In collaboration with KOQOON, we created a mobile app for the world’s first smart grill
Exceptional quality. Utmost longevity. Sophisticated design. KOQOON has taken grilling to the next level. They have created a smart grill with high-precision automatic temperature control, an intuitive touch control panel, and app connectivity. They needed help with the development of a mobile app for their grill, and that’s where Vega IT stepped in.
The challenge: Advanced functionalities for mobile smart grill management
KOQOON set out to create a high-end gas grill with a touch-screen panel for advanced controls. To fully leverage the grill’s capabilities and enhance user experience, they wanted to develop a mobile app enabling control of the grill via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
Their ultimate goal was to add smart functionalities that would provide users with highly intuitive and simplified grilling experiences. They wanted to enable users to choose a recipe from the app and follow step-by-step instructions, and the grill would automatically adjust its temperature at each stage. Each recipe step includes predefined temperature settings, seamlessly synced between the app and the grill.
And, to create such an app, they needed a technology partner.
The solution: A mobile app for a complex IoT solution
In collaboration with KOQOON, we built the mobile app for the grill almost entirely from scratch.
After numerous UI updates and extensive work on functionalities, such as Bluetooth connectivity, communication between the grill and the mobile app, and recipe features, the first version of the grill software was completed in just under five months.
And, that’s when the actual implementation of Bluetooth functionalities started.
The implementation of Bluetooth functionalities
We worked closely with the grill manufacturer to enable real-time updates and immediate communication between the grill and the mobile app, reducing communication times by four to five times.
Implementing the Guided Mode
The Guided Mode guides the user through the recipe, automatically adjusting the grill's temperature. Recipes are created in a content manager, where specific temperatures are set. The app then determines the temperature adjustments, timing, and when to send notifications based on preset assumptions.
In addition to it, there are three other modes, each with its own settings screen featuring sliders for users to adjust. The original design was too complex, so we rebuilt it from the ground up.
Introducing graphs
The client wanted a visual representation of the grill’s status at any given moment. Since meals consist of multiple steps, each with its own notification, it was necessary to display this clearly in the content manager. That way, the manager knows which grill was in use, making it possible to prepare multiple meals simultaneously.
And, we’ve helped the client with the visualization part. We’ve created a graph that simplifies their workflow by showing when a grill is occupied and when another one with different temperatures is needed. This was the most challenging part of the web development process, and the result was a comprehensive admin dashboard used for everything.
Making sure the quality is being kept
We developed a test strategy to ensure the highest product quality, focusing on optimizing testing and addressing potential risks. The document was presented to stakeholders, detailing identified risks and outlining testing activities to minimize those risks and prevent potential production issues.
The test strategy included:
- defining the main goal of software testing in the project;
- outlining roles and QA responsibilities;
- listing the required testing documentation;
- proposing test types and test approach;
- testing coverage of all system components;
- testing process that guarantees that every production feature will be properly covered with testing.
Based on the defined strategy we delivered, a QA engineer has created test cases for all the features, covered all components with tests, performed defined test types, reported issues, and organized the issue backlog.
The results: The one-of-a-kind, smart grill
We co-created a mobile app that perfectly emphasizes the outstanding capabilities of one of the most intuitive and innovative smart gas grills on the market.
Despite the recent launch, sales are already skyrocketing and customers have already been sharing their spectacular user experiences. And, we’re happy that we, as a technology partner, have contributed to these results.
The tech stack
- React
- Azure
- Docker
- GitHub Actions
- Jest
- Webpack
- PostgreSQL
- Prisma ORM
- Node/Express
- BigQuery
- Firebase
- React Native
- TypeScript
- Bluetooth
- WiFi
- Playwright
- Appium
- WebdriverIO
