Heady

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a curated content platform for modern parents.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Heady?

I originally launched the site with a different agency who did not provide the functionality I needed for sharing and optimizing content. I hired Heady to completely convert the custom platform to wordpress.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to work with someone who was knowledgeable and trustworthy to guide the conversion process with objectives and functionality at the project’s forefront.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A friend of mine recommended Heady to me, who—alongside other freelancers—I met with to discuss project scope. Heady stood out to me because of their honest, objective advice and transparent quotes.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

We kicked off with a strategy meeting to clearly communicate the company’s mission and goals for the upcoming project. Afterwards, we began identifying specific plugins, tools, and customizable Wordpress themes to use for optimizing cost-effectiveness while still achieving aforesaid goals. For the next couple of weeks, the designer advised me on best web-design practices, branding and content structure; the product manager used a roadmap to effectively supplement meetings that provided short- and long-term recommendations; even the developer worked with me directly to show progress, tweak details and offer new options. A QA specialist, who I rarely interacted with, delivered a site practically free of bugs.

What was the team composition?

I had the same team throughout the project, which included one product manager, one designer, one developer, and one QA specialist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The original site lacked half the capabilities of the current one. An associate commented that my first site looked home-made; the current site’s professional and beautiful design has attracted collaborators and photographers who create the kind of content I want to optimize and share.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management was seamless. Heady used Clubhouse, Google Hangouts, Skype, and Slack to help facilitate on-time meetings where objectives were set and feedback was provided. Despite my working out of Sweden (and only visiting the Heady team a couple of times), the Heady product and design team working out of Brooklyn and the Heady developer working out of India, there were no lags.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They really take the product on as their own. When I previously worked with another agency, they only delivered exactly what I told them to, without providing industry insights, new ideas, or critical feedback. Heady, however, took the time to understand my goals, leveraging their team members’ diverse skill-sets to best reach them. They even provided cost-effective short- and long-term budget trade-off options to help me save money and feel confident in my decisions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of quality and brand experience of a hotel management company. I’m responsible for the quality program for all of our brands and some e-commerce, including the mobile app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Heady?

We partnered with an agency to build a brand new mobile app. Once we finished, we realized it didn’t make sense to keep a whole firm on the payroll; we only needed maintenance and periodic enhancements. We began looking for an alternative solution that had the same qualifications as a well-known agency without the high price point.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our app is native for both iOS and Android. Heady currently maintains them and develops any enhancements or new features. Their work is ongoing but not from scratch. The app is a mobile booking engine that allows our guests a higher level of personalization. It stores their settings, offers special rates, and uses location to suggest nearby hotels.

Because we used location services, we had latency concerns in metro areas that had a high amount of our properties. We have over 1,000 properties, so the app could take quite a while to load all those options. Heady helped resolve that issue, along with other concerns like property images and other service calls.

What is the team composition?

We mainly work with our project manager and the lead engineers for iOS and Android.

How did you come to work with Heady?

They were a referral. We checked them out and asked for references. Once we decided they’d be a good fit, we hired them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them for about a year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Heady not only has technical expertise with native operating systems, but they also understand our brand, voice, and client base. They do a great job of working with an app they didn’t develop and enhancing it to better meet our customers’ needs.

How did Heady perform from a project management standpoint?

We don’t have any problems. I tend to work fairly long hours, and whenever I reach out to Heady, someone responds back right away.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re an honest company that provides direct feedback when needed, and Heady never has an issue with that. Everyone is open to our suggestions and understands what we need. They’re incredibly easy to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve sometimes moved people around without letting us know, and I don’t like people working on my app that I’ve never met. They should talk with their clients beforehand to make sure everyone’s on the same page.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of Curbside Inc, a demolition and waste removal company. We provide dumpsters, containers, and other items to contractors, property managers, developers, etc. We're also building proprietary technology products for the space for both internal and external use.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Heady?

We needed a development partner to help us build our technology products, including web and mobile applications.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Heady developed a web and mobile (iOS and Android) app, including wireframes and design. It includes an internally used application as well as a consumer-facing product. We'll eventually be working on some augmented reality technologies as well.

What is the team composition?

We work with the CEO, a project manager, and five full-time app developers on iOS, Android, backend, frontend, and QA.

How did you come to work with Heady?

I knew the owner of another development company, but their prices were a little out of our range, so they recommended we reach out to Heady.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested under $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them about five years ago. The original MVP they created took about four months, and we recently went into the second phase for the full year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their deliverables thus far have been excellent. There have been bugs here and there, but they're quick to fix them.

How did Heady perform from a project management standpoint?

