ArcTouch

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior user experience architect for a large retailer. I’m a part of the international marketing team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ArcTouch?

We were creating a mobile application and needed a design-focused vendor to help develop the platform’s UX.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ArcTouch joined the project early on, so they collaborated with our internal resources to develop the product’s visual language. They assimilated into our internal workflows to design a frontend interface that’s optimized for Android. We basically eliminated all of the initial designs and came up with an entirely new UI/UX. We’re currently expanding their involvement to include other tasks related to interaction design.

The app functions as a digital wallet. Users add cash to the app and use it to pay for our goods online or within store locations. We’ve been able to launch the first version of the app with a QR scanning feature. In addition to their UI/UX services, ArcTouch designed other aspects of the product’s presentation. This includes how the app is displayed on The App Store. They also worked on the emails that are sent out to advertise our various products.

What is the team composition?

We primarily interact with a senior designer.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2017 and the engagement ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have metrics available for this project, but their frontend design efforts have had a direct impact on the success of some previous products. We continue to reach out to them because we’re happy with the work they do.

How did ArcTouch perform from a project management standpoint?

They stick to the schedule we assign and produce the quality we expect. We communicate via Slack and email on a daily basis. We also hold regular meetings to make sure everyone’s on the same page.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ArcTouch consistently provides resources with the talent and skills that we require. They usually offer multiple candidates for us to interview and select. That process has worked out well for us thus far. They tackle each project with a swift and professional approach.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should build a bigger pool of designers, researchers, and content specialists. We need their services in different markets, and that presents an opportunity for them to grow.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Eye to Eye. We’re a national organization that's run for and by people with learning disabilities or learning differences like dyslexia and ADHD. We organize college students diagnosed with learning disabilities to mentor younger students facing similar challenges as part of an after-school program. We also partner with other organizations to conduct outreach events, raise awareness, and lobby for proper registration.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ArcTouch?

Our current curriculum has great resources behind it and is incredibly beneficial to both the student mentors and mentees. But like any business, being about to scale our product with the market is a challenge. As a result, we’re continually trying to think of ways for people to engage with our content. Developing a mobile app seemed like the natural next step towards creating a lighter version of our curriculum and connecting with communities we haven’t been able to reach. We just needed an experienced firm to build out the application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ArcTouch designed and developed our mobile app for iOS. We collaborated with them over the course of several days to sketch out a version of the app that worked with our branding materials. They took the lead on the platform’s frontend design and delivered the first wireframes to us.

Students with learning disabilities receive accommodations from their school system, but only after their parents, teachers, and administrators hold a meeting to develop an individualized education plan (IEP). Students are often left out of this process and aren’t afforded the ability to understand their rights. Our app’s most important feature addresses that issue. The software aggregates all the student’s work that they’ve done on the app and distills the information into an easily understood PDF file. This document is used to communicate valuable information to the individuals responsible for making decisions regarding the child’s education. ArcTouch integrated that feature in a way that encourages student engagement, while still maintaining a function that applies to the needs of parents and education professionals.

What is the team composition?

The five-person design team that worked with us to create wireframes consisted of creative leads and developers. Then, we worked with two contacts that lead the branding and project management efforts, respectively. Once the project progressed, we primarily interacted with their development lead to organize the engagement and test the platform.

How did you come to work with ArcTouch?

I’ve known Ross (Chief of Staff, ArcTouch) for many years and he’s even on Eye to Eye’s board of directors. We needed an experienced team of developers that understood our brand. After speaking with Ross, we knew ArcTouch would be a perfect fit.

What is the status of this engagement?

Development of the app started in June 2017 and ArcTouch’s work concluded in August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We receive feedback from parents, teachers, and students that indicates they enjoy using the app. Several schools have adopted the app as a way of working with their students and preparing them for IEP meetings. Also, a teacher recently traveled around Europe to instruct other education professionals on how to approach students with learning disabilities. Our app plays a significant role in that program. Arc Touch’s work has provided us with an accessible product that we use as a call-to-action tool when making media appearances. After considering the app’s success, we’re planning on releasing an Android version as well.

