Fishermen Labs

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of The Bible Project, a nonprofit EdTech company. We make educational resources about the Bible for adults.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fishermen Labs?

We needed to build a native mobile app for iOS and Android, so we hired Fishermen Labs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first phase was early design, which involved designing core functionalities, such as the ability to watch videos, listen to podcasts, and read the Bible. That also included market research, market comparables, validating assumptions, and thinking through user stories, which we did together.

That took about 6 months, and Fishermen Labs is now going into 6 months of build. They will be delivering an alpha version of the working mobile apps for iOS and Android towards the end of Q1 2020.

The second phase of design is kicking off in October 2020, and it will cover value-added features. These aren’t core functionalities; they are features that will elevate the product. The team will begin building that shortly after the core functionality build has begun. 

One of the features that the team has helped us build is having sharing experiences that are specific to each social media platform. For example, how a user shares our content on Tik Tok will be different from how they do that on Snapchat, based on how we know users like to share.

The goal is to have a fully functional app by the end of 2021. The only work Fishermen Labs hasn’t done is the content management system. We have an existing one and our internal developers are working on that. 

What is the team composition?

It varies depending on the stage of the project. For design, I primarily interact with Bryce (UX Director) and Lexi (Designer). For the second phase, I may have three contacts. I've also interacted with, Brian (Project Manager), who works with the iOS and Android developers. 

In total, they have at least six teammates who are actively working on the project at any given time. There was also a business development teammate who helped kick off the project and helped define the scope at the beginning. 

How did you come to work with Fishermen Labs?

I know the original founder of Fishermen Labs, who isn’t at the company anymore. I wanted a team that was aware of what the millennial and Gen Z audiences are interested in. 

I also wanted a team that had experience with mobile development because it’s so product-centric. After looking at their portfolio, I ultimately felt that they were a good fit. 

How much have you invested with them?

The size of the contract is about $1 million. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started talking in the fall of 2019, but we kicked off the project in January 2020. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been doing a lot of UX testing on a small group. Based on the feedback we’ve received, the podcast player that they’re developing should be an industry hit. 

So far, we’ve developed some really great features, as far as core functionality goes. Fishermen Labs has helped us create some really unique features and abilities that no one’s ever seen before. 

How did Fishermen Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is really good. Brian is on top of everything and does the heavy-lifting that we don’t want to do. I have weekly calls with all of them to make sure that I’m providing them with what they need. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Fishermen Labs is the best app development company I’ve ever worked with. They’re priced appropriately. I could get the same work done at a cheaper cost, but it wouldn’t be the same quality. 

The team excels at design. I can tell them what I want, and if they know that they won’t be able to do it well, they let me know. They’re partners in the process and think through the UX rather than just trying to make the client happy. They’re good, honest people with a clean design process. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve done great work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come in with clear goals and requirements, as well as the reason why you’re building the app. Fishermen Labs can help you figure it out if you don’t have that, but their designers excel if you come in with a clear vision.

If you can get them excited about the project by having a clear vision, goals, and requirements, it’ll set you up for success.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a producer for Minds + Assembly, a pharmaceutical ad agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fishermen Labs?

We were looking for a partner to develop a virtual reality experience for our client to be presented at a trade show for the healthcare industry.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fishermen Labs helped our team execute a vision for a particular VR experience we wanted to create. They built the environment, developed the experience in Apocalypse, provided technical support, and advised us on what equipment to purchase.

What is the team composition?

I had two main points of contact, who I believe were both partners at the company.

How did you come to work with Fishermen Labs?

They were already working with the company before my role started, but I believe we found them online and ultimately selected them based on their previous work and the strong proposal they provided.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $55,000–$60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from June–August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Both our client and internal team were very happy with the VR experience Fishermen Labs designed. When we had some technical issues at the trade show, they worked around the clock to make sure they were resolved.

How did Fishermen Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We were in constant contact with them throughout the engagement. They were very quick to respond and incorporate our feedback, so the whole process was seamless.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their responsiveness sets them apart.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing I would recommend is for them to get the latest version of Acrobat Pro, so they're able to view client edits in that program.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a media agency focused on innovation strategy and experiential activations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fishermen Labs?

