Ebbex

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are an independent organization that works a lot like a nonprofit. We receive government money in the state of California through Proposition 10, and we fund programs for young children, [up to age] 5.

What is your role and responsibilities?

Executive director. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Ebbex?

Our goal was to take a kindergarten readiness assessment, and change it from being administered in Survey Monkey to an app. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

There was quite a bit of different services involved. I’m not sure what the usual app development includes, but ours included the development of the actual app, like storyboards and those sorts of things. Then, we also had to create a book to use in the app, so there was some graphic design around that, and some of the objects within the assessment.

There was also work on not just the reports that would be generated by the app, but also the interface that we would use on the backend to receive data. Finally, there was a tutorial created within the app to help kindergarten teachers use it.

What was your process for selecting Ebbex with which to work?

One of the new pushes here is we are required to look at different contractors just as part of our mandate. We used to go with just the traditional people apply or bid process. We give the scope of work, and we go with the lowest bidder.

But, that has really gotten us into trouble, so now one of the things we do is we research about where the bids should be, and give ourselves a range. Then, we start to ask for recommendations from people we work with whom have similar projects as ours.

We base our selection on several criteria: Falling within the bid price when we go to them, if we feel comfortable when we meet with them, we can hire them. Also, if they have received a good recommendation from someone that we know and trust, we consider vendors strongly.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

The cost form our end was reduced because we’re a nonprofit serving children. They greatly reduced the cost to $50,000. I would say the work time has really been large. I don’t really know how many hours it took them, but just working with us on the storyboards and wireframes. We probably spent more than 160 hours on that. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

The work is still ongoing. Kindergarten teachers used it this year, and we’ve used this year’s data to create reports. Now, we have a bit of money in the budget around the app, to do some tweaks to some of the language, and update some of the reports, and get greater usability from the backend for our team.

I feel that the app launch was successful. I feel like working with them was good. I felt as though our team and their team meshed well. One of the things that I see within our business is, when we try to take on a project like this, the translation often doesn’t happen very well when we talk about wanting something on the backend.

For example, lots of times we have to make databases, or these [Microsoft] Excel sheets on steroids, with crazy macros. When you see the product come back to you, you’re like, "yeah, that’s what I asked for but that’s not what I needed at all." So, it’s this really weird "lost in translation" from our program world to the technical world.

I felt like, although these were some of those issues, in general, because of the way they worked with us, we were able to overcome a lot of that misunderstanding that happens. I really think that it saved a lot of extra work because we were able to communicate so well with one another, and were responsive on both sides.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

We work with quite a few vendors of all kinds, everything from our landscaper, to the people that keep our computers up to date, to the man that makes our database. I can say that, as a director of an organization, there’s really only a few that stay on your list after you’ve worked with them on a project like that, that you would go back to them. I really think that kind of excellence is not ordinary. I actually think even being really good is not ordinary, so it’s not often that we come across a group that we would absolutely stick with, or work with them again.

I feel as though Ebbex is that group. I also felt a sense of partnership from them, that it wasn’t just them doing work for us. They were our partners in it. They wanted it to succeed. They weren’t just like our app developer robot, they really were giving suggestions and listening. It was a real pleasure to work with them.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

I think we were so focused on the tangible app part, just what it looked like and being simplistic, which is the hardest of all things, and being consistent, and all those sorts of things. I really feel like we left the report part too far at the end of the process. We got a little squished for time at the end but, all things considered, I think that’s learning on both sides.

The other thing that’s really interesting for us is that, I use apps every single day and I’m always having to update them. This is the first time we’ve made an app, so I really didn’t get the idea that there has to be all those updates. Because an app is basically like a monster with a million working parts, and so now I get why there’s so many updates. I had just not processed it before.

So, I feel like they were really tedious about trying to work at making all the pieces work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

I work for a major supermarket chain with upscale products, we are 100 percent brick-and-mortar retail around the U.S. We don’t sell online.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the director of creative marketing development and have many responsibilities, but most importantly the development and creation of our app. I spearheaded that project along with a small team here and worked with Ebbex.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Ebbex?

