Syncoms

Providence Health & Services is a non-profit Catholic health care system operating multiple hospitals across six states, with headquarters in Renton, Washington. The health system includes 27 hospitals, more than 35 non-acute facilities and numerous other health, supportive housing and educational services in the states of the United States West Coast and Montana, New Mexico, and Texas.

One of our clients contacted us for a small and peculiar software, an inventory app that has to replace some old handheld devices introduced at the beginning of the 90's and now at their end of the life cycle. The devices were used to measure the stock level of some materials present in the different hospitals across the nation, send the data to a centralized system and then place the replenish order accordingly to the measurement.

But what looked like a simple project was hiding a particular requirement: the app had to be able to store and elaborate data even in a condition of no connectivity, due to the location of the hospital storage unit in basements or even lower underground levels.

After analysis of the requirements, we initially identified the Android-based devices that had to replace the old handhelds and established the OS version they were running; we then started the developing phase.

Considering the necessity to store a buffer of data in the devices for the off-line functioning, we conclude that a gateway API service able to control the data flow from and to the devices was required.

Using this approach was possible to easily integrate the data transmission with the Providence fulfilment system (and even different ones in case of a change of architecture from the client), and at the same time also provide an OTA update of the device's software for further functionality addition.

1. Definition of the software architecture: Data analysis, data structure design, and ensure scalability.
2. Definition of the workflow and semaphoric permission levels.
3. Designing of the app UI. Deployment of the app code.
4. Deploying server-side communication with the app and the Providence fulfilment system. Review, test, clean up and deliver to the client.

Considering the kind of final user, the challenging environment where the devices are utilised, and the brief we had about the previous devices, we've run research about the available options for the replacement, ending in the use of the Caterpillar S60, considered the direct heir of the Nokia 3310 for sturdiness.

The app lacks an engaging appeal but has all the action points within reach of the thumb. The whole inventory process can be executed with the movement of just one finger, considerably improving the timing and reducing the amount of work/stress for the user.