OUCC 2015Inspiring Innovation

Presentation: Rebuilding of Western’s Mobile AppPresenter: Martin DouglasDate: May 5, 2015

Agenda

• Mobile App History• Governance• Strategy• Rebuild Project• WesternU Mobile

Mobile App History

iWestern (2010 – 2014)

• Originally built on iOS and mobile web platforms only• Developed in house

• Added Android and Blackberry• Early 2011• Worked with students in Department of Computer Science

• Continued to add functionality• Eateries

Crossroads (Summer of 2013)

• Good experience thus far• Downloads still steady• Analytics still showed usage• Feedback and requests for features we couldn’t handle

• App is looking dated• Design

• Monochromatic• Flat

• User Experience• Pages as main navigation• Modules net getting deserved attention

Crossroads (Summer of 2013)

• Content Issues• Some stuff hard coded, not enough live data• Lack of relevant student data• No content management system

• Resources strained• Not enough time to work on it• Not staying current with development and design

What to do?

• Decisions… decisions…• Continue development in house or outsource?• Rebuild from scratch or upgrade?• Native, hybrid or mobile web?• How many apps?• Which platforms?

• Answer (for us anyways)• Review and improve our governance• Establish a new strategic direction

Governance and Strategy

Structure

• Steering Group• Started from a working group, split off developers

• ITS and Communications & Public Affairs direction• Central data management• Mobile development• Emergency Communications

• Added Business and Academic unit membership• 1 year term-based roles.• SIS Group (Registrar’s Office) and Faculty member from Computer Science Department

• Development Group• User Group

Authority

•Explored integrating in to existing formal structure•Would require change approval @ Senate• Limit our flexibility• Lengthen decision making.

• Instead went with “local-delegated” model• Steering group would make decisions where we can• Defer to existing bodies within the university when needed

• Security groups, business owners, data stewards, brand managers, etc.• Keeps us flexible•More of an evolutionary, not a revolutionary model

Next Steps

• Develop strategy• Fall/Winter 2013

• First, budget request or not?• Need to get request in to the budget cycle

• Need answers to:• Are we outsourcing this work?• If so, how much money do we need?

In-house or Outsourced?

• 2 resources supporting 3 platforms• Already busy, so long development times• Mobile industry changes rapidly• None of these factors changing in the near future

DECISION: Outsourced, for now and as needed

How much will this cost?

• Upgrade or rebuild?• Architecture Issues• Design issues• Name too tied to Apple ecosystem

DECISION: Rebuild

• Industry Research• Sourcingline (now Clutch)• Ran an RFI• Good, detailed responses from many service providers

Number of Applications?

• Survey of North American higher-ed institutions• Survey of existing Western applications• Bookstore• Mustangs• Registrars

• Brand management• App management

DECISION: Single Western-wide, with “sanctioned” apps.

Native, hybrid, or mobile friendly web site?• Native• Longer development cycles• Full integration with hardware and software

• Hybrid• Shorter development cycles• Partial integration with hardware and software• Delays in platform features making it to development tool

• Mobile Web• Shortest development cycles• Provides a seamless experience across platforms

Native, hybrid, or mobile friendly web site?• Our Thoughts• Users will find our app through the stores• We want functionality that uses access to hardware and software

• Locationing, notifications, etc.• Familiar feel for users of that platform• CMS eases extra development across platforms

DECISION: Native

Platforms and Form Factors

• Evaluated our download and usage statistics to that point• Market researchDECISION• iOS

• Version 7 and up• Android

• Version 4.1 (Jellybean) and up• ~Mobile web~

Form Factors• Phone only to begin with, and portrait only.

Procurement

• While waiting on budget decision, build an RFP• Requirements• Convert existing functionality• Seamless user experience (as much as possible) across devices and within

platforms• Provide common services and data to modules within the app• Deliver data as dynamically as possible and appropriate• Cache data as appropriate to provide offline functionality• Provide easy central and delegated administration

Note: No design requirements

Budget Approval!

• Post and review• Good responses again, missing some from RFI

• Down select, interview and award• Western working towards Best Value process

• Negotiate contract• Infrastructure swap to meet deadline – PHP middleware, instead of Java

• From post to award in 3 weeks

Let’s get this project started!

Project

Team

• Project Management (ITS and contractor)• Project Lead (Communications and Public Affairs)• Team• 3 from contractor• 2 from ITS, 2 from C & PA

Schedule

• Summer 2014• Target August 8th

• 2 weeks reserved for store approval

• 9 weeks• 4 x 2-week sprints• 1 week of testing

Management

• Scope• Added in OWL, Bus Schedules and Social• Removing Media Relations and an Alumni sub-module

• Content• Cleaned up existing feeds

• Date formatting, HTML tagging• Migrated to new feeds• Removed stale and/or non-mobile relevant content• Refreshed static and web content, images

• Testing, bug fixing

Communications

• Weekly conference calls• Screen sharing to show app via emulators• Regular PM calls• With ITS and C&PA• With contractor

• Shared documentation area

Conclusion… success!

• Desired scope• On time• On budget• 1st time approval in both stores

Success Factors (for us)

• Integrated contractors in the team early• Local team allowed higher quality in person communication• Shared documentation platform (Confluence)

• Involved the branding/design people early in the process• Used the base design proposed by the contractor• Allowed the contractor free reign to propose design solutions• Agreed on integration points early

• Data feeds• 3rd party service providers. Maps, etc.

• Recorded our decisions, the reasoning, and didn’t go back

Lessons Learned

• All the success factors plus…• Give yourself more time than you think• Governance and strategy is good• Listen to your experts• Reach out to partners earlier• Manage partners appetites and expectations• Clean up your data

WesternU Mobile

WesternU Mobile

• Architecture• Data/Feed update service• Database that stores/caches all data fed to the app• Administration web app to manage the app and content• Web Service that feeds data to the phone• iOS and Android apps

• Design• Drawer based navigation• Intuitive, information rich• Accessible

Western Today

• Content “Pager”• News• Events• Weather• Announcement

• Including “Important”• “Upswipe” for news• Manageable from the web

application.

Western Today

• Universal Search• People• Points of Interest

• Buildings• Parking

• News

OWL

• Mobile friendly web version of Sakai• #1 drawer selection

Bus Information

• Integration with London Transit Commission using public API• Up to date bus arrival times for

each stop• Live bus locations• #2 drawer selection

Eateries

• Name/Distance sort• Open/Close filter• Hours of operation• Distance • #4 drawer selection

Statistics

Notes

Downloads 9,054 3,848 • As of March 29th

• 10,000 in the first 100 days

Sessions 210,471 74,728 ~75:25 iOS

Screen Views 396,321 627,563 ~60:40 Android

Screens/Session ~1.9 ~8.4

Top 5 Drawer selections

1. OWL2. Bus Information3. Maps4. Eateries5. News

Future

• Next project• Class schedules and Exam schedules• Add authentication, switch to HTTPS• Convert middleware to Java• Integration to native Calendar apps• Integration with iOS Today and Android widgets• Currently in testing, hoping to release in May

• Summer work• Improve back end web services• Add in small enhancements

Future

• Push notifications• Access to grades• Tablet friendly• Enhanced mapping• Bike racks, public showers• Floor and room maps• Accessibility features

• Work with module owners to deliver their content better• Libraries APIs?

OUCC 2015Inspiring Innovation

Questions & Answers