App Logistics of Archiva Group started from companies dealing with logistics and having to adapt to the new European regulations.

The EU legislator, Implementing Regulation EU 1912/2018 with regards to certain exemptions related to intra-EU transactions, has inserted a new Article 45-bis within the Implementing Regulation EU 282/2011. On the basis of this amendment, as of 1 January 2020, a list of documents are required to transport or ship goods to another Member State.

On App Logistica, the Archiva admin creates a new “sender” customer (person who sends the goods); when the sender creates a new transport, all the documents needed for the transport are loaded in the corresponding folder, inside the platform.

The application we have created suggests to the user which documents to load and verifies in real time if all of them are present, including any accessory documents; it also allows the operator to easily identify all the actors involved in the operation.

Among these documents, the DDT (Transport Document) is fundamental, an accounting delivery document that is issued with the movement of goods by VAT taxable persons, whether they operate individually or collectively. According to the Regulations, this document in electronic form can be managed:

– as a virtual legal document, to allow deferred invoicing

– on an device (computer, tablet or smartphone)

– by means of a computer, the procedure uses an electronic platform or using electronic tracking carrier (Res 19/E/2013)

– by signing the DDT with advanced electronic signature or a simple electronic signature.

A first advantage of App Logistics is to collect these documents in one place making them easier to consult and share.

A second advantage is to give some users the ability to use the application on a PC in the office or to others, who, due to their type of activity need to move around and comfortably use a tablet. It is also for transporters who usually use a mobile phone, it gives them the possibility to use the application on a smartphone. App Logistica therefore makes multi-channel access possible, a platform accessible from any type of device.

In order to validate the market and target of the new digital product, with Archiva we used a typical tool of growth hacking and the lean canvas. To start, we identified the problems, and defined the possible customer segments affected by them.

Then a solution was discussed along with the competitive advantage of the company that proposes it and the unique value of its position. It’s an added value that only the proposing company is able to outline to its consumer, with the solution it puts forward.

This is the first hypothesis: in fact, each of them must be validated and then repeated through customer research. The typical tools are on the one hand, developing the landing pages, Google ads and Facebook ad campaigns to intercept people of interest, on the other hand the mapping of possible customers to target. Search for relevant contacts within them, request contacts and interviews aimed at investigating the actual presence of the problem, collect information on the flow of processes related to the problem, the management software used and any competitors of the project, and so on.

On the basis of the information collected, the hypotheses will be validated.

The development was carried out with Agile Scrum methodology and the result at the end of each sprint was validated by Archiva but also by the market, to allow us to optimize the efforts in the following sprints and place them in the right direction.

The result of this iterative process is a software that responds to the real needs of users and allows Archiva to integrate and improve its service, both on acquired and prospect customers.

In order to make the information contained within the database even more secure, the client chose to use Blockchain Technology.

Blockchain is a data structure that can be defined as a chain of blocks entrusted to a consensus mechanism distributed over all the nodes of a network authorised to participate in the validation process.

At each logical state change of transport, the blockchain is examined and the transport information is saved at that specific moment. An update is also performed by default every night to save the changes made to travel after it has been successfully completed.

Blockchain technology represents a major step forward in simplifying paper-based processes by introducing greater security and transparency.

Again, technology helps people and companies, particularly those employed in the logistics sector, by providing a platform for document management capable of the following factors:

• manage, digitise and centralise transport documents;
• ensure compliance with regulations in the logistics sector;
• save document management costs;
• avoid penalties;
• consult the available material quickly;
• allow simultaneous access to the multiplicity of actors involved;
• certify transactions with blockchain

Many companies are focusing on software development to reduce the complexity of processes within organisations (such as ZPC e Safilo), in this case a further step was taken: certifying the process with Blockchain.

3Bee develops intelligent technological systems for monitoring the health of bees. In synergy with the client, we developed an app to improve this monitoring and to consult the hive in real time. Smart hives are connected at any time to beekeepers’ devices to monitor: the amount of honey produced, forecasts on possible swarms, sound and light spectrum, production statistics, calendar and much more.

Simple interfaces have been designed for any circumstance, from the field work to the sofa at home with intuitive and easy to use features. A solid and secure connection where the software and hardware components merge into a single and effective work tool.

Objects that are always connected and can communicate, helps to improve the daily work of companies and individuals.

La Precision Livestock farming is an opportunity for farming supply chains to take on new challenges from the market by improving the efficiency of the company’s production, and enhance animal welfare by monitoring the status of the individual animal, the group, and sustainable production.

