DOOR3

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an enterprise software product company. We have three offerings: an asset management platform, a life insurance platform, and a generic data migration platform. They’re all low- or no-code platforms where business users can configure applications themselves or have us make configurations for them. They can leverage the asset management and life insurance configurations that we have, and tweak them to their needs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DOOR3?

The platform we have is cloud-based and is entirely a web application. We don’t have an in-house design team, and we didn’t have an external partner. As a group, we just developed the application we felt was right, and a lot of features gathered over time, with iterative code layered one version on top of the other.

We never really had the time to take a step back and determine how we could make it visually-appealing, or apply best practices around the UI/UX of the app. We decided to do that, and I started the initiative. Basically, we were looking for a design refresh of the application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted someone to take a look at what we had, with the goal of improving style, harmonizing the different components, streamlining the UI and making it more efficient. While applying generic best practices around what we had, they refined the navigation and changed the color palette without throwing out what we did before.

Before this, we had was a very dark UI, with color palettes that weren’t practical to use. DOOR3 streamlined the theming, made better iconography and a more modern widget layout, and better navigation proposals. After all of that was discussed, they delivered a style guide and editable designs.

What is the team composition?

I was in communication with Alex (Founder & President) when the engagement started. He introduced me to Daniel (Senior Engagement Manager). When the team started the work, we were assigned a senior designer, a junior designer, and a business analyst. Then, they had a team in Kiev, and the project manager and the technical architect were based there.

How did you come to work with DOOR3?

I made a Google search for the top design agencies in New York City, and Clutch came up first as a site where I could find that information. I picked the top 5–6 teams, and reached out to all of them.

The first deciding factor was whether the provider had worked on an enterprise, data-heavy platform before, so that they could leverage what they’d done there. Cost was the second factor.

From a past experience perspective, DOOR3 had done similar work, and we saw that in their proposal. They understood what we were trying to do, compared to some other companies, which were purely website and branding companies, and didn’t really understand what enterprise apps need.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with DOOR3 in January 2020. We were planning to get into an extended contract, but we were in the middle of a capital raise. Investors have held on to that, and we’ve basically paused on any work. Basically, it’s a ripple effect. We’re not getting our money, so we’ve plugged our outflows. After the situation improves, we will continue our engagement with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Whatever designs we had, we presented to our clients, and everyone was excited and happy.

Long-term clients have been saying that the new design feels modern and fresh. Everyone’s really excited.

The design is beautiful and is as good as any other app our clients have been working with. Compared to where we started our platform, we’ve made a lot of progress. The style guides are much better as well.

We haven’t really finished the development and rolled it out to the full client base yet. We’ve only been able to show prototypes, PDFs, and teasers to get people excited.

It will take us another 2–3 months to finish the work, and another couple of months to test it and iron out any issues. Hopefully, we’ll start leveraging the new design fully by September or October 2020.

How did DOOR3 perform from a project management standpoint?

The style guides and different components were delivered through Zeplin, and the actual editable designs were made available in Sketch.

We’ve realized that this was one of our better consulting engagements. We knew what we wanted, and DOOR3 quickly understood what they had to give us. From a team perspective, it was one of our more successful consulting engagements.

It was a two-and-a-half-month engagement, and we had calls every second day with the team. There were five people from our side and 2–3 people from DOOR3 talking every other day, and we also used email, SharePoint, and OneDrive, to share documents and artefacts. We used Zeplin to do reviews of the style guides.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It was a very focused project, and we were in constant communication. We got what we wanted.

My CEO was very skeptical going into this, saying he’d never had a successful consulting engagement, but he was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. The teams gelled, and we got on the same page very quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everything worked out well for us, so there’s nothing I can think of.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

With any consulting engagement, it’ll help if you’re very clear on what we want. Any design agency can provide hundreds of ideas, but it just takes a lot of time if we don’t know what we want. If we know what we want, and just want someone to vet those ideas quickly and come up with a good proposal, then that’s what I’d suggest. Otherwise, these engagements get extended, and there’s nothing tangible coming out of them. My advice would be for the client to spend time getting to know what they want, and then start the engagement, not the other way around.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of a financial services consulting firm. We consult exclusively to banks on issues concerning strategic planning, asset-liability work, and other areas along those lines.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DOOR3?

