Kahua provides project management and collaboration software focused on real estate, engineering, construction, and operations industries. Kahua’s solution helps manage project and program costs, documents, and processes from inception through implementation to improve efficiency and reduce risk.
Recently Kahua has been selected by US General Services Administration (GSA) Public Building Service for its new management information system to manage 8600+ assets, with 370 million square feet of workspace for 1.1 million federal employees and preserve 500+ historic properties.
The Challenge & Technical Requirements
Kahua needed a future-proof solution which builds on its legacy desktop application, while using C#, XAML and Azure skillsets of its developers. Kahua had a short timeline and a recurring imperative to bring new features to market quickly, on different devices – from desktop to web and mobile. In addition, Kahua’s developers wanted to reduce the time to market by maintaining a single codebase application which prevents re-implementing the same functionality for different platforms.
Due to the nature of managing access for users in high-security environments such as financial institutions and government agencies, security was a major requirement. Additionally, the solution had to enable accessibility and localization.
For users, the UI had to be modern and intuitive, providing simple onboarding and consistent, immersive experience for users on all devices.
The Solution
Kahua selected WinUI 3 – Reunion, Uno Platform and Azure to rapidly develop and deploy a multi-platform solution.
On Windows, Kahua uses WinUI 3 to deliver a delightful and modern user experience on Windows. To achieve a pure web experience, Kahua is utilizing the Uno Platform to provide a solution that is built with and runs on top of the Microsoft technology stack of Azure, .NET 5&6, and WinUI 3. To reach additional platforms such as macOS, iOS and Android, Kahua is also using Uno Platform to provide user experiences specific to mobile devices and smaller form factors.
By utilizing WinUI 3 – Reunion, Uno Platform and Azure, Kahua is meeting its requirements for security and accessibility. The Web application provides for a zero-installation experience, allowing IT departments to breathe easier and approve application updates without extensive investigation and review. Kahua can scale its operations quickly and reach users internationally.
The users can access the solution on any device, be it through any modern browser or native app on the device of their choice. The user interface across devices is modern, familiar, and consistent as it is built with the same UI technology.
Code and Skill Reuse
The Kahua development team experienced 4X productivity compared to alternative solutions evaluated. New functionality is developed once, in a single codebase. The team benefited from a mature Windows developer ecosystem and skillset on hand.
The Kahua development team was able to reuse a significant amount of the code from its legacy application, as well as utilize over 45 controls from WinUI and Windows Community Toolkit as well as 3rd party controls by Syncfusion.
“By combining Microsoft WinUI 3 and Uno Platform we are able to provide our customers with features, functionality and security that is simply unachievable with any other solution” – said Colin Whitlatch, CTO of Kahua.