Webfitters Work: Livestock Management App: Brown County Livestock Auction

Challenge

Every year, students in Brown County look forward to summertime as the official countdown to the fair season. Many of them spent the last year dedicating their time, energy, and money to raising the livestock they hope to show at the upcoming summer’s livestock auction. It’s a chance to showcase the work that they have spent countless hours on- rising early in the morning to feed and water the livestock, and not going to sleep until they know their animals have been thoroughly cared for. The Brown County Livestock Auctions acts as a final celebration of the student’s hard-work and the dedication that comes with raising livestock.

The Brown County Livestock Auction committee approached Webfitters with an end-goal of creating an app that better organizes and manages the auction’s entrants and their eligibility status. They needed a database for tracking the students, the type(s) of livestock entered, and the completion of assigned tasks by each student. Additionally, they needed a way to engage with the students and allow for completed tasks to be submitted for review.

Our team knew just what to do and implemented solutions that would allow for enhanced navigation, a more efficient and transparent user-experience, and clear communication methods to ensure the students would have the best possible chance at showing their livestock in the coming summer’s auction.

Solution

One of the first steps taken in the creation of this management app was establishing a usable database. In order to do this, BCLA needed a way to collect the student’s information. This is where the conception of the student dashboard came into play. Once a student signs up, the app prompts them to fill in their required personal information, identify the type(s) of livestock they will be showing, and upload a profile picture. From there, the administrators would be able to view relevant information about the student or easily filter data in a way that best serves their needs.

On the user side, once students have completed the initial account setup, they have access to a list of assigned tasks and requirements. This ‘checklist’, under the Requirements section, serves as a visual reminder of the items left to complete in order to remain eligible. Their tasks range from finishing online courses, filling out forms, to registering their animals in the auction. As these responsibilities are completed, students can track their progress through status icons. These icons also serve as an indicator to the admins that the student is advancing through the requirements.

When tasks are completed, students submit them for review by the administrators. Should a student incorrectly input important criteria or forget to submit a required form, our app allows the administrators to communicate with the student to resolve the issue. If a student accidentally misses a deadline, they get a notification from an automated system our team integrated into the app. This ensures that every attempt is made to keep the student on track!

Once the students complete all required tasks, they earn their badge and are marked eligible for the upcoming auction!

This is only the beginning for Brown County Livestock Auction’s app. We are looking forward to continuing our work with them as we expand the features and functions in Phase II in the coming months. Congratulations to BCLA on the launch of their new app.

Like what you’re hearing? Want an app for your business too? Contact Webfitters today to see how our digital solutions can benefit you!