We’ve decided to apply the Internet of Things as it’s a technology which can play a fundamental role to support and be helpful to the beekeepers’ daily operations.

Five days, forty hours, two thousand and four hundred minutes side by side with the client to understand the sector, the users’ needs, the competitive framework and the state of art of technology to identify what the software should achieve and the core functionalities of the MVP.

It’s called Uqido Deep Dive, it helps us get to sit with our client and understand better problems and needs.
We make sure the project is grounded on a solid, common knowledge.

Once the information needed are collected, we start with the first mockups to get valuable feedback from the client.
For this project we’ve used Marvel, a tool that makes it possible to transform mockups into interactive prototypes without writing a single line of code.

For projects of this scale, the most suitable methodology or rapidly evolving technology in the market, is once again Agile Scrum. The entire process is divided into Sprint, including the design and the software development.

We are able then to make systematic improvements to the design, avoiding excessive production costs, taking off unnecessary effort and drastically reduce the chances of developing a digital product that the market does not need. All the tasks are included in the Product Backlog, a list of tasks to be completed in a set period, sorted by priority.

During the planning of the first sprint, we identified the tasks that are easy to test leading to concise and precise descriptions of activities for the development team. 

At the end of the first sprint, the design team has done the information architecture to illustrate the flow that characterizes the Progressive Web App.

The information architecture shows the hierarchy of the platform sections: this is useful to understand the complexity of navigation and the speed to get access to each functionality.

In addition, the team identified additional features to be developed as mockups.

During the second sprint the product backlog is reviewed and populated, updating the functionality to be developed and adding more. Once this has been done, the product backlog prioritised the To-do’s in the backlog.

For the client, as far as the development of the Progressive Web App (PWA) was concerned, we developed both the backend and the frontend, as well as the server infrastructure connected with their hardware devices.

The first challenge we faced was that the client already had already worked on the frontend and the backend.
So, within a short time, we transferred the information and the database to the new infrastructure, integrating the tools and preventing the loss of information.

Our strong collaboration with the client allowed to move rapidly, reducing the costs and the time-to-market.

The solution we built is a Progressive Web App (PWA) that allows beekeepers, professionals and amateurs to get access to data and numbers made available by the sensors in the hives.

The PWA was identified as the ideal solution to contain costs, make it available to everyone on any type of device (mobile and desktop) and quickly get feedback from the market.
Agile development, fast Time-to-market, immediate feedback cycles are key features in the development of innovative products, especially for companies like 3Bee with a typical startup business model.

Market evidence revealed that 3Bee’s competitors’ use of other digital tools, especially native apps instead of PWA.

Therefore, a competitive and users’ research was carried out to identify the real benefit of them.

The final results made us working on the development of a native app for iOS and Android.

Developing a native app, the client could offer a better alternative experience compared to the ones available on the market, achieving a real competitive advantage.

To meet the client’s need, we paid great attention to design a unique user experience. We started with a simple web app developed to perform the core functionalities, evolving it into a more complete and functional tool.

A good initial design that organises information in a precise and functional manner, simplifies the work of developers considerably.

The care for the UI/UX Design led to a focus on the user experience. It has certainly made the difference not only from an aesthetic point of view but above all from a functional one. The positive feedback from users in testing made it user-friendly.

To develop a web app we opted for an open source software such as Ruby On Rails, for the app we chose Flutter. One of the advantages of using a development kit for apps like this is to centralise and unify the writing of the software and then quickly decline the output in the various operating systems, then in addition to iOS and Android, you would get a desktop version for Windows. 

The choice of the right technological solutions to adopt led to the natural integration of the web app with a mobile app by implementing a customer loyalty process based on a work in excellent synergy between design, development and feedback from those who actually use the product.

The success of a project based on the use of new technologies lies in the punctual and lasting comparison between all the players involved: Uqido, 3Bee, the beekeepers.

The core value of this digital product lies in its ability to meet the needs of a very wide audience with different degrees of familiarity with the technology.
With 3Bee, we designed a specific onboarding experience for users accessing the app for the first time, to allow them to leave feedback and make it easy for them to intuitively understand how to use it.

We always design digital product putting users at the core of it, take a look at other examples such as Sei Mamma Euganea and Safilo VirtualEyes.

Objects always connected and able to communicate, once again to improve the daily work of companies and individuals.

A MiniRugby tournament is a complex event: the sports club that organises it must set up several smaller tournaments, one for each category. In each of these, the respective teams play a first group stage and, subsequently, all teams must then play in the knockout stages to generate the final table.

