Project overview
The application is an online platform for families to book babysitting appointments. The app allows users to directly connect and make arrangements with each other. Families can effortlessly find, schedule, and pay babysitters, while the latter can post their availability, receive direct job offers, and manage payments — all in a few taps. By centralizing communication, notifications, and financial transactions, the solution eliminates the typical back-and-forth planning hassles. It’s a fresh, user-friendly approach to childcare coordination that keeps everyone’s schedules aligned and stress levels low.
The challenge and solution
Our client needed a solution to simplify the process of connecting families with reliable babysitters. We designed and built a scalable marketplace that streamlines transactions, enhances user engagement, and ensures seamless deployment.
To enable secure and efficient payments, we integrated Stripe. Real-time push notifications powered by OneSignal keep users informed about job requests, payment statuses, and platform updates. To maintain seamless performance and accelerate time-to-market, we leveraged Fastlane and GitHub Actions, automating build, testing, and deployment workflows for both iOS and Android.
By combining seamless payments, real-time notifications, and automated deployment, we helped the client to create reliable, scalable, and high-performing mobile application.
Invitation functionality
Users can send invites during onboarding or from their profiles, and the app instantly verifies if the phone number is valid or already registered. Once accepted, a new connection is formed — be it a parent-sitter relationship or a new family member — and both parties see the updated status. One quick invite can grow your caregiving network while keeping everyone’s profiles accurate and up-to-date.
Home screen and Calendar
The home screen provides both sitters and families with a single, streamlined view of all job-related details. Two main views — a calendar for a big-picture schedule and an agenda list for daily statuses — let users quickly spot busy days or open slots, then drill down into job specifics.
For Sitters: the home screen organizes upcoming jobs, new requests, and completed tasks in one place.
For Families: parents can review newly posted jobs, upcoming scheduled and completed jobs.
Jobs and Availability posting
The Jobs and Availability feature streamlines every step from posting a job or its availability to completing a booking and handling payments. Families can easily verify upcoming jobs, cancel or edit a claimed job, and finalize payments. Meanwhile, sitters can confirm job details, start or end jobs early, add extra expenses, and monitor payment status via real-time notification or job updates. Both can claim or edit each other’s posts. By consolidating these tasks into an intuitive interface this feature saves time and ensures everyone stays on the same page.
Messaging and Notification center
The Messaging and Notification Center is a one-stop hub for all communications and alerts between sitters and families. By consolidating messages and notifications — such as new job postings, sitter availability, job start/end alerts, and invitations to connect — users coordinate reliable care. By keeping all relevant information front and center, this feature cuts down on back-and-forth communication, boosting overall efficiency and peace of mind for everyone involved in childcare planning.
Payment functionality
The Payment feature, powered by Stripe handles all financial transactions in one place. Families can add and manage multiple payment methods: credit cards, bank accounts, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, all while viewing an up-to-date transaction history. Real-time error handling — such as alerts for insufficient funds or incorrect CVV — ensures users catch issues immediately, and fraud checks keep personal data safe. Both sides can view receipts broken down by job categories (like DCFSA or tax-credit eligible) and even send PDFs via text or email, making record-keeping effortless.
Technologies
Flutter: chosen for its capability to create native, smooth, and visually appealing cross-platform mobile apps in record time. It provides a single codebase that runs on both iOS and Android without sacrificing performance.
Firebase & Cloud Functions: a serverless approach for handling real-time data and backend logic. This reduces the need for managing servers and simplifies app architecture.
Branch.io: integrated for deep linking within invitations, ensuring users are guided directly to the right content when they open shared links.
OneSignal: a reliable push notification service that keeps users up to date on job offers, messages, and important updates — all in real time.
Stripe: powering secure and versatile payment methods, including credit cards, bank accounts, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, making transactions seamless for families and sitters.
GitHub Actions: used for continuous integration and delivery, automating tests and builds to maintain code quality and accelerate development.
Fastlane: streamlines the app release process by automating deployment tasks, reducing manual errors, and saving valuable time.
Key features
Authentication: login via Google/Apple/email, signup workflows with phone verification, forgotten password recovery, and legal agreements.
Invitations (with Branch.io deep linking): family/parent invites, sitter referrals/invites, and spouse/family member invitations
Calendar: agenda-based views for sitters and families, displaying new, upcoming, or completed jobs, whether schedules are full or empty.
Messages & notifications: in-app messages and real-time alerts (job updates, invites, payments) consolidated in a single Notification center.
Profiles: sitter/family profiles featuring “About” info, family members or connected sitters, payment preferences, and emergency contacts.
My Families / My Sitters: view and manage connected or pending relationships between sitters and families.
Jobs: scheduling, editing, claiming, or posting availability
Payment: Stripe-powered onboarding for families, multiple payment methods (including Apple/Google Pay), transaction history, and sitter payout management.
The outcome
By focusing on the client’s unique vision and leveraging cutting-edge technologies, TBR Group delivered an app that has already gathered positive feedback from families and caregivers. SitterSync’s simplified onboarding, secure payments, and real-time updates having set a high standard in the childcare space, creating a foundation for sustained growth.
