Applaudo

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the lead designer for a concussion app startup. Our mobile helps athletes screen for signs of concussions through a series of game-like tests. These tests measure brain functions that are affected by concussions, delivering the results in real time. I’m responsible for overseeing the user experience portion of the design, but I also help out in other areas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applaudo Studios?

When we first approached Applaudo Studios, we wanted to redesign our game. We had two major objectives: we wanted to update our app’s technology to enhance its security and performance, and we wanted to refine the entire end-user experience. There were plenty of little details that we needed to address. As a result, we wanted resources who had experience in both game development as well as technical security and other areas.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Applaudo Studios worked in parallel with our in-house development team to implement our updates. Together, we built the app in Ionic 1 and updated its look and feel. This involved a visual overhaul, animation updates, and general attention to the end-user experience.

After completing the initial project, they’ve continued to support us, working on other features and helping us expand our business. They’re currently working on improving our website as well as doing backend work for different APIs.

What is the team composition?

As far as I know, their team consists of three dedicated developers and two project managers.

How did you come to work with Applaudo Studios?

While looking at various companies to outsource our work, we considered several factors such as time differences, expertise, and price. To facilitate development between our in-house team and overseas partner, we wanted an agency that shared a similar time zone. We also considered the vendor’s expertise, noting any completed projects that were similar to our own. Finally, we looked at the value between their experience and costs. Applaudo Studios satisfied all of our criteria, demonstrating high-level engineering skills at a reasonable price.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $45,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work began in April 2017 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Internally, we feel that they’ve done an excellent job following through with the project. The quality of their code is excellent, and we appreciate how process-driven they are. As such, we can really count on them to understand the expectations and deliver on time.

How did Applaudo Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

We use several tools to manage the project. Our primary project tool is Basecamp, which allows us to share our creative documents and visuals. In terms of deadlines, if there are changes to the project scope, then we would also have to adjust the time frame. However, their team has had no problems meeting those deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Reiterating what I’ve said before, it’s important to us that they work within a similar time zone. Because we have in-house developers, having overlapping schedules is crucial to organizing the process and expanding our development team.

Furthermore, Applaudo Studios’ strength lies in their competency. They’re qualified experts with a great track record. From my past experience, I know that outsourcing can be risky because, when we hire a company, we have to retrain them at our expense. Therefore, it’s paramount to find engineers who can work fast and have relevant experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only improvement I can think of relates to their office space. At the time, they had a limited working space with few conference rooms. I thought that it might benefit them to find larger facilities. However, they’re planning to change offices soon, so they’ve already addressed those issues themselves.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of operations and fulfillment at Phunware, Inc. We’re a mobile product and services company that covers everything from bespoke development to mobile products to advertising to cryptocurrency to big data.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applaudo Studios?

We needed help with multiple native iOS and Android mobile apps.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our initial work and the bulk of our work with Applaudo Studios is native development on iOS and Android platforms. They’ve helped us on many projects involving Fortune 5000 or Fortune 500 companies at an enterprise level.

Our initial relationship with Applaudo Studios began as a capacity supplement for our development team. Working with them allowed us to have quality developers for 4–8 weeks when we didn’t have visibility on the need to do a new hire at the end of that project.

They have since become one of the primary providers for some of our services work with enterprise-level customers in native mobile development as well as working with our product team for developing some of our mobile products.

It’s primarily staff augmentation, but we’ve executed projects where all of the developers have come from Applaud Studios. They’ve also supplemented our QA team and provided assistance with web development and backend or server work.

How did you come to work with Applaudo Studios?

We built trust through our initial engagements. The quality and dedication to the work that their team brought gave us the confidence to expand the scale and types of projects that they would be involved in.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $2 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2015 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of their deliverables and the collaboration has always been first rate. We wouldn’t have continued to work with them this long if it wasn’t. It’s resulted in our company continuing to grow and be successful. We haven’t encountered a bad developer with them. If members of their team were willing and able to move to the U.S., we would hire them as full-time employees.

How did Applaudo Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management keeps things on track. We often have shifting requirements. The smoothness of our relationship with them is a testament to the project management that they have going on behind the scenes as part of their internal processes.