How did ArcTouch perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a big project, but they performed wonderfully and were patient with us. I’m an educator by trade, but transferring a curriculum we’ve developed over 12 years into a mobile app was challenging. They guided us through the process and delivered on every front. We used various project management tools, but I can’t recall the specifics as I was more involved with the creative aspect of the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They dove into the project and took the time to understand our brand and what we’re trying to accomplish as an organization. They’ve become advocates of our work, which we appreciate. This effort ultimately saved a lot of development time as we were able to establish a mutual trust at the start of the engagement. Our team’s set out on the same mission and that contributed to a successful final product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

More improvements could be made our end. It was a learning process for us to devote the amount of time and resources required by the workload. If anything, I’d like to see ArcTouch provide more materials that outline the development process.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work with them to establish a relationship from the beginning. We felt they allocated too many resources during the project’s early stages, but that process proved worthwhile and even expedited development.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of products for a consumer learning company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ArcTouch?

We're in a period of accelerated growth and needed to augment our staff with additional engineers and designers to keep up.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ArcTouch provides us with a team of engineers and designers who act as an extended part of our internal team on a day-to-day basis. They've collaborated with us on everything we've launched, from a brand new navigational system in our native app to designing our subscription flows.

What is the team composition?

We've scaled over time, working with as many as 10–15 people at any given time. Most of the staff are engineers and a couple are designers.

How did you come to work with ArcTouch?

The company was already working with ArcTouch when I came on board, and due to the success we've seen from their engineering staff, I ramped up and hired designers from their team as well.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since June 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ArcTouch is fundamentally driving key results, leading to increased traffic and monetization. They've increased our capacity to deliver on projects by as much as 50% at times, as well as the amount of product we can actually ship to our users. They've improved our overall product velocity at a very high level of quality.

How did ArcTouch perform from a project management standpoint?

While our internal engineering team works directly with their staff to manage projects on our end, they consistently ensure that the development skills of the people they choose to work on our account match the project needs. They have a high bar when it comes to hiring staff on their team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There aren't many providers willing to offer staff augmentation, rather than consulting services. ArcTouch does a great job embedding into our team and working collaboratively on whatever our needs are. They're flexible in the way they work with us and are able to ramp up or down in order to meet our budget and deliverable needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the chief digital officer of EmployBridge, a temporary services company that employs approximately 87,000 associates across the United States. Potentially, we can dispatch about 150,000–80,000 workers for supply chain industries such as transportation, logistics, and manufacturing. In distribution warehouse environments, we’ll usually fill 20–30 slots for a particular assignment. I lead our innovation, research, and development in order to deliver business services to our customers more efficiently.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ArcTouch?

At that time, we wanted to build a better communication tool between ourselves and our associates because we were struggling with traditional methods such as phone calls or text messages. We also wanted to automate the process of offering a position, having that position accepted, and making sure that the assignment is carried out. The other apps and solutions that we saw were not suitable for our target demographic, and we wanted an app that our associates would enjoy using. Our goal is to offer more jobs faster with higher acceptance and retention rates through a mobile app compared with traditional methods.

Initially, we went through a long process of working with either a mobile app development company or several service companies that provide apps for the staffing industry. Ultimately, we decided to build the app ourselves as it would give us a distinct advantage in ownership over the features. From a user experience standpoint, we would be able to build something unique based on what our associates wanted. Since it would be better integrated with our existing technologies, we could offer features that our competitors couldn’t.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We first asked them to do a proof of concept study. Initially, they conducted interviews and focus groups to verify if a mobile app would suit our associates. Based on the focus groups, they led us through standard methodologies on feature prioritization. We agreed upon a feature set for the minimum viable product—what they liked to call a “minimum lovable project.” After that study was complete, ArcTouch did the engineering, design, development, and production of the mobile apps for Google and iOS. After their user interface designers did the prototype apps, we went back into the field and did additional user testing.

