Altamira

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of CTRL. We have created a sports training compression sleeve that learns an athlete's unique ideal motion and teaches them to reproduce it every time.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GBKSOFT?

My team is very small and we have had to prioritize our software development. We chose first to develop for iOS and hired GBKSOFT to port our application to Android and refresh our UI.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted feature parity with our iOS application and a new UI that built on and meshed with the high quality, luxury feel of our physical hardware.

SOLUTION

How did you select GBKSOFT?

I searched online for app studios and spoke with a couple of friends that had used app development studios before. All other companies I met with, even with personal references, failed to present themselves as organized and committed as GBKSOFT. From the very first call to the proposal I received, it was clear that GBKSOFT would produce a very high-quality application and UI.

Describe the project in detail.

The project was to develop and new, refreshed UI and port our iOS application to Android. From the beginning, we knew that the port would be a difficult job. We have developed our own proprietary motion sensors and GBKSOFT would need to integrate with them seamlessly to accomplish our goals.

We began with a kickoff meeting to meet our dev team (PM, SM, designer, dev, QA). Then week by week we groomed the scope of the project. The PM would constantly contact us with any questions they had and help us lock down our tech specs and design for the developers to implement. At the same time, we would update the iOS application to match the new UI.

What was the team composition?

We were assigned a project manager, scrum master, designer, android developer, and QA engineer. The team was amazing and did their job extremely well. Team members did not change during our project, barring one or two instances where one member would be gone on vacation and we were assigned another team to take their place for that short period of time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Our app is set to be released in just a few short months. During the development period and after, we have had internal testers tell us that they love the functionality, flow, ease of use, and visual style. Overall, they are very impressed by the UI/UX that was created by GBKSOFT.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was truly amazing. Their team was organized, reached out whenever a question needed answering, and they work fast. We used a combination of Slack and Confluence to handle quick communication and show the plan moving forward.

Throughout the project, they asked for feedback on how they could improve their services, and I had none to give. That is how well they worked together and with us. I cannot understand how they are able to balance multiple projects and still make it feel like we are their #1 priority. It was a fantastic experience.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was blown away by how organized they are. It taught me quite a bit about running an effective software development team. Their abilities to manage the scope and put ideas into an actionable plan are unmatched. They sought to understand not just our product, but the industry we are in so that they could build the best user experience possible.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I really can't think of anything they can improve upon. We had a wonderful experience working with GBKSOFT

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the project manager here at HDR Print, where we specialize in wholesale large format printing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We originally built a custom website when we started the business but it didn't have the functionality and the pizazz that we needed to get the business to where we wanted it.

After working with our previous developer we realized that they didn't have what it takes to be able to build such a robust website.

SOLUTION

How did you select GBKSOFT and what were the deciding factors?

After speaking with many developers I was almost ready to give up as no one was able to help with the features that I wanted.

I than heard about GBK Soft and was highly recommended by a few other companies to use them.

Since we started I have never had such an easy time! Wether it was communication, tight deadlines, and robust features, GBK Soft was there and over delivered!

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

Since we started from scratch we started from the basics of the website and went through each feature and each plugin together with the team.

Everything was tracked and managed through confluence with such detail, it was hard to make mistakes!

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

There were 4 amazing people that I spoke to on a weekly (or daily) basis and then many more that were working behind the scene.

Alexander Nesterenko was the salesman and stuck with us through every update, and every meeting. I couldn't be happier with a salesman! Always looking for the best solution, and always with a smile!

Alexandra Restova is the team leader. She was my mane point of contact for the web development. It was unbelievable how she would explain each robust feature in a simple way. And there was never a time where there was a feature they didn't have a way around!

 Anastasiia is the in charge of the finances. When spending a great amount of money on a project everyone is always asking where the money is going. Well Anastasiia always went through our weekly finances and down to the penny what our bills were accounted for, also with weekly reports.

 And last but not least Denis, who is the head of front-end development. Your demo's were amazing each and every week rolling out new features as we went along the project, it was amazing to see the project come together more and more each time!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With rolling out this project we were able to cut manpower as the website did a lot more work than the previous one, also the mistakes that happened while ordering won't happen again, because of the clear cut process of our new website!

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

The project management was impeccable! Everything was done through Jira and hangouts, which was a blessing especially during COVID.

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

We were able to communicate on a level of my understanding which is really important that you have a team that will take a feature that you explain and put into writing so that every part of the project will work together.

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

I have absolutely no complaints they did something no other company was able to do!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Sizzle, which is in the infotech space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GBKSOFT?

We wanted a second opinion and added touches for the UI/UX development of our product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I provided GBKSOFT with the requirements, along with the designs we already had. They added elements to the design, as well as some suggestions of how to improve the end-user experience, such as moving some things around, merging, and adding some flair.

What is the team composition?

I worked with 5–6 people, including Victoria (Client Manager) as my main contact, and designers. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $500.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together in December 2020. There are ongoing segments, but they delivered the UI/UX we asked for.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of work was excellent. I was pleased with their knowledge and attention to detail. They put the finishing touches on it, and it was good.