They work in the same time zone, which allows our development and program managers to maintain a much more regular sprint schedule and a collaborative environment. It’s a big deal that the developers from Applaudo Studios and our team are all engaged and awake at the same times. They communicate easily through Slack, emails, and phone calls. They’re very fluent in English; there are no language barriers to team communication and collaboration. They behave as part of the team much more than as hired help.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They behave like a partner and not like hired help. They have always been a great collaborative addition to our business. We have a lot of confidence and trust in them. They’ve always been very flexible to work with us in accommodating changes. They add and subtract bandwidth as the project calls for it.

Also, they’re fully versed experts in native development for iOS and Android. They can handle just about anything in either of those ecosystems from a mobile standpoint.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of a company that manufactures and distributes brand-name products to retail stores in a regulated industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Applaudo Studios?

We needed help with the branding of a new product line.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to finalize a brand concept, create a style guide, and produce deliverables.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were a referral from a trusted source.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Applaudo did everything, including the colors, font, label, and packaging details. We had an introductory meeting to discuss the brand concept, required deliverables, and stylistic preferences. Their designers would email files for review, which we would then revise as necessary. We soon reached a final draft of all deliverables and completed the project. The designs are now in production.

What was the team composition?

I worked with one representative who handled designer communication and document control.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was a huge success, making us feel very confident about the future of our new brand. We were very happy with the work provided.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We did not need a project management tool, as Applaudo’s representative communicated effectively and in a timely fashion.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were trustworthy and direct communicators.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Instead of emailing files back and forth, an automated review service would help with larger projects.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We have developed an app called Pluhg. It is a social networking app that allows people to introduce friends and associates who don't know each other in a neutral space that doesn't require them to pass out personal information.

I am the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applaudo Studios?

I was looking for Applaudo to build out the app for me from beginning to end, including the front-end user interface, the coding, and the backend database.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I was looking for a developer to design and also provide some consulting services, as far as the app layout, features, and functionalities that should be included. I was looking for them to design the front-end user interface, and take on the coding (the piece between the front-end and the backend database). I made it clear that I wanted a simple-to-use and very intuitive app. I also made it clear that, for anything that a person was looking to do in the app, I didn't want them to have to click around and figure it out. I wanted them to be able to get to whatever it is they're trying to do within 2-3 clicks.

The app did not turn out well. It didn't fulfill the requirements that I gave them. They coded and produced an app that fulfilled the basic core requests that were in our contract. The problem was that if I said "a user should be able to upload a comic, or this particular picture, or something called pluhg-cards", they would code the abilities for a user to upload a comic, but not the ability for them to delete it. For me, this sounds like a complementary functionality. They said that I didn't ask for that in my documents, that it was another feature, and that they were going to charge more money.

Additionally, if I asked for something specific in the contract, like a checkbox on the profile page which said "do you want to do X, Y, Z?” they would code and include the checkbox, but there was no logic behind it. I would go back to them and say "You can check the box, but nothing happens. If I'm asking you ‘Would you like to stop this process?’ I would think you would include the coding for the process to stop." They said "No, you just asked us to put a checkbox there. We didn't put the logic behind it. If you want the logic, we're going to charge more money."

Those are the types of issues I've had with them. Not only that, the app that they produced for me most recently continues to crash, the login button does not work, and I have about 50 beta testers that have been testing it out with me. They are saying that they don't know what the problem is, they don't know how to fix it, and they're saying that they don't see the issue on their side. However, I was able to login to my iTunes account and confirm that they were actually receiving crash reports.

Another thing that they couldn't get working properly on the app are the notifications. iOS apps have little red indicators on the outside which say "something new has happened, click on the app". They couldn't get the notifications working properly, and couldn't get the right number to appear on the outside of the app. The only thing that they could get to appear was the number 1. On the app, I could've had 4-5 people send me a comment and multiple activities, but I wouldn't know. When I talked to them about it, they said that they couldn't figure out how to fix it. The only thing they could do was to put a "1" indicator on the outside of the app.

