Digital Awesome

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of Joticle, an education technology company that focuses on PreK to Gray lifelong learning.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had initially launched a project on mobile and felt that we needed to pivot to a much more centralized and web-based approach to cater to the large use of Chromebooks in the education system. Our goal was to create our own CMS system that supported the content across the web, iOS and Android.

SOLUTION

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

We vetted over 20 companies that aligned with our goals and needs and the understanding that we were still in the process of raising funds at the time. We chose Mark and his team because not only are they extremely easy to interact with, they went above and beyond before we been completed our raise to start the project. Their commitment to use and understanding of our vision really helped evolve the story right up to the launch of the project

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

We had a series of meetings before we agreed to terms to scope out the overall reach of the project and this process has continued to this day where we have a tech meeting once a week and then interact on a consistent basis with Basecamp for ongoing realtime communications.

They created UI/UX designs for us to review, fleshing out the complete storyboard and setting the foundation. We had been primarily a .NET company up until this point, but after a few discussions they presented a great case for Laravel as the framework running with AWS products and Algolia, and Switch and Kotlin at the core for iOS and Android apps.

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

Mark is my primary contact as well as our project Manage Lorelie, who is very good at keeping me constantly in the know about updates. There was never a need for me to interact with the devs, but have been introduced and always in the know of what each is working on.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform they have delivered has opened the door to quite a few partnerships in the educations space, we have steadily seen user adoption take hold and gain traction and the feedback has been nothing but stellar. The simplicity of use, the depth of content and the ability to interact all have been the highlight feedback from our customers.

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

Project management style is very inclusive and detailed during our tech meetings and their use of Basecamp as the primary tool has been very effective in clearly defining what is going on.

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

The most impressive thing about Digital Awesome is their ability to actually be involved in the process and share their insights and being unafraid to give constructive feedback. They make it feel as if they are part of Joticle and we are all on the same mission.

One more step that I have to rave about, Joticle created a student project with UC Davis for their computer science team, and Mark on his own time helped me mentor these students. This is way above and beyond what I would expect from a vendor. He continues to work with them now as they are interns for us. Things like this just solidify how truly Mark and his team are passionate about what they do.

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

An issues that come up or expectations that were perceived to be missed have all been handled in a very professional manner. Now Mark is a Rams fan so I can't fix that, but overall this has been the best experience I have ever had with a outside vendor.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of an agricultural weather network at Washington State University. We provide weather data and support tools for farmers across the state of Washington.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Awesome?

We needed a company to develop a mobile app for delivering weather information.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We asked them about the most efficient method of development, and then their team came up with an approach to this project. While we provided the backend and database, Digital Awesome created the app’s design and the web interface’s design. They also built a way for us to plug-in weather data to organizations. Now, their team helps to build all of the modules for our different support tools.

What is the team composition?

I’m in contact with Mark (CTO and Technical Co-Founder).

How did you come to work with Digital Awesome?

We talked to numerous companies and wanted to partner with one based in Washington. We conducted interviews and asked potential vendors about how their team planned to approach our challenge. Digital Awesome was the best option. We initially engaged them to develop a scope of work that we used to collect bids. They were still the best company.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $100,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2019, and we’re now on our fourth contract.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platforms are now available. The data feed and framework are in place. Our stakeholders like the designs and the interfaces’ intuitiveness.

How did Digital Awesome perform from a project management standpoint?

Once a week, I’m in contact with Mark. Their communication’s great. There was a period of time when they were slow to respond. However, we overwhelmed them with change requests.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We have a trustful relationship, which makes everything easier. When writing up an agreement, we can’t account for every possible contingency. As we built the platforms, their team was quite open to minor changes and didn’t charge a lot more. They’re flexible and reasonable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had to identify the best way to manage change requests. We set up a board where we post and pick through requests. We needed an automated way to track changes, which took us a while to figure out.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You can trust them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and owner of LogicBlue Technology. We make consumer electronics for the RV industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Awesome?

We’ve always been self-reliant for app and web development and have a particular product that is over 90% of our revenue. 

We wanted to have apps written in native code, for which we don’t have internal expertise, to make them more functional and to increase the operational reliability of our product.

The other apps that we had been using for years were only supportable by our team, which was detrimental to the value of our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, they created 'user stories' that defined how the user goes through the app in a text-based format. This formed the basis of a roadmap for development. Digital Awesome then developed an Android and iOS mobile app and wrote an Apple Watch app. Additionally, they built our website.

