Alty

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Slate is a product design and development consultancy based in Los Angeles. We specialize in building digital products for leading media and entertainment companies. I am the founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Alty? 

As our relationship with Lionsgate grew, additional target devices and requirements were added to the scope. We partnered to expand our near-term capacity.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The scope of the project was designing and developing a high-profile subscription video on demand [SVOD] service for a leading movie studio in Los Angeles. iOS and Android development services were provided by the partner as well as product management. 

How did you come to work with Alty?

We have had a long-standing relationship with the company due to one of our early engineers living in the Ukraine. We chose them due to their track record and because we could trust them to deliver under demanding time constraints.

How much have you invested with Alty?

We have invested in the tens of thousands.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them 6 months during 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Our metrics are confidential. Here’s a link to some press on the launch of the service.

What did you find most impressive about Alty?

We don’t typically work with outside partners.

Are there any areas Alty could improve?

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

MacPaw is a leading, independent software development company for the desktop and mobile world.

What is your role at the company?

I'm the VP of business development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Alty?

Alty developed our mobile application and integrated it with our web dashboard.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Everything was done by Alty. It was full cycle development. Services that were provided include roadmap planning, user story layouts, mockups, front-end development, mobile development, and design.

How did you come to work with Alty?

The quality of Alty's previous products is all great. Additionally, they have a very good reputation.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

Our project was between $15,000 and $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project wasn't too long. It lasted from July to September of 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Everything was on time. The quality was great. We would be happy to work with them again in the future.

What distinguishes Alty from other providers?

The Alty team is extremely flexible, and they work to find the best solution for each client.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve or things you might do differently?

No. There is nothing I can think of. Everything was good.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Our company runs a software as a service application called Casual.PM. It’s an online project management service. We are fully online and have an iPhone app.

What is your position?

I’m a founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Alty?

Our customers needed a mobile application because at first we only had a web application that did not support the mobile platform.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Alty did all our iOS development. They also designed the look and feel of the app, basically the user experience and design.

How did you come to work with Alty?

We actually knew the Alty team pretty well before going into the project. We work in an office near theirs, so when we faced this problem, they were one of our first considerations. We compared Alty with a couple of other teams, but they had really good development quality. They were fast, and that’s why we chose them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It was not a really big project; it was under $10,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Alty perform from a project management standpoint?

The Alty team has really careful development processes in place, so it was always transparent to us what was going on.

What distinguishes Alty from other providers?

Their attention to detail and focus on processes is what stands out most about Alty. They have this great iterative process for gathering the requirements for the design, they give you feedback, and they do testing and give you the ability to test the application.

Is there anything Alty could have improved or done differently?

We only had one problem that showed up late in the project; it was just one bug. They were so far along without any issues, so it wasn’t a big problem.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are the largest bank in Ukraine - PrivatBank. We have more than 2,000 branches. We have more than 15 million customers in Ukraine, and our market share is above 50% in terms of credit cards, debit cards, deposits, and corporate customers.

What is your position?

I’m the head of our mass payment and money transfer business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Alty?

We have lack of design qualifications in-house. We have more than 1,000 guys working in our IT department. We do all of our programming in-house. The programs were lacking line syncing and good aesthetics. When we understood that, we started looking for companies in our market that could help us with launching new products for our customers. We tried different companies, and one of them was Alty.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

The first project that they built for us was an iOS and Android application for new payments. They built it from scratch to release. They made a prototype, designed it, and then they programmed it. It was a success. I was the one who brought Alty to PrivatBank, and after my first project with them, my colleagues also started contracting them for their projects. They have now done more than 10 projects for PrivatBank.

Mainly, what Alty does for us is develop prototypes and interfaces for many different types of projects. They developed an interface for our self-serve kiosks. They also developed a couple of projects for our internet bank, and they developed three or four mobile applications for us.

How did you come to work with Alty?

I knew the head of the team from my old days in a different company. I contracted him personally for developing an iOS application for CitiGuide in Kiev. When I was tasked with finding a team for my new company, I reached out to Alty.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The average cost for most of our projects with Alty is $10,000 to $50,000. For some of the bigger projects it could be over $100,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What distinguishes Alty from other providers?

