Glance

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the company director of Big Picture, and we are a field marketing company. We put resources into retail and distribution outlets, to be able to market our client’s products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Glance Creative Ltd?

We wanted to design an app that would demonstrate our client’s products without text. The app would be a universal sales tool where we could demonstrate features, but we didn’t have the need for localization into multiple languages.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

We knew that it would involve a 360 of the individual products that allow users to look at the merchandise and explore the website. We also wanted to be able to create hot spots that users could touch to see and play with certain features. Glance designed an interface for us to navigate between products, to see the products, turn them, and to further engage with the different features. They gave us a library of features to choose from, so we could have galleries and videos; it could be interactive or flat file. They gave us all of those tools.

The other challenge was that we didn’t want to have to go back to the developer every time we added a new product. Glance created a content management system, which allowed us to upload the assets, images, or video and then design new products ourselves.

What is the team dynamic?

We normally work with about 3 members of the team, including the developer, and primarily the project manager.

How did you come to work with Glance Creative Ltd?

We shortlisted 3 firms from an internet search and met with each of them. Glance seemed to be the most creative, and we had a gut feeling they would do well on this project.

How much have you invested in them?

We have invested around £20,000 [approximately $27,000].

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Glance Creative Ltd in August 2013, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It is difficult for us to measure anything on their performance. Once the work was completed, it’s the actual users that create feedback and statistics.

How did Glance Creative Ltd perform from a project management standpoint?

Glance is generally good at sticking to deadlines, but we’ve had quite a few delays due to technical issues which meant we were a few months behind. Not all technical issues were on their side, though, we had some internal issues as well.

Occasionally, if we are not engaging with them, it can take a little while to get a response which has always been the challenge. However, when we do engage them, they are good. We use Slack to communicate.

We made a mistake and went to another company for a little while, but went back to Glance because of their quality, and also because of their feedback and responsiveness.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing is that they get around problems very creatively.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could do more to see the project as a whole, and not just from a brief.

BACKGROUND

Get Connected is the United Kingdom's free confidential helpline for young people less than age 25 who need help and don't know where to turn. Our service is for absolutely any issue and can be reached 365 days a year by phone, text, Web chat, and email. We have a small staff of around 15 employees with around 100 volunteers who support our helpline services.

I am the digital communications manager at Get Connected and was the lead contact for Glance Creative on the project to develop our smartphone application.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

The development of the app was an effort to make our helpline services more accessible to digitally connected young people in the U.K. It was also about enabling young people to get easy access to helpline services within their local area. The primary aim of the app project was to increase awareness and access to Get Connected's helpline services amongst young people under 25.

SOLUTION

Glance Creative developed a smartphone app on both the iOS and Android platforms. Glance Creative was selected after an open tender process, which consisted of a short-listing of initial written submissions followed by a final selection on the basis of meetings with four agencies. Glance Creative was chosen on the basis of the quality of their proposal, their experience of comparable projects, their understanding of our target audience, and the competitiveness of their quote.

The work Glance Creative carried out on the app by the service provider included scoping, designing, developing, and providing ongoing support for the app. The project to design, develop, and test the app lasted approximately four months

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

The app is performing as required in terms of its key functions. We have identified potential points for refining the app, but this will be dependent upon our ability to fund new developments.

With hindsight, we are happy with the technologies adopted, but may have underestimated the ongoing cost to develop and enhance the app in the future. We would advise other agencies, particularly those in the charity sector, who are considering the development of an app to prepare a more detailed scoping of the potential long-term costs up front and to build in more time for user acceptance testing.

Glance Creative provided an excellent service in the design and development of the app and fulfilled the agreed scope and requirements as set out at the commencement of the project. Glance Creative showed great flexibility in meeting additional requirements that came up during the app project and have consistently impressed us with their understanding of the app marketplace, particularly in relation to younger people.

Two areas that could have been improved are earlier or clearer communication when there were timing issues at one stage in the project and more detailed scoping and fleshing out of the requirements early on.

BACKGROUND

I am the Founder of UK Music Apps. We publish the world's only chord-based audio apps.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

We needed to create a unique range of music apps products for the global music consumer market.

SOLUTION

We obtained detailed quotations from six potential service providers. Only Glance Creative was able to demonstrate experience with low-level audio within the specific iOS environment. The initial project was around six months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

UK Music Apps now has nine separate music apps generating significant revenue from the crowded iOS music space. Our strategy to market multiple genre-specific music apps simultaneously has paid dividends with more than 50 percent of the range regularly among the top 20 best-selling music apps in key territories.

Glance Creative continues to work closely with us at every stage as if they were co-owners of my business. They are true partners and very dedicated.

BACKGROUND

Stealth Education Ltd. develops educational applications and games for young learners ages 2 through 11. As CEO, I was responsible for the company's overarching strategy, overseeing product development, and driving growth.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

ABC Spy is a new kind of ABC app, combining the fun and creativity of taking photos with learning the alphabet and acquiring new language. Glance Creative developed an elegant, high-quality app that took our core idea and developed it into a compelling, successful mobile offer that delighted our target audience, which is both parents and children. The app has five-star reviews in the App Store and has been downloaded more than 20,000 times, despite minimal marketing.

SOLUTION

Glance Creative built ABC Spy in iOS, exploiting the latest functionality and using cutting-edge programming techniques to deliver a smooth and intuitive end-user experience. We chose Glance Creative for three reasons. They took our brief and improved it. They are creative and deep thinkers. Unusually, they combine exceptional design with strong technical capabilities. They provide highly responsive project management and deliver on time and to budget.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

ABC Spy is now available across all iOS devices, and we have no reports of bugs or issues with the technical infrastructure they built. The delivered app exceeded our expectations and has become our flagship product. I would not hesitate in recommending Glance Creative for any mobile app development project, especially one that attempts to innovate or push the boundaries of what is being done currently. If not unique, Glance Creative are very unusual in that they take the time to understand your business and ideas, and then help shape them into something special.

BACKGROUND

British Forces Post Office provides a complete range of postal services to service personnel serving overseas. I am the BFPO technical director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

BFPO wished to develop an app that provides our user community with a range of information about using BFPO. This ranges from prohibited items to the cost of sending mail overseas based on size and weight.

SOLUTION

Glance Creative designed an app with a clean, intuitive look that provided a wealth of information to our customers. What was particularly pleasing was the cost calculator. Glance Creative was selected through a small competition using cost, quality and prior experience as the primary selection criteria. I was particularly impressed with their "back catalog."

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Glance Creative delivered a quality product according to cost and scope.