Kent FA Be the Next Generation
Kent FA approached us to revamp their existing volunteer programme interaction. We came back with a dynamic and fun mobile app and web platform that encourages and inspires Kent's youth to give back with their time.
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The Challenge
The existing Kent FA volunteering platform was beginning to show its age; users currently enrolled in the programme were finding it difficult to add their hours and administrators were finding it hard staying on top of everything that was happening on a day-to-day basis.
Key objectives that would indicate a successful project were: increased engagement from the existing userbase, more programme signups from volunteers totally new to Kent FA and a service that both volunteers and admins loved to use.
It was time to roll up our sleeves... 💪
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The Solution
We started with a research and planning phase to figure out what kind of user experience we wanted to craft. That started by getting insights from current members of the programme; what was working, what wasn't and what they'd like to see from a new platform. It was clear from this that a simple mobile app was going to be the best solution to making it as easy as possible for volunteers to sign up, discover opportunities and log hours in the programme.
To accompany the mobile app we also built a bespoke backend system built on Node.js, PostgreSQL and GraphQL that allows Kent FA programme leaders the ability to manage all aspects of the app and user data.
Mobile App
Like most of our other apps, the Kent FA build utilises React Native and Expo. This allows us to rapidly build cross-platform compatible mobile apps without the need for expensive and time-consuming development for each distinct platform. One of the key benefits of Expo is that we're able to push updates OTA (over-the-air) meaning small bug fixes or changes don't require the user to perform a conventional update via the app store.
The mobile app utilises great features like Facebook Sign In and fun animations to make the experience feel both simple and familiar.
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"From the very first meeting with Alex and the Ether team we were impressed by their ambition, efficiency and knowledge. This continued throughout the creative phase, into the development phase and concluded with the implementation and launch."
— Luke Baker, Football Development Officer - Kent FA
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"We needed a mobile app that looked different from the rest. Targeted at young people, it had to be clean, functional and trendy. Ether cracked this difficult combination from the outset and have created the cornerstone of our country-leading Youth Leadership programme."
— Luke Baker, Football Development Officer - Kent FA
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Backend & Website
The backend platform is a pivotal piece in the overall project, allowing the Kent FA team access to the data and configuration from anywhere.
Built using bleeding-edge technology; Postgraphile - an extensible high-performance automatic GraphQL API for PostgreSQL built on Node.js. The GraphQL API proved pivotal in the development process as it provided the frontend clients efficient options for querying and mutating the data.
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Arix Bioscience
A new brand and website for the UK's leading public market biotech and life-sciences investment firm
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