DianApps

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former technical services manager for a veterinary service provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DianApps?

We engaged DianApps to build a web application to help us plan events with our veterinary business and farming clients. We wanted them to build a custom program to accommodate all our needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we collaborated to define the project scope and determine the application’s core features and functionality. After a lengthy scoping process, the DianApps team moved to the design phase, where they outlined the application’s look and feel. 

built the application from scratch and customized it using AWS and other tools. Then, we expanded the project scope to include additional features, and the team delivered the final product. 

The final product is a web-based event planning application that incorporates multiple user profiles and features an internal messaging system. It can also be accessed via tablet. Even though they’ve completed the app, we’re currently working on performance testing. In the future, we plan to engage DianApps to create a mobile version of the app for iOS and Android. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve primarily worked with two project leads. 

How did you come to work with DianApps? 

We found DianApps through an internal referral. They worked with our company on a different project, and our team was impressed with their development speed. The previous project also helped solidify their knowledge of the animal health sector, which made us confident in their ability to build the application according to our needs.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $300,000 AUD (approximately $203,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April 2021–September 2022. We’re still working together on performance testing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

DianApps has executed a successful build and exceeded my navigation and functionality expectations. Our goal is for the app to help manage day-to-day service planning and product positioning, and DianApps has enabled the app to create reports to help drive this initiative. Secondly, we want to ensure that customers find the app acceptable and useful in assisting them with on-farm planning, so we’re looking forward to testing that feature. 

How did DianApps perform from a project management standpoint?

DianApps has followed the project scope and vision very well. The project lead who helped us with the scope was terrific; they had a lot of foresight into our needs and were skilled at troubleshooting. Our development project lead has also been fantastic. They’ve led the development team behind the scenes, and we’ve enjoyed only having to communicate with two points of contact. 

During the development phase, they worked in two-week sprints, which enabled us to perform user acceptance testing (UAT) in between each delivery. It took the team some time to understand the application and its intent, but their speed picked up as they ramped up their knowledge. They beat the overall timeline that we set during the scoping process. Overall, they completed a total of 11 sprints and delivered results more quickly than we expected, which was great.  

They’ve been a very responsive partner, and working with them has been easy. We’ve used Google Sheets and Basecamp to manage the project. Additionally, we’ve used Zoom and WhatsApp to communicate, which has allowed us to overcome time zone issues.

What did you find most impressive about them?

DianApps has two core strengths: market knowledge and speed. Their unique understanding of the intricacies of the animal health sector has helped them identify gaps in our business and data structures. We’ve been impressed by their dedication to providing solutions and making valuable recommendations as issues have arisen. Ultimately, they’ve put their knowledge into practice to build an application that functions according to our specific needs. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since DianApps built the app so quickly, we didn’t allocate enough resources to perform UAT testing, but that’s not an area for improvement since it was on us.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend investing the time to scope the project and determine your application’s functionality. Be diligent and thorough during the scoping phase, and troubleshoot as much as possible. Also, be prepared to put the work in during the development phase because DianApps works very quickly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work as a Product Analyst for Kunji which is Digital Asset Management Platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We already had our website up & running. We wanted android & ios app made for our website as well. Dianapps was hired to build android & ios app for our business.

SOLUTION

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

We shortlisted multiple vendors in this space and based on the following comparison parameters, we found Dianapps to best suit our requirements. The comparison parameters were:

Ability to develop crypto related functionality.

• Fast delivery of features.
• Good understanding of UX/UI
• Minimum bugs in app
• Reasonable pricing.

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

At first we had series of discovery meeting in which we explained the features & requirements in detail. The product owner of this company, Pankaj, was exceptionally well in picking up our requirements & understanding what we really wanted. He reproduced it down to users stories & list of features which was easy to understand and was all encompassing of our requirements. After this, these users stories took form of tasks which were optimally planned based on various sprints. They were delivered on time.

