Apadmi

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I know Apadmi through Nuggets. Nuggets will serve as loyalty card application for professional football [soccer] clubs.

What is your position?

I'm a small shareholder in Nuggets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Apadmi?

We had a lot of pressure related to turnaround time so we needed somebody who was going to deliver a loyalty mobile application on time, in budget, and basically to the highest possible standards. We were targeting clubs in the English Premier League and in the top divisions in Europe, so we had to be absolutely certain that when we went to market, we had a technical solution that was going to work.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Apadmi’s role was very critical from Nuggets' point of view. Essentially we had designed the concept. We knew what we were trying to achieve in terms of the business goal, but what we needed was a partner who could actually come in and make the technology work, and make sure it was robust. We needed a partner that could do that under pressure.

How did you come to work with Apadmi?

We probably spoke to about half a dozen different companies and then shortlisted three. We're a Manchester-based company, as are Apadmi, and Apadmi had a very good reputation locally in terms of the work that they'd done for the BBC and The Guardian newspaper.

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

This cost over £200,000 [$257,600].

What is the status of this engagement?

The project is still in a relatively early stage because we're still going to market. We're still in the process of negotiating with clubs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The demonstrations we've been able to do using the Apadmi app have been absolutely pivotal in helping us to gain the contracts that we have so far.

What makes Apadmi an overall good business partner?

I think that there are a number of aspects. One is that they are outstanding at what they do in terms of their ability to produce a creative solution that met our needs. There were no issues in terms of their technical capability; it was right up to our expectations, on time, and essentially within budget.

In terms of the interpersonal relationships, given that we were up against some fairly tight deadlines, things can get a little bit fractious, the Apadmi team are fantastic people to work with. We had a great working relationship. It was very much a two-way street. Apadmi very much has a can-do attitude, if there's a problem to be solved, they solved it. They became fully integrated as part of our team.

Apadmi was always open minded and very creative when it came to resolving issues and solving problems but never compromised on quality standards. They're absolutely rigid in terms of quality – they will not drop below standards. Everything has to be tested and tested and tested. No corners are cut, which is fantastic in the long run. As I said, no compromise on quality, a great deal of flexibility, willingness to work alongside, you feel – it's like you have an in-house team. They feel very much part of us and have been really an integral part of our offering.

Is there anything Apadmi could have improved or done differently?

I genuinely don't think there is anything so far. I've worked over the years with contractors in IT and in other areas, project management, and Apadmi is pretty rare in terms of the contribution that they've made so far. It's been outstanding in every aspect.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We’re a membership organization based in the U.K., but open to members all around the world. Our focus is radiology and allied sciences, so our membership includes radiation technicians, medical assistants, radiologists, and the like. The organization runs various educational programs for our members, and we have a publication arm, where I work. We produce four journals and a handful of books each year.

What is your position?

I’m the head of publishing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenge that you were attempting to address when you first approached Apadmi?

The app that we asked them to work on for us was related to one of our publishing products. We were producing a new edition of a book that we had published in the past, which was a guide for people taking one of the consultancy exams required to become a qualified radiologist. It’s a question and answer, multiple-choice kind of book, and we wanted to publish it in both print and an app format.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of their actual involvement in detail?

We scoped out the document for the project together with Apadmi. We gave our requirements to them, and from that they did all of the technical building of the app. We don’t have the resources to do this in-house. We’d never produced an app before, so it was quite a steep learning curve for us. Apadmi was able to advise us on things that could and couldn’t be done. On the whole, everything that we wanted was done, but they were able to help us tweak some of our requirements, so things would work better in an app format.

How did you come to choose Apadmi as your partner?

We contacted lots of different suppliers. We put together a full tender process, and we asked various companies to submit bids. Apadmi was one of the vendors that we short-listed, and we called them in for an interview. They impressed us more than the others, so we chose them to work with.

