Keep it simple, keep it clean
Mooimakers’ mission is to keep the streets, parks,… clean from litter and garbage lying around. Where citizens could previously report garbage via a web platform, from now on they can report it in their mobile app the instant they notice it lying around. Due to live tracking in the application, the technical teams can instantly find the exact location and plan the pick up efficiently. By giving users the ability to add pictures, the technical team even knows what vehicle will fit the operation best. We were happy this project landed with us because it supports one of our strategic pillars; our planet.
Engaging in some physical activity
The app wants to give the citizens, who are engaging in collecting litter in their area, a smart tool to track their pick up and exchange information with their local authorities. A nice plus is that the application also activates citizens to get their butts in action. A nice win-win, right? Other than that, the application creates a community of “ploggers”, joggers picking up litter. A Strava-like concept. The community building as a result of multiple people using the app in the same region is a nice bonus, it encourages users to actively make reports and keeps the streets clean.
A feeling of accomplishment
Before Mooimakers introduced the mobile application, volunteers had no idea what happened to their reports. Was the garbage picked up? Were they able to locate it properly? Thanks to the notifications in the app, users receive a message when their reported garbage is picked up by the technical team. This encourages them to keep an eye out and make reports.
An accessible technology
We were involved in building the front-end of this application and it was only logical to build it in Flutter. With its dynamic interface and fun widgets, we could easily create an application that attracts and is user-friendly to a large, diverse audience. For some of the features, like background tracking, we had to build our own back-end. We, later on, open-sourced this backend for other developers to use it as well. At icapps, we strongly believe in the open-source community, it's a good way to share knowledge and intellectual property.
Communication as a key successfactor
Minsky is responsible for the back-end and web portal development. Lastpak is the partner for the UI design, who's also responsible for the overall coordination of the project. Since we had to join forces with multiple companies to create a successful application, we instantly noticed that communication was key. With an agile mindset, we were able to quickly align the various stakeholders and set up weekly meetings to talk the project through. Open communication and transparency were appreciated both by the customer and the other parties involved.