At the start, we had various discussions with their team. We decided to move ahead with DOOR3 when we wanted to migrate off of a Rackspace environment and our internal environment that hosted our applications to a JIRA cloud environment.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were based in and wrote our code in a Microsoft stack environment. All of that code was migrated to an Azure environment. We made some changes to user JIRA functions instead of what we were doing in Rackspace. It was a relatively straightforward migration.

Our team wrote a lot of the migration code ourselves with their assistance. The critical element of the project involved an architecture standpoint. Their team ensured everything was appropriately structured to allow for future additions. Along with handling parts of the migration, they did some coding around Blob storage.

What is the team composition?

At different points during the project, we engaged with almost ten people. We had an engagement manager, a project manager, a business analyst, and an architect. There were also a few developers.

How did you come to work with DOOR3?

We performed a nationwide search, using Clutch and other resources to identify companies that we felt were the most experienced and best-reviewed. After looking into the areas we wanted to accomplish, we went through a screening process. We interviewed three companies and decided to go with DOOR3.

The primary reason we went for DOOR3 was that they offered consultancy services along with development offerings. They were able to help us define what the project was, making sure we looked at everything we needed to look at and structured it all correctly. That differentiated them from other companies we talked to. They are also local. We’re based in New Jersey, and their office is in New York.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested a little over $190,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with DOOR3 lasted from July–October 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to migrate everything pretty clearly. There were some code changes, areas that needed to be rewritten, and data we could migrate ourselves. Their communication was superb. The engagement manager did an exceptional job, keeping everyone updated. The company, as a whole, made course adjustments to ensure we stayed both on our timeline and budget.

How did DOOR3 perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, they did an outstanding job. Our engagement manager was involved throughout the whole process, managing the project well. In addition to daily stand-up meetings and weekly follow-ups, we used JIRA for all of the code and ticket tracking. We used a shared Slack channel for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by their ability to perform a lot of fact-finding and consulting work. Their team leader could manage the project, making course adjustments and bringing resources when needed. They strived to keep us on time and budget.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One of the challenges, which isn’t unique to DOOR3, is relevant to offshore and onshore development teams. There can be difficulties with code turnaround and communication. The only area where we had a slight challenge was with some of the code that needed debugging. Having everyone onsite would’ve helped with that. But that happens with any company that uses onshore and offshore teams.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

From my experience, the key is to establish a relationship with the engagement manager upfront. Make sure you’re comfortable with how they’re going to be running the project. Since we worked as a blended team, I took over as the project lead for our side. I was involved in those daily meetings, which is critical to completing a successful engagement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the vice president of app development at Fresh Direct from 2015–2018. Fresh Direct is an online supermarket offering orders delivered to your door. It’s based in New York and available throughout the Northeast. I was in charge of everything related to the customer-facing website and mobile apps, including project management, QA, and customer service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DOOR3?

We were starting another business, a sister company, called Foodkick, which we envisioned as a service for fill-in shopping needs. It’s only available in Brooklyn and Manhattan. We realized we were going to have five different mobile apps across various platforms. We knew that we would be difficult to maintain with a small team.

DOOR3 suggested using Xamarin to create one mobile app code base for the backend to ease maintenance across the platforms. The key code and the APIs and backend integration would all come from one codebase. We needed them to augment our development team and craft a strategy to integrate Xamarin into our business, as well as work on the apps themselves.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The in-house team designed all of the screens, and DOOR3 had to develop them and build them out. It’s a C Sharp code base and it deploys to Android and iOS in a native fashion. Our team hired our own mobile developers as well. They helped us with the rollout of the apps.

What is the team composition?

