Airdev

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CEO of a startup that provides career help for students and experienced professionals around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Airdev?

I asked Airdev to build a mentoring platform for me so that we could provide social mobility for students that didn’t have a network.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I first did some research in terms of what solution I would need for this platform. I looked at various technologies and came across Bubble, which is a no-code product.

Airdev then designed the website from scratch. They developed it such that we could look at the site and all of its attachments from the administrative side. The student-facing end of the mentoring platform has log-in and registration functions as well as a dating-app-style algorithm that matches students and mentors. Their team also integrated a communication element into the site so that once a student matches a mentor, they would be able to message each other through a WhatsApp-like chatbox.

What is the team composition?

On the development side, my two primary points of contact were Niharika (Product Manager) and Welby (Software Engineer). Jasmine (Sales Executive), along with another person, was present pre-development or during the sales phase. All in all, I came across four people from Airdev.

How did you come to work with Airdev?

I was looking for a technology that was quick to build and not ridiculously technical. I looked at various options and came across Bubble, which is a no-code product.

A few developers were advertising their services on the Bubble website and among them was Airdev. I spoke to Jasmine and she took me through a very slick process. My precise specifications and requirements made things easier as well. After the scoping call, I was introduced to David (Senior Product Manager) and the developers who would take on the development work.

How much have you invested in them?

It was $12,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in November 2021, and we went live in January 2022. We spent about 10 weeks from start to finish.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

It’s too early to determine the impact of Airdev’s work, but we’ve successfully won our first client by showing them our mentoring portal. This happened less than a week after we went live, and I believe this is a good sign. I also consider it a success that the Airdev team was able to stick to the budget and timelines that were set out at the beginning.

How did Airdev perform from a project management standpoint?

They surpassed my expectations. The technology and platform that they used were superior to anything else that I’ve ever seen. They delivered on the date promised, and all of the product-related fixes, alterations, and amendments were done in a timely manner as well. 

I was carefully managed by the team. David and Niharika kept me in my bubble, so to speak, and I understood where I fit in in terms of the development process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their slick project execution is the most impressive aspect of their service. It all started with Jasmine in the sales phase where she presented her opening gambit, telling me about Airdev, Bubble, and what they could do for me. It all went smoothly from there.

Their pricing was also very competitive, which was important to me because I only had a limited budget.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything at the moment. I was really impressed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you are totally on top of what you want. Spec out your product to the nth degree so that both sides know exactly what you are building. This will minimize miscommunication and enable the team to scope out the project properly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a tech-based social and emotional learning platform for K–16 students.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Airdev?

We needed someone to develop the first version of our tech-based product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The key deliverable is a web-based platform with a few components such as a dashboard for teachers to monitor students, and an assessment tool for students to get their wellness scores.

We’re currently working on adding new features to the platform through user feedback.

What is the team composition?

I work with Sandy (Project Manager) and Peter (Developer)

How did you come to work with Airdev?

I came across their company while looking for agencies in Bubble. I heard good things about Airdev so I decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent $24,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in May.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The app has been performing slowly, but Airdev is continuing to optimize the product with me to get it functioning well for our users.

How did Airdev perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great from a project management standpoint and we mainly use email and their Airdev portal to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with their willingness to collaborate, agility to remedy issues, and quality of their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve on ensuring that the speed of their app is sufficient.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend being clear with your needs and communicating frequently with their team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a data specialist at Truepoint Wealth Counsel, an integrated wealth management firm. I work in our innovative team, which is involved in projects that deal with data storage and presentation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Airdev?

Often in our industry, clients can only see their investments through a client portal, but we wanted to present all of our service lines in one. We had an existing portal attached to our CRM, but we decided to move away from that option. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We contracted with Airdev to develop a client portal that showed the entire value of our services, including our tax, estate, and financial planning service lines. The portal Airdev developed is a subdomain within our website. 

The portal uses Airable on the backend for data storage and Bubble for our UI. Airdev installed Zapier to handle our workflow processes. 

What is the team composition?

We primarily worked with two teammates from Airdev, including Sandy (Project Manager) and a lead developer, who worked with a larger team of five. 

How did you come to work with Airdev?

