Challenge

The Lutheran Study Bible is an incredible 2,200-page resource. Digitizing this reference-heavy book, filled with study notes, articles, a concordance, a topics list, a chronology, and the full ESV Bible text, was no easy task. The sheer volume and variety of content posed significant UX and technical challenges.

Founded in 1869, Concordia Publishing House (CPH) is a trusted name and produces over 8,000 products for the global Lutheran community. Preserving the integrity and beauty of original scripture while reimagining an interactive experience was crucial. Knowing the Bible app market is competitive and saturated, this app needed to meet study Bible users’ expectations while highlighting unique Lutheran content.

Armed with XML text files and PDF output of the printed Bible, we quickly discovered the complexities of content modeling. The project became more complex due to the need for basic, account, and subscription features, as well as managing subscriptions through the client’s storefront and app stores.

Solution

We initiated the project with a detailed Discovery Phase, building trust with CPH by defining the feature set, styling, and core functionality. Through transforming initial client notes into detailed requirements, and conducting an in-person business goals session, we gained a deep understanding of the target audience, their motivations, desired features, and potential barriers. Our competitive analysis and UX strategy sessions informed the design and implementation of key features, supported by wireframes and style tiles, culminating in clear visual plans that secured necessary funding. During the Beta UX Development, we collaborated closely with CPH, developing the app screen by screen, ensuring thorough documentation and alignment through regular design approvals. Lelander assembled a three-person development team with expertise in both Android and iOS.

Our development approach involved creating a 40-step content processing pipeline to convert XML Bible and study notes text into clean HTML. This included XSLT transformations, automatically converting page number cross-references into direct links to content, and integrating content storage into a SQLite database. Python and Regular Expressions handled outlier content issues, ensuring text consistency and proper styling. Each piece of the deployment process was scripted and intermediate output was stored in the Git code repo to track content changes.

The entire process is connected through an automated build system to generate an up-to-date content database on demand. And that’s just the beginning of the custom technical aspects of this project. This approach enables the app to provide offline access, improve navigation with embedded page numbers, and remain robust against content changes, future-proofing it for potential updates. In the MVP phase, our development and UX teams focused on various user access levels and the complexities of app store submissions. Detailed user role documentation and a mirrored development approach ensured consistent experiences for iOS and Android builds. Ultimately, users can preview the app for free, unlock tools by signing up for a CPH account, or gain full access to the app through a promo code or subscription.

The technical stack, comprised of Swift, Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, Swift UI, and Kotlin Multiplatform, allowed for shared logic across platforms, enhancing development efficiency. The final iOS and Android app transformed the Lutheran Study Bible into an accessible and engaging digital experience, meeting CPH’s goals and setting a new standard for digital religious study tools.