Can My App Idea Be Built? How to Explore What Software Can Do
Learn how to explore whether an app idea is possible, what modern connected software can do, and how to validate a concept before a full build.
A faster, clearer private-lift experience.
About the client
The Colony Phase Five is a private snowcat transportation service for homeowners and renters at The Colony in Park City. Through an app, skiers and riders can request pickup at a specific location and travel to the top, creating an on-demand private-lift experience.
A mobile application connects riders, drivers, and administrators through digital access, waivers, live snowcat tracking, and a visible service queue.
The challenge
The service operated in an area where cellular service was weak in some locations. After an earlier digital workflow was abandoned, riders and drivers coordinated by text. Boarding also depended on paper waivers. Every new rider needed to complete one at pickup, creating a five-to-ten-minute delay when several riders arrived at once. The service needed a dependable request flow, clearer operations, and a faster waiver experience.
- Cellular service was weak in parts of the operating area.
- Riders and drivers coordinated requests by text after an earlier digital workflow was abandoned.
- Paper waivers added five to ten minutes at pickup when several new riders arrived together.
- The service needed one clearer flow for requests, waivers, driver operations, and pickup timing.
The solution
The first workflow
Lawlor Solutions built a mobile application with distinct views for riders, drivers, and administrators. Riders are associated with a property and can be owners or renters. Administrators can invite owners, and owners can invite other people associated with their property.
What real use showed
Users sign their waiver digitally while setting up access, then can schedule rides. Drivers can also pull up a digital waiver for guests, renters, or walk-up riders who are not yet in the app. Waivers are stored digitally, replacing the paper process at pickup.
How the software expanded
The application brings ride requests, a driver service queue, live snowcat tracking, and estimated pickup timing into one operating flow. Riders can see the vehicle and better understand when pickup is likely. Alongside the application, the client improved signal infrastructure within the service area to support the request flow.
01Property-based rider access
02Owner and renter invitations
03Digital waiver setup
04Guest and walk-up waivers
05Driver service queue
06Live snowcat tracking
07Estimated pickup timing
The outcome
Boarding time fell from as long as five to ten minutes to under one minute, in large part because many waivers are completed digitally before the snowcat arrives. Operational analytics recorded a 12× increase in riders per day, and the service reported a 92% satisfaction rating. The application did not create those results by itself. Live driver tracking, estimated pickup timing, digital waivers, and the client-led operational improvements together supported a clearer rider experience.
Under 1 minreported boarding time, down from as long as five to ten minutes
12×reported increase in riders per day according to operational analytics
92%reported satisfaction rating
Live visibilityinto snowcat location, the service queue, and estimated pickup timing
Technology
The service runs through a mobile application with account sign-in and a managed backend.
- Expo and React Native mobile application
- Google sign-in integration
- Supabase backend
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