hedgehog lab

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the Accord AI Innovation Lead at a nonprofit organization focused on preventing and resolving conflicts worldwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with hedgehog lab?

We needed help building the world's first peacebuilding co-pilot to support Sudanese peacebuilders.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team at hedgehog lab has been helping us design and build an AI-based progressive web app (PWA) from scratch using OpenAI and Microsoft Azure. Initially, we ran a one-month discovery phase to explore the product's parameters, including what needed to be built, how it should be built, and what our customers wanted. After that, we went into a three-month build phase.

Throughout the process, we've worked closely with hedgehog lab on everything from the UX/UI design to the prompts that would train the AI.

What is the team composition?

We work with approximately seven people, including UX/UI experts, a product manager, front- and backend engineers, and AI experts.

How did you come to work with hedgehog lab?

I selected them through a competitive process. We interviewed 20 software agencies worldwide. The team at hedgehog lab gave us the best proposal and stood out as the best of all the candidates we interviewed.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since April 2024, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The building phase has gone very well. The product has been built and delivered, which is our main success metric.

How did hedgehog lab perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management has been very good. The hedgehog lab team is highly collaborative, communicative, easy to work with, responsive, and engaged every step of the way. We've been involved in all the stand-ups and product reviews. Overall, our experience with them has been excellent. We mainly use Slack, Google Meet, and Notion for communication and project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Two things distinguish hedgehog lab from other providers. First, they focus on the UX and invest time in understanding the customer for whom they're building the product. Second, the team is highly collaborative.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there's no criticism.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend working with hedgehog lab.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Product Direcotor of WOLF

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

WOLF QANAWAT is an audio entertainment communities platfrom 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire hedgehog lab to accomplish?

• Improve the UX practices within the organization
• Imbed a UX/UI resource within the organization
• Mentorship and general support

SOLUTION

How did you find hedgehog lab?

Referral

Why did you select hedgehog lab over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from hedgehog lab were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Auditing:
 HHL conducted an initial, comprehensive audit of the existing user experience, identifying key strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. This critical assessment established a foundation for refining and optimizing the user journey, guiding future design and development decisions.

UX/UI Initiative: 
In collaboration with HHL, we launched a strategic initiative aimed at enhancing the user experience. During a combined workshop, we presented project objectives, user journeys, and high-level mockups, which HHL used to further improve and deliver an optimized user journey and design solutions. Leveraging HHL’s deep expertise in user-centered design and platform innovation, the strategy was tailored to the cultural and technological nuances of Arabic-speaking users. The focus was on enabling users to discover and establish channels, participate in real-time connections, and engage more deeply through gamification and critical notifications. The proposed solutions incorporated advanced UX principles, prioritizing intuitive navigation, personalized content delivery, and interactive elements to enrich the onboarding experience and overall user journey.

A dedicated resource from HHL was embedded in the project, introducing Figma as a key design tool and developing structured files, components, and a comprehensive design system that streamlined the organization and workflow for WOLF projects. This resource seamlessly integrated into the WOLF team, continuing to collaborate closely on key initiatives and ensuring sustained progress.

UX Research:
HHL conducted in-depth user research focused on monetization, exploring user pain points and behaviors specific to the target audience. These insights were essential in validating and enhancing the overall strategy, aligning business goals with user experience while catering to the territorial preferences of users.

Mentorship and Hiring:
HHL has been actively mentoring WOLF’s in-house talent, helping elevate their UX/UI skills and fostering professional growth. Additionally, HHL provided valuable support during the hiring process for a Senior UX/UI candidate, ensuring the selection of a skilled individual who would complement and strengthen the team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The enhanced UX/UI added to the improvements in user engagement metrics and overall user satisfaction Retention, Activation, and Monitization rate have improved.

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

HHL's project management was exceptional throughout the collaboration. They demonstrated a clear, structured approach to managing timelines and deliverables, ensuring that all project milestones were met on time or ahead of schedule. Their use of Agile methodologies allowed for flexibility, enabling us to adapt quickly as new priorities arose.

In terms of responsiveness, HHL was highly attentive to our needs, maintaining open and consistent communication. They were proactive in addressing feedback, refining their solutions based on our evolving requirements. Their ability to balance attention to detail with big-picture strategy was impressive, ensuring both our short-term goals and long-term vision were aligned.

