Mobile-First Design and Engineering for a Kuwaiti Non-Profit

Raqib50 is an online non-profit website that holds members of parliament accountable by making their records accessible.

Challenge

Re-engineering an existing app to better support a mobile-dominated market.
Dealing with a language barrier (Arabic).
Meeting an unexpectedly short deadline (earlier elections).

Process

The founders were looking for an efficient Ruby on Rails consulting (RoR) team to develop the application. The task was to take over the old code and build a mobile app from scratch.

Performing a detailed scoping session and maintaining close communication.
Implementing a mobile-first design.
Prioritising functionalities within a fluctuating deadline.

Results

The new app version was released in November, just three weeks before unexpected early parliamentary elections.

Releasing an MVP before the unexpected deadline.
Popularity which dramatically exceeded our expectations.
Positive feedback from over 1,400 visitors a day.

Numbers

1400 visitors a day
50 MPs
3 months ahead of schedule
3 members of the team

With our previous software developer it was a one task project. We designed the application, sent them the design, they programmed it, and gave back the final product with little chance to improve the app. We hardly cooperated at all. With Netguru, the situation is completely different. We started with a scoping session, where we could get to know the team and made sure we are all on the same page. Since then, we are constantly in touch, and stay on top of project progress and possible issues. This made working together very efficient.

Abdullah Alkhonaini
co-founder