Through code refactoring and Scrum practices, Gabe helped Max optimize their Android development workflow and reduce costs.

Snapshot

• Client: Max (formerly HBO GO)
• App: Max
• Downloads: 100M+
• Rating: 4.8/5 (3.78M reviews)
• Industry: Streaming
• Services used: Refactoring, Scrum Master
• Results:
  • Eliminated UI inconsistency bug tickets
  • Streamlined the process of reporting bugs
  • Eliminated the need for one more developer
  •  

Problem

While the Max Android app was a well-designed, user-friendly, and functional app, 25-50% of issues developers were fixing on a weekly basis were UI inconsistencies. Not only did these bugs affect user experience, but they also put significant strain on the client's customer support team, which had to handle an increasing number of complaints related to app stability. This worsened the user experience and led to negative reviews in the Google Play Store.

Solution

The project manager learned about Gabe's service through a quick Google search and decided to get in touch. After Gabe was briefed on the situation, he was onboarded onto a team of 20 people as a Mobile Software Consultant — he worked closely with five of them, including the project manager.

Gabe got to work and refactored the code to reduce UI inconsistencies and created a code style guide. Furthermore, Gabe helped organize the team's Jira board and developed different bug-reporting templates in Jira. He also taught the project manager and the team how to work within the Scrum framework.

Results

Through meticulous code refactoring and implementation of standardized UI components, Gabe helped the team successfully reduce UI inconsistencies from 25-50% to less than 5%. To maintain this improvement, Gabe established a comprehensive style guide to ensure consistent UI development practices and improve maintainability across Max's large Android development team.

By helping organize the Jira board and developing different templates for bug reporting, Gabe streamlined the bug-reporting process, making it more efficient and structured. This systematic approach to bug tracking and reporting enabled the team to address issues more quickly and effectively, ultimately contributing to the overall improvement in app performance.

The coaching on Scrum framework improved team communication and coordination. This resulted in fewer instances of duplicate work and reduced time waste. This prevented situations where multiple developers would unknowingly work on the same task and run into major code conflicts. This enhanced communication resulted in more efficient resource utilization.

Ultimately, Max was able to eliminate one full-time Android contractor position while maintaining development quality and speed, resulting in a 25% reduction in Android development resource costs.

Conclusion

Following these improvements, Max now maintains higher quality Android development through established coding standards, efficient bug reporting, and optimized Scrum practices — all while keeping development costs in check.