What was your primary form of communication with hedgehog lab?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

hedgehog lab's combination of professionalism, dedication, and the high caliber of their team was impressive. They consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to delivering top-quality work, going beyond just meeting requirements to truly understand our business needs. Their ability to blend innovative solutions with a focus on user experience stood out, showcasing the expertise and high standards they bring to every project.

Equally impressive was the company culture. HHL fosters an environment of collaboration, transparency, and a shared commitment to excellence. This culture of openness made working with them seamless, as they were always approachable, proactive, and willing to adapt. The team's dedication and passion were evident at every stage, making them not only highly skilled professionals but also a trusted partner.

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

Nothing comes to mind for improvement. HHL exceeded expectations with their professionalism, dedication, and seamless collaboration throughout the entire process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Digital of A2Dominion

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

A2Dominion is a housing association. For over 70 years, A2Dominion has been building and maintaining quality homes in London and Southern England. We have over 38,000 homes for customers looking to rent as a private tenant, social or supported housing, or want to buy a share in their own home. 
 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire hedgehog lab to accomplish?

• Mobile app discovery and feasability

SOLUTION

How did you find hedgehog lab?

Referral

Why did you select hedgehog lab over others?

• Pricing fits our budget
• Good value for cost
• Technical expertease

How many teammates from hedgehog lab were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

A discovery piece to develop a new mobile app that will help tenants in A2Dominion properties manage their tenancy digitally. The goal is to provide a more effective channel for both the users and existing support channels. 
The scope of the discovery included:  

• Audience & Data Analysis
• Problem Definition
• Product Outline
• User Stories
• Wireframing and Prototyping
• Concept UI 
• Technical specification

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When evaluating the outcomes of the mobile app discovery project, several measurable indicators demonstrate progress and success:

Prototype Delivery:

• Hedgehog successfully delivered the mobile app prototype and other deliverables on schedule, demonstrating adherence to the project timeline and effective project management.

Customer Feedback:

• During a user feedback session, customers provided overwhelmingly positive feedback on the prototype. This indicates that the app meets user expectations and has the potential to fulfil their needs.

Stakeholder Approval:

• Positive comments from senior stakeholders highlight the app's alignment with business objectives and strategic goals. Their approval is crucial for further development and potential investment.

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

• Timely Delivery: Despite the short 4-week timeframe, Hedgehog managed to deliver the prototype on time. This indicates a basic level of project management competence in meeting deadlines.
• Responsiveness: Hedgehog was generally responsive to our needs and inquiries throughout the project. They demonstrated flexibility and a willingness to address our concerns promptly, which contributed to the smooth progression of the project.
• Project Management Proficiency: Project management is not their primary strength. There were instances where more structured planning and proactive communication could have improved efficiency and clarity.
• Our Project Manager: The presence of our own project manager was useful. Our project manager took on significant responsibilities in coordinating efforts, clarifying requirements, and ensuring that milestones were met. 
• Well-Defined Project: The project was very well-defined from the outset, with clear objectives and deliverables. This clarity helped mitigate potential project management shortcomings by providing a straightforward roadmap.

What was your primary form of communication with hedgehog lab?

Virtual Meeting

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

• High Level of Technical Expertise: hedgehog lab demonstrated exceptional technical proficiency. They developed a high-quality mobile app prototype within a short 4-week period, showcasing their ability to deliver sophisticated solutions rapidly.
• Excellent Output in a Short Timeframe: Despite the limited timeframe, the output was remarkable. The prototype not only met but exceeded our expectations in terms of functionality, design, and usability, highlighting their efficiency and effectiveness.
• Understanding and Addressing Our Problems: Hedgehog showed a deep understanding of the challenges we were facing with our current digital setup. They proposed innovative and practical solutions that directly addressed our pain points, indicating their analytical skills and problem-solving capabilities.
• Engagement with Customers: Their ability to engage effectively with our customers was particularly impressive. They conducted thorough sessions to understand customer issues and feedback, which they adeptly integrated into the prototype. This customer-centric approach ensured that the solutions were tailored to actual user needs.