What is the team composition?

I worked mostly with Mark (President) and his wife. I also interacted with the programmers on a couple of occasions.

How did you come to work with Digital Awesome?

We did a lot of internet research and tried to get references from other companies who had worked with app development companies. We didn’t have much luck with those avenues and we were getting pricing that was all over the place.

We stumbled across Digital Awesome while doing our research. Mark was willing to come to North Carolina and spend a day with us to understand our project. The price that we paid for the initial meeting was reasonable. We had a good feeling about them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $65,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Mark visited us in November or December 2019 and the project was completed in mid-May 2020. We only make small change requests now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since completing the project Digital Awesome has been quick to respond to any issues that have arisen. The feedback that I’m getting from customers who had used our old app is that they really like the new app and its features. It looks and works better and more professional. 

The product is sold to the RV industry, which is made up of people who like to DIY. So the fact that our old app didn’t look polished wasn’t too much of a problem because it was functional and we were selling to that specific audience.

Now the app has contextual help and offers support at every step of the installation and use processes. People were setting up our product using a manual, but now we don’t even ship out a manual. So far, so good.

How did Digital Awesome perform from a project management standpoint?

The team is always accessible. They return our emails in hours rather than days. Project management has never been an issue.

I would say that I expect more than some people would but they’ve never given me any reason to be concerned about the project management because they always set and meet expectations without even being asked. 

We had some small delays and the project was completed about two weeks later than the original target date, but some of that was due to app flow changes that we made. At the end, they worked during the weekends to make sure the work was delivered.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In comparison to other vendors in general, Digital Awesome is easier to work with, more responsive, and more professional in their work output than other companies I’ve dealt with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there are no areas of improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t be afraid of choosing a small company when it comes to Digital Awesome. They do good work, and you don’t have to be concerned about them taking your money and not delivering the product. Digital Awesome is made up of an honest team that is easy to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I don’t work for an organization or a company, but I’m looking to launch an app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Awesome?

I had an idea that I wanted to test out which involves coming up with a couple of online education tools that help kids with math. One of those tools is a mobile math game app that’s based on the numbers on basketball players’ jerseys.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Digital Awesome designed and developed the app game itself. They helped map out the storyboards and how users would interact with and play the game, as well as all of the design elements. 

They then put all of those pieces together into the full gameplay. For now, it’s a first, fully-functional version of the game that I can test and show to people to see if they’d like to use it.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Mark (President) as well as one of the project managers. They had a team of developers but Mark was my primary point of contact. 

How did you come to work with Digital Awesome?

I had looked around online for a ton of app developers and read a couple of reviews. When I found Digital Awesome, it was the first company where I felt like I was talking to a real person and not just someone behind an email or a chatbot. 

Once I talked to Mark, it was good to know that he was a real person and had great ideas. I also saw some of their previous work and knew they had the expertise to get the work done. 

How much have you invested with them?

I spent about $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in November 2019. Although Digital Awesome finished their part of the work, there may be some future iterations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I really love the first version of the game. The team did a great job of completing their work within the budget, timeframe, and scope.

How did Digital Awesome perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed exceptionally well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They scheduled time every week to go through the project, which made me feel like I could connect with the team. Mark did a very good job of balancing the technical side with the visual side of how I knew I wanted the app to look. He bridged that gap very well and made it easy to work together. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no suggestions. Overall, I was really impressed with the way they developed the app. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s helpful if you have a loose idea of your app in mind. It was great to brainstorm ideas with the team. It may have been tougher if I had put all of the work on them. But, instead, I had an idea that I was guiding them toward and they were really good at responding. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of No Trail Email, an email encryption service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Awesome?

Mark (President, Digital Awesome) has helped me out with multiple technology projects. He helps me with web maintenance, although I built the website. I actually started building websites 30 years ago in 1990, but the revisions started taking too much time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

He helps build programs for me to test for our site. He also does everything on my server, doing the continual development behind my site. I believe he uses just about every programming language. This includes everything from C++ to Basic, and he uses JavaScript for the server.

Also, Mark helped with my key technique. My email encryption technique is based upon my time as a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. When you shoot down an airliner, you have something called an authenticator. It writes a constantly changing code that tells you if you should shoot that plane down. The code changes every six hours.

