ChicMic

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of RemindMyLife Pty Ltd. We’re a technical builder and lifestyle time management app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ChicMic?

We needed help with the technical development of our application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For our initial project, ChicMic built the backend of the frontend that I designed for this app. The team developed the functionality of each button on the app, which was relative to a moving time code. For instance, if someone worked over 10 hours, the code would change from orange to red, notifying the person using the app that they were in the red zone and needed to take a break.

ChicMic also built the notification and reminder system and the calendar. The app was quite complex and iOS-based. In addition to that, the team provided website design and development. They took over our existing website and modified and updated it.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and 2–3 technical teammates from ChicMic.

How did you come to work with ChicMic?

We found ChicMic on Upwork. We chose them because they had the techniques and capabilities we needed to build this product. We had already started working with someone in Australia, but they couldn’t complete the build because it was too technical for them. We needed a more technical development team who could write the code and make it functional.

How much have you invested with them?

For our initial project, we spent around $5,000 AUD on the app and around $500 AUD on the website.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with ChicMic in August 2017, and the development concluded the same year. Although the project concluded, we've done other projects with them since then.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of ChicMic’s work was excellent. Without them, we wouldn’t have gotten the app live. The app was on the store until two years ago when I decommissioned it because I didn’t want to pay for all the updates. Still, it had nothing to do with ChicMic; the team fulfilled everything required on that project.

We had over a million people look at the app, and the feedback was very positive. People who used it every day found it really helpful. Other people found it annoying, as you would expect. Although we found a few bugs, those were found during the development stages, so no errors went live.

How did ChicMic perform from a project management standpoint?

ChicMic was very prompt in correcting everything, as well as very easy to communicate with. We used Upwork, Skype, and Google Meet to communicate.

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

I would like to give a shout-out to Manpreet, Manish, Sahil, Varun, and Vinod.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were able to work out anything.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was nothing ChicMic could do differently. They even provided support after launching the product, so everything was good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared and know as much detail as possible about your requirements. If you’re clear on your requirements, ChicMic will give you a clear timeline for completion.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CPO of a global education company using games for English language acquisition as a second language.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ChicMic?

We hired ChicMic to create a series of games that recreated our offline lessons in a virtual environment. This includes an authoring tool and lesson navigation tool, as well as game engines for producing 1000's of game instances, and hundreds of lessons.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We found ChicMic on Upwork, and selected them for their level of professionalism, existing excellent track record, and competitive offer.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We provided game designs to ChicMic, with specifications (not overly technical) and demo videos / mockups. After first building out the virtual classroom and a few sample games, we proceeded to build an authoring tool and the rest of the games.

We utilized a smooth mechanism for reporting results of QA and getting fixes, and communicated regularly as items grew out of scope, or processes needed adjusting over the course of this long project.

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

We had a dedicated team of 10-12 resources, including multiple front and back-end developers, project manager, and QA.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our games and lessons are working smoothly and as planned, we regularly get excellent feedback from customers about them.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication between our team and ChicMic was very open, with a high level of trust. We implemented a second QA check on our side with reporting mechanisms that operated smoothly, and they were always available to support related processes such as backend setup and complex integrations with other software in multiple timezones.

There was a clear breakdown of responsibilities to designate which project manager I had to speak to about a task, or regarding the contract itself.

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

I'm so impressed that ChicMic reliably honor their commitments. This was a huge project that was much more time intensive than first anticipated, but they stuck it out and continued to deliver a quality product, taking us through a successful completion and handover. We couldn't've found a more trustworthy partner than ChicMic.

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

In a project of this size, scope creep does appear over time, and pressure to move faster. ChicMic were extremely reasonable about all issues, so we easily found agreement when processes could be tweaked, develop items were in or out-of-scope, and so on.

With a less reasonable provider, there could easily have been conflict in this project, but it was avoided because of their ability to rationally and reasonably discuss differences and come to a fair and valid solution. That was invaluable.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of an indie game company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I had a prototype of a mobile casual game written in Unity that looked terrible. I wanted a complete UI make-over to make the game fun, friendly, and well branded

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I posted the job description on upwork and many candidates submitted a proposal. Over a few weeks, I interviewed all the candidates and decided that ChicMic had the most experience and the most reasonable cost

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

We had 3 phases:

• Phase 1: Review - ChicMic took screenshots of my existing mobile app and we had a series of intake sessions in which I reviewed the game with them and explained how it worked.
• Phase 2: Design - ChicMic developed the look & feel of the new game app, game logo, game icon, and took the in-game characters and brought them to life with personaility, to the extent that we were able to heavily brand the game app with the in-game characters. Next, ChicMic designed all the screens first as a wireframe, then as a mockup
• Phase 3: Implementation. ChicMic implemented a few screens and then worked with my developers who implemented the rest of the screens. If my developers had issues or questions, ChicMic were available to assist. I also asked ChicMic to review my developers work to ensure that they had implemneted the screens properly and to provide feedback.
• Phase 4: Enhance. Now that the core game app is complete, we are receiving feedback from test players and working with ChicMic to make changes based on player feedback

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

3 resources:

• PM
• Designer
• Unity Developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app has no launched yet, but very pleased with the results.