At most times, we had about five developers that were working with us. Later in the engagement, there were three developers from DOOR3 working with three in-house developers. Their project manager, John (Former Senior Project Manager, DOOR3), worked directly with our mobile development lead.

How did you come to work with DOOR3?

I believe they had a relationship with Fresh Direct that predated my time at the company. When the concept of this new business came up, the CIO at the time decided to work with DOOR3.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $1.3 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June 2015–August 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were really impressed with the speed with which we could roll out new features using the shared backend through Xamarin. It was fantastic. When we needed to make a small change, we only had to make it in one place. Our vision really came to life. In addition, the uniformity of our apps made it easier for customers to use the system.

The shared platform also helped us track checkouts and delivery more efficient. DOOR3’s strategy optimized our efforts because we no longer had to make changes to five different apps, which would have been a strain on our resources. There was a case study written by Microsoft, which now owns Xamarin, and it talks about DOOR3’s involvement and influence.

How did DOOR3 perform from a project management standpoint?

They were on top of the project and understood what we needed. They listened very well, and John was great at pushing us and driving the business forward. We initially used DOOR3’s Jira for project management before transitioning onto our own Jira system.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their transition into a staff augmentation model was beneficial and made knowledge transfer easy because they were working hand-in-hand with us. They weren’t always on-site, but they still partnered with us completely.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It was hard to really understand exactly what people were doing each day when you're paying on a time and materials basis, but with the project manager’s help, they were able to rectify it and clarify it so it wasn't straightforward as giving us an invoice. We had to do a little due diligence and really understand what the different time tracking metrics meant. But they were very transparent with us and they worked with us completely. I don't know if we took full advantage of their testing capabilities, but we ended up handling all of the QA and testing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Integrate them right into your team. They want to learn and they want to help you. They don't want to take over and own it. They really want to partner with you and the more you allow them to partner and understand your business, the easier it will be for them to come up with solutions to whatever your biggest challenges are.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Anwar Kazmi: I’m the president of DAA Enterprises Inc., a software development company that specializes in pharmaceutical software.

Ismail Fenni: I’m the Director of Operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DOOR3?

AK: We’re a small company that was short on resources. Our company was faced with a need to move our platform to a different version.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AK: DOOR3 upgraded our commercial product for clients. They also provided technical expertise. It was a collaborative effort every step of the way. We shared the legacy system with them and had countless hours of meetings where we explained the business logic.

Their team used Visual Studio with a mix of different languages both in terms of the database of servers, a Microsoft SQL server, and other technologies that enable the cloud operation of the product. They not only provided the actual coding but were there to design and architect the platform and the areas required for it to run as a cloud application.

IF: DOOR3 has completed a bulk of the work, but it’s still an outsourcing agreement. While they did the actual technical implementation for the cloud-based product, we provided the business logic, documentation, and overall scope of work. They relayed their expertise for the functionality of the product. We were able to integrate the needed framework for the product to operate in a specific mode, along with providing the advice to maintain that same product within that environment.

What is the team composition?

AK: It ramped up to about ten people, which included project managers, developers, and business analysts.

How did you come to work with DOOR3?

AK: We searched online, identifying five–six companies. After talking to a few and receiving proposals from several, DOOR3 was among the four companies we shortlisted.

IF: DOOR3 came across as easy to work with and understanding of our needs. Their team seemed capable of the implementation that we wanted to have.

How much have you invested with them?

AK: We invested between $1 million–$5 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

AK: We started working together in April 2018, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

AK: There’s always going to be bugs during development, but the overall effort was exactly what we had wanted to be implemented. DOOR3 fulfilled exactly the vision we wanted for our product, and then some. Technical roadblocks were to be expected, but the result exceeded what we envisioned.

How did DOOR3 perform from a project management standpoint?

AK: Their project management style was excellent. Along with the countless meetings, we were in contact with everyone directly. The two-week deliverables were timely. We use Jira for agile development. Overall, we’re happy with DOOR3.

What did you find most impressive about them?