This is a very pertinent question for us because our overall business goal in general is to get more customers into our stores. We don’t sell anything online. We don’t sell anything on any platform other than in our brick-and-mortar stores, so we wanted to find a good way to engage people and draw them to our stores. We wanted to try to do that through talking about our products. They helped us to create an engaging platform to do that. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Ebbex did work with us on building the concept, so there was some strategy support. There was the development and design that was a collaboration. They did all the development, but the design was kind of a collaboration between our design team and Ebbex. In terms of support, they have done the majority of support for the app. It’s on their servers as well. 

What was your process for selecting Ebbex with which to work?

We did some due diligence and we talked with a handful of companies. In the end, in our conversations with Ebbex, we really felt like they were the best fit for us.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

That’s a good question and I prefer not to speak to cost. We commenced work in June of 2013, and it launched January of 2014, so that was the process that would describe the length of work and they have continued to support. It’s been ongoing since then.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

The app was just for iOS. We intend to move to the Android when we were comfortable with the iOS version. Overall, this is exactly what we envisioned and were asking for. What they really worked well on was the design elements in the way that they looked and functioned. They managed to bring to life exactly what we were asking. 

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

I don’t have the numbers or stats with me, but we’ve averaged 3,000-plus active users and more than 100,000 downloads. Users have enjoyed engaging with it, but they want more from the app, so it’s hard to give really good feedback, but I do think that people have said that this is great and beautiful. Now, this is what I wish it would do. 

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

I would say they have a lot of passion for what they do, and it’s conveyed in how they communicate with their clients and the work that they produce.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

There were points where communications could be streamlined. Their actual process of communication could be more streamlined. I think part of the challenge is that some of it is done by people who are overseas and don’t speak English as their primary language. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

Our company is an organic design studio that works with freelancers. We coordinate freelancers as if they are a part of an international network.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Please describe the scope of their work?

They did the coding for the iOS app. I’m a designer myself, so I interfered a bit. They had some consultancy on the design, and they did the wireframing and all of the coding. They managed the whole process and used Basecamp, which is a nice way to manage the project. We were able to work remotely. I’m Turkish, but I’m based on Moscow. Being that far away, you have to have a solid workflow; otherwise, you’re not going to work effectively.

What was your process for selecting Ebbex?

I went online and searched for some companies. A company’s first impression is the website, and their website was nicely organized. I approached them, and they were very hands on and interested. That’s why we selected them to work with.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

It was around $50,000.

When was the latest milestone completed for that work?

I believe the project was completed in May of 2013.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work?

They did the coding for the iOS app. I’m a designer myself, so I interfered a bit. They had some consultancy on the design, and they did the wire-framing and all of the coding. They managed the whole process and used Basecamp, which is a nice way to manage the project. We were able to work remotely; I’m Turkish, but I’m based on Moscow. Being that far away, you have to have a solid workflow, otherwise you’re not going to work effectively.

What was your process for selecting Ebbex?

I went online and searched for some companies. A company’s first impression is the website, and their website was nicely organized. I approached them, and they were very hands on and interested. That’s why we selected them to work with.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

It was around $50,000.

When was the latest milestone completed for that work?

I believe the project was completed in May, 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

I was very satisfied. It was my first experience with them, but we have become solution partners. It’s nice to know that if I need them, I can call them. I don’t think they believe in conference calls, so they do screencasts. They record their screen and push it through YouTube. I found it helps the workflow, and I use it with my clients as well. It’s not screen sharing, but if they have a concern, they record it, and talk about it, so we can see it on the screen. They just push it over, so we don’t have to have a conference call with a bad connection.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

They were available when I texted, called, and emailed them. At the beginning, everyone was very involved and hands on. In many firms, higher management is not hands on. I think they are hands-on people. I like that about them.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

There is always the question about wireframing or prototyping. They do the wireframing. It’s a different principle and a choice for the workflow. Each choice has its pros and cons, and things change. They have to stay innovative and not stick to a single workflow; they have to keep thinking about a way to make it even faster, smoother, and more efficient. Overall, it was international, professional grade.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

I hired Ebbex to help me with some additional work that I didn’t have the resources for. I can’t say who our client is, other that it is a Fortune 50 company. My clients are so particular that I don’t have a website, and they’ve asked me not to have any public presence that points to them or talks about the clients that I work with. They are a huge global company.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I have a company that provides programming, project development, and customer service for these companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Ebbex?

