Capicua

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO of Bita, a German firm that creates software infrastructure for Financial Indexes creation, calculation, and dissemination.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Capicua, and what were your goals?

Our IT team is focused on the back-end and quantitative development. We needed a Senior team of front-end developers to create the User Interface of our new product. We had the design, we had the back-end, but we didn't have the people to develop a pretty complex front-end where tons of financial data is visualized in different ways.

SOLUTION

How did you select Capicua and what were the deciding factors?

We contacted many known agencies of developers. We selected Capicua because, while other agencies claimed to "do it all", they were clear that their focus was a beautiful design and nice front-end implementation.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The project was a front-end UI with more than 10 fairly complex views. The technology used was React.JS with Redux. The two big parts of the project were: creating the pixel-perfect front and doing the integration with the back-end (both REST API and websocket server). They also delivered a back-end service built in Node.JS that created automated PDFs with financial data visualizations.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Two developers. Both of them on the front-end side. Ismael, Capicua's CEO also helped with Product Management.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The general feedback of our first clients has been that the front-end is beautiful, intuitive, responsive.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

We were in charge of the project management. Capicua's developers integrated with our methodology seamlessly. They also helped on a consultation level about QA and testing.

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

The willingness of delivering value not only at the software development level but also on the side of communications, QA, Product Management, etc.

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

Sometimes the written communication could improve on the developers' side.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a consulting agency. We work with agencies to develop technologies in the education space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Capicua?

I’m working with a client to develop an app, a mobile app for helping young people discover their gifts to get them to start meaningful careers.

We developed a minimum viable product last year and were testing it with some customers.  Now we’re in the process of refactoring the app and bringing it to market. We hired Capicua to help us refactor the user experience that we already developed into a world-class product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our MVP was developed for us in Android. The scope of the work with the team was to analyze what we had already done in terms of the context of the customer feedback we received from our initial test. We redesigned the entire mobile app over a two-month period with them.

For the technologies we used, we used InVision and Sketch. We also developed rapid prototypes that we tested with some customers during the process too.

What is the team composition?

We had four people work on it at various parts. The CEO worked well with us on strategy and branding work. We had a lead designer who worked with us fill time, a UX designer, and someone else working on project management.

How did you come to work with Capicua?

I think we found them on Clutch. I have a developer that I worked with, and they were doing some searching on UpWork too. We had a competitive process, and they really impressed me with their proposal. It really showed that they understood the problem, put the effort into how to solve it, and had a great portfolio. They also were the cheapest option.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s in the ballpark of $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since November 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had a test group that tested our original app, and we went back to that test group with the new design. Our testing group was very positive about Capicua’s usability changes. They said the look and feel were amazing.

Our project sponsors were also very on board with the project. They’ve been very happy with the work. The board of directors was likewise wowed by the design.

How did Capicua perform from a project management standpoint?

They had fantastic communication and were very timely with deliverables. They promised to work quickly and they delivered what was promised.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Strategically, they really understood the problem. They approached everything from a place of understanding. They really understood our problem and the visual design was excellent since they were able to convey what we wanted from a brand perspective.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind. It’s been a really positive experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do your homework upfront about what you want to accomplish, then give them the information so they can familiarize themselves with you and what your needs are.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a boutique technology agency. We focus on e-commerce and back office automation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Capicua?

We hired them for staff augmentation. We needed more developers for a specific project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped me identify an engineer to use for my project. There were initial conversations regarding the technology requirements. Afterwards they were able to sift through their staff of developer consultants to identify a resource who would be able to help me with my specific needs.

The project was a web application that integrated two legacy systems and impacted the directory integration. They used HTML, CSS, JavaScript, .NET, C#, on an SQL server.

What is the team composition?

I worked with one person from their team.

How did you come to work with Capicua?

I found them on UpWork. I gave them a smaller prototype project and was very satisfied with their work. I continued to expand the contract we started.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $110,000–$130,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2018, and we wrapped up in February 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The benefits of working with them were the reduced overhead costs for technology and project management

How did Capicua perform from a project management standpoint?

