Four Fragmented Systems.
One Unified Platform.
How we replaced a senior care centre's four separate operational tools (meals, transport, volunteers, and activities) with a single Progressive Web App serving every department from one codebase, cutting costs and closing the coordination gaps that were draining staff time every day.
Client
Senior Care Services Provider
Industry
Healthcare / Senior Care
Deliverable
Unified PWA — 4 Departments
Stack
React PWA, Node.js, AWS
Senior Software Engineer — Techwisely, UK
Frontend Lead & Infrastructure — led the PWA architecture, domain-based routing system, department-specific UI rendering, and AWS cloud deployment
01 — The Challenge
Four Systems Running the Same Organisation
Our client, a senior care services provider managing daily operations across multiple centres, had grown their tech stack the way most organisations do: one tool at a time. Meals had its own system. Transport had another. Volunteers used a third, and activities a fourth.
On paper, each tool worked. In practice, the organisation was paying to build and maintain four separate systems, training staff on four different interfaces, and watching critical senior data get siloed across platforms with no unified view across departments.
02 — My Role
Frontend Lead & Infrastructure
As Senior Software Engineer at Techwisely UK, I led the frontend architecture and infrastructure for this platform, with primary ownership over the PWA setup, the domain-based routing system that powers the multi-department experience, and the AWS cloud deployment.
PWA Architecture
Led the React PWA setup, covering service worker configuration, offline support, and installability, so staff in any department can access the platform without needing a stable connection.
Domain-Based Routing System
Designed and built the core technical innovation: domain-based routing with conditional rendering that delivers a completely different UI per department from a single shared codebase.
AWS Infrastructure
Architected and managed the AWS cloud setup, including storage, scalability configuration, and deployment pipelines, ensuring the platform could handle real operational load reliably.
Role-Based Dashboard System
Built the permission and dashboard layer serving five distinct staff roles: drivers, care staff, volunteer coordinators, activity leads, and admins, each scoped to their own function.
03 — Key Innovation
One Codebase. Four Experiences.
The central engineering challenge was this: how do you build one application that serves four departments, each with completely different workflows, without making it feel like a compromise for any of them?
The Architecture Decision
Domain-Based Routing + Conditional Rendering
Each department accesses the platform through its own subdomain. When the app loads, it reads the domain, identifies the department context, and conditionally renders the exact interface, navigation, and feature set for that department. The underlying code, data layer, and business logic are all shared, but the experience each team sees is entirely tailored to them.
Meals
Delivery & pickup management for daily meal service to seniors
Rides
Transport scheduling with disability indicators and mileage tracking
Volunteers
Volunteer assignment, scheduling, and coordination
Activities
Event management with barcode-based check-in for attendance
04 — Core Features
Every Department. Every Workflow.
Each department module was built around the specific operational needs of the staff using it, rather than a generic template applied across all four.
01
Meals Delivery & Pickup Management
A dedicated interface for the meals team to manage daily delivery routes and pickup schedules. Staff can track which seniors have received meals, flag special dietary needs, and coordinate between kitchen prep and delivery drivers, all from one view without relying on spreadsheets or phone calls between teams.
02
Ride Scheduling with Disability Indicators & Mileage Tracking
The transport module handles ride scheduling with senior-specific context built in. Disability indicators ensure drivers arrive prepared, notes carry special handling requirements, and automatic mileage tracking supports reimbursement and reporting. Drivers see a clear dashboard showing only their assigned rides and relevant senior information.
03
Volunteer Assignment & Scheduling
Volunteer coordinators manage the full volunteer lifecycle from onboarding and scheduling to assignment and availability tracking, all from a dedicated interface. Volunteers see only the shifts and tasks relevant to them, which significantly reduces the admin burden on coordinators who previously handled this through email and manual rosters.
04
Activity Management with Barcode Check-In
Activity leads manage events, sessions, and programmes for seniors, with barcode-based check-in replacing manual attendance sheets. Staff scan a senior's barcode on arrival, the system logs attendance in real time, and reports are available instantly without manual data entry. This alone cuts one of the most time-consuming daily admin tasks at the centre.
05
Role-Based Dashboards for Drivers, Staff, Volunteers & Admins
Five distinct staff roles each get a custom dashboard showing only the information and actions relevant to their function. Admins see the full operational picture across all departments. Drivers see their daily ride list. Volunteers see their assigned shifts. It's the same app and the same login, but the experience changes entirely based on who's signing in.
06
Offline-Capable PWA that Works Anywhere in the Centre
The platform is built as a fully installable Progressive Web App with service worker-powered offline support. Staff can add it to their phone or tablet home screen without going through an app store, and critical functions stay available even in low-connectivity areas of the building, which is a common reality in large care facilities.
05 — Tech Stack
Built to Scale. Owned Completely.
The technology choices came down to two priorities: giving the client a platform they fully own and can extend, and building it in a way that delivers four different experiences without multiplying the maintenance overhead.
Frontend
React (PWA)
Installable Progressive Web App with service workers, offline support, and domain-based conditional rendering for per-department UI experiences.
Frontend LeadBackend
Node.js
REST APIs serving all four department modules, covering authentication, scheduling, role permissions, attendance, and data centralisation across the platform.
Core APICloud
AWS
Storage, scalability, and deployment infrastructure managed on AWS, set up to handle operational load across multiple care centres reliably.
Infrastructure LeadArchitecture
Domain Routing
Custom domain-based routing layer with conditional rendering. This is the core innovation that allows one codebase to serve four completely different department experiences.
Key InnovationCheck-In
Barcode API
Barcode-based senior check-in for activities, replacing manual attendance sheets with real-time digital logging scannable from any device.
Activities ModuleAccess
RBAC System
Role-based access control across five staff types, each scoped to their data, their dashboard, and their permitted actions.
Permissions Layer06 — Results
One Platform. Four Departments Running Smoothly.
4 → 1
Systems replaced by one unified platform
Zero
App store installs required
5
Staff roles with tailored dashboards
Offline
Works anywhere in the facility
The platform gave the client something they hadn't had before: a single view of all senior-facing operations. Meals, rides, volunteers, and activities now share one data layer, so when a senior's details are updated, every department sees it immediately. Staff training became a one-time exercise instead of four separate ones, and maintenance costs dropped to a fraction of what it cost to run four independent systems.
“
The domain routing architecture was the decision that made everything else possible. Instead of asking the client to choose between a unified experience and tailored department interfaces, we built a system that delivers both, from a single codebase that's cheaper to run, easier to update, and ready to expand whenever they need it.
07 — Key Takeaway
The Right Architecture Changes the Cost Equation
Most organisations in this situation would have been quoted four separate builds: four codebases, four deployment pipelines, four maintenance contracts. The domain-based routing approach meant the client got four tailored experiences for the cost of one platform. That's a fundamentally different business outcome, not just a technical one.
This is the kind of architectural thinking I bring to every project. The goal isn't just to build what was asked for but to find the approach that delivers more value for less overhead and holds up over time. If you're managing fragmented systems and need a smarter solution, get in touch.
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