Angry Nerds

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We’re a company that designs and manufactures human interface components. We provide keypads, rotary switches, joysticks, and other types of input devices that can be fully customized and integrated with interface panels. My position is a Software Project Leader and I’m part of the business unit responsible for advanced components.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We reached out to Angry Nerds because we needed a partner with profound UI expertise. We wanted to build a user interface design application for our hardware, that would make it possible to create custom interfaces for one of our flag devices – a multipurpose encoder that is a combination of a touchscreen, a keypad, and a rotary switch.

We had our own version of the application that we had made internally, but we weren’t happy with it and we decided to outsource this part of the project.

SOLUTION

How did you select Angry Nerds and what were the deciding factors?

I sent the scope of the project to 3-4 companies and compared the estimates. Angry Nerds weren’t the cheapest, but they provided a very detailed estimation that clearly demonstrated they have the expertise we need.

Their portfolio also confirmed they’re capable of handling our project. I appreciate how responsive they are – I talked directly with the CEO via chat, exchanged some emails, and within 1 or 2 days I got the estimate. It was really quick!

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

The application will be used by a user to configure the interface in the device and customize it for a particular application. Angry Nerds provided the UX/UI design and software development services.

I really appreciate the team’s proactive approach and all their suggestions throughout the project - some of their ideas were exactly on point and we're happy they could be added to the implementation.

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

From the Angry Nerds side, there was a Project Manager, two developers, and a UX/UI designer. We had also a kickoff meeting with the Co-Founders, the PM, and the designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As the project is ongoing, the final release to the customers is still before us. But I can already say that the project will have a great impact on our business and there’s a huge demand for it.

The app will make our solutions easier and quicker to integrate – and the more accessible it gets, the more companies find it useful. Thanks to the intuitiveness of the application, everyone – from intern-level to senior - will be able to get the hardware up and running in no time.

It will be extremely beneficial for overall customer satisfaction, and we predict that our sales will increase significantly once the app is ready.

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

The project is divided into sprints, we have regular online meetings and there’s a timeline we follow, which is very effective. I really love the transparency – I can see the code repository, pull requests, code commits, everything that is happening in the project. We have also a board with all the tasks and due dates.

What I particularly appreciate is the flexibility - the specification we provided wasn’t complete, it was more of a definition of where we are and where we want to be, so it was clear there would be some changes during the development. Angry Nerds handled it very well.

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

I’m very impressed with the UX/UI design team. They’ve done an excellent job, and comparing their skills with other companies I had worked with over the years, I can definitely say that Angry Nerds are experts when it comes to user interface applications. I also appreciate the fact that I could verify the UI design with an interactive prototype before we started the development phase.

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

There were some little slips on the timeline, but it’s common for projects like this. It’s not always easy to estimate the effort accurately, especially when the specification changes with time, and the initial scope was not detailed enough. The responsibility for any delays always rests on both sides.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We’re a startup that provides a predictive dashboard for football clubs. We help analysts and coaches to prepare their next games. I am a co-founder and COO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Angry Nerds to help us build the frontend for the first version of the app. We already had the design, we needed to develop the frontend in Angular to connect to our API on the backend. The main goal for the project was to build the first iteration of the product quickly, to get early feedback from our partner clubs Timing was crucial for us because we wanted to have the prototype in time for the new season.

SOLUTION

How did you select Angry Nerds and what were the deciding factors?

We first asked a few design agencies to quote for this because we wanted to make sure the app looked good. One of the agencies recommended Angry Nerds because they worked together in the past and were very satisfied with their collaboration. Being an early-stage startup, our main criteria were time and budget – we needed to ship our first version quickly while keeping the costs low. Angry Nerds’ proposal was very competitive on both counts, so we ended up following the other agency’s recommendation by choosing Angry Nerds for this project.

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

Our platform is a Progressive Web App for football analysts. When they log into the app, they choose the game they want to analyze and have access to all kinds of insights - stats, trends, predictions - about how the opposition is likely to play, and what changes the coach is going to make during the game. Every time the user chooses a particular scenario, our predictions need to update, so the app needed to be highly interactive. This is where Angry Nerds came into play, building the frontend in Angular based on the designs from the agency, making sure the user experience was as smooth as possible.

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

On Angry Nerds’ side, there was a Project Manager and two developers. On our side, we had 3 people building the backend, plus me as the Product Owner.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were speaking to a lot of investors and doing a lot of demos for clubs at the time, so having access to a static website really early in the process really made a difference. Today, clubs use our platform daily so the project helped us develop our business.