The results of each match is recorded by the match directors on paper cards signed by the coaches when the match is over. The scores and pairings are written on a notice board which all participants in the event can access if they need to consult one another.

Before our work on this project, all this happened in a completely analogical way, which led to poor timing and difficulties managing.

For this reason, the heart of the project was to digitise the development of the tournament, such as the invitation and registration of teams, the management of results and penalty cards, the formation of the pairings, the rankings and the live display of all results to the public.

All the functions described are normally used by a large number of people, with different needs. For example, the referee needs an interface different from the public who are only interested in viewing the results. The platform had to bring together all the users’ needs and lend itself significantly to different uses.

The concept was already clear in the client’s mind: they needed a tool to share information with the Uqido team to develop a platform that is efficient.

So, our first step was to send the client a questionnaire to get basic information such as objectives, users, scope of the platform, etc..

Our designers took a week to collate the questionnaire which was a series of questions to identify: the long term goal, project questions, user goals and sections concerning the storyboards for the main flow within the platform.

We were able to count on fast and timely feedback cycles due to regular meetings with the client. We identified Agile SCRUM as the best development methodology, which we divided into two weeks of four sprints.

 The first sprint was dedicated to design: design and information architecture, wireframe and the mockup. The next three sprints were dedicated to software development.

To begin with, we established an information structure for the different types of users: the SuperAdmin, sports clubs and spectators. Then we created the wireframe for the content layout and moodboards, giving a visual identity to the whole app.

We validated the style proposals and the color-based palette of the Sport in Cloud site, the main components and two examples of pages. We populated the product backlog: in this phase we worked with the client to write the user stories related to the wireframes, in particular the admin’s management of sports clubs and its creation of a tournament. Each of these sections was classified as “core” and “nice to have” features.

Once the first sprint dedicated to design was complete and the backlog populated, the software development phase of the next three sprints began.

The software is divided into three main parts: “Management”, “Penalty Cards” and “Live score”. “Management” has the most advanced algorithms of the platform, “Live score” instead represents an absolute novelty for the sector: in fact, the market does not offer other services that can present live results of MiniRugby matches online. 

The web platform, which makes reporting live results possible, is developed in Ruby on Rails, with Stimulus JS components and is tested using Minitest, with a library of components in Storybook and corresponding visual regression tests.

At the end of each sprint we met with the client and illustrated the results of the development, uploading what we had discovered in a staging area, making it possible for the participants of the meeting to understand each step.

 We described the main flows such as the user login, the sports club’s new tournament, the configuration of a single category of a tournament and the results. Score!

Organising a MiniRugby tournament and managing it effectively is a complex process that requires time and resources. You need to digitise the flow, and optimize your efforts by making the tournament more user-friendly and accessible to the public.

Now, thanks to Uqido, Sports in Cloud can provide a much better user experience than its competitors, both for sports clubs and for field managers and spectators.

The result was achieved by taking care of the design phase in detail. Even before writing a single line of code, every single functionality was conceived, graphically designed, completed and tested. We also carried out user testing on different types of users of the app, recording their reactions and impressions.

As in the case of 3Bee, Design Thinking, in its Uqido Deep Dive form, proved to be a fundamental tool to create a digital product that is really useful to users. In addition to this, there is an Agile SCRUM development, particularly suitable for products with a high rate of innovation that, as such, are not free from difficulties and the unexpected but thanks to an iterative development, it can be successfully addressed (read more about the Agile SCRUM development of Uqido).  

Advanced technology like augmented reality is already here, in our smartphones and tablets. In addition, it is no longer necessary to download specific apps thanks to Facebook Spark AR, a functionality available on the Facebook ecosystem where users can enjoy augmented reality content while on Facebook and Instagram.

The big question here is: are those tools useful for companies?
Can they generate real value or are they only good to have fun?

The Safilo VirtualEyes project is an excellent example that explains the enormous potential of immersive technologies already available and easy to access.

When we think of applying digital solutions to improve business processes we need to consider the following steps: identifying the goals, understand any possible complications, thinking of the users as the core part of the app and analyse the context.

Safilo is a leader in design, production, and distribution of sunglasses, prescription frames and sports glasses. In line with traditional Italian design and its manufacturing expertise dating back to 1878, Safilo transforms design projects into high-quality products.

Safilo is an integrated industrial model capable of overseeing the entire production-distribution chain: research and technological innovation, product design and development, production, marketing, and communication. Safilo distributes in about one hundred thousand selected points of sale all over the world with direct branches in 40 countries – in North America and Latin America, Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Asia-Pacific and China – and a global network of more than 50 partners.