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

A product owner was assigned to us as a single point of contact between us & Dianapps. He was keen on identifying our requirements and ensuring the features were delivered on time. Apart from this, the bugs were also resolved timely. I also worked with the UI designer of Dianapps. The designs were delivered timely and were precisely what we needed. It was convenient working with him as well. I also worked with the developers of Dianapps for bug resolution.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In less than 4 months the final build of the app was delivered to us. It was pretty impressive to deliver this app in such a small period of time.

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

The product owner had really good grasping power. Communicating requirements to him was very easy & didn't require a lot of effort. Weekly meetings were scheduled where we were given the updates of the app development process. It was good to have that level of transparency. Documented user stories & feature list were shared which acted as a common point of contact for our product team & Dianapps' product team. Sprints were planned well before and we were made part of it to access & review the progress of assignment in JIRA. After successful completion of sprint, a demo was planned where the actual build was shared to test out the product. A feedback form was also shared where our product/testing team could write their feedback/bugs to be resolved.

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

The most impressive thing about this company was timely delivery of features. Delivering the features in timely manner requires the entire team working in harmony & with zest. Dianapps had a pretty impressive team who could manage to pull this off everytime.

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

Final stages of app debugging took more time than usual. I wish if it would have happened timely.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of the company, involved in design, implementation and business development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had developed the MVP of the app with other developers previously, but were unsatisfied with the support received and changed 2 companies for the same reason. DianApps was engaged to take over the development, implement improvements and bug fixes to make the app fit for launch, and assist with ongoing maintenance and development.

SOLUTION

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

I received references from DianApps and spoke to several of their past clients - all sharing a positive working experience, and professionalism and expressing that they would recommend the company.

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

DianApp's team first reviewed coding handed over from previous teams and assisted with recovering and gathering the information that was not organised well previously. I was then allocated team members for the initial stages, the app was tested and reviewed by them and a list of deliverables was produced, agreed and discussed for Phase 1.0 of the development. The first phase focuses on getting the handed-over app up-to-scratch for launch and ongoing support.

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

I spoke to several members of the team from different levels of management. Including the CEO, product owner, and project manager and was introduced to the QA allocated for our project. I received excellent communication along the way, from a team that is patient and genuinely acts in the client's best interest and for an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team has successfully taken-over the project, and worked with me to gain access of all related components. They have troubleshooted several complications in this process, as well as unexpected challenges for the integrity and security of our website. They have assisted with and successfully claimed unused AWS credits, resulting from unused instances that were causing high monthly costs as a result of work by previous developers. I have received a testflight to review features implemented to date, that were functioning as per scope.

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

Communication through email, common messaging apps, and basecamp. Shared work files are used for project information, work-sprint lists and records.

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

They take the time, effort and patience to make sure that everything is explained in leyman terms, and understood by the client. They are responsive, and take pride in their work. The team is professional, skilled, and service-focused. Measurable goals are produced and communicated, also always met within reasonable circumstances.

Problems expressed are always followed-up and resolved, and they are always very responsive. The service received and confidence from this team is something that I have not experienced in my previous developer relationships. They genuinely listen to the client, and deliver.

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

My expectations have been exceeded for the service and technical support received from the team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an Executive of Breathe Tech Ltd. We produce consumer air quality measuring devices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted a mobile app to display data from our new air quality monitors so users could monitor the data remotely. We had already started development with another company but I was not happy with the progress so hired DianApps to take over the project and complete it ready for launch.

SOLUTION

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

I had received several emails offering these services in the past and saved the details for future projects. When I realised I needed a new developer sooner than expected, I did more research and made a shortlist. After the call with Dianapps, they presented the level of competence and professionalism I was looking for and I felt confident enough to award them the project.

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

The project involved delivering both an Android and iOS app. The apps display air quality data from multiple sources, and mutiple sensors to show trend history, location mapping and alerts/notiifcations.

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

A project manager was asigned to be the main point of contact.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is not complete yet.

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

The project manager communciated each stage clearly letting me know what to expect and when it would be delivered. All deadlines were met and all deliverables met. My feedback was taken into account and any amends noted to incorporate in the next stage.

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

Communication, project management - very good. They also took the time to understand the requirements carefully, and asked the right questions to ensure this.