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

At first, our main point of contact was the PM, with Slack as our main communication channel. After a couple of weeks, we extended it to daily meetings and direct communication with the development team, which greatly improved the workflow. Overall, project management and communication were good. Daily standups were crucial to make sure we didn’t deviate too far from the agreed timeline.

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

Being a startup, their flexibility in terms of pricing and timing was a great advantage. This was key for us as we knew the requirements of the project were likely to evolve over time. We really appreciated that Angry Nerds was able to adapt to our changing needs.

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

Towards the end of the project, we missed a few deadlines. We kept pushing some dates back, which was frustrating. But this was also partly due to the character of the project and how it evolved as we progressed. Despite these timing issues, we were satisfied with the collaboration because the quality of the deliverables was still high.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is an international restaurant operator, mainly a franchiser holder and also a franchisor of numerous well-known brands. I am an HR Digital Innovations Manager, responsible for HR systems for our restaurants and franchisees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Angry Nerds?

We commissioned Angry Nerds to develop an HR system for managing employee data of the franchised restaurants.

What were your goals for this project?

For our direct employees, we have a central database integrated with every new system in the company. We needed a similar solution for the franchise employees – that was basically the main goal of the project. It’s directly connected with our long-term goals of expanding our franchise.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We sent out a Request for Proposal and collected offers from several companies. The proposal submitted by Angry Nerds was attractive and we had a very satisfying experience working with them on a different project, so we decided to trust them with this one as well.

The previous experience was a vital asset, as we wanted to avoid the necessity to familiarize a new partner with our specific workflow and company structure. Angry Nerds already knew all that and could go straight into action.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Angry Nerds designed and developed a comprehensive HR system to manage the employee data. The project consisted of two modules: an interface to create, edit and remove data (GUI), and a central database to collect all the information. Angry Nerds covered all aspects of the project: design, front-end development and back-end development.

What was the team composition?

On our side, there was a Business Owner, an IT Project Manager, a Security Director and a Database Manager, whereas on the Angry Nerds’ side there was a Team Leader, two Back-end Developers, a Front-end Developer and a Designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is yet to be finished, but we’re satisfied with the deliverables so far and, we already see that the results will perfectly meet our requirements. Having this system will eventually play a significant role in our company, facilitating the implementation of all the other solutions. This mechanism will undoubtedly drive our franchise, making our plans for future growth much easier to fulfil.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project is agile-driven, and there is continuous and direct communication between us over MS Teams, where we also share documentation and feedback. Every week, there is an update call when we discuss the project status. The communication is seamless, and we appreciate the possibility to get in touch whenever it’s needed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We really value their flexibility and openness, especially in these challenging times for our industry (with the impact of the pandemic). Angry Nerds are always eager to work out a solution that will be beneficial for us. They also quickly react to our feedback - I was involved in part of the tests as well, and we never waited too long for any changes or fixes, and the team always made sure everything was in line with our needs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There’s nothing serious to improve. We had a minor communication issue when there was a change in the team composition, but it didn’t affect the development.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The company provides Business Intelligence tools for the automotive industry. I’m the Co-Founder and Business Development Manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Angry Nerds?

We wanted to build an application that will monitor, analyze and visualize data from the vehicles in logistics centers. The app was supposed to collect the data, organize and process it, as well as present it in an accessible way through reports and visualizations.

What were your goals for this project?

The project is crucial for our business to succeed. The main goal of the first stage was to refine the idea and build an MVP. Later, we focused on the development of a complete software solution for a particular customer.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We did some research among software development companies located in Wroclaw. We had three essential criteria: the quality of communication, the level of UX skills and pricing. Angry Nerds clearly stood out among other IT companies in our area and proved to fulfill our needs perfectly.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

With a comprehensive approach to the project, Angry Nerds built a software solution that meets all our objectives. At the beginning of the project, we concentrated on pure mathematics and all data-related aspects – to lay a solid foundation for software architecture.

Next, we worked on the UX/UI design and customer-centric approach. The final key element of the project was the database and data visualization. I would like to emphasize their commitment to the project from the very beginning.

During the MVP phase, Angry Nerds proposed and tested several technologies and helped us choose the optimal solution. Later, they continued on actively suggesting what would be the best for us, and we’ve always seen them as a reliable partner.

What was the team composition?