We’ve started the project with the Uqido Deep Dive.
We sat at the table involving Safilo’s key decision-makers and sales operators in Design Thinking sessions across Italy, France, and Spain, with the support of sales representatives in the field.

Everything started from a question from the Global Sales Manager: can augmented reality lead to optimizing the production process, making the distribution of all new collections anywhere in the world more efficient?

With the Uqido Deep Dive we could define the primary need: coming up with a solution for Safilo’s sellers which was including an entire collection of glasses at hand.

It was, therefore, essential to assess, together with all major agents in Italy, Spain, and France, how this development would impact their current sales process and technical capabilities.

We used mood boards, wireframes, and mockups to quickly create a prototype for future users to test. To understand their needs, their difficulties, and to ensure the appropriate functionalities.

Safilo has hundreds of operating agents all over the world. Each of them needs a sample of several dozens of eyewear models. This leads to high costs for production and distribution. The consequence of this is the financial impact and the production of these samples, which contributes to CO2 emissions for samples that may never end up on sale.

10,000 models are estimated to be produced in a year. Thus it is not possible to imagine a CG Artist creating each one before uploading them onto an app. It would involve months of work for collections that do not last more than a season. The engineering challenge of the pilot project was to create the 3D samples starting from models already in Safilo’s possession without compromising on the quality of the products.

It was vital to have an app that could upload onto any system. It had to be immediate, intuitive, and have a large sample of glasses, photorealistic rendering, and easily usable by a large number of salesmen to be distributed all over the world. In addition, Safilo required the rights to insert or eliminate the models in the app itself.

The aim of this project is to provide a tool to support growth and to enhance the sales process. When a new collection is released, agents all over the world will receive every sample and colour variant in real-time, without waiting for the physical model to arrive, reducing time and environmental impact.

Having identified the needs and the best tool to meet them, the development phase began, involving our UI/UX designers, alongside our developers engaged in converting Safilo models into 3D samples in AR and creating the app infrastructure in which to upload them. Our XR specialists who adapted the models were involved, to convert them for the real environment, as projected, to achieve the most realistic product possible. A mixture of skills for real teamwork.

The development process was on three parallel tracks. An engine that creates the conversion of Safilo models into 3D models. A server infrastructure capable of processing a large number of complex elements. A back-end with an ad-hoc interface designed for Safilo to manage and control content. Finally optimising the sample by analysing the light and environment to create a realistic product.

The sample conversion algorithm works at multiple levels: math conversion, texture simplification, adding effects and maintaining material quality.

The server instantly supports and processes Safilo’s entire collections. Bearing in mind that each of these has about 600 models and that each model has an average of 5 SKUs, that is 3,000 references per collection.

The Safilo AR – VirtualEyes platform is licensed to Safilo and is suitable for many other industries.

This pilot project reveals the development of digital tools targeting the sales and customer experience, as well as exhibiting the samples for further use.

Today, thanks to Uqido, Safilo has an engine that can produce the AR Ready samples of each of its eyewear and SKU (colour variation), which means it has a vast sample portfolio for other business opportunities.

The quality of the final product, made by choosing augmented reality, leaves no doubt about the photorealistic rendering, speed of creation and its viability.

In addition to being an effective tool for agents, this technology is used in showrooms. Through futuristic Virtual Try-On Mirrors, it can display AR products online and enable social media marketing campaigns (Spark AR makes it possible for anyone to try Safilo glasses with their smartphone).

Involving users in the design process is an opportunity to create digital products that are functional without reducing quality.

Technology is key in the formula for success. It supports companies that have skills, market knowledge, and a vision.

Augmented reality has proven to be a tool capable of naturally improving business processes without negative results. It adds value to company products, which can be innumerable, as in the case of Safilo, or with dimensions difficult to demonstrate as in the case of  Rield Phasys.

The main advantages are time, competitiveness, savings and considerable reduction of emissions due to the production and transportation of physical products.

Virtual reality and augmented reality are powerful and versatile but only a few far-sighted companies see the solution to many of the challenges in business today. Besides Safilo, other global players are already in the game: some commendable examples in our network are Nice, Ikea and GPI.

The cognitive process, i.e. the process of acquiring knowledge and understanding, in human beings occurs through thought, senses and experience.

Up to 60% of this process depends on the sense of sight and hearing, the remaining 40% is attributed to the practical or abstract application of what is stored.

A study carried out by the National Laboratory for Education in the US states that rates of mnestic retention (i.e. the ability to remember what you have experienced) increase to 75% when referring to the use of augmented reality within the educational process.

