Challenge
Steven De Backer, founder, and CEO of Afriwise saw a problem in the market: hiring intermediaries for legal counseling was expensive and inefficient. Steven knew what the fast and effective solution would be, however, he and his legal team lacked the software knowledge to create this platform. The concept was clear, but they needed the tools and a team to help them design it and build it. After contacting over 50 developing companies, Monterail was selected. We took the wheel and prepared a workshop that would adjust to the client’s expectations, using an MVP approach with a flexible scope, while communicating the ideas with little-to-no technical language. Key challenges of the project included: Build an MVP product to fit a defined budget Establishing a large and flexible database that allows continuous expansion Create a product for a non-tech audience, with intuitive UX that facilitates access to information
Solution
After our discovery workshop, where we agreed on the design and scope, this web platform was built from scratch with Ruby on Rails for the back end, and Vue.js for the frontend. After the MVP product was delivered, Afriwise has grown, updated, and maintained over the last 3 years; big features are still being introduced as new ideas come afloat. This is how we made it happen: Organized a workshop to agree on a flexible scope and translate the client's idea into tangible deliverables. Creating a user-friendly design for non-tech-savvy users Picking robust technologies that were a perfect fit for the task
Results
After outsourcing product development to Monterail, Afriwise’s web service is the result of legal information and technology put together. This idea has now become a tool that revolutionizes a rather traditional market. Afriwise cuts the intermediaries, forming a bridge and automatizing a collaborative approach. The more centralized Afriwise becomes in the legal ecosystem, the more visibility it gives to the law firms they become partners with. And although the outcome is an innovative platform that wins awards every year (each award being more honorable than the previous one), Afriwise is an evolving solution that continues growing and adjusting, to provide a better experience for the user, without any limitations. The success of this project hinged on the following factors: A flexible scope and MVP approach to the project Close collaboration with the non-technical client for a mutual understanding Prioritization of the strong-base tasks Continuous expansion and improvement of the platform Since then, Afriwise became the first platform of its kind, uniting Africa and Europe in a legal ecosystem, offering a unique solution based on a collaborative model, that has joined more than 100 law firms and 3000+ local experts listed in the database. It’s now the go-to legal database for big companies on a daily basis, with over 4000 logins since 2019, and has won multiple awards in legal and business areas. Moreover, it has gained a€1m investment from two Belgian investors, to add more relevant content for users, accelerate growth into new countries, and further develop the platform’s technology.
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