One App to Rule Them All. How We Combined Our Customer’s Apps Into an Ecosystem
Veka Ecosystem is an app for choosing and buying windows, as well as for working with Veka partners. The app runs on iOS and Android.
Budget: 10 million rubles
for the first stage
Task
Combine the existing apps Veka Catalog, Veka Measurer, Veka Configurator, and Veka Calculator, as well as the admin panel into a single app. This should reduce the time needed to create, process, and fulfill customer requests.
Solution
The admin panel and Veka Calculator were integrated into the Veka Catalog app.
Veka Calculator was completely rewritten from PHP to Kotlin and integrated into the app.
We plan to integrate Veka Measurer at the next stage, using an existing API.
Partners can use the app to track request statuses and monitor sales statistics, while buyers can choose a window from the catalog or create their own in the Veka Calculator and order it.
Development Process
General idea. The customer wanted to integrate all their app tools into their main app, Veka-Catalog, and bring the admin panel there as well, which previously was web-only. Veka Catalog is a catalog of window profiles and fittings sold by our customer and their partners. The app is designed for both regular buyers and our customer’s partners.
The customer wanted to combine the following three apps under the Veka Ecosystem umbrella:
- Veka Catalog,
- Veka Calculator, and
- Veka Measurer.
Sign-up and authorization. Initially, the Veka Catalog app was only designed for showing the catalog in the offices of Veka’s partners and didn’t offer the sign-up option.
However, the window catalog app proved to be useful for end consumers as well. They can browse the catalog from the comfort of their home, order a window online, and have their request automatically sent to the right partner. That’s why we provided buyers with the option to sign-up for a personal account.
When entering the app, the user selects a section – either for customers (B2C) or for partners (B2B) – and logs in using their username and password. After that, they can access the following functions:
- B2C section. Users can select window profiles and fittings, view 3D models, and submit requests. They can also supplement the request with a draft design created in Veka Calculator.
- B2B section. This section is only available to partners. They review and approve the submitted requests and can show the catalog to buyers in person.
Veka Calculator. Integration required too many changes, so we rewrote the app from PHP to Kotlin and integrated it into Veka Ecosystem.
You can use the calculator to create your own window design. The user selects window type, indicates the dimensions, and chooses the profiles they want. All changes are displayed in the interactive model viewer.
The user can place a request for the customized window or select an existing one.
All created designs are saved in the user profile.
Next stages of development. The next step is integration with Veka Measurer. It’s a more advanced version of Veka Calculator for the B2B segment. We want to take an existing API and connect it directly to Veka Ecosystem.
Then we plan to transfer all the functionality of the admin panels of Veka partners into the app, so that it would encompass the entire journey for both the buyers and Veka partners—from viewing the frame to installing the window.
The Hardest Part
There were plans to implement another tool, the Veka Configurator app. However, it came from another contractor and had no source code, as we discovered during the development process.
How we solved these tasks
The customer had no plans to develop Veka Configurator within Veka Ecosystem from scratch. We agreed not to include this tool in the current release.
Technology Stack
Backend on Kotlin
Frontend on React
iOS on Swift
Android on KotlinMPP on KotlinResults
The two apps and the admin panel were combined into one ecosystem.
When entering the app, the user selects a section—either for buyers or for partners—and logs in using their username and password.
Partners can manage requests and show the catalog to buyers during meetings at partner offices.
Buyers can browse the catalog, select profiles and fittings, create their own window designs, and arrange window installation.
The app offers full functionality to both buyers and Veka partners. Buyers can browse the product catalog, make their own window designs and place orders. Partners can manage requests and show the product catalog to buyers.
