reliable, quickly react to changes, and are very knowledgeable. Their willingness to provide feedback and offer alternate solutions were highlighted as a strength.
Andrei Hrabouski
Co-founder of Epicmax
Co-founder of Epicmax
Altence delivers excellent solutions on time and within budget. The team of Altence works closely with our in-house development team. We use their expertise in web on an ongoing basis. What matters to us is that their developers are always willing to offer more efficient solutions.
Konstantin Danovsky
COO at Akveo
COO at Akveo
The project was successfully delivered following the agreed timeline and requirements. The Altence team provided impressive codes and high-quality results through excellent communication. The team's dedication, reliability, and high level of expertise allowed them to stand out.
Zach Boldyga
VP of Scalabull
VP of Scalabull
Over the years, Altence has aided in rewriting legacy code, building and maintaining new apps, and devising complex product features. Most importantly, they are able to solve business problems for us, which often require thinking from a user perspective and working across our full stack with several databases, queues, various APIs, and frontend frameworks.

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