ArcTouch used a two-week Agile sprint cycle during the engineering phase. Every two weeks, we would produce new updates to our beta app until it was released to the app stores in a pilot fashion. We continued our development sprints after that for approximately six to eight weeks, using analytics and additional focus groups to make tweaks.

Version 1 involved apps for three of our brands: ProLogistix, ResourceMFG, and SelectStaffing. Using the app, associates can browse open opportunities, apply for jobs, or contact us for more information. They can also update availability preferences such as the days of the week or hours. The app is integrated into our CRM [customer relationship management] system. If someone is eligible, the app would push a notification with a job offer. We could also get information about reasons for declining so that we can make better matches in the future. If a candidate accepts an offer, the app creates the assignment on our CRM. The associate would be tagged as being on assignment, which gives them access to more information about the job. The app also includes resources such as maps for directions as well as a calendar.

What is the team dynamic?

In the beginning, we had a project manager, a UI designer, and a product strategist. The UI designer handed off to a tech lead, who then managed a team of three engineers. We’re still working with the project manager.

How did you come to work with ArcTouch?

In 2015, we did an extensive review of our available options and reviewed three mobile app development companies. ArcTouch was one of the best mobile app development companies on the West Coast based on referrals, and we did a lot of work checking the other apps they had built. It’s easy to reverse engineer a mobile app development company by looking at their portfolio. Not only did we go on to the stores and actually look at the products that they had developed, but we contacted those companies and had conversations with them. It was a very thorough vetting process.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $980,000 for version 1.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the discovery phase at the end of 2016, which took three months, and the second scope of work began in January 2017. We’ve just released version 1 of the apps. I have just extended our engagement as we roll out the apps across our organization. For the third scope of work, we’re having steady sprint cycling in order to support additional features beyond the MVP. I consider this the beginning of a pretty long-term relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are tracking metrics on mobile adoption across our associates. Aside from just adopting the app, we’re also tracking statistics on jobs offered, jobs accepted out of the possible jobs, and the results of the assignments that were created via the app. The ability to offer jobs and have them accepted has been proven in the pilot, and we look forward to seeing how they compete with non-mobile app assignments going forward. We just haven’t had enough time to execute those assignments to see enough results.

I think the mobile app adoption has exceeded expectations. For example, the ratings and focus groups show that everyone uniformly loves it. Our associates’ favorite feature is the ability to see prior activities and pay notifications. Meanwhile, our internal recruiters’ top feature is the ability to offer a job to multiple candidates simultaneously, which saves a tremendous amount of time.

It’s going to be a game changer internally, and we are seeing positive productivity metrics just because we can now communicate to multiple people at once. They respond immediately through the app, and those responses give us the information to move on to the next step. We can quickly create those assignments and dispatch them, or log the reason they declined the assignment and move on.

How did ArcTouch perform from a project management standpoint?

Their performance is great. I adopted the Agile method about five years ago, and we typically used a five-week Agile sprint cycle for our CRMs and front office software. With ArcTouch’s involvement, there’s a much tighter cycle than what we were used to. Because of the two-week mobile app sprint cycle, their project management had to be very strict and diligent. They did a good job at trimming the backlog, making sure that we were prepared for any changes, and staying on schedule.

The best thing you can say about the project management of ArcTouch is that we did not miss a single date throughout the whole project. Of the features set list for version 1, only one feature was put on the backlog for future sprints. It was very impressive to get a product that almost exactly matches the one that we envisioned.

I don’t want to say there were no issues, but they handled those issues well. Life happens, and they were able to adjust accordingly. We appreciated the honesty and transparency that they bring to their project management style.