Can you provide a ballpark figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

We’ve spent somewhere in the region of £20,000 [approximately $31,000] working with Apadmi. They gave us a good deal because we’re a nonprofit organization.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work is pretty much finished now because the app was launched in October 2014. Our agreement with them was that they would build the project, and we would then have a period after the release for them to fix any bugs that might pop up. Once that period was up, we would be charged for any further changes to the app, but it is static and should not require updating.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance?

We’ve been quite pleased with the number of downloads that we have had, but I haven’t got any specific metrics to share. There weren’t any bugs after launch. We had a thorough testing process prior to launch, and we managed to iron out all of the bugs then.

When working with Apadmi, is there anything that you would consider unique about their practice that distinguishes them from other vendors?

I was impressed with the professionalism of their staff. They were very much on the ball and focused on the project. They delivered on time and on budget, and they were very communicative. They gave us regular updates throughout the project, and they were available for calls when something came up that they needed to discuss with us. We’re all very pleased with the end product, and we’ve had very positive feedback.

In retrospect, are there areas in which you think they could improve as a service provider?

The scoping wasn’t as detailed as it probably should have been. I think they could have spent a little more time rolling out the kinks and understanding what we were trying to do. It probably would’ve made a difference when it came to the development process. That’s my only recommendation.

What advice, if any, would you give a future client of theirs?

I would advise them to be sure that every T is crossed and I is dotted in the early scoping stage. It’s important to have a well-defined plan before you begin building something, otherwise you run the risk of building something you don’t necessarily need, or you miss an opportunity to add a vital feature.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization and your role.

I’m head of the Web team at a major British museum. The Web team runs Web and mobile projects for the museum. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal with the work with Apadmi?

We had one of our major special exhibitions called Pompeii and Herculaneum. It’s the life and death of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and we wanted a companion app for the exhibition for iOS and Android. We had a short time to process where we asked six or seven agencies to tender, and we selected Apadmi through that process. They developed the app for us. 

SOLUTION

Can you describe the scope of their work in more detail?

We gave them close guidelines of what we wanted to achieve. We have a brand design and flash design guidelines that we gave them. Apadmi designed the how it works and the general user interfaces.

Which platforms did you develop the app for?

We released the iOS version first. Then, a couple of weeks later, the Android version was done. They normally do it in parallel. We had a very short time scale, we started the commissioning process very close to the exhibition opening. Apadmi suggested doing the iOS app first and then the Android one. It was a six-week project. They did it incredibly quickly and on time, which was very close to opening.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative with a general cost range?

I don’t want the exact number published.

When was the project completed?

April of 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project? Do you have any statistics or metrics that you could share about the success?

We haven’t gone public with the number of downloads. It was a paid-for app. It wasn’t a free app. We did charge for it in the App Store, so we didn’t really want to go public with the number.

How about user feedback or just overall satisfaction with their work?

I think in the Apple App Store, we had a three-and-a-half star average. I wouldn’t say this was Apadmi’s fault. We’ve got criticisms of it not being a very exciting app. It was a lot of images and text, a bit of audio, but it wasn’t an app that you went wow at. It was the fact that we knew that we had a very short time frame. We had a lot of assets because we had an exhibition on and we had a catalog, so we had a lot of images and we had a lot of text, we had some audio that was made from the audio guide, so we designed something that just used those assets and was another way of getting them out there if you didn’t want to buy the catalog. The fact that it didn’t have amazing interactive and reconstructions and stuff like that wasn’t Apadmi’s fault. It was our fault. We wanted to do an app, and we just used what we had to make it. Some of the criticism of the app was based on that.

How did they perform throughout the project?

Excellent performance by Apadmi. They had strong project management. Their development was good in the sense that once they built it, it was robust, and the testing and fixing period was very quick. They reached the ambitious timeline. They kept us on our toes because they knew that they had to get answers from us about the content signed off from us very quickly. They reached that deadline. Apadmi laid out very quickly right up front what the timetable had to be. Apadmi made us achieve it like they were the client. I was impressed with them.

