Complicated pension funds app reaps rewards

Willis Towers Watson is a leading global professional services company. They faced a complicated technical challenge and partnered with Brightec to assist with solving the problem. The resulting app overcame the various hurdles and delivered a product to be proud of.

Willis Towers Watson Asset Liability Suite app on iPad

Workshops and sketching helps to formulate the concept

Willis Towers Watson wanted a native application for iOS (iPad and then iPhone) to extend an existing web based solution to provide their clients with asset and liability information. This was needed as the basis for securely managing large pension schemes effectively from mobile platforms.

We began with workshops - the best way to determine client requirements and expectations.

Formulating the concept is perhaps the most important but least glamorous element of app development. This is the foundation laying stage. There is not much to see, but get this stage right and you can build something strong and effective.

This consists of plenty of sketching and scribbling to ensure we fully understand the user experience needed.

Asset Liability Suite on iPad

Piecing the puzzle together

The next stage is about beginning to put the pieces of the puzzle together and beginning to construct the app architecture.

Ongoing liaison with the main stakeholders is crucial to make sure we remain on track.

"Brightec are an excellent team to work with. They have excellent knowledge in iOS developing and had a very good understanding of our requirements."
Willis Towers Watson
Asset Liability Suite on iPhone

Flesh on the bones

At this stage we start adding flesh to the bones. The Willis Towers Watson app began to take shape in terms of look, content and navigation.

This isn’t just about nice looking graphics - design includes a whole range of activities.

Once the initial visualisations & wireframes had been agreed, we worked through the technical integration with their system through a series of meetings with their technical team.

Data was a big challenge for this app, handling large amounts of constantly changing data that needed to be delivered quickly and securely through the app. With a little lateral thinking around the format and a number of technical changes a suitable solution was achieved.

Available on the App Store