Bananacode - Out of Business

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bananacode?

We needed help in software development and design. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bananacode is our outsourced software development partner. They provide overall support in development work, but they also help us with design. They use Symfony, PHP, and Angular on our projects. 

What is the team composition?

I work with a project manager, a developer, and a designer. Sometimes, they assign an additional developer depending on our needs. 

How did you come to work with Bananacode?

I knew Bananacode’s founder from an entrepreneurship group. We started working together, and we just fit. 

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2021, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re good and organized. They have an entrepreneurial mindset, unlike other agencies that just develop and don’t care about the business.

How did Bananacode perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re good at project management. We have a weekly meeting where we look at updates on ongoing tasks. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have an entrepreneurial mindset. In addition, they’re nimble — they don’t have complicated processes since they’re not a big company. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They can be more formal.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’m working with their founding team, and that’s important for me since I know they’re good. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there

I’m a communications consultant working with entrepreneurs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Banana Code?

I needed to redesign my website; it was old and wasn’t as helpful as it used to be.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Banana Code updated the design of my WordPress website and helped me create a new site map.

What was the team composition?

I worked with three people, including a project manager, a frontend designer, and a developer.

How did you come to work with Banana Code?

I was in contact with one of their managers via Instagram. We had a project together in the past, so I knew about their work. I decided that they’d be a great fit because their work aligns with my business vision. 

How much have you invested in them?

We spent about $1,800 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May–July 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site has dramatically improved in terms of design and usability. The website looks modern and is more practical and easier to navigate, so it shows an improved capability to turn leads into clients. 

How did Bananacode perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m delighted with their work. The project manager was great; she provided an excellent follow-up and was flexible and responsive to my needs. Also, the project management platform we used was fantastic, user-friendly, and allowed me to see real-time changes — I’m pleased with their work and timeliness.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are flexible, even in terms of payments. They have many different payment options, which was key for me because that allowed me to reach my goals faster.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would've liked it if they offered more services.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there

I’m the founder of a pet products startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Bananacode?

They developed and integrated our payment system platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They used MySQL, PHP, and React with SGX frameworks.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with a manager and a developer.

How did you come to work with Bananacode?

I knew them personally, but we also had interviews with other companies. Still, Bananacode was the best qualified — they had more experience in projects related to payment systems integration. We also felt that there was a good affinity between the technologies and platforms we used.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent about $2,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in July 2021, and it lasted about three weeks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work was great — they did the integration with great speed and quality of code. Moreover, it was a crucial integration. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to execute our transactions.

How did Bananacode perform from a project management standpoint?

They met all deadlines. We used Discord to communicate. We had a direct chat with them, and their response time was almost immediate, so that was great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had a solid team and great experience. Bananacode knew how to work as a team, and their communication was excellent before and during development. It was their greatest strength.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I honestly wouldn't know what to say.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a gender specialist at an international NGO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bananacode?

As part of a program we are working on, we are developing an e-commerce platform for women. We hired Bananacode to help us perform quality control of the platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bananacode supports us when it comes to reviewing the design, UX, and functionality of the platform. They use Notion to place the tickets around platform improvements suggestions.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked directly with the CEO, a project manager, a developer, a design and user experience specialist, and the person who’s in charge of uploading the tickets.

How did you come to work with Bananacode?

Bananacode was referred by one of our service providers. We found that they were based in the same area as us, so we thought they would be good to partner with.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2021. I believe the project will be finished by December 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Bananacode’s work has helped us greatly improve the design and user experience of the platform. They have also provided us with consulting regarding the integration of the platform and have helped us keep track of all of the updates in a very efficient way.

How did Bananacode perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very committed to deadlines, but they are also very flexible. If something that isn’t part of the initial plan comes up, they are there to support us, making themselves available for any additional requests.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really like the fact that they have a young, proactive team that’s very professional and committed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing I can think of. I’m honestly very satisfied with their work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there

I'm an executive at an online supermarket.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Bananacode?

