At the forefront of Sri Lanka’s global digital solutions providers is Arimac Lanka. Growing since 2011, the development team at Arimac combines creativity and technology for high-end applications encompassing Mobile and Enterprise solutions, AI, IoT, Machine learning, and game development. Headquartered in Sri Lanka, the company has offices in Australia, UAE, and Trinidad and Tobago, housing over 200 specialists and growing.
Continuing to push boundaries, Arimac partnered with Qatar’s telecommunications giant Ooredoo earlier this year for the development of a new mobile application catering to their Algerian subsidiary. This initiative of developing the mobile services provider application YOOZ with Ooredoo Algeria marked a key achievement by a Sri Lankan company partnering with such a native corporate.
Commenting on this partnership, Bassam Yousef Al Ibrahim, CEO of Ooredoo Algeria, said, “At Ooredoo, we consistently seek out cutting-edge technology to provide customers with first-time-ever user experiences. We aim to elevate lifestyles, along with providing seamless connectivity. In Arimac, we found the perfect partnership.”
Introducing ROOGY on YOOZ
So what exactly is Yooz? It’s a unique self-care application designed to meet the needs of Algerian youth and help them get the most out of their Ooredoo connection.
In an age where most of the population’s childhood travelled around the world of Pokémon, having a companion that could fit in pockets was the dream. Once Ooredoo’s sim card is installed, the YOOZ application may be downloaded from Google Play, Apple Store, or Huawei App Store. After which, users are introduced to YOOZ’s one-of-a-kind digital companion experience.
It starts by meeting ROOGY, who is the app’s friendly mascot. It helps users navigate an immersive digital world. It also offers advice on choosing a personalised mobile plan. Within the YOOZ app, users can also find a collection of discounts on all things fashion, sport, cuisine, leisure, and more! Additionally, the mascot also notifies the user of weather updates, prayer times, and even nearby blood donation campaigns.
With every transaction on, ROOGY levels up through a point system to provide its human companion with more benefits. Thus, creating a gamified bundle purchase mechanism on the platform.
The Arimac Approach
Having worked with telecom entities for over eight years, Arimac knew early that YOOZ had to stand out. As such, the company’s norm development process includes a comprehensive local anthropology study. Its goal is to understand the target users while identifying gaps in existing or similar applications.
“This is a paramount module of digital solutions provided by Arimac. We go to the extent of even studying the users’ screen time and leisure time, which helps the team come up with the most innovative user experience for the application,” explains Chamira. Once the Arimac team analysed YOOZ anthropology study results, they decided that a 3D character to interact with the users seemed should be the way forward.
However, the company took things further through gamification within its virtual environment. By creating a 3D map to grow the mascot with benefits at each new level, the app attracted swarms, with more than 30,000 downloads in the first week. Accordingly, with such additional features enabled through ROOGY, Ooredoo Algeria created the perfect mobile companion for its customers.
Isabelle Hajri, Chief Marketing Officer of Ooredoo Algeria, commended this approach saying, “The Arimac team worked closely with us and leveraged their out-of-the-box, creativity and unique design thinking skill to bring to life a solution, flawlessly merging with our vision. When this pandemic has disconnected the world, our aim with YOOZ is to enable users to nurture their connections through personalized data plans designed by them, catering to their individual preferences and capacities. We are uber excited to connect and engage with our youth customer segment at a much deeper and intrinsic level, with YOOZ.”
How has a pandemic stricken world affected Arimac?
Up until 2020, Arimac’s anthropology studies took place in person. As a result, the company would establish personal connections with their target audience, be it local or overseas. In doing so, they were able to conduct this critical process better. But then the pandemic happened.
Chamira admits it has been challenging. Over the last one and a half years, the team was restricted from travel. Hence, the study for YOOZ with Ooredoo Algeria was Arimac’s first study conducted virtually. Even so, “We as a team harnessed a lot of quantitative data infrastructure” to overcome the challenge.
Another challenge posed by the pandemic was social isolation due to all of us being forced to work from home. While a veteran of building digital experience, Chamira states, “I don’t believe in digital when it comes to human relationships. I applaud our committed and highly skilled team for their intense dedication to complete YOOZ within just six months in a pandemic-stricken backdrop that undoubtedly challenged us all in unprecedented ways.”
Ultimately, YOOZ received a tremendous response from customers due to its unique digital experience. Despite the many numerous challenges posed by the pandemic, the app was brought from concept to reality within just six short months. It’s a testament to Arimac’s specialised expertise in the forte of software development.
Where does Arimac see itself in the near future?
Telecom has always been a solid vertical to Arimac. Hence, many of its immediate plans revolve around this industry. Chamira expressed that they wish to keep strengthening their relationship with the Ooredoo group. He added that Arimac is in the process of finalizing agreements with yet another telecom giant in the Middle East. Thus, the company is on the verge of entering the global marketplace as a complete self-care application provider.
Together with this, Arimac believes that humanoid robots in day-to-day applications are the future in a post-pandemic world. Hence, the team has commenced extensive work towards such innovations, such as developing gaming consoles with Rakuten Viber and VR 5G technology with Dialog Sri Lanka.
In closing, Chamira said, “Arimac has always strived hard to accelerate development in the country’s ICT landscape, and YOOZ is yet another successful testament to this journey. We will continue to push the boundaries of excellence both within the country and the region as we innovate for the future.”