Binariks

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of IT and engineering at Planet of Finance, a platform that connects private investors with finance professionals. In addition to networking services, we also provide a marketplace where private investors can ask for and offer full wealth management in addition to investing with other professionals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Binariks?

A few months ago, we decided to merge our public, private, and financial professional platforms into a single one that was easier to maintain. Considering the different legacy environments, it was a challenge to centralize everything. On top of that, we were facing several difficulties with our SEO and couldn’t add new functionalities because we were using outdated technology. We needed resources who could support our integration development and completely redo our UI.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Binariks redid our UI for public access and updated our tech stack. Because we were previously using the first version of Angular, we had trouble adding new functionalities and saw issues with our SEO. Their team adopted the latest Angular technology for the new UI, which provided more flexibility. Since then, we’ve released the public interface and have just published a page to the private investor space. We’re now working on the financial professional side.

What is the team composition?

Initially, we hired one developer but have since scaled up to three. There’s also a project manager who handles the administrative side.

How did you come to work with Binariks?

I found and interviewed a few service providers on Upwork before meeting Binariks. They appeared professional and succeeded in the technical interview, so we decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay them $12,000 per month. Each developer gets $4,000 for 40 hours of work.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Binariks in June 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With the new interface, we’ve attracted a lot more traffic, and users have responded well. Updating to a current version of Angular has also improved our user-friendliness.

How did Binariks perform from a project management standpoint?

Even though Binariks works remotely, we’re able to communicate well. I speak to the developers every day through Skype and contact the project manager if I need them to work extra hours. At times, there are misunderstandings, but they always let me know if there’s a problem so that we can work through them.

In terms of development speed, they often deliver faster than expected. However, it can be difficult to establish clear deadlines; there are a lot of dependencies for the project, and they need to coordinate tasks with our internal team, too. Nonetheless, Binariks has taken on the project as their own and acted professionally during stressful times.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate how well they handle complaints. Developers don't always understand each other, and we’re all working remotely. But Binariks has remained professional and humble. They always listen to what we want them to improve.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. I’ve suggested a few improvements in the past, and they’ve implemented them well. Overall, I’m satisfied with the final result.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Opus Digitas, a company that provides a video management platform for user-generated video.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Binariks?

We needed a strong and agile agency to develop our platform and implement all the required functionalities.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our platform allows users to collect, curate, and circulate different videos based on their needs. Binariks built the site using React, PHP, Laravel, JavaScript, and other libraries for third-party apps. We had some of the architecture and major functionalities determined, and Binariks helped select the right technologies for the platform. They also participated in the architectural review and design. Users can upload videos to the platform and can curate, edit, annotate, and merge clips together. They can also use the platform to publish videos to a variety of social media outlets, CMS platforms, and video hosting services. The platform is now live, and Binariks does support and periodical updates.

What is the team composition?

Right now, we have a project manager, two backend developers, and two frontend developers. Binariks scales the team to meet our needs.

How did you come to work with Binariks?

Binariks was recommended by a good friend and business partner.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in May 2018, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve delivered high-quality code and implemented suitable components and architecture; their deliverables exceeded our expectations. They were vital in achieving our goals.

How did Binariks perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re instrumental in keeping things moving forward and meeting project goals. They provide weekly reports and deliver on time. We communicate via Jira, Slack, and status meetings that we have twice a week.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re agile and adaptable to change. They ask questions and don’t make assumptions in order to understand your business and create the best possible solution. We’ve worked with lots of other partners, and they’re one of the most organized and responsive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they deliver what we expect. It’s been a productive relationship.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Communication is key. Have tools in place to organize your project so that both parties understand what’s going on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO at Zurvus Solutions. We’re building a healthcare SaaS platform that helps to schedule and track remote healthcare workers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Binariks?

We wanted to be able to offer transparency and accountability to remote healthcare workers such as pharmaceutical salespeople, clinical liaison business development people, etc.