We wanted to create an AR [augmented reality] face-morphing technology that mimicked a key plot point of a show we were promoting. The show features three versions of the same man at different stages of his life. The platform would allow users to scan their face into the app, which would, in turn, create young and old versions. The morphs would then aggregate into a fun gif that could be shared socially.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They worked with us on the entire project. They understood the full scope of the project from the beginning and delivered an extremely detailed proposal—complete with creative mocks that helped clients visualize the end result and quell concerns about face recognition technology. Once we had approval, they completed the project in a very short time.

The result operates on both desktop and mobile platforms. Fishermen Labs were responsible for project development. They would have provided social amplification and strategy, and I would trust them completely with either service, but logistics forced us to move those elements to an in-house team.

What is the team dynamic?

We had a total of six people working with us from their team. Eden Chen [Founder, Fishermen Labs] led the proposal stage, and Julie was our project manager. We also had a frontend developer, a backend developer, a designer, and an architect.

How did you come to work with Fishermen Labs?

We tap into partners like them consistently to develop various custom microsites. We were already familiar with Eden’s work and invited him to an annual innovation event we host. We pitched this project to four companies and ultimately went with Fishermen Labs for their timeline and budgetary estimates.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $50,000–$60,000 on this one project. We’re hoping to do more with them, and we’d like to see that total investment grow.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place between August and October 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The total number of face morphs came to 3,445. Of those, 2,519 were successful. We anticipated some obstacles with a technology this new, but the fail rate was much lower than we expected. We also ran some paid social advertising to promote the platform, which yielded over 428,000 impressions. They made it all work within a conservative budget and an incredibly brief timeline.

How did Fishermen Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

The success of the project was based strongly on their team’s expertise. Julie was on top of everything, and the response rate was amazing. They were very thorough when defining the scope of work, and they educated our client, who was very new to this space and hesitant about the technology.

They used Insight as a project management tool, which allowed us to view the development in real time. We could interact with components and leave comments for the team and discussed pros and cons in weekly status calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very resourceful. They never balked at a request, and always looked for a workaround. I haven’t seen this kind of proactivity in a long time. This type of technology doesn’t always work on a microsite, but they found ways to create a gif-based filter that provided a similar experience on any platform. We also had an issue importing the finished gif onto social media, which they solved by experimenting with different formats. They knew every system inside and out, and compensated wherever the marketplace yielded a lack of technological capability.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Future projects would benefit from comprehensive packages. They offered several great options for the different components of the project, but linking their preferred providers to their various services would help streamline the experience even more.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m head of digital communications for an international organization that connects peoples, groups, and nations in order to achieve human rights gains.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fisherman Labs?

We have a global website which serves 170 offices throughout the world in various languages. The site is driven by a corporate CMS. The challenge was to redesign the look and feel of the site without rearchitecting the site so that it could be rolled out to all of the offices. It’s hard to find a standard approach that’s modern and optimized for global and local audiences.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fisherman Labs helped us go through a process of exploration and redesigned the site from a look and feel standpoint but not from an architecture standpoint. The navigational system was not a fit for the complexity of content that was on our site, so that had to be reworked as well. The first step they did was to do an exploratory process to talk about the challenges with the existing design. They worked on the global navigation systems and secondary and tertiary navigational elements as well. Once they understood our priorities and we focused on the big elements of the project, they went through a creative exercise with us to understand what our brand was and the look and feel that would most resonate with the audiences that we were dealing with and the content we wanted to present. They presented a variety of concepts to solve from what they heard from us and we chose what we wanted and refined those. Then they built out the various different pages and templates that would be needed to satisfy the content in the ecosystem. This was largely a design and UX exercise. In the presentations, we had two people from their team, which included the project manager and the lead UX designer. There was a team behind them doing copy editing and thinking through some IA on the templates.

How did you come to work with Fisherman Labs?