We used Atlassian Confluence quite a bit as well as Smartsheets. Since we’re a Microsoft Office 365 shop, we use Skype and the OneDrive a lot.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with the history of ArcTouch. They’ve been a mobile app company since 2007—that’s all they do, and that focus is the differentiator that won us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only negative is they tend to be a bit rigid on their requirements definitions. It really protects them, and I can see why they do it. However, it does take a little more time and effort to document all of the requirements and the user stories up front. It’s both good and bad since you end up exactly with what you want. There’s not a lot of things coming out of QA [quality assurance]. However, I wouldn’t want them to do that differently.

Do you have any advice for potential clients?

It’s best to prepare and communicate expectations before you get started. There are costs on both sides to go through that much preparation, but it pays for itself in the end. From our experience, you don’t have as much to rework and you end up with a good quality product.

They’re not going to be your budget partner, so if you’re not serious about building a world-class app with enterprise-level quality, then ArcTouch might not be for you. But if you are willing to invest in that, then I would definitely recommend them. If you’re just dabbling, you’re probably not going to have a good engagement because of the level of quality that they demand.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a Silicon Valley startup focused on online content discovery. I am the Senior Product Manager, but wear several hats.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ArcTouch?

We had no internal design experience, and were searching for a design firm. We had a cool technology, but we needed to turn it into a product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We spent a lot of time going through user stories. We were very focused on our technology, but they made us consider our market. Based on their feedback, we rewrote content and then moved into wireframes for screens in both the web version and the iOS app. They provided sketches and high-fidelity markups, then developed and returned assets about a week ahead of schedule.

They worked ahead of our development team, and their design shaped the final product. We’re a content discovery platform that puts all users on equal footing, whether you’re a well-connected content producer or an individual. We find the content that interests you regardless of your social status or number of linked promoters.

What is the team dynamic?

We had one project coordinator and two artists. A pivot during the process required some of the art to be redone. They were very accommodating and added a third person to the team to meet our original schedule. They also helped with our messaging and offered us space in their office where we could work together on a regular basis.

How did you come to work with ArcTouch?

We spent a long time researching companies online and interviewed about ten companies in the Bay Area. We considered cost, schedule, and experience in our area. Of the companies we interviewed, they were the only company who suggested ways to make the product better.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000–$100,000 for this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around July 2017. We’ve moved into a closed beta test on the core product, but the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are still ahead of our launch, but we’re astonished at the quality of the work. We’re a small company, and we weren’t expecting the same level of service a Fortune 500 company might enjoy. We were amazed by their design and the effort that went into every screen.

How did ArcTouch perform from a project management standpoint?

We appreciate the adjustments they’ve made to keep us on schedule. They also made sure we were comfortable with the communication channels. They joined our instant messaging system, and we joined Zeppelin, their collaboration tool. The entire process was transparent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They make me want to do more for them. They didn’t come into the project to just give us what we wanted—they gave us what we needed. We redesigned our product and our market strategy based on their ideas.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CIO of a national medical information-gathering company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ArcTouch?

We needed to port a Motorola software which was being used in the field for information collections, to iOS.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided our current ASP.NET code, which ArcTouch converted to iOS from start to finish. Our processes in the field are constantly changing, so they have continued to work on the application. The application has a barcode scanning functionality, which eliminates human error when transposing numbers. It captures signatures digitally and sends the electronic data back to us, where it is automatically disseminated to where it needs to go. We have also made a spin-off application for a different process. We’ve also used ArcTouch for UI consultation, but not outside the scope of the application.

What is the team dynamic?

They were recently acquired by another company, so the team has gotten larger. When we initially started working with them, the team was smaller. More people currently know the ins and outs of our app.

How did you come to work with ArcTouch?

One of our members had a business contact at Apple and reached out to them for a recommendation. ArcTouch was referred to us, and we got in touch.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work has been $100,000 or more.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with ArcTouch in 2013, and our collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were specific with what we needed, and there was not a lot of room for play. ArcTouch has done a great job accommodating our requirements.

