Open Infra is an internal tool for a communications operator that builds, manages, and develops fibre and electrical infrastructure for households, companies, and municipalities.
Key Features
All-in-one ERP with GPS capability
Booking appointments
Automatic email notifications
Full responsiveness for mobile devices and PC
Task management capabilities
Key account information accessible in multiple ways
Frontline worker location tracking
Issues With a Multi-Tool Stack
Before the client came to us, they were relying on a third-party system to work on their needs with a map. The technology stack was sourced from a few different tools that did not work together well. The system was highly limited, slow, and had no scalability, causing sub-optimal results, wasted time, and monthly fees.
As the company works in several different countries and regions, in addition to having contracts with other companies, there was a strong need to centralize all of the operations into one application.
TOOL USED
BUBBLE.IO & XANO
DELIVERABLES
UX/UI DESIGN
WEB DEVELOPMENT
Designing a Multi-Purpose Professional Platform
We stepped in with a solution - an all-in-one web app that helps our client manage their core business - installing and maintaining electrical and fibre optic lines.
The main design challenge we faced was adapting the tool to function well in different roles. Technicians and project managers need it for tracking progress on installations, materials, schedules, etc., while administration workers oversee the whole picture and use it as a management tool.
The app is designed as mobile-first, as it was very important to make it convenient for technicians and salespeople who use it on mobile devices while working outside. However, the elements in the technicians' view responsively adapt to bigger devices used by office staff.
Building an All-In-One Management Web App
We chose to migrate the client's system to Bubble.io, the No Code software development platform. The most important part of the app - the map for managing telecommunications installation - had to be fully scalable.
Before starting the project, we created a Bubble.io plugin that enables custom interactions between the map and the application, which is not a native Bubble function. The plugin is available for purchase on Bubble Marketplace: Advanced MapBox Maps Plugin.
The rest of the system was designed and built based on the needs of the client: the ability to interact with data, export it in bulk, and interact with clients without leaving the application.
MAP AND NAVIGATION
A place to visually see the project scope, markers, and their colours signify objects and their respective tasks, lines mark what type of work has been carried out between properties.
PROPERTY CONNECTIONS
Every property has its own set of tasks to be completed, and their progress with all required details can be viewed and edited in the property connections window.
REPORTING OF QUANTITIES
A page for tracking daily use of materials, comparing to overall project estimates, and exporting relevant data.
WORK SCHEDULE
A scheduling feature for technicians to easily see their daily appointments and tasks scheduled by the management team.
Life With a No Code Solution
With the current solution, our customer has a faster, highly centralized system with all of the required functions in one place. Most business operations can now be done in the same system, while every employee and partner can use it with their appropriate permissions.
This makes the customer's work, such as storing, saving, viewing, and exporting data, faster and communication between different teams easier
Lessons Learned
Finding the balance between specific actions and their scalability into further unknown functions is important. Otherwise, there is a possibility of either the app not working as intended or big problems arising later on, when new requirements might cause big changes in the system that could have been avoided.
Optimization is key - the bigger the system, the more workforce it needs to handle. It is important that all functions are simple and fast, so further changes can be added without losing speed, functionality, or interactivity.
Review From The Client:
We were able to launch the first version of the system within a few months, which was a great achievement from the whole team. Following the initial launch, we have continued with improvement iterations and built additional features and modules, making the system more complex. There was great overall communication with the whole team. I appreciate their creativity and strong understanding of our business needs.
CARL ÅHSLUND - CEO
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