When working with them, is there anything unique or special about Apadmi?

I haven’t worked with a lot of app companies. We’ve only done two apps actually. One was simple and a free app. So, I couldn’t really say, but generally, I was very impressed by Apadmi's great project management and robust development skills. I wouldn’t say they’re the only company like that, but they were good.

Looking back on the project, is there any area that you think Apadmi could improve upon or something you might do differently?

Not really related to them, but I would have given ourselves more time. If we started more with the subject and thought more about what you would want to have if you had an app about the subject and then work from there, it would have been better. We should have approached it thinking about what a user might want rather than starting with just trying to execute the work quickly without reflection. The result was that the app failed slightly. It felt more like a recycling of content rather than something that was very native to an app. That’s nothing to do with Apadmi; [it was] our fault.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

My company is a large global medical diagnostics device manufacturer for different tests. We have about 18,000 people globally. We make pregnancy tests, tests that detect HIV, cancer, and chlamydia. You name it, we make it.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am part of the R&D [research and development] team at the global level. I have a technology background, and my primary job is to enable the devices with activity with Wi-Fi or PC. Secondly, I am responsible for technology services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Apadmi?

My goal was to produce a device-monitoring platform for our remotes, which Apadmi analyzes. These analyzers are put into the field, such as in rural destinations or impoverished places where HIV is prevalent. The device allows tests to be done within 20 minutes, as opposed to 20 days. Once they were in the field, the users or program managers really have no idea what was going on with those devices, whether they'd been used, whether they'd been used properly, what sort of results are attributed to the sites or devices. The platform that we designed and developed was to monitor those devices. It allows you to see simple things, such as whether they're on or off, the last time they were used, how many errors as well as other technical items from the device. That was the aim of the project.

We had done a proof of concept, which had gone fairly well. There was great demand for it, and we got a budget to commercialize it, taking it from proof of concept to a commercial application.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

In addition to coding and development for the system, they were also responsible for a lot of the usability of the design around it. We gave them a fairly free reign, although they must do certain things. They were given a fair amount of autonomy to how things would be done, and they work very well when we said that we required the system to do a certain thing. Then, they returned to us with one or two ways to accomplish that, which is cheaper, easier, or more feature-rich. It is a product shop as well as a developer team. They are designers as well as general architectural consultants at the same time.

What was your process for selecting Apadmi to work with?

I had used Apadmi before, years ago. I looked at their skill set over the other people that were there, understanding what we wanted to achieve, availability of people who could work on it for us, cost, as well as the vendor being willing to work the way we wanted to. We spoke to four or five different companies.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

The first phase of the project took between four to five months worth of work. In terms of cost, it was about £250,000. The project was completed in spring 2013. I’m working with them again right now on something new. I have different software developers I use for different projects, and Apadmi had started to work on this project for me.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

Those are difficult to provide because we're dealing with sensitive medical information. The project was a success and has led to a substantial increase in the amount of analyzers that we are now selling. This has certainly led to a number of customers who have discounted buying products from us now. This is due to Apadmi’s efforts on the new system.

From a customer's perspective, there has been time saving and increased efficiency due to the availability of the monitoring system, so much so that certain governments are moving away from a paper system to a paperless system due to this platform now being available.

It has been used in approximately 16 countries around the world to date, by governments and ministries of health. We are collecting about 25,000 to 30,000 results per month from the platform. It is one of the more successful projects since I’ve been here. The outcomes are improving in those areas. We are seeing increased use and sales of the analyzers, as well as higher consumption. We are seeing a reduction in error rates and user support queries. It is doing what it was supposed to do.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

They are very good at what they do and have a good grasp on what needs to be done and the issues. I like their breadth of experience. They have a mastery of the job, and they have bent over backwards to help us. Everyone is very friendly, and there is no discontent in using them at all. We got what we expected. I think the relationship we’ve built with them over the years is a special attribute.

