Server-Driven UI client for Loblaw Digital Apps

A Deeper Look

Unifying Mobile Development at Loblaw Digital

After a year at PC Express, I observed fragmentation across Loblaw Digital’s mobile teams. We had multiple teams developing various e-commerce apps (grocery, pharmacy, apparel, loyalty) with differing technologies and architectures. This diversity made resource mobility and code reuse challenging.

I proposed and led a platform initiative, consolidating efforts across our mobile teams. The goal was to reduce duplication and streamline app development, aiming for a more unified and efficient approach.

While exploring options like Flutter and Kotlin Multiplatform, we ultimately decided to continue with native development. However, we introduced a Backend for Frontend (BFF) to centralize business logic. Inspired by Airbnb’s ghost platform, we implemented Server-Driven UI, enhancing feature rollout efficiency, reusability, and experimentation capabilities through a robust Design System.

A significant achievement was overhauling our CI/CD pipelines, reducing build times through better tooling and optimized test coverage. We streamlined design changes, allowing designers to adjust Figma tokens that were automatically reflected in the apps without requiring updates. My former collegue James Harrison did a deep dive around the magic behind our design system.

Using Contentful as a CMS, we empowered business partners to create feature components. Our BFF aggregated these with responses from various microservices, enabling tailored user experiences.

This period marked my transition to a Leader of Leaders, focusing on strategic vision and OKR formulation. I managed other managers and directors, guiding the integration of our SDKs and enhancements into their respective apps.

I developed a Support Model for the teams and an innovative Contribution Model, as our project evolved into an inner source initiative. This model guided how other teams could contribute to and benefit from our unified platform.