From our perspective, the engagement has been excellent. They've been very effective and agile in helping us. Since our engagement is longterm, they've basically become a subset of our team. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're accessible; people on their team are always willing to help or contribute when I reach out, regardless of whether they're assigned to the project or not. In meetings, they're proactive about pulling in additional resources to bring more expertise to the table. It feels like their whole team is there to contribute to the betterment of the client. Their CEO is regularly involved and attends meetings he doesn't necessarily need to be in just to better understand our needs and come up with different solutions where needed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have an open mind. Technology isn't perfect; it takes a lot of iteration. One of the big mistakes a lot of startups make is expecting their vision to translate exactly. Heady can look at things from a technical perspective and make suggestions that might improve on your ideas. When looking for the best solution, it's important to leave your ego at the door and listen to input from a group of talented developers like Heady's team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work in the customer experience and product management group for a bridal store chain. My responsibility is to make sure our technology initiatives are adding value to our company and customer experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Heady?

We were looking to outsource the development and management of our mobile app. Another vendor had already developed the app, but we were looking for less expensive options for maintaining the app in its mature stage.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The previous vendor transitioned the app (iOS and Android) to Heady's team, which is now actively working on adding to, cleaning up, and maintaining the previously built code.

Within the app, brides can curate their favorite dresses and wedding products prior to coming into their appoint in one of our stores. One feature Heady built out is a quiz to help determine a particular bride's personal style and dresses she may be interested in. While e-commerce capabilities are built into the app, the main function is to encourage and prepare users to make in-store appointments through the app.

What is the team composition?

I work with a wonderful product manager, Andrea (Senior Product Manager, Heady). We throw a lot of work at her without a lot of context, but she's handles it perfectly. I couldn't manage the app without her help.

We also work with an iOS engineer, an Android engineer, a QA resource, a backend developer, and a development operations engineer.

How did you come to work with Heady?

The vendor that originally built the app recommended them to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested about $600,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The transition of the app from our previous vendor to Heady occurred between April to June 2017, and they continue to maintain it for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The transition went smoothly. We ran into a few issues when we attempted to launch the previous vendor's code, but Heady's team did everything they could to clean it up and fix any bugs, remaining extremely engaged and responsive throughout the process.

How did Heady perform from a project management standpoint?

Heady's team delivers satisfactory results, despite our often unreasonable demands. We tend to throw them many tasks at the last minute, but their team remains responsive and has never missed a deadline.

Andrea connects with me a couple times every other week to go over the status of their work, providing clear expectations on both deliverables and timelines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I feel as though their team is a part of ours; they basically act as the product owner of our mobile app. Despite the lack of context or time I provide Andrea, I can completely trust her to deliver great results in the best interest of our company. I couldn't do it without her.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They've been wonderful.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of an organization seeking to enhance the audition process for actors and casting directors by moving materials to a digital platform. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Heady?

Heady designed a prototype of our app.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a minimum viable product (MVP) to present to a potential investor/business partner. We also needed help with fleshing out our idea. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Heady was recommended to us, and we decided to work with them after a few phone calls. They clearly knew what they were doing and had the right creative approach. We clicked with them as people and felt they could be trusted with our idea.

Describe the project in detail.

We described to Heady how we wanted our app to function. After we taught them about the industry, we formulated a plan for designing screens that would offer the best presentation for our investor. Then, we worked closely with their team to iterate a preliminary version of our app.

What was the team composition?

Heady’s CEO, product manager, and graphic designer worked in tandem to deliver our product. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We're insanely happy with how the app turned out. Industry members have responded positively to the MVP.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Heady was incredibly easy to work with and always communicative. The team received and implemented feedback exactly as we requested. They were prompt and professional but lighthearted. Through their collaborative approach, the team took the project above and beyond what we could have done on our own.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They had the ability to learn about this esoteric industry, ingest the information, and deliver a product that demonstrated their understanding. They were impressively organized and orchestrated the creative process in a beautiful way.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I didn’t have any concerns. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We sell new and slightly used gift cards that customers don't want anymore. We redistribute them in a marketplace model so that buyers can save money on things that they buy. We have an app for Android and iOS. We allow people to buy gift cards and use them on the go through our mobile experiences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Heady?

We needed to augment the work being done by our Android team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had an existing code base, and they helped us with the development by providing two Android developers and a project manager. They helped us with implementation and the technical architecture. They helped us to migrate to a new controller model and to build out our MVVM [Model-View-ViewModel] architecture. They've helped with notifications and authentication. Most of it has been the layout and design of views.

How did you come to work with Heady?