We wanted a site where our clients could buy online and see all the information related to our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired Bananacode to develop our website and mobile app. The site was created using Magento and e-commerce 2. They built the mobile app for Android and iOS with React Native, and the project interphase was linked to Microsoft dynamics.

What was the team composition?

We’ve been working with 7–8 people throughout the engagement.

How did you come to work with Bananacode?

I found them on Clutch, and they seemed like an excellent choice for use for their design skills and expertise with Magento.

How much have you invested in them?

We've spent around $65,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our collaboration in December 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m delighted with their work; they’re a small agency, so on the positive side of it, they’re agile and put great attention and care into their work, so its quality is excellent. Their design is outstanding, and their developing skills are also good; I’m fascinated with the overall project. 

How did Bananacode perform from a project management standpoint?

They respected the schedule; we had some delays, but they were related to things outside their control.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a great company; we’re pleased to work with them and will continue to do so. As I mentioned, their design skills are outstanding, and their developing skills are also excellent. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only downside we found is that they have limited resources, so it'd be great if they augmented their staff.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there

I'm the VP of operations at a health startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Bananacode?

We needed help to develop a web application for our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They help us develop an app to allow our clients to sign up and use our services. They're also developing our website and a couple of apps to help our doctors check our affiliated clients’ status.

What is the team composition?

We work with 3–5 people from their team.

How did you come to work with Bananacode?

We were about to start the project with another company, but we had a conflict of interest that didn’t allow us to move forward with the project, so they referred us to Bananacode. We consulted prices and proposals, but the reference we got was the main reason to chose them — it felt like a natural decision for us.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent $20,000–$30,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their services are thorough and great for startups. They can help you with coding, UX design, and e-commerce. That helps us to have a very lean process and makes it easier to achieve our goals. In terms of metrics, we’ve been able to grow about 20% each month.

How did Bananacode perform from a project management standpoint?

In terms of communication, we use notes. They’re also fast at solving any issue that comes up.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a startup, so working with them is different than working with a software vendor that has a more rigid process. They’re very flexible and create a relationship that evolves constantly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had some issues defining deadlines, but many changes from our side made that harder — once we had everything clearly defined, the project went smoothly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at Leo Burnett, an advertising agency in Costa Rica. I’m a producer in the production department.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bananacode?

I needed to create a landing page for a promotion that one of my clients was organizing with another brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bananacode developed a page where visitors could fill in their data and then play a game. The game included prizes in the form of our client’s products and the other brand’s products.

We went through the whole wireframing process and did some pre-launch beta testing as well. They also made a page that opened up directly from my client’s official page.

What is the team composition?

I spoke directly with two people, but I know that the team consisted of about 5–6 people.

How did you come to work with Bananacode?

Bananacode came as a suggestion from one of my coworkers. She used to be the digital department director here and gave me their contact information. I’m not exactly sure when she had worked with them but she gave me a positive review. 

We got in touch with them and together with our client, we decided that their proposal was the best that we had received from the three that we requested, both financially and delivery-wise.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $6,000–$7,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our first meeting was in mid-September 2020 and the project wrapped up exactly two months after in November 2020. The project is complete, though we occasionally talk just to follow up. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The collaboration was a bit complex because our client required a lot. However, Bananacode helped us a lot. We had a tight deadline, which we were able to reach despite the delays that we had because of our client. We delivered exactly what was requested and we’re all completely satisfied with the results.

How did Bananacode perform from a project management standpoint?

We had to push our deadline several times because of our client. In the end, when our client finally settled on a delivery date, we worked with Bananacode on weekends and late nights in order to deliver.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Besides the website, which works perfectly, their communication with us and with our client was always great. They were very effective and transparent. Even though we had some complications, our client was always at ease and knew things would turn out well because of the confidence Bananacode gave them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve in explaining the technical aspects of the work so that we could better understand everything. We’re not programmers, so there were a few things that we didn’t understand at the start.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Yuhu is a platform for tenants, landlords, and property managers with many units. We wanted to enter the United States market. For now, most of our clients are in Canada and Europe.