We’ve followed the no-code development movement for several years, and we knew through their Twitter account. We saw a lot of positive reviews about their preferred UI software, Bubble, as well. Eventually, after analyzing and rejecting other firms, we brought them on board. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $12,000–$18,000 with Airdev.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Airdev from August–September 2021.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Our metrics were on a very small scale, but in general, the value of the prototyping work they completed for the cost they charged was terrific.  

How did Airdev perform from a project management standpoint?

Airdev was very transparent about their workflow. At the beginning of the project, we communicated via email, but then we moved onto their client portal to ask questions and submit tickets. 

They stuck to timelines, but slowness on our part kept Airdev’s team from delivering as quickly as they wanted. There were some bumps along the way, but Airdev handled them very well and communicated potential deadline changes rapidly. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Airdev did everything well, but I loved that they vocalized their support for the continued development of the portal during the project. It felt like a true partnership — they were building with us, not for us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Bubble was undergoing an update during our development process, so by the end of the prototyping phase, our portal was built on outdated Bubble software. That wasn’t a problem for us, but I think that the update process could’ve been handled and communicated differently. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise customers to think about what they want to maintain going forward. Airdev can build whatever the client wants, but it’s up to the client to determine how much maintenance they want to do. We were very clear with what we would maintain from our end, and it made for a good partnership. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO and Founder of a technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Airdev?

We do not have an in-house technology team and needed a partner to help translate our vision into reality at an affordable price quickly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Airdev is developing our web application. When we finished the first scope of work, we decided to give Airdev more business as we had a lot of requirements for the app’s next phase.

We’re still working with Airdev only because we’re in a crunch and need a developer. However, we’re actively looking to see if we can do the work ourselves or hire another vendor instead of using them in the future. 

For the time being, we have engaged them under their capacity-based support model. Previously, our arrangement was project-based.

What is the team composition?

We were assigned an offshore product manager and developer and had infrequent interactions with an onshore solutions architect. During the sale process, we spoke to several others who were not engaged once we signed up.

How did you come to work with Airdev?

We were referred to them by another custom software developer based on cost.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent around $30,000 to date.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in the second half of 2021 and are still working with them until we find a better solution.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business. 

We decided to use Airdev because of their lower cost and time-to-market potential. They’re more affordable compared to other agencies because they use low-code / no-code development platforms. However, they treated us like we didn't matter especially because of the amount of money we were spending. Rather than treating every customer like they matter, they treated us like an afterthought not worth spending much time with.

Throughout the relationship, Airdev has been less of a partner and more of a vendor — they don’t listen to what we’re trying to do or help us get to where we want to end up. They just take direction and execute, instead of being a partner and helping us find creative solutions. 

We’re not very proficient in technology, and we don’t always know the best way of doing something. Whenever we discuss our deliverables, Airdev just does it in the way we said it instead of helping us think through and find a better solution. They’re just interested in getting it done and moving on.

How was project management handled?

I’ve had many issues with our relationship. Airdev told us that since we’re not large enough, they would not be willing to do anything tailored for us, and we would have to follow their standard processes, contracts, etc. They gave us a choice of either doing it their way or not working with them at all. I didn’t expect that from Airdev. 

It felt like Airdev didn’t want our business. It was difficult to get them on the phone, and our product manager wouldn’t show up for meetings — they weren’t responsive. When we wanted to have a scoping discussion to understand the project’s potential cost, they told us it would cost money just to have a scoping discussion. 

I had no access to their CEO or upper management even after I asked. I had to find their contact information myself and email them, and although the CEO replied, his response was not helpful.

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

Airdev has delivered a functional final product, and they’ve met our expectations for the first deliverable. They’ve finished the work — only, the process of getting there is not something I want to try again. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you're fine being treated like a number and that your business does not matter to them, then this is the developer for you. They will deliver what you ask them to do but will not help you solution your product to find the most optimal approach. Working with them will be as transactional as possible with no hand-holding.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a small technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AirDev?

We wanted to build an internal business intelligence system to keep track of various metrics from our systems. We also needed it to manage our customers. As a result, our company hired AirDev. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We scoped the project based on our requirements. Then, AirDev assigned a developer to us. From there, we started building the system. Our teams spent two weeks on building it and another two weeks on fixing bugs. 

