Web App Development for Payment Processing Company
- Web Development
- $50,000 to $199,999
- June 2019 - May 2020
- Quality
- 5.0
- Schedule
- 4.0
- Cost
- 5.0
- Willing to Refer
- 5.0
“They worked extremely quickly and competently and did whatever we asked them to do.”
- Financial services
- Cape Town, South Africa
- 1-10 Employees
- Phone Interview
- Verified
Bluebird Development built a React web app for a payment processing company. The product was an aggregated service for direct debit payments. They also developed a REST API to create recurring transitions.
Thanks to Bluebird Development’s work, the client onboarded three end customers at launch. Within a year, the app processed 500,000 transactions. The team worked well with the Agile methodology, meeting milestones ahead of time. Their efficiency, flexibility, and expertise also stood out.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m a former product manager at Fintec Lab, a payment processing company.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Bluebird Development?
We were trying to develop a new product that would offer corporate entities and mid-sized companies a collections platform. In South Africa, direct debit is a popular payment method, consisting of businesses pulling money from their consumer’s bank accounts. Our product would offer an aggregated service for direct debit payment across all the major banks in South Africa so that consumers could sign up for gyms, insurance, or subscription services using direct debit.
When I was appointed to my position, our team consisted of banking executives who wanted to build a product and didn’t know how to go about it. Since we didn’t have a well-built software development team, I suggested we work with a contractor.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
Initially, Bluebird Development helped us conceptualize and prototype the product and plan its development. They built a low-fidelity prototype to show our business team what the app would look like and how it would work. We did some customer testing at this stage and reviewed the feedback to iterate on our plan. From there, we collaborated to develop the specifications for development.
Although they helped us with conceptual design and wireframing early on, an in-house team designed the UI/UX. Bluebird Development assisted us with the production, development, and deployment of a React web application that our corporate clients could use to manage their payments.
Bluebird Development built a REST API that clients could integrate into their storefront experiences or mobile apps. The API would send us transactions or contracts that our system would then turn into recurring billing transactions for them. The team also provided a couple of months of post-development support to help fix bugs and other issues.
What is the team composition?
We worked with four people throughout the project, including CJ (Founder), who acted as a project manager, and software developers. At any given time, we had a maximum of three teammates from Bluebird Development working with us.
How did you come to work with Bluebird Development?
I had worked with CJ at a previous company that had a budgeting and financial management app. I heard that he had started Bluebird Development, and when this project came along, I suggested that we consider them for the job. We reviewed a couple of contractors, and we selected Bluebird Development.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent around 2.5 million South African Rand (approximately $161,000 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from around June 2019–May 2020.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We were very happy with Bluebird Development’s services. Within the first year of operation, we had processed 500,000 transactions through direct debit, which was quite a success in what we were aiming for. We also managed to get three acquiring banks connected to the service at launch, exceeding our goal of two. Aside from that, the only other metric was time, and Bluebird Development worked quite quickly. They did the prototyping and testing in three months, and then we launched within five months after that.
All in all, the app was received very successfully and became the first version of a new product that unified all our company’s services into one. Therefore, it became the foundation for the company’s offering going forward.
How did Bluebird Development perform from a project management standpoint?
Deadlines are always tricky in software development, so we followed an Agile methodology with them. We were constantly in negotiation about the timelines and the scope. They were very good at communicating what they could achieve and the impact of certain decisions so that we could chart a roadmap. Ultimately, they worked pretty quickly and met milestones ahead of schedule.
Some of our business team felt that the post-production support wouldn’t have been necessary if Bluebird Development had done their job well. However, that’s an issue of not understanding Agile development and what goes into running and supporting a software project; very few software products launch bug-free.
For our communication tools, we used Slack and Shortcut (formerly Clubhouse). Microsoft Azure was our tool for development operations and infrastructure security, and Azure Reops was our repository.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Bluebird Development’s web development expertise was excellent. They worked extremely quickly and competently and did whatever we asked them to do. The team could also work in multiple frameworks, which was really important because we weren’t sure which one we wanted to go with at first. Additionally, they were informed and experienced about different solutions, the costs of operation, and the impact on UX and functionality of every decision. Thanks to this expertise, the team guided us in choosing a technical design.
Are there any areas they could improve?
We wished they had had more employees. Our company wanted to do more with them, but unfortunately, their capacity was limited. If they had increased their workforce, they’d have been able to take on more projects. However, we understood that they were a small and growing company.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
My advice is to engage in the solution design and negotiate how to proceed. It would help if you had a clear idea of the functional and non-functional requirements. That way, Bluebird Development will be able to recommend different approaches. Then, have a conversation about the pros and cons of each option so that you can select the appropriate one.
I’ve been part of many software projects without due diligence where the preconceived solution has been used. As a result, some contractors haven’t been confident, and if the non-functional requirements aren’t considered, that ends up being blamed on them. To avoid this, engage in planning with the team early on so that everyone is very clear about how you’ll do things. Additionally, define the communication and feedback mechanisms. Decide in what frequency to talk to Bluebird Development and how you’ll do scope and updates. These things often fall by the wayside in project planning, so you should consider them.
RATINGS
-
Quality
5.0Service & Deliverables
-
Schedule
4.0On time / deadlines
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Cost
5.0Value / within estimates
-
Willing to Refer
5.0NPS