Alty knows how to balance between hearing the client, the client’s wants, and mixing those with their professional opinion. Sometimes, when your contractor listens to what you want and just does as you say, the result is bad because you don’t get that professional input. That’s one extreme and the other extreme is when your designer doesn’t consider any of the client’s input. Then you have results that you don’t want because it’s not the project that you envisioned in your mind. Alty can balance their input and our input strongly. They listen carefully and then they add their experience on top of our ideas.

Is there anything Alty could have improved or done differently?

I think it’s the time that they need to finish a project. In my opinion, they’re not very fast, but maybe it’s a downside of their detailed approach. They try to find out as much as they can about an area, and they work to do a lot of interviews with our customers and bank branch managers. Those efforts are time consuming. They do a lot of testing and that’s also time consuming. I wish that everything was a bit faster, but I’m not sure if it’s possible. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization. What is your role and responsibilities?

I'm the CEO of a startup that developed VOX music player. We developed a Mac version and are expanding to iOS and Android. We are experiencing rapid growth and focusing on transitioning our business to a subscription service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Alty?

Our goal with Alty was to find an iOS application development team who could meet tight deadlines. We were having a hard time finding a good partner who could really fit in well with our team.

Please describe the scope of their work.

We initially designed an application for Mac, and Alty's role was to write the code and bring it to life on the iOS platform.

SOLUTION

What was your process for selecting Alty with which to work?

We looked at other companies, but Alty already had some experience with music-related iOS applications. They were already familiar with certain challenging aspects of the process due to their previous work on other projects. They drafted a beta version of our app so quickly that we immediately signed them to a contract. We started out with a short trial to see if they could provide us with a substantial product in two weeks, and they did. They gave us a very good prototype. So, we realized they knew what they were doing.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative in dollar terms or a personnel work-hour figure?

The range of the project was between $10,000 and $50,000. We worked with Alty for seven months. We had some issues on our end with design, so some weeks there was no work and other months were work heavy.

When was the work completed?

The app was completed this past April. It was a limited time partnership. We initially hired them to do only the iOS version. We've actually just started talking about the Android version, so we'll see how far it goes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Is there anything unique or special about Alty that really makes them stand out compared to other business partners?

We liked that not only did Alty execute the task at hand, they also thought creatively. Sometimes, they suggested some alternative solutions to our original design. They suggested some new things, and there were many times when their suggestions were the best solution. Alty did their job, and they overperformed. We really appreciated their attitude.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

There was a minor issue when we had a couple of months with very low amount of work to be done on their end. They switched to another project and, when we needed them, it was a very slow switch back to our project. So, this led to a small window of time that they were slow on their reaction on our tasks. However, when they were back on track, everything was fine.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization. What is your role and responsibilities?

I'm the CEO of a company that designs and develops software for mobile devices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Alty?

My team was trying to build software quickly while maintaining new levels of innovation that will enable us to compete and win in the market.

Please describe the scope of their work.

The work provided for us by Alty was mostly software development and development strategy.

SOLUTION

What was your process for selecting Alty with which to work?

We considered many different companies before Alty. Even in the initial phases of partnering with Alty we were utilizing different development teams. Eventually, we ended up moving pretty much all our business to Alty. They had a real understanding of the challenges that are in front of people that are trying to build mobile solutions and really trying to think as part of their team. 

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative in dollar terms or a personnel work-hour figure?

At this point, our partnership with Alty has been $200,000 plus.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Is there anything unique or special about Alty that really makes them stand out compared to other business partners?

The Alty team has a real commitment to contributing ideas as well as guiding our development strategy. They're able to add value around what we're trying to build. As on offshore partner, they work hard to respect our time zone and the English support was pretty good.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

Every team can improve, although I don't have anything specific for Alty.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization. What is your role and responsibilities?

I'm the CEO and co-founder of CityHour, an application designed to help business professionals develop their networks. CityHour allows people around the world to search for specific types of business professionals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Alty?

The goal we had coming into our partnership with Alty was centered on designing and developing an innovative and popular mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was your process for selecting Alty with which to work?

We started out with a pool of several prospective companies who specialize in mobile development. We ended up selecting Alty because of their commitment to quality. We saw their history of delivering awesome products, and we heard good reviews from Alty's previous customers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Are you satisfied with their performance?

Yes. Alty is really there for you, and they put in the work to make sure everyone succeeds. They are great guys who are really easy to work with.