How did GBKSOFT perform from a project management standpoint?

GBKSOFT was incredibly responsive and accommodating in terms of meeting times, and they delivered on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had a great work ethic. The team was proactive and reactive regarding discussions and collaboration, which was something I really appreciated about them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not at the moment.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They are a smart, creative team that can help translate your ideas into good designs.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a startup founder of a dating app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GBKSOFT?

Native iOS App Development.

What were your goals for this project?

My goal was to develop an MVP product with a development team experienced in design and implementation of social apps.

SOLUTION

How did you select GBKSOFT?

When comparing top perorming app development firms, GBKSoft had won a number of awards previously that stood out to me and after reaching out their level of communication was fantastic and made them a top contender for me immediately.

Describe the project in detail.

The project is a social app which requires the implementation of voice API technology, location-based services and the building of a matching algorithm.

What was the team composition?

Fantastic experience working with Project manager Julia Leyleyko, Business Analyst Iuliia Snizhko and the rest of the team. Brilliant regular communication whilst thoroughly understanding the requirements and scope of my project and sharing my vision.

I can't recommend them highly enough and look forward to working with them in the future!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Despite the project still being completed, I have been extremely happy with the product demonstration meetings and the experience I have had from getting to use the app firsthand myself.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Worklflow has been well-articulated and communicated clearly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

GBKSoft has made technical issues approachable and understandable whilst presenting new solutions and ideas to enhance the development process and product UX.

My product is in social tech and the teams' extensive experience in the field has come in handy when tackling relevant issues. I am very pleased with the time estimation for project delivery and the adherence to meeting all deadlines.

Are there any areas for improvement?

N/A

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Clubhouse Ltd., an audio-based social network.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GBKSOFT?

We have a core team of developers in Sweden, but we needed other developers on-demand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GBKSOFT has been working on native iOS apps using Swift and native Android apps using Kotlin. They’ve also helped with backend work in AWS load balancers, along with the whole architecture and scalability.

What is the team composition?

It depends on the task. They deploy the number of people needed for the task, which is 5–6 people on average per task. They also deploy 2–3 project managers.

How did you come to work with GBKSOFT?

They were recommended to me by a friend of mine.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent somewhere in the six figures. They’re the most price-efficient of all the development firms I’ve ever worked with.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in February 2020, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We do code reviews of everything they do. Everything they create is absolute; either it works, or it doesn’t. Their contribution is just as good as anybody else's at every level.

How did GBKSOFT perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is really good. GBKSOFT is very flexible. If we have a long task list, they are very helpful in terms of delivering tasks within short timelines. 

They always respond at any time of day, which is surprising. I’ve never worked with a company as responsive as GBKSOFT. We primarily communicate via Slack, but we also use email, phone, and text.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility and quality are impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish they had more resources. I understand that it’s difficult to perform at the level they are and that you can’t just expand while maintaining the same quality.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with the project managers. The more you communicate with them, the easier it is for them to help you. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder CEO of a mobile app startup. We have a live streaming platform for music.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GBKSOFT?

We hired them to develop the MVP for our app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave them a fair bit of flexibility; we didn’t provide any wireframes. The app is for iOS and Android.

What is the team composition?

We worked with about nine people.

How did you come to work with GBKSOFT?

I did a web search and then I did my due-diligence through platforms like Clutch.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We initially contacted them in June 2020 and we’re still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work is high-quality and high-value.

How did GBKSOFT perform from a project management standpoint?

It has been great. We do our best to stay on track, and they usually deliver on or around the deadline. Communication is great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They think of things that I wasn’t able to think of myself.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Look into them yourself. They do a good job. Give them a shot; they won’t disappoint.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of a platform design company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Altamira Softworks?

We hired them to handle some design and frontend development work for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our main goal was to create the frontend design of a fintech mobile application efficiently. We generally determine wireframes and concepts directly with our clients, and hand the project off to them for execution. They helped us choose the correct technology for the code and solve any other issues we faced from a development perspective. We settled on React Native technology. They provide native apps and cross-platform frameworks, depending on what’s needed on our end.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with a development manager, project manager, and 2–3 frontend developers.

How did you come to work with Altamira Softworks?

It was important to us that we could reach our development partner at any time to discuss any issues that popped up. They’re a smaller team that had the capacity to do that. They’re a friendly team that’s ready to provide us with development suggestions to make our projects more successful.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since August 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There are always some little bugs that pop up, like any development project. However, they’re very flexible about their work and willing to make immediate changes or fixes. The quality of work is very high and more impressive than expected.  

How did Altamira Softworks perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a weekly standup, during which they explained all of their progress and work against our goals. They were always open for discussion and generally responded within a day of us reaching out. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They found a way to work through every complex animation and motion assignment we threw their way. Their team truly thinks critically about their work, rather than just following requirements.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

Testing could be a bit more thorough, but that hasn’t been a huge issue at all. At the moment, there isn’t anything major for them to improve upon. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you want to get the most from their services, I’d recommend keeping up frequent communication with them. They genuinely care about collaborating to make solutions work for your company.  