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

Nothing at this time

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a company that provides software consulting services, including web and mobile app development.

We mainly work with Fintech companies, pharmaceutical companies, and e-commerce platforms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with DianApps?

We hired DianApps to provide us with mobile app development services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a fintech project related to stock trading and since the app involves financial aspects, user privacy and security were given the utmost focus.

The app was created from scratch on Android, iOS, and web platforms, and they're currently still working on the iOS version.

So far, they've helped me with graphic design, coding, selecting technologies, and software testing.

What is the team composition?

I mainly work with the CTO, project manager, and designer.

How did you come to work with DianApps?

I found them on Google while we were looking for fintech experts and after an interview with a few vendors, we settled on DianApps.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we've spent close to $60,000 on the project.

What is the status of the engagement?

We began working with them in May 2021, and the engagement is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have almost 1,000 active users on the app, and over 100,000 INR was traded through our app in the first month. The quality of the app is great because we haven't experienced any technical issues with the app.

How did DianApps perform from a project management standpoint?

The project is divided into three milestones, and they missed the deadline for the first milestone by around 10 days.

The delays were corrected in the next milestones and are able to deliver their tasks on time.

We used JIRA to track and manage our project. We communicated through Zoom and WhatsApp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We're impressed with their fintech expertise and ability to deliver their task on time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They've changed their project manager twice in the course of the project, and I wish they could stick with one project manager at a time.

Any advice for potential customers?

Provide them with the wireframes and documentation needed for the project and trust them to deliver.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the co-founder of a gaming startup that specialises in Real-Money Gaming.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DianApps?

We wanted to launch as soon as possible. The main challenge we faced was with hiring in-house. We hired DianApps so that we can get a tech team quickly without the fear of attrition or the costs of hiring.

SOLUTION

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

We searched google for such tech agencies, one of them was DianApps. We finalised on them because of the variety of clients they had worked with. They had worked with a lot of foreign clients which gave us the impression that they are extremely professional when it comes to timely project delivery.

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

Our project was to build a scalable, real-money gaming app from scratch. DianApps first helped us build the entire architecture for the app including selecting the tech stack. Then the project was divided into different modules. The UI of the app was created. The next step was to create the backend infrastructure keeping scalability in mind. The final step was to do the android development of the app and do extensive testing.

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

We worked with 8 people.

• 3 backend NodeJS developers
• 2 Android Developers
• 1 UI Designer
• 1 Quality Assurance
• 1 Team Lead.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They had delivered the App in time which enabled us to save a lot of cost from a start up perspective. We quickly scaled to 100k users in less than 90 days because of robust app experience.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The entire management was handled in a professional manner. We had workflows and sprints setup for every 2 or 4 weeks depending on the tasks. The team was available for smooth communication and there were seldom any miscommunication. We used Slack, GitHub and Google Meet.

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

I'm impressed with their initiative to get as involved as possible in the development process. It was as if it is their own app in which they have personally invested.

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

We feel that they could have been more willing to work at client site, at least during the initial phase of the project. They ultimately did provide for their developers to be on-site, just the initial stages could have also been covered.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an assistant VP at a fintech company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DianApps?

We needed development resources to expand our team’s capacity. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We brought on DianApps to execute backend development using Node.js. The project they’re working on is our proprietary software; occasionally, we send them new work to execute. 

What is the team composition?

We work with Ronak (Senior Software Engineer). 

How did you come to work with DianApps?

One of my colleagues found them. I believe they found DianApps through a reference channel. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invest around $3,500 a month with DianApps. I’d estimate we’ve spent approximately $30,000 so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement began in December 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We follow agile methodologies and execute sprints, which is how we measure our success. If their team can deliver within our sprint timelines, we say the project is a success. It’s also great that they can grab additional work we send their way. 

How did DianApps perform from a project management standpoint?

The teammate from DianApps has taken complete ownership of the project; he makes on-time deliveries and is very hands-on. If there are any production delays, they are communicated to us quickly. DianApps is responsive to our needs and stays within budget. 