We had daily standup meetings, along with a project management through Assembla.The team was very self-driving and managed themselves. They kept me updated and provided technological direction for me.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their understanding, in terms of communication, stood out. If a developer didn’t speak English well, they were able to provide additional resources to help out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to start out with a smaller project. Define the engagement and address and issues early on before starting a larger project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

we are a commercial and residential cleaning company that operates in nyc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Capicua?

we wanted to have a new logo and marketing material and website material as well.

What were your goals for this project?

acquire a fresh look while building our brand. new logo. new look.

SOLUTION

How did you select Capicua?

we found the company at a networking event and started communication after a week of meeting. after looking at other companies we decided to go with them because of the way they communicate with their clients (very easy to communicate) and also based on their past work.

Describe the project in detail.

once we started working together, we set up a meeting to discuss my needs and what i was really looking for when it comes to our new logo. after that they sent me a few options, i picked an option and then we worked on doing a few revisions on the logo till i was satisfy with it.

after this we started working on business cards, flyers, uniforms, etc. the process was very pleasant since they actually listen to you and reply to you in a very timely manner.

What was the team composition?

the designer and the project manager. it was easy to communicate.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

i was very happy with the results. i even got compliments from one of the biggest designer in new york city which told me that my logo was amazing. and this is a woman that had worked on the fast food chain logo, and more. so i was very happy with the end product.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

communication was one of the keys that made this project easy. they kept their deadlines. they were fast at replying. and even after the project was completed i reached out to them for a minor thing and they did it in hours at no charge. i doubt any other company out there will do that.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

great company to work with on projects. i was impress on how they work in sync with each other. They definitely knew what they were doing and actually took the time to listen to us. that saves a lot of time because they make sure they know what we looking for and that minimize the back and forth.

Are there any areas for improvement?

nothing i can really think about, i usually always recommend them whenever someone needs work done for their brands. i didnt experience any issues while working with them on my project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Marathon Kids is a nonprofit with a mission to keep kids moving. I’m the IT project manager of the organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Capicua?

We were trying to take a legacy, analog program that tracks running progress for kids in elementary and middle schools. This was historically a paper-based process, and we’re trying to digitize it by creating an online platform. The goal is to grow our community and bring the program into a digital age.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The initial RFP was for a web-based platform with registration services and tracking via a mobile app. Capicua has exceeded expectations and delivered aspects including user experience, design thinking, and more that we didn’t know as a small organization would be involved in the project. They’ve really introduced us to new methods and principles of product development.

In terms of technologies, they built with React and a JavaScript framework for the web app and React Native for the mobile app. The mobile app is different from the website; it tracks the kid’s progress by scanning a badge and feeds to the website.

What is the team composition?

Directly, in the discovery phase, we worked with more designers on a day-to-day basis than we do know. Later, we worked with Ismael (Founder & Director). His design background was very valuable, marrying it with a business strategy that has turned us into something like a technology startup. We also worked with Paula (Project Manager), who handled the development project management. Those were the two key people, although we also had calls with their data architect, AWS architect, and some other design people.

How did you come to work with Capicua?

We put an RFP together and shopped it to around 6–7 local contacts before narrowing it down to three people. One of our staff members recommended Capicua based on our past projects. We also liked their tech stack, and their proposal was above and beyond what others put together. They even put together an InVision prototype of what the app could look like and do.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $250,000–$300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started together in January 2020, and the system went live in August. Since then, they’ve been tracking features, correcting issues, and more.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were trying to at least convert the number of users in our analog system to the digital program and we did that. That was a key indicator for us that our objectives and goals were met. Next, we’re going to grow that number.

We liked it so much they did another project for us: integrating the web app into our Salesforce environment to help us, as an organization, have more insight into what actions users are taking, what stage of onboarding they’re in, and how much impact they’re having on students at their schools.

How did Capicua perform from a project management standpoint?