We needed more development resources because we only had one resource in-house. We wanted to rebuild our software by developing in React Native. It was important to accomplish our goals as efficiently and effectively as possible.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We rebuilt the software from the ground up. It had horrible UI/UX and the workflow wasn’t correct, so we needed to work on the look and feel of that. One of the decisions we made early on was to move to React Native so that we can easily port to multiple devices within the mobile app realm, especially Android and iOS.

There’s a web and administrative component of the app, as well as a mobile component for the workers out in the field. The app uses geolocation and has a rule-based global parameter that different organizations can set. It offers 100% accountability and veracity as to whether a worker is at the location they say they’re at. They have to be within a certain area before they can begin a job.

Additionally, the admin can select specific workers and/or jobs or locations, then see where those workers were at any point in time. We can overlay the schedule of those particular workers just to make sure that they were in the correct location. If they weren’t, we can do a quick audit and leave notes for reasons why.

What is the team composition?

We usually have four developers, one project manager, and one QA. We have resources dedicated to the administrative web component, and resources dedicated to the mobile component. We have our own internal design UX person and a chief architect.

How did you come to work with Binariks?

I was looking for a remote team because I knew I’d need to scale up and down different resources. I found them on Upwork and checked their reviews. They had the resources and the skill set I was looking for, as well as the right kind of business acumen.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $40,000. If I’d done the work internally, it would have been four times that.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2018 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The in-house had been working on this software for over a year when I came onboard, and it was still unsellable. We had to totally revamp everything. In three months, we’ve almost rebuilt what it took the other team over a year to build. We have a client that we’re working now that’s very close to signing.

How did Binariks perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very organized—they have a project manager and work in an agile, scrum environment. We have our daily calls that fit well with their timeframe and go over what we need to do next. We also use Azure for management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

All the team members speak very fluent English and follow specific instructions well while offering suggestions. They’re able to fill in a lot of blanks, which helps us move fast and avoid stumbles later.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes, during our daily standups, they’re so focused on what they’re supposed to be doing that they leave to get a jump start on the work. I would prefer for them to stay in the meeting. I’ve mentioned it to them and it’s been rectified.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We have a very good chief architect and UX designer, so we don’t have to worry about the architecture or the design. They could probably do those things, but it saves a lot of time on our part to have them focus on user functionality. We put everything in Adobe XB or InVision so they can see specifically what to do. That helps streamline the workflow and I highly recommend it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder and CEO of a fitness startup. We are in the process of developing a mobile app for training professionals and clients. Users can conduct searches based on types of exercise, location, date, and cost.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Binariks?

We needed a partner to help us complete a basic version of our app to submit to the app store and continue to assist with the development of additional features.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a functioning iOS beta build.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After filtering through more than 50 applications, we chose Binariks based on their expertise, technical knowledge, and impressive soft skills.

Describe the project in detail.

We provided a vision for the design and a list of specific requirements, then the Binariks team quickly began developing. In addition, they provided excellent UX/UI suggestions and a variety of ideas for possible solutions. Currently, we are making necessary adjustments and quick fixes in preparation for our release date.

What was the team composition?

My team members have changed since the start of our engagement, but Binariks has always provided a project manager and one iOS developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are approaching our app’s release, but based on the positive experience we received, we plan on working with their team for continued support and future Android development.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Binariks was proactive and time-oriented throughout the development process. Their team was a valuable resource for new ideas and improvements on our existing plan. They always asked for clarification on requirements and expectations for artwork.

We used an agile methodology in our engagement. Binariks successfully managed the iterative approach to the workflow. We were pleased with the results submitted in each of our weekly calls and status reports. The team continues to work efficiently as we approach the launch.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I am very impressed by their internal team structure. The workflow was smooth and productive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I think it depends on the type of partner clients are looking for. If they want a product built and already have solid requirements established, then they will get the job done. If the client is looking for a large engineering team, they will find that Binariks’ work is functional, but the process may require a built more back-and-forth to get the code up to the desired standard.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Hamstoo. We’re building software tools that let people bookmark and take notes online in new ways.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Binariks?

