ReviewBeast

Designing an Online Reputation Utility

The Idea

For this app, the client envisioned a way for businesses to solicit direct feedback about their performance and services directly from their customers. However, they wanted software that wouldn’t rely on clunky, wordy, or long surveys. Their app needed to function quickly for employees in the field interacting directly with customers. The app would also need to interface with several popular organization review sites, including Google Business, Angie’s List, and others.

We needed to find a way to join an accessible, intuitive user experience with a backend capable of submitting reviews to the most popular business rating platforms in the industry.

Features

Online Reviews

Identify Service Issues

Hybrid Framework

The Process

We knew one of the key aspects of the finished product would be its streamlined and intuitive interface. Because the app would be deployed out in the field, the app had to run on a wide variety of devices, including both phones and tablets. It would need a responsive design to accommodate different screen resolutions. For this reason, we decided to build the app using a versatile hybrid framework. This allowed our code to function with near-native performance, but still retain superior portability of the source code. Throughout the entirety of the app’s development, we frequently met with the client and integrated their feedback into successive agile development cycles.

Review Beast was developed using Xamarin hybrid development technologies. Xamarin is one of the best mobile app platforms to build mobile apps quickly, as it provides several ways to share code across platforms and is supported by Microsoft frameworks like .NET and C#.

For it to be successful, we knew Review Beast had to be backed by the right technology, but also run on across different Apple devices. Zco helped steer us to the hybrid model of development, and we’re thrilled with the result.

– Justin Himes, Creator

The Results

When active development and our extensive product testing ended, we presented the client with an app that achieved their concept’s objectives. The finished version of Review Beast is a powerful tool for companies and organizations looking to get a handle on their online reputation. The interface, polished and fine-tuned over a series of iterations, is easy to navigate, and straightforward for employees to use and their customers to interact with.

Using integrated APIs, Review Beast interfaces with sites such as Google Business and Angie’s List to leave positive reviews, while dispatching negative reviews directly to businesses for priority handling. Overall, Review Beast is one of our premiere hybrid apps, and we’re proud to be a part of its development.