Baseball + React Native = Success

In the ongoing collaboration between FlexPro Grip and The Widlarz Group, our company has taken on the responsibility for leading the development and maintenance of the mobile application seamlessly integrated with the FlexPro Grip device. The Widlarz Group took on the challenge of advancing an already innovative solution in athletic training, specially tailored for baseball players.

Daryl Moreau

CEO/Founder at FlexPro Grip.

Before working with TWG, we were a bit concerned that working with a non-US developer might be a problem due to either a language barrier or differences in time zones, but neither of these have ever been a problem. After experiencing disappointments with 2 prior app developers, we feel fortunate to have found TWG.  In addition to the expertise provided by its developers, the TWG team consistently delivers value by paying strong attention to detail, transparency, and effective communication.

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The collaboration has yielded remarkable results, with the application experiencing a significant surge in user adoption— FlexPro Grip is on the mission to prevent injuries of baseball players, growing 189% from May 2023 to December 2023. Moreover, since May 2023, there has been a noteworthy 93.62% increase in the average monthly repetitions performed, highlighting the positive impact on athletes' training routines.

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Adam Moreau

Co-Founder at FlexPro Grip.

TWG strives to be better every step of the way. They want honest feedback constantly. And moreover, this feedback will be applied. They are always pushing forward and working to improve

Cooperation

The project's core mission expanded beyond the initial creation phase, reflecting a commitment to evolving and refining the application over time. The Widlarz Group's responsibilities extended to not only developing new features but also ensuring the ongoing maintenance and optimization of the existing functionalities. This long-term cooperation aimed to ensure that the FlexPro Grip application remained at the forefront of sports technology, offering a dynamic and continuously improving training experience.

1. Tutorial and protocols integration - fixed price and iterative design

In developing the tutorial and protocols integration feature for FlexPro Grip, the client opted for a fixed-price approach. The project kicked off with a simple paper outline, setting a clear budget and expectations.

Initial sketches on paper laid the foundation, guiding us through iterative cycles. Subsequently, the project transitioned to a more detailed phase within the client, where hi-fidelity mockups were prepared. Regular check-ins and collaboration sessions facilitated ongoing refinement, aligning the design with evolving user needs. Finally, the feature was prepared in both English and Spanish, catering to a diverse user base.

The result was a successful integration of an interactive tutorial and new training protocols. Users now experience a seamless introduction and diverse training options, showcasing the effectiveness of the fixed-price and iterative design approach. The incorporation of user feedback and the provision of the feature in multiple languages contribute to a more user-centric and inclusive experience.

2. Personalization features

Efforts were directed towards enhancing personalization, allowing users to tailor their training with features like Warmup Skip and adaptive protocols, providing flexibility in warm-ups and exercises.

3. Performance measurement

The team introduced tools for users to track and measure their performance over time, combining the implementation of the Personal Record module (feature that presents the best result achieved in a given exercise), the Time to Peak Force (feature that measures the time it takes to reach maximum force during exercise), and a history refactor for continuous improvement. 

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4. User interface enhancement

Collaborative efforts focused on elevating the overall user experience through UI improvements, copy adjustments, dashboard redesign, and release enhancements, ensuring a visually appealing, user-friendly interface.

For example, introducing visual aids such as images with directional arrows, personalized hints, and individualized exercise descriptions significantly enhanced user comprehension and performance, contributing to an improved overall user experience.

5. Debugging and stability

The team's commitment to application stability was demonstrated through the integration of Sentry source maps for debugging, coupled with proactive efforts to fix minor bugs and errors, guaranteeing a reliable user experience.

6. Innovation and adaptability

Adam Moreau

Co-Founder at FlexPro Grip.

Working with TWG has enabled us to accelerate FlexPro Grip's trajectory tremendously. The uniquely skilled individuals bring insights to development resulting in a think tank-style of collaboration

Challenges Faced & Solutions

1. Understanding device functionality

As with any project, initial onboarding is the most demanding. Beyond theoretical understanding of the product concept and business goals, TWG team had to understand  the physical device connecting to the FlexPro Grip application. The Widlarz Group team had to really understand how to make the device and app work together, which made the onboarding process complex. But with good training and fast delivery, the team managed to ensure that the development process could start. 

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2. Navigating application sensitivities

Implementing changes for the Personal Record feature introduced complexities in sensitive application areas. This challenge demanded a careful balance to understand the interconnected components and ensure seamless integration without compromising application integrity.

3. Sentry Source map integration

Adding a source map for Sentry proved to be a challenging task. Testing became complicated, as each change necessitated a new staging build. Overcoming this challenge demanded careful attention to the debugging process and efficient deployment strategies.

To tackle this challenge, the team implemented the sentry-expo plugin, enabling the display of precise file information, thereby facilitating clearer error investigation and resolution paths.

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"It wasn't a big change in the codebase, but it brings huge value to the debugging and bug fixing process. With this feature, we were able to track down the problem more easily because we had the exact path of the file where the error occurred."

Matthew, TWG developer 

4. Complex business logic

Struggling with the complex business logic of the application, especially in the context of baseball concepts, required a thorough understanding of the project in its entirety. This challenge underscored the need for efficient navigation through intricate dependencies between various modules.