We had to develop a highly complex application for this client that integrated a number of other clients in addition to them. These were also very big clients. It required a lot of face-to-face meetings and onsite testing, as well as a tremendous amount of programming. We had to do an iPhone and an Android app. Working with my team, they did a significant amount of work on this, including wireframing and actual coding, they did a great job.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work?

The development process that they used was well suited for large projects. They’ve done a couple of things for me. Part of their expertise, which most of the other companies I’ve work with don’t have, is they understand mobile, user interfaces, and the technology. Their greatest strength if you're an agile developer is to sit down with the customers and clients, and understand their needs completely. Many times, this process uncovers needs that they didn’t know that they had. They did an excellent job of that.

Then, you start with the initial wireframe. We came back and said what we wanted, and then talked through it some more. We came up with more brainstorming and ideas. It was a fairly iterative process. At the same time, we also dealt with ad agencies and other stakeholders that have input into the process. Before we even touched a piece of code, we tried to understand all of the requirements that make the project work successfully. That is their greatest strength. If you have a complex project, and you start coding too soon, you wind up with spaghetti code, and a product that doesn’t do exactly what you want it to do.

In any big project, you’ll have change orders. It occurs naturally. As we go through the process, things change. Management changes an idea that they want, or something doesn’t work the way we thought it would work. We always change the core wireframes first. We make sure everybody signs off on those, and that they work correctly. You will be dealing with visual and written spec documents so everybody involved in the process is on the same sheet of paper. It’s very important on a complex project that you do it that way. Throughout the entire project, it was done exactly that way.

We programmed one platform first, so we got it working the way we wanted in iOS. When that worked correctly, we ported it to a Android, which is another way I recommend doing it. Doing parallel programming on simultaneous platforms is a difficult experience. I’ve done it that way as well. I don’t know that it saves you any time in the end, but it certainly makes planning and testing a lot more difficult.

What was your process for selecting Ebbex?

For the first step, I went through the traditional website to hire a programmer, and I got names of people who had high ratings. I went through [Social] to find out who I wanted to work with. Then, I went online and looked at their actual work. I wanted to see the quality of what they did, and then I followed up with some phone calls to the companies that they did the work for before I even contacted them.

I had a small project that I needed done, which I used to test them. I tested about three companies to see how they work, how responsive they were, how much they could think out of the box, and what their deliverables looked like and the quality of their code. After winnowing it down to three and giving three small projects out, I decided to use Ebbex. That was a good decision.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

Their portion of the work was about $650,000 last year. It's not a small project.

When was the latest milestone completed for that work?

After a year and a half of work, it was completed in September of 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

I can’t do that because I can’t release that information. The client is extremely happy with it, and we’re rolling it out into new markets. It exceeded their expectations.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

They are experts and professionals who go the extra mile when it is required. They present well, they’re professional, they know what they’re doing, and they’re great to work with. I’d work with them again.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

I can’t say that there is. We were very tight in how we scoped the project and worked it. The main criterion was flexibility. We just had to remain flexible, and we had to respond and adapt. They did very well with that as well. There isn’t anything that I would change.

BACKGROUND

Can you give some background information on your company?

I actually just started it a few months ago. I've been obsessed with building applications for a long time, actually. But, it really kind of jumped into the actual building side of developing and designing them or whatever from just using them so much, buying the original iPhone, and then kind of progressively getting all the new ones. That kind of thing, the iPad. What really happened was I already have another company, and I just decided to start this one to give it a shot and build a few apps. So, I started looking around for developers. I actually looked into 12 different development firms, got quotes and talked to them. Ebbex just really stood to me, so I ended up picking them.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What traits about Ebbex made them stand out over the others?