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 are a couple of comments about their project management. There were a couple of times when some of their project managers seemed to be doing redundant work. We have never been charged for the PMs, but we can’t see the benefit of what was happening. That was an issue with staff rather than the work they did. There were no real major issues. I can’t think of anything that could be improved in their work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

I work for a travel search engine that searches for hotels, flights, and rental cars. We use different channels in providing this service to users, either Web or mobile applications for different platforms: iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows phone, and Windows 8.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I work as a project manager, and I am involved in project flights for mobile. I was previously involved in all mobile applications for Skyscanner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Apadmi?

The project was for a BlackBerry application and, later on, a BlackBerry X application. We did a couple of releases for both platforms. Our business objective was to provide flight service for BlackBerry and BlackBerry X users, which were two different projects. We created a native application for BlackBerry supporting the 5, 6, and 7 operating systems as well as BlackBerry X. We gave the first version the ability to find the best flight options for users within the dates and locations that they want to fly from and to, with some filters to help them find the most convenient flights for them.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

For the old BlackBerry devices, Apadmi did design work, including graphic design and architecture with API calls and so on. For BlackBerry X, we had internal design support for UX and low-level graphic designs.

We worked using agile methodology. Working with Apadmi, we had regular calls to review the work. At the end of each cycle, we reviewed Apadmi work on the application, and we asked questions to get a rough description of the new functionalities.

What was your process for selecting Apadmi?

We were looking for a partner that could specialize in development, with experience and a portfolio of proven BlackBerry work. Apadmi was a strong candidate, having extensive experience and a portfolio of creating applications for BlackBerry. That was one of the factors. 

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

I'd like to keep that confidential.

When was the latest milestone completed for that work?

The latest release for BlackBerry OS 5, 6, and 7 was October 8, 2012. For BlackBerry X, we released it on May 6, 2013. We had different area releases in basic scope and others for more functionality.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

I'd like to keep that confidential.

Please assess the performance of Apadmi.

In general, I was very pleased with Apadmi. They had a proactive approach when there were some challenges, and they asked us rather than hiding it. They were very collaborative and cooperative. I was very pleased with that.

Is there anything unique or special about Apadmi that makes them stand out, compared to other IT firms?

One of the criteria that led us to choose Apadmi was that they specialized in these apps and had an extensive portfolio of applications for BlackBerry. That was a strong objective.

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 is always a strong challenge when you work with a new partner on a new project. We did some retrospective lessons learned on the BlackBerry X application, and we put a lot of improvements in place. That project went more smoothly than the previous one. The people on their staff were keen to try new things and improve processes. If a new process didn’t work, the next time we worked together, we took some lessons learned and improved. They were keen for suggestions and new processes on both sides as we worked on the project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of RentyGO

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

IT sector

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Mobile app

SOLUTION

How did you find Apadmi?

Online Search

Why did you select Apadmi over others?

High ratings

How many teammates from Apadmi were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We have developed a mobile app

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

100%

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

They are responsive and provided on time

What was your primary form of communication with Apadmi?

Virtual Meeting

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

Responsive

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

None. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a research fellow at Cranfield University, working to develop UAV/drone technology to aid UK industry and society.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Apadmi?

To develop a smartphone app.

What were your goals for this project?

A working POC smartphone app that could control an autonomous UAV/drone.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Recommended through Communication Systems Catapult.

Describe the project in detail.

The solution was required to receive SMS text messages containing location data, and turn it into a UAV/drone mission that would be controlled and flown autonomously. Apadmi successfully developed a smartphone application to do this.

What was the team composition?

Apadmi provided a developer and project manager. Cranfield University's team was comprised of two research fellows and a PhD student.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Very successful. Met all the requirements on the statement of work.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very good. Good communication at every opportunity when required.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They exceeded on scope, yet stayed within budget and timescale.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of Second Estates, a fintech company bringing alternative finance to the short-term rental industry. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Apadmi?

