A technologically advanced application with a focus on user experience

Do you like cycling? Whether to work, school, or recreationally, every keen cyclist finds himself in a situation where he needs to park his bike safely. But how do you find a reliable storage facility without unnecessary delays? BikeLink app offers a great solution.

What is BikeLink?

The American company eLock Technologies is behind the successful BikeLink project. Since 2002, it has become the pioneer and regional standard for electronic bicycle parking, both in its hometown of San Francisco and throughout the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

Why is it so popular?

It offers flexible and easy-to-use services designed to keep up with the latest technologies. Even the smartest product can always be improved. How? With a cutting-edge app!

That's where the Dactyl Group team comes in.

Innovative solutions are taken care of by an efficient application

How did the project get to Dactyl Group? You may be surprised but we have been developing for the client since 2017. A part of the production and development of the American company, which has made its way to us, takes place in the Czech Republic. 

But let's focus on our brief. This time we were tasked to develop a reliable application for contactless control of electronic locks.

Until now, the locks have operated on a chip card with a credit top-up. The solution was functional but rather outdated, so it was time to upgrade. But the final product had far more features in that, and some of them were properly bogged down. 

And that's why we enjoyed it.

Our team set out to develop a mobile app for Android and iOS that can playfully communicate with the lock and send commands via Bluetooth.

Agile development: precise planning and excellent result

Our cooperation with the client is in the form of agile development. A great advantage is the rapid development of the software and the possibility to test and consult everything properly. We proceed in efficient iterations and regularly provide the customer with only tested updates and the latest features. 

Although our brief sounded fairly standard, we had to keep a few things in mind. The design of the application and graphics was quite complex, and in such a convoluted solution there is a high probability that the communication with the lock will go wrong somewhere.

And we certainly won't let that happen.

To avoid potential problems, we first designed a precise flowchart that helped us map all possible results (including junk ones) and their flow.

Safety is the foundation of the entire project, so we have placed a huge emphasis on it. In particular, we have gone to great lengths to eliminate potential bugs in the software that could cause the bike to be stolen. 

We have implemented several interesting features in the app. One of them is identity verification using a selfie with a document, including sending it for approval. To avoid problems, the app must also be able to open the box without an internet connection.

All control in a few taps

Are you interested in how the app works in practice? Very simply!

The cyclist can find the necessary bike storage box directly on the map via the app. On the spot, just enter the rental period in the app, unlock the lock and the device is fully available. 

After inserting the bike, the time measurement of the rental box starts and you're all set. The bike is taken care of by the secure box for just a few bucks and the cyclist can go on with other activities without worry.

Certainty and certainty again.

With our app, users don't have to worry about not having a place to park their bikes. There are several variants of the lock. Some allow the box to be reserved in advance, others even allow access to parking garages.

The key to it all is the mobile app - it has completely replaced the special card that users used to have to carry with them all the time. 

User-friendly applications and technology integration

We are very pleased with the result, both technologically and in terms of user experience.

The application can simultaneously communicate with several types of locks that are based on different technologies. Each of them has its own set of commands and return codes. For this reason, our application is protected by sophisticated and advanced cryptography. 

Above all, user convenience is the key. Therefore, the application focuses on quality UX and maximum responsiveness. No one wants to fuss with complicated controls.

That's exactly why the boxes are only minimally interacted with and all control is done via the intuitive app functions.

Did our work catch your interest? Do you need to boost your business with a top-notch app or a tailor-made web solution? Let's make it happen together - contact us!