GOLD
Odissy had an employee ROI platform called GOLD. It was roughly 15 years old, desktop-only, and falling behind the standards users expect from modern SaaS. Their ask was simple: modernise it, with a clear focus on usability and user experience. We rebuilt it from the ground up.
The challenge
GOLD was a desktop application that had to be downloaded and installed: no mobile access, no browser, no flexibility. The software had accumulated years of usability debt, and customers were feeling it. A modern SaaS replacement was the only viable path forward.
Odissy originally came to us with their existing GOLD system. It was 15 years or so old, and needed modifications and features added to support new clients. Whilst the application was still working, it wasn’t mobile friendly and was very rigid. The number of changes that they were wanting was going to require a complete re-write. A rewrite isn’t something we ever want to do, we try to explore all alternative solutions first, but, in this instance, it was going to be quicker than hacking away at the existing solution.
Our approach
The age of the existing system ruled out a gradual migration. Whilst it would have been ideal to run the two solutions side by side, and as features were added to the new software, remove them from the old, the levels of technical debt and potential security issues wasn’t something we were wanting to tackle. It was going to be quicker, and easier to do a data migration on final launch, so that’s the approach we agreed on.
Before writing a line of code, we ran user surveys to understand what was frustrating customers that were using the existing software daily and which features they felt were missing. This, alongside various user requests over the years allowed us to define the specific for the system; maintaining what users liked and what we knew worked, with new features and a modern, usable user interface with mobile access for how the modern world works. We then built the new system in phases, bringing beta customers in early so improvements could be made from real usage while the software was still taking shape, thus iteratively improving and removing bugs before final launch.
The outcome
A fully rebuilt software built for the modern world, built with customers having a real say in the final product, and built with their feedback and requests taken into consideration to shape the end product. The new software reflects what actual customers were asking for, but with a clear focus on usability and experience rather than simply replication the old software in a new shell. Mobile friendly, so customers can access the software when they are on the move.