PWA impact on business
How PWA help our client make his business operations 3 times faster
#### Problem statement
One of our clients had a automation problem where he was collecting data via google forms with the help of a few employees he had. Eventually, as the operation of data collection grew Google forms become a major hurled in streamlining the process.
As one needs to clean, validate and verify data that goes into such an important system, that minute control is not available with google forms.
So the client's requirement was quite clear they need an app that can be handed over to their employees to collect data.
Also, they will need a real-time dashboard to analyze and monitor the data in the system and also some [ETL](https://www.sas.com/en_us/insights/data-management/what-is-etl.html) based functionality
#### Analysis
We had bunch of option to choose from as our tech stack, for backend we had [Django](https://www.djangoproject.com/), [Node/Express](https://expressjs.com/) and for mobile application we had [Flutter](https://flutter.dev/), [Ionic](https://ionicframework.com/), [React Native](https://reactnative.dev/) .
Initial idea was to go with Flutter as we had already a few apps developed with it and that experience would help us make this project a success.
Also being exposed to flutter via the previous projects we knew what pain points we need to face ahead and also time is a major constraint for the project
Because the client cannot cease operation until the complete app is build
Contrary to our initial assumption we took a bet and finalize our tech stack as
- PWA + Angular as Mobile and Desktop app
- Django as Backend
- PSQL as DB
#### What is PWA?
> A progressive web application is a type of application software delivered through the web, built using common web technologies including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It is intended to work on any platform that uses a standards-compliant browser, including both desktop and mobile devices.
\~ *Wikipedia*
#### Benefits of PWA
- Reduce system development time by 3X
- Reduce cost as the same codebase used for Desktop, Android, and IOS
- Predictable future releases across all platform
- More future proof because the technologies is based on open web standards
#### Solution
We built a PWA which is installable and accessible via the web across multiple platforms.
The Angular app the core of PWA has a built-in validation mechanism which saves a lot of time during manual data entry. Also, the solution has offline capabilities
#### Features
- Realtime dashboard
- Desktop based as well as mobile based
- Easy UI/UX for ETL
#### Conclusion
Although PWA has some limitations unlike any other technology it can bring a true change we think about complex mobile-first design