I needed a development team to create our bookmarking mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we had to decide if we wanted to build a native or cross-platform app. Given our requirements, we decided to create a cross-platform app using the Ionic framework. The app is intended to do everything the website does plus mobile functionalities. The most important feature is the sharing functionality that hooks into the share intents of different phones and platforms. Further development will include the ability to take pictures of printed images and enable users to highlight and take notes on that content.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with a project manager and one developer.

How did you come to work with Binariks?

I previously worked with freelance developers to create the app, but those projects didn’t go well. I searched online for a development firm and found Binariks. I spoke with their founder and a few developers. They were more professional than the other developers I’ve talked too, so I hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent around $10,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2017 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve only been working together for a few months, but they’ve built a working app that’ll be ready to launch soon. As a result, I’m unable to provide qualifying metrics. However, they’re following our design as closely as they can.

How did Binariks perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve incorporated both contacts into relevant Slack channels and mostly interact with the developer. We also communicate via Google Hangouts when necessary. We’re using Git for all the source code and GitHub for issue tracking. Overall, they’ve done a great job managing the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication skills are excellent. The project manager is particularly great to work with as he’s pushed me to communicate with them more.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s always tricky working with people long-distance, but that’s not their fault.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Aire Fresco, a mobile application designed to help users improve their quality of life and emotional intelligence through acquiring the habit of meditation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Binariks?

I needed help developing the Android application, as well as the backend of what would be the entire software. I needed corresponding databases and the frontend development of an admin panel or content management system [CMS]. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I went to Binariks with basic wireframes and a specifications document. They started consulting on what technologies and frameworks would be more suitable for my needs. We discussed the cost implications of different technologies, their scalability, and their limitations. I have a bit of technological background, but they also served as a sounding board to validate or find alternatives for some of the decisions I was trying to make.

They’re developing the Android app using Android Studio. For the frontend, we use Angular, HTML5, and CSS3. For the backend, we’re using MySQL, REST API, and a few others. We use version control to manage changes in development.

What is the team composition?

Their company has about 20 members. I work directly with around 8 people. I work very closely with Oleh [Managing Partner, Binariks] and Daria [Project Manager]. Marian was on frontent, Andrii on Android, Ksenia for QA [quality assurance], among others.

How did you come to work with Binariks?

I was referred to them by a friend who is developing a mobile application. He had been referred to Binariks from another friend who hired them. I used Clutch and a couple other services to help me make that final call. 

How much have you invested with them?

$50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017 and the work is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re fabulous. Binariks implemented the specifications flawlessly. We use customer stories for QA. They work really well with a narrative of those customer stories to make sure that the product behaves the way a typical customer would expect it to.

How did Binariks perform from a project management standpoint?

We worked on the MVP [minimum viable product] for my project using Agile methodologies. We work in very short sprints. From the wireframe and requirements document, we drafted out a rough project timeline and estimates so that I could get an understanding of what the budget and timeline would look like for the MVP.

The project is billed on an hourly basis. They have delivered on time for every sprint. More often than not, they’re ahead of schedule. We work on a daily basis. Something I’ve appreciated very much is I have a single point of contact, but I also have the ability to communicate with the rest of the team. Some minor issues have arisen as in any project but the team has been quick in adapting and addressing my concerns.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They put a lot of emphasis on best practices for material design, quality user experience, and implementation. That’s going to be a key factor on customer retention.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Typically, on a platform like Clutch, there’s this notion of client vs. provider. They’d benefit from incorporating the client as part of their team at least in my case since I have experience developing applications and websites. It would be nice if the client was more involved in the development and testing, although I understand a client less experienced in development might struggle with work in progress, especially when it's a web or mobile application. We have standup meetings twice a week. Perhaps it would be better to loop in the client as a tester.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s easy to be judgmental with cultures that we’re less familiar with. Give it a try! I set up a one-week timeline and a second-week timeline to see how the relationship would work. If it didn’t work, it would be a minimal loss for me. I would advise setting yourself up for 1–2 weeks to test the relationship and see for yourself. If you give them that opportunity, you’ll be pleased to work with them. That will remove a little of that fear factor from a potential client of theirs. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a platform that enables the rapid development of customized CRM/ERP cloud software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Binariks?

