Define Solutions

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and Founder of the Canadian based company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

The state of our iOS code base needed a serious overhaul. Most/all of our application was written in Objective C. Poor coding practises were historically abused. Despite this, we were continuing to grow our company and have business success but our iOS app was becoming unsustainable/un-scalable to manage. We brought in define solutions to clean all of this up, convert our codebase to Swift, and bring our app to a state that it would have a strong foundation for further development.

SOLUTION

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

We searched online and found Define Solutions. When speaking with Roman (Co-Founder & CTO) he was extremely pragmatic, we knew this was a big job, he communicated just that, and didn't try and give us a false sense that this would be an easy task just to close the deal. He was still positive in his approach and confident that he and his team could take on this challenge.

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

Steps of this project included: - Understanding the base functions of our current application. - Refactoring each screen/controller from Objective C to Swift. - Testing and considering backwards compatibility - we have thousands of current users we couldn't disrupt. - Bringing the refactors builds to TestFlight for further testing. - Bug review and fixes - Supporting our team by taking on new development features besides just the refactor.

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

Two dedicated individuals were dedicated to this project. Roman, the companie's CTO and Nazir, a senior iOS developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Define Solutions completed this refactored project and drastically reduced the complexity of our iOS application. Our app store crash rating dropped significantly from <94% to <99%. There is a noticeable improvement in the general UX of the application.

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

For this project we had regular weekly meetings, communicated through email and slack, and used Asana for project management.

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

Their ability to decipher our current codebase, derive a better solution, and deliver a result. We've worked with a number of developers over the years, this team was by the far the best at solving problems with little hand holding.

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

This is extremely minor, brief descriptions of iOS builds when submitted to TestFlight would help our team stay organized with the intent of each release and who is responsible for testing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My name is Mykhailo Tys and I’m founder of Axles development company based in Ukraine.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

First challenge was to find a responsible and professional team to create the iOS application, and the second - successfully develop a mobile application in a relatively short period of time.

SOLUTION

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

We knew that Define Solutions has a lot of experience in the niche we needed. It was also very good that the Define Solutions office is located not so far from our, it greatly simplifies all communication processes (especially live meetings).

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

Define Solutions were providing services of development and testing iOS application from scratch. Language: Swift; Apple Development APIs: UIKit, StoreKit, AVKit, HealthKit; Database: Realm, Firebase Realtime Database; 3rd-party libs: Alamofire, Firebase, Google Analytics.

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

Lead developer (senior), developer (mid), QA (senior).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The main task was to get a quality working product on time and publish it on the App Store. Define Solutions has successfully dealt with this and even helped us with publishing process.

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

Almost every day we had short morning meeting - iOS team, android and backend. All meetings and planning were very smooth and clear. All issues or problems were solved in real time without delays, which saved us a lot of time. Their team has become good friends with ours, which has made the development process easier and more enjoyable. Tools that we've used for management and communication: Jira, Clockify, Slack, Google Meet.

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

Responsibility, experience and ability to quickly find solutions in complex technical moments of development. We rarely had to work with teams and not worry about whether they will do everything well and on time - Define Solutions team is one of these.

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

I just want to wish them to expand and increase their team. We will be happy to work with them in the future.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company focuses on developing a tinder-like marketplace that connects advertising service providers and businesses. As a CTO, I take care of managing the product, overseeing all the development efforts and implementing features on the back-end.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Define Solutions?

Our very first version of the application was developed by another agency and the implementation was of very poor quality and it was impossible to build improvements upon this basis. We therefore needed support to develop our iOS application from scratch with real professionals who were proficient with Swift and who had high standards in terms of delivery quality, collaborations and timeline adherence

What were your goals for this project?

The goal of the project was to create an iOS application that could be used both by service providers and businesses. The application would then be continuously improved based on users feedback and observations.

SOLUTION

How did you select Define Solutions?

We have looked for support mainly on freelancers/agency platforms and we interviewed around 20 potential candidates who were asked to demonstrate the quality of their work by implementing one specific screen of our application. Define Solutions appeared to be the best candidate as they outperformed all the other ones based on design fidelity, code clarity and implementation time.

Describe the project in detail.

The overall scope was to implement a working application where both service providers and businesses could swipe, match and collaborate. I took care of creating a documentation of all the features we wanted which were also illustrated by a design. Define solutions was then responsible to come up with a clear view on the ways to implement our solution and execute the development in Swift.

What was the team composition?

The team was composed of one developer from Define Solutions, a back-end developer from our team and myself as a product owner.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The application was a real success. We were able to acquire 1000 service providers and 50 businesses in a matter of a few weeks. Most of the users were very pleased with the experience and the seamlessness of the application.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow between us has been smooth, thanks to the energy and will that they've been putting in our project. On top of that, the workflow was supported by productivity tools such as Slack, Jira and Confluent which made the process very efficient.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their base knowledge on the used technology and their aptitude to come quickly with propositions when it comes to challenging features or ones leveraging technologies that they are not familiar with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am CEO and co-founder. I managed the development of our app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Define Solutions?

We hired Define Solutions to help us take our vision of a mobile app that allows users to convert any text (websites, blogs, documents, etc) to audio for listening and learning on the go.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to convert our idea into an app available in the iOS app store.

SOLUTION

How did you select Define Solutions?

