Upgrading the Checkatrade Mobile Application

Working on the app

The client already had a React Native application but needed its key sections rebuilt and migrated from an old legacy platform into the app. A dedicated team of Callstack developers was to help with that. The app development project went so well that the scope of work expanded - we took care of more areas than initially planned. At all times, we happily worked on the application with the in-house team.

Checkatrade needed to have the main sections built natively into the app. Previously for these important workflows, they were iframing in the web page version from their legacy portal, which hindered the app performance. 

To start with the project, Maciej Jastrzębski, specified which technologies to use. Since the client wanted to make instant releases, ideally, we decided to reuse what was already out there. That’s why our dev team made of Igor Bejnarowicz, Olimpia Żurek, Bartłomiej Dybowski, Michał Muzyk, and Marcin Swornowski suggested bringing into the app well-used and supported libraries including react-native-navigation, react-native-pager-view or Lodash. The whole project was coordinated by our PM, Natalia Gros.

In the beginning, we were asked to take care of the following areas: Jobs, Photos, and Reviews.

Each area was created with the user in mind. Thanks to the added functionalities, the registered tradespeople can now showcase their work and conveniently connect with their customers in the local area.

As the project evolved, we were asked to create another category: Quotes and Invoices. It was a major new feature and we crucially helped the client hit a very key deadline for its launch. The cooperation was considered by the client to be highly successful at every stage.

‍

“The collaboration between Checkatrade and Callstack was great throughout, with their engineers seamlessly working as part of our agile teams. At times where additional support and expertise was needed, we were able to tap into this as well. Overall a great collaborative effort."

Exemplary partnership

During the project, we were part of the client’s in-house teams, and joining them felt very natural - so did the whole partnership. Every release was a success, and it was a success achieved in the spirit of great trust and respect. We created a long-term successful partner experience showing that we are trusted experts and partners, not just developers who provide code. As the scope of work extended, it was crucial for us to work with alignment and transparency.

Lasting results

The intense transformation efforts resulted in moving Checkatrade off unwanted legacy systems. All the enhancements helped to massively improve the user experience in key areas of use. Ever since the notable features were rebuilt, the churn rate has steadily dropped.

Callstack approach

Our collaboration is always based on partnership and a very comprehensive approach: we dive into the project, analyze and discuss what should be done, and plan our work accordingly. The process is adjusted to a client’s needs. The Checkatrade project was no different. We offered our expertise and support at every stage of the app development - from a detailed review, the build and testing phases, to releasing the updates to customers. We applied the best React and React Native solutions available and relevant to the project.