We had two main challenges: to customize the platform for customers and add features to the platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The platform works on mobile and for web. Our customers were requesting more features, and I was struggling to keep up with them, so we hired a team to help. One of the features Binariks built was the ability to edit invoices in the mobile app, which was previously only available on the web version.

A larger project they worked on was upgrading the file storage system that integrates with Dropbox by changing the permissions and access. We revamped the mobile app so that users could take or select photos from their phone and upload them into the Dropbox-based file system. Binariks also allowed data to be exported to CSB from the adjacent database, built a feature to import CSV into any customized module within the system, and generates custom PDF reports for clients.

Most of the dev was done through AngularJS, and Firebase was both the frontend and backend database technology. NodeJS was used a bit on the server, and the hybrid mobile apps were built with Ionic. I already had all the mobile components, so Binariks just added features that we needed.

I also got them to do a bit of algorithmic work to detect when things happen at certain times, like when the staff check into certain places. We’re planning to start marketing soon, but our primary focus has been getting the product ready.

What is the team composition?

We have two developers, a team leader, a UI designer, and a QA person.

How did you come to work with Binariks?

We found them on Clutch. We interviewed around seven companies, and Binariks seemed to be mature and technically sound. We liked the demos, and they worked with the technologies we like. When I interviewed them and looked at some of their code, it seemed good. High-quality code was our main concern, but their UI design was a bonus, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around AU$120,000 [US$93,823].

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership began in August 2017 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The amount of work I've been able to deliver to existing customers has skyrocketed, which is great. I can basically deliver four or five times the number of features or customizations that the customers used to receive. I've had great customer feedback from all these new features, which means there aren’t any bugs. I've had no issues with Binariks’ work, and they’ve allowed me to ramp up what I can deliver. Our biggest client just recently told us that every feature has worked well.

How did Binariks perform from a project management standpoint?

I basically write up a big task description and use an internal task allocation tool. They take that description and we do a Skype call to go through it. I watch over their progress and check in as needed. When they’re finished, I’ll look everything over and prepare a report on what went well and what could improve for next time.

Just recently, I had an urgent task, and Binariks worked over the weekend to finish it. Since we’ve started, the amount of information I need to give them has rapidly decreased, to the point that I can give them a quick assignment description and they’re able to intuit what I need.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They've absorbed the industry knowledge and learned incredibly fast. They understand the complexity of our work, which I didn’t think would be possible, and have adapted to be able to work incredibly quickly.

The try to meet every deadline and have always give me the resources I need fast. For example, when I wanted to add a person to my team and visit their office in five days time, they assigned me a new dev straight away and helped me secure a visa immediately.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The initial QA could have been more intensive, but that’s been resolved.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Go and visit them in person. I did that recently, and it's enhanced the entire process. We've been able to cut down communication to a fifth of what it was before.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of OneTouch, which is a SaaS [software-as-a-service] company that we’re building. The vision is to provide construction companies a project management solution that really tightens up the construction flow. This came out of the work of my business partner, Robin. The whole thing is his vision and it's actually becoming something even bigger and better than what we originally started with because of Binariks' involvement.

He has been dreaming of this for the last 20 years in his work in the construction industry. He's formed an incredible process within his own company that creates incredible profits and outcomes for clients, all of which is now being built into a software solution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Binariks?

