No-Code Business Case Validation
Insignia Jets is a premium jet charter brokerage offering luxury travel services. The company wanted to build a mobile app to complement their existing high-quality concierge service. The objective was to introduce an additional, user-friendly booking channel that could coexist with, and possibly enhance, the booking setup, making the process more accessible.
Initially, the Insignia Jets wanted a native app, but after analyzing the business case together, we suggested first trying out the idea as a no-code MVP. In the end, this approach cost only a third of the planned budget.
Our team proposed using a cost-effective and fast no-code solution: FlutterFlow. FlutterFlow was selected not only for its budget efficiency in delivering an MVP but also for its capability to quickly create a functional and scalable mobile app.
The no-code approach with a fast product release would enable Insignia Jets to test customer adoption quickly.
Note: We used FlutterFlow at the end of 2022 when it was a rather new technology, in an early stage of development. The client was eager to innovate, and it paid off very quickly — a working product was released in weeks.
And while FlutterFlow seemed promising, we had fears about the tool’s capability in third-party integrations like payments, custom code, and backend options.
Scope of work
Develop an MVP mobile app using FlutterFlow, focusing on a user-friendly booking channel that complements Insignia Jets’ concierge service. We designed and developed the app to validate the company's business case.
MVP development
Using FlutterFlow let us quickly create a functional and scalable mobile app while maintaining flexibility. When the project’s complexity required, we integrated custom code to handle specific functionalities, ensuring that the app met all of Insignia Jets’ requirements efficiently. This blend of ease-of-use and customization was key to delivering a high-quality product within a short timeframe.
Analytics
For the analytics infrastructure, we integrated Mixpanel to provide comprehensive insights into user behavior and app performance. Mixpanel’s powerful analytics capabilities allowed us to track key metrics and user interactions in real-time and gain insight to validate the idea.
Backend
The project also required the creation of a backend application in Ruby that connected with existing systems and databases. Here we decided not to use low-code solutions because the complexity of the client's current system was such that we wanted to be sure that the chosen technology would allow us to meet the challenges ahead.
Design
We focused on creating an intuitive, user-friendly interface that seamlessly integrates with Insignia Jets’ luxury brand. The design process prioritized ease of use and accessibility, ensuring a premium experience for users booking flights through the app.
Solution
Because of the promising qualities of FlutterFlow and a different approach to product development, the decision was made to bypass the conventional stages of customer research and prototyping and instead move directly to building a functional MVP. This strategy was driven by the need to quickly validate the market acceptance of a mobile app for luxury jet bookings.
Using FlutterFlow, the team went through two quick iterations and integration of essential features such as payment processing with Stripe and user analytics with Mixpanel.
Before starting development, we asked two senior Flutter developers to estimate how long it would take to create an MVP based on previously created wireframes. We focused only on developer time, excluding QA work and project meetings, to have data for comparison with FlutterFlow.
50% less development time in FlutterFlow compared to traditional development in Flutter.
Achieving Efficient Backend Performance
We feared that due to backend limitations, the fairly long search time for flights would be a problem, discouraging users from using the app.
But analytics showed that:
- the median search time was 32 seconds, much less than we initially assumed
- searches rarely lasted longer than a minute
- 89% of users waited for the search result instead of exiting the app
Our initial concerns did not find confirmation in reality.
Validating the Business Case Rapidly
By adopting a rapid, cost-effective method to check the viability of a mobile application, Insignia Jets validated their business case significantly faster and cheaper.
“The right level of automation is essential. That's precisely what we've aimed for. By blending advanced technology with our acclaimed lifestyle services, we've managed to enhance our efficiency while keeping that all-important human touch,” Leo Kotil, Entrepreneurial Aviation Manager.
Impact
By leveraging a no-code approach with FlutterFlow, Insignia Jets reduced development costs by two-thirds and slashed the development time by 50% compared to traditional methods. This rapid and cost-effective strategy allowed for quick market validation and user adoption.
Less development time
User retention during searches
Team Compositon
To validate the idea efficiently, we put together a cross-functional team that could quickly build the application in FlutterFlow. The team's know-how also included expertise in business performance analysis and product management that helped us advise on key feature changes.
FlutterFlow Developer
Backend Developer
UX/UI Designer
