Educational Software Solutions: The Cross-Platform App for Marching Bands
Short Overview
Indeema delivered a solution that revolutionizes the coordination and mastering of marching drills. Unlike traditional methods that rely on physical drill books and manual coordination, the UDB app offers a digital solution that reshapes the entire process. With real-time information on coordinates and pathways, users can make informed decisions and adjustments on the fly, leading to enhanced performance and synchronization during rehearsals and performances.
Project Details
- Industry: Education, Consumer IoT
- Team: 16 team members
- Lifetime: 2016 - Ongoing
- Services: R&D Services, MVP Development, UI/UX Design, Mobile App Development, iOS App Development, Android App Development, Cross-Platform App Development, Web Development, Front End Development, Back End Development, Database Development, DevOps Services, Cloud Software Development, Dedicated Team, Tech Advisory
- Client’s Location: USA
Project Background
In response to the evolving needs of marching bands and performance groups, there is a growing demand for innovative solutions that streamline the coordination and mastering of marching drills. Traditional methods, which rely on physical drill books and manual coordination, are often cumbersome and inefficient, limiting the potential for synchronized performances. Recognizing this challenge, the Ultimate Drill Book (UDB) app was developed.
What was the customer's request?
- The customer approached Indeema with a request to develop the Ultimate Drill Book (UDB) app for schools and colleges with marching band activities. In the app, students can study the songs they participate in, while directors can view the overall structure of the song and check each student’s position. The app was required to operate in both online and offline modes.
What did the client already have?
- Before working with Indeema, the client had developed a conceptual framework for the UDB app, outlining the desired functionalities and objectives. However, they required a partner with technical expertise and resources to turn their idea into a fully functional digital solution.
Solution We Delivered
Where did we start?
The project started with the collection and analysis of client requirements. One of the product's objectives was to provide an intuitive UX for a specific use case (using the app while marching on the field with musical instruments and other equipment). To complete the Discovery task, the team had to understand and solve the pain points that the user encountered during training.
Requirements phase
We gathered and tailored client requirements to meet GDPR and HECVAT (Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Toolkit) standards. Given our clients' deep expertise, we closely followed their guidance during this stage.
Prototyping and Wireframes
The customer helped the team and provided videos from rehearsals and performances for review. This thorough analysis improved our understanding of the user experience and highlighted key requirements and pain points. The Discovery team designed prototypes and tested them outdoors in sunlight, ensuring all elements are comfortable and easy to read in bright conditions where users interact with the app.
Specification phase
The information collected was used to create a detailed specification document. Potential risks were carefully identified and documented during this phase, ensuring proactive risk management throughout the project's lifecycle. In addition, a comprehensive test plan was developed to validate the functionality and performance of the solution.
Our Development Process
UX/UI Design
The client provided the initial design for the first iteration. Indeema's designer later joined the project, taking the lead on UX/UI design. The designer worked closely with the client, incorporating feedback and suggestions to improve the designs. Following several iterations and thorough review sessions, the client approved the final UX/UI designs, ensuring that they were consistent with their vision and requirements.
WEB Development
An admin panel was created specifically to manage and support end-user licenses. As a result, a comprehensive new portal was created to replace the old one. This new portal was designed and developed to enhance functionality, improve user experience, and provide new features.
Mobile Development
The technology stack has been continuously updated over time to meet evolving user needs.On iOS, the product transitioned from older frameworks to SwiftUI, allowing for new iOS17 features like Live Activities with interactive action buttons. The Android project moved from traditional Java to Kotlin, and it now uses Kotlin 2.0 and Jetpack Compose to improve functionality and interface design.
DevOps and Cloud Development
The cloud infrastructure was designed with the assumption that the client base would rapidly expand to thousands of users. This scalability was critical in building a resilient and adaptable infrastructure that could easily accommodate rapid user growth.Maintenance
The product is still undergoing active development, with new features being added on a regular basis to improve functionality and value. This iterative process keeps the product competitive and relevant in the market by addressing changing user needs and industry trends.
The Team Involved In The Project
Web Developers
5
Mobile Developers
4
UX/UI Designer
1
DevOps Engineers
2
QA Engineers
2
Business Analyst
1
Project Manager
1
Project Challenges And Our Suggestions
Designing Interface for Edtech: Balancing Intuition and Accessibility:
One of the main challenges we had to overcome was creating an intuitive interface interface for this special industry solution. The app required creating a clear and user-friendly interface tailored to the Edtech industry's specific requirements, as well as ensuring compliance with accessibility standards. This approach aimed to increase user engagement and satisfaction by focusing on ease of use and accessibility for all users.
Managing Peak Usage Periods:
Another significant challenge was managing high user traffic during peak seasons, when up to 70-80% of users could interact with the platform at the same time. To address this, we built robust scalability measures into our infrastructure. This included optimizing server performance, implementing load balancing techniques, and leveraging cloud technologies to ensure the platform's speed and reliability even under high load. By anticipating peak periods, we aimed to reduce downtime and provide a consistent user experience regardless of user volume.
Impact
The delivered app successfully onboarded over 90,000 new end users for the customer's business, significantly increasing global market reach. The success of the app's deployment prompted the strategic decision to create additional related digital products to meet growing customer demand.
Before And After Cooperation With Indeema
Before:
The project’s goal was to develop a digital solution to streamline marching drill coordination and mastery, replacing traditional methods with a digital platform that improves synchronization and performance.
After:
UDBapp developed by Indeema streamlines marching band activities, reducing administrative tasks and enhancing performance.
A web admin panel and mobile apps (Android and iOS) that have been developed enable the real-time management of marching drill learning.
Created algorithms for precise movement calculations, including vector, yard line crossings, midway points, and step sizes.
Implemented synchronized animation with customizable audio features for enhanced rehearsal experiences.
Designed role-specific settings to cater to diverse user accounts and functionalities.
Ensured secure registration, login, and licensing bundles for data protection.
Built a scalable cloud infrastructure to support a growing user base seamlessly.
Technical Highlights
Technologies
AWS
EC2
LoadBalancer
S3
Node.js
Hapi.js Framework
SOCKET.IO
MongoDB
Redis
Grafana
Swift
Firebase/Crashlytics
Core Bluetooth
Cocoapods
KeyChain iOS
Kotlin
Retrofit
Dagger2
Room
Angular
HTML5
WEB SOCKETS