Overall, it was very poor work. Not only that, I've just ended a call this morning with my new developer that I've transferred the project to; they have gone through the code and have found several issues outside of what I identified. If I want those issues fixed, I've got to pay them. Overall, it was a very bad experience with Applaudo.

They have constantly said "we're going to fix it", but they never delivered. I have missed so many deadlines, and I've waited. They'd send me an email saying "we're working on this issue", and put out a new release that fixes a few of the things that I didn't even know about, but it doesn't fix the core issues: the crashing, the login functionality, and the notifications - all of them being big issues. Not only that, but the only way that I've been able to communicate with them is through Basecamp and email. Their phone numbers that are listed on Google, their website, and on Facebook don't link to their company. They ring and they disconnect. I don't know what's going on there, but I've tried for several days. At one point, they stopped communicating with me altogether. I was asking them for my code up until this point because I paid for it. They refused to give it to me. For 2 weeks straight, I sent them 4 requests, and I said to them "it's in our contract that you're supposed to provide me my code". They just stopped responding, so I started calling them. Every number I found for them did not work. Finally, they released the code, but they said they're only giving me the part that I paid for.

How did you come to work with Applaudo Studios?

I was referred to Applaudo by a professional connection. They said they had done a few projects with Applaudo and recommended that I work with them on my project. That's how we ended up hiring them.

How much have you invested with Applaudo Studios?

Up until this point, it's been about $33,000. We set up a fixed-price agreement and outlined everything in the contract that I was requesting. We broke it up into 5 stages and 5 payments. After they delivered each stage, I would make a payment and an advance payment for the next stage. I paid them before they did any work; they delivered on that, and once I signed off on that, I would make another payment in advance on the next stage. The problem was that I think I was a little too nice. When we started reaching stages where things weren't completely working, they would say "we have to go to the next stage to get that fully-functional". I'm not an app developer, so I believed them. When we reached stage 4 and were almost done, nothing was working. It's all falling apart, so I shouldn't have been so trusting and continued to pay them more money.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together about a year ago. We started the contract negotiations around January or February [of 2016]. I have discontinued the relationship with them. They did not submit the app because the quality that they produced was very bad, and they were trying to resolve issues but they didn't know how. The relationship ceased just recently.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Applaudo perform from a project management standpoint?

One of their project leads' communication style was that of a professional bully. The other guys communicated very professionally and I had no issues with them, even though they didn't produce. Out of everyone on the team, I just didn't like talking to him. He would subtly threaten me; if I said that we missed a deadline or they didn't include this, he came back saying they included things that I didn't ask for, so they're going to upload a new version of the app to the app store and take all of that stuff out. I would respond saying "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know of anything that you've included in the app that I hadn't asked for and paid for." It was those kinds of comments and threats that he would make to me over email. It was unprofessional as if he was a professional bully.

Is there anything that you could have done differently?

I feel that I should have qualified them as a company more. When things started to fall apart, I went back to the company who had recommended them to me. He said "To be honest, I've only worked with them on 1-2 small projects, and I haven't worked with them for a few years. I really don't know too much about them." I should've asked more questions up front because then I maybe would have made a different choice.

I don't know if this is something I did wrong, but it's something I'll do differently next time: be very specific and detailed in the contract. There are things and features that I felt were complementary, like a delete function. You post a comment, you should be able to delete it. They said, "No, that's a feature request, and we're going to charge you more money." Every feedback that I gave them was always answered with "more money". From a consulting perspective, I don't think they did a great job. I was looking for them as app developers to give me guidance from a user interface perspective. "This is what you should look to do to make sure that the user has a very easy experience that is intuitive." They didn't seem to care about that. Their concern for me was "we're going to do exactly what you said, and take your money." They weren't concerned about the end-result in my user-base.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

FC Edmonton is a professional soccer club. I’m a Community Liaison for the team. My responsibility is to present the team to the community. That’s my primary job here.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applaudo Studios?

Since I worked for Applaudo in the past, I have been part of their team, and I learned about the type of job they did for Fortune 500 companies. While I moved recently to Canada, I’ve been recommending them for other companies. As a customer of theirs now for FC Edmonton, we have discussed with their General Manager a project for developing an app for the club.

