Connect Local Food Vendors to Mobile Phone Users in Nigeria

Introduction

Throughout this project, I assumed the role of a Software Engineering Consultant for a micro-finance company looking to create a novel food delivery service tailored to the needs of small-scale food vendors operating within Nigeria. This engagement represented a comprehensive and holistic experience, affording me the opportunity to actively participate in the entire project lifecycle, spanning from initial customer discovery to software development and change management. The resulting product was an application designed to facilitate access to small local vendors who are traditionally cut out of the growing mobile market.

Project Goals

Develop both Android and iOS application versions of food delivery service to seamlessly connect users with their preferred local food vendors.
Target 150 food vendors and 300K customers within Edo State of Nigeria.
Undertake a rigorous six-month post-production market testing phase.
Extend microfinance opportunities to local food vendors.

Project Details

I served as a Product Manager and Software Lead tasked with creating the food delivery service. The team primarily engaged with customers on-site, collecting money deposits, and administering micro-loans manually, which necessitated the introduction of technology. To build the food delivery application, I made a deliberate choice to leverage Google's Flutter framework, as it afforded us the ability of developing for both Android and iOS using a single codebase.

As the project evolved in complexity, so too did our reliance on application programming interfaces (APIs) to integrate an expanding array of services. I successfully integrated services like Google Maps, Firebase authentication, real-time chat functionality, and a secure payment gateway.

Each testing phase of the application raised unique challenges, as evidenced by our crash reports. However, our iterative approach to debugging led to a successful deployment of the application to both Android's Play Store and Apple's App Store and available to users.

Reflections

Notwithstanding the formidable array of challenges encountered by our team during the height of the covid19 pandemic, I viewed this project through the lens of a development engineering endeavor, one that not only aimed to connect local food vendors with a mobile customer base but also sought to provide them with the essential financial resources needed to grow their small and medium-sized businesses. Recognizing the profound potential for social impact within this initiative, I was enthused by the prospects it offered.