Is there anything unique or special about Alty that really makes them stand out compared to other business partners?

Nothing was difficult about working with Alty. They sometimes had to work on weekends, or wake up early to answer calls, which was never an issue for them. They proved they can deliver a high-quality product. They also have a personal touch that is crucial to helping founders achieve their goals. Their work ethic is unbelievable.

What advice would you give to future clients of theirs?

I was looking at developers mainly in Eastern Europe. In the Ukraine, if you want quality mobile app development, you go to Alty. There is no number two or number three – just Alty. 

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

The only thing I would say is that Alty could increase their team size. Alty already has quality people, and adding more will only benefit them and their clients. For example, when we were working with Alty, they didn't have Android developers, so they were only delivering iPhone mobile applications. I have heard that since our partnership they added several great Android developers.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization. What is your role and responsibilities?

I'm the co-founder of a mobile-based startup that focuses on providing users a method of tracking all of their travel documents through their mobile. Our app will be useful for any international traveler. It caters to an expatriate, student, business traveler, or any tourist. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Alty?

We needed to come up with a UI/UX [user interface/user experience] design that we were happy with. Working with Alty we wanted them to help improve the front-end design of our original app to help improve functionality. Once we made the updates, our hopes were to release it again to the Android and iOS app stores.

Please describe the scope of their work.

Initially partnering with Alty, we were only going to utilize them to redesign the front end and improve the UX/UI design. After the initial front-end project, we decided to move our back-end development to Alty.

SOLUTION

What was your process for selecting Alty with which to work?

We were referred to Alty by colleagues of ours. In this process, we evaluated a couple of other companies. Based on Alty's proposal and some of the work they had done for others, we thought their design capabilities were more appealing. We also thought they were a good value for the money.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative in dollar terms or a personnel work-hour figure?

Once the project finished, the final cost was approximately $200,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Is there anything unique or special about Alty that really makes them stand out compared to other business partners?

Alty's design is pretty sleek. The appreciation that I have from the users is that it's very cool, very appealing, and the design is very easy to use.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

Alty is great. I have no complaints. They are a little small, so it works for me personally because we're just a startup, and it's easy to work with them. The only thing is whether they'll be able to sustain the same thing if they grow in size.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President and Owner of Cashflow.io

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Automates digital payments and trade financing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Alty to accomplish?

• Our team collaborated with Alty to revamp our IT infrastructure and overhaul our outdated website, aiming to gain a competitive edge. Our primary focus was to differentiate ourselves from other accounting firms by delivering our services efficiently and effectively through various online platforms and communication channels

SOLUTION

How did you find Alty?

Online Search

Why did you select Alty over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Alty were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Following the commencement of our partnership, Alty promptly presented us with a detailed timeline of deliverables and consistently demonstrated their availability for any inquiries we had. They began by revamping our website, successfully incorporating an effective SEO system that led to a significant increase in online leads. Moreover, they developed an online platform that granted our customers easy access to their data on our secure servers, ensuring a user-friendly and intuitive interface. Additionally, they constructed a robust network system enabling both our clients and team members to access accounting software remotely, thereby enhancing overall efficiency and convenience.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

As a result of the SEO implementation and website redesign, we observed a remarkable 50% surge in customer leads, subsequently leading to an expansion of our client base. The introduction of remote access significantly improved collaboration between our team members and clients, enabling efficient and prompt communication. This increased accessibility allowed us to offer timely accounting and bookkeeping support to our clients whenever needed, greatly enhancing the overall value of our services. Moreover, the platform has been functioning flawlessly, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free user experience for all parties involved

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Alty's team consistently showcased a high level of expertise, professionalism, and open lines of communication throughout the project. They set achievable timelines and delivered on their promises while maintaining an ongoing commitment to troubleshooting and addressing any issues, even after the project had been completed. Their dedication to providing excellent service has been truly commendable.

What was your primary form of communication with Alty?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Initially, we approached Alty with a mere concept and lacked the technical know-how to bring our vision to fruition. Their team offered us insightful guidance on how to effectively transform our services into a remote format, which proved to be instrumental in the project's success. Had we not heeded their invaluable advice, we would not have been able to achieve our desired outcomes. In the end, our collaboration with Alty resulted in a truly triumphant project.

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

The entire experience was nothing short of outstanding. We are deeply grateful for your unwavering assistance throughout this project!