Email alleges to be secure, but its encryption doesn’t change. Anyone who’s good at breaking code can find a way to access them. My service acts like a fighter pilot’s authenticator to prevent this. It uses a thumb drive, delivered via courier service, that has over a million lines of code that constantly changes—similar to how the United States launches nuclear weapons.

Finally, there’s a key to access this via the thumb drive. Mark enhanced this key. Expanding the physical key code, he doubled the number of digits, rendering the emails virtually impossible to hack.

What is the team composition?

Mark’s a programmer, and he has about 2–3 subcontractors across the country.

How did you come to work with Digital Awesome?

Mark only lives about four hours north of me, so I went out to his campground and met him last summer. I worked with many other contractors over the year and really hit it off with Mark. He has a great sense of humor and is a very cordial person.

How much have you invested with them?

I think I’ve spent just over $12,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started work in January 2019. Although we’re currently paused while we’re waiting for additional funding, we anticipate the relationship will resume shortly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I feel that they've been incredibly helpful and innovative. I like working with them.

How did Digital Awesome perform from a project management standpoint?

He’s given me a document called “Build, Cost, Outline.” Build Cost Outline walks me through everything he’ll do, breaking down pricing and fees.

Also, he’s very good at coordinating his developers. They’re very talented, and he ensures their work is organized.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with incredibly skilled programmers before that are fundamentally dishonest people. Mark is honest, and I trust him.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m very happy.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I have so much confidence in him that I link to his website from mine. Work with him.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an attorney with Brennan & Rogers, PLLC, in York, Maine.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Awesome?

I retained Digital Awesome to conduct a discovery process for establishing a website and to prepare a staging site.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal for my engagement was to conduct a prelimary review of the idea, site design and custom plugins that would be needed and to develop an estimated cost for full development. I chose not to move forward with full development but that decision was based on personal decisions and not on the work of Digital Awesome, which was great.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

By chance.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project involved the integration of two separate programs and Digital Awesome did a great job helping me understand the process involve. The discovery process that was recommended was very valuable in helping me make future decisions.

What was the team composition?

I worked with Mark Nelson and his associate, Marissa. They were very good listeners and gave me a lot of room to express my ideas as they evolved during the process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Not applicable.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Communication was done by Zoom and was effective but down to earth. Don't expect a fancy meeting.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Mark clearly knows his way around the development of a project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

As an attorney, I might recommend a more professional setting for some of the Zoom meetings but that is because that is what I am used to. I would also recommend scheduling out conferences in advance at the time of the last call and always having an agenda.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work in the finance industry. As a partner at an equity fund, I'm in charge of managing a number of portfolio companies as well as raising money for the business.  I'm also the VP of acquisitions at a venture capital firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Awesome?

We hired Digital Awesome to solve a fundraising problem we'd encountered. Our efforts focused on finding a solution that would allow us to raise money through public crowdfunding online utilizing the Regulation A+ of Title IV of the JOBS Act. It’s possible to do so via a marketplace site, but that method comes with significant disadvantages. 

As an alternative, we wanted to create a custom piece of software fit for purpose and compatible with our own websites and environments. By leveraging the API from the Fund America website, we planned to create a portal that could be deployed in a WordPress environment. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I worked on a web development project with Digital Awesome that centered on a WordPress plugin. It allows us to accept money through the Regulation A+ crowdfunding regulations in the JOBS Act. 

While the project's scope included extensive development, it wasn't overly complex. Based on an API from Fund America, we created an API call using software Digital Awesome built in the WordPress plugin. This way, users can conduct entire transactions within our website rather than having to navigate to an external platform. The ability to stay within our website for the entire process makes for a smooth and complete user experience. 

What is the team composition? 

I interface directly with Mark (CEO, Digital Awesome). He is fantastic to work with. 

How did you come to work with Digital Awesome?

I hired Digital Awesome because the CEO had been the lead developer at my old company. We have a good track record from working together for a long time. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent approximately $70,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March–June 2018. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Right now, we're in the process of utilizing the technology Digital Awesome delivered. Despite some internal delays last summer, everything looks like it's going well now. Digital Awesome's quality of work is fantastic, so I'm not worried about the outcomes. I know everything will turn out great. 

How did Digital Awesome perform from a project management standpoint?