AK: Their team has skilled expertise. They’re also timely and have good project management skills.

IF: DOOR3 was instrumental in bringing our idea to market, making it a reality. They helped identify what was critical so that we could focus on that and finish it in the shortest possible time at the lowest possible cost.

Are there any areas they could improve?

AK: We’ve been very pleased with everything they’ve given us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

AK: Clients should have clear and concise business logic from the get-go. Once that’s well-stated, everything else fits in perfectly. Everything flows very easily. They’re professional.

IF: Be clear in your own mind what it is you’re trying to accomplish.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of Operations at Stillwell-Hansen Inc., a manufacturer’s representative.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DOOR3?

We had an old ERP system with a Microsoft Access frontend. It needed to be refreshed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We decided to completely revamp the whole system, using a SQL backend database and JavaScript. There were additional functionalities that needed to be implemented as well after we entered an agreement with them that involved a business & workflow review. Their team added reporting analytics and a field service module to the internal tool. It was an agile project where we worked in three to four-week sprints.

What is the team composition?

At the beginning of the process, we worked with multiple developers. Our main interactions are with Bart (Senior Business Analyst, DOOR3), Debbie (Engagement Manager, DOOR3), and two developers. Our point of contact sometimes changed because of turnover, but overall, the teams were fairly consistent.

How did you come to work with DOOR3?

An IT vendor recommended them to us. After interviewing several companies, we chose DOOR3.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost over 1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement started in March 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team is satisfied with DOOR3’s work. We should wrap up within a month or two, and then move onto a maintenance plan. Internal feedback has been positive. In August 2018, we turned the system on to do our data migration. The migration was smooth, and everyone transitioned well. There was some data cleanup from the old system, which we expected. Everything was mostly on schedule.

How did DOOR3 perform from a project management standpoint?

They worked well from a project management standpoint. We receive weekly updates and status reports that detail the allotted time for each particular sprint. Their team was responsive in that regard. We used a collaborative tool, and sometimes email and Skype for communication. There were a lot of phone conversations and face-to-face meetings with Bart.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our assigned business analyst was in tune with our business. The best part of the experience was how responsive and collaborative DOOR3 was during the process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Resources did lack on the project management side. I relied heavily on the business analyst we had versus the project manager we had during the process.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communication is key to understanding different team member’s personalities. Since they’re located overseas and we have to work with different time frames, make sure you communicate about ongoing sprints to guarantee development work finishing in time. Testing was also crucial for us in understanding functionality and making sure team members were onboard.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m COO and partner at Financial Information Incorporated, the leading global provider of domestic and international corporate actions and historical reference services. In 2013, we launched Financial Technologies Solutions, a technology provider in the financial services industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DOOR3?

We hired DOOR3 to develop software for our processing system. The product we’re building is for banks and brokerage firms.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DOOR3 is providing full-service software development. My team provided some storyboards and our perception of how our users would deploy the product. DOOR3 made procedure recommendations, determined what technologies to use, and developed wireframes. They have done programming and development.

Right now, we’re changing the model a bit and will request a proposal from DOOR3 for additional work.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is Alex (Founder & President, Enterprise Services, DOOR3). My team works with 10–15 team members.

How did you come to work with DOOR3?

One of my team members had worked with DOOR3 in the past and recommended them. My team completed evaluated 9–10 vendors over six months. We chose DOOR3 based on their proposal, local proximity, and flexible schedule. They also seemed astute and easy to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent over $1 million. Our spend has fluctuated as we’ve added modules and changed the scope of the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in March 2018, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been on target 100% of the time. If there are any delays, it’s generally on our side because we aren’t sure what direction we want to go in. DOOR3 is very accommodating of any changes we make.

How did DOOR3 perform from a project management standpoint?

They are excellent; on a scale of 1–10, their project management is a 10. The readily available team delivers on time and budget. During the more intense phases of the project, we had daily scrums and in-person meetings at least twice a week. We spoke to Alex 3–4 times a day. Alex has been like a partner, traveling with us and talking to our end users.

