A mobile app for
the mobile workforce.
We provided the development guidance and leadership VIIZR needed to get their trade business support app in the hands of Ford customers.
VIIZR, a startup incubated inside Ford Pro with significant backing from Salesforce, marked a significant step into the digital realm for Ford Motor Company. Aimed at enriching their strong ties with small to medium trades businesses, VIIZR developed digital services that would complement their existing truck offerings. This ambitious journey started with a partnership with Salesforce and several independent contractors to deliver a minimum viable product (MVP). However, to fully realize their vision, VIIZR partnered with Livefront to accelerate engineering and cultivate a thriving development culture.
Driving operational change.
One of the primary challenges VIIZR faced was adapting their product development process to the needs of a rapidly growing team. This was felt across the team, creating an environment that was detrimental to morale and productivity. Working across department boundaries, Livefront helped reshape VIIZR's team dynamics. Together, we surfaced assumptions, aligned design-to-business and backend-to-frontend goals, and emphasized placing open collaboration and people above rigid processes. To facilitate this shift, Livefront acted as a communication bridge, connecting mobile, backend engineering, product, design, and leadership teams, to build better understanding and collaboration.
Steering the team towards excellence.
In addition to cultural transformation, VIIZR needed robust technical leadership, which Livefront was well-prepared to provide. After performing a series of technical interviews and performance reviews, Livefront was able to streamline VIIZR's team capabilities. We took charge on managing the development backlog, crafting user stories, and efficiently triaging bugs. This hands-on approach ensured a smooth and effective development process, while setting the team up for future success.
A thorough tuneup for sustainable code.
The existing codebase of VIIZR's app, while functional, lacked consistency and documentation, primarily due to a rush to achieve an early MVP. Livefront's team undertook a thorough code cleanup, removing redundancies and fleshing out a robust component system. This system not only improved the consistency of design and interaction details, but also accelerated ongoing development and design evolution. Additionally, Livefront advocated for a systematic approach to address technical debt, ensuring the road ahead was sustainable and scalable.
Clearing the way for a technical superhighway.
Beyond the immediate development needs, Livefront contributed significantly to VIIZR's long-term technical strategy. This included advising on high-level architectural decisions, integrating AWS middleware to support Stripe integration, and developing several key endpoints for the product launch. Livefront also established clear code conventions and integrated an OpenAPI specification to ensure that the development of the API was in harmony with its consumption, preventing documentation drift.
Moving forward with two hands on the wheel.
The collaboration between VIIZR and Livefront culminated in more than just the creation of a cutting-edge mobile application; it fostered a new, dynamic culture within VIIZR, laying the groundwork for continuous innovation.
Our contributions.
Development
- Web Services Architecture
- iOS Development
- Android Development
- Front End Development