What is the team composition?

I only worked with one developer.

How did you come to work with AirDev?

The person running AirDev and I went to school together. I picked them because they were a no-code development shop using Bubble. Our team would have an easier time managing that technology in the longer term. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We did this project in May 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Our customers increased by about 50% after the project since we were able to handle more of them. The company’s accounts receivables also dropped considerably afterward. 

How did AirDev perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was truly stellar.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The developer assigned to me was excited about this project. It was a challenge for them since this was out of the normal projects they took. As a result, they accomplished it in a fun way as opposed to saying that it was difficult. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come to AirDev with a specific idea of what you want to build. Like any other development shop, they’ll build what you ask them — not more, not less. As a result, if you don’t know what you want, you’re going to run into cost and time problems.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of some crypto-related early-stage startups.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire AirDev, and what were your goals?

We needed a way to rapidly evaluate market fit and traction. Bubble is a cool platform but hiring bubble developers and managing the project would certainly take time we don't have right now.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

It was top-rated and the testimonials were excellent. AirDev also looked targeted to our size, in contrast to other companies that target larger projects. You can also infer that from the number of projects they've delivered.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We needed a prototype for tracking crypto-performance and investment rationale. It's a relatively simple application. We needed it to be accessible via web and mobile and also provide an API to integrate with proprietary systems.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Three people. 2 PMs and one developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The application works great under our own domain for both web and mobile customers. We are now able to collect feedback and iterate.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The project was delivered on time and on budget. They provided a timeline and everything was accurate to day. Their process was well thought and it provided ample space for feedback and iteration.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The fact that they have all systems in place to collect accurate feedback and fix bugs is impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Not really.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the cofounder for an online career accelerator program for underrepresented talent in the healthcare industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AirDev?

We needed a way to optimize our workflows on a single, integrated platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We used AirDev to develop an MVP that we could scale effectively. First, we wireframed the design. Then, we scoped it in several iterative meetings around getting the right features and functionality.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with one project manager and one developer.

How did you come to work with AirDev?

We did research online and were impressed with their success stores. They made everything simple and affordable.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $13,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2021, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We’re super pleased with the product so far, especially since it’s at the MVP level. The team is super supportive. Overall, our feedback is positive; we’d definitely recommend them.

How did AirDev perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager is really easy to work with. It’s easy to bounce ideas back and forth with him. They’re really strong with project management.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re flexible and meet our needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their tracking tool could be a bit more user-friendly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to build a relationship with the project manager. Treat it as a relationship, not just a transaction. Make sure you walk the team through the workflows you have in mind so they can deliver what you want.

RATINGS

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a social media platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AirDev?

We needed their team to develop our web-based application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I initiated the idea behind our MVP, but I needed a team that could implement the necessary IT solutions for me. AirDev developed our web-based application from scratch. Their team also designed the entire platform based on our outline.

AirDev currently helps us ensure that the product is well prepared for its go-live by implementing changes and monitoring any issues that we’ll potentially encounter.

What is the team composition?

I work with four resources in total, including Aaron (Product Manager & Developer), Ed (Product Director), Jennifer (Product Manager), and a web developer.

How did you come to work with AirDev?

I found them on Google after searching for potential companies to onboard for this project. We ended up choosing AirDev because they were a local agency, and I specifically wanted to work with a team that I could trust and meet frequently at the same time.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $15,000–$16,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off the engagement in May 2021. It took them 4–5 weeks to develop the product, but we continue to make adjustments to date.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We don’t have any quantitative data to share yet as this is a new platform with no active users. However, I can definitely say that AirDev has done their part in making sure that everything is well implemented. 

We’ve created a bug list, and we’ve gone through it to ensure that the app works smoothly, and it does. Overall, I’m happy with AirDev’s work, and we’re planning to scope out more work for their team soon.

How did AirDev perform from a project management standpoint?

