Custom app development and news platform optimization case study: Building a podcast mobile app for one of the largest media giants in Ukraine. Optimizing performance for the news platform by Apiko team
Short overview
Yulia Vykhovanets
Terry Sahaidak
Fedir Vasyliuk
Andrii Slotvinskiy
Nataliia Kubai
Time:
Oct 2020 - Present
Platform:
Mobile app
Industry:
Mass media, News, Podcasting
Country:
Kyiv, Ukraine
Services:
Mobile development (iOS/Android), dedicated team, QA testing.
Short overview
Team:
![Yulia Vykhovanets]()
Yulia Vykhovanets![Terry Sahaidak]()
Terry Sahaidak![Fedir Vasyliuk]()
Fedir Vasyliuk![Andrii Slotvinskiy]()
Andrii Slotvinskiy![Nataliia Kubai]()
Nataliia KubaiTime:
Oct 2020 - Present
Platform:
Mobile app
Industry:
Mass media, News, Podcasting
Country:
Kyiv, Ukraine
Services:
Mobile development (iOS/Android), dedicated team, QA testing.
About the client
NV is a Ukraine-leading media resource and podcast application delivering easy access to information from geopolitical situations to celebrity gossip on the go.
Project idea
In 2019, NV has engaged Apiko for custom web application development to share the distinctive, world-class programs and content which inform, educate and entertain millions of people in Ukraine and around the world. Moreover, their in-house team has leveraged monetization models to generate income through a method of limited access and developed the paywall system - one of the most successful strategies, which is used by the most influential world newspapers, niche magazines, and publishers.
Story
Story
Our team was contacted by the project manager to assist the in-house team with custom app development and adding complex functionality to the application. The scope of our work may be divided into 2 parts:
1. Developing the podcast mobile app from scratch
2. Debugging and optimizing the news app
We had to integrate the website with paywall and localization systems, develop heavily tailored constructor module for podcast app to empower in-house team to handle minor changes on their own, scaffold the project, set up basic in-app navigation and manage many other options to rollout flying, top-notch platform with seamless performance.
Challenges & solutions
See the challenges and solutions we've offered to our clients during events booking app development
Our tasks on optimizing and bootstrapping the NV news app were:
Update the React Native version of the news app to the latest one, perform manual review & testing and fix bugs
Extend the functionality by adding new features, including paywall and subscriptions
Building the NV podcast app from scratch:
Scaffold the project, build up the constructor module and other features
Publish an app to App Store and Google Play, constantly update the software according to customer’s requirements
Starting Point
Our team was provided with the following input data:
The live website with ready-to-go backend features to be implemented
Business vision, concept and objectives
UI/UX design of the podcast app
Research & Analysis
Our development process started with these preparatory phases:
Based on the provided documentation, we elicited requirements and defined the most effective scope of work
We conducted the research and analysis of the technologies which will work with this solution smoothly and effectively
Our tech experts estimated the project, defined the deliverables and specified other details
From the very beginning of our partnership, we have already gone through the following spots: NV news platform
Custom mobile app development with functionality to create events
Closed beta testing
Adding advanced features
Mobile app deployment to AppStore
NW podcast app
Updating the React Native version of the app
Improving its performance by means of manual review and bugs fixing
Extending functionality by adding new features, including paywall and paid subscriptions
Custom app development: Main features of the NV podcast app
1
Deep linking
During custom app development, we used mobile deep linking for funneling users deeper into the app through the URL. By means of this practice, we redirect users from the mobile browser to the particular screen of the app and push them to take specific actions.
2
Push notification
Remote notifications were set up to push small amounts of data to devices on which the app is installed, even when it isn't running to keep subscribers and readers informed.
3
Project scaffolding/ Architecture
Our team developed project architecture, using MobX library to make state management simple and scalable by transparently applying functional reactive programming.
4
Constructor module
We developed the constructor module for creating various components and comprising different views with ready-made elements.
5
In-app navigation setup
A well-functioning application should gracefully handle when users attempt to navigate to any part of its structure. The in-app navigation has been initially designed for users’ satisfaction and energy savings.
NV news app
6
Bug fixing
From the very beginning we’ve done a lot of bug fixing to correct software defects and provide smooth performance of the website.
7
Custom web application development: website review & manual testing
Our QA engineers have checked the web application for functionality, usability, security, compatibility, performance measurements and potential vulnerabilities.
Integrations
During custom app development, we’ve integrated the news platform with the following services
Technologies
Custom web and mobile application development: the outcome
Apiko had to invest a lot of resources, talents and IT efforts to leverage all the creativity of our engineers and find creative solutions to the problems faced. We made sure that the customer’s acceptance criteria were met without any problems, and applied an established, efficient system of priorities. As a result, we’ve built up the podcast mobile solution from scratch and refined the ready-made news website for further exploitation. The customer was satisfied, and the podcast app was successfully submitted to the App Store and Play Market.
