Business Apps

GooApps’ UX/UI Design for 4GL Apps

31/01/2024

In a world where technology and innovation go hand in hand, GooApps has positioned itself as a leader in the development of technological solutions focused on user experience and ease of use. Our specialization in UX/UI design has led us to create applications that are not only functional and attractive but also highly capable of connecting with users.

Today, we analyze our collaboration specifically focused on UX/UI design with 4GL, a company with 36 years of experience in software development for terrestrial and maritime gas stations. Through this alliance, GooApps has contributed its expertise in UX/UI design to the MyGasStation AI and LealtyCard applications, technically developed by 4GL. These applications are clear examples of how advanced UX/UI design can enrich products that are already robust in technical terms, offering an exceptional user experience that is not usually common in this sector.

In this article, we focus on how the UX/UI design, carried out by GooApps, has been key in the final outcome of these applications. We will detail the design process behind MyGasStation AI and LealtyCard, emphasizing how each design element has improved interaction and user experience. This analysis will underline the importance of UX/UI design in complementing advanced technological solutions, demonstrating how these techniques can be implemented to maximize the efficiency and appeal of applications.

GooApps and 4GL: Joining Forces

In the world of software development, strategic alliances are key to success and innovation. In this context, the relationship between GooApps and 4GL stands out as a clear example of how effective collaboration can lead to outstanding results. GooApps, with its extensive experience in UX/UI design for software and mobile applications, joined forces with 4GL, a company with a solid track record in creating software for gas stations. This synergy between GooApps and 4GL has resulted in two notable applications: MyGasStation AI and LealtyCard.

MyGasStation AI is an application, available in mobile and web versions, designed to modernize the management of gas stations by integrating smart solutions that facilitate daily operations and improve efficiency. The application focuses on offering an intuitive and accessible user experience, ensuring that complex functionalities are managed with ease. The goal is to make gas station management smoother, more efficient, and adapted to the needs of the 21st century.

On the other hand, LealtyCard focuses on improving the customer experience at gas stations. This application is designed to foster loyalty through a system of rewards and personalized offers. The user interface is simple and attractive, making it easy to use and enhancing customer interaction with the service. The purpose of LealtyCard is to increase customer satisfaction and strengthen the bond between consumers and the gas stations offering this service.

Together, these applications reflect the commitment of GooApps and 4GL to innovation and continuous improvement. Through this collaboration, both companies have managed to combine their knowledge and experience to create solutions that not only meet technical requirements but also provide an exceptional user experience.

UX/UI Design in Action: MyGasStation AI

MyGasStation AI represents a qualitative leap in the development of technological solutions for the gas station sector, thanks to its innovative approach and user-centered UX/UI design. This application has been designed to optimize gas station management, offering a range of advanced functionalities and tangible benefits for both operators and owners.

Among MyGasStation AI’s main features are real-time data analysis and stock management system integration. These tools allow users to have more efficient control and a clearer view of daily operations. The mobile app facilitates data-driven decision-making, sales recommendations to optimize billing, and various remote daily management tasks, resulting in more effective management and reduced operational costs. The web version offers additional functionalities such as detailed analysis of billing data, customer and supplier management, and detailed management of prices, tanks, and other equipment.

Aware of the importance of this application for gas station owners, the design of MyGasStation AI focused on providing a tool that elevates the management level of stations. All app features are focused on this goal and are strategically organized in the navigation bar, prioritizing access to the most used functions to optimize user experience.

MyGasStation AI’s UX/UI design plays a fundamental role in the accessibility and usability of these functions. GooApps has paid special attention to ensuring that the interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, even for those not familiar with such technologies. This has been achieved through clean design, logical organization of functions, and visual elements that guide the user through different tasks and processes.

One of the biggest benefits of this design approach is the reduction in the time of adaptation and training needed for users. By making the technology accessible and easy to understand, MyGasStation AI removes barriers, allowing users to fully leverage its capabilities from the start. Additionally, the pleasant interface and positive user experience encourage more frequent and efficient use of the application, translating into greater productivity and satisfaction.

In conclusion, the UX/UI design of MyGasStation AI enhances the application’s aesthetics and usability, and also boosts its functionalities, making it an essential tool for modern gas station management. With MyGasStation AI, GooApps and 4GL have shown how careful, user-centered design can completely transform the user experience and take gas station management to a new level of efficiency and ease of use. This application is a clear example of how well-executed UX/UI design can have a positive and lasting impact on how we interact with technology in our daily lives.

Transforming Loyalty with LealtyCard

LealtyCard is a loyalty application focusing on offering a system of rewards and personalized offers, aimed at improving customer experience and increasing brand loyalty.