They attended a conference locally that was focused on digital media and how it could be used for social good. They met one of my colleagues and she suggested we meet. During the meeting, they were really excited to be working with us. There was a lot of positive energy and talent that was immediately recognized on their side. We decided to start slowly with them, but it eventually turned into a full redesign of the site.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2016, and the work was completed in December 2016. We stay in touch with them for help in minor matters.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback on the new design. Many people internally have been amazed by the transformation. Many people also felt that it would be a long, extensive process to do a design change, but that wasn’t the case. Because we have to deal with 170 properties under this CMS, a lot of offices are calling to say they’d like to be the next office to have their site switched over. It’s drummed up a lot of internal demand. Fisherman Labs is very intelligent. They took our feedback well. When they came back to us with solutions, they internalized the feedback. When we said we didn’t like a certain approach, if they believed in it, they would gently tell us to reconsider. In a couple of instances, that worked out well. The product ended up better because of it.

How did Fisherman Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s hard to assess because our organization is highly bureaucratic. We don’t move at the pace of a corporation. For a private agency to be working with us, they have to be flexible with our schedule. They use Slack. I didn’t work with them in the day-to-day project management. I had a team working with them and my responsibility was to be available at key presentation moments and to provide feedback and creative direction.

What did you find most impressive about Fisherman Labs?

Something that sets them apart is their ability to listen to feedback and turn that into something that’s contemporary and relevant in today’s fast moving society and digital space. I always felt comfortable that they were giving us the right recommendations that were contemporary and relevant for today’s users.

Are there any areas Fisherman Labs could improve?

We had some responsibility in managing the project, so it’s hard to know whose responsibility something was. Project management could have been improved, but I don’t know if it was because of us or not.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Veritas Press is a 20-year-old classical education company. We have over 100 teachers, educators, and staff members. We're the first company to ever develop a new way of buying educational curriculum.  Books, live courses, and self-paced courses are available on the same platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fisherman Labs?

Our challenge was selling three very different products and services. We had to figure out how to present them and help parents, our customers, discover them in ways that make sense.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fishermen Labs helped us with the designs for our mobile platform and desktop core page. They worked on presenting our ideas in a beautiful and intuitive way. Following the wireframes that we made, they helped us bring these ideas to life. They thought of better ways to present our products, allowing our customers to discover and interact with them better.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I'm very satisfied with the work that Bryce at Fishermen Labs produced. He made every change we asked him to make and thought up some great functionality for the search bar on our new website.

How did Fisherman Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We are very satisfied with the amount of work that was done in such a short amount of time.

What did you find most impressive about Fisherman Labs?

Bryce worked incredibly fast, especially considering the short timeframe for the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company provides financial content to a subscriber base through a mobile app. I’m the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fisherman Labs?

I retained them to design and build the website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They used JavaScript to build the public website and integrated Stripe for our billing system. They worked with the team that built the app to integrate features.

How did you come to work with Fisherman Labs?

I searched local companies, reviewed their portfolios, and talked to them. I had already worked with developers and had a sense of what I was looking for. I liked Fisherman Labs’ design capabilities they presented on the website.

How much have you invested with Fisherman Labs?

We spent $50,000 for the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took 4 months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

They did a good job of integrating a unique design into our business needs. I’m in an industry that’s short on design. They made a simple, user-friendly website with a personal feel. The billing system was complicated but they did a good job of integrating everything together.

How did Fisherman Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management capabilities are very strong. Our project manager was Darin, and he did a terrific job of providing updates and communicating with me when there were any issues.

What did you find most impressive about Fisherman Labs?

They’re very focused on client service. They do a nice job of making it easy for someone non-technical to understand what’s going on.

Are there any areas Fisherman Labs could improve?

Having direct communication with the developer as well as the project manager could be helpful. I did meet him later on in the project but it would have been nice earlier. I’m still happy with the outcome.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Kernl is a mobile commerce platform that allows people to create short videos of products they are selling and for users to purchase those products from either our mobile app or website.

I’m the co-founder of Kernl. We have two co-founders, myself included, an advisor, and a contractor we work with on a part-time basis.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fishermen Labs?

We were looking to them more for the development work of our app. Finding talent on a full-time basis that is reliable and trustworthy was going to be a challenge.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed an iOS app for us built on Swift. They also developed our API built on Ruby on Rails and Postgre database.