There’s a dedicated developer for the whole project, which we appreciate enormously. Depending on the stage of the project, there was also another developer and a UX/UI designer collaborating, as well as a Project Manager. As the project is ongoing, the team may be extended in the future. All the members of the team are experienced and I am sure we can trust them with our project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our business is thriving. The app definitely contributed to the interest from the customers, and as a result – an increase of our income.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project has been managed in accordance with all the best practices. Each week we have a demo and plan the work for the upcoming sprint. Apart from the meetings, we’re in constant communication online, so if there’s an urgent matter, it’s solved quickly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The key characteristic I see in Angry Nerds is their flexibility. They were open to any modifications in the project, reacted quickly to the changing requirements and easily adapted to the new situation. I really appreciate how thoughtful and open-minded they are towards our needs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There’s hardly anything to improve. If I were them, perhaps I’d make it a rule that every quarter there’s a review meeting of the project, where they can suggest any improvements, in a more global way, than we do it during the weekly demos. It’s by no means a downside, and as I mentioned previously, we already talk through the status of the project regularly. Generally, I feel Angry Nerds are among top-class software development companies.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The company provides products and services optimizing the processes in the automotive industry. I am the Product Owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Angry Nerds?

We were looking for a software development partner with a strong background in product design to help us with the rebranding and front-end development of our website and the products in our portfolio.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goals were to improve the exposition and performance of our company and the services we offer, boost the brand image and provide our customers with top-class user experience.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We did a thorough research online, looking for a partner that would match the ideal profile – a company not too big, so our project won’t get lost among hundreds of others, and not too small, so we can be sure they can handle it. We wanted to work with a medium-sized, reliable software development shop, with product design experience and solid technical background – Angry Nerds met all these requirements perfectly. We’re glad we’ve chosen them as our partner in this project.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Angry Nerds are responsible for the redesign and front-end development of our company’s website and the portfolio of our digital products. The project is ongoing, but they already delivered top-notch services, beginning with a comprehensive UX/UI approach and delightful designs, through advanced front-end development, up to constant support during the whole project.

When we had to make some modifications to the project due to changes in the business requirements, Angry Nerds were very flexible and supportive. They actively suggested improvements to the initial specification and always aimed to provide the optimal solution for both the users and our business. We loved their ideas and happily agreed to implement them in the final designs.

What was the team composition?

The team consists of a Project Manager (and a Scrum Master at some point), a Front-end Developer, a UX/UI Designer – and me, as the Product Owner. The communication goes smoothly, as I am directly in touch with the whole team and we can always address any urgent issues immediately.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re very happy about the results of our collaboration with Angry Nerds so far. The new version of our website and the redesigned portfolio attract more customers and have a significant impact on our business. We receive a lot of praise from our clients, who are really satisfied with the user- friendly approach they get right now.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

In the beginning, the project was managed in Scrum, with a dedicated Scrum Master. I found Scrum really effective in our case, as it helped to structure the tasks for the team and every aspect of the project was very well-organized. Later, due to some personal changes, we switched to agile project management coordinated by a Project Manager. For the current stage of the project it works fine, but we plan to switch back to Scrum soon.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their design skills are top-class. Angry Nerds are a truly committed and experienced team - and they’re simply friendly, so it’s a real pleasure working with them. They’re easy-going and at the same time strongly involved in everything they do. The communication was always transparent and on- point.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Looking back to the kick-off of the project, I think we should have done a workshop or a design sprint before starting the actual work. It might have helped to shape our vision and prevent the numerous changes we made on the way. I know Angry Nerds conduct such workshops before starting some of their projects, so I would definitely opt for making it a standard in every project they undertake.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

FastAuth helps make the U.S. healthcare system more accessible and efficient by automating the insurance verification and prior authorization process. Our customers are hospitals and physician groups. I am the Founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Angry Nerds?

Angry Nerds has helped us from the beginning, from the validating technical feasibility to developing a solution that is now live with customers. I’ve been impressed with the team’s ability to tackle one of the most complex processes in the U.S. healthcare industry.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to develop an application that we can demonstrate to clients and launch our solution with our early adopters.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The most important criteria for me was communication and finding someone who will be very supportive towards our mission. As a non-technical founder, I was seeking a partner that I could lean on, provide valuable feedback and improvements, and have strong communication skills. Angry Nerds has been all of that. The owners and development team are genuinely nice to talk to, and I felt we’ve built a friendship. We are in constant communication over Slack and have calls one to two times per week.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The aim of the project is to create a platform to make it easier for patients to get access to healthcare and facilitate the prior authorization process faster. Based on our requirements, Angry Nerds has built the front-end and back-end architecture of an enterprise software solution. Our collaboration is ongoing, so right now we’re focused on the development a more scalable solution as we onboard our initial customers.

