Diffco AI

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Marketing Director at a tech company that provides an online community marketplace for the aviation industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our goal was to create a convenient online platform for the aviation community, where all parties can easily communicate and collaborate. For this we needed to develop a web-based marketplace platform.

SOLUTION

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

We wanted to hire someone with a great portfolio and strong experience in web app development. Diffco stood out among competitors.

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

The project included web-based application design and development, ERP development, back-end development. The developed product included a convenient secure online bookings, scheduling, billing and payments, automated notifications, interfaces for students, flight schools and instructors.

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

We had 5 people from Diffco involved in the project:

•  UX designer
•  frontend developer
•  backend developer
•  QA
•  project manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was delivered on time, and the platform works perfectly.

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

All the communication and project management processes were smooth and productive. We communicated mostly with the project manager via emails, Skype meetings and messages, and over the phone.

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

We were impressed by their market knowledge and product development skills. They had handy ideas and suggestions on how we can improve our product.

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

Everything was great

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

L.E. Solutions: an ecosystem of diverse and cutting-edge mobile technologies and software for law enforcement agents across the USA.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Diffco helped us with the development of multiple mobile applications for law enforcement agents, such as Field Sobriety Test (FST), Field Investigation Card (FIC), and Pills (pills detection app)

SOLUTION

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

Our mission is to create innovative software that automates and simplifies the work of law enforcement agents and services, making it paperless, remote, and quick.

Nowadays, this sphere requires more mobile software that perfectly runs on the last mobile devices and operating systems. That's why we started working with Diffco on our mobile solutions and applications.

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

There were several mobile apps we launched one by one. The FST mobile app aimed to help law enforcement agencies to test persons suspected of impaired driving, intoxicated with alcohol or other drugs.

Diffco did a great job analyzing the current agent paper forms and converting them into a simple digital form that can be easily filled from the smartphone. We had a series of prototyping iterations and polishing while getting the perfect result and started a mobile development stage.

The back-end development started in parallel with UI design development, which saved us 30% in the timeline and allowed us to launch earlier. The first version was completed in 2 months, and then we continued working with Diffco on updates.

The FIC app was a continuation of our digital strategy. It helped law enforcement to quickly fill and save Field Investigation Form right from their smartphones, fully paperless, and with a backup on a cloud. Diffco developed this project in 3 months and successfully tested it with one of our major clients.

The Pills app was one of our strategic products that required the development of AI and computer vision solutions. That was an extendable platform for the recognition of various types of pills for different areas.

Diffco performed an R&D stage and offered multiple solutions and technologies to build the platform. The first version was released in 3 months, after this we continued to develop it and extend its functionality.

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

It was a team of 7 people: 2 mobile developers, 2 backend developers, front-end developer, software architect and QA

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We successfully launched all applications and did a pilot launch with one of our major clients. The feedback we received from our users was very positive. It was clear that Diffco did an outstanding job, and we were one the right way.

Since that, we have had multiple updates and new versions. All applications are now a part of our solutions and products we provide to our clients.

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

Diffco became a solid part of our team and organized all of the development processes in the right way. We had multiple stages of discussions, brain-storming, prototyping, approvals, development, and testing.

We had regular meetings, there were useful tools for project management and team collaboration in place. We also used emails and IM communication.

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

While working with Diffco, I felt like they were a part of our own team. It was impressive how easy it was to communicate and how smooth the development processes were. I also value their technical expertise and their professional vision for building solid infrastructure and choosing the right technologies.

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

No, but watch the deadlines

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of Questroom, an immersive escape room and entertainment company based in Los Angeles. At Questroom, we believe in rich storytelling, extreme attention to detail, and high production value and quality. We strive to create not just an escape room but a fully immersive, multi-sensory experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We worked with Diffco to develop a website together with a custom ERP platform, which included a booking system, customer feedback aggregation, business process automation, and statistical analysis.

The goal was to create an exciting and memorable website with an attractive and emotional design, which would express the client's experience in our quest rooms. We also needed a custom ERP platform.

The platform had to perform all our business processes, from the booking interface for users to orders and room management system with statistics and business metrics monitoring.

SOLUTION

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

One of our business partners recommended Diffco.

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

Diffco developed a website for us with a custom design for all escape rooms. It was a significant design work as we needed a memorable and emotional design for each specific room and unique corporate identity. When the website was successfully launched, they started engineering and development of our custom ERP system.

We had many valuable discussions with the Diffco team about the engineering of the product and all the tiny details and aspects of ERP. As a result, they developed a detailed technical specification document, which was extremely helpful and played a critical role in creating a great product.