If, in addition to the above, we add that specialised training in the medical field, it involves added risks for the safety of students and teachers. When they find organic material and places to study it represents a considerable cost as well. So we can immediately see the potential of augmented reality in promoting safe and sustainable learning.

With the collaboration of Prof. Vladimiro Vida, Director of the UOC of Paediatric Cardiac Surgery and Congenital Heart Diseases and with the student of Medicine Francesco Bertelli, we analysed the usual learning path and the tools commonly used. The solution adopted so far has been the 3D printing of organs of the human body made by a software that uses scans obtained by means of CT, ECO and magnetic resonance imaging. These 3D models allow students to touch, see and dissect organs in the same way as real ones.

The need was therefore to obtain models as close as possible to real organs that could be fully analysed and dissected as if they were in the hands of a student. It was therefore vital not only to have the 3D model but also to conceive ways of interacting with it, all within a complex range of hearts with different shapes and different pathologies.

What can augmented reality offer more than a 3D printed model or even a real organ?

The positive impact, as explained above, has reduced risks and costs, but this technology also allows you to have a huge amount of material, models and information within a simple smartphone. It is not necessary to make, transport and store physical objects, moreover during the analysis more information can be requested of the system that, through a careful study of the UI, makes them appear on virtual models.

An accurate analysis of the most suitable technology has been carried out to reach, first of all, a mobile app able to host 3D models with related information and, subsequently, the hearts in augmented reality.

An initial MVP allowed us to submit the results of our study to the University of Padua. The findings on interfaces, navigation flow and digital asset yield were then endorsed and formed the basis for the development of a complete and structured app.

Therefore, all the screens were designed to allow users to access the multiple functionalities through a menu able to manage a large amount of information in a very intuitive way.

At the same time, 3D models of organ cavities have been optimised for use in real-time. Starting from assets already in possession of the University of Padua and giving them a photorealistic appearance as the result of applying high quality textures from the photogrammetry technique.

Augmented reality hearts can then be dissected and enriched with information to provide a complete experience for students and without compromising the quality of teaching. In addition, to maintain the flow of normal teaching, the virtual dissection of the models follows the process carried out during echocardiographic analysis: Long axis parasternal (PLAX), Short axis parasternal (PSSAX) and 4 chamber apical (A4C).

These models allow a precise morphological and functional analysis of the organ and of each of its parts.

To highlight areas of the heart with defects using colour, we had to create the UV Maps, which were not present in the scans. To do this, we painted directly in 3D, making it intuitive and easy to perform. The UV Maps also made it possible to effectively and correctly distribute the textures on the 3D models.

The development team had to manage many models in a short time, consequently the latest generation UV unwrapper was used, which reduces manual work and shortens development time.

In addition, we decided to select only one set of textures for all hearts, so that the mobile application would remain light and efficient (less than 60MB) while maintaining a 4K resolution.

A further challenge was to enrich the 3D models, both used through a 3D viewer and displayed in augmented reality, with the information in written form. This text had to appear in the least invasive way possible but, at the same time, it had to be easily readable. 

The result of all this is a non-linear user experience. Each student can interact in a different way. They can use different models with related sections, without a set path for each user but rather fostering different experiences adapted to the needs of all users. A training that is in some ways personalised and, therefore, more effective while managing and not increasing costs.

The output is therefore a mobile app for iOS and Android operating systems that uses ARKit and ARCore for real-time 3D visualization of the environment around us. Simple 3D visualization is also provided for older devices that do not support augmented reality.

The next developments include the possibility to use WebAR technology to enjoy the models without the need to download an app, minimising additional effort.

Augmented reality, like other immersive technologies, has a strong evocative power that allows users to engage fully in their experiences, as in the case of Nice Spa e Phasys VR.

In the training sector this kind of content allows a greater learning experience thanks to the process being comparable to the real one and lived through the normal didactic tools.

This effectiveness then meets efficiency. Virtual assets that can be analysed and manipulated anywhere and at any time drastically reduces the cost of finding and disposing of real organs, of using a specific space and equipment prepared for each student.

We are therefore facing an important evolution in the world of specialist training, which comes from the potential of new technology like augmented reality, already widely used and easy to interact with. A simple smartphone is all that is required to place virtual objects in the environment created around us, and to interact with them simply takes taps on the screen.

The University of Padua, close to 800 years of history, has embraced this new technology to improve the teaching of its PhD students in medicine, testifying to how the technology has been really useful; it offers a real benefit and fits seamlessly into processes developed over years and years of work.