Case study

Mobile application development and UI/UX design for Bitlog

Logistics and Supply Chain
Mobile app development

Location:

Sweden, Stockholm

Industry:

Logistics and Supply Chain

Warehouse Management

Partnership period:

January 2015 - present

About our client

Based in Sweden, Bitlog delivers innovative supply-chain and logistics solutions to customers across the world. The company’s key product – a digital warehouse management system increases productivity and automates logistics operations.

Business challenge

Our client needed to extend the functionality of their warehouse management system, improve user experience, and develop mobile applications for iOS devices.

N-iX approach

N-iX team has greatly improved UI design and user experience of Bitlog’s WMS solution. Also, our iOS developers have built feature-rich mobile applications for different Apple devices taking into account complex logic behind logistics operations.

Value delivered

a solution comprising multiple modules with complex business logic
functional iOS applications for warehouse management
support for multiple iOS devices
intuitive and consistent UI/UX design

Client’s goals

Our client’s key objective has been to develop a smart warehouse management solution that would help logistics companies automate their daily operations and increase efficiency. Therefore, Bitlog needed a technology partner that could enhance their existing product and develop functional iOS applications in cooperation with their onsite team.

Our dedicated team was to perform the following tasks:

Redesign Bitlog’s warehouse management system (WMS), improve the user experience of the application;
Develop mobile applications for different iOS devices (iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, Apple TV);
Merge several applications into one solution to enhance the platform’s flexibility;
Develop a Transportation Management System (TMS) application for the supply chain planning;
Create an app that could showcase the product flow in the form of statistics and reports;

Challenges

Understanding the business logic of warehouse management to develop an efficient and intuitive solution

Developing a functional warehouse management solution is impossible without understanding how a warehouse works, the processes and roles it involves. Thus N-iX team had to study warehouse workflows to design and develop all the necessary functionality for stock control, product movement, picking operations, improved space utilization, and other processes.

Coping with multiple modules with different user roles and scenarios

Bitlog WMS comprises over 10 modules with complex logic and user scenarios. Therefore, the team had to develop multiple workflows for warehouse operators and managers as well as do in-depth research to ensure the best user experience. Our specialists also needed to develop different modules for managers and drivers when working on the TMS application.

Implementation

At the initial stages of cooperation with Bitlog, N-iX team worked on the maintenance of the original iPad version of the Warehouse Management System.

Later on, the team was involved in the development of the new WMS version for iPhone with extended functionality and brand new UI/UX design. We made thorough analysis of the warehouse processes, applied design thinking techniques, and followed the best practices in iOS development to meet the client’s needs. Moreover, our team has developed the applications for Apple Watch and Apple TV to allow an even more controlled view on warehouse operations.

After the redesign, the team performed rigorous testing to eliminate the discrepancies between the old and the new versions of the solution. Thus we ensured flawless operation of the application.

We have also added a lot of new features and functionality such as the Media Manager. It allows taking photos of the products stocked in a warehouse which are automatically synchronized between the local server and the phone. This enables the user to have full control of the products available in the warehouse and provides constant access to the photos both online and offline.

Additionally, the team worked on the development of a modern transportation management system. It allows the managers to scan the barcodes on the parcels and load carriers as well as track their delivery status and location. Moreover, the driver can use this app to track the goods and find delivery points with the help of map view and navigation features. Thus Bitlog’s TMS allows the users to gain full control over the entire transportation flow — from dispatch to customer delivery.

Therefore, N-iX team managed to establish effective cooperation with the on-site team, build effective Scrum process, and satisfy the client’s requirements.

Value delivered by N-iX

Enhanced Bitlog’s WMS solution, designed and developed applications for different iOS devices;
Created simple and attractive UI design for Bitlog’s solutions, improved the UX of the applications;
Developed functionality for different user roles and scenarios to automate various operations: from planning, credit control to manual distribution;
Developed a Transportation Management System (TMS) application for efficient supply chain management and controlled delivery;
Delivered a solution for analyzing the statistical data on inventory, orders, locations, equipment and major processes in warehouses;
Thanks to the solution optimization, Bitlog’s users have increased their efficiency by up to 50%.