Transforming Legal Education with Ginger Snail

Description

Ginger Snail is a cutting-edge educational app designed for iOS users. With its primary focus on law students and legal professionals, it offers a comprehensive platform that combines interactive tutorials and convenient knowledge assessment tools. By seamlessly integrating technology into legal education, the app revolutionizes the learning experience, providing a competitive edge over traditional paper books.

Tech stack

Backend:Node.js, Nest.js, PostgreSQL, Redis, RabbitMQ, Docker, Kubernetes
Frontend (admin panel):Material UI, Draft JS, Lodash, React DnD
Mobile:Swift 5, MVVM + Coordinators, UIKit + SnapKit
Other:Core Animation, CoreText, REST API (native), StoreKit, SPM (Swift Package Manager)

Our role

Mobile & Web Development, UI/UX Design, QA, DevOps, Support
Client-provided initial layout

The challenge

When our client approached us, they had a clear objective in mind — to create a specialized app for studying law that encompassed various educational functions. The app needed to provide theory and practical cases, training cards, and regular quizzes to test knowledge.
The client wanted to offer both free and paid subscription options, where subscribers could access specific modules for more comprehensive learning. Our challenge was to develop a single app that would replace the need for multiple platforms and provide a comprehensive approach to legal education.

Project management

The collaboration format demanded a high level of flexibility from our team. We seamlessly integrated various teams into the project at different stages, ensuring that we obtained tangible outcomes while maintaining a smooth development process. This approach allowed us to strengthen and stabilize the project, enabling accelerated growth and progress.

We structured the project into three iterative phases to effectively handle the unique demands of the legal education initiative. We carefully selected a team of specialists with expertise in educational program development and a deep understanding of the industry's nuances.

The Rocketech team:

  • Business Analyst
  • UI/UX Designers
  • Backend and Frontend Developers
  • Mobile Developers
  • QA Engineers
  • DevOps Engineers

Iteration 1

During the initial iteration, we carefully analyzed the client's requirements. We identified two distinct functionality sets — one available for free and the other accessible through a subscription. To ensure a thorough implementation, we categorized the functions into five sets: Main, Modules, Law, Quiz, and Profile.

Key accomplishments:

  • Implemented registration options for different user roles (students, lawyers, others) with email verification.
  • Developed user account management features, allowing users to change their email and password and edit their profile.
  • Implemented ability to add modules of legal content.
  • Developed quick search functionality, along with the ability to bookmark content for future reference.
  • Created a monetization system offering monthly and annual subscription options with auto-renewal.
  • Implemented Quiz functionality, enabling users to test their knowledge in specific areas of law.

Iteration 2

In the second iteration, we focused on creating an admin panel. It was written entirely from scratch by us without using off-the-shelf solutions. This entailed a number of related tasks, including those connected to creating content typing.

Key accomplishments:

  • Designed a user-friendly UI for the admin panel.
  • Developed complex drag-and-drop interfaces using the React DnD toolkit.
  • Implemented features to manage content, including customization of questions and answers based on specific cases for quizzes.
  • Enabled subscription management for topic modules.
  • Implemented different levels of content nesting to create a user-friendly structure.
  • Implemented data validation and error handling for user input.

Iteration 3

In the final iteration, we focused on backend development to establish a robust tech foundation. Our emphasis was on ensuring speed, scalability, and reliable operation, regardless of the user load.

Key accomplishments:

  • Built the application architecture using the Node.js software platform and Nest.js framework.
  • Employed PostgreSQL and Redis for efficient data reception, processing, and analysis.
  • Automated app delivery and deployment processes through Docker and Kubernetes.
  • Established communication services within an internal Docker overlay network or Kubernetes SVC internal network using TCP connections.
  • Conducted comprehensive testing to identify technical defects and ensure compliance with business requirements.

Pitfalls

We encountered a few hurdles during the process but managed to overcome them successfully:

  • Integrating content subscriptions into the App Store: We faced challenges in correctly integrating and testing subscription-related features, such as handling subscriptions, canceling them, and restoring previous purchases.
  • Admin panel development: Since we built the admin panel from scratch, we had to pay close attention to organizing and validating the content. This involved managing different levels of content, ensuring proper ordering, and validating input values.
  • Industry-specific considerations: The app's focus was narrow, initially centered around English Law. However, the client had plans to expand into other areas of law in the future, broadening the app's coverage and content offerings.

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Functionality

Register / Login to account

Signing up for the app is quick and easy, taking less than five minutes. Simply enter your email, verify it, create a password, and provide basic personal information: your name, surname, role (student, lawyer, or other), country, and school. You can subscribe to specific modules right away to start your studying journey.

Profiles

Each registered user gets access to their profile with personal information, including a photo. Users can edit (or even delete all data), as well as change email and password.

Study modules

There are five study modules available. Students can choose one or more modules to study and test their knowledge. Each module provides comprehensive and reliable information on a specific topic, presented in an intuitive format that is easy to navigate.

Search cases

To enhance the user experience, we've implemented a search function. Users can quickly find the information they need. Furthermore, you can bookmark cases to revisit them later.

Unique content

In addition to textual training materials, users have access to links that provide further resources such as legislation and real-life cases as examples. The content is structured with multiple levels of nesting, ensuring seamless navigation and easy access to the desired information.

Quiz

One of the app's most valuable features is the Quiz. After studying the tutorials, users can put their knowledge to the test by answering questions related to the module. The app's administrator creates the questions and answers based on real cases, ensuring the quizzes provide practical and relevant learning experiences.

Admin panel

The app allows you to manage content flexibly. Content added to the admin panel is delivered to the iOS device, which increases the speed of updates. You can also add additional types of law, translate to different languages, and customize questions/answers in Quizzes.

Review

Their level of engagement and project ownership is uncommon and greatly valued.

Charles Gregory Law
Director, Ginger Snail Pte Ltd
Admin panel

Numbers

5

study modules

150+

tests for the quiz

10K

requests per second the system can handle

1K

requests per second for Apple subscriptions

80%

efficiency of anti-DDOS features of Cloudflare and Docker

150 ms

request processing speed

Results

Successfully developed a comprehensive educational solution designed for lawyers and law students using iOS devices. The entire project was completed within one year and 8 months, starting from the ground up.
Created modules covering various areas of law, providing users with theory, real cases, and valuable references.
Developed a Quiz feature that allows users to test their knowledge and track their learning progress.
Enhanced the user experience by the search function, making it easier for users to find the information they need.
Built the admin panel from scratch, enabling efficient content management and subscription functionality.
Implemented the server-side components, ensuring reliable data management and conducting thorough product testing.
Planning the Android version and aiming to expand the app's availability to a wider user base.

Talk to us!

Send us a message and we'll get in touch with you as soon as we can.
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