IndexWoning: Software Platform and App for Homeowners

IndexWoning strives to give homeowners more overview, insight and control over their home data. The app works as an independent and reliable source of information, so that the user no longer has to search the internet and sees relevant information from the Land Registry, the NVM and the CBS together. In addition, IndexWoning gives users insight into which choices best suit their housing needs, especially when it comes to sustainability. In this way, IndexWoning also contributes to the sustainability of Dutch homes.

One fuzzy firm

When we first spoke to IndexWoning in 2022, there was already a detailed business case. The investor was also already on board. What the company needed were product design and software development teams to shape the ideas, although we also validated and modified the business case together during that process.

It was immediately clear that the cooperation with IndexWoning was going to be slightly different than with other clients. Because IndexWoning has big ambitions, but not when it comes to staff. The company embraces the concept of fuzzy firm, where fruitful cooperation is more important than organizational boundaries.

Ronald Wallenburg and Arthur Matien are the founders of IndexWoning. Arthur explains it. fuzzy firm-principle out: “We don't want to have all disciplines on the payroll. But we see the Blis Digital team and other partners as our own colleagues, so we also had a staff outing with all employees from our various suppliers. This way of dealing with each other took some getting used to for everyone — suppliers have to coordinate with each other outside of us.”

“We don't want to have all disciplines on the payroll. But we see the Blis Digital team and other partners as our own colleagues”.

That meant that we worked intensively with B.Made to ensure that everything around the website went efficiently and according to plan. And with Momentum Technologies, Clearstone, and Doyle Studio for compute modules, APIs, and concept design, respectively.

Data platform as a basis

The basis of both IndexWoning's app and business model is a flexible and expandable data platform. It was immediately clear that Azure would form the basis for this. In fact, IndexWoning selected us based on our knowledge of the Microsoft platform.

Ronald Wallenburg, founder of IndexWoning: “Azure was the logical choice, because most of our partners and customers are on Microsoft. Brokers, for example, prefer to work in Office and Azure is the best fit. Task management? You should just do that in Teams and not create it yourself. Privacy, security and GDPR are extremely important to us — people give us a lot of data, so we want to use it as safely as possible — the Microsoft environment was also the best choice for that.”

The Indexwoning app had to include four: product-market combinations that link data from a home or user to a target group in the market and thus generate value. For example, the app can use data about energy consumption to connect with an energy company or a provider of solar panels. When it comes to collaborating with real estate agents, home values and any moving plans are interesting.

It was our job to come up with an app and a data platform that would not only allow IndexWoning to implement the current plans, but also to quickly get to work with new plans and collaborations in the future.

Power Platform, links and security

So IndexWoning had a good idea and a business case. Our challenge is to make it technically possible. In the first sessions, we talked a lot together about what it means to set up a “data-driven” company and what it takes to get value out of data quickly when new opportunities arise. The use of fusion development and Power Platform to quickly roll out integrations and functionality was obvious. After that, Power Platform also helped us convert the results of a design sprint, in which we developed a business analysis, a UX design and a visual design, into a working prototype.

After that, we formed a product development team and went to work on building the platform and app in 2-week sprints. That happened quickly, thanks to the standard features of the Azure platform and the good cooperation with Stephan, an excellent product owner.

Ronald says it like this: “90% of our business operations is actually standard. 10%, that's what we're unique about. We were able to build it quickly with Power Platform. The link with Exact, Rabobank's payment function, our marketing automation package SharpSpring, integration with Office 365: these are all standard things we do not have to make it yourself.”

“90% of our business operations is actually standard. 10%, that's what we're unique about. We were able to build it quickly with Power Platform”.

The more data you have, the more important security becomes. Because IndexWoning's business model is based on user trust and data sharing, we paid a lot of extra attention to setting up the data platform secure and compliant.

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“Blis delivers on what we promise”

In order to keep up with the ambition and speed of thought of the IndexWoning team, we ourselves had to go up a notch from time to time. A client with high quality standards, who also wants to adapt quickly to market demands, requires flexibility from the construction and design team. We quickly got into a good deal with everyone involved flow before that: Ronald and Arthur are developing their idea with marketing partner Everybody Likes Penguins and their designers. Then our UX staff and business analysts pick it up and translate it into a design. Once that is agreed, it can join the sprint. A 2-week sprint rhythm means that we can switch quickly. “Marketing is the heart of our organization,” says Arthur. “Blis ensures that we can deliver on what we promise in our marketing.”

“Blis ensures that we can deliver on what we promise in our marketing.”

“They think along flexibly and they can scale up and down quickly, “adds Ronald. “In all disciplines: frontend, backend, Azure, Power BI, UX, business analysis, testers... These are all people we can't employ full-time. Thanks to the collaboration with Blis, they are always available.”

Value for everyone

The Indexwoning app provides value from many different sides. The user gets a grip on his housing costs and, as a homeowner, also makes him the owner of his own data. Reducing housing and energy costs (and therefore CO2 emissions) is made simple with the “scenario mode”, which allows the user to see the benefits, for example of solar panels, by clicking on options.

In addition to positive social impact, this also offers business opportunities. The first cooperation customers have now reported to IndexWoning, who will base a business model on the data from the app. By sharing data securely and with the user's consent with parties such as brokers and energy companies, IndexWoning creates market value.

But the most important result is the platform itself, says Ronald: Together with Blis Digital, we have built a future-proof app and platform from scratch that offers many opportunities for rapid expansion. We have a secure, flexible backend that allows us to quickly launch a new theme. Are our econometricians coming up with a new API and do we therefore need to integrate new data sources? Then that can also be done very quickly. Blis has largely determined this success. They dare to go outside their comfort zone, to work and to think outside the boundaries of the organization. That means thinking along and taking responsibility. Out of your bubble and, for example, switch directly with marketing and other suppliers. They do that well”. We are happy that we are also playing our role here as co-driver have been able to fulfill: not only technical implementation, but proactively contribute ideas and help IndexWoning navigate through all choices and challenges.

“Together with Blis Digital, we have built a future-proof app and platform from scratch that offers many opportunities to achieve rapid expansion”.

And what about the future?

What can you expect in the future? IndexWoning recently had a AI Value Discovery workshop go through it with us, and in the near future, you will see the results in the app. Currently, we are looking at gamification and AI functionalities. One of the ideas is that the app will soon provide personalized insights based on the specific home using AI. What is the best thing you can do to increase your home value? What steps can you take to quickly take sustainability steps? The future where you can literally talk to your home is getting closer.

Do you have a good idea of your own?

Got a great idea for a new piece of software? Do you want to conquer your market with a disruptive digital product? Is your company asking for innovation, but is legacy technology holding you back? Let's explore the possibilities together. We'd love to help you navigate through the limitless possibilities that technology has to offer.

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