CASE STUDIES
Valuation Technologies, Inc. (ValuTech)
About The Client: Valuation Technology Inc. was started by appraisal industry veterans with the vision to bring innovative valuation technology to the appraisal process. In this age of technology, few efficiencies and advancements brought to other industries by technology have been employed in the real estate appraisal industry.
With technology, the analytic capacities and data refinement process can be significantly increased; appraisers can be empowered to provide more accurate and better-substantiated opinions of value in less time and in more comprehensive reporting formats with greater diversity in product offerings.
The Challenge: ValuTech has a core business to provide appraisal-related services and was seeking to enhance its agents’ day-to-day workflow in collecting home data and pictures. The process was tedious: capturing photos via camera, jotting down notes about each house and then later uploading those into the main system back in the office. Our challenge was to design and develop a mobile app to minimize this painful process.
Solution Technology:
- Mobile: Android cameras, phones or tablets for data collection
- Web client: Java, JavaScript
- Back-office: MySQL database, Java
Bytes’ Approach: Understanding the workflow precisely was critical to ensure the client’s success. From the first meeting through project completion and beyond, Bytes documented the appraisal agent’s workflow carefully, reviewed similar apps to get the best value for users, and set the bar for clear and consistent communication through all phases of the project:
- Requirement Gathering: The Bytes team worked closely with ValuTech to establish the project’s business and technical requirements. Some technical challenges with field names in Multiple Listing Service (MLS) data and ValuTech’s internal database had to be sorted out so the app was consistent with the mobile data. Key strategies were discussed so the app would be consistent on all Android platforms. After review and agreement on the specifications, Bytes was able to quickly move forward to the design phase of the project.
- Design:Bytes reviewed all UI designs from various other similar apps and integrated the key concepts into the mobile app to support phones and tablets. At the same time, Bytes’ architects performed technology feasibility studies to ensure the final design would meet all the requirements outlined in the design specifications. Bytes provided a design recommendation that enabled the implementation phase of the project upon approval.
- Implementation: Bytes’ experienced technology team worked with ValuTech to implement the ultimate solution, which involved the mobile app interfacing with a backend relational database and a web portal to upload, download, and view property listing files. Senior engineers and expert database programmers worked with the client using an iterative engineering and release model to ensure the solution’s efficiency.
Result: Bytes successfully delivered the right solution, on time and on budget.
Contact Bytes today at 888-988-BYTES (2983) to learn more about how our expert business and technology team is your best choice for IT outsourcing.