In my job with the community, I have the opportunity to meet other people that require services for these type of projects. I have heard very good comments from the people I recommended them to. These are projects that run anything from $30,000 to $50,000 and above.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

An app is a way of being in contact with the group of fans. It can supply information regarding the standings, their roster, and the history of the team. The purpose of the app would be maintaining the community or keeping the group of fans informed about the activities that the team does, engaging the fan base.

We had pretty much an idea of what we wanted. The good thing about Applaudo is that they understand their part. They understand the technical part of it and how that translates to develop an app that is user-friendly, with a look and feel that is clear to the users. It’s not only about understanding what we need, but the challenge for any developer is to understand how the work will be translated and how the process of delivering the information that you want is easily digestible for the user. I think Applaudo has a team of not only developers, but executives that really understand. They manage to capture your objectives or your needs, and translate them into a technical development of a nice looking, easy to use, versatile app. That’s what they are strong at.

How did you come to work with Applaudo Studios?

I worked for Applaudo in the past.

How much have you invested with Applaudo Studios?

It’s probably up to $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are in the process still; it’s not completed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since this is still in the process and we are still discussing all the development within the app, it’s hard to explain the magnitude of the development because it combines the graphic part, the database that we’ll develop, and the interface with the user. They are very strong in every single part. You share with them your needs, and they come back with something that surprises you, even probably better than what you were thinking.

They have good graphic designers who are very professional. Their respect for the timing is also one of their strongest assets in their organization, meaning that if they’re required to put more people in the project, they would do that. I don’t know the details, but I assume that this is a project that would use probably from five to ten people because it’s a lot of hours of development.

How did Applaudo Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

Outstanding. Absolutely outstanding. They’re on top. These are very professional people. These are people that have managed larger projects than ours, for big, huge, Fortune 500 companies in the US. These are people that are very knowledgeable about what they’re doing, so that gives me the confidence to recommend them.

What did you find most impressive about Applaudo Studios?

Their timing. Besides all that I have mentioned, timing is very important in these types of projects because time is very valuable. They go beyond our expectations in terms of putting people to accomplish the timing. Being always available is another strength of theirs. These are people that can work in any language.

Are there any areas Applaudo Studios could improve?

Really, there is nothing that I can think of that they haven’t at least taken care of when needed. Pricing is something that, as a customer, you always try to negotiate in terms of getting it low, but then of course good work has a price. Not always can you get the price that you want as a customer. It’s pricey, but I think it’s worth it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My startup is a travel app and website for tourists called Expres Citi. It will first launch in Mexico. People should be able to know what to do when they arrive in a new city with the help of this app. You will be able to make a travel plan from the app, book accommodations, etc. I want to sell a franchise for the app in each city.

I am the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applaudo Studios?

Applaudo Studios is making the mobile applications and the web platform for my travel website. This is my first internet company, so my original business plan wasn't that great. My plan wasn't as clear before I started with them. The Applaudo team took me by the hand step-by-step and explained everything I didn't understand. After all, I'm not a computer guy - I'm just a businessman. They gave me a lot of suggestions and they knew what to do. It took about ten meetings for me to understand what I really wanted and they had the patience to answer all of my questions. Once I was completely satisfied, we began the actual development work. The relationship has been excellent.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We're currently developing the website and the iOS and Android applications simultaneously. We're developing each version at the same time because I want to launch everything at once.

How did you come to work with Applaudo Studios?

A year ago, I was looking all over the place for app development experts and companies. I searched the internet and looked here in El Salvador, in Guatemala, and in Mexico. I called people who had had apps made by other agencies. Many of the people I called had a lot of trouble with other app development companies. Six months ago, I found Applaudo Studios and gave them a call. I called previous clients of theirs and they were really happy because their apps and platforms all ran smoothly. I met with the team a week after that and started talking about what I wanted. Their offices had a really professional vibe. Everyone was very focused. The owners of Applaudo Studios were professional but also friendly. They taught me the basics of everything.

How much have you invested with Applaudo Studios?

Applaudo Studio's development will cost about $100,000 to $150,000. I plan to spend another $100,000 for marketing.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project two or three weeks ago in July [2016].

