Black Airplane

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Flexia, Inc., a smart connected Pilates company. We make hardware for home use, which has sensors built-in and connects to a data and content platform, making it easy to use and progressively challenging. Currently, we’re in the startup phase of our company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Airplane?

Back in 2021, we received seed funding and needed to develop our first content product. This product would be the interface our customers would use to access our digital library of classes.

As we were a small company, we were interested in hiring a permanent development team to work as part of our staff. When we found Black Airplane, we partnered with them to help us build our subscription library.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Black Airplane helped us develop our subscription library, the web app our customers use to access their content and data. Initially, we talked with them about the project, and I provided them with some descriptions of what we wanted them to deliver. We also provided them with some visual examples of our beta products, so we already had a rough framework of what users would initially respond to.

By sharing that information, Black Airplane was able to determine the direction we intended to go and fill a lot of the gaps regarding the product’s quality and user journeys. From there, they designed and developed a JavaScript web app in the Vue.js framework.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Lillie (Project Manager) and a UX designer during the initial phase of the project. Once we started the active development process, we worked with Lillie, David (Managing Partner), who acted as the lead developer, and 1–2 other developers, depending on the stage of the project.

How did you come to work with Black Airplane?

When this project arose, I asked for recommendations in an online community I belong to. At the time, I was still evaluating whether to outsource the development work or hire a developer internally. Looking around, we found that Black Airplane was in that forum, so they contacted us.

We also discovered that they were skilled in the technologies we wanted to deploy. They provided us with a portfolio detailing the apps they had done in the past. It was very important for me to have a sustainable product at the end of the project, and in describing how they would build this app, Black Airplane conveyed and built a lot of trust, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent a little under $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around November 2021, and our project was paused around April 2022 after going through two different phases. I’ll return to Black Airplane to continue the product’s growth, but we’re not actively working together at the moment.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Black Airplane delivered a critical piece of our subscription product. Without this app, it would be hard to imagine how our company would have progressed.

Overall, Black Airplane’s work met our expectations. They kept a good development pace, even outpacing our backend engineers at times. Thanks to their support, we’ve even been able to release some unpublished features since stopping our active development work. This fact demonstrated that Black Airplane was very constructive and flexible, giving us more than we were asking from them at the time.

How did Black Airplane perform from a project management standpoint?

Black Airplane delivered on time and under budget, demonstrating good design planning on their side. The UI/UX designer was very experienced in creating designs that he knew his team could execute. We met either every day or every other day.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

The UI/UX designer was very helpful in translating a lot of my engineering jargon into a rich visual design. I also really appreciated working with David. He was great at constructively handing off responsibilities between the frontend and the backend.  Moreover, Lillie was very good at ensuring everyone had the right information at the right times and was instrumental in ensuring that the project moved forward at the projected pace.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Black Airplane offered direct, quick, and reliable communication, which was fantastic. We embedded our developer and one of our creative people into their product development team. By being included in their design meetings, we were able to keep pace with the development throughout the entire project.

We also were able to make changes along the way, which was how we wanted the project to go. Black Airplane really carried through with the free, open, and constructive development environment we established.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Although this didn’t necessarily require a change or improvement, there were times when Black Airplane’s frontend development work was outpacing our backend development support. I would have paid them to provide us with resources for backend development. Still, I knew I could have asked them to do for us, but given their specialty, I decided to not ask them to do anything more for the project than they did.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

To get the most out of the engagement, expect to embed into their agile development process. Have at least one person on your team attend their standup meetings and be readily available for them via Slack, which they use for real-time communication. Respond quickly because they can immediately act on what they’re asking for.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of Arch-I-Tech Doors, Inc. We’re a wholesale distributor of commercial doors, frames, and hardware.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Airplane?

We’ve been aware for the past 3-4 years that we’re been losing a small bit of our market to online hardware sales entities. We decided to take on that front because we also felt that we could do a better job than our competitors in the online space.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Black Airplane built a new e-commerce website for us from scratch. They created a custom tech stack in Laravel and using components that allow for fast processing for search.

The team spent time getting to know our business first. They came onsite, asked some very insightful questions, and took the time to understand components, products, and relationships. That helped them structure our data warehouse in a way that lets customers easily retrieve information about our hardware components, which can have up to 1,400 variations. 

We’re now leveraging AI and VR technology to make the decision-making process faster for customers. Black Airplane created a drag-and-drop build assembly that pulls information for each component that customers select. They’re also finding a way to identify a customer’s knowledge level as they’re completing a purchase. For less experienced customers, we want to jump in and offer help so that that customer is less likely to return a product.

What is the team composition?

We work with Will (Developer), April, (Account Executive), and David (Partner, Technology).

How did you come to work with Black Airplane?

