HacknCraft

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of technology and strategy at MSG Networks. I work with most of the technology vendors, along with the data part of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HacknCraft?

We hired HacknCraft to build a custom module to improve fan engagement within our apps and website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

HacknCraft delivered a web app that works with our existing native mobile application and website. Instead of getting into our code, their team proposed providing a web view that we can pull into our apps. When it comes to design, we work together as active partners. They’ve built two modules for us thus far. We took on the design elements for one of them, while they took the lead on the other product. They provided prototypes and design mark-ups.

One of the complex implementations was a stats feed for team scores, game rosters, and team standings. They built the API for the service within their website, integrated an additional delay. Because of league rules, we have to pad delays around 30 seconds behind to prevent spoilers for users. We pull the stats service from their site. Another module they’ve integrated is the “Pick ‘Em Game,” which works as a sports trivia and gaming feature.

What is the team composition?

Kejia (CEO, HacknCraft) is our main point of contact, representing the whole company. We’ve had meetings with Mike (CTO, HacknCraft). There are few developers, but Kejia facilitates communication between us.

How did you come to work with HacknCraft?

My boss recommended them after meeting Kejia at an event. We talked to many vendors, analyzing them for the position. When I met with them, they seemed to work pretty well, so I shortlisted them. HacknCraft had experience working with game apps and websites, and have worked with similar clients. They looked like the perfect match.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $100,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with HacknCraft in September 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re working on building entertaining modules for fans. Hopefully, some will be released in the spring and before the next season starts. HacknCraft is full of star developers. The whole implementation experience has been seamless and terrific. Users are engaging with the new features. It’s been a success.

How did HacknCraft perform from a project management standpoint?

Kejia is our point person for project management. He knows what he’s doing, managing the development team and setting expectations. Sometimes we have unrealistic ideas, but Kejia sets us straight. He’s an excellent partner. They use the project management tools we already had in place.

What did you find most impressive about them?

HacknCraft has a knowledgeable team that takes on complex technical initiatives and projects. Implementing live stats with a delay isn’t an easy feat. We talked with various developers, including our current app developer, and they weren’t sure how they could accomplish this task within our timeline. HacknCraft was able to deliver the feature on time, which was remarkable. Their tech stack is also excellent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Analytics has been a part of the package with previous vendors we’ve worked. We’re still working that out, but I’m not sure it’s an improvement for the team, or it’s the nature of the work. It’s extremely complex.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I believe HacknCraft enjoys challenges. If you give them requirements, their team is realistic in terms of timelines and budget. Future clients should listen to them in terms of understanding and setting expectations. HacknCraft knows what they’re doing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the CEO of Skateloop, a basic management tracking tool for athletes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HacknCraft?
We were looking to develop an iOS app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?
Once I decided I was going to work with them [HacknCraft], I gave them my idea, and they were able to create a work statement. They made sure everything I wanted to be featured was in the agreement. There were no surprises when I was contracting them.

The app is designed to track figure skaters’ progress on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. It connects coaches and athletes on a mobile platform so that it’s convenient for all parties. For now it’s just an iOS app, but it could possibly expand to Android.

How did you come to work with HacknCraft?
We were looking for someone with integrity who was willing to work with a startup. I don’t have a tech background, so I needed someone to help me understand that world. I wanted to be sure that the company I chose was comfortable working with someone who had a non-technical background. I needed them to help me understand how each step works. I heard about HacknCraft by word of mouth. I looked at companies online and found HacknCraft’s website, which was impressive. I had a 2-hour phone conference with HacknCraft when I first interviewed them, and we had a few other calls before I decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with HacknCraft?
I spent between $75,000–$80,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?
I started working with them in June 2016, and the relationship is ongoing. They continue to provide maintenance for bugs and enhancements.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?
I have a steady increase in users, and the response from users has been positive.

How did HacknCraft perform from a project management standpoint?
When I first started, I was calling them every day, and they were very prompt. I’ve never had any issues with them. We used Skype and UberConference to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about HacknCraft?
Their ability to understand and adapt to my needs and lack of knowledge in the tech world when it came to UX design was unique. They made it transparent for me to understand. It looked like they were giving me a high-level design, and the functionality was very intuitive.