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have a final product yet. However, I’m trying to launch the app in Mexico and want to start getting hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and theaters listed in the app.

How did Applaudo Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

There's been a lot of information that we send each other back-and-forth. They reply instantly whenever I send them information or ask a question. They present new ideas with every response and then we execute. So far, so good. I'm really happy with Applaudo Studio's work.

What did you find most impressive about Applaudo Studios?

The competition charged a little bit less, but the references I called had trouble with their apps. I would pay $20,000 more for the peace of mind that my app is being professionally developed. I don't want to have to deal with any major hiccups.

The best thing about my experience so far is Applaudo Studio's professionalism and knowledge of the latest technologies.

Are there any areas Applaudo Studios could improve?

So far, I'm really happy with the guys at Applaudo Studios. I don't regret anything about my choice to work with them. I think they're doing fantastic.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for a division of a very large beverage company. My division is located in Latin America. 

What is your position?

I'm in charge of commercial capabilities. This means that I lead the charge when we need to set up new tools or new processes into our commercial processes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Applaudo Studios?

We were looking for a solution to provide our commercial customers. Specifically, we needed a development partner to build an app to ease the order-entry process and ensure they received the order they requested.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Applaudo Studios provided us an app to be used on smartphones so customers can put their own order in. We wanted something like Amazon, but on a much smaller level. 

How did you come to work with Applaudo Studios?

I personally looked for the suppliers. I look in the United States and Canada. Some of the partners we considered we have worked with in the past. We decided on Applaudo Studios because they provided the most customized service. Of the bigger suppliers they have a specific focus on software and platform development. 

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

We worked with Applaudo Studios in the development of our pilot app. We defined the pilot as a $20,000 project because we wanted to test and corroborate the process. We are expecting to deploy the app fully in the following years.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Applaudo Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

In my opinion, they're doing a great job.

What distinguishes Applaudo Studios from other providers?

I have worked with many suppliers in the field and I can tell you that Applaudo Studios provides a very dedicated team that is capable of building great applications. Their director of operations [Jose Giammattei] was very good about following up with every aspect of the project. 

Is there anything Applaudo Studios could have improved or done differently?

Everything that we have requested up to this point Applaudo Studios has done a great job delivering . However, there may be some challenging phases in the future.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're a multiscreen as a service company. We design, write, and build software for some of the biggest brands around the world. 

What is your position?

I'm the executive vice president of global operations and product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Applaudo Studios?

We needed to have a more flexible development process. We used Applaudo as staff augmentation. As we get into peak times, we need to use them to help and fill development gaps. There's some core skill sets that they fill in when we have.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Applaudo has done anything from development, design, and tech writing for us.

How did you come to work with Applaudo Studios?

We had partnerships in India and the Philippines and quality was similar, but time zone was painful. So having a high-quality partner in the same or similar time zone was a game changer for us.

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

We've been working with Applaudo for two years, on an annual basis we spend about $200,000-plus

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The biggest sign of success of a partnership like this is seeing the mutual value grow and the value has grown. During the last two years, Applaudo's value to us has significantly grown as I think our value to them has also grown. Our relationship continues to grow.

What distinguishes Applaudo Studios from other providers?

Applaudo Studios's leadership team is very strong and responsive. Any time we've had challenges with a new hire or existing team member, they've been very responsive in solving the problem.

Is there anything Applaudo Studios could have improved or done differently?

I'd like Applaudo to have a deeper bench, so they can react more quickly. I think they're becoming even more successful – the growth of their bench is the benefit of that.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the General Manager at Goodwood Park Hotel of Goodwood Park Hotel

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our Company provides Unparalleled Hospitality, Luxurious Accommodation, and Renowned Cuisine.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Applaudo to create a connected wireframe and UX design for our Company's website.

SOLUTION

How did you find Applaudo?

Referral

Why did you select Applaudo over others?

Referred to me

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

We hired Applaudo to make some UX design for our company, which should also include a wireframe, which was done perfectly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Excellent!

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

Yes, the delivery was within the given timeframe, and their communication skills were great.

What was your primary form of communication with Applaudo?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their communication skill was excellent.

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

NO! They did wonderful and acceptable work.