The first version of the platform was successfully released in 3 months and integrated into the business processes. This helped us to optimize the processes, increase our business activity, and attract more clients.

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

It was 8 person team that included a project manager, UI/UX designer, software architect, front-end and backend developers, and QA

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The developed website and ERP platform have been working successfully for the last 4 years. We continually update them and release new versions together with Diffco. Developed products totally satisfy our needs and help us in everyday business operations.

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

The collaboration between their team and us was easy and effective. We had regular meetings to discuss project updates, as well as on-demand calls and meetings when needed. Diffco also has a support ticketing system where we could set up tasks and track updates.

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

I was impressed by how good the development and communication processes were organized. They replied very fast to all questions and requests. The solutions they developed work very well and are exactly what we were looking for.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a Voice AI platform for dialogue advertising. Our mission is to revolutionize the advertising industry by allowing users to speak with ads: skip irrelevant ads and drive curiosity to learn more in a hands-free environment just by saying so.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Diffco to develop a new mobile partner SDK for our AI platform, which can help our clients with easy and quick integration of Instrematic solutions into their products

SOLUTION

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

We knew Diffco for several years as a mobile development team, saw their portfolio and showcases, and met regularly on events in Silicon Valley.

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

The project was divided into 2 stages. During the first stage, Diffco performed a technical audit and analysis of our current partner SDK and provided their audit report, solutions, and ideas regarding the new version.

As a result of the second stage, they engineered a new SDK solution and developed it. The SDK has both iOS and Android versions and includes all of the last Instrematic's AI features to cover all our clients' needs.

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

2 mobile developers (iOS, Android), 1 software architect, 1 QA, 1 project manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've successfully engineered the new partner SDK and continue working with Diffco.

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

The workflow and communication processes were very well organized. We had a series of meetings between our teams, where we would set our goals, exchange ideas and plans, and discuss current steps.

There were also E-mail and IM communication with Jira project management. We had no delays and were totally satisfied with the quality.

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

We were impressed by Diffco's approach to the development process and how they engineer new solutions. They look upfront, learn your product and strategy to develop more sophisticated and functional solutions.

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

All great

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of Devmind (Development Mind OÜ), the software development consultancy, and software integration company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Diffco developed a back-end software for a digital content distribution platform created for our client, one of the major European airline companies.

SOLUTION

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

We met Diffco while working with one of our enterprise clients. We liked their approach, expertise, and quality of their work.

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

The project consisted of multiple subsystems developed by different teams. Diffco team was responsible for developing backend software that runs API, digital content database, and content management agent, which remotely manages the content on airplane multimedia systems.

During a maintenance period in an airport, the content management agent performs all necessary operations. This includes updating digital content, grabbing logs, and statistical data from an airplane multimedia system, multimedia checks, and alert in case of issues.

The project was divided into stages. During the first stage, Diffco developed a technical specification document that was reviewed and approved by other teams. They spent a significant amount of time on infrastructure engineering and approving communication protocols with other development teams.

The second stage included the development of the core, micro-services, and database, while the third stage was the development of APIs and integration with other subsystems.

The last stage included the deployment of the product on the client's infrastructure, testing, and bug fixing. Diffco was very successful in all these stages and delivered their code with no delays.

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

4 backend developers, 2 front-end developers, software architect and 2 QAs. 8 people in total

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Together with Diffco, we successfully launched the first version of the full platform in 5 months and performed an integration in one of the client's locations. After this, the platform was successfully deployed to other airports and continue to update and maintain.

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

Effective team communication was a key element of success in this project. Diffco has perfect processes and standards in place, which makes working with them easy and comfortable. We had regular meetings and standups, discussion and approval of milestones, review and audit of the architecture.

They were always in touch with other teams and replied to requests very quickly.

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

They have a perfectly organized business process and high-quality standards. They also have excellent technical expertise, which gave me the confidence to rely on them when choosing the right technologies and approaches.

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 a CEO & Founder at Fredd - an AI-enhanced mobile application for foodies to find a perfect restaurant based on their personal tastes

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Diffco US Inc?

We hired Diffco to develop a mobile application and to help us with the product launch

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to launch an MVP project within three months, which was aligned with our marketing and product launch strategy. It was important for us to be ready for several media events.

SOLUTION

How did you select Diffco US Inc?

We were looking for a team of professionals in mobile development and AI to implement all of our ideas at the highest possible level in the form of intelligent algorithms. We wanted to have a convenient and functional mobile app with great design.

