The challenge
SDG&E had a $500K budget for a mobile app but no in-house expertise in building one. The utilities that did offer apps outsourced the build to contractors.
My role
My task was to build a mobile app from the ground up, wholly owned by SDG&E. I was the single-threaded owner of the app, one of 18 products in my web, mobile, and SMB SaaS portfolio across SDG&E and SoCalGas.
How I solved it
- 1
Decide what to build in-house
I worked with the team to sort which capabilities we could build ourselves and which to outsource, and with our internal graphics and front-end developers on the design and features the app could support within IT constraints.
- 2
iOS first, then Android
Apple devices were about 65% of our mobile traffic, so iOS became phase one and Android phase two. I set the roadmap and budget around that sequence.
- 3
Build the skills, not just the app
I secured funding for mobile design training for our graphics and UI experts, hired an iOS contractor and brought them into our Agile process, and cross-trained internal developers who wanted to learn mobile.
- 4
One back end for every channel
Shared back-end services fed the web, iOS, Android, and push notifications with outage data, alerts, and account data, so every channel showed the same information.
- 5
Launch and grow with Marketing
I managed every feature release and planned monthly marketing campaigns, measured with campaign micro-sites, custom short URLs, Google Analytics, and SDG&E's first YouTube channel.
Results
- Created an entirely new channel for customers: self-service plus targeted, proactive push notifications.
- The app became an integral part of the Emergency Operations Center communication plan during emergency events.
- Launched alongside SDG&E's first YouTube channel.
Tools and stack
- iOS
- Android
- Push notifications
- Shared REST services
- Google Analytics
- YouTube analytics
- Agile / Scrum