The team handled changes proactively and worked 2–3 sprints ahead of schedule, which allowed them to foresee potential issues. They never missed a deadline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There are no downsides to working with DOOR3. Their constant communication is notable. They quickly adapted to various areas of the financial industry, such as banking and mutual funds. The team went out of their way to garner expertise in these different areas. Many of our software development projects have been client-specific, and DOOR3 has delivered on each client’s particular needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they have met all of our expectations.

Any advice for potential customers?

I would strongly suggest going to their beautiful facility in Manhattan and spending time with them on-site. They work very well face-to-face. If you are pursuing a project for outside prospects, don’t hesitate to bring them to DOOR3’s office; they will be impressed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We sell fast business management software to construction companies. I’m one of two co-founders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DOOR3?

We were just starting our business and didn’t have a team in place to develop our platform. We decided to find a UX and design resource to help us develop modern-looking software before hiring an internal team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted a team that could offer strong business analysis and build the whole thing from the start. We brought them the high-level scope of what we hoped to accomplish and signed a deal that gave us access to all the resources they offered. They translated our concepts into an object model that met our code and general requirements. That included back- and frontend development, UX, and design.

We worked together for about four to five months, and they built everything out as we sent them the specs. The backend was built in ASP.NET, and the frontend was mostly Angular.js, though we used other technologies as needed.

What is the team composition?

We had two half-time business analysts, a project manager for a few of our projects, a full-time backend resource, two full-time frontend resources, and a full-time user experience specialist.

How did you come to work with DOOR3?

We wanted a local resource in New York. We found some qualified firms and interviewed a few of them. We saw how beautiful DOOR3’s work was and decided to work with them. Their products were clean, attractive, and intuitive, and that really tipped the scales in their favor.

How much have you invested with them?

All of our work with them cost about $800,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The major chunk of our engagement was from the end of 2012 through the middle of 2013, but we still go back to them occasionally for projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We got some really good products out of the collaboration, and we wouldn’t have a business without them. Over a thousand companies use our platform, and that number is growing. We get a lot of good feedback from our users. The platform looks good and is easy to use. Everything they did for us contributes to our daily operations.

How did DOOR3 perform from a project management standpoint?

We were very involved in this process, and our primary communication was all in person. We were in their offices four to six hours a day during the development. Ultimately, we managed the project, but they brought a lot of expertise to the process. Their project management is fine, but this was an unusual type of engagement.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Everything they make is very modern and attractive. All their work looks current, and they understand marketing and UX very well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we're satisfied with everything they delivered.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I don’t have any recommendations specific to collaborations with DOOR3. With any project, it’s important to know what you want so your partners have a clear direction.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company delivers a customer experience (CX) platform. We offer 12 products, including suites of CRM and digital experience solutions. 

As the head of product, I'm responsible for our overall product strategy as well as the related frontend design and development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DOOR3?

Our digital experience product line is a suite of consumer portals that serve the health insurance market, including ones for health plan members, brokers, employers, and providers.

We were a bit crunched for time with the schedule for a particular project. DOOR3 came in as a resource to work alongside our small, lean design team and provide the expertise and horsepower we needed. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DOOR3 helped us create visual interaction design for the latest version for one of our portals. They collaborated with our in-house teams to understand the existing challenges with our current solution and the problem we were trying to solve. Using InVision, they created initial wireframes that laid out all the features and navigation for the next portal iteration. 

Following our internal designers' guidelines, they added an additional layer of visual design. They handed off these deliverables to our engineering team to actually build. 

What is the team composition? 

We embedded a strong designer from DOOR3 into our internal team. They got along well with everyone and worked on site quite frequently. The other resource we interfaced with was a project manager.

How did you come to work with DOOR3?

I happened to meet one of the partners and founders of DOOR3 at a networking event for product leaders in the New York area. After getting to know him, I found out about the company and reviewed some examples of work he shared with me. 

