Services iOS development Backend development Testing Publishing on the App Store
Client HotJot is a travel startup from New Orleans, US. They decided that a social network app is perfect for showing local sights and places to both travellers and locals. As HotJot didn't have an in-house development team, they found us to develop an MVP.
Challenge
The main task was to create a social network app where users can exchange photos of places worth visiting. The Client asked us to copy most Instagram features and put a heavier focus on geolocation.
Overall, the whole thing was about building an app that would make the discovery and sharing of new places more efficient – so we had to make sure the HotJot app would be fast and reliable.
Solution We worked closely with the HotJot team to fulfill every detail of their vision. Our project manager gathered all the requirements, created the roadmap, set up the tools needed for tracking the project, and supervised the successful execution of the project.
Based on the project manager estimates, we assigned one iOS developer and one Backend developer for this project. Our developers followed the Agile development process, using Jira and Slack to track tasks and communicate with the project manager.
The MVP version for iOS was created in 6 weeks and published on the App Store right away.
During the development phase, the following technical solutions were implemented: the frontend using native iOS frameworks, the Firebase backend, and integration of Apple Maps, Facebook SDK, and Uber API. We also developed the admin console for HotJot to gather and control user data.
Crowd-sourced Feed
Users can easily see what happens nearby, post and edit media, as well as show what they think about posts with comments and likes.
User Profiles
Likes and Comments
Image and Video Upload
Route planning
Users can map a route to any place they see in their feed, geotag places, and hail Uber right from the app.
Location Profile and Rating
Geotagging
Taxi Hailing
Tech stack
Swift
The most popular programming language for iOS and other Apple products.
AVFoundation
A multimedia framework for working with both audio and video.
Core Data
A framework that saves app data for offline use, caches temp data, and adds undo.
AFNetworking
A networking library that helps developers to work with RESTful API with less efforts.
Firebase
A multi-purpose platform that helps to develop, improve, and grow apps.
GPUImage
A library that allows using GPU-accelerated filters and other effects to images.
Facebook SDK
An SDK that enables such features as login, analytics, and post sharing via FB.
Uber API
A RESTful API that sends to Uber information about a ride request from your app.