What was the team composition?

The initial contact was with the company’s co-founder who supported the take-off of the project. The team is composed of a Project Manager, a Front-end Developer and a Back-end Developer. The PM acts as the main point of contact, but I can also communicate directly with the developers, which is extremely efficient. We operate in one-week sprints, which allows us to test and iterate on features quickly. I receive new releases almost daily and bugs are typically addressed within 24 hours.

I lean on the development team for their suggestions on feature enhancements, improvements to UI, and prioritizing the product roadmap. The team is well-organized, utilizing project management software to develop the product roadmap and Slack for communication. I feel like a have a truly committed team by my side which is exactly what I need as the solo founder trying to succeed with my business.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is ongoing, but I’m very pleased with progress we made so far. Our product is in use with our early adopters and customers are asking for proposals. The application is getting better and better, and I'm confident it will reduce the inefficiencies of the U.S. healthcare system.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

In the beginning, we faced some challenges as there was no dedicated Project Manager to start, but since adding a PM to the team, the workflow and communication has been great. The project management is agile-driven, based on one-week sprints which is very efficient. The Project Manager is doing a good job, coordinating all the meetings, structuring the project’s requirements, establishing the tasks and managing the sprints. He acts as the main point of contact and helps organize the communication for the team.

I can also communicate directly with the developers, so everything runs smoothly. For daily communication we use Slack, but there’s also an additional project management software to keep track of the development in a more structured way. We’re in daily communication. The developers typically fix bugs within 24 hours and releasing new version of the app almost daily. I’m also very satisfied with the transparency into time-management – I can clearly see how the hours and resources are allocated and keep track of the project’s development.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their partnership and commitment. I really appreciate the close collaboration with the dedicated team. I know exactly who is working on the product, and I see they truly care about FastAuth and the product’s success. It’s great to work in such a supportive environment. Angry Nerds is a nimble company, and I appreciate the access I have to the co-founders and their ability to move quickly to meet our needs.

I would absolutely recommend them to anyone looking for a software development partner, for both short- and long-term projects. Angry Nerds has proven they can handle one of the most complex problems in U.S. healthcare, and I am confident they have the expertise to take on any sort of application development.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There isn’t much to improve. I can see they’re growing quickly, and I hope they’ll stay true to the way they built their company and make sure there are senior-level experts available to check on the critical issues in the project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a mobile app company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Angry Nerds?

We hired Angry Nerds to develop our app for iOS and Android platforms. They based the app on designs we provided.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a bug-free version of our app developed by skilled IT specialists.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We contacted about 20 different development companies and Angry Nerds had the most attractive offer.

Describe the project in detail.

We gave Angry Nerds about 300 designs and UI/UX animations for iOS and Android to use as a base for their development. They developed the app based on these expectations and configured screen functions exactly as we'd requested.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of two skilled iOS and Android developers, a project manager, and an experienced QA manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In the first three weeks, the app was downloaded 1,500 times between the App Store and Google Play. We received almost 100 five-star ratings from uses. Angry Nerds was the right partner to work with.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We stayed in touch constantly online. They organized meetings each week where we analyzed the effects of recent work and planned upcoming work.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were impressed by the experience and solutions provided by their team. Their valuable tips and ideas made the project smooth and efficient.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I find it difficult to point out any areas for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am an account manager for an app development agency based in the Netherlands. Our company is one of the first development agencies in the country. We focus mainly on the first stages of native app development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Angry Nerds?

I want to work with partners who can think along with me and help me obtain clients and maintain those relationships. It can be difficult for companies like ours to source developers, so we have been working with partners around the globe. During moments of crisis, we can also keep budgets low using this approach. We got in touch with Angry Nerds when we needed to develop a hybrid app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Angry Nerds is one of our partners for outsourced development and QA. Angry Nerds' first project with us used Cordova, which was chosen for budget reasons on the client's side. We are only focusing on Xamarin apps at the moment, but we have also developed two native ones. I have global knowledge around our technology, but the specific development is handled by Angry Nerds. We have also considered developing in React Native, but its maintenance is dependent on Facebook. Xamarin is being developed by Microsoft and has more potential for the future, which is why Angry Nerds is focusing on it.