Knife + Fox provided design services for the user experience and user interface.

How did you come to work with Fishermen Labs?

We had ended a relationship with a developer that we thought we were going to bring on full-time. He turned out not to be trustworthy, and it cost us in the end because we could not reuse the work he did for us. Fishermen Labs was recommended to us, and my co-founder is the one that made the initial contact with them. We had just gotten funding and had the option to either find individuals or work with a full-service agency. Although the agency route was more expensive, we decided on it to save us time upfront and the headache of trying to work through negotiations of equity in the process.

How much have you invested with Fishermen Labs?

We have invested over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them at the beginning of 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Users are very impressed with the design of the product. The user interface is always the first thing that people are impressed with. We have about 600 users since we put it in the app store 2 ½ months ago. We are trying to kickstart user growth, so there is not a lot of numbers to speak of just yet.

How did Fishermen Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s the easiest agency relationship I have encountered so far, and I used to work with a lot of agencies in a different work life. Everyone, starting with Eden [Co-Founder, Fisherman Labs], to the project managers, and the developers they staffed with us full-time were great, detail oriented, and open to communicate off hours, which is nice especially having a startup. Eden, with his thoughtfulness throughout the process, and the team were all ahead of us solving business development challenges along the way.

What did you find most impressive about Fishermen Labs?

The main benefit of working with Fishermen Labs, as opposed to other agencies, was that it did not feel like we were trying to feed them work. They felt like they were a part of the team. They were invested regarding how something might not be in your best interest if you are looking to grow the product. It was far less robotic and more of a relationship.

Are there any areas Fishermen Labs could improve?

A couple of things. Having clear boundaries upfront in terms of helping the clients to scope accurately is one. For us, we went over budget with them not because they were working slowly but because the initial estimations might have been a little optimistic. So as we were scoping out our business objectives with the product, if all those features could not be built in a certain amount of time, we had to cut back or re-engage with them a little longer to get those things built out.

Also, in terms of quality assurance [QA], focusing on getting the core functionality right before the aesthetic is important. As an e-commerce platform, things have to work. There were still some bugs that we wrestled with to get under control, which I think of as pretty basic things. Part of it is our fault; if we had helped them to understand our goals, they would have put more time into that. I think internal QA would have been a lot better.

We did use a third-party QA service that they recommended that was okay, but I feel that they did not understand our product. The things they did QA on were not the mission-critical things that we needed thoroughly vetted. Being able to use the same development team to QA rather than outsourcing would have been a better use of time and money.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We create handmade footwear and leather accessories. We're located in Orange County, California. Our workshop is in Buena Park. I am the founder and designer of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fishermen Labs?

Like any other business, we wanted to be more current with the evolution of the retail and digital spaces.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fishermen Labs designed and developed our website. We need to have inventory and sales control, so we plan to continue improving it over the course of the next 4 months.

We had a general vision of a clean and well-functioning website, and Fishermen Labs made it happen. I only gave Fishermen Labs 3 pictures as a basis for our design, but they understood our direction fully. In my past work as a creative director, I'd have to offer pages and pages of documentation in order to make sure that people understood my vision. The site looks amazing, and their team delivered on time.

How did you come to work with Fishermen Labs?

The vetting process extended over 3-4 months. I met Fishermen Labs' team, as well as their other clients. I had the impression that they were a good and solid group; everyone I approached gave me rave reviews about Fishermen Labs' quality of work and efficiency.

How much have you invested with Fishermen Labs?

We don't have a final cost for the current phase, given that we're still discussing our options for the site.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Fishermen Labs in October 2016. The site has been launched, but there's still a lot to do.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We haven't started the digital marketing work yet. My goal was to get the brand's story across, as well as increase sales, and this is working. People have loved the page produced by Fishermen Labs, and we plan to make the experience better and better.

How did Fishermen Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Fishermen Labs has been on top of the project, actually working faster than what we were used to. We received non-stop email updates, and as long as we hit our own deadlines, the Fishermen Labs' team hit theirs.

What did you find most impressive about Fishermen Labs?