Are there any areas HacknCraft could improve?
I can’t think of anything. If I had any issues, I could reach out, and they were good about getting back to me. The process was pretty quick.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with HacknCraft?
Come with a clear plan. They helped me a lot in terms of editing and were able to guide me in a way that made sense because they’ve been in the business.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Founder and President of Command Media, which owns our app, Fancred.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with HacknCraft?

We acquired Fancred. It was a very hot Boston tech company in 2014 that raised a lot of inter-capital money and did not make it. We acquired their assets in September of 2016 and spent two months being very, very careful about how we would proceed with those acquisitions technologically. They needed a lot of work out of the gate.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

I started out as an internet entrepreneur in 1998 and I built websites for people that I would charge a half million dollars that I could build for $10,000 today. Today we’re in a similar environment. Apps are expensive to work on. I expect in 10 years, like the internet, they’ll be a lot cheaper and there will be all kinds of tools, but today they are expensive.

How did you come to work with HacknCraft?

I spoke to a lot of app development companies including a couple that I know in Boston. I was introduced to HacknCraft from a mutual friend of ours and theirs who spoke very highly of them. I met with them in person in New York and was incredibly enthusiastic and impressed coming out of the meeting; miles above all my other meetings, honestly.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them November 2016 and have been working together since.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

They had an on time delivery, ahead of cost, and we’re kind of getting ready for a big kind of push onto the consumer side, but we haven’t gotten there yet.

How did HacknCraft perform from a project management standpoint?

Laura, my COO, runs that, but 24/7, I would say, on Slack. A lot of it done virtually, but using technology, there’s immense amount of engagements.

What distinguishes HacknCraft from other providers?

So the things that jumped out to me about HacknCraft along with obviously liking the guys and having confidence in them were

1) They were not just “yes” people. They understood what we were trying to do and were prepared to be part of an extension of our team internally and not afraid to make suggestions or weigh ins.

2) They were not 100% focused on fees. They were invested in what we were doing and they were willing to have some of their success tied to our success. They were the only ones who truly really meant that. Others said it, but they’re the only ones who meant it with actions and not just words. They get in the game, for sure.

3) Every single thing they have done for us has been delivered ahead of schedule and are ahead or at cost or at a flat rate agreement, not billable hours that keep racking up and going on and on. So ahead of schedule timing, strong on the cost delivery, and above and beyond on the customer service and tweaks.

Do you have any recommendations for others considering working with HacknCraft?

I would just say make sure whoever you’re hiring is an app developer and at this point in the game is going to meet your expectations because I came very close to making a mistake with someone else and I think it would have been a disastrous mistake. I think at multiple levels, it would have been an ugly divorce.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business or organization and what you do there.
I’m a co-founder of Daily Bracket, a free sports pick ‘em app with a fantasy sports model as well. We provide 5 of the most important sporting events each night on our app. Users select which team they think is going to win. Based on how many days in a row they get at least 3 out of 5 right, they build a streak and earn both cash and other prizes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with HacknCraft?
We wanted to get iOS and Android mobile apps for our basic product out as quickly as possible.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.
HacknCraft built iOS and Android native mobile apps for us. They added features frequently in the beginning and still today, and they have maintained them. We had discussions where we told them what we wanted, and they offered their ideas. They also built a plug and play social widget, and I think we were the first of their clients to implement it. I don’t think that directly led to any user growth, but it definitely enhanced the user experience. We gave them a style guide, and they were pretty good at using that rather than requiring every little UI element to be sent to them. After we had been working together a while, they knew what we wanted. We let them have some freedom, and it usually came out nicely. During the current engagement with HacknCraft, we have some minor changes we want that they’ll make for us. For the most part, we’re not changing or adding to any features, but they handle any SDK updates with the third party services we use. They also make sure all certificates and press notifications and everything are working properly. If for some reason we receive a customer complaint that has to do with a bug, we forward that over to them, and they usually have a solution.

