Enabled a Scalable, Award-Winning Platform for 50+ Student Unions
Customer
A confederation of over 600 student unions
A not-for-profit organisation
Promotes, defends and extends the rights of students
A collective voice for the student movement
Situation
Problem Statement
The customer wanted to introduce digital platforms capable of enhancing their activities but, given past setbacks, were hesitant to invest significantly. They engaged Arrk due to its track record as a long-term partner providing sustainable digital solutions. It was understood that digital solutions require long-term partnerships and commitment, and they were running short of time to control sliding goals.
Losing the ability to serve its member unions due to ageing and dispersed IT systems
External commercial providers increasing competition
The student movement was losing money
A fully integrated digital membership platform was required
Solution
Arrk realised that digital adaptation required more than just digital solutions; it needed both top-down and bottom-up approaches in several areas. Arrk employed its proprietary ThinkDigital™ practices iteratively with a wide range of users. This resulted in the rollout of multiple smaller MVPs (Minimum Viable Products). This iterative process was repeated over several years to develop long-term roadmaps. This transformative journey ultimately resulted in a high-tech, cost-effective digital platform.
Solution Implementation
For each MVP, Arrk employed its proprietary EmbArrk™ practice to meticulously define the scope, laying the foundation for a successful digital journey over the years. The development methodologies of Scrum-fall, along with Agile@Arrk™ and rapid software development practices, helped win customer confidence. Arrk also helped customer representatives understand and practice Agile, Scrum ceremonies, measures, and metrics.
Tech Stacks and Evolutions
Arrk always believed in cost-effective, fit-for-purpose tech stacks from open source and, where necessary, integrated third-party SaaS services. Initially, Arrk considered a loosely coupled architecture to provide room for future expansions, both horizontally and vertically.
Flexible, cloud-based 'union website in a box' solution
Combines open source and bespoke development
Developed using a hybrid Agile scrum-based methodology
Used technologies such as Ruby on Rails, Postgres, Redis and Resque
Outcomes
- 50+ unions with their sub-sites
- 200,000+ membership activations every academic year
- Over a million registered members
- Millions of trade transactions for merchandise, event ticket bookings, surveys, and more
Functionalities
- Multiple elections and digital voting
- Clubs and societies
- Website builder
- Student voice representation
- Events
- Email marketing
- Volunteering and skills
- Reports and analytics
- E-shop and payment gateways
- APIs & SSOs
- And more