It would be disastrous if we lost a single byte of data, but this has never happened. ArcTouch's work was solid.

How did ArcTouch perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve met all the timelines we gave them. The team was accommodating in sending me the code to compile locally. The CEO was accessible to discuss anything and was more than willing to come see us in person.

Some of their programmers are based in Brazil, but the project managers are in northern California. The organization seems great, and everyone has been involved in our calls. They have some online prototyping tools, but we haven’t used anything too elaborate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their client list is impressive, and we were able to look at some of their previous work before choosing them. It made us decide to go with ArcTouch.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I wish we would have been able to narrow down exactly what we needed, prior to seeing the results. This was completely our fault since we didn’t know what we wanted prior to seeing it come together. Clients should communicate what they’re after to the best and fullest of their abilities.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior digital marketing manager for Flexjet, a fractional jet ownership and leasing company. I oversee all digital marketing related to branding, acquisition, and retention.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ArcTouch?

We wanted to massively update our member-facing app to streamline numerous features that could only be accomplished via phone call or our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?’

Our previous app was developed internally, basic, and hadn’t been updated much. ArcTouch led the entire technical architecture: they designed, developed, and used their own code to make the app from scratch. We have an internal IT department, but ArcTouch was completely in charge of the frontend, so they only worked with our backend.

When we first hired ArcTouch, we did a two-day, intensive discovery workshop; they came to our offices in Cleveland, met with key stakeholders, reviewed the business, and scoped out the project. We spent most of 2016 internally deciding what we wanted from the app, and at the end, ArcTouch submitted one large proposal with all those MVP features.

We then did a technical discovery where ArcTouch worked with our IT department to determine the APIs, web services, and how the app would communicate with our backend system. They built a prototype app that had two purposes: to give something physical to our stakeholders to get the final buy-in before development, and to get a head start on designing important screens for the app. After that, ArcTouch finished up the design and development and submitted it to the App Store in June 2017.

The app is a loyalty and retention tool, meant to enhance our Owners’ experience. It helps them more seamlessly book trips, track itineraries, view account details, edit their calendar, share upcoming trip info through native sharing, RSVP to special events, submit referrals, view invoices, flight history, etc. Before the app, our Owners had to speak to a service representative or go through our website. Now, the app makes all that an easy intuitive experience. It’s a post-sale app, so about 90% is available only to existing Owners; potential Owners still have to go to our website to enter the sales funnel.

How did you come to work with ArcTouch?

Our sister company, Skyjet, worked with them, and ArcTouch did a great job on their award-winning app. We already had a great working relationship with them, and they have quite a bit of experience developing high-quality apps for the travel and hospitality industries, so it was an easy choice.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from November 2015 to July 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Flexjet app has already won two platinum awards: a dotCOMM award and a MarCom award for the best mobile app for service. Even though it’s only been available for a few months, the app is getting significant amounts of engagement, with a 25% adoption rate among our Owners so far. Its ROI is impressive, just with trips booked and helping us close sales. Plus, there’ve been no bugs or crashes.

How did ArcTouch perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated daily over email, had weekly phone calls, and used Jira and Flowdock to keep track of progress. During the last week of the project, ArcTouch welcomed me and one of my team members into their San Francisco office to be on site for final development and testing. It was a turnkey project, and they used an agile methodology for each phase, which helped us stay on time, stay on budget, and launch a successful product.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their entire workflow is incredibly transparent. Their level of strategy, design, and functionality exceed any other agency. The amount and variety of clients they have speaks volumes to their excellence in the field. If we ever need to develop another app, we’ll look to ArcTouch for their technical leadership and capabilities.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don't have any complaints.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our business is Rubica, and we are a personal cyber security offering for individuals. My position is chief revenue officer, and I own all of marketing and sales. Relevant to the work with ArcTouch, project management is a piece of that.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ArcTouch?