I've been the creative director of other brands, and I've hired agencies for past companies. Fishermen Labs stood out through the fact that they weren't trying to sell us on their services, and instead simply presented their work. The site design was nailed from the start, as opposed to other companies I've used. 

Are there any areas Fishermen Labs could improve?

I've only been working with Fishermen Labs for a couple of months, but there haven't been any issues yet. Communication was great, and Fishermen Labs made time for us, even though we're a smaller company.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re doing a web platform to help dentists. I’m the co-founder and chief executive officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fishermen Labs?

We want to keep the functions private until we launch. They did a great job helping us complete our vision. They did a great job of executing what we wanted and we were more than pleased with them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Eventually, we’ll be introducing an app for iOS and Android. It was certainly a project that required a lot of thinking. Regarding the scale and the scope, I would say it’s a moderately difficult program to execute. It wasn’t simple, but it wasn’t difficult either. We had so many different design elements integrated all at once, and Fishermen Labs was really good at designing the flow to make sure everything synced and worked well together.

How did you come to work with Fishermen Labs?

We were Googling for these incubator startup companies. I interviewed three companies prior to meeting Eden and his team at Fishermen Labs. Once I sat down with him, we knew instantly that this was the guy we wanted to work with. The other companies were either arrogant or they felt like they had too many projects. Some of their past work didn’t seem that good. Some of them even used a guy that just got on the company to interview us, which didn’t make sense when you’re looking at a very expensive project. I think Fishermen Labs was very professional. They made us feel comfortable right from the beginning. We knew instantly we wanted to work with them because Eden was a great listener and made us feel at ease with their abilities. They executed on what they promised us.

How much have you invested with Fishermen Labs?

We have spent $10,000 to $50,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We haven’t launched yet so it’s hard to gather that data. We spoke with tons of people. We have attorneys, business plan writers, and animators. We have the whole team assembled already. They could be biased because they’re working with us, but the feedback has been overwhelmingly and universally positive. Everyone looks at what Fisherman Labs did for us and everyone’s very encouraged and thinks there’s a lot of potential in what we’re doing.

What did you find most impressive about Fishermen Labs?

Accessibility. I wrote some reviews for them and I mentioned how they had a company trip where they went to New Zealand. My partner and I were not the easiest to work with. We try to be really fair but we are quite demanding. Every single time we made a request or decided to make a change, they would give us valuable input and would always make themselves available very quickly for them to address our concerns. That’s why I have to say so many good things to say about them because I know we’re not easy to work with. We know exactly what we want and we are demanding individuals ourselves. That’s why I think we’re pretty successful. For a team to share that goal and to be able to work with us, I thought was very impressive.

Even though we’re technically done with our current contract with them, the first thing they did was ask us, and they still continue to ask us, updates on the project because they care. They give you a human element which is very important to us.

Are there any areas Fishermen Labs could improve?

No. No one’s going to be perfect. I would be nitpicking in order to answer the question. I think, overall, they were excellent. They weren’t perfect, but we’re not perfect clients either. I can’t put anything on them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Our company sells jewelry that has empowering words on them. 

What is your position?

I'm the e-commerce manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Fishermen Labs?

Our main goal was to get a blog launched based off what our designer had created.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We worked with Fishermen Labs to incorporate a new blog into our brand. We were looking to launch a completely new blog. We had a very quick turnaround. I think it was a week or less. 

How did you come to work with Fishermen Labs?

Fishermen Labs came to us through a personal connection with the director of marketing here. 

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The blog was a good amount less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work with Fishermen Labs is complete.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Since we kicked off the blog, it has brought more than 1,000 people to our site. In terms of conversions, there's been a healthy amount there as well. It's not as intuitive as we would have liked, but it's definitely doing the job.

What distinguishes Fishermen Labs from other providers?

The Fishermen Labs team was extremely responsive. They were asking for all of the necessary assets to get the project done in time. 

Is there anything Fishermen Labs could have improved or done differently?

There were a few breakdowns in communication. It would have been helpful if they had set a project briefing beforehand and then we could've sent everything to us in one big drop. They could come up with a sheet that tells you what to expect and an idea of their preferred channels of communication.