The Situation
Semrock is a business unit of IDEX Health & Science in Rochester, NY, and has become the standard in optical filters for the life sciences industry. Its patented design techniques create some of the most spectrally sophisticated optical filters on the market, and the company can create custom optical filters that let its customers push the limits of signal-to-noise in their fluorescence instrument design.
Semrock came to Envative looking for help to rework a tool offered on its website. The company’s distributors use the tool to bench-test prospective fluorescence instrument designs they’re studying for their own customers. Those end-users get a selection of the best Semrock products to use for their application once they input key specifications. Many of those using the tool asked Semrock for a mobile app they could use while out in the field or offline.
The Challenge
Because most of Semrock’s distributor base use iPads, and the company’s leadership knew that Envative was the Rochester, NY-based expert in creating mobile apps for the iOS platform, Semrock asked Envative to begin designing a tablet-friendly prototype (wireframes) that would replicate the functionality of their visually complex online web tool.
It was important for Envative to work closely with Semrock's large team of internal technicians in order to ensure seamless integration with internal systems and data. Extensive teamwork was needed to flesh out all the requirements and additional features Semrock desired for the app. The complex inputs and calculations required a high level of mobile UI/UX design and development expertise.
The Envative Solution
Impressed with the prototypes Envative provided, Semrock immediately approved the full development of the iPad-friendly mobile application. Envative’s proven project management process allowed Semrock to see and track the app’s progress and provide input throughout the development cycle through biweekly sprint-review meetings. The ultimate result became the Semrock SearchLightTM mobile app, an interactive tool that allows users to select from a variety of specifications, including fluorophores, filters, light sources and detectors, in order to evaluate the performance of a prospective instrument design.
The app was quickly adopted by Semrock’s iPad users, and based on the tablet version’s instant popularity, was followed by a request for a smart phone version. Envative adjusted the UI/UX to accommodate the smaller screens of the iPhone. Both versions of the app are available to Semrock distributors via the iTunes store. Even better, Envative has also since developed Android versions of the app for Android tablets and phones for even broader adoption by Semrock’s user base. Based on the company’s positive experience, Semrock also recommended the Envative team to their sister company, AVR Optics, for the development of a web-based eCommerce portal.
