Blocks. MVP for Australian startup

Fintech SaaS platform for investors

Project Highlights

Delivering a Bloomberg-like investment software tool within a limited budget
Performing the full product development cycle from solution design to backend/frontend development
Implementing the right solution architecture to make efficient modifications with minimum resources
Utilizing the test-driven development approach to easily sustain possible change requests

Industry:: Fintech
Location:: Australia
Duration:: 2020 - Ongoing

Tech Stack

React
MobX
PHP
Laravel
Docker (AWS ECS)
MySQL (AWS RDS)
Redis

Offered Services

MVP Development
Solution Architecture
Design Concept
Backend Development
Frontend Development
DevOps Implementation
Project Management

Platforms

Client overview

The Project

“Blocks” is an Australian fintech startup, similar to the Bloomberg trading and investing platform, with a goal to help investors gather comprehensive data about each company on the market, evaluate its potential and decide on the options portfolio.

The Challenge

The whole project was a challenge itself. The idea was to create a minimum viable product for an investment software from the grounds. One of the core requirements from the client was to fit in the allocated budget so we had to estimate only the vitally important functionality.

Another crucial point was to build the right solution architecture from starters in order to ensure further product scalability.

The initial project functionality should include the possibility to gather all the available information from the third-party sources, visualize it conveniently for the user and allow the investor to evaluate and analyze existing data for data-driven decision-making.

It is a complex project as some artifacts are cross-cutting which means that some factors can be added to various companies and once modified in one evaluation process, they get changed in all the others. The same relates to processes themselves.

Before allocating the necessary companies, the screening functionality with a huge database should select information from various places to create a unified data storage.

We have gone through many challenges, including the ones connected with frontend development and other smaller-scale tasks. There were times when lots of developers worked overtime. Still, we have managed to overcome all the challenges and fit in the project budget with noteworthy results.

Uinno team has performed the whole development cycle from the architecture design to backend/frontend development and the project deployment. Also, we have created a design concept but the implementation was not on our side.

It is a turnkey solution that was developed from scratch. Initially, the client only provided us with the database architecture. We have verified and modified it according to the requirements, additionally adding certain improvements. Once it was finally approved, we've started utilizing it for the project.

Provided by Uinno

Core solutions

Analysing data about companies

The developed software allows to collect information from third-party APIs, make checklists, questionnaires, and review options. A user creates a process based on the gathered information, adds markers, factors, and descriptions accumulated in a complete pool of data. The main component of the system is a process that is just like a programmed robot with added factors and the assessment marks or comments about the main points. All this information is further used during the review.

Based on several processes and the whole information about the company, within a review, it is possible to make a decision whether an investor should invest funds into a specific company and when it is the best time to do it. A visualized overview of all the added companies and processes is conveniently stored in one place. A user can see a visualized display and utilize it for further data analysis and useful findings.

Utilizing test-driven development (TDD) approach

We have implemented the test-driven development method from the very beginning clearly understanding the potential risks of MVP development under a fixed price. This invention allowed us to easily respond to the change requests from the client. There was no need to spend additional resources for occasional code re-writing. All modifications were processed flexibly.

To implement the whole digital solution we have selected and offered the optimal tech stack. The frontend part was developed using React and MobX libraries. The backend core utilized Laravel PHP-based framework. For database development, we have used MySQL and Redis. For the final product deployment, our DevOps engineers used Docker, based on AWS ECS.

Eventually, it has justified itself by allowing us to meet the deadlines and the fixed budget and at the same time to solve all the estimated tasks with the highest possible quality.

Collaboration model

Fixed Price

This project had a special requirement - a limited budget therefore we have negotiated the fixed price model for our contact with the client. From the beginning, we have offered the initial project estimation and moved further based on this. Over time, additional functionality was included under extra funding.

Our approach to

MVP development

Based on our experience, we have allocated the right approach to the development of a minimum viable product that will eventually help to streamline further product development. One of the core ingredients is implementing the Porto architectural pattern with task fragmentation and container management. It consists of three layers: vendor, ship, and container. It allows organizing code with the reusability of product business logic in mind across possible projects. The Porto architecture allows making product modifications fast and with the minimum resources and in the most convenient way. The feasibility of bugs is minimized.

Besides, the Porto architecture implementation we introduce a stack of possible solutions that will only enhance the MVP development flexibility and smooth further product development:

Sentry service allows monitoring the overall route of bugs origin;
Psalm tool helps to conduct a static analysis;
PHP CS fixers make sure to perform static analysis via lints for C language;
Functional HTTP testing ensures excellent code quality;
CI/CD pipeline automatically checks the code before the server deployment.

We use these and many other specific methods to make sure the scalability and flexibility of any MVP Uinno delivers.

What's in the outcome?

The Uinno development team has managed to deliver a Bloomberg-like investment software tool within a limited budget. The resulting solution is an MVP with minimal but promising functionality.

The next projected stage is creating advanced functionality including:

Payment system integration, like Stripe;
The company operating functionality development that allows sharing processes between teams or company members, like adding groups of investors for internal collaboration and utilization of common processes.

Ultimately, we have developed a turnkey product that utilized the full cycle of software development services: solution design, solution architecture, design concept, frontend and backend development, quality assurance, and project deployment.

Within its implementation, we've used a test-driven development approach to easily sustain the potential project modification. Besides, we have introduced a new approach to MVP development which makes the process of adding new functionality as smooth as possible.

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