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Hi everyone!
We at Akveo were always obsessed with making a customizable UI. Since our very first product, Blur Admin, we tried to create an approach that would allow developers to adjust the visual appearance of the whole interface by just changing several properties. Later on, this evolved in several quite interesting concepts, as a result, we changed our vision a lot. Right now we're searching a way to simplify front end development and provide businesses and developers with powerful tools, approaches, and processes.
During the previous couple of weeks we were launching a couple of new products and updates of existing products:
- UI Bakery alpha
- React Native UI Kitten 4.0
- Nebular 4.0
Today we proud to announce the result of the years of internal R&D and best minds at Akveo bringing their ideas together - Eva Design System.
Eva Design System
Eva Design System is a root of all UI products we're building at Akveo right now. It serves us a single design source of truth for all of our frameworks like Nebular and UI Kitten, SaaS products like UI Bakery. Moreover, we use customized versions of it on the project we build for our clients.
The main idea behind Eva is customization. We have a pretty strong belief, that today UI developers spend too much time on the tasks that can be automated. Also, we believe that the code reusability is really low at this point and a lot of double-, triple- work is being made in the front end engineering area. Think about how many open source component libraries there are right now. It is quite a lot of them, right? But, think about how many unpublished proprietary libraries there is. We believe it's many times more of them. Billions of dollars are being spent by lots of companies on the development of buttons, inputs, calendars and later on their maintenance.
Our company was always dreaming of breaking this vicious circle, this is why we came up with the idea of Eva. Despite there's already quite a few design systems, Eva has one large competitive advantage: it was made with the idea of incremental customization in mind. This means that the same design resources and code frameworks can look and behave differently based on the settings provided as their configuration. This provides a way of manual and automatic UI customization based on the style guide of each company or product. In other words, you can get your branded design style guide and code frameworks without significant investments. Thus your designers and developers can focus on what your business needs instead of infrastructural work.
Nebular 4
Nebular 4 is Angular implementation of Eva design system. With the help of it, you can create enterprise-grade web apps. Nebular received a huge update that made him more powerful, performant and structural. Here are some insights about that:
- New convenient and flexible Theming system;
- Custom CSS properties support in theming;
- Unified component interfaces (@Input's and @Output's);
- New Dark theme;
- Support of SVG Eva Icons;
- Fixes and improvements;
For more information, please refer to the Nebular homepage.
UI Kitten 4
UI kitten is a framework on top of React Native that can help you build mobile apps for iOS and Android. It has also received a huge update and is based on Eva Design system now. The core new features are:
- Brand new Kitten Tricks app with completely new 40+ screens that can be taken straight to development;
- New Modern Dark theme;
- Improved theming system;
- Fixes and improvements;
For more information, please refer to the UI Kitten homepage.
UI Bakery
UI Bakery provides a way for technical and non-technical people to create UI using a convenient drag-and-drop builder and integrate it with the backend. It is also based on Eva design system, this is why it automatically receives all Eva cool features like branding, ease of white-labeling, etc. For now, the code generated in UI Bakery can be only downloaded as a structured Angular project, but soon it shall be possible to connect it to the backend API and host it in the cloud with one-click deployment.
For more information check out the video or visit
UI Bakery homepage.
Final words
It was quite a long journey for us and today is an important milestone, but we already look to set some new goals. I'm really happy and thankful to our team, who were working really hard to let us be where we are now. Guys, you are exceptional! A special thank you goes to the community, the people who were standing back-to-back and supporting us since the foundation of this company. We are always trying to bring you even more powerful tools and technologies.
Now, we will continue our long journey to simplify the lives of developers and bring more value to businesses. Stay tuned!
Building Reconciliation Tool for e-commerce company
Our client was in need of streamlining and simplifying its monthly accounting reconciliation process – preferably automatically. But with a lack of time and low budget for a custom build, development of a comprehensive software wasn’t in the picture. After going through the case and customer’s needs, we decided to implement Retool. And that was the right choice.
The scope of work
Our team developed a custom reconciliation tool designed specifically for the needs of high-volume transaction environments. It automated the processes and provided a comprehensive dashboard for monitoring discrepancies and anomalies in real-time.
The implementation of Retool significantly reduced manual effort, as well as fostered a more efficient and time-saving reconciliation process.
Creating Retool Mobile App for a Wine Seller
A leading spirits and wine seller in Europe required the development of an internal mobile app for private client managers and administrators. The project was supposed to be done in 1,5 months. Considering urgency and the scope of work, our developers decided to use Retool for swift and effective development.
