Keeping a national rail network running depends on frontline teams making fast, informed decisions throughout the day. One provider of operational software supports this work through a mobile application used to coordinate tasks, share updates and manage activity in real-time.
When the platform needed to expand to iOS for the first time, the organisation faced a fixed delivery deadline and no in-house capability. With a hard delivery deadline approaching, Instil helped to bring the product, UX and iOS architecture expertise required to define the entire iOS product quickly, giving their engineering team a clear path to build.
Challenge
The platform had been built and evolved entirely on Android. Expanding to iOS was not a simple port - it required coordinated product, design and engineering decisions to ensure the application worked effectively within a new ecosystem.
Android expertise, no iOS capability: The engineering team had deep Android experience but had not yet built a native iOS application. Specialist knowledge was required to define a Swift-based architecture, select appropriate frameworks and adapt platform-specific patterns.
Broad application scope: The application supports multiple frontline roles across a wide set of features. Before development could begin, every screen, workflow and interaction needed to be clearly defined.
Platform UX alignment: the Android application had evolved over time as functionality was added for different user groups. The iOS version required a more coherent structure aligned to platform conventions and user expectations.
Compressed timeline: With a fixed delivery deadline, there was no time for extended discovery cycles. The team needed a clear delivery plan, with scope defined and prioritised before development began.
Approach
Instil structured the work to move rapidly from analysis to a build-ready iOS definition. Close collaboration with the client team ensured decisions were validated early and workstreams progressed in parallel.
Android codebase audit: A full application site map was produced ahead of the first session, providing a structured baseline from the outset.
Native Swift prototype: A working iOS prototype was built early, allowing architectural decisions and platform alignment to be tested against real software.
Parallel product and engineering workstreams: Product definition, UX design and architecture progressed together, keeping decisions aligned across disciplines.
AI-assisted documentation workflows: AI tooling accelerated the creation of structured artefacts such as product requirements documents, feature definitions and site maps, significantly reducing documentation time.
Sprint-ready development backlog: User stories and epics were structured into a backlog ready for immediate development.
At the end of the engagement, the client received a complete delivery pack including a product requirements document, defined user personas, feature specifications, an iOS architecture proposal and a development-ready backlog.
Impact
In two weeks, the team moved from an Android-only product to a fully defined iOS specification, validated architecture and a development backlog ready for engineering to begin immediately.
Product requirements document in 3 days: A document of this scope typically takes 4–6 weeks to produce. Instil delivered a complete product requirements document in three days - around 85% faster.
Full application site map before Day 1: A detailed application audit that typically takes about a week was completed ahead of the first session - around 80% faster.
Working iOS prototype in 5 days: A native Swift prototype was designed, built and running on device in five days - around 75% faster than typical timelines.
Sprint-ready development backlog in under a week: A structured development backlog, typically defined over several weeks, was produced and approved within six days - around 70% faster.
Critical Android security issue uncovered: A vulnerability allowing sensitive keys to be extracted was identified during the codebase audit. A formal disclosure enabled the issue to be resolved before platform expansion.
The client entered iOS development with clarity on what to build, confidence in the architecture and a backlog ready to be actioned immediately.
In two weeks, the team moved from an Android-only platform to a fully defined iOS product, complete with a working prototype and a development-ready backlog. Complex product and architectural decisions became easier once the solution could be explored through real software.
If you have a complex product to define and a deadline you cannot move, Instil’s Launchpad approach - part of our Agentic Product Engineering model - helps teams turn ideas into build-ready software quickly. Let’s talk.