To address this, a testing tool was enabled in the staging build, facilitating device-free testing and streamlining the testing process to enhance overall efficiency.

Another solution involved expanding the admin panel, empowering the FlexPro Grip team to implement real-time changes visible to users without the need for constant database interventions. This expansion facilitated swift protocol adjustments, ensuring seamless user experience and operational agility.

5. Database migration complexities

Implementing changes in protocols and exercises brought about frequent and time-consuming database migrations. Each modification necessitated a new backend version, contributing to the challenge of maintaining a streamlined and efficient development process.

To overcome this obstacle, the team introduced a CSV file importer. This simple solution sped up the protocol management process, ensuring changes were delivered promptly without the need for extensive database migrations.

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"Manually modifying workouts was time-consuming and slowed down the delivery of other features. We invested in building a csv file importer and expanding the web-based admin view. This significantly reduced the time to make these changes, and some of them could be made live without deployment, immediately to users."

Peter, TWG developer

6. Suboptimal domain design

The project's rapid growth revealed suboptimal domain design in certain areas, leading to increased overhead and code duplication. Addressing these inefficiencies became a crucial challenge to enhance overall project efficiency.

One of such tasks was to refactor the streamlined history module. We transitioned from separate tables to a JSON object in the PostgreSQL database. This not only simplified the code but also enhanced readability and laid the groundwork for smoother implementation of future changes.

7. Lengthy mobile app release process

The extended duration of the mobile app release process posed a challenge, as users did not consistently download the latest version from the app store. This led to reported bugs that had already been fixed, emphasizing the need for strategic solutions to improve the release cycle.

To address this issue, we implemented over-the-air updates, ensuring automatic and seamless delivery of the latest version to users, simplifying the update process.

Tech stack behind FlexPro Grip

The TWG team uses strong technology to make sure FlexPro Grip’s mobile app works smoothly and reliably.

• React & React Native
• Apollo Client
• Expo
• Expo Updates
• i18next
• React Native Video
• Jotai, Reanimated, Gesture Handler
• React Native BLE PLX
• React Hook Form
• React Navigation
• Gorhom/Bottom Sheet
• Yup
• Sentry
• Victory Native
• React Native WebView
• Jest & React Test Renderer
• Elixir & Phoenix
• Phoenix LiveView
• PostgreSQL
• Absinthe

The selected combination of technologies, such as React, React Native, Apollo Client, Elixir, and Phoenix, plays a crucial role in maintaining a visually attractive and functionally strong mobile application.

Project Results

The FlexPro Grip application, developed by The Widlarz Group, delivers personalized training protocols, reducing injury risks and enhancing athletic performance metrics like spin rates and pitch movement. 

As a result of the ongoing maintenance work on the current application, the FlexPro Grip team has expanded their efforts beyond improving the existing application to also include the development of a completely new platform tailored for baseball players and their coaches.

Gavin Keipp-Stroud

Co-Founder at FlexPro Grip.

The Widlarz group has been exceptional to work with. They have been great partners and have greatly enhanced the quality and reliability of our mobile application in the time we have worked with them.

Client Testimony

Daryl Moreau

Co-Founder at FlexPro Grip.

Before working with TWG, we were a bit concerned that working with a non-US developer might be a problem due to either a language barrier or differences in time zones, but neither of these have ever been a problem. After experiencing disappointments with 2 prior app developers, we feel fortunate to have found TWG.  In addition to the expertise provided by its developers, the TWG team consistently delivers value by paying strong attention to detail, transparency, and effective communication.

‍

Adam Moreau

Co-Founder at FlexPro Grip.

Working with TWG has enabled us to accelerate FlexPro Grip's trajectory tremendously. The uniquely skilled individuals bring insights to development resulting in a think tank-style of collaboration.

TWG strives to be better every step of the way. They want honest feedback constantly. And moreover, this feedback will be applied. They are always pushing forward and working to improve.

‍

Gavin Keipp-Stroud

Co-Founder at FlexPro Grip.

The Widlarz group has been exceptional to work with. They have been great partners and have greatly enhanced the quality and reliability of our mobile application in the time we have worked with them.

‍User Testimonies

“The FPG has been an essential part of my rehab process coming back from an elbow injury. I believe Adam and the FPG team are on the forefront of elbow injury prevention and rehab protocols and I put my full trust in their product and their team.

The device and FPG app take the guesswork out of the equation and provide real time data regarding strength metrics, readiness, and progress tracking. In my opinion it is essential for any pitcher and will be a part of my routine moving forward.”

Matt S. (Professional Baseball Pitcher)

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“FlexPro Grip is an essential part of any throwing program. Its objective feedback and uses in rehab, maintenance, and rate of force development are unmatched. It has the ability to strengthen the muscles that help offload the stress on your UCL. It can enhance ball flight by improving finger force applied to the baseball. The device is easy to use for the player and the dashboard makes management simple for a coach.  FlexPro Grip fills the gap in a massively undertrained area.”

Kenny K. (Pitching Coach)

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