Our communication is a mix of email and WhatsApp messages. All formal communication is done via email — any time we send new requests, it’s done via email. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The teammate from DianApps is very technically savvy. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There is nothing for them to improve; the partnership has been good so far. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Innovations Manager for Firefly Reliability. We provide services industrial lubricant reliability from high velocity flushing, filtration, oil sensors, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired DianApps to develop a hybrid app to enable our customers to submit oil samples and view trending results from the analysis. Our goal was to provide a user friendly experience utilizing barcode scanning lookups instead of manually typing fields. We also wanted to view our results using trending graphs and detailed views.

SOLUTION

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

We reached out to several companies, the main deciding factor was price.

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

We had a series of discovery meetings to discuss our goals and objectives. They provided wireframes and screen story mockups. From there we went through several sprints for each user story of the app. The app was developed using Flutter and Django and stored on Amazon AWS. The scope of the project changed several times through the project. DianApps accommodated these changes and provided a finished hybrid app for web, ios, and android.

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

A project manager was assigned as the main point of contact. During sprint deliveries other team members were brought in for meetings.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our app is early in it's go live stage but customer feedback has been positive. Since our app is focused around customer retention rather than new sales and services a measurable outcome is difficult to measure right now.

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

Communication mainly took place using Basecamp. Sprint discussions, change requests, and deliverables were done under our project for Basecamp. Direct communication was done using WhatsApp for time sensitive discussions.

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

Communication with the development team was very easy. The did a good job informing me of their progress during each development step and provided timely response to any feedback I had.

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

During the development of some user stories a better understanding of our requirements could have been done. A few times I thought we were on the same page but the deliverable did not meet our requirements and work would have to be redone or rebid.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a veterinarian for Apiam Animal Health Limited, a large production animal veterinary service in Australia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DianApps?

We wanted to design an app for the swine industry worldwide. We started developing it with another company, so DianApps had to acquire all the initial background setup and redo it. It was a lot of work from their end.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve been working with DianApps for three and a half years on this project. They’ve delivered various iterations of the app based on changes we make. We describe the requirements and what we want, and they do all the design.

For example, if we want a collection of vaccinations, they design how it works. The team has all the technology, and they work with us to have an idea of the information they need to collect. DianApps takes care of the entire flow, including all the visual aspects. They do all the web pages, which are a massive component of the application — we can’t operate the app without any of those, and they’ve been 100% involved with them.

We just come to them with the idea of an endpoint and assist in the way. We work very closely with them to get it to that endpoint.

The app is called Data Pig. It’s used in the pig industry to collect health-related data from a veterinary perspective, including medical treatments, vaccinations, and other information such as deaths and how pigs are moved around the farm. Basically, it gathers the core health requirements for pig farming.

Additionally, the app is available for iOS and Android and ties in with three web page platforms for users. Consumers use the mobile application combined with a website, so it’s set up as both complete platforms.

DianApps has specialized the app for each different farming organization and each veterinarian working on the farm. Veterinarians, farm users, owners, and managers can access the web page, and the information is a directive for how the farmworker can collect the data on the mobile app. It goes back to the web pages and presents this data to the vets and higher-level positions on the farm.

What is the team composition?

Over three years, we’ve worked with around 15 people. In the weekly meetings, we deal with a few people face to face, but they have a vast team of people doing specific project elements on the backend. We have one main point of contact that has been with us the whole project.

How did you come to work with DianApps?

The person who hired them isn’t involved in the company anymore, so I don’t know how we initially provided the contract. DianApps started on one project, and the company has contracted them to do various other projects since then.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began around January 2019, and we’re still working with them. They monitor the systems and are involved daily — they’re always there to troubleshoot any changes or issues.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had a positive response. We have various platforms, web pages, and the actual app. Veterinarians use the pages, and everyone has been really happy. The visuals definitely draw people in, and users like how everything is presented and how it flows. It’s easy to navigate, collect the data, and access it on the web page.

In terms of experience, they’ve been phenomenal at building the app, getting the ideas out there, and troubleshooting. We’ve worked through everything with DianApps, so we’ve developed a close relationship with them. We admire how hard they work and how they’ve understood the type of app we need since pig farming is an unusual space. Nothing has been too hard for them — if they haven’t done something before, they figure it out and get it done.