I’m the CTO of the company, overseeing everything from delivery to scoping our projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bananacode?

Our clients needed a mobile platform, which we didn’t have until recently. Bananacode came on board to handle a small project for improving the renter’s experience on the app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app has features for maintenance tickets and tenant-landlord communication. They’ve been on the project for a month now and have set a foundation for our mobile platform.

They used React Native for iOS and Android development. One of the more complex parts of mobile development is notifications. Bananacode suggested AWS and ran some tests through that system. It turned out to be convenient for our needs.

In addition to providing those suggestions, they implemented solutions that properly aligned with the needs and requirements we described.

What is the team composition?

We had a project manager, a CTO for high-level details, and two developers. I know that they hired a few QA specialists, but we only had contact with four people.

How did you come to work with Bananacode?

One of our project managers worked with their CEO in the past, and they stayed in touch. We’re a small startup, so that referral went a long way. Still, we sent out several RFPs to Canadian an Ukranian companies.

We selected Bananacode because they have great English and communication skills, time zones weren’t a problem, and our standards were aligned with theirs. They gave us feedback about how the software development should go early into our conversations, which gave us more peace of mind.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $35,000–45,000 CAD (approximately $27,500–$35,300 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the work in October 2020. We communicated prior to discuss requirements, how we would work together, paperwork, and more.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s been excellent. They’ve helped us with the platform, providing both development work and consulting on the best technologies to use. Delivering on all our expectations, they also gave us further peace of mind through QA. We know our project is in good hands.

How did Bananacode perform from a project management standpoint?

From the start, their communication was great, and we talk daily. They’ve been willing to work weekends, which shows they’re dedicated and want to push the project forward.

They gave us the confidence that they could tackle our requirements and have done so from the start. Their technical abilities to do things technically kept us free from issues.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really stood out with their initial proposal. They gave us a great roadmap for the project, despite having very little information to begin. When we had ideas, they visualized what we needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We'd love to see them make further suggestions on the design elements of the project.  Other than that, there’s nothing I could ask for them to improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a software factory, and we offer staff augmentation services for other software firms. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Banancode?

They developed our website, our blog, and other microservices for the site. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They used Javascript and HTML to develop the website as well as Python for some of the microservices. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people: a designer, a developer, and a project manager. 

How did you come to work with Banancode?

I found them by chance at a conference and checked out their website. When this project came up, I decided to give them a try. We were looking to collaborate with a young team that had the ability to solve problems with the newest technologies. They have all these skills and their portfolio reflected that.

How much have you invested in them?

We've spent about $6,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We collaborated from March–May 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had two main KPIs, one was to improve our design to a pixel-perfect level, and the second was to achieve success in publishing our content ourselves. Both goals were met completely.

How did Banancode perform from a project management standpoint?

They used agile methodologies, and that worked perfectly for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They met all our goals and expectations and were good value for our money.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could work more on making their company more well-known. I met them by chance and know they'd have plenty of interest if they promoted their work more.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of a menstrual products store.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Banancode?

They developed our e-commerce, and have also helped us with social media, digital marketing campaigns, design, and more.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They used Magento. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with about 5 people. 

How did you come to work with Banancode?

I did some online research, they seemed like a great choice for us because they work with several startups, they have a great accompaniment process, and good prices. 

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve invested about $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with them for about two years. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work has been essential for our business, without the website we wouldn’t have grown as we have now. Our sales grew exponentially after having e-commerce development done. 

How did  Banancode perform from a project management standpoint?

We used different tools for communications and project management, like Discord, we have meetings every month. So I don’t have any complaints in that regard. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The e-commerce development was outstanding. They’re a very young and innovative company. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I couldn’t say anything.