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

• Project Management: Project management could have been more robust. Although the project was short and well-defined, a more structured approach could have enhanced efficiency and communication. Given the brevity of the project, this did not significantly affect the outcome. However, for longer or more complex projects, stronger project management practices would be essential.
• Virtual Workshop Challenges: The virtual workshops lacked the structure we had hoped for, making them somewhat challenging to navigate. This was in contrast to the in-person workshop, which was excellent and well-organised. Implementing a more structured format for virtual workshops, with clear agendas and better facilitation, could improve their effectiveness and ensure consistent outcomes regardless of the format.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an Operations Manager at Sunio One

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide city-level governments and Commercial Real Estate sector stakeholders with digital transformation & ESG advice + strategies to evolve analogue businesses, buildings, and cities into smart entities. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire hedgehog lab to accomplish?

• As part of the smart city transformation or Madinah, Sunio One was looking for a digital transformation partner to help create an immersive museum experience bridging history, culture, urban development, and modern life. The specific KPIs for the project are:
  • Increase in Visitor Numbers & Dwell Time
  • Economic Uplift
  • Engagement Metrics
  • Community Feedback & Satisfaction
  • Educational Impact

SOLUTION

How did you find hedgehog lab?

Referral

Why did you select hedgehog lab over others?

High ratings

How many teammates from hedgehog lab were assigned to this project?

10+

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

Hedgehog lab are designing, building, testing and launching an app, website and DXP for the transformation of Madinah.

hedgehog lab are collaborating closely with other vendors to bring together combined expertise in inclusive design, human-centred technology, and behavioural science to visualise and develop an innovative experience that encourages all visitors to delve deeply into Madinah’s rich heritage.  

The App is being built using Flutter, a Google framework that enables the rapid development of cross platform solutions. The app itself is aiming to bring the story of Madinah to life, allowing users to interact with historical sites of interest, listening, watching and immersing themselves into the history of the city. 

Users will be able to discovery themes, areas and journeys, all whilst using the latest technology to help thee a website that allows people to discover what experiences are available in Medinah, and helping to plan their trips. In addition, a Digital Experience Platform is also being developed to facilitate this and other operations which are part of the City transformation project, allowing admin users to manage the experience effectively.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This project is not live yet so there are no actual metrics at this point. However, our working relationship with hedgehog lab has been great and this project is progressing well. Moreover, their work is high-standard, and the end result is what we’re looking for. Development milestones are being delivered in line with the wider city transformation project, allowing us to coordinate the project effectively ahead of launch. 

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

We work together using an agile framework, which so far has been working well. The team has been very flexible and accommodated change throughout (which is essential when collaborating with so many partners) so it has been a positive experience. Communication is also excellent; we keep constant contact, and they keep everybody in the loop. 

For communication, we interact through MS Teams chat, video calls, email and phone calls. Additionally, we use Figjam to collaborate and view all deliverables as they become available. They are extremely responsive and a pleasure to work with 

What was your primary form of communication with hedgehog lab?

Virtual Meeting

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

What impressed me most was their ability to move swiftly and adapt to changing needs, combined with their strategic mindset. They don't just code — they take a big-picture view and work as partners to create new opportunities for innovation and growth.

Rather than just being an outsourced tech consultancy, they operate as a true partner. They take the time to deeply understand our business and immerse themselves in our products and vision. This collaborative approach fosters co-exploration of ideas in a way that transcends a typical vendor relationship. 

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

No, we are delighted with the work Hedgehog Lab are providing for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the COO of Yoono, an automated intelligence service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netsells Group?

We hired them to develop our web platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went through an extensive discovery phase, during which we briefed Netsells Group about the requirements of our project. From there, they proceeded with the development process, handling most of the technical work that we needed to do in order to make our website scalable and stable. They used .NET for development.

We’ve already given them a task that focuses on UI/UX design, which is the next stage of the project. We’re planning to have them do maintenance work after we finish this part.

What is the team composition?

We work with their developers and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Netsells Group?

We found out about them through a recommendation.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we've spent about £50,000 (approximately $60,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Netsells Group around November 2022, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t gone live with the website yet, so there are no metrics to share at this point. From a qualitative standpoint, Netsells Group is great to work with — they’re open-minded and adaptive, and they have a great leader in Rob (Commercial Director). He’s very insightful and knowledgeable, which gives us a sense of security around what we’re doing.

How did Netsells Group perform from a project management standpoint?