In particular, working with our main contact has been great. At times, people are hesitant to use international companies that might have language barriers. Still, they’ve been phenomenal at understanding everything even though we don’t speak technically, and they don’t know the vet world.

The timeline has been long because our full-time business isn’t app development. I work on the farm 80% of the time, so we haven’t had endless hours to do it. However, DianApps is attentive, and they always want to advance the project and keep in contact. Working with them has been excellent, so our company has started more projects with them.

How did DianApps perform from a project management standpoint?

Like any product, there have been hiccups along the way. However, the team is very attentive to getting things fixed at the end of the day. We communicate readily over WhatsApp; we just send them a screenshot, and they get into it. Usually, they troubleshoot issues within a few hours. Sometimes there have been misunderstandings about how something was supposed to be designed, but many of those have been an issue on our end. When developing an application, we can’t make assumptions — everything needs to be spelled out literally to be done adequately.

Moreover, DianApps understands our time limitations. We have a structure to display what we want, and they add it into their own system. We don’t have to log into other communication systems; we rather use something easy as WhatsApp to save time on our end.

Additionally, we communicate over Basecamp, and they use Jira on the project to ensure that comments are addressed. We’ve also used Google Sheets.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve asked them to do something that doesn’t exist yet, so they don’t have a reference idea of what it should look like. However, their ability to adapt the communication between us is impressive. They communicate seamlessly by dumbing down tech language, ensuring there isn’t miscommunication between speaking Indian and English. Also, they’re adaptable in how they apply particular building capabilities to display health information so they meet veterinary standards.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some of the main issues are with the actual hardware, so it isn’t a specific problem with them. As I pointed out, another issue is the communication barrier and the tech and colloquial language. Also, we’ve guided them into how we want certain things to look, but they could take a bit of initiative and offer solutions before we come to them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get to know them individually and build a close relationship with your product developer. They’ll be your go-to, so if you can work well with them, you’ll be able to achieve your goal.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of the startup Gynios which is a platform to organize and share shopping ideas from any store and seamlessly earn cashback.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired DianApps to develop and deliver the end-to-end tech solution. As we are getting started in our solution design and development journey, our goals were to develop the solution while iterating along the way to ensure that the solution can be pivot as we learn more about customer needs.

SOLUTION

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

We had searched for development agencies and shortlisted a handful to speak further. We had the experience of working with one and quickly realized that it wasn't working. Thereafter, when we selected DianApps, the deciding factors were the ease of working with the leadership team, their confidence in delivering the solution, and clarity of approach and initial pricing.

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

We had several meetings to run over the scope and feasibility. We had already prepared the UI/UX designs, and we spent most of the initial session identifying the feasibility and timeline of delivery. The scope of the project entailed the development of a custom web app, a chrome extension, and an admin panel. We used flutter for the development of the web app and JavaScript for the chrome extension with a backend of the application built on AWS.

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

The core team consisted of a product manager, a front-end development, a back-end developer, and a QA. This core team was further supported by other members of the DianApps team and the Account manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall feedback from early customers is positive on the experience of using the platform. However, it is still early days, and more users need to use the platform to understand the customer experience feedback.

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

We had daily calls to run through progress and upcoming tasks. Also, we clarified questions about design and requirements in these calls. Any need for decisions and input was also followed up separately and promptly.

In the initial period, when the requirements were most flued, we also engaged in scoping sessions to identify incremental scope. Most of the communication was managed on basecamp but we also had ready access to the DianApps team through WhatsApp. Delivery was managed in 2-week sprints and delays in spirit delivery or specific features were communicated upfront and promptly.

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

The involvement of the DianApps leadership team throughout the project and the ownership taken by the whole team to deliver the solution were new and refreshing.

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

Working with a startup, especially at an incredibly early stage, is different from other types of projects that are more mature and well defined. Thus, it would be great if DianApps could consider how they will change their approach when working at the pre-seed MVP stage and play a more proactive role in shaping the scope and design of the MVP.