They gave us access to their Jira board. We use Asana internally, and they were happy to conform to our way of doing it; there’s an integration with Jira. We had direct insight into what they were working on which helped make sure were all aligned.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attention to the design — both visual design and product design — stood out. As an organization, we were focused on moving fast and developing features, but they helped us understand that it wasn’t a race and to make data-based decisions. Their experience helped us define how we need to move forward as an organization.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It took us some time to figure out how to work together. We didn’t implement the Asana and Jira integration until a month or two after the go-live. That maybe falls on us; we could have had better communication between teams. It wasn’t until we introduced this clear workflow that there was greater transparency. We would have benefited from introducing that earlier.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open-minded and open to feedback. That really helped us. Lean on their expertise; make them a partner in your project rather than just a development agency.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a software development firm. We’re responsible for delivery of digital services and software development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Capicua?

We needed a partner to collaborate with to build an online learning management platform for high net worth individuals.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked together on the build. We used an LMS based on WordPress called LearnDash.

What is the team composition?

There were about four people on the team.

How did you come to work with Capicua?

I met the founder of Capicua, and we got along well. I gave his team a shot with the project and wasn’t disappointed.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s between $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January of this year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to deliver a high-quality platform that met our client’s needs and expectations, which were very high. The look, feel, and user interface were all excellent. What could’ve been a $150,000 project was delivered within a much smaller budget because the quality of communication and of the team.

How did Capicua perform from a project management standpoint?

The management of the project was a shared responsibility between both of our parties. We didn’t have any issues.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We found Capicua to be really inquisitive and interested in the work. They were punctual for meetings and appointments, and they were always eager to bring new ideas to the table.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. A lot of the technology we used was new to them, but they were able to learn it quickly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Primitive Spark is a digital product design agency that focuses on software products. We don't have development resources, so we partner with firms like Capicua on our project work when needed. I'm a co-founder and Partner of Creative.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Capicua?

Our project with Univa to design and build a new application called NavOps Launch. Univa has considerable in-house development resources, mostly focused on back-end technology. This product is a front end application that integrates deeply with their APIs. We brought in Capicua to expand our team with development expertise.

What were your goals for this project?

Overall, we wanted to provide an easy graphical user experience for an audience that is shifting to less technical people. During the design part, we brought in a dev lead from Capicua to gather requirements and participate in UX design. During the implementation part, we brought in a development team from Capicua to build the front end application. We wanted to operate as an extension of Univa's in-house dev team, which focused on building the back end.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Initially, they were recommended by another of our technical partners. We also worked with them on another project, where our client had brought them in and later brought us in to do the UX work.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Capicua provided requirements gathering, technical documentation, development design and implementation, front end development, QA and testing.

What was the team composition?

On the Capicua side, we had a dev lead, a technical project manager, 2 developers and a QA engineer. We also had a developer from the client as part of this team. On our side, we had me, the engagement lead and UX lead, a project manager and another UX designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Univa is a client we've worked with several times over the years, and we value our relationship with them. So it was important to me that our collaboration with Capicua yielded high quality results. My feeling is that the client was pleased with the work we did, and hopefully Univa will continue to partner with us on future projects.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Our internal project manager ran the overall engagement from our side, but we also had a technical PM from Capicua who coordinated everything on the dev team's side and he worked closely with our PM. Over the course of the project, the client increased the scope significantly, and our combined project management team did a great job communicating status and impact of the changes.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Capicua has talented people who are easy to work with and communicate well. I think they went above and beyond in their effort to make us look good and make the client look good.

Are there any areas for improvement?

One thing is anticipating schedule shifts. Capicua's resources were scheduled on another project right after the project was supposed to end, but it didn't end on time due to client delays. They could have been more proactive about planning for this.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're an online platform that allows companies to order meals from local restaurants. I'm the COO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Capicua?

We wanted someone to help us rapidly code the site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided functionality on the vendor side of our business, and they created a portal where we could manage some of the data we host. They did such a good job that we opened a long-term relationship with them and have completed several projects together. We gave them some of the designs, but they brought in a designer as well. They worked in Vue, and we eventually gave them more responsibility in the backend, which is built in a Python/Django stack.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of three or four.