Apadmi executed a rebrand of our business and redesigned our website in less than a month. 

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to rebrand our business completely, including finding a new business name and redesigning our website to provide a slick UI/UX. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We chose Apadmi because of their long-standing reputation in design and UI/UX.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Apadmi started by assessing our brand, brand objectives, and demographics before building a brand strategy document. We refined this document together and went over suggestions of company names to narrow our options. Once we agreed on a company name, they designed a series of logos. Then, they translated this work into a website redesign with wireframes.

What was the team composition?

For the rebrand, Marcus [Head of Design & UX, Apadmi] was involved in the strategy and design elements. For the website redesign, 2 designers took the lead. A project manager also supported all tasks. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was very happy with Apadmi's results.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The management of the project was effective and managed through designated software.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They took a regimented and thorough approach to solve a difficult creative task, analyzing and refining their output based on our feedback.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I don’t have any concerns at present. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and co-founder of Beatstream Media, which is a live music streaming platform that enables artists and venues to stream their music while it's being performed live elsewhere.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Apadmi?

We're constantly innovating our streaming service, so we looked for polite people who were naturally entrepreneurial and shared our passion. We also needed people who wouldn't be afraid to try new or challenging tasks.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed 3 solutions: a content management system for venues and artists, a streaming engine for the audio content, and then a quality user experience for the listener.  Apadmi built our product from the ground up. They created a cross-platform application that focuses on an immersive app experience and allows the user to quickly access their music within Beatstream. They also created a web-based platform with a CMS so that venues and artists can create events, and then a software engine to run the streaming content. They used Xcode, Firebase, and Java to build the apps and the database we need.

Additionally, they’ve helped grow our professional network by connecting us to some of their other businesses that do work similar to ours. They've also helped with the PR and media campaigns for our launch.

What is the team dynamic?

Our main contact is Howard Simms [CEO and Co-Founder, Apadmi], but we also worked with our project manager and members of their development team.

How did you come to work with Apadmi?

They're local, so we were introduced to them by colleagues. We had researched several other companies, but Apadmi was head and shoulders above the rest. They lead the industry in creating these kinds of apps and have made them for several prominent TV and radio networks. Apadmi recognized the value in our business during the proposal phase and were enthusiastic to work with us. Their level of in-house skill and expertise has taken our product to a level that would have taken us years otherwise.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent £100,000 [$132,000] so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in January 2017 and the project is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven't launched yet, so we don't have any metrics as far as revenue is concerned. That said, our growth and financial projections are massively improved due to Apadmi's work, and the network that we've developed through working so closely with them has helped us significantly as well.

How did Apadmi perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicate constantly, which means that you're aware of any hiccups early on, and they hit their deadlines. We generally communicate via email, phone, and text. I'm aware that they have additional project management technology, but this was better suited to our project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The biggest plus point for us was how innovative they are. I've been involved in hundreds of software development projects, and this one's been the smoothest, easiest to get to market, and the most exciting. They shared our positivity about the product and built exactly what we needed.

In addition, their quality assurance process is exceptional. If your project isn't fit to go to market, they'll take it back and improve it until it's perfect.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go in with your business plan for the project in mind, but be open to the fact that Apadmi is at the cutting edge of technology development and might have suggestions you don't expect. Being open-minded will help you make full use of their skill set.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was managing director at Zoek Applications, which provides a staffing solution for both job seekers and recruiters.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Apadmi?

We wanted to replace keywords with machine learning algorithms to optimize job search results.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built the application. Apadmi collaborated with our in-house teams on the machine learning functionality.

How did you come to work with Apadmi?

They pitched us to build the application’s first version. We chose another vendor, but later realized that was a mistake. We engaged them.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work lasted between 12–14 months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app improved job seekers’ experience.