FOAM

Serokell conducted a usability audit and improved a series of UX/UI issues, which enabled the client to speed up MVP development of a crowdsourced mapping tool.

FOAM is an independent mapping platform offering secure location services that provides a fault-tolerant and decentralized alternative to GPS.

It’s based on the Ethereum blockchain and relies on an open network of user-powered terrestrial radios.

Working on FOAM UI/UX

Working on FOAM UI/UX

To develop a global autonomous and permissionless solution, FOAM started with an MVP, rolling out the service within the Brooklyn area of New York City.

The project is based on a community-verified registry of crowdsourced locations. It was vital for the programmers to conduct testing on real-world data.

Serokell supported frontend development by auditing and updating application’s UX/UI and simplifying user data collection.

How FOAM works

Decentralization means that FOAM has no single control center, and the coordinates of each location are verified against multiple nodes.

Users can set up terrestrial radios, which provide location services to users within the surrounding area in return for incentives.

The main elements of the FOAM system are:

  • Nodes

    Participants of the network. Nodes can be static (terrestrial radios) or dynamic (application users moving in the area).

  • Zones

    Areas where location services are in operation. Terrestrial radios are located within these zones.

  • Transactions

    Messages with geo-coordinates are sent between moving points to calculate distances and determine users' actual coordinates and routes.

Stage 1

UX/UI audit

We were invited to review UX/UI design and suggest further improvements to the product.

The following problems were revealed:

Complicated manual user data input and editing.

Complicated manual user data input and editing.

Node names were hex numbers, which made it difficult to recognize the users behind them.

Node names were hex numbers, which made it difficult to recognize the users behind them.

Poor visualization made it hard to distinguish between dynamic nodes (users) and static nodes (terrestrial radios).

Poor visualization made it hard to distinguish between dynamic nodes (users) and static nodes (terrestrial radios).

User movement tracking was only possible with a time lag, which is not convenient for spatial navigation.

Stage 2

Solution

We worked out the general logic and hierarchy for mapping data and suggested a way for collecting test data semi-automatically with minimal user involvement.

Laptop demonstrating the FOAM platform

  • An alternative view for elements like maps, nodes, transactions.

  • Light and dark modes of the interface.

  • Several versions of map views of different scales.

Demonstration of the map view features

  • Separate visualizations for static and dynamic nodes allow to discern moving users and static radio-sensors on the map.

  • UX modifications and an interface for transactions that dynamically shows distances between terrestrial radios and users and distinguishes between active and inactive users.

  • On top of that, we contributed to backend development by improving data storage and connecting it to the user interface and simplified adding new data to the system.

Result

Our improvements allowed FOAM developers to make the product available to all interested users and thus collect more data for software testing and verification.

Our guidelines and recommendations let them move ahead with the project with an in-house team.

Iphone node feaure demostartion
As a result of our work, we cut the time required for completing tests by up to 20%.

Our tech stack

Our achievements

Based on the UX audit data, we discovered multiple points for UX/UI improvement. We reworked the UI to allow developers to move on with the backend part and change to create a version for user testing.

We received positive feedback from the client, who overcame the difficulties quickly and efficiently. With our solution and recommendations for future steps, FOAM was able to move on with the project without delays.

As a dedicated development team, we were deeply immersed in the project, which allowed us to step in whenever the client needed assistance with the growing system in the future.

For a client, this is a way to cut costs as there is no need to maintain a large in-house team. They can always get on-demand expert help in areas where their staff has less experience.

Let’s Have a Talk

Our strong team of backend developers, designers, and frontenders, is always ready to provide a helping hand and professional advice.

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