Challenge
Lulu has numerous powerful and complex applications. To accommodate the latest front-end and User Experience trends, while attracting new customers, the print-on-demand element of Lulu's applications suite needed to evolve into the simpler, faster, and more intuitive model that customers demanded. The main goal was to create a single-page application that would communicate with the existing fleet of micro-services. Our work involved finding innovative ways to simplify the information architecture.
Solution
DROPSHIPPING WITH SHOPIFY Lulu xPress provides users with a simplified and streamlined process for the complex task of building a print-on-demand book. As many users were already familiar with Shopify, Lulu wanted to create a fully integrated platform with automated order fulfillment. We designed a bespoke integration point linking Lulu xPress to the Shopify App through an API. Lulu ships products directly to customers, meaning users can focus on creating their work without the additional headache of maintaining stock and overseeing delivery. AN INTEGRATED DASHBOARD APP FOR SHOPIFY The Shopify app that we built allows users to access all features of the xPress platform without having to leave their Shopify dashboard. The entire application was built according to the design and UX specifications of the Shopify platform, meaning the integration is seamless and the interface is consistent with the platform’s existing dashboard. THE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND XPRESS The beating heart of the Lulu platform is the fleet of microservices which are invisible to end users. We were able to tap into the existing APIs and re-use most of the machinery that powered both the previous version of xPress and the rest of Lulu’s platform. As we specialize in React, it was a natural candidate for the user interface, despite large parts of Lulu’s ecosystem being powered by Angular. We chose Polaris, a user interface library maintained by Shopify themselves, to ensure that our integration fits seamlessly into the existing platform interface. PREVIEW SERVICE To improve the experience of publishing books using the print-on-demand platform, our team built a new service enabling page-by-page review of uploaded documents before committing to the printing process. The preview feature was delivered as a microservice powered by Python. EFFECTIVE WORK WITH REMOTE TEAMS The project included teams located in the USA, Germany, and Poland. We set up an effective communication scenario across different time zones by utilizing several tools like Slack and Jira, as well as working in Agile methodology with daily scrums.
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