We interviewed a number of companies and we selected Defines Solutions because: 1. they provided a very thorough estimate broken down by screen/feature, not just "this will take us [insert large number] hrs" 2. their excitement about the project 3. their care in explaining things to us as first-time app developers

Describe the project in detail.

From our initial "design", we built an MVP that demonstrated our value proposition. Based on insights from the Define Solutions team and our beta testers, we keep refining that product. When Covid hit, we needed to change our business model, and Define helped us completely pivot our product into a freemium model.

Following iterations on that concept and implementation of new, unwieldy SDKs, we were ready to launch, except, you know, Apple. Despite a huge number of issues Apple copy and pasted at us somehow indicating that there were issues, Define Solutions helped us understand the comments and quickly fix the app and get it approved. We are now in the app store!!!

What was the team composition?

Our Define Solutions team was 1 project manager and two developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We went from a design sketched out in PowerPoint rapidly to a working prototype then a major pivot and now we are in the iOS app store. That is a success!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Seemless! Once we started, there was constant communication and feedback as we iterated. They seamlessly became a member of the team that wanted us to succeed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Define Solutions has been fantastic to work with and we are excited to continue or work with them as we iterate on our current app. Throughout the process, they became a member of the Readtronic team. They didn't treat us like just another project, but colleagues working to solve a problem together.

From our initial design and vision, they help us understand what we would need to build, gave us a detailed estimate of how long each feature would take. They didn't just say "this will take us [insert large number] hrs." They can do this because they are truly experts and have a deep knowledge of how to turn an idea into reality.

Their expertise and care are evident as they guide us through the complex app submission and app review process. Because of their caring support, our vision is now available in the app store.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None. They are our go-to for any mobile app development projects. Anytime someone is looking for app developers I recommend Define Solutions. I've already hired them for another project!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Product Manager of SoftServe-MT

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

IT services, software development, customer support.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Define Solutions to accomplish?

• Development for iOS and Android

SOLUTION

How did you find Define Solutions?

Referral

Why did you select Define Solutions over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Define Solutions were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Define Solutions has developed iOS mobile applications for utility companies. The team performs the work in the agreed terms, responds quickly to requests and does everything qualitatively. The clients were satisfied with the work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Define Solutions can work overtime when we need it. The team performs the work within the stipulated time, responds quickly to requests and does everything qualitatively. The price is good. The client is happy.

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

Items deliver on time. All our requirements are met with high quality. The company provides good proposals for the development of solutions for our needs.

What was your primary form of communication with Define Solutions?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Speed, quality, price and understanding of the order.

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

No, Define Solutions is a good company.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO and Founder of COENA

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a digital-born company headquartered in Toulouse, France. We empower restaurants and hotel chains to increase their revenue while reducing their operating costs thanks to digital technologies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Define Solutions to accomplish?

• Move the back-end from iCloud to MongoDB
• Introduce AI features and fix bugs

SOLUTION

How did you find Define Solutions?

Online Search

Why did you select Define Solutions over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

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

• Move back and from iCloud to MongoDB 
• Improve UI 
• Introduce AI features

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Move all customers to MongoDB without disruption 
• Introduce innovative AI functionalities

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

• Always delivered on time 
• No hesitation in doing the extramile even on evenings our during the week ends 
• Fast responsiveness

What was your primary form of communication with Define Solutions?

Email or Messaging App

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

• They provide honest, straightforward communication 
• Keeping on promises

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

n/a

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an Executive at pikkle, inc

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Mobile application with anonymous polls.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Define Solutions to accomplish?

• Build MVP

SOLUTION

How did you find Define Solutions?

• Online Search
• Other

Why did you select Define Solutions over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from Define Solutions were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Worked 1:1 to walk through designs and handle necessary edits. We then had multiple sprints to get a functioning MVP for beta testing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Workable MVP with all of the desired features

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

Quick execution & communication

What was your primary form of communication with Define Solutions?

Virtual Meeting

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

We were impressed by their expertise in various verticals and good knowledge of English

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

n/a

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of Roomkast, a profile-matching tool for people who is looking for a place to live.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had a deadline to launching our MVP into the market, the last developer left us with a useless product. It was then when we contacted Define solutions, which took the wheel from the first day, and helped us to build a stable version of our MVP in a matter of three weeks.

SOLUTION

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

I found Define Solutions through a freelancers platform, the high rating in the reviews were the decision makers to hire their services.

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

We needed a mobile app in IOS and Kotlin.

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

There were two people in the core team, one for Kotlin and another one for Swift.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to launch the project on time, improve our product and bring it to the next level.

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

We worked with Jira as a task manager and using slack as a daily communication channel.

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

They are detail-oriented and excel when you ask to finish a task.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of an app developer firm that is developing a mobile app

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I am a solo developer of an iOS app. I hired Define Solutions to finish out the MVP for me since I have reached my bandwidth limit. They went above and beyond to essentially help me to greatly improve the speed and efficiency of the app.

SOLUTION

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

I posted an application onto Upwork. I received over 40 proposals, but out of those, only Define Solutions was serious about the project.

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

There were meetings to go over the improvements requested. Wireframes and an agile board were provided.

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

Two developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All of the features that I wanted built have been added and also bug fixes and performance improvements have been made.

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

The project manager was very communicative via Slack. Everything was delivered ahead of schedule and under budget.

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

I was not expecting Define Solutions to perform an audit and recommend a list of improvements to the app that would help with the overall success of the app. They were very swift in their responses and gave me daily updates on their progress.

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

None.