We felt that out-of-the-box solutions like Shopify and WooCommerce were too constraining for our complicated product mix, so we looked for custom development agencies that could help with a custom tech stack instead. 

It was the culture of Black Airplane that landed them for our project. We met with David and Michael (Partner, Operations & Business Development). The competence they showed in understanding our build’s complexity and reassuring us of their capacity impressed me.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s about $500,000–$550,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began last August and are still working together. We plan to have 5–6 more phases once we launch the e-commerce site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have about 20 partners and customers in our beta testing group reviewing small pieces as we build them. We’re in control of design, but Black Airplane’s design team is putting the palette and visuals together. The overall look and feel as well as the flow of the wireframe designs have gotten an overwhelming amount of praise. We’ve gotten only one revision from the peer review process; otherwise, Black Airplane’s work has been well-received.

How did Black Airplane perform from a project management standpoint?

The way they manage projects is very comprehensive. It was a thorough onboarding process. They asked many, many questions about the “story” to make sure we were in alignment. They’ve also been instrumental in helping us navigate software issues we were having with middleware. 

We have biweekly check-ins with April that we now conduct virtually. Will is now in daily contact with me so I know where we are right now and whether we’re on time or not. Michael and David are also available if I have any questions. I never feel like I’m in the dark at any time. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d love it if they could reopen so we can come back and sit around a table. The energy and creativity are a lot more real when it’s in person.

Any advice for potential customers?

If a client is involved in a very complicated business, they should take the time to illustrate their products and the relationships the customers may have when they enter the e-commerce marketplace. I did the best job I could so that Black Airplane fully understood what they were getting into before they gave me any estimates.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager for the city of Woodstock, Georgia. For this project various agencies coordinated with the vendor: Main Street Woodstock, the Woodstock Convention, and the Visitor’s Bureau.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Airplane?

We wanted a user-friendly and well-structured website for tourists.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a customized website with added features. The team built the framework according to guidelines we created during initial meetings. Black Airplane also built a touchscreen app that we deployed in numerous downtown locations. The app presents the site’s content in an interactive format.

What is the team composition?

I work with two points of contact; they’re partners in the company.

How did you come to work with Black Airplane?

We had mutual contacts in the industry. They had impressive experience and expertise.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $14,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in February 2017 and is ongoing. We’re starting another project in the next few weeks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Bounce rates have decreased while the average duration of site visits has increased. The app was also a big deal for our efforts.

How did Black Airplane perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve exceeded our expectations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a positive attitude.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open-minded at the start of the engagement. Develop a strategy, but don’t prematurely commit to concrete ideas. They’re efficient and will simplify a lot of issues.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

As the Community Manager of Entrepreneurship for the Cherokee Office of Economic Development, I am responsible for all of our entrepreneurship initiatives, including our educational programming called Fresh Start Cherokee and our startup co-working space. Our vision is to use the programming and community workspace to build a culture of entrepreneurship throughout our county.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Black Airplane?

We had just opened the workspace, The Circuit Woodstock, with a soft launch and were in the process of opening up our membership. We wanted a well-designed, smart, and modern website with an amazing, fresh UX that would educate, empower, and connect our users and visitors.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to provide clear, actionable steps toward joining our community. For us, the website was not just a landing page, but an online presence that communicated our complex brand partnership and vision with crystal clarity, a sleek design, and a memorable UX from first visit to final click.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were introduced to Black Airplane through a mutual, trusted connection. When they decided to secure office space in our co-working hub, it made sense to use them as an in-house web design company. Once we started the engagement process and observed their professionalism, responsiveness, incredible talent, rare communication style, and streamlined design process, we knew without a doubt we had made the best choice  Black Airplane’s design and development skills were equally matched by their intrapersonal and people skills, a combination that is very rare in today’s design agencies.  

Describe the project in detail.

We held preliminary consulting conversations or listening meetings during which Black Airplane simply asked lots of questions about our goals and needs. We followed those up with some specific ideas and brainstormed together how to best implement them. They were very transparent and open throughout the design stages, giving us sneak peaks along the way, asking questions, making changes, and keeping us informed. They even confidently tackled some of our more challenging development and design ideas (such as the “Reserve a Seat” interactive map) and flawlessly implemented them beyond our wildest imagination. They remained fully supportive for bugs and issues all the way through our launch preparation.

What was the team composition?