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

ChicMic was willing to adopt to my project management style, so I implemented Jira and a weekly standup.

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

We were impressed by their dedication and willingness to go the extra mile for their client.

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the Owner of Funko international. Our organization works on projects related to casinos.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I have worked on many projects before with different organizations. I was looking for a development company to build casino related apps and websites. We hired ChicMic to develop Casino projects/ affiliate projects and an in-house website and they always deliver the projects with quality and given timeline.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We have searched for many companies and interviewed different companies including ChicMic. After discussion with the team we feel ChicMic is a best fit for our requirements as they understand the requirements quickly and give us a perfect solution.

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

ChicMic has helped us design and build the Apps and websites. As for the design work, we’ve used Figma to design the app and websites including storyboards and user stories. We have used Native iOS and Android platforms for Mobile apps and Angular and React for the Web. We continue to work with ChicMic on applying key updates to our software.

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

We have worked with about 10-12 developers to develop different projects. ChicMic’s team includes senior frontend and backend developers and UI/UX designers. We’ve been mainly in touch with Nitish (Project Manager)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Casino websites they’ve built for us is phenomenal — it looks and works exactly as envisioned.

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

For communication, we just used Skype as it was convenient for us and they always respond quickly and are available for discussion whenever required.

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

Their knowledge, technical expertise, and communication skills have been exceptional, which is why we continue to work with them. Also, they respond extremely fast despite the difference in time zones.

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

No, they’ve done a perfect job so far.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Samaniego Group. Our organization caters to the tech, real estate, and insurance sectors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ChicMic?

We hired them to develop software that would be used for the hospitality industry.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ChicMic has built tracking software for us from scratch. In the beginning, we talked with them and went back and forth on many different concepts, ideas, and layouts to figure out how to create what we wanted. After that, they proceeded with the development and design process and eventually built a working prototype for us. They also helped design our logo and Android application.

We continue to work with their team on applying key updates to our software.

What is the team composition?

We work with five different people, but we’ve been mainly in touch with Rakesh (Technical Lead).

How did you come to work with ChicMic?

We came across them on Upwork.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2019, and our collaboration is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The prototype they’ve built for us is phenomenal — it looks and works exactly as envisioned. 

How did ChicMic perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve met all deadlines and stayed on budget. For communication, we just use Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their knowledge, technical expertise, and communication skills have been exceptional, which is why we continue to work with them. Also, they respond extremely fast despite the difference in time zones.

Are there any areas they could improve on?

No, they’ve done a perfect job so far.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you're looking to build a concept for technology within their space, we definitely recommend working with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of BetterTogether the #1 social wellbeing and weight loss platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to expand our app capabilities and shorten the time to market of changes we need to deliver to our customers

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We interviewed several providers and after a few rounds of interviews and reference calls we had we appreciated their attitude and their experience with other projects and clients and decided to select ChicMic

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

We started with an initial review of the existing functionality of the app and the business around it. They were followed by a code review by the developer and Q&A sessions to clear any misunderstandings or queries they had. Then we started with simple tasks sprint to validate the E2E delivery process and then moved to more complex sprints and ML. The developments were done on our iOS and Android apps including the backend server based on AWS services.

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

A project manager was assigned with 1-2 developers per expertise area depending on the load of each sprint.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With every sprint of about 3 weeks, we were able to deliver dozens of enhancements to support our subscription capabilities on both platforms and we saw a significant increase in the number of membership members

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

We based the communication on daily calls and communication over skype with all the team members and document the tasks requirements and their progress on Asana

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

On top of the app development skill what impresses us most is their attitude to our success and their commitment to high-quality deliveries. Their dedication is endless and even during the New Year holiday once we had technical issues they were committed to us and worked on fixing critical issues during the holiday and saved us a lot of embarrassments with our customers.

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

I think they are our perfect partners and being flexible on both sides is the key and would not change anything

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the president of a financial education company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ChicMic?

We reached out to ChicMic to develop our mobile learning app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ChicMic designed and developed our mobile learning app from scratch, incorporating the different training tools we provided. 

What is the team composition? 

We worked with about five people, including a project manager.

How did you come to work with ChicMic?

