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We built a Mobile App which makes it super easy to donate

A Brief Glimpse Into Our Client

Our client owns a mobile application that makes it super easy to donate money to charity.

The application provides the option for users to select the bank they transact with and the charities they want to give their money.

When the users finish a transaction via the selected bank, it simply rounds up the spare change and gives it to the charities of their choice.

The client wanted us to develop and design a mobile application which would let users donate their spare change money to charities they want.

The donation process needed to be automated and based on the choices and preferences of the app user. The users would have the option to select the cause for which they want to donate, their donation amount preference, and the bank via which they want to give the money to charity.

Industry

Media & Entertainment

Tech Stack

Java, CakePHP, MySQL, Third-party secured APIs

Country

UK

The Challenges We Faced Along the Way

The user will select the charities and specify a bank Credit or Debit Card details. The application will extract and monitor the transactions related to the specified bank details.

To implement an account aggregation service to integrate the users’ transaction history and details.

Create an algorithm which will calculate the rounded up amount (to the nearest dollar) for every transaction and keep the spare change for charity. A wallet system to be implemented to keep these spare amount up to a specified limit. Once the amount accumulates to a certain limit it has to be released for payment to the charities.

The algorithm needs to divide and pay the accumulated amount equally among the charities. As it involves deduction of money from a user’s account, it needs to be error free.

Implement an app and server security with vulnerability handling. Also, a payment gateway to be implemented.

To create an Admin interface functionality to let the admin have comprehensive access to the back-end of the mobile application.

Our Primary Approach for This Project

The client highlighted their issues and after a quick consultation with their team, we were able to highlight the areas that we had to focus on when figuring out our approach. Here’s a brief glimpse at the sections we prioritized:

Mobile App Development
Our priority was to create an app that would work smoothly on both Android and iOS. Since most of our client’s customers use mobile phones to access their website, they wanted us to focus on providing user-friendly features for donation management.

Transaction Aggregation
In order to ensure seamless bank account integration and to securely aggregate debit and credit card transaction data, we decided to integrate third-party APIs.

Donation Algorithm
We planned to design and develop a sophisticated algorithm that calculates the round-up amount for each transaction, determines the user’s donation preferences, and distributes the donations equally among selected charities.

Secure Payments and Wallet System
When implementing the secure payment gateway, we had to combine it with a wallet system that accumulates donations until they reach a set threshold. Based on our plans, the donations would be released to respective charities once they reach that point.

Security Implementation
We had to ensure that all user data and transactions were encrypted using industry-standard protocols (SSL/HTTPS, DES, MDS Hashing). Additionally, to counter against SQL Injection, Cross-Site Scripting, and other common vulnerabilities, we planned to implement robust security measures.

Our Primary Solution for This Project

We moved forward with Android and iOS Mobile Application Design and Development and Server-Side Application Development for the project. We proposed integrated development environments like Eclipse and Xcode, and Android Debug Bridge (ADB) for developing the mobile application’s front end.

For the development of the application back end, we recommended using Cake PHP. Being an open-source web framework, it ensured improved security and flexibility in addition to faster deployment. A third party secured API integration and Sync tool was implemented to extract users’ Debit or Credit card transaction details. A Donation Preference option was created for the users to specify the amount of charity, whether it will be round-up value, a certain percentage of the transaction or a fixed amount per transaction. Also, it let them specify the maximum amount of donation per transaction. This option comes up during the account set-up process. Created an e-wallet system to keep the rounded-off transaction amounts until payment. A set of algorithms were designed (in accordance with the donation preference) to calculate the charity amount related to each transaction and release payment from the wallet once the balance reaches a definite amount. This algorithm was carefully coded and developed after multiple extensive code review processes. It was designed in such a way that it distributes the payment amount equally among the charities. For users’ information, a dynamic pie chart was created which let them know about the total amount of donations and the distribution. A secured payment gateway was implemented to pass on payments to the charities via portals.

Results

The platform’s improved design and efficiency result in several key outcomes that significantly boost business growth and operational success.

Increased User Engagement

Users could set their donation preferences and donate based on their transactions, increasing both user engagement and overall app usage.

Higher Donation Volume

The automated donation process and the ability to track donations via the app led to a noticeable increase in the volume of donations.

Improved Operational Efficiency

The automation of the donation process and the e-wallet system streamlined the client’s operations, reducing the need for manual donation tracking.

Cost Savings

With a robust development process and our dedicated hiring model, the client was able to save up to 50% on project costs.

Fulfilling Client Needs One Step At A Time

The mobile application developed for the client has been a significant success, enabling users to easily donate their spare change to selected charities while automating the donation process. The app has increased user engagement, volume of donations, and operational efficiency for the client. Best of all, the client was able to reduce operational costs by 50%, helping them achieve a more cost-effective solution while delivering a seamless and secure experience to their users.

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Clients Love Partnering With Us

The mobile app is everything we envisioned and more. We’re extremely happy with the results and would gladly recommend Brainium to anyone who wants quick IT solutions without burning a hole in their pocket.