Honestly, there were two major things that really set them apart. One was that their website was really cool, and it made a lot of sense. It was really clear and concise, and I really liked the approach that they wanted to take. They have an Apple-esque kind of strategy to design and development where it's just a minimal amount of design and a minimal amount of elements to consider and things for the user to look at to get the job done. So, they kind of focused on the Pareto Line of 80/20 thing where it's the 20 percent of the elements you can include to get 80 percent of the impact. So, I like starting with that. Then, the other thing was I actually spoke with Mikka, the owner of the company, for like 2-1/2 hours the first time. He took so much time out of his day just to talk to me. He quickly signed a non-disclosure agreement and got that back to me in like 10 minutes, and I was like, "Okay, cool." So, I just kind of unleashed and told him these three ideas I had and we just kept talking and talking. So, that was really nice, too, that it was just a personal attention from the owner of the company that was really cool.

SOLUTION

Can you talk about the scope of the project?

Actually, it's kind of a unique situation because there were three different ideas, and we're tackling all three of them at the same time. I had a fixed amount to invest. They worked with me, and like figured out budget-wise how we could do this and plan for everything. The general idea was that each of the three projects – starting out as just iPhone and  iPad touch apps. The three apps started out as was one initial quote for $12,000, and that was a very reasonable amount. I had talked to about 12 or 13 firms. It was amazing how widely varied the quotes were. Even just asking in a more generic sense, saying, "Hey, if I want to do an app that's fairly simple, doesn’t pull in any data from external sources or anything, how much would that be in?" I got anything from $5,000 to $30,000 as a quote, which was really interesting to me. I was like, "Wow, that's great." But, Mikka did $12,000, so it seemed they didn’t really feel for me like they were on the cheap end. So, the first one was $12,000, and then I actually decided to do a Version 2 of that one and things moved pretty quickly the first time around.

The second time around, it's been actually a little faster with that one and, it was another that was another $7,000 to do the Version 2, which is a massive overhaul of the whole thing, which is really cool. It's a great rate, and then they gave me a discount on the hourly rate and stuff. Then, the second one was just originally quoted at $18,000 and that one's actually just now getting in the works. I just started doing mock-ups with them, and they have a nice kind of next-phase approach. I'm sure a lot of them do it this way, but kind of the overview of the conceptual kind of macro-level stuff. Then, they jumped into wire-framing, so we can actually see what this is going to include. Then we started talking about some of the brand and colors, and the actual design elements. Then, they started doing the actual design phase where they started doing revisions with me.

The last part is, obviously, sending all over the coding. We're kind of in that first initial conceptual phase with the second one. The third one, and I say it's the third one even though it was a much smaller project, was only $6,000. This one's more something that a lot of people have already done. I just wanted to do it in a different way. But, that one is actually taking a long time. What I find out was that they used an SDK that was provided by Apple, and I think their words were, "We went down a rabbit hole and decided to come back out" because they found that it wasn’t quite ready for what they were trying to do with it code-wise. What was interesting to me is that I'm pretty sure they're losing thousands of dollars on this app, and yet they're still pushing forward in doing it because it's taking a really long time, but we never really had like a set timeframe for it. They just gave me like a general estimate and, like I said, this one wasn’t as big of a deal as the other two. They've literally kept going, and they just got me the first build about a week ago, and it's really good. It's interesting because I mean, like I said, I am pretty sure they are losing a ton of money because it was one they thought, "Oh, we can do that because that's just SDK. We can get it done really quickly." So they quoted $6,000 and they're not charging any extra, even though they've put about another month or so in the development. I'm sure they're spending a lot of money on development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

It shows they really care about their clients if they want to do something like that.

Honestly, that was what I took from that, too. I think part of it might have been a loss leader strategy for them. It was like the idea of okay, we started doing do three apps and, hopefully, even if we take a loss from this one, maybe we can end up having five or 10 or something later on. So, it was a good move on their part. I'm really impressed with that.

How happy are you with the results of the first app?