They were originally given to us as a referral from another agency that didn't have time to take on the work we needed. At that time, we looked at a few other agencies. For this project, we had worked with them already and had enjoyed the experience, so we knew it was a good match. Once we filled this position, we kept them on because of their price.

How much have you invested with Heady?

The Android project cost between $20,000 and $30,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

The first project we did with them was November 2015 to July 2016. For this project, we began working with them in October 2016, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is live, but we continue to make enhancements. They helped us build some critical landing pages leading up to the holiday season, which is our biggest time of year. We don't have consistent metrics being a startup. Every new winter season, we end up selling many more cards than we did the last year. Our performance through Heady's involvement has allowed us to manage things better internally. They've helped us clean up our code base and roll out new features without downtime. They've helped us optimize the user experience so it's not hanging. Both our customer perception and Play Store ratings have improved. Our internal NPS [net promoter score] has gone up more than 15 points.

How did Heady perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been great. It's not been obvious that they're outside the United States because our project manager is in New York. They have integrated clearly with our tools. They're on our clubhouse accounts – Slack and GitHub.

What did you find most impressive about Heady?

There is zero language barrier, which surprised me. They're proactive, incredibly communicative, and reliable. There's much comradery and collaboration between our teams.

Are there any areas Heady could improve?

I can't think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of an app and beauty company. We do on-demand hair styling geared toward women of color.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Heady?

I had an idea for this company, but I did not have an app, a prototype; anything.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I began working with Heady early on. They created my MVP and built everything from scratch. We launched our iOS app in May. Since then, we’ve done small updates to the app on a semi-regular basis. We’ve gotten some traction, so now we’re ready to build in some new features, which is why we’re increasing our relationship with Heady. From the beginning, we have viewed them as a partner in the long-term vision and strategy for the app. They helped develop the look and feel of the app, so we view them as much more than just someone who can build out the backend.

How did you come to work with Heady?

I interviewed a number of firms before I decided to work with Heady. They came highly recommended. I have a friend who has worked with Prolific Interactive. I’m not sure what Prolific Interactive’s current relationship is with Heady, but I know the two companies sort of incubated with each other for a time and remain good friends. I think Prolific Interactive refers smaller projects that don't have huge budgets compared to Heady.

How much have you invested with Heady?

To get the quality of app I wanted, I knew I would have to spend somewhere around $35,000. Once I entered that price range, I felt like there was a wide scope of what I would actually get for that product. For the MVP [minimum viable product] itself, it ended up costing about $44,000. We went from the $38,000 initial quote to about $44,000 after we all decided we really needed to have this one feature.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around October or November 2015. The design and building of our initial product were ultimately approved in late April 2016. We are still working with Heady and we are probably going to bring them on as our tech partner.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have 700 downloads and we’re doing 100 appointments a month. Our business is a little bit different because we are basically a hair service that the app supports. I don't know if the metrics really speak to a typical startup world, but we’re doing pretty good. We did two or three pilots while testing and validating the business concept. The app was our first real opening for business, and we’ve had revenue from day one.

How did Heady perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re excellent. I had extremely high confidence in their leader and CEO that all of the decisions he made were done in a holistic sense. The taste level of his designers, the ones working on the UX and things like that, also seemed high. Not everyone working at the price point of my project will have the right kind of eye to help manifest the vision a beauty entrepreneur has in her mind. I felt good about all of those decisions.

What did you find most impressive about Heady?

One of the things they’re excellent at is articulating the technical terms in a way I can understand and get my mind around. I learned a lot working with them. I feel like I have a great grasp on not only what we built but also on the roadmap and direction of the project.

Are there any areas Heady could improve?

No, I don't think so.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP of Marketing of a wireless cell phone provider

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Wireless cell phone provider

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Heady to accomplish?

• We redesigned the company's mobile app to add numerous new features and improve UX.

SOLUTION

How did you find Heady?

Referral

Why did you select Heady over others?

• High ratings
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Heady were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Design a new, user-friendly mobile app experience for a wireless cell phone provider. The app design should be based on:

• Competitive analysis
• Customer feedback
• User testing

It should introduce new:

• Self-serve features
• Checkout
• Customer portal experience

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Working prototype
• Research readouts & analysis
• High-resolution designs including Figma and image files
• Executive presentation
• Delivery roadmap
• Development estimates
• Documentation

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

• Delivered on-time
• Communicated well
• They were great to work with

What was your primary form of communication with Heady?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Willing to listen, ready to help, and always provided good feedback -- even when they knew it may be difficult for us to hear. I appreciated Heady's timeliness, professionalism, candor, and honesty.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Heady could have done differently?

N/A