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and sole employee of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GBKSOFT?

To build some creative assets for my landing page which included UI/UX screens for the app, icons, social media assets, and branding/logo

What were your goals for this project?

I needed assets to complete the landing page website and social media profiles

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I came to clutch co and saw they had good reviews.

Describe the project in detail.

As stated above I came to GBK with a concept for an app. I knew they had worked on similar apps and could leverage their experience my specific application.

To start with I needed assets to build a website and social media profiles. These are all creative assets (UI/UX screens, logos, icons, and branding). GBK provided a quote for this service and turned out with great speed and quality.

I am very happy with their service and wil continue to use them in the future.

What was the team composition?

I was assigned a project manager and designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

They turned around the project very quickly, were responsive, and produced an excellent final deliverable.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

they were responsive and understanding.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are very responsive and thorough in their approach to each project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The only thing would be we could be more flexible with meeting times, but this is not GBK's fault as we are in very different time zones. I am in USA (New York) and they are in Ukraine

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We develop, distribute and market Smartheels, the world's most comfortable heels owned by Sunoriental Produits France. I am in charge of the digital interfaces for our orthopedic insole portfolio.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GBKSOFT?

We hired GBKSOFT for the digital commerce platform and the digital marketing ads.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to create an oustanding millennial consumer centric interface with the latest UX trends and budget and time friendly.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We liked their professionalism of handling projects and clients. I have been in touch with them for different projects.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The designed developed a UX centric interface for the newly launched Smartheels and made the marketing digital ads. The communication was excellent and the design delivery too was fast, excellent and reliable.

What was the team composition?

The project team was about three people. customer relationship, project management and UX designer assigned to us for the timeline.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The project completion was a major milestone and the marketing ads too. It allowed us to launch a lovable consumer brand with a fresh image and user interface.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was very impressive, we liked a lot the clarifications of the project manager at the end of each meeting and the excellent communication skills to ensure projects delivery was as expected

What did you find most impressive about this company?

clients have direct access to project managers and communicate with her in our case very effectively

Are there any areas for improvement?

we would have loved to have our vides edited with them too but the video motion capabilities were not included

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of SOLJETS. We’re a private aircraft acquisition and brokerage.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GBKSOFT?

We wanted to revitalize a website that was developed with an inflexible set of technologies that didn’t permit us much growth.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team built us a WordPress website from scratch. We had requirements and style guides, GBKSOFT put their interpretation into the designs, which they presented to us. Then, we vetted, scratched, and worked through the organization.

They put together a unique experience with features. Their team built a tool that effectively compares multiple aircrafts from a chosen airport to identify the different ranges of those planes. They also built a database backend. Their team built connectors between the proprietary system and our website.

They used a LAMP stack, so their team built a MySQL database architecture. Their team also used Elasticsearch and other established frameworks to build out the UI controls.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, a frontend developer, and two backend developers to build the proprietary database. We also worked with a project manager, a UI designer, and initially three developers on the website. We reduced the number of developers to one experienced and proficient developer who I kept on retainer by request.

How did you come to work with GBKSOFT?

We started by looking for a US-based local development shop to help us achieve our goals. We quickly realized through the design process and the early development phases that going that route would be cost-prohibitive.

We wanted a team that could design and develop our platform cost-efficiently with our future goals in mind. I started searching for offshore groups and came across GBKSOFT. We wanted to work with a development shop that used portable technologies, meaning if we stopped the relationship, we could take the product anywhere else. They passed our litmus test, so we gave them the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started this project in January 2018 and wrapped up in March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve used the website feature to show clients how we come to our conclusions during our sales pitches. We’ve used our backend tools to drum up the appropriate analysis and data research to help clients make decisions. We’ve seen success through the quality of their development. We’ve had the confidence to present these products live.

How did GBKSOFT perform from a project management standpoint?

Right off the bat, they hit the nail on the head in terms of budget, timeline, and deliverables without too much direction. We used JIRA, which is where they maintained all of their documentation and code repositories in conjunction with GitLab. We also used Trello and Slack as our project task and communication platforms.

We had an issue about halfway through the effort and made our concerns known to GBKSOFT’s leadership. Within a couple of weeks, they made internal changes and assigned us a new project manager who exceeded all of our expectations. She ended up closing the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their project estimations are one of their strongest points. At times, their process seemed over the top with the number of questions and iterations. It’s part of their process to give a timeline and cost estimates that they can meet. There were numerous times when they exceeded their estimations, giving us an early deliverable and kicking back cash. We’re definitely going to work with them again because of the quality of their work. They’re a really honest team. We didn’t feel that they were gaming us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everyone can improve but we’re overall pleased. They could improve their UX/UI design skills. Their team does a good job, but it’s not as refined as it could be.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You’ve got to know what you want.  They have a pragmatic approach, so they’re not going to help you take a dream and put it into a concept. If asked, their team will think outside of the box. But they’re looking to take your ideas and put them into a technical concept.