We manage tasks using Trello. For communication, we interact through Zoom, email, phone calls, email, and Slack. For managing tasks, we use Trello.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re most impressed with Rob’s creativity.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything that Netsells Group could improve on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO for an InsurTech business. We provide telematics technology to predominantly insurance companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with hedgehog lab?

We’re building a leading-edge technology to enable telematics, driving, and heavy monitoring using a mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We work with hedgehog lab on a couple of projects; fundamentally, they work on mobile development for Android and iOS. We initially provided documentation for the project, and they’ve helped us build and architect a software development kit that sits in the middle of our mobile technology, providing the telematics capabilities that we communicate with our services. The team has used JavaScript, Kotlin, Swift, and Objective-C.

The app captures the movements of the mobile device; it uses sensors or GPS motion to effectively monitor the acceleration, braking, cornering, location, and speed data of the driver. It detects the starting point of the driving journey and collects the telemetry data to send it to our backend system, where we can analyze it and come up with a score and risk profile for the user to understand the driver’s risk profile accurately.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 4–6 team members. They all have mobile development or architecture backgrounds, so they’re senior software engineers, software architects, or other technical roles. Additionally, we deal directly with the leadership and commercial people.

How did you come to work with hedgehog lab?

I knew Sarat (CEO & Co-Founder), and their reputation was world-renowned. They were known as good employers and skilled engineers, and I had a good relationship with their leadership.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably invested around £250,000 (approximately $298,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2021, and our collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our working relationship is great, so we continue to work with hedgehog lab in several capabilities. Moreover, their work is high-standard, and the end result is always what we’re looking for. We also have a lot of customer feedback, so we’re able to measure the effectiveness of their work.

How did hedgehog lab perform from a project management standpoint?

We work together with an agile framework. They’ve generally met the timelines, so it’s been a positive experience. Communication is also excellent; we keep constant contact, and they keep everybody in the loop. Additionally, we use Jira to manage and monitor the workloads.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They stand out for their ability to move quickly, flexibility, high standard for technology, and strategic approach. hedgehog lab invests time and effort into our products and creates greater opportunities for us to explore together; we wouldn’t get that from a traditional software house.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing specific comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work with them as closely as possible and consider any opportunities for engagement. They can create new opportunities and deliver on specific and immediate objectives.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of engineering at a retail bank.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with the hedgehog lab?

We needed help with mobile app development and staff augmentation. We had an old mobile application and needed them to help us build a service improvement roadmap over the next two years.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we provided hedgehog lab with the profiles of the types of resources we needed, including the seniority levels and software skills. They then sat down with our product team to discuss the project brief, and what success looked like for this project. We had them develop a Native application for iOS and Android with a backend in Kotlin and Java.

Then, their team worked with us to develop an improvement roadmap for our services. The roadmap included the technologies that could be used for future development, the scope of work, and a benefits case analysis. 

The final strategic roadmap has been handed over to us, along with the mobile application development work, but we’re still utilizing hedgehog lab’s expertise. Their team is embedded in our workflow.  

What is the team composition?

I didn’t interact with the software engineers from hedgehog lab; I primarily worked with Catherine (Head of Client Engagement), Ben (Head of Product), and Sarat (CEO & Co-Founder). 

How did you come to work with hedgehog lab?

We hired hedgehog lab for several reasons. One was that they were mobile development specialists; they had the resources to augment our team and a good portfolio. We needed a flex partner that could meet our requirements. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested £1 million (approximately $1.2 million USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

This project with ​​hedgehog lab was from March 2021–March 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There are several ways to measure hedgehog lab’s successes. First, there is resource augmentation — we had to let two of their consultants go because they weren’t a good fit. However, hedgehog lab was good at taking those changes in stride. I’d say we had a great relationship with them when it came to the resources they provided to augment our team. 

When it comes to the service improvement strategy, we have several KPIs. Most importantly, they could double our delivery speed, which meant getting more engineers on our project. 

How did hedgehog lab perform from a project management standpoint?

I got weekly updates from my three main points of contact. Their team put together the scope to follow; they pushed us to stick to our deadlines within our contracted engagement. We had an issue 1–2 weeks before the launch, but that was because we couldn’t get everyone set up from our team. They didn’t want to draw out the partnership artificially. 