For the majority of the project, our team worked with two to three people from Black Airplane--a managing partner, the design lead, and the developer--with most communication coming from the design lead for consistency and clarity. They collaborated well with us, always keeping open lines of communication and staying positive about the project and its progress.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The increased web traffic has led to a great percentage increase in membership requests, applications, tours, newsletter subscriptions, and emails. After nearly a year, the results have been surprisingly good and exceeded expectations. Near the end of the design process and just before launch, we shared the draft design with a few close friends who could be trusted to provide expert, honest, and constructive feedback. They were all stunned by the end product and commented on its user-friendly layout and function.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their project management skills were excellent through our design journey with a helpful flight plan process and a constant willingness to help and support. Quick and on-point, their communication was seamless and consistent, both in person and online. We used primarily email and Slack, but would also visit them down the hall. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their ability to perform well in both development and design skills and in personal, professional service was very practical and impressive. You will not find a firm or agency that excels in both areas like Black Airplane. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

They can make use of visual storyboards for early design mockups at the beginning of the engagement process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Manager, Marketing Technology & Performance of Blue Trust

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Wealth Management & Trust Services

Private Wealth Management 

Family Office 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Black Airplane to accomplish?

• Develop a new website
• Take the user experience to the next level
• Create a virtual front door appealing to high-net-worth clientele

SOLUTION

How did you find Black Airplane?

Referral

Why did you select Black Airplane over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Black Airplane were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

A comprehensive website redesign to transform our current website into a modern digital experience. The old website suffered from overly hierarchical and text-heavy navigation, poor mobile user experience, outdated visual branding with heavy stock photography usage, and concentrated page traffic with many underperforming subpages. Our new website builds trust through faith-driven storytelling and guides users based on intent and persona type rather than hierarchical service categories.

The design-focused engagement created comprehensive UX/UI deliverables to position Blue Trust as the premier financial firm for high-net-worth Christians while supporting advisor enablement objectives.

Project Objectives:

• Design Modern Website Experience
• Implement Faith-Driven Brand Positioning
• Design Enhanced Advisor Visibility
• Design Persona-Specific Pathways
• Create Mobile-First Design System
• Establish Design System Foundation

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A beautifully designed website with defined user journeys that supports lead generation.

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

The team at Black Airplane was incredible. They always delivered on time and were a joy to work with. They produced an excellent website for us that exceeded expectations. 

What was your primary form of communication with Black Airplane?

Virtual Meeting

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

Black Airplane has a highly talented team, and the thought power they put behind their projects is impressive. 

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

None. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of Positive Athlete

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We recognize high character, high-school student athletes through an awards and development program.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Black Airplane to accomplish?

• Build out the future technological home of our company, both public facing and internal

SOLUTION

How did you find Black Airplane?

Referral

Why did you select Black Airplane over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Black Airplane were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Black airplane helped design and build our new internal CRM software linked to a public facing LinkedIn type of web and mobile platform for our users.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Growth of our program through nominations that translate to more users.

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

Yes, everything was delivered on time and in great shape. They have been excellent to deal with!

What was your primary form of communication with Black Airplane?

Virtual Meeting

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

I would say the personal care they take to walk through every step with us. I have felt well cared for the entire process!

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of Hawkeye I/O Services, LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

An I/O Psychology consulting firm which assist organizations with hiring practices, promotional processes, and organizational restructuring in an effort to attain optimal performance objectives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Black Airplane to accomplish?

• Develop proprietary online application used for candidate selection within the Public Safety arena.
• Launch proprietary online application for candidate selection within the Public Safety arena.
• Integrate proprietary online application with current company website.

SOLUTION

How did you find Black Airplane?

Online Search

Why did you select Black Airplane over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Black Airplane were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Develop, test, and integrate proprietary online application used in the candidate selection during the hiring process for Public Safety agencies. Additionally, Black Airplane setup my e-commerce application within my current company website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Black Airplane members assigned to my project were in constant contact with me throughout the entire process. I was provided access to a ClickUp team board so that I could see each task during each sprint cycle so that I could track progress, enter comments, test features, and interact with team members daily. 

Every week we had sprint progress meetings which were well-organized and informative.If I ran into an issue during testing the Project Manager and Account Manager responded to me within a couple of hours, unless the issue was urgent. If the issue was urgent, a member would contact me within minutes of my request. I could not have asked for a better group of people to handle my project needs.

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

The Black Airplane project management team members were incredible. They either met or exceeded the scheduled sprint timeline. The Black Airplane members assigned to my project were in constant contact with me throughout the entire process. I was provided access to a ClickUp team board so that I could see each task during each sprint cycle so that I could track progress, enter comments, test features, and interact with team members daily. 

Every week we had sprint progress meetings which were well-organized and informative.If I ran into an issue during testing the Project Manager and Account Manager responded to me within a couple of hours, unless the issue was urgent. If the issue was urgent, a member would contact me within minutes of my request. I could not have asked for a better group of people to handle my project needs.

What was your primary form of communication with Black Airplane?

Virtual Meeting

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

I did not have an easy project because it dealt with a unique proprietary application which needed specific functionality. Everyone on the team was very supportive and did not shy away from the challenge. They exceeded my expectations with the deliverables.

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

No areas of improvement that I could mention.