We have a very robust backend service that keeps individuals and families safe. We didn’t have a nice frontend app or UI that would allow people to use it, interact with it, and know that they were safe. We were literally calling or emailing our customer, telling them everything was fine or that it wasn’t. We wanted to build that into a client experience, into an app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The main thing we contracted them to do was design that client app experience. They sat down with us, understood our goals, looked at our branding, guidelines, actual product objectives, and they learned about our audience. Then they came up with the whole layout and design. They did not build it for us, as we had our own team for that, but they guided us through what that would be. They essentially wrote the spec on what the app would look like. We currently have a very basic version of the iPhone app in the App Store, and we’re going to upgrade it to the version they designed for us shortly. We’ll be doing that ourselves.

How did you come to work with ArcTouch?

I found them through a referral from a friend in the Bay Area who knew of them. We talked to quite a few companies that weren’t located close enough to us. ArcTouch is in San Francisco, where we are, which allowed us to meet them in person. The overwhelming factor that helped us make the decision was that they had some really strong design people who really impressed us. Whitney [Gonzales, Graphic Designer] was our day-to-day person on the project, and she worked with Anthony [Hall, Vice President of Creative]. They presented a philosophy about user experience design that really impressed us. They clearly had a depth of thinking around how people interact with apps on their phones, the models that work, and what caused frustration. It was clearly an expertise area for them.

How much have you invested with ArcTouch?

We paid them about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January of 2017, and their work was finished in March of this year.

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 metrics in a classic way. It’s not like they generated $50,000 of value immediately. It was a design effort, and we didn’t have those skills in-house. We had no designers on staff, so to go find and hire that skill would have taken us months, and we would have one person full time, which wasn’t quite right for us. They were able to get us going very quickly with expert resources in a way that we had no capacity to execute on, so it made sense. They got our app platform development off the ground in a few months, which would have cost us much more than their price tag to do ourselves.

The app is very strong. We’ve taken it out to quite a few folks, and everyone always loves to pick apart something in an app. Fundamentally, our app got great feedback. I’d say the design had very strong feedback, which is what we really wanted. The design-to-engineering handoff is always a tricky issue. You want to make sure the designers aren’t designing something that’s hard to build or not spec’d out enough to build. ArcTouch put it into a bunch of tools for us. They set it up so that every single button, the number of pixels, the color hue, and all the details were clearly laid out in a very easy-to-follow manner. Our engineers could just come in and build with minimal questions.

How did ArcTouch perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very solid. We kept having choices to make around which direction the design would take, and they offered suggestions to keep things simple and get us back on track. They had to do that two or three times, and I greatly appreciated it every time. Sometimes, when you’re too close to things, it’s hard to back up and see the big picture.

We mostly communicated by email, and that worked fine. I don’t remember any project management platform.

They were rock-solid with meeting deadlines and sticking to the budget. I had no problems with that whatsoever. They were completely professional. They advised us when we were making a decision that would push a deadline, and they were always on budget. From my perspective, having done a few of these before, they certainly weren’t the cheapest. If I were to apply a car brand comparison, they’re probably like a BMW 5 Series. They’re certainly higher-end, but they also delivered on that value promise. They were timely, professional, and thought-provoking and they delivered a high-quality product.

What did you find most impressive about ArcTouch?

The two folks we interacted with most, Anthony and Whitney, were just really strong resources. If we had gone down the path of trying to hire people, I would have hoped to hire someone like them. They are professional, smart, good communicators, and also very good at actual user experience design.

Are there any areas ArcTouch could improve?

The client always wants things cheaper, faster, and easier, but we were trying to do something hard and I think they helped us get there. I don’t have any substantive, real improvements. If I gave you something, it would just be me nit-picking some obtuse detail that’s just not fair. It’s trivial stuff in the concept of the big picture.