Digital Awesome uses the set process of going through an established workflow. We held weekly meetings via Zoom calls and organized the project using Trello. The team is very agile and adjusts according to our needs. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Attention to detail and customer service are the two qualities I admire most about Digital Awesome. The CEO has done an impressive job of building his company. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind right now. I recommend Digital Awesome to many of our portfolio companies because there’s nothing they need to improve. Most web development shops are very disorganized and poorly run. Mark (CEO, Digital Awesome) listens carefully to his customers and pays close attention to the relevant details. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of GiveList, a financial technology app that lets anyone in the U.S. open a charitable bank account, which they can use to distribute their money to any U.S. nonprofit they want.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Awesome?

We had designs and a good idea of what we wanted the product to be, so we just needed a partner to develop it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave Digital Awesome our designs, and they iterated on and improved them. From there, we moved into the dev phase for the desktop app. The product allows users to give money to a nonprofit with a click of a button and enables them to see the impact and tax reporting of their donation. Digital Awesome used React for the frontend, and integrated Plaid and Stripe for bank verification and ACH. They also implemented a relational database with cryptography. They’re currently working on an Android and iOS version of the app, as well as helping with bug fixes, support, and adding new features.

What is the team composition?

They provide four team members, including for UX/UI, design, and backend.

How did you come to work with Digital Awesome?

We found them on Clutch. We got estimates from about ten companies and liked Digital Awesome the most. They were the best value and were transparent about their pricing.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since April 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve worked with many dev teams, and Digital Awesome has done a phenomenal job. They’re honest and built the product to be able to scale, which is what we wanted. Beta testers have given positive feedback and only criticized the components that I’m responsible for.

How did Digital Awesome perform from a project management standpoint?

They have great project management and documentation, using Jira and GitHub to keep things organized. I track progress through Trello, and we usually communicate through email and weekly phone calls. They have transparent task management and system calendars, clearly showing what phase of the project they’re working on. Their invoices are easy to understand too, which we greatly appreciate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a trustworthy team that’s painless to work with. It feels more like a partnership than an outside contractor.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The more you communicate with them, the better the engagement will be.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a motivational speaker, trainer, and coach for real estate agents and agencies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Awesome?

I wanted my company’s systems, client interactions, and customer experiences to all be digital- or mobile-first, making it easier for our staff to manage client relationships on the road and to make it easier for our audience to consume our products and services on demand. We contracted with Digital Awesome to facilitate these goals.

What were your goals for this project?

In our efforts to become mobile-first, we hoped to streamline workflow and integrate new systems.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We worked with Mark (CEO, Digital Awesome) as a freelancer in the past.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We tasked Digital Awesome with developing a mobile application for our membership program for Android and iOS. They also delivered a pared-down version of the application with limited content for conference attendees. They set up and moved our hosting environment to Amazon S3 servers and transitioned us to a new app stack to streamline workflows across Salesforce, MailChimp, Autopilot, and Stripe. They also upgraded our internal systems to track more than 4,500 individual transactions through our shopping cart.

What was the team composition?

We communicated directly with Mark, who then coordinated with his team of specialists.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We have been able to reimagine our business model to meet consumer demand. We’ve streamlined our business processes to work with more customers more often, and we’ve increased the volume of transactions we process.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We coordinated with weekly strategy meetings via Zoom and 24-hour Slack support.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by their strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The Australian dollar and the United States dollar fluctuate, so opening an Australian branch would make it easier to budget.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We work in Malibu real estate. I’m our marketing coordinator and an associate partner agent.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Awesome?

We wanted to give our website an entirely new look while preserving its data and functionality.

What were your goals for this project?

To feature our listings and their associated images. We also wanted to modernize the site to make it comparable to the industry standards and create an easier and better user experience as a whole.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were referred by a local business consultant.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They worked on our custom WordPress pages, focusing on their reorganization, troubleshooting and bug fixing, and creating in-depth training videos for our team.

What was the team composition?

Marissa (Project Manager, Digital Awesome) was my main point of contact, while Mark (CTO & Technical Founder, Digital Awesome) helped to oversee the project and joined weekly calls.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We've had a lot of positive feedback already. Both the website and our overall ranking have improved.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It was effective. Everyone was kept in the loop about the status of our site.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their pricing was very competitive compared to our previous designer. They worked well with my designs and templates, responded quickly when things weren't working, and made very thorough training videos so we can service it ourselves.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.