Company background:
2-Enable are a team of experts with over 20 years of rehabilitation experience, delivering co-ordinated fast response and specialist solutions throughout Northern Ireland. They embrace the physical, emotional, cognitive and psychological aspects of the individual and tailor their intervention to enable them to reach their full potential. They currently offer services in the areas of Occupational Health, Occupational Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and In-service Training.
Challenge:
2-Enable wanted to develop an effective Mobile Application and bespoke platform called ‘Ancient Ancestors’. The company had expertise in areas of Behavioural and Occupational Therapy however they did not have the required skillset to fully develop engaging mobile applications and software platforms.
Solution:
In order to overcome this obstacle, Ancient Ancestors made contact with North West Regional College (NWRC) Business Support Centre (BSC) who supported them through the InnovateUs programme, funded by the Department for Economy (DfE)
This provided 60 hours of 1:1 mentoring support from NWRC Technical Consultant in ICT & Software, Dr Kevin Meehan, who provided training in project specification, development of bespoke software and mobile app solutions. NWRC Technical Consultant in Creative & Digital Media, Aaron McKeever also provided upskilling for 2-Enable in the user-interface for the Ancient Ancestors platform.
Impact:
On completion of the project, 2-Enable have successfully developed an effective Ancient Ancestors mobile application and geo-location tool which can be accessed via mobile devices. The app is also one of the first Irish/Northern Irish travel experience app that offers augmented content that inspires, educates and entertains the user. The app also features a journey planning system which allows users to select key areas of interest on existing travel routes, thus opening doors to new visitors and potential investors.
A spokesperson from 2-Enable described the benefits of working with NWRC BSC via the InnovateUs programme:
‘’The teamwork and support from NWRC was fantastic from start to finish. Kevin’s IT software knowledge and experience was invaluable as he was able to create the software for the app and link overlays of maps, B&Bs and local tour guides which gives the user a bespoke experience.
‘’Aaron was also great, supportive and often put together visual concept designs which brought the app to life. I’m very thankful to have such a supportive team who were genuinely excited that the project would succeed and we’re now in the process of applying for an Innovation Voucher to explore Virtual Reality (VR) technology to enhance the users experience within the Ancient Ancestors platform.
‘’I’ve had the idea for the app in my head for a few years but hadn’t the IT or design experience to create it. I work with people to enable their physical and mental health daily and throughout my experience of dealing with them and the international research I’ve conducted, it showed me that a strong connection to self, community and the land deepens our resilience and sense of worth.’’
NWRC have a track regard of supporting businesses through the ‘Innovation Ladder’ to maximise the support available to companies to allow them to increase their level of innovation or create a new product offering. If you would like to find out more get in touch with one of our Technical Consultants.