How did you come to work with HacknCraft?
I started this company with an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, and one of the co-founders of HacknCraft was actually in one of my entrepreneurship classes. We met there and put together a plan of how we could work together, and we just continued from there. We wanted a development shop that was partly local so we could actually go and meet the people here in New York, but also one that wasn’t at the higher price range of app development in the U.S.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?
Anywhere from $2,000–$12,000 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with them mid-2014 and have been working together since.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?
We have over 400,000 registered users, and anywhere between 10–75,000 users access the app on any given day. No one has ever complained about the UI. Any issue with the app is either with the ads or unrelated to their work. Early on we worked out the kinks and bugs, but that wasn’t when we had to handle many users.

How did HacknCraft perform from a project management standpoint?
We met in person once a week early on and then communicated many times every day. We built the backend development in-house. We were building an API, and they needed not only to get the UI and designs from us, but they also needed to work closely with our developers to make sure that they integrated the APIs correctly when building the frontend. On a daily basis, I interacted with the CEO, a person who is not necessarily technical. I probably met or talked to him once every other week or so. They have a head iOS and head Android developer also, and both of them were in the weekly meetings and on the daily Slack chats.

What distinguishes HacknCraft from other providers?
I felt like they were an internal team. Even though we had the backend built internally, I felt like I could interact with them the same way I would with my own employees. I got the same professionalism. There weren’t any formalities that took away or wasted time. It was an easy relationship.

Is there anything HacknCraft could have improved or done differently?
Early on when we were making a lot of changes and adding on the fantasy model, a little bit was lost in terms of which technologies we should be using, questioning whether we should also be building a website and, if so, how we could integrate it seamlessly with the apps? I don’t know if they just didn’t want to butt in or not, but I think we could have used a little more help determining long-term technology strategies rather than building something that might or might not port over as easily either to a web app for mobile or just to a website.

Do you have any recommendations for others considering working with HacknCraft?
I recommend having a plan, a design, and an API built out, and then the work they do will be even more impeccable and fast. Because we worked with them as a team we went back and forth a lot: they needed to wait for us, and we needed to wait for them. If we hadn’t had them wait for us at any point, it would have taken much less time between releases.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of Musical Pairing, a website that uses mathematics to pair music with food.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HacknCraft?

The website takes the same dish and uses mathematically selected music to affect taste, even across different ages and personas. I experimented and researched to see if the concept would have the same effect on different people with varying backgrounds. We held experimental dinners for about a year in different places around the country to see if we could garner the same results, and we did. Kejia Tang, HacknCraft’s CEO, was one of the people who came to our dinners, and we talked afterwards about redesigning my rudimentary Wordpress site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

HacknC raft redesigned my entire website in a couple of days working with me now on research. The new website did not utilize the same kind of WordPress template the previous one had, and I was given the option of using a CMS to make changes, so that I wouldn’t have to go back to HacknCraft for this.

We’re looking to see if taste can be affected across a restaurant by changing ticket times and making people want to get up and leave sooner. There are already companies who offer similar things, but they don’t have the research basis at a restaurant scale. They might do it for a single McDonald’s restaurant, but this information can’t be applied across the board, because it doesn’t take into consideration the difference in ambient sound. A restaurant in New York will have a much different decibel level than one in Kentucky. We’re seeing if we can overlay the same math in multiple places.

Another thing we’re using HacknCraft for is to see if we can eventually overlay this onto a web and POS system that can really manipulate ticket times. This was a much more technical task than the website build, but I became comfortable with their team, and asked for the impossible.

I gave them some quick requirements for this project, and they’ve already turned in a clickable prototype which I can show to investors.

I was working with a photographer who could supply any required images, but I couldn’t see what the first page of my website should be. It needed to feature music, food, and beverages, but I couldn’t quite get there. HacknCraft suggested having musical instruments on it and a homely aesthetic relating to food. I took notes on everything, handed them to the photographer, and he came up with it.

I am 55 years old and know nothing about social media. I’ve learned to tweet since starting the project, and I have a great LinkedIn account, but I did not understand how these could relate to my website. HacknCraft was terrific in helping me here, and I’ve reached 2,000 followers on Twitter alone.

How much have you invested with HacknCraft?

The cost of their work has been $15,000 to $20,000, but this will increase after funding for the prototype is received. HacknCraft knows that I have a new small business in the research phase, and have been terrific about working with me on budget.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with HacknCraft in August 2016, and the main prototype was finished 2 months ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s a great page and it brings people to me, but, until we’re ready to launch a prototype, I won’t really care about low traffic or SEO. We are active on Twitter and other social media channels, and I like the fact that people can find me through the website and that it communicates the bizarreness we are right from the start.