Diffco fully met our needs. We worked with them on our previous project and were positively impressed by their work, the quality, and their substantial experience in mobile development and AI.

Describe the project in detail.

Fredd is a mobile app that helps to choose the best places for unique gastronomic experiences. Fredd AI is based on the experience and feedback of thousands of gourmets, experts in the restaurant market, and guests.

It collects and analyzes all the necessary data, best rating services (Zagat, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Zomato, Foursquare, Micheline), and people reviews to use an independent and proven algorithm to find the best places for you.

Fredd has a lot of features, for example, smart collections, smart search, routing, and ETA calculation, social authorization, the management interface for the restaurants, user's collections, social sharing.

What was the team composition?

It was a team of eight professionals: 1 UI designer, 1 iOS developer, 2 Backend developers, 1 Front-end developer, 1 AI/ML developer, 1 QA, 1 project manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We successfully launched on time and received positive feedback from users. After the launch, we continue working with Diffco and releasing new features to extend our app's functionality

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective. We were very inspired by working together and making the product better. There were regular meetings, stand-ups, discussions of design and product concept, together with regular planning and resource management

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Diffco team is always ready to help; they share their ideas and suggest solutions of how to solve your task in the most effective way

Are there any areas for improvement?

Don't think so. Everything was great

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the COO of Simiotics, an MLOps platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Diffco US Inc, and what were your goals?

We hired Diffco to build integrations with various AI APIs.They were a good fit for this work because of their experience in AI and web apps development. We needed to enhance the capacity of our AI technology, and we were looking for a reliable partner who could help us with integrations while we were working on the other project goals and strategies.

SOLUTION

How did you select Diffco US Inc and what were the deciding factors?

We already knew Diffco as a software development team, we saw their portfolio, and knew some of their clients, who were happy to work with Diffco. When we started to look for a partner for this project, Diffco was our first and best option.

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

Diffco helped with the development and integration of modules for our MLOps platform. The project required strong skills in working with various APIs, their documentation, and building the right architecture for the future.

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

2 backend developers, 1 AI developer, 1 QA, 1 project manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Work was done efficiently and on time and we successfully launched our alpha version.

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

The process was very transparent and well-organized. There were several development stages, and we came through them with no delays, having regular meetings, zoom calls, and slack communication.

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

What impressed us the most is that Diffco not only develops the software, they also dive deeper into the product itself and look at the product as potential users. They are extremely experienced in delivering great user experience and our early users and customers greatly appreciated it.

They provided us with many valuable feedback on how to improve our product development strategy. We truly enjoyed working with them and looking forward to work with them in the future.

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

Can't think of any. They did a great job for us.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Vitaly Kirkpatrick, CEO and Founder of CloviTek Inc, the wireless device manufacturing company that builds wireless audio transmitters for streaming audio from TVs over WiFi to mobile devices. I am repsonsible for overseeing the operations, sales and management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Diffco?

Our team had built a hardware device that is capable of streaming audio. We had Engineers who were able to do feasibility testing to make sure that this is something that would be possible to do. However, our Engineers did not know much about mobile app development. We had to look for outside developers to help with the project. We had the challenge to identify the best developers for this technical project out of multiple companies that could offer Linux software development and mobile app development for iOS and Android mobile devices.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted the app to be able to receive an audio signal from a TV and decode it in the mobile device so people could use their headphones to hear any TV out of multiple TVs available within one network area. With this solution, our goal was to test the market need for the product so we could go into full production and sales.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We worked with a couple of software development teams before. Unfortunately, they under-delivered and their product was not ready for release and sales due to poor design. However, the Diffco team was able to present the solution that had not just functional capabilities we were looking for, but also a modern look and a friendly user interface. It was clear to us, that Diffco team was capable of solving not only technical problems with audio streaming over WiFi, but also user's usability problems which were presented to us in the first design phase.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we selected Diffco to be our developer, we started the initial design phase. They were very quick in providing their deliveries for each phase of the development. After consulting with us and presenting their UI designs for the mobile app, we moved forward with the mockups development to test the functionality. The app mockups were delivered specifically for iOS and Android platforms within their native frameworks. Those mockups included the company's branding (colors, logos, images, etc.) to match our website, which Diffco developed and built for us as well.

What was the team composition?