We primarily communicated through Microsoft Team and Google Meet; we also had face-to-face meetings. Occasionally, they’d call or email me. hedgehog lab was very communicative — they communicated more than other vendors we’ve worked with, which sometimes was a little uncomfortable. However, I think they were coming from a good place and just wanted the engagement to be a success. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I have nothing but good things to say about hedgehog lab. They were a good organization with great principles and values. For the most part, they found good resources. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Like most organizations, there can always be issues with teammates. They crossed the line once to ensure teammates were happy, which made me uncomfortable. They pushed some responsibilities into my court that weren’t necessarily my problem. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You need to spend a lot of time with hedgehog lab upfront because their team is more boutique than other organizations. I’d recommend them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Musto Management and Consulting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with hedgehog lab?

We were looking to create an application and platform for construction safety management. There are a lot of archaic paper-based processes in the construction sector, and we needed to come up with a technology that would be flexible enough to apply to other subsections of the industry but is also easy to use for people who are not as computer savvy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired hedgehog lab to develop a cross-platform construction safety management app. It's essentially three applications in one: there's an iOS component, an Android component, and a web component. They are managing the hosting for us, and we're in the process of working on ongoing maintenance.

hedgehog lab was involved in the scoping of the project, which we called the foundation scope. The original foundation was them working with us to scope out the project. They worked with us to figure out, design, and eventually build the user personas, wireframes, and UI elements for the app.

Additionally, hedgehog lab did branding work for us. They helped us with the app’s naming process, designed the app’s logo and color schemes, and created a brand guide. They even helped us register the name and make sure that the name was unique enough.

What is the team composition?

We’ve primarily worked with five people from hedgehog lab, including Patrick (Managing Director), two architecture product folks, and a project manager for each element architecture and for the design itself. We’ve also worked with three full-stack engineers, a designer, and a bunch of QA folks that came in in phases as required as different sprints were completed.

How did you come to work with hedgehog lab?

We vetted 4-5 businesses through Clutch and Google, and we ultimately went with hedgehog lab.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $650,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our user adoption has been great — about 84% of the users that we’ve brought onto the system are doing their daily work within the app without issue. hedgehog lab also completed the project under budget and two weeks prior to the original timeline they provided despite a lot of scope changes and the things we requested along the way.

How did hedgehog lab perform from a project management standpoint?

hedgehog lab has performed well in terms of project management. We use Monday.com for project management, and we typically communicate through Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with hedgehog lab’s high technological capabilities. They are able to synthesize the business need before they start talking about technology. We found that in other design and development situations, people jump right into the tech and how they can achieve this or that without getting to the business problem first. 

hedgehog lab did a fantastic job of understanding our business perspective and bringing the needed technologies to the table to help us achieve what we needed today and what we want to achieve in the future.

They're also very easy to work with. They're not overly technical, and all of our conversations have been pleasant and collaborative.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be great if we could have milestone check-ins along the way.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would suggest starting with the foundation scope and making sure that you do what they propose. We didn't augment the team that they put into the proposal — we kept the team, and each piece of that was mission-critical as we went forward. It’s also a good idea to make sure that they're involved as early as possible in the business scoping and foundation elements of your project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former interim CTO of Oxehealth, a MedTech business that delivers hardware and software products. Our product is a web-based app that enables healthcare providers to have computer vision-based patient monitoring in single-occupancy rooms. We have teams that install, run, and maintain hardware, and that operational service is in support of our product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with hedgehog lab?

We were running a web app delivery project and had some scoping around an app that needed to be built. We needed to move away from legacy tooling and make in-house tools to better support our growth and teams as we scaled to existing geographies and international markets. We were struggling with resourcing for some new projects and decided to hire hedgehog lab to reduce the impact on our internal teams.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

hedgehog lab helped us with internal tooling. First, we identified some requirements and success metrics for the project, and we provided them with the wireframes. They helped build an internal customer requirements portal that helps capture complex customer needs through sales, contracting, and onboarding. 

The portal’s functionality is to help us through our contract live process, which involves engaging with the customer and getting them set up with our product and services. Then, the portal helps manage that engagement on an ongoing basis through appropriate change management processes and protocols. 