AirDev has great communication skills. They have an efficient ticketing system that can use to make requests and share feedback. Additionally, their developers have a thorough method of reporting their work to us — they create voice-overs and presentations to explain each new feature they implement. AirDev remains patient and responsive throughout our project, and we’re pleased to be working with a team like them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

AirDev sets realistic expectations and communicates effectively to meet those. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

During the scoping phase, I was under the impression that there would be a designer tackling the project, but that wasn’t the case. Being a designer myself, I would’ve been more present in the design aspect had they informed me about that matter.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to onboard a project manager who’ll understand the scope well and flesh out all the information you need to proceed with the implementation of the product.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Director of Digital Transformation at Ivanhoe Grammar School, a multi-campus K-12 school in Melbourne, Victoria

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire AirDev, and what were your goals?

Over the past two years, we have been working on developing formative assessment frameworks for learner competencies. We had a vision for the digital interface for the observational tool, which included a slider functionality for intuitive assessment input.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Two factors drive our decision. Time to market and budget. We had a tight timeline for our project and due to our specific requirements were worried that the budget would blow out for this project. The exploration of NoCode/Low Code options seemed like a good fit and Bubble was a platform that we had some experience with dealing with. When we looked at the Bubble catalog for companies to partner with, AirDev jumped out as a leading option to explore.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Competency assessment in education is extremely complex. Observations over time from many assessors help to sharpen the image of where the learner is on a continuum of development. We had an extensive rubric that outlined this continuum. The platform needed to be intuitive, easy to use, and quick for observation input. We decided on using a slider for assessing along the continuum. This would hide the text not required, making the user interface clean and minimal. We required staff, student, and class information to be stored in the application and an admin panel to facilitate the management of users and building of the competency attributes. For the first part of this project, we only had minimal data visualisations that we wished to house natively in the app.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Evan Schwarzbaum was our Primary contact. We worked with one project manager, David Nabarro, and two developers, Hadi Rasyidsono and Kenil F.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We successfully launched the project to over 180 staff members three weeks ago and our goals of easy and intuitive assessment input were achieved. A five-minute video tutorial was all that was required to teach staff how to input information. This has allowed for a large collection of student assessment data, and even better, rapid collection from already busy teachers. We met our timeline for internal project delivery and have had all our project goals ticked off. The speed of this project delivery has already greased the wheels for new project ideas.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

David Nabarro is a genius. Education is rife with acronyms and edu-speak but David was able to translate all of this information into a clear and concise project scope. He knew the project as well as we did and this coupled with his ability to problem solve meant that he was able to make the platform simple and easy to use. We still rave about our scoping meetings with David. Nothing fazed him and everything had a solution. He was proactive, positive and thoroughly enjoyable to work with.

The online project build platform enabled clear actions and communication for all involved. No question was too silly. And there was always detailed and prompt responses. Hadi was amazing. He outlined every element clearly and provided step by step instructions along the way. He also went above and beyond with some of our requirements. They were a truly pleasurable team to work with.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The ability to connect on a deep human level is one of Airdev's major strengths. They are as excited about the project as you are! The speed. The creative problem-solving. The teamwork. We won't look anywhere else. If we have an application to build, Airdev is the place to start.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I have nothing to add here. Every request was met with prompt and concise responses.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a hardware and software company that creates technology for bars. I’m the Australian director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AirDev?

We needed help building a software solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AirDev is working on a Bubble software solution to help users load money via a web app using ApplePay and Stripe. I gave them a high-level overview of what I wanted and AirDev asked questions. We’re making it very simple, so there are only three pages that the customer is interacting with.

What is the team composition?

I worked with 2–3 people, including an onboarding specialist, Matt (Product Manager), and a designer, and a UI specialist.

How did you come to work with AirDev?

They came highly recommended as Bubble and Stripe specialists. I took several quotes and decided to work with AirDev.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $17,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2020, and our work is ongoing. We were a bit delayed on our end.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Their work is good, and I would keep working with them. We still haven’t really tested the app in a high-volume location.

How did AirDev perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re quite good. We don’t have a huge time crunch, so we’re happy to move a bit slower. Overall, AirDev is very responsive. We could have less back and forth if I gave clearer directions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re cheaply and successfully doing a project that we were told wasn’t possible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Although they said they’re Stripe experts on their website, their expertise isn’t that good. I actually had to do some research on my own. They could have a few more in-house Stripe professionals. The team could’ve offered more guidance at the start of the project.