From the beginning, I was speaking with the project manager who was very knowledgeable and understood the requirements which he delivered to his team. However, as the development of the project progressed, the team involved the Linux developer and the mobile developer to our remote meetings. Sometimes we needed to talk to their Engineer as well, which they provided to us for solving more challenging problems.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After working on the product and mobile app for a year, we had our first prototype developed. We've demonstrated it at various shows and received multiple innovation awards for design, functionality, and usability of the product. When we were able to go online, Diffco team developed our website based on the Shopify platform. We started seeing the sales of the product. However, we could not ship the product yet. Only two years later, with the help of the Diffco team in collaboration with CloviTek's Engineers, we started shipping our first orders to our customers. There were a few issues with the product and the app, which were addressed by Diffco in a timely manner.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Diffco's project manager was located in the U.S., however, their development team was located offshore. The project manager was able to address all of our questions with our management quickly without the need to involve their offshore team to weekly calls. If there were more challenging questions to be addressed by their offshore team, we had in-house team members who spoke their language and were successful communicating issues with the app. A lot of the challenging technical issues with the mobile app were addressed successfully by showing via video recordings or conferences rather than telling about specific issues.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by their technical knowledge skills their team had. They also know a lot about user experiences. The mobile app had an excellent UI design and functionality. Their biggest strength is they address issues quickly and communicate the outcomes to our team, resolving them if needed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Some of the ideas during the process could have been explored and considered. Because of their own belief that they know the mobile app development best and that they have the technical expertise to solve challenging problems, some of the suggestions were dismissed and never pursued. They are an amazing team and I am retaining them for other projects. But, maybe having an open mind to suggestions could help them in a long time dealing with other customers. Delivering something out of extraordinary and learning something new outside of their comfort zone, would help them develop the skills that maybe other customers would need for other projects.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CTO of SRG Community, a software development firm for gamers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Diffco?

We hired Diffco because we needed a partner that would help us build our technical infrastructure from scratch. They helped us develop numerous projects, including:

• Customized blockchain solution
• Mobile app development
• Web app development
• Admin panel

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The blockchain part was built in C++ and EOS was the main application. In the backend, we used:

• Node.js as an API connector
• A Symphony PHP framework
• Mezcal 
• Redis
• RevenueQueue

In the frontend, we used Angular to build our iOS and Android apps. Diffco helped us throughout all of these processes. 

What is the team composition?

There were around 15 people from Diffco working with us. We worked with a project manager who worked with us throughout the project and we had calls with team leads. We talked with the CEO and CTO of Diffco as well. The rest of the team were various developers specializing in an array of fields.

How did you come to work with Diffco?

I knew of Diffco from work they did for a previous company I worked for. They were very successful at that project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested somewhere north of $500,000 but less than $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in May 2018, and we’re still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re preparing for beta testing, but, currently, I’m very satisfied. Diffco doesn’t just develop by the requirements set, they participate in the discussions about the project. We didn’t have the strongest set of strategies at the beginning. They gave us feedback on the project to help direct us and set up the right infrastructure.

How did Diffco perform from a project management standpoint?

I believe they have a very good process. We used JIRA and Zendesk for quick communication with them, had regular meetings, set goals, and tracked milestones together. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They did a very good job at management. Their questioning of our project was very helpful. When we described our strategy for the project, they asked a lot of questions to help fill in the blanks. This showed that they were very responsible and proactive, giving us frequent feedback.

Diffco also introduced us to some of their business contacts, which was very helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything is good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ask more questions to Diffco, and your communication will be faster.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a digital development firm specializing in native mobile app design and development for iOS and Android, such as smartphones and tablets.

What is your role at the company?

I am the CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Diffco US?

We needed to develop the back-end for a governmental police mobile app. We were looking for a reliable partner with advanced skills who would do the heavy-duty back-end development for us. Since it's not our area of expertise, we wanted to be 100 percent sure we could delegate all the back-end work to that partner and trust them with very sensitive client's information. Moreover, we were looking for someone with very good account management skills. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They provided back-end development – PHP mostly – and analytics for it as well as security checks and upgrades for existing client's architecture.

How did you come to work with Diffco US?

It was them who selected us first, by which I mean that we had worked with Diffco before providing them with mobile development services. Once we happened to be in need of serious back-end, the choice was obvious since all that time, we were marveling at their back-end skills.

When was the project completed?

It finished in February 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The project is related to government so, naturally, we cannot disclose any information about the metrics. What can be said though is that the client was happy with the result, and the back-end withstood rigid security checks performed afterward by a third party.

What distinguishes Diffco US from other providers?

Yes. There was confidence that we don't need to be triple check their work. We never had to redo anything. Diffco US is very reliable.

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

They probably shouldn't have given us direct access to developers, but I suppose it was due to our special arrangement.