Depending on the project size and Angry Nerds' availability, we will use between two and four developers concurrently. The demand for Xamarin resources is bigger than they can handle. I understand that the whole team consists of three Xamarin developers, who are generally booked by us. We are considering getting a dedicated two-person team from Angry Nerds for native development. They will handle the maintenance of projects which were developed by other partners. We are convinced by their capabilities for creating and maintaining native apps.

How did you come to work with Angry Nerds?

We had worked with other Polish companies and found the mentality in that region to be similar to ours. Their ways of working, thinking, and expressing feelings were largely the same as the Netherlands, namely straight and to the point. 

We searched on the Internet, found companies which seemed capable of the work, and went through some trial projects. When we were satisfied with the results, we assigned the first project.

How much have you invested with Angry Nerds?

The cost of Angry Nerds' work has been around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Angry Nerds in March or April 2016. The relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There is a difference between Xamarin and native development. Angry Nerds has never started a native project from scratch, but we are very satisfied with their performance to maintain and optimize projects created by other development companies. One of our projects had some issues around design, and the CRM [customer relationship management] did not turn out how we wanted, but Angry Nerds was open to improving it and helped us satisfy the client.

How did Angry Nerds perform from a project management standpoint?

Angry Nerds had been missing a middleman for Xamarin development projects, and they have recently hired a project manager. Besides our two developers, we needed someone who could communicate deadlines, quality assessments, and other items we needed to be aware of. Because Angry Nerds' owners are developers themselves and didn't have someone who could manage schedules and communication properly, we've had some quality issues. There was time pressure on both of our sides, so the results were not always great. We can't fully blame Angry Nerds since we didn't communicate our full expectations. Had we done this from the start, everyone would have been able to work through projects. We have had discussions about the process and came up with solutions together. Everyone makes mistakes, but what matters is how those mistakes are corrected. Angry Nerds has hired a project manager who will be able to provide documentation around our processes and showed they were able to think alongside and together with this project manager, which we think will smooth out the process.

We use our own instances of Basecamp and JIRA. Angry Nerds uses Team Foundation Server internally. We had a discussion around this since we had never worked with it ourselves. We find JIRA to be an overall better tool, but Angry Nerds convinced us that TFS is optimal for creating Windows or Xamarin-based projects, so we are trying to use it at the moment.

What did you find most impressive about Angry Nerds?

Angry Nerds has the ability to think along with our own team. This is something we ask of each partner, but they've shown it proactively. Besides this, the owners of Angry Nerds are very easygoing people. They're nice to talk to, which makes doing business easier for us. Angry Nerds wants to do the best work possible for a project, even if that ends up costing them money.

Are there any areas Angry Nerds could improve?

They are still a startup company with a small, 12-person experienced team. We are trying to help them grow by establishing a more efficient relationship, helping ourselves in the process. Communication between our project manager and theirs is an improvement point, but this is being planned at the moment. Angry Nerds has hired someone for the task. Besides this, I'm very satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Peschkedesign is an international design agency focusing on product design, web development, and application development. I’m the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Angry Nerds?

We aren’t programmers; we are mainly user experience designers and project managers. We needed the whole app development process. Angry Nerds is our partner for developing what we design and what we think will work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

What we do is keep in contact with the client, handle project management and app, website, and software design. The development process is outsourced to Angry Nerds. One of their lead developers is the person we talk to, and he’s in charge of all the projects we do with them. One of the current projects we are doing together is app development for iOS and Android for a big German company. We’ve been working on that project for about one-and-a-half years now.

Our projects are native programs using C# or Java for Android. The current project is based on Microsoft Azure, but I don’t know what other technologies they use for backend development.

How did you come to work with Angry Nerds?

Before them, we were working together with a company in Slovakia, and it turned out that the workload was too much for them. We then looked around for new partners and came across a web development project that Angry Nerds did for somebody we knew. We did research about them and arranged a meeting, and have been working together with them since then.

How much have you invested with Angry Nerds?

It’s been around €200,000 [US $213,250].

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2015. Our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As UI/UX [user interface/user experience] designers and graphic designers, it is crucial for us that the designs we deliver come to life 100%. What’s really great about Angry Nerds is that they focus on the designs. As a developer, they give you useful feedback. Communication between designers and developers is like two different languages, but with them, this is not the case. In the past, we experienced trouble explaining our designs to the developers.

