Cykra Ltd

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of &hype.com, which is a digital marketing agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cykra Ltd?

They’ve done work for us on various projects. At the moment, Cykra is working on an app for one of our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cykra has handled programming based on our specifications and designs. Since the end client is ours, we manage the projects; we bring their needs to Cykra as well as wireframes and finished designs.

The product is a B2C app similar to Spotify, namely a subscription-based service for the meditation world. People can sign up, make searches based on a variety of parameters, put together playlists, and download meditation media. They can create their own mediation process and also look at statistics, user history, recommendations from other users, and so on.

There have been 3 people involved from Cykra’s side. The team size varies according to our needs, and we have one main point of contact. We communicate 2–3 times per week or daily, depending on the stage of the process.

How did you come to work with Cykra Ltd?

I know their founder, Nicklas Wolff, privately. It was a straightforward process and I didn’t consider any alternatives.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Cykra Ltd in the first quarter of 2017. The current project will be completed in a month’s time. They’ve performed a variety of other tasks for us on an as-needed basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

They are good at what they do and have reasonable prices. Given our relationship, I can’t attribute any success stories to Cykra specifically.

How did Cykra Ltd perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything was delivered on time and within budget.

What did you find most impressive about Cykra Ltd?

We have coding projects, so I have no big, impressive things to cite. Cykra has delivered good pieces of work on time, and their price is fine.

Are there any areas Cykra Ltd could improve?

No. I’m more than happy with everything.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Cykra Ltd?

I would recommend them. Cykra can be flexible and we’re happy with what we have.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a startup company creating an audio fitness adventure app called Apocalypse Survival Training. It has an ongoing story, with every episode acting as a workout. It's a podcast and fitness app combined.

I am the founder of the company, but I also act as project manager, content writer, editor and so on.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cykra Ltd?

I had worked with 2 app developers in the past, including an independent freelancer who didn't have time for the project and a company with which I had irreconcilable differences. I was running out of time, money, and patience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had documentation in place, as well as a user interface for the app. Cykra Ltd was in charge of building the iOS and Android apps in parallel. There are no other apps with the same functionalities as ours, so we needed to engage in a lot of testing in order to find out what would work. The app features 3 sections, including an exercises tab that offers visual references and audio descriptions for each exercise. We also have a tracking and rewards section that unlocks audio and information after completing each episode. The episodes focus on running, strength training, and core and stretch exercises. Each episode has a progress bar. We also have a section for managing downloads, top tips, user accounts, feedback and a kickstarter backer list. In the episodes listing, users can see information about an episode’s type, length, and exercises. Users can stream or download episodes, which play in a screen featuring audio images for each exercise as it comes up. If users need more help, they can click a button and go to an exercise-specific page with a secondary player. Users can exit and re-enter the app, maintaining their progress.

How did you come to work with Cykra Ltd?

I made a Facebook post asking for developer references and was also contacted on Kickstarter by many companies. They usually quoted me the entire sum that we'd raised during the campaign just for the app, which is actually a small part of the project. The creation of the 37 half-hour episodes is the hard part. Cykra Ltd was referred to me by a friend. I contacted their principal and had a few Skype calls talking about the cost. We ended up with a contract that was good for both parties and got started on the project.

How much have you invested with Cykra Ltd?

The cost of Cykra Ltd's work is expected to be under $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Cykra Ltd in April 2016. We're in beta testing mode at the moment and hope to launch the apps in January 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The first build was done quite fast, but we've held Cykra Ltd up during the production of our episodes. We have gone through an alpha testing phase, during which we worked on an hourly basis with Cykra Ltd since it was outside of our original scope. We have worked out a landmark schedule at which payments are made. Cykra Ltd has been great at sticking to this timeline.

The beta test app was meant as a first release to Kickstarter backers. Since we've had some problems delivering episodes, we put out an alpha version. The iOS and Android versions were downloaded by 30 people, with uniformly positive feedback. We received a lot of praise for the look and usability of the app. Cykra Ltd has been very responsive to a great deal of user feedback.

Even though we gave Cykra Ltd a lot of the visual design material, much of the usability came through them testing what elements could work. I credit the app's UI to our joint efforts. Cykra Ltd also built our app exactly to spec, which didn't happen with our previous developer.

How did Cykra Ltd perform from a project management standpoint?

I'm not a project manager, but I am in charge of it for our work. Cykra Ltd has been good in this regard, but I may have made life difficult for them. I have identified issues during each iteration, but they're always immediately acted on, so I'm not bothered by them. Cykra Ltd's principal is also the team coordinator. He is my only contact, which I've liked.

Since Cykra Ltd hadn't worked on a fitness app before, they sometimes committed to tasks which turned out to be bigger than expected, but I wasn't charged additionally in these cases. Cykra Ltd stuck to our original agreements.

What did you find most impressive about Cykra Ltd?

Based on my experience with the previous developer, working with Cykra Ltd has been heaven. They've responded to every single email in a timely manner, with answers that make sense.

Are there any areas Cykra Ltd could improve?

Cykra Ltd could pay more attention to detail during testing.