Case Study
RoloNext – Building a robust and unique mobile app
When a friend of Netgen came to us with this concept, we were very excited to help them create the Rolonext mobile app. It had a unique spin that would likely make the app very popular. The initial conversation was around developing for iOS or Android first. This is when we decided to use React Native and build one app for both platforms.
With the litany of mobile apps available on the App Store and Google Play Store, it’s important to create something with a USP (unique selling point). This was something that intrigued us most about the concept for RoloNext. The creators wanted a mobile app for sharing business cards that allows users to exchange details by holding their phones next to each other and simply swiping their digital cards across. This is unique because all other similar apps required you to manually input a phone number or email address in order to send details to a recipient.
What they looked for in a developer
One of the creators, Olga Lakeman, commented “we had to find a developer who has experience in both, the app and a database. Further on, we also needed a partner who has experience in cloud computing because our application processes personal data and we have to ensure that all data is stored securely in the cloud.” This is certainly something that we have plenty of experience in at Netgen.
Development curveballs
During the development process, the project hit a major stumbling point. Another company was working on the SDK (software development kit) for the app, which would allow users to share digital business cards the way the creators had planned. They were suddenly unable to supply the software, meaning RoloNext would lose its USP. Our team at Netgen took a closer look at what was required and was able to develop the SDK for less money than the original developers, and keep the project on track.
The end result is a unique mobile app with a robust, futureproof framework in React Native. Our team is also able to provide complete support and maintenance for the app as it was built entirely inhouse. RoloNext went live for both iOS and Android in 2020 and is going strong.