What is great about Angry Nerds is that we can show the designs to them, they give us their input which is 99% valid, and then we can change the designs and adapt them. What we get back at the end of the project is 100% what we designed, and this makes a quality impression towards our clients. That’s the most important thing to point out. If there are extra wishes we have, they are flexible with that. In the end, what counts for us, and also for them, is giving the client a quality product, and that’s what we are both aiming for. This makes working together very nice and successful.

How did Angry Nerds perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication is always good. There have been changes to deadlines, but that’s normal. If there’s more work to do, it’s obvious that it’s going to take longer, but this is always communicated. Their reaction time to our questions or remarks is great. We have no complaints project management-wise.

We have personal meetings, which aren’t often, but it’s possible if needed. If we tell them that we need to see them, they drive down from Poland to Vienna. Otherwise, we use Skype and Microsoft Team Foundation Server for task and project management, and also different web meeting tools.

What did you find most impressive about Angry Nerds?

What’s impressive is the good communication and flexibility that they have. Those are the most important points for me.

Are there any areas Angry Nerds could improve?

Everybody can improve every day, but it’s hard to say what they can improve upon. To be honest, there’s nothing to mention which really matters.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

PazZing is a startup that’s developing a new mobile service for sharing and exploring geo-located digital content. I'm the founder and CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Angry Nerds?

Our app targets the need for a better social application for sharing and exploring geo-located digital content. Pokémon Go has proven that there is a need but it has not created a platform where the users can also contribute and share content.

As a startup, we needed a development partner that could implement our first prototype based on an early specification and a completed first design. This is a unique solution, so implementation speed was important for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Angry Nerds has developed the entire end-to-end solution according to our specification and is now operating it while we are piloting its use in the alpha phase.

We have a global ambition for this application, so security was essential. This has been properly designed into the architecture detailed by the vendor.

This first version of the software is now in an Android alpha version and will evolve into a beta version that will be used by our initial users in the summer of 2017. We also plan to implement the iPhone version once the beta version is approved.

How did you come to work with Angry Nerds?

We evaluated five different development houses in Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, and Romania, and decided to go with Angry Nerds because they scored the highest in scope versus price, and proved they had a strong background and capability.

Angry Nerds managed to develop both the MVP [minimum viable product] for the mobile app and the backend in just nine weeks, as promised, which was over 30% faster than what their competitor estimated and half the time of the slowest bid we received.

How much have you invested with Angry Nerds?

The cost of Angry Nerds' work was $14,000 for our two-month pilot project. We received a special price since Angry Nerds' team was eager to work with a Scandinavian client. The ongoing work has added another $10,000, making the total $24,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We selected Angry Nerds for the work in December 2016, and the development started over the course of January 2017. The pilot version of our app was supposed to be delivered on February 28th, but we had a two to three-day delay. We have an ongoing relationship with Angry Nerds.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our solution had been at a pre-MVP stage, and this was the first working deliverable we've had. It consists of a Microsoft Azure backend and an Android frontend. We've continued improving the platform even after it was delivered. There have been 20 people testing it, and there's been testing on our side as well. We've identified 30–40 bugs, which have been handled within a week or two.

The basis for the development has been a set of 20 user stories, and we've developed 15 screens for the application, with the main one being a map.

How did Angry Nerds perform from a project management standpoint?

Angry Nerds has performed very well. They have honored the specifications, provided valuable feedback, and proposed improvements during the entire project.

All promised features got implemented on their initial version and within the promised time frame and budget. We had a fixed-price offer based on a fairly thorough specification and design document. We had a close collaboration with weekly follow-up meetings and full transparency using Microsoft Visual Team Studio Services. This was very much appreciated as it gave us good insight into the actual status of the development activities.

Because we had a complete specification and design, we have not yet seen much of their design capabilities yet.

Angry Nerds has run the project as a series of one-week sprints. We had regular meetings on Monday, and also some on Friday for work reviews. There have been three people engaged in our project: one frontend and one backend developer, as well as a project manager. I have also visited Angry Nerds at their office and saw that there was an actual team behind the name.

What did you find most impressive about Angry Nerds?

The best part of Angry Nerds' work has been their speed. It was quite impressive to launch the product in only two months. Their backend development is particularly strong, including the setup of our service on the Azure cloud and the security scheme of the infrastructure. Angry Nerds is also strong in building mobile apps. They have delivered a fully-functioning product.

Are there any areas Angry Nerds could improve?

I haven't seen much of Angry Nerds' work on the design side, so I'm not sure if this is a strong point for them. They told me that their designer has been away for a few weeks, but we gave them fully-designed material anyway.