Our staff is the target audience: the operational teams who run our product at the service level. The hedgehog lab team focused on a few objectives, primarily improving the data quality of our onboarding process and how we capture customer requirements. We also requested that the tool reduce our operational model's risk, ensuring that requirements are up to date and improving our contract live process insights.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two developers, and Sarat (CEO & Co-Founder) provided some high-level oversight. 

How did you come to work with hedgehog lab?

Sarat and I are in similar trusted CTO networks, and I reached out to him for help. We knew that hedgehog lab had provided similar pop-up teams for other businesses I have spoken with in the past, so we decided to go with them.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent about £75,000 (approximately $94,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–April 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of hedgehog lab’s work was high, and the maintenance has had a relatively low overhead. They were very responsive to changes and requirements throughout the project. The feedback from the operational teams has also been strong, and they’re very excited to use the tool. Since we’re still trialing and rolling out the product internally, we don’t have any hard metrics yet. However, the portal will allow us to deliver our products faster and realize revenue sooner than before. 

How did hedgehog lab perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great at meeting deadlines; they communicated expectations clearly around timeframes and effectively organized to complete tasks on time. The team hit all the milestones along the way, which is rare in teams solely staffed by engineers without project management support. We primarily communicated over Slack, and we used GitLab for issue tracking and task management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve had mixed experiences with other agencies in their ability to deliver quality, and hedgehog lab felt like a safe pair of hands with solid talent. Sarat made a point of checking in regularly to make sure that the project was successful rather than leaving it all to the very end when there’s a higher risk of everything going off the rails.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In hindsight, I would have liked to have a bit more automated test coverage of the work they delivered for us. However, that was far from a deal-breaker, and I didn’t stress it as a hard requirement going into the project. Overall, there wasn't anything I had significant concerns about.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend having a clear idea of the project's scope and the expected deliverables, which is good for any project you outsource. Although hedgehog lab was very communicative, I had to take the initiative to ensure we had appropriate sprint planning and prioritization since I worked with the engineers rather than project managers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of Booost Education, which makes apps for students with learning disabilities in higher education. I also head up our design and development capabilities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netsells Group?

We hired Netsells Group to work on the first product we wanted to take to market. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Netsells Group developed our mobile application and corresponding web app in Flutter with a PHP Laravel backend and various APIs. We had several scoping calls with their team so they could better understand our product. All of the design work was done by my team, but Netsells Group did write our user stories and requirements. Once the back- and frontend development was complete, they ran QC testing and deployed the product to app stores. After the app launched, Netsells Group began maintaining and updating the app, adding features and improvements.  

The app is primarily for students with learning disabilities in higher education, including students with everything from mental health issues to ADHD. Our goal with the app is to help those students organize their tasks and get support to help accomplish activities throughout their education.  

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with Netsells Group’s account manager, project manager, scrum master, and a few of their developers. 

How did you come to work with Netsells Group?

We originally commissioned another agency to build our product but had a bad experience with them. After doing a Google search and finding Netsells Group on Clutch.co, we hired Netsells Group to take over development. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested £80,000 (approximately $105,000 USD) with Netsells Group. The initial project was £50,000 (approximately $66,000 USD), but we made additional payments to cover smaller projects and maintenance fees.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership with Netsells Group began in September 2021, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Netsells Group turned around our project quickly despite a three-month delay from our previous partners — the app launched in October 2021. We’ve exceeded our projected sales metrics because of Netsells Group’s excellent work. 

We’re planning to launch new products over the next 12–18 months, and Netsells Group’s development approach will inform how we design our product. We plan to focus more on user stories to ensure our design process is as robust as Netsells Group’s development process.

How did Netsells Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Netsells Group works in development sprints and always meets our deliverable requirements. Their team uses Jira to manage the development and lifecycles, and our codebase is in a GitHub repository. We also use Trello to manage user stories, and that’s where I convey our support issues. We had weekly Google Meet calls at the beginning of the project, but now I’m in regular contact with the project manager and development team through a shared Slack channel. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Netsells Group has an extremely robust development process, so I know that by the time I receive the final deliverable, it’s been thoroughly tested and checked. Each deliverable from Netsells Group meets their high standards. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have nothing for Netsells Group to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise future customers to utilize Netsells Group’s technical expertise and listen to their recommendations. It’s better to go to them with a problem for them to work out than a solution.