Marketing and sales have evolved from salespeople and briefcases to salespeople and a mobile device. Companies now produce a wide range of marketing materials for their product line. Not only do they need organization for these materials but they need a way for their salespeople to access them at a moment’s notice and pass that information to their client.Orbit Irrigation, a world leader in irrigation products with over 2000 products and distribution in 40 countries and 5 continents, was having a hard time organizing and distributing sales materials. This slowed down the sales process considerably and stifled revenue.
The Ask
Orbit Irrigation asked Cytrus Logic to create an iPad app that would allow them to:
Organize sales materials through an online portal according to product and category.
Have instant access to sales materials uploaded in the online portal via an iPad application
Share sales material directly from the iPad app
The Strategy
Orbit Irrigation needed a partner that understood the intricacies of data organization. It was vitally important that the data be organized in a scalable manner, otherwise, the application could break in the future with new data being introduced. Bandwidth was also a concern. With so much data being passed back and forth it was important that bandwidth be consumed as little as possible on a cellular network.
The Plan
Orbit Irrigation already had a vision of how they wanted the app to work. They provided design and layout. Our task was to analyze the data and make sure that we could organize it in such a way that it would make sense in the long term. This was paramount due to the fact that if the data was off, the app would fail, no matter how elegant the code was. Linus Torvalds, the creator or Linux, aid “Bad programmers worry about the code. Good programmers worry about data structures and their relationships.” So our focus started with the data structure and relationships of the products and sales material.
Phase 2
Once the organization of the data was in place, our focus turned to creating the app. Speed was a factor and so we had to make sure the app would function quickly and that the data could be transferred quickly. This meant that we to be conscious of file sizes. A 1GB file was not going to be good to store on a mobile device. So we had to concentrate on compression.
Phase 3
After creating the app, API, and web portal, we moved on to testing. We benchmarked the loading and transfer times along with file sizes. In the end, Orbit Irrigation had a reliable app that greatly sped up the sales process and made getting materials to their potential client a breeze
Categories: Custom Development, Mobile Apps
Jacob Billings
During my career, I have worked in a number of different roles that have helped me understand the overall software development process. These roles include project management, senior developer, Linux administrator, technical sales consultant, and company owner. Working within these roles has given me an in-depth knowledge of best practices in software development. I offer a strong aptitude for learning new technologies and a proven track record of meeting aggressive goals. My most notable skills include:
Software Development: I bring over 13 years of experience in developing software for multiple clients in various environments. I have a solid knowledge of PHP, Javascript, MySQL, Python, and Java.
Over my career, I have had the opportunity to work on projects for some of the most recognized brands on the planet. Brands like Marriott Hotels, Microsoft, Ashland Chemical, Capital One Credit Cards, Cadbury Schweppes, GE and more. This has given me an in-depth understanding of my client's challenges as they grow. I know how to get a company from startup to maturity with technology. My specialties are in E-commerce(specifically Magento), process automation, and security.
