Bytecraft LLC

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Recreate City Photo Hunt is an app-based Photo Scavenger Hunt start-up.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bytecraft LLC?

We hired Bytecraft to design and develop our website and our mobile app

What were your goals for this project?

We had a concept for an original multi-city, app-based photo hunt and needed the tech to make it happen

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I did some online searching for app developers in the vicinity and made some cold calls. I received calls from sales reps from most of the companies, but was contacted by the founder of Bytecraft.

Rustam was quick to respond, he understood the concept very quickly, he showed enthusiasm for the project and he quoted a very good price.

Describe the project in detail.

Rustam's proposal included a detailed schedule for design and development as well as pricing. I met with Rustam and team members on several occasions to track progress and he was always available and responsive to emails.

The project was unique in nature, so there were many details to figure out and solve. Rustam always listened to my input, provided his own input and worked with me to reach solutions. He kept on schedule and delivered the product.

What was the team composition?

I met with Rustam and Alyssas for the design stage but then interacted solely with Rustam beyond that point.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

No outcomes yet. Our Photo Hunt is seasonal in nature so we are waiting to market, but we are very pleased with the product and are eager to see results

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Rustam kept me well informed and always responded to my inquiries in a timely manner. The project proceeded smoothly throughout and never hit significant roadblocks or frustrations

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The personal attention from Rustam and his team. I got the sense that they shared the same excitement about the project!

Are there any areas for improvement?

I wanted everything done immediately, of course, but Bytecraft completed everything according to the agreed schedule.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of Red + Blue - a company dedicated to supporting police officers' and firefighters' mental health.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bytecraft LLC?

We needed to develop an MVP app to run pilot tests with our first customers. The goal was to get not just a wireframe up and running, but a fully functioning app that we could get true user data on. I am on the business side, and not technical, so Bytecraft was essentially an outsourced development agency for us.

What were your goals for this project?

We had a number of features that needed to be built, as well as designing a secure system that would ensure that we could maintain our first customers' confidentiality and trust. This was a major undertaking for us, since it was our first MVP.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

RFP out to 3-4 other design companies that had all come recommended from friends and colleagues. Had a specific set of features in mind, as well as a timeline. Bytecraft was able to meet those timelines while providing personalized support, and so they were most qualified for the job.

Describe the project in detail.

We met every week, and I used them to help with the design from my initial mock-ups. Features required a native survey (fully customizable), ability to add videos, resources, activities, contact information, and one-click phone calling, all segmented by user attributes (e.g., each department has their own custom back-end essentially), as well as a user-friendly backend that allows for editing of features within the app.

What was the team composition?

I interacted with Rustam and one designer, and allowed Rustam to manage his team as he saw fit.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our customers are really excited about this app. We're just starting to roll it out, but they say "it's lightyears ahead of what we currently have." A lot more to learn, but a great start!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Weekly meetings and constant, very responsive email communication to make sure we were kept up-to-date on everything. For sure, I was responsible for some QA, but Rustam had been clear about this from the beginning, and I was planning on doing that anyway.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Highly collaborative and price effective. Bytecraft LLC is great for startups on a tight budget that still want a highly professional project. Ability to outsource work offshore with an on-shore project manager (Rustam) is a great value-add.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Need the QA function to make the beta testing seamless, but they know that and are working on it!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of the Hawthorne Developmental Agency. We offer developmental therapy for children up to 3 years old.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bytecraft LLC?

After our therapists perform home-based therapy for patients, they’re required to submit certain paperwork including clinical notes. Practitioners are required to keep itemized documentation of the services they perform for each patient.

All of this paperwork has to be faxed in roughly every two weeks to ensure that we paid each therapist and charged the state accordingly. We needed a development firm to build a platform that could perform these processes digitally.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bytecraft LLC build out a cloud-based platform using PHP. They also designed and implemented the UI/UX from the ground up. The end product they delivered is an internal-facing document organization system. Employees from our different departments can submit forms related to their work on a single platform.

They utilized a multi-phase development process to address our requirements thoroughly. Once we communicated what features we wanted, they starting coding the platform in accordance with our needs. After each iteration of development was complete, we'd test the system internally using a development server. Subsequently, our VP would apply existing data to the current version of the platform to make sure everything worked properly.

Upon taking each version went through that entire process, Bytecraft LLC would start the next development phase. We continued to iterate the program until we landed on the current model we have in place.

What is the team composition?

The founder acted as our primary point of contact. A whole team from Bytecraft LLC worked under his direction, but I never spoke with any of them.

How did you come to work with Bytecraft LLC?

I wanted to hire a firm that could collaborate with our internal team and be patient when needed. During my search, I found Bytecraft LLC through Thumbtack. Luckily, they demonstrated the level of professionalism we wanted to see. Their expertise set them apart from the 4–5 other candidates we considered.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $7,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project took place from January–November 2018. Ever since then, Bytecraft LLC has worked with us to perform occasional minor bug fixes and tweaks to the program’s code as necessary.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Bytecraft LLC's comprehensive development approach enabled them to deliver an outstanding platform. The final product goes far beyond the scope of work we outlined initially. Our new platform empowers our company to accomplish tasks paperlessly, eliminates clerical errors, and expedites the payment processes.

How did Bytecraft LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

The team was forthcoming with information regarding project milestones. They transparently allowed us to see the work they were doing and let us know when we could expect deliverables. We have no complaints about pace or pricing; everything was completed on time and within the budget.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Bytecraft LLC willingly took the time to understand our project requirements from a business standpoint. They are fully equipped to do all the work necessary to ensure a successful engagement.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had some minor challenges at the beginning of the project, but nothing we couldn’t work out.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be a proactive member of the project. Based on our success, interacting with the team will help them better internalize your project’s goals. Bytecraft LLC supported us in even more ways than we expected.