Oh, very happy. I mean the design was very good. So, in the design phase, I thought, "Oh, wow, this is great!" But I kept thinking, what is the code going to be like? That's kind of like a different department. I didn’t know if it would be as clean, simple, and smooth. So, when I got the first build, I was really impressed. It was all very clear, the gestures all made sense, things were very smooth and fast. The app itself was very light, and so it was really good. Then, the Version 2 is just ridiculous. I mean I was really impressed by how it's even faster and a lot of the gestures make even more sense. They have incorporated new design things that we were talking about, and also things that are better than what we even discussed. So, the quality has been unreal. I've been really impressed on that side.

Compared to other developers you may have worked with in the past, is there anything that stands out as being unique or special about Ebbex?

I would say the two major things that I've noticed so far: The fact that they are willing to spend a lot of time on the phone. Honestly, I work with websites a lot, so I'm used to working with people who are more the "in the lab" kind of developers/ They don't have like the social skills side, where they won't really just sit there and talk to you. They won't kind of BS even that kind of stuff, too, which kind of makes things easier and gets you closer to the person that kind of thing. But, they do that. They actually sent me a gift in the mail, which was really cool. So, they've just kind of like more of a personable approach to the whole thing, and yet they always know when you get down to business. When we are talking, and we kind of start to get off on a tangent, such as about the new MacBook Pro with Retina display. They'll still kind of bring it back after we laugh or were joking about something. They'll bring it back to "Okay, so, here's what we're going to do now" and they'll kind of get things back on track. I think that's a really big thing. Like the fact that I know they could actually take the time to talk through stuff.

The second thing is the fact that they have that approach where it's so clear what the phase is. In the last four months of working with them, I've learned how to kind of structure things with this data. I've had unrealistic expectations for the second phase on the first app and didn’t understand time-wise how things are going to work. So, I'm getting kind of used to that. But, all the while, they've definitely like kept me on track, kept me focused on the right things. They're very appreciative of delivering things. Like they love it when I draw an interface and I'll just do pen and paper or on the iPad or something. They really like that stuff. It's really good.

Do you think there's anything they can improve a little bit or do slightly better?

I think the one thing that I've actually said to them as I've seen it kind of evolve with this a little bit, even through the course of the three apps since I've gone through the phases three times now. In the beginning, especially, but I got the feeling that it was less of a corporate-structured thing. What I mean by that is that it's all a little disjointed sometimes. Like we would get the design phase done, I get the first build on my phone, and a few of the talking points that we had walked through wouldn’t be in the build. So, I'm just the type of person like we've already gotten it taken care of, I want it to be up to that point. But, like I feel like we're kind of taking three steps forward and then one step back a couple of times. We talked about that, and they've already improved it a lot since the last time we kind of mentioned that stuff.

So, I think that I've kind of been bothered by is that it seems a little disjointed. But, they seem to have cleaned some of that stuff up. With a small team of people, you don't want to have this bureaucratic like a paper-pushing kind of company, so they are really trying to avoid that mentality. But, I think they’re starting to strike a good balance between being organized and also still remain flexible.

BACKGROUND

Can you briefly describe your company:

We are a marketing firm specializing in customer acquisition and relationship management for the purpose of promoting and selling products or services. We are located in New York City.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What were your goals going into the project?

We needed to develop a high-quality iOS application for one of our clients. Visual design is our specialty, and we have an in-house development team. However, this project required more complex backend development, and we needed for find a partner who could help us out.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of the project?

Our firm collaborated with Ebbex to complete the visual design and user interface. Once the design was complete, Ebbex was responsible for all of the backend development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Is there anything unique about Ebbex?

Ebbex is excellent at collaborating to create a great product from two different skill sets. They also are able to take our ideas and suggest better or quicker ways to develop the application.

BACKGROUND

Can you briefly describe your company:

We are a marketing firm that represents large national brands. We are based out of Western Oregon. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What were your goals going into the project?

We needed to develop a mobile application for one of our clients. The client needed the application to be developed quickly and to be high quality. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of the project?

We approached Ebbex with the proposed concept. Ebbex then designed and developed an application based on our initial requirements.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Was there anything unique about working with Ebbex?

Ebbex has a very rapid turnaround. They can go from concept to fully functioning product in an extremely short time. 

Is there anything that Ebbex could improve?

Sometimes, there would be a lag in communication, or a difficulty in finding out the current status of the project.