We found them through an online search. They were a highly rated overseas app developer. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from January 2018–February 2019, but they continue to be available to fix any bugs as needed. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ChicMic created exactly what we wanted, and the app has been very well received internally thus far. They also met all of our deadlines and milestones per our requirements. 

How did ChicMic perform from a project management standpoint?

They were outstanding. During initial meetings with their CEO, they laid out the UI screen by screen for us to view. In addition to meeting all timelines, they also provided a lot of helpful feedback throughout the project to help us improve outcomes. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication skills, timeliness, and attention to detail set them apart. Despite their offshore location, we had no issues with their responsiveness and nothing went wrong throughout the process. Their customer service was consistent from start to finish. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. It was a great experience all around. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I just recommend working with them, because they're very knowledgeable, responsive to client needs, and committed to deadlines. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of a mobile app publishing company called Vortex Ventures.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ChicMic?

I hired ChicMic to complete the development of my company's first mobile app. My app was a bit too complex for the previous development company I had hired, so ChicMic was tasked to correct apparent glitches and apply new features while ensuring that existing features would function more smoothly. 

What were your goals for this project? 

My goal was to have my app fully functional and polished for release on the App Store.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I was looking for the right balance of price, experience, and expertise. Working with ChicMic for over a year, I can say with full confidence that finding them was like hitting the jackpot. 

Describe the project in detail. 

I constructed a checklist of all features that needed to be addressed. ChicMic’s programmers and supervisors updated the checklist as they completed features, and they shared queries whenever there were questions or requests for clarification.

What was the team composition?

I worked with a project supervisor and 1–2 other programmers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app has only been released on the App Store for a short time, and ad campaigns are still ongoing. So far, users are very pleased. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs? 

Their workflow was very effective. Communication throughout the duration of the project was ongoing and very frequent, and we worked really well together. All issues were resolved due to our combined synergy.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their programmers were highly skilled, and, more importantly, their communication was quick and constant, which is key in business.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, there’s nothing to note. I highly recommend ChicMic. They'll be my go-to development house for updating features in the future.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

The company is BLOCKish Pty Ltd. We're a game creator in Queensland, Australia.

What is your role at the company?

My title is dreamer and director of ideas, development, and prototypes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with ChicMic?

We had developed a skills game (board game) that we wanted to transform for the mobile market. We were looking for a small and affordable company to execute this project.       

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We were looking for full coding of the mobile game for iOS and Android, including game center, single player, multiplayer, and artificial intelligence, such as playing against the computer.   

How did you come to work with ChicMic?

Initially, we had several discussions with the Australian company Appster. They completed an initial functional scope and, through the process, referred us to ChicMic in India.

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

The budget was between $50,000 and $60,000, and the project was completed within nine months.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project was completed between January and September 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The project was completed within the time frame and budget – several changes were made during the development process, and the ChicMic team was very professional in accommodating those. Communication was clear and precise, and their team provided valuable suggestions – some of which were included in the game release.

What distinguishes ChicMic from other providers?

Fantastic all round attitude, clear communication, and always willing to go the extra mile. I would not hesitate to use ChicMic again.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve or things you might do differently?

As this was our first mobile release, there are definitely changes that would be incorporated in the next release. Our game, BLOCKish a simple challenger game that's addictive and, is comprised of 400 levels in five different worlds, with single player, multiplayer, guest mode and a three-tier artificial intelligence, it was probably too much as a first release. In hindsight, it would have been far more effective to release with fewer levels and more frequent upgrades. However, ChicMic provided what was requested, and we more than satisfied with the outcome. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Owner of a software company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Saas App

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ChicMic to accomplish?

• Create a Clover App using Android technologies
• Create an integration with an existing Clover app

SOLUTION

How did you find ChicMic?

Upwork.com

Why did you select ChicMic over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• great interviews

How many teammates from ChicMic were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The scope included creating a public app for the Clover POS system using Andriod languages. The app most important features include integrating with an existing Clover app, sending notifications to customers, and customizing transactions. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I tested throughout development on a Clover POS machine. The finished product is a completed app that functions as scoped at the beginning of the project. The app is able to sucessfully perform all key features in a way that is easy to understand and use. It looks very user friendly, professional, and well designed. 

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

The project went smoothly because of great communiucation and very timely responses. Though we went over deadlines, the delivered product was exactly what was asked for. Be sure to test at each stage to ensure any bugs/errors are caught, and the team will promptly fix them.

What was your primary form of communication with ChicMic?

Email or Messaging App

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

They were very dedicated to a great finished product - one that customers will enjoy using. Becasue of this, they put forth great effort and skill when working on your project. 

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

QA could be a bit smoother - to catch more bugs before delivering milestones. Still, whenver a bug is found, they are very quick about fixing them.