Technically, the prototype is done, but HacknCraft still shows me new articles and findings. They didn’t drop me as a client after the work was done, and the team knows what I do as well as where I’m going with it. If they see an article on LinkedIn which relates to this, they will send it to me. Rather than simply looking at my brand and being done, they will send me little updates, even though I haven’t asked for this and am not paying for it. This level of humanity is sometimes forgotten in cyberspace, and it’s appreciated.

How did HacknCraft perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve learned how to use Slack and InVision for prototyping, even though I’m not a technical person. We met for at least one hour weekly to go over everything. HacknCraft brought me up to speed with where they were on certain things, and I could make notes through InVision on what I liked and disliked. They either made the changes, or explained to me why an element should look the way it does. I appreciated their ability to really think through everything, instead of only doing what I asked for.

What did you find most impressive about HacknCraft?

I will think of something that no one’s done before, hand it to them, and they will do it without blinking. It’s like asking someone to reinvent the wheel. HacknCraft is also ridiculous timewise, and able to deliver what I want done in 5 weeks, in 3. I’ve asked the same things of other web developers, but they just paused.

I also like their design structures. I can do miracles with food and math, but I can’t determine what’s attractive. HacknCraft has a great design aesthetic, especially for people who know what they want, but have no idea how to get it.

What makes them different is that HacknCraft is open to what my design is, but can take it further, and once it’s there, they can make little tweaks and suggestions. They listen, and they’re careful to respect my vision, which is really rare. HacknCraft was very open to understanding what my brand was, even though they gave me tons of suggestions. My mind would go in different directions at times, and it was nice to have a team that reminded me about the core brand.

When I first started working with HacknCraft, I anticipated getting to choose between WordPress templates, but they really integrated everything. We’ve started talking about chatbots and different things which had not occurred to me as being usable.

Are there any areas HacknCraft could improve?

No, they’ve been terrific.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with HacknCraft?

Be on time with the phone calls because HacknCraft will quickly hit the client with a lot of information. They can speak IT to regular people, which eliminated the disheartening feeling I’d felt previously. They have taken the time to teach me how to use Slack and other tools.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the head of project planning. Our company provides data analytics and intelligence, primarily for publishers. We give them insight on the usage of their sites, who their customers are, and how those people are engaging with the content so that the clients can make decisions on the type of content being produced, and how it’s promoted.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HacknCraft?

Our core product is an analytics dashboard. Before I came to the company, we created a mobile SDK which would allow partners to integrate with and gather some usage statistics from the mobile platform. It was never fully-implemented, but, as mobile became more of a priority in the marketplace, we decided to put more emphasis on it. The reality was that we didn’t have the in-house resources or expertise. We have an engineering culture, and tons of resources, but none of them focus on mobile from a skillset or product development standpoint. We needed help from someone who actually knew what they were doing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we started the project, we had a version of the app in place, but it wasn’t well-documented or functional. We were able to give HacknCraft what we had, and start a few conversations with their team. We have an existing functionality for browsers, which HacknCraft took and mirrored through the mobile SDK. HacknCraft has made recommendations on having a more dynamic framework, which would be easier for developers to use.

How did you come to work with HacknCraft?

We found them through an internal referral. Our CEO had met HacknCraft through an interim program. We also reached out to other groups.

How much have you invested with HacknCraft?

The cost of their work was between $50,000 and $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with HacknCraft 12-18 months ago. We have launched a beta program with partners, slowly onboarding them. There was a lot of work upfront, after which we focused on market responses. We continue to use them for maintenance and active development. They’ve been flexible in coming to our assistance, when necessary.  

We currently have a video-tracking tool for desktop, but not on mobile. We’re contemplating integrating it into the mobile SDK. HacknCraft has provided an estimate, and we’re waiting for confirmation from partners.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Android SDK didn't exist previously. Currently, there are 20-40 active partners on it. We have continued to make changes on the apps, and have received some crash reports from partners. I have sent that information to HacknCraft, and they were able to troubleshoot and correct it.