They have the typical model, with a business development team. If there was a project scope extension, someone else would come in and manage that so the people doing the work aren’t involved with the budget stuff. It’s always a small annoyance as a client, but all outsourced vendors have to follow that model. You don’t want the designer involved with the billing stuff. It’s really just the general thing you get when you use a vendor like them, not a comment on them specifically.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for a nonprofit organization call Equal Access that works in the space of international development. We do aid projects in West Africa and Asia. We are a behavior change communications organization, which means that we produce radio and television programming with some sort of message that's supposed to reach a vulnerable population or marginalized population in rural areas with important crucial information regarding education, agriculture, violent extremism, or peace building engagements.

What is your position?

My title is information communication technology for development specialist, which is abbreviated as ICT4D. That's a branch of development that looks at how to use technology specifically in the development space

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with ArcTouch?

Equal Access administers a TV channel in Northern Nigeria. A couple of years ago, we won a grant from the Department of State's Bureau for Counterterrorism to set up a channel that would basically blast media that had a much more positive message. It would basically be a counter-narrative to the violent extremism narrative that pervades in that part of northern Nigeria. Nigeria is much more technically advanced than many of our other countries that we work in. We wanted a way in which we could get people our content easily at any time, particularly among the diasporas of Northern Nigerians who live all around the world.

We already upload all of our content to YouTube. Our YouTube content is mostly consumed by our viewers in Saudi Arabia, Libya, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom – even the United States. We thought the easiest way for people to see something is to have an app like Netflix or Hulu that would be able to stream our content at any time. We convinced our donor that this was something worth investing in, even though creating apps in our world is not very common. Usually, the populations that aid organizations are trying to target don't have access to smartphones and, if they do have a smartphone, they don't necessarily have access to a data connection. Usually an app is not the best way of getting people information but, in this case, it made sense.

We went to ArcTouch and asked if they could help us build an app. They were phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal. They helped us understand the space. They helped us understand the difference between a web app and a native app. They had a platform that fit our use case well. They were happy to help us think through what we needed and how we wanted to design it. It was a positive experience when we first came to them.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We first spoke to ArcTouch in June 2014 and had just begun feeling it out with our donor. We had to introduce ArcTouch to a very different procurement process than the private sector is used to. In the aid world, we have a very lengthy procurement process that the U.S. government requires whenever you're using U.S. government funds for a project. There's a long bureaucratic process.

Even though we knew that ArcTouch was our favorite, it took about a year for us to sign a contract with them. For the entire time, they were very patient. Sam [Leung], who is their business development [director], was happy to supply us more information whenever the donor asked for anything. It was a positive process in that way. The stages were drawn out, but once we were finally able to sign a contract, putting the app together was quite quick. We needed an app that would allow people to view AREWA24, which is our channel's name, and engage with our social media channels. We also wanted the app to support our IVR [interactive voice response] and text messaging line. ArcTouch helped us with the design process, functionality, and navigation.

They also spent some time figuring out how to transfer our YouTube playlists directly to the app so we never have to update the app ourselves manually. They made it very low maintenance on the back-end, which is great because our field staff is not very technically savvy. Training people in Northern Nigeria to be able to manage an app is actually quite difficult. They were able to take that whole issue out from us. They completely maintain and host a platform called AppGlu, which we're using to support the AREWA24 app. They have a super-easy platform through which our local team can log in and create a simple push notification to anybody who has the app. It's almost simpler than sending an email. It's great and easy to teach.

How did you come to work with ArcTouch?