When I was considered who to hire, I needed a team who understood both the design space and the relevant subsets of specialties within it. Our complex enterprise application requires more specific expertise. Based on our conversations and their portfolio, DOOR3’s value add was a sensitivity to the challenges of working in our highly regulated environment.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our project began in early April 2019, and we finished it around July 2018. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measured the project's success by our ability to deliver the broker portal solution before open enrollment, which is a hard, government-driven deadline for health insurance. Solutions like these are opened up to attract new membership. Meeting that deadline was critical to avoid disruption to potential incremental revenue for our health plan. 

The core wireframes they created enabled us to stick to our timeline. This achievement was a testament to DOOR3's overall success and the help they provided us.

How did DOOR3 perform from a project management standpoint?

DOOR3 actively engaged with us to ensure everything stayed on track. We didn't use the project-based method I know they traditionally do, so there was less overhead than usual. 

Since we embedded their designer into our in-house team, we didn't need the heavy oversight bringing on a full outsourced team a predefined project would have required. They were highly responsive and accommodating with any issues we encountered. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

DOOR3 has a thorough understanding of how to design for enterprise applications. They found the best solution and delivered it in a sensible timeframe. They helped our engineering team move faster. Together, we made the right design decisions and could subsequently defend them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing stands out to me. DOOR3 was very flexible about taking a staff augmentation approach, which is different than how they typically work, which is more project-based. I appreciated how much they accommodated us and helped us deliver. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When you have the opportunity to bring in their high-powered expertise for a specific solution, particularly on the design side, it's important to engage DOOR3 as early in the process as possible. I suggest integrating someone from DOOR3 into your team right at the start to help identify potential challenges that could cause issues down the line. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of web services at New Jersey Institute of Technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DOOR3?

We had a very stagnant website, so we were looking for a vendor to help us update it. We also wanted to figure out the weaknesses in our branding and our strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DOOR3 created the wireframes and redesigned our Drupal website. They mostly worked on the frontend, while our in-house team handled the backend. They also developed a content strategy, helping us identify weaknesses in our current website and providing valuable recommendations.

What is the team composition?

I worked with 5–6 members of their team, including our project manager.

How did you come to work with DOOR3?

We sent out a request for proposal and received over a dozen of responses. We liked the presentation that DOOR3 delivered, so we chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $230,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2017, and the project was completed in March 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyone who saw the website was thrilled with it. We've received fantastic feedback from our users.

How did DOOR3 perform from a project management standpoint?

They kept the project on track and informed us about the progress. We had a phone call every other day and they came on campus a couple of times. We also used a project management software for various tasks and comments.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They rely heavily on research and provide data to back up their decisions. That is the primary reason we chose them over other design firms.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. They demonstrated great customer service. If we had any concerns, they were quick to address them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They're very receptive to feedback, so keep an open line of communication throughout the entire process and let them know if you want them to change anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an epidemiologist at Merck.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DOOR3?

We wanted to build an online database repository. Our vendor subcontracted DOOR3 to help develop the web application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The solution needed to summarize attributes about existing databases. Our vendor limited DOOR3’s involvement to web app development. The team created wireframes and we reviewed their work before moving forward. DOOR3 then built a set of functionalities that enabled us to identify potential databases for a specific oncology study.

What is the team composition?

We interacted with two people including the owner and a main point of contact. They had a team working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with DOOR3?

Our vendor hired DOOR3 because they had worked together before.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $15,000–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–November 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had nothing but positive feedback. Every user and stakeholder was satisfied with the app.

How did DOOR3 perform from a project management standpoint?

Due to the third-party relationship, we were not involved with DOOR3 from a project management standpoint. The team was flexible and willing to make any adaptations that would help us meet our needs. We didn’t have any complaints about the partnership. The teams communicated via phone, email, and teleconference meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

DOOR3 provided professional, responsive, and courteous service. We were satisfied with the high-quality solution and would work with them again.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with them early and review wireframes carefully.