How did you come to work with Capicua?

We work regularly with offshore development shops, and they were very invested in our relationship. I made the decision to hire them.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $250,000 over the past year.

What is the status of this engagement?

The collaboration started in either December 2018 or January 2019. We still work together, and we've just started a new project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Development is an iterative process, and they respond quickly to feedback. Our results are very good.

How did Capicua perform from a project management standpoint?

They're incredible to work with. Their communication is very good, and they've come to meet with us a couple of times. They participate in our standups and have access to our Slack channels. They're heavily involved, and they make themselves a part of our team. They're very well organized, and they use Jira to manage deadlines. They always deliver on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They work very quickly, and I'm always surprised by the quality of their work, especially given their speed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have anything they should improve. They always find good resources to meet our needs, and they're very responsive.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of ROG Security, Inc. We develop and provide AI software for security cameras.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Capicua?

We wanted a partner to work on non-core applications. I have an internal dev team that works on internal software development but needed a team to develop consumer-facing products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Capicua built a couple of products for me. One of them was marketing collateral such as website development, graphic interface, and customer experience. That’s on the website. Additionally, they developed my mobile application for consumers to use our AI application. Their team worked on developing the mobile app using our APIs to interact with our software. They built the product for both Android and iOS. I don’t remember exactly, but I believe their team worked with React, so we didn’t have to create each platform natively.

What is the team composition?

We’ve communicated with the co-founder. A team of developers has worked on the project.

How did you come to work with Capicua?

I used Upwork to identify candidates. I talked with Ismael (Co-Founder, Capicua) and really liked him. I decided to test them out on an initial project. They worked on it cost-effectively. Communication was really good, which has always been a challenge with other offshore teams. They presented themselves as part of a team and spoke English well. It worked out well, so I continued to bring them on with additional projects as needed.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $25,000–$50,000 on this collaboration.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with Capicua around February 2019. Their work with us is project-based. Right now, they don’t have any work but I did ask them to bid on a new project for me. So far, they’ve completed between 3–4 projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve been happy enough that I keep going back to them. The quality of their work and their communication have been excellent. Capicua hasn’t done optimization work, so I can’t give numerical metrics. 

How did Capicua perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication has been really good. They’ve always provided a scope of work so we’re clear upfront. Their team has always been available to me on Skype. They’ve also been a part of our Slack channels. While they use tools that enable us to walk through interfaces interactively, we don’t use any tools that keep me abreast of where they are in a project specifically. But I haven’t had a problem in terms of communicating where we are in the timeline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Capicua has done a good job of creating a relationship. This has been appreciated and different from other offshore companies. I’m not even a big client of theirs but they've come to the US to do their rounds and build the partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m not a tech guy so this might be an unfair comment. They could implement tools to minimize communication hiccups. An infrastructure of repositories for products such as codebases could tighten communication in terms of progress.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of Leadbird.com, a B2B lead generation platform and marketing tool kit.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Capicua?

We needed help building a platform that would help users quickly search and find new business leads. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Capicua designed and developed a platform that incorporated millions of records, including the frontend and backend, that allows users to search for leads, make payments, and access subscription options. They also developed a widget that saves data and creates a direct email campaign. They used a variety of technologies, including HTML, CSS, Microsoft Azure, and Java.

What is the team composition? 

We work with four main designers and developers.

How did you come to work with Capicua?

I met the CEO of Capicua at a networking event. After working on some smaller projects with them, I decided to work with them again based on the quality of their work and pricing. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested about $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since January 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The partnership has been positive overall. I've been very pleased with their quality of work for the price we paid, which was a fraction of the cost of a US developer. 

How did Capicua perform from a project management standpoint?

They're good at meeting deadlines and communicating; we didn't have any language barrier issues. They also manage projects well through Jira and Trello. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They excel in design. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything. We probably needed more than four engineers working on our project, but that was more of a budget constraint on our end.