LealtyCard’s effectiveness lies in its ability to connect with customers in a more direct and personal manner. The app facilitates the creation of personalized promotions and discounts, based on user behavior and purchase preferences. This not only enhances customer satisfaction by offering relevant and appealing deals but also encourages repeated visits and greater commitment to the gas station.

The UX/UI design of LealtyCard has been key to the app’s success. From the beginning, the GooApps team focused on creating an interface that was both attractive and user-friendly. Special attention was paid to navigability and visual clarity, ensuring users could easily access offers and understand how to redeem rewards. The app’s intuitive design allows users to effortlessly navigate through different sections via its 5-feature navigation bar, resulting in a smooth and enjoyable user experience.

Furthermore, visually appealing elements and a color palette consistent with 4GL’s brand identity have been integrated, thus strengthening the emotional connection of customers with the brand. This visual cohesion enhances brand recognition and creates a sense of familiarity and trust among users.

Another highlight of the UX/UI design in LealtyCard is personalization. The app is designed to adapt to the individual brand image preferences of each gas station chain, so that end-users perceive the brand image of the chain they use and can visualize offers and rewards relevant to them. This personalization increases the perceived utility of the application and strengthens the relationship between the customer and the gas station, fostering long-term loyalty.

The UX/UI Design Process at GooApps

The UX/UI design process at GooApps is a meticulous, user-centric process consisting of several strategic stages, successfully applied in the UX/UI design of the MyGasStation AI and LealtyCard applications for 4GL, demonstrating the effectiveness and importance of each step.

1. Research and Discovery: It starts with understanding the client’s and end-user’s needs through user research, benchmarking, and developing user profiles, essential for grasping the specific requirements of gas station operators and their customers.
2. Idea Generation and Creative Solutions: This stage involves generating ideas for practical, accessible, and attractive solutions, including creating initial screen layouts (LoFi wireframes) as the first sketch of the application.
3. Interface Design (UI): With ideas in hand, the interface design phase involves defining colors, typography, and visual elements. High-fidelity wireframes and navigable prototypes are developed, ensuring an intuitive navigation structure that aligns with the previously designed user experience. For the 4GL applications, emphasis was placed on creating a clear navigation bar and visually appealing design.
4. User Testing and Continuous Evaluation: An essential phase is user testing, where real user feedback is collected and iterated upon. Continuous evaluation identifies areas for improvement and optimization. For MyGasStation AI and LealtyCard, this process helped fine-tune the applications to better meet user needs and expectations.

Throughout the process, the focus remains user-centric, as seen in the 4GL applications, considering the needs of both gas station operators and end-users to ensure functionality and attractiveness.

The UX/UI design process at GooApps is dynamic and adaptable, allowing for the creation of applications that meet client needs and offer an exceptional user experience. In the case of MyGasStation AI and LealtyCard, this approach resulted in applications that are not only functional but also intuitive, accessible, and enjoyable, thus transforming user interaction with technology.

Innovations and Challenges in Design

Innovative Features

• Dynamic and Modern Navigation Bar: Both applications feature a distinctive navigation bar with a main feature set apart from the conventional bar. This significantly enhances navigability and accessibility to key functions.
• Customized Design and Visual Consistency: The design of logos and selection of a specific color palette for each application have contributed to a strong and consistent brand identity. These visual elements add personality to the apps and enhance user experience by providing a clean and coherent aesthetic. Additionally, the interface and user experience are customizable according to the user and displayed information.

Challenges and Solutions

• Defining Functionalities: A major challenge was defining app functionalities without overwhelming users with excessive information. This was overcome thanks to the project manager’s experience, who played a key role in organizing and clarifying the information architecture, ensuring the applications were accessible and easy to use.
• Designing Specific Use Cases: Designing screens for various scenarios, like displaying alerts or indicating an empty gas tank in MyGasStation AI, was another difficulty. It highlighted the importance of considering multiple use cases and providing optimal interaction design for each.

These innovations and solutions underscore GooApps’ commitment to creating applications that are functional, attractive, and user-friendly. Through careful and thoughtful UX/UI design, challenges have been overcome and features implemented that significantly enhance the user experience.

User-Centered: Testing and Feedback

At GooApps, user-centered design is a cornerstone of our development process. This is evident in our approach to the MyGasStation AI and LealtyCard apps, where usability testing and real user feedback are crucial.

To ensure our apps meet user expectations and needs, we conduct usability tests at various development stages, allowing user interaction with preliminary app versions to provide impressions and suggestions. This feedback is invaluable, helping us identify and adapt design aspects to real user needs.

During MyGasStation AI and LealtyCard development, continuous tests identified pain points and improvement areas. Thanks to the close relationship with 4GL and their deep customer knowledge, we quickly adjusted the app designs for better user adaptation. This iterative process ensured functionalities and interfaces were practical, intuitive, and user-friendly.

