hedgehog lab

BACKGROUND

Please give a brief description of your company.

Our company is a multiplatform startup focused on providing analytics and marketing capabilities to the SMB [small to medium-sized business] hospitality trade as well as revolutionary new data set to consumers via a new type of lifestyle/bar app.

What is your role at the company?

I am the founder at the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address when you approached hedgehog lab?

The main issue we were trying to address was how we could make a crucial element of our data set work with limited initial user uptake. We wanted to build and iOS app and responsive online platform that integrates with each other as well as deployed smart sensor hardware and then to launch said capability efficiently and effectively.

SOLUTION

Can you talk about the scope of the project?

The project thus far has been two sessions of strategy and proposal definition where hedgehog lab have helped us to create a more mature business model and advised on potential pitfalls to avoid or features to implement. The second session was more focused on providing a high-level technology roadmap and customer journey, again in pursuit of maturing the overall business model. The project moving forward will involve further "discovery" to ensure the platforms are offering the maximum amount of value to our target audiences, the branding is on point and the overall messaging is clear. Following this definition, the build will commence which will compromise of the iOS app design and development, the B2B [business-to-business] platform design and development, the management platform and all the integration elements in between. There will also be a requirement to liaise with our device manufacturers to ensure that all elements of the business model will function effectively together.

What was your process for selecting hedgehog lab?

I looked at the top-rated developers in the U.K. and U.S. I spoke to a number of companies and hedgehog lab was referred to me by an agency. Upon contacting hedgehog lab they were very proactive in getting to understand the business and its requirements and making us feel like a valued customer. Once we finished our two consultation sessions I requested references from hedgehog lab, which they supplied without hesitation. I spoke with one of the referees who spoke highly of the business. In truth, I had largely made my mind up prior to that anyway as having seen hedgehog lab's operations in Newcastle and heard about their upcoming expansion I could see this was a team that knew what they were doing. Furthermore whilst they are more expensive than some smaller app houses of say five people as this is the first venture of its type I have embarked on, I felt that the varied and extensive nature of the employee resource available to them (designers, developers, project managers, strategy guys, and directors) would make for less mistakes in the long run.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative? 

Full project quoted at £150,000 [approximately $243,000].

When was the project completed?

Initial consultations were quick to arrange and took around one to two months, and could have been quicker if required, no doubt. Full project has not begun development but has been quoted at eight months development time from commencement

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project, and are there any metrics you can share?

Concept Definition

• Discussed which features were good and which were not.
• Discussed how best to attract target audience and ensure reduced bounce rate upon download.
• Discussed how the tech can work and what we would require to realize our data ambitions.

Feature List

• Agreed feature list for both the iOS and online platform.
• V2,3,4 potential features outlined.

Full Project Quote

• Full project costing.
• Full project time lines (each bit broken down into development hours).

Investor Material Upon Request

• Staff biographies.
• Hosting packages available.

Ad Hoc Support

• hedgehog lab have helped guide the wider business objectives by providing industry information and Investment advice.
• hedgehog lab also reviewed our prototype, built in house, to ensure it was on point prior to seeking investment.

Is there anything unique or special about hedgehog lab that really makes them stand out? 

hedgehog lab has performed well so far. I felt like they took more of an interest in the idea and were excited about its possibilities. They regularly came up with new ideas and alternative options and had a genuine desire to see the business succeed. There were regular follow-ups during strategy consultations and beyond had left me feeling confident, upon commencing the main build, that I have a team that is on the ball, focused yet also creative and fun to work with.

Looking back on the project, is there any area that they could improve or you would do differently?

Not so far.

BACKGROUND

Please give a brief description of your company.

We are a health care consulting firm, and we focus on elements of health care informatics.

What is your role at the company?

I am a director at our company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address when you approached hedgehog lab?

We were looking to create a new app for health care professionals, primarily nurses and doctors, and we needed a good user interface.

SOLUTION

Can you talk about the scope of the project?

The scope of the work consisted of the UX [user experience], design, and visual build of the mobile application.

What was your process for selecting hedgehog lab?

We spoke to a number of similar companies who would be capable of completing our task and, in the end, we liked hedgehog lab's approach the best.

When was the project completed?

The project was completed in October 2014 after a few weeks of work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project, and are there any metrics you can share?

There are no metrics to share at the moment, but we can say that their performance was great. We really enjoyed their team, and we got the feeling that hedgehog lab is a well-rounded group of people. The outcome was what we needed. Also, they also are an extremely friendly bunch which made the project that much more gratifying.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for Thinking Digital Limited. We produce high-quality, big ideas-style conferences around the U.K. and beyond. It is a three-day event drawing together exceptional talent from the worlds of technology, media, science, industry, and the arts. We attract speakers from around the world to come to Gateshead, U.K., to share their wisdom and experiences to encourage us all to pursue our passions and dreams. Importantly, our thinkers leave each year with a greater sense of connection to their passions and insight into the world around us.

What is your position?

I am the executive producer

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted a mobile app that would act as a digital schedule and information portal for our event and include some great interactive elements, such as being able to ask speaker questions, rate sessions, and vote on events during the conference.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They developed and delivered the applications in both iOS & Android platforms. Functionality of the application included interactive features that could be used throughout the event. The application was launched a week before the conference and was used by attendees.

We used their application as the official app for the Thinking Digital conference, which offered a real-time updated full schedule across the three-day event. Users could access info for Thinking Digital master