CitizenDev

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of Poll Point. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CitizenDev?

I hired CitizenDev to develop an iOS- and Android-compatible web application. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CitizenDev developed a web application in Bubble that was meant to provide information to the Indian government. We wanted to get individuals involved in the daily governance of the nation by having them vote, comment, and interact with the government on specific questions. Essentially, the goal was to move towards what I call a digital democracy. 

What is the team composition?

I've worked with four teammates, including Vu (CEO) and his assistants. 

How did you come to work with CitizenDev?

I wanted a company that would use no-code solutions to create the app, so I searched on Bubble. CitizenDev's team emailed us, and our partnership started from there. 

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost around $1,100. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our project with CitizenDev was from March–June 2022, but they do still provide occasional assistance. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

CitizenDev delivered up to a certain stage of the development before we pivoted to a new organization to help us convert it to a cross-platform native app and launch it on the app stores. 

The app launched a few days ago, and there are about 320 downloads from the App Store and around 100 from Google Play. Since we factored in every possible issue we could face with CitizenDev's team, there were no app bugs by the time we launched it. Users like the UI, and I believe this was an efficient way to launch an app. 

How did CitizenDev perform from a project management standpoint?

Initially, CitizenDev's communication was a little weak, but by the time we started to get into code development, we'd created a WhatsApp group with them. They weren't very keen on Zoom meetings, although we had one at the beginning of the partnership. Their team only took a few hours to respond to messages. They stayed within their quoted budget, which was adapted to meet any changes we made to the project. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

CitizenDev was relatively cheap compared to their competition. They were a very energetic team that did a good job — they went out of their way to ensure the app was a success. I also appreciated that they executed tasks that fell outside the scope of work without charging us. Even now, when I have questions about features in Bubble, CitizenDev's team is happy to help. Honestly, I think they did a good job. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Communication was really good for the first few days, but their email response time was off. It was so bad that I wasn't sure they wanted to develop the app. I would've appreciated more Zoom calls for reassurance. We didn't know we had to approach other vendors to complete the launch process after CitizenDev created the web app, and it would've been nice if they'd informed us at the start. 

Also, I still think they could've developed the app faster since it isn't extremely complicated. My expected timeframe was about a month, but the project ended up taking several months. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I'd advise customers to provide CitizenDev with a plan from the very start. Once that is established, communication is key. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of CyberKid Vietnam. CyberKid Vietnam is a nonprofit organization focusing on providing Digital Literacy to kids, protecting them from harm from the Internet.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed a new website due to the change in our design system. Our website is designed from scratch so we needed a dedicated development solution.

SOLUTION

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

We partnered with CitizenDev for 2 years already. They handled every technical project of ours. We first met them via personal network.

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

We had a design given to them with detail documentation on animation. CitizenDev gave a timeline and stick really closely to the design. We basically did not have many stages. The deliverable is a brochure website (mostly static content with a blog). The technology is WordPress with a page builder called Oxygen Builder.

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

There were 2 people working with us, a project manager and a developer. The PM mainly discussed the procedures while the developer asked us about additional requirement clarification.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our new website was 3 times faster than the former one.

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

We used Zalo to communicate. The vendor reported daily about the progress to us. The project was simple so we stick to Waterfall.

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

They were the first ones in the country to utilize no-code technology to build our website. I thought I had to hire really expensive developers to code the web before knowing them.

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

There were minor UI bugs. I think they should have better documentation templates to communicate with clients too.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Im the founder of a startup called myFitGuide

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

To Develop the MVP for my startup

SOLUTION

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

Per hour rates, portfolio of similar projects. Converstation with the vendor and their hustle

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

The team used bubble.io to develop the complete project. The scope of the project was to create a dashboard for gyms to create personalised workout reports for their clients. It also included an admin functionality to manage the CRUD operations for user, client, workouts.

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

2. CEO, Senior Dev

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work was delivered on time and in budget

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

They demonstrated prompt communication and delivered the platform per agreed timelines.

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

Their hustle to meet the client needs and focus on completion of the project

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

Not that I can think of