Moreover, the feedback-based iteration process continued after the apps’ initial launch, collecting impressions and suggestions for future enhancements and new features, ensuring MyGasStation AI and LealtyCard evolve and meet changing user needs.

This user-centered approach shows GooApps’ commitment to creating technically solid apps with exceptional user experiences, adapting to user needs and preferences every step of the way.

Lessons Learned and Best Practices

Throughout the development of MyGasStation AI and LealtyCard for 4GL, we at GooApps learned valuable lessons that have enriched our understanding and approach to UX/UI design. These lessons have enhanced our development process and provided insights for future projects.

Lessons Learned

• Importance of Designing Use Cases: We learned the importance of designing app screens for different scenarios. For example, in MyGasStation AI, it was crucial to consider how alerts would be presented or how an empty gas tank would be indicated. We also decided to adapt the information and functionalities displayed on the screen according to the user, so that, depending on the type of filtered data, the screen shows different graphics. This approach allowed us to create a more comprehensive user experience prepared for various use contexts.
• Focus on Optimal Interaction: Another key learning was the need to focus on interaction design for each prototype. UX/UI design should facilitate intuitive and effective interaction, tailored to each user’s specific needs. Therefore, the information displayed varies according to the type of interaction. For example, the mobile app has more concise information for specific actions, as these are often done on the go and it is important to convey valuable information quickly. On the other hand, the web application shows the same information but in more detail, with filter options and advanced functionalities, as these are usually queries and operations performed with more time, and detailed information is valued over speed.

Best Practices for UX/UI Design

• Deep Understanding of the User: Understanding the needs of both the client (app owner) and the end-user is crucial. We achieved this by directly engaging with 4GL’s person responsible for end-user interactions, gaining first-hand understanding of the user profile and how to add value. This deep understanding enables the creation of useful, practical, and aesthetically appealing solutions.
• Real Feedback-Based Iteration: Continuous iteration based on user feedback is essential. This approach ensures that the design evolves to better meet user needs, especially in future app versions.
• Clarity and Order in Information Architecture: The project manager’s experience was key in defining functionalities clearly and orderly. Well-structured information architecture is fundamental for the app’s effectiveness.

These lessons and practices highlight GooApps’ commitment to UX/UI design that meets technical requirements while offering an exceptional user experience. We apply these teachings to all our projects to ensure every app we develop is functional, attractive, and user-friendly.

Conclusion: The Future of UX/UI Design at GooApps

The collaboration between GooApps and 4GL, focused on UX/UI design for MyGasStation AI and LealtyCard, has been a key component in the success of these projects. This partnership highlights our specialized approach and skill in UX/UI design, demonstrating our ability to understand and meet user needs, complementing 4GL’s technical development. This achievement underscores the added value GooApps brings in UX/UI design, showing how focused collaboration can enrich complex technological projects. Working with a client like 4GL, noted for their open mindset and effective communication, has been crucial in achieving a high-quality digital product. This experience has been enriching in terms of learning and creating effective synergy, resulting in a successful and mutually beneficial collaborative process.

Through this project, we’ve reaffirmed the importance of intuitive, functional, and aesthetically pleasing UX/UI design. The applications developed for 4GL met both functional objectives and enhanced user experience, positively impacting customer retention and satisfaction.

Looking ahead, GooApps remains committed to innovation in UX/UI design. Our focus will continue to be developing solutions that respond to current trends while anticipating future market needs. We believe UX/UI design will remain crucial in the success of mobile and web applications, and our user-centered approach will position us as leaders in this field.

The impact of UX/UI design in the technology sector is undeniable, and at GooApps, we are excited to be part of this ongoing evolution. Our experience with 4GL is just one example of what can be achieved when innovation, functionality, and user-centered design are effectively combined. We will continue to apply these lessons and best practices in our future projects, ensuring each solution we develop meets and even exceeds our clients’ and their users’ expectations.

Make Your Apps Stand Out Above the Rest

Now that you’ve seen the impact of exceptional UX/UI design, we invite you to learn more about how GooApps can transform your ideas into mobile and web apps. Our proven expertise and success in projects like those with 4GL attest to our ability to create solutions that exceed expectations.

If you’re seeking a partner for developing applications known for functionality, aesthetics, and user experience, GooApps is your ideal choice. We offer tailored consulting, design, and app development services, ensuring each project reflects our clients’ specific needs and goals.

Feel free to contact us to discuss your ideas and projects. Our team of experts is ready to collaborate with you and turn your visions into tangible realities.

At GooApps, we’re excited about the opportunity to work with you and elevate your projects to the next level with innovative, user-centric UX/UI design solutions. Contact us today!