We went to them with an overview of the whole concept and of what we wanted to have as our UX [user experience]. There were a variety of different user stories inside the system including a super admin, instant access for the owner to all the data of the company, communications, and more. We needed their help to build this solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I created a voiceover of a PowerPoint with about 10–12 hand-drawn sketches of screens, including our initial visions and showing what we’d like things to look like, and so forth. They took that and absolutely knocked it out of the park.

The design manager and software engineer really dug into each item on the initial sketches and made outstanding and really detailed questions that helped open Robin’s mind in terms of what he experienced on a daily basis with his construction company.

Our biggest goal with OneTouch is to drive down to the simplicity of a single touch. Robin’s whole philosophy is “touch it once”, which is why his construction company has done so well. We had approximately four weeks of daily meetings, and I was blown away by their level of care in terms of making sure that every topic was covered.

Over the last few months, we’ve defined the database structures, the instant chat functionality, push notifications, and whether it should be an app or web-based solution. Now, we're into the stage where we can add companies and we can interact with the software.

I've dealt with a lot of web-based software and this is an instantaneous experience—it's really a pleasure. Even Robin's 11-year-old son has said that it's easy to understand. We've also had other people look at it and test the login process, the setup of companies, and the whole admin flow. Now, we're headed into the really fast-paced stuff in terms of new page designs, new client interactions, quoting, estimates, and more. We’re currently on a staging server, so there is no public-facing element yet.

What is the team dynamic?

They have a software engineer that handles all the ongoing communications with us, deep diving into each of the functionalities and explaining what the company is doing in each layer of the implementation and design. They also have a UI [user interface] designer, a quality assurance manager, and then four to five various experts that handle various levels of coding and database setup.

Overall, we have eight people working concurrently on the project. Their level of integrity in managing their hours is astounding. If they don't need someone for a whole hour, they'll just re-appropriate their time into other tasks.

This is not a multi-million dollar project, but it could turn into that, so it's good to know that we're with a company that has a rock-solid management style and integrity in the way that they manage things.

How did you come to work with Binariks?

We did some research and when we found Binariks, I was very impressed with the projects that they had done. We were looking for someone who had already managed multiple teams and that could understand the depth of managing all the different layers, technologies, communication channels, etc.

Technology changes so fast, so we wanted a company that could really deliver software. The other companies we interviewed were too eager to just get started with design and coding. However, when I talked to Oleh [Founder, Binariks], not only did he have experience in managing teams in different countries, but he also tempered our excitement and was very thorough, which I really appreciated.

Their maturity in project management and extensive experience made us feel very good about getting started.

How much have you invested with them?

Phase one is going to be around $100,000–$200,000 and we're about halfway through.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2017 and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since Robin has a construction company, he has already pre-sold a bunch of companies into the software, so we will have clients right out of the gate. They can hardly wait to get going because they see the success that Robin has had along with the simplicity of the design.

Especially now that were in the actual usability phase, Robin shows our solution to everyone using his phone. So we have everyone from people with sizeable electrician companies, plumbers, entrepreneurs, and more, who all think our software is easy to understand.

We're currently deep in the process of overseeing the design and making decisions ourselves. It's really great to get our potential clients’ feedback and we're really excited to launch.

How did Binariks perform from a project management standpoint?

They operate in two-week sprints, drill downs, and use an Agile/Scrum methodology for project implementation. They’re using a project management tool called JIRA, where we can see every step. They give us very detailed weekly reports on what everybody on the team spent time on, what they've accomplished, and their goals on a weekly basis. They’re literally on time and within budget every single week—it's outstanding.

Even though we've been throwing some curveballs at times, like different ideas that come up, they’re really great at giving us an in-depth understanding of what our ideas would imply from a technology perspective. We might think it's an easy functionality that's awesome from a user perspective, but on the backend, it can mean some major database management. Binariks will usually come back with solutions that are absolutely fantastic.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Communication, to me, is number one, but I also appreciate their proactive approach. They make complex technology sound easy for us and they’re thinking years down the road in order to make sure that this is going to be a rock-solid solution as we grow.

