Native Mobile Apps for Customs Papers Management

• design Carnet Valet’s user interface from the ground up using flow charts and user stories constructed in close collaboration with CIB

• build server-side data structures (adapting CIB’s existing customer database) and server-side logic to support the logging of user data and timely notifications

• test the app by means of simulating changes in geographic location and “use” of Carnet “consumables” in order to verify the correct app functioning and UX

• manage the engineering teams across two platforms to adapt to changing requirements over the app’s seven-month development time

Working closely with CIB’s Customer Service team and its Sr. V.P. for Information Technology Waverley designed and built Carnet Valet by combining the output of three designers (in New York, Florence and Ukraine) with a project manager and development team in Ukraine. Starting with the elaboration of a simple flowchart, the team generated over two dozen use scenarios which were captured in the wireframes of screen designs. These were then optimized for the native elements of each platform (iOS and Android) and developed simultaneously while the server side also took shape. The first releases were beset with problems related to geolocation, off-line performance, and database synchronization.

All project work was done using Agile software development. After use scenarios  transformed into the initial user stories, the team met bi-weekly for scrums-via-Skype to exchange ideas and coordinate efforts for the first few months. Then in the six months of stabilization and UI refinement which led to the first official release, the team moved to weekly and then bi-weekly standup calls. During this time ad hoc calls, sometimes involving just the PM with one specific engineer became the preferred mode of communication. This approach allowed the team to respond to problems while minimizing the time spent generating formal documentation.

Waverley Software enabled us to turn high-level ideas into fully-working iOS and Android apps. Waverley truly shines when it comes to UX and UI design for mobile apps; their guidance and suggestions have been invaluable. Waverley’s development team has also been great throughout the project, and we are extremely pleased with our new apps. We are very thankful to everyone involved with our project and look forward to working with them again! – Andres Salaverria Sr. V.P. IT, Corporation for International Business

The bugs were slow to reveal, as the apps required real-world testing. So it caused the actual travel to a wide variety of locations with differing degrees of Wi-Fi, Edge, 3G and LTE connectivity. Waverley also performed careful testing of the UI, flow often involving fake location.