Part of my job was to research app developers who've worked in the media delivery space, so I looked at who had done all the big network apps. We spoke to a bunch of them, and they were all much more than our price range. We spoke to quite a few companies, but the bottom line was that we simply couldn't afford anybody else. What ArcTouch was offering was to use their existing platform rather than creating a custom app. The platform does everything that we wanted it to do, and it would just be a subscription fee rather than a huge custom application contract that would require hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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

It was between $40,000 and $50,000 in the end.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement started in earnest in January or February of 2016 when we started designing it. The other thing that made this whole process a lot slower was that my colleagues and I have a pretty insane travel schedule. It was longer than it probably would have been otherwise, but the app was released on April 1, 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

What's been interesting is that the vast majority of downloads have been in Nigeria itself. We assumed that the most downloads would be where the Nigerian diasporas have more access to smartphones. The downloads haven't been as high as we wanted to, but that's mostly on us rather than on ArcTouch. I think we have around 50,000 downloads so far. We've done a mediocre job of promoting the application, and that's mostly because our local staff in Nigeria is not as familiar with this kind of media campaign. It was certainly a lot more successful than we imagined in the first month. We had about 30,000 downloads, which is pretty cool.

How did ArcTouch perform from a project management standpoint?

It was pretty organized. Our product manager, Carolyn [Gudmundson], was phenomenal. She responded to every single little question we ever had and every single problem that we experienced. She was very well connected with the developers and the tech team on what needed to be done. Whenever anything was going to take a little bit longer than planned, they always let us know. Whenever we needed anything, they were extremely responsive, and they were very helpful when we were doing the testing of the betas. It was a great process overall.

What distinguishes ArcTouch from other providers?

There are two things I would underscore. The platform that they have allows you to create a native app a lot faster than a customized project. I think that's hugely powerful for people that don't have the budget, but still want an app that does some simple stuff. The second is how understanding they were of our budget and our limitations, much more so than any other group that we spoke with. They gave us a nonprofit discount on our subscription fee. They accommodated us as best they could, and we appreciated that a lot.

The overarching thing that I have to say about ArcTouch is that when the NGO [nongovernmental organization] sector interacts with the private sector, it's often a very negative interaction. We don't have a lot of money, and usually people will give us less importance. That was totally not the case at ArcTouch. Even though we didn't have a huge budget for some big custom app, ArcTouch still treated us like we were an important client the entire time. I appreciated that throughout the process.

Is there anything ArcTouch could have improved or done differently?

Once we had a product manager, it was very easy to communicate with them. We were communicating with a business development guy, but he quit and then it was unclear to us who our contact person was for a little bit. If that was a little more organized, that would have been more helpful. That's it, just making sure that we understand who the point of contact is for different things.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for Pilates Metrics, a mobile solution for the Pilates industry that allows schools, studios, instructors, or clients to track, chart, and share their development within the studio.

What is your position?

I am the founder and Chief Executive Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with ArcTouch?

We had the idea but we needed the expertise to get it to market in the most professional manner possible. They were our number one choice.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We went to ArcTouch for their complete suite of services, from projections, to strategy, to end design, engineering, and back end. They were an incredible resource.

How did you come to work with ArcTouch?

We chose them because of their diverse portfolio. They’ve done work for clinical businesses, but then they’ve also done very aesthetically pleasing fun apps as well. Because they have such a diverse portfolio, we knew we could get something that was both visually stunning while also being technically compliant and elite.

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

Our initial project was $224,000. We’ve come back to them with an additional $194,000 project. We were trying to mitigate the risk and saw an opportunity, so we did not launch. Later, we came back to them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are launching this summer. We’re in contract with multiple schools and are signing them up for the app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What distinguishes ArcTouch from other providers?

Pilates requires very elaborate equipment, and we actually built a Pilates studio inside ArcTouch. They were absolutely immersed in the project. They wanted to experience it so they could provide the best service. I don’t know how many firms would allow that. We also have weekly meetings telling us exactly where we are in our scope.

Is there anything ArcTouch could have improved or done differently?

In the beginning, there was a lot of rotating in the team members because they’re such a large and growing firm, but they’ve since corrected. But that was a problem that we had. Sometimes information that we’d already discussed would get lost in the cracks. That was a problem that we voiced and they were aware of. They put a solid team together for us that stayed with us. We hit them at a growth spurt, so we felt the communication wasn’t always good internally, but they rectified the situation and made it an asset.