They’re extremely attentive to detail and they ask questions that we didn’t even think to ask, which is comforting to us. They go to extensive lengths to make sure that they communicate all aspects to us.

Overall, I’m very impressed. I've worked with a lot of teams in different countries, and the feeling of safety that they give us by handling everything in our absolute 100% best interest is phenomenal.

Are there any areas they could improve?

None. Everything that I expected from working with a company has been blown away. I’m working with other software companies right now, and I've been able to give them some advice, guidance, and insight into what they need to do to improve based on Binariks' outcomes. They’re having growing pains because they just don't communicate the way that Binariks does and don't have the level of care for every detail.

I really, really have nothing but a five-star rating for everything that Binariks has done. If there was a 10-star rating, I'd give it.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Be willing to have the patience to go through the details that are necessary to make the project a success. I've worked with other partners in the past who wanted to get started with coding too fast, and what we appreciate about Binariks is their thoroughness in making sure they absolutely understand every requirement.

Things unfold as you go. Just from the initial stage, we’ve been able to find new things, but the client should be able to allow Binariks to guide that discovery process and be willing to answer tons of questions, get into the details, and take that time. Anybody wanting to start a project with Binariks should realize that they're getting involved with a company that deeply cares about the success of the outcome of the project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Our company develops video-analysis software for academics, sports, surgery, consumer research, and any other group that can utilize it. We have around 900 users, comprised of institutions and companies. Our software can code and label parts of videos for export analysis, statistics, and so on.

What is your position?

I am the CEO of the company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Binariks?

We wanted to create an Android app. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Binariks developed our Android app and created an iOS version. We've had a few iterations of each and also built Windows and Mac versions using Binariks.

We had other applications, but nothing like the solution that Binariks built. They worked based off of our specifications and mockups.

The Android app lets users create buttons and assign functions to them. If someone was coding or labeling a football game, for example, they could add buttons for specific events, which will be compatible with the Windows and Mac versions of our app, and let users trigger those events using hotkeys. The apps are intended to be used with concurrent audio- and video-recording equipment. If the crew has 10 cameras or are using a feed from TV, they can code individual timelines for every player in a game, every score, every penalty, and so on. Users can also draw using the app and share timelines with others on the cloud.

Our solution is primarily used in research, where people go through hundreds of hours of video. They can send timeline files, which are small in size, and sync videos based on those.

We had existing standards for the integration between the different versions in the form of a file structure with codes for start and stop times. Binariks needed to interface with and respect those. We had four or five rounds of back-and-forth for the initial Android round, made some changes, and proceeded to the other operating-system versions. Binariks provided consultation about which Android versions we should be supporting. We targeted versions 4.0 and up so we would be hitting most of our users.

How did you come to work with Binariks?

We found Binariks on Upwork. What led us to work with them were their professional, detailed responses which actually indicated that they read our post. Upwork ads typically get 100–150 responses, 90% of which are generic. There are also developers who actually reply in context but don't have good references and qualifications or misunderstand parts of our specs. Binariks had the best response by far.

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

Our entire product cost $400,000, with $100,000 being dedicated to the mobile portion. Binariks worked with another partner on the development, and their total cost was around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Binariks in October 2016. The apps have been delivered. We don't have any active work at the moment, but we plan to have Binariks do other things for us soon. It's hard to find people who we can trust, and we plan to have an ongoing relationship with Binariks. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We saw good adoption for the iOS version since most of the people we're dealing with work in the academic and sports fields, where Macs are still dominant. We have three downloads per day, so we don't have a wide clientele. It's a niche product, so we're okay with it.

How did Binariks perform from a project management standpoint?

Binariks has been excellent in this regard. I would give them a 98 out of 100. The communication was good, and Binariks made relevant suggestions for improving our platform. They did what they said they would do, when they said they would be doing it. Even after our contract had been paid, when we needed to make a small change, Binariks did it without charging us.