The scope of work
Our developers built a mobile application tailored to the needs of the company's sales force: with a comprehensive overview of client interactions, facilitated order processing, and enabled access to sales history and performance metrics. It was user-friendly, with real-time updates, seamlessly integrated with existing customer databases.
The result? Increase in productivity of the sales team and improved decision-making process. But most importantly, positive feedback from the customers themselves.
Developing PoC with Low Code for a Tour Operator
To efficiently gather, centralize, and manage data is a challenge for any tour operator. Our client was not an exception. The company was seeking to get an internal software that will source information from third-party APIs and automate the travel itinerary creation process. Preferably, cost- and user-friendly tool.
The scope of work
Our experts ensured the client that all the requirements could be covered by Retool. And just in 40 hours a new software was launched. The tool had a flexible and easy-to-use interface with user authentication and an access management system panel – all the company needed. At the end, Retool was considered the main tool to replace the existing system.
Testing New Generation of Lead Management Tool with Retool
Our client, a venture fund, had challenges with managing lead generation and client acquisition. As the company grew, it aimed to attract more clients and scale faster, as well as automate the processes to save time, improve efficiency and minimize human error. The idea was to craft an internal lead generation tool that will cover all the needs. We’ve agreed that Retool will be a perfect tool for this.
The scope of work
The project initially began as a proof of concept, but soon enough, with each new feature delivered, the company experienced increased engagement and value.
We developed a web tool that integrates seamlessly with Phantombuster for data extraction and LinkedIn for social outreach. Now, the company has a platform that elevates the efficiency of their lead generation activities and provides deep insights into potential client bases.
Building an Advanced Admin Portal for Streamlined Operations
Confronted with the need for more sophisticated internal tools, an owner of IP Licensing marketplace turned to Retool to utilize its administrative functions. The primary goal was to construct an advanced admin portal that could support complex, multi-layered processes efficiently.
The scope of work
Our client needed help with updating filters and tables for its internal platform. In just 30 hours we've been able to update and create about 6 pages. Following features were introduced: add complex filtering and search, delete records, styling application with custom CSS.
Together, we have increased performance on most heavy pages and fixed circular dependency issues.
Creating MVP Dashboard for Google Cloud Users
Facing the challenge of unoptimized cloud resource management, a technology firm working with Google Cloud users was looking for a solution to make its operations more efficient. The main idea of the project was to create an MVP for e-commerce shops to test some client hypotheses. Traditional cloud management tools fell short.
The scope of work
Determined to break through limitations, our team of developers turned Retool. We decided to craft an MVP Dashboard specifically for Google Cloud users. This wasn't just about bringing data into view; but about reshaping how teams interact with their cloud environment.
We designed a dashboard that turned complex cloud data into a clear, strategic asset thanks to comprehensive analytics, tailored metrics, and an intuitive interface, that Retool provides. As the results, an increase in operational efficiency, significant improvement in cost management and resource optimization.
Elevating CRM with Custom HubSpot Sales Dashboard
Our other client, a SaaS startup, that offers collaborative tools for design and engineering teams, was on a quest to supercharge their sales efforts. Traditional CRM systems were limited and not customizable enough. The company sought a solution that could tailor HubSpot to their workflow and analytics needs.
The scope of work
Charged with the task of going beyond standard CRM functions, our team turned to Retool. We wanted to redefine how sales teams interact with their CRM.
By integrating advanced analytics, custom metrics, and a user-friendly interface, our developers provided a solution that transformed data into a strategic asset.
In 40 hours, three informative dashboards were developed, containing the most sensitive data related to sales activities. These dashboards enable our customer to analyze sales and lead generation performance from a different perspective and establish the appropriate KPIs.
Building a PDF Editor with Low-Code
Our client, a leading digital credential IT startup, needed a lot of internal processes to be optimized. But the experience with low-code tools wasn’t sufficient. That’s why the company decided to hire professionals. And our team of developers joined the project.
The scope of work
The client has a program that designs and prints custom badges for customers. The badges need to be “mail-merged” with a person’s info and turned into a PDF to print. But what is the best way to do it?
Our developers decided to use Retool as a core tool. Using custom components and JavaScript, we developed a program that reduced employees' time for designing, putting the data, verifying, and printing PDF badges in one application.
As a result, the new approach significantly reduces the time required by the internal team to organize all the necessary staff for the conference, including badge creation.
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