For us, it was important to see if users would adopt the apps and actually use them. As we’ve continued to develop the apps, more partners have asked about them. Expanding the video-tracking feature set is something that is likely to happen, but we’re waiting for more feedback from the marketplace.

Since we didn’t have too many QA resources, we worked with and got feedback from our partners, which we passed along to HacknCraft. They were able to make changes accordingly.

How did HacknCraft perform from a project management standpoint?

I primarily worked with 3 of HacknCraft’s staff members. There was a primary person working on iOS, another one on Android, and a main point of contact. All 3 were included in my emails, and, depending on what the question was and who was available, any one could jump on the issue. We started with regular phone conference calls featuring a couple of key engineers from our team, but, more recently, we’ve setup a Google Hangouts channel, and conference with HacknCraft there.

We didn’t have to micromanage them. There were a couple of kick-off meetings, but, overall, HacknCraft was good about sending updates and being clear. The communication was very good and didn’t require a lot of handholding.

What did you find most impressive about HacknCraft?

When they rolled their sleeves and started the work, they asked the right questions and got it done with limited guidance. We could call HacknCraft and talk through things, but they were able to grab the bull by the horns, for lack of a better term. They jumped in with limited background or documentation on our product and made recommendations for additional things we could add. that ability to start a project with limited information was key for us. HacknCraft brought expertise without requiring a lot of hand-holding, and they were able to communicate problems and provide multiple solutions. They’ve been open about the work being done and understood that, given the level of maturity our product has, we were reserved in how much we wanted to invest in it. There are certain areas we want to hold back on for now.

Are there any areas HacknCraft could improve?

We’ve not had any problems whatsoever, even though we didn’t provide them with as much direction from our end, as I’d ordinarily feel comfortable with. HacknCraft was able to jump in and roll with it.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with HacknCraft?

Give them time upfront to discuss the issue. Once HacknCraft has a better understanding of it, they will be able to jump in.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a youth-sports technology company creating apps and web services for sports teams. We particularly target baseball and softball, and we simplify the scorekeeping process that allows coaches to gain insights from statistics. We provide a real-time experience to fans, generally parents and grandparents, and work with teams of all ages, from under 13 to high school and even college. I am the VP Product for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HacknCraft?

We were trying to accelerate the development of our Android app, and had a hard deadline in terms of the baseball season. We needed a contractor for this purpose. This was our first engagement of this type. We generally do everything in house with minimal contracting.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

HacknCraft provided augmentation for our Android team, which was a new endeavor for us. As a company, we focus on native app development, and have a ton of iOS experience. The Android app was being built from scratch in a short time period. One of HacknCraft’s members came to our office and worked as a part of our team. The frameworks and tools we used came from that person’s experience, as did the general approach to the development structuring.

How did you come to work with HacknCraft?

The introduction was made through a friend who knew one of HacknCraft’s founders personally. We discussed a few different things including AppFriends, a product developed by HacknCraft. We approached other Android developers with a very specific idea of what we wanted, namely staff augmentation, and found that HacknCraft’s experience and knowledge would be on-par with our team. We interviewed the team member who would be working with us, and looked at their prior work examples. We also made a few reference checks. The most important aspect was that we could end the contract easily, in case things went awry.

How much have you invested with HacknCraft?

The cost was substantial. We were essentially given access to a full time employee for the better part of a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with HacknCraft in August or September 2016. HacknCraft’s Android developer is continuing to provide 2 days of work per week.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was completed on time, and HacknCraft was definitely a key component of this success. We saw great results from the app in general, and the quality has been high. Specific metrics are attributable to our team rather than HacknCraft’s.

How did HacknCraft perform from a project management standpoint?

In the beginning of the project, our developer was onsite 100% of the time, over a period of months. He started being more remote at the beginning of 2017. The key for us was to have someone become a part of our core processes, since this was a nontraditional project for us. I’ve always seen decreases in productivity with any remote party, but the coordination with HacknCraft has been good. We have used Slack and Google Hangouts for communication. Our resource still acts as part of the team, and is quite competent.

Are there any areas HacknCraft could improve?

This engagement was different than HacknCraft’s usual services, but I can’t name anything.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with HacknCraft?

Make sure that you are comfortable with the person providing the services. Having the developer in our office was key for us.