The response time was always within a few hours, allowing for the time difference between Eastern Europe and the East Coast. We often Skyped and had immediate conversations with Binariks, even though it wasn't a strict requirement for us.

What distinguishes Binariks from other providers?

Binariks stands out through communication. The work itself has been generally bug-free.

Is there anything Binariks could have improved or done differently?

No. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We provide an iOS travel app which focuses on destination discovery. Our value proposition to users is providing places to visit that they may not have thought of before but are personalized for them. We have an upcoming launch and are only focusing on a small scale at the moment (i.e. day and weekend trips from New England). Our ideal case is someone discovering a small town in Vermont or Maine which they had never heard of before and having a great time. In the long-term, we aim to introduce people to new countries and experiences that they never thought of.

We have developed an algorithm using a team of data scientists. Users are presented with a series of images that pop up on the screen, and they are asked to think about their travel mood during those moments. The images are all travel-related and include different types of food, landscapes, weather, and so on. Users indicate whether the images fit their mood or not; after at least 10 and up to 150 images, the algorithm will start to recommend places.

What is your position?

I am a non-technical co-founder of the company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Binariks?

Our core strengths were our algorithm and travel backgrounds. My co-founder is a more technical person, but his experience was mainly in web development, specifically Ruby on Rails. Since our product is written in Objective-C and Swift, we needed more help that could put us over the top and allow us to launch on time. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

I am not the best person to talk about the technical nitty-gritty. Much of our backend had been set up through a Ruby on Rails server, and we revamped a large part of our user flow when Binariks came on board. They've contributed by building things from the ground up, but we also assigned Binariks some vanity frontend tasks with varying difficulty.

How did you come to work with Binariks?

I looked online and asked for friends' recommendations. I was impressed with the pedigree of Binariks' owner. He had been educated at Waterloo, which is a fantastic tech university, and had experience at Facebook, Google, and Instagram. We set up a Skype call and found Binariks' team to be personable and impressive. Their English was also fantastic.

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

The cost of Binariks' work is [confidential]. We are planning to raise some angel capital and value our assets at $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Binariks in September 2016. Our iOS version is currently in closed beta. People can go to our landing page, sign up, and receive a test link. We plan to go live on the App Store sometime next week, after finishing up some details and becoming approved by Apple. Things have gone smoothly, and we would not be in this position without Binariks' help. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We have invited a small number of users to test our app, mostly in person. Our team meets with people, we watch them interact with the app, and we iterate from there. The feedback has been very positive overall. We're happy with the product.

How did Binariks perform from a project management standpoint?

I was in charge of most of the project management, although my co-founder helped out with more technical issues. Binariks performed well in this regard. We gave them access to our repository, which has the iOS app on it, and allowed Binariks to become familiar with it. We usually describe and assign tasks through email.

We are also collaborating with a designer who would attach different mockups for Binariks' team. I assigned due dates, either for discrete tasks or for lists of 5–10 items. Binariks met our deadlines and actually moved too fast for me at times. We were very impressed overall, not only with the timelines but also with the quality of the code.

Our environment has multiple parties working on different branches, which can make the process difficult. Binariks' code was clean and was easily integrated into the rest of the app. It was easy for the rest of us to understand what they were doing, which is helpful. Once a task is completed, Binariks sends us a notification email with a video demonstrating how it would look on an iPhone. Whenever something came up that we needed to change, Binariks was more than happy to deal with it.

What distinguishes Binariks from other providers?

Binariks is very responsive. I work on this project full-time and am very meticulous with my communication. I know that when I email Binariks a question, they will get back to me in a short period of time, which I value more than anything, to be honest. They also deliver on the technical side.

Is there anything Binariks could have improved or done differently?

I can't think of anything. We gave Binariks a large task that they needed to estimate in order to give us a sense of the coordination with our other partners. They gave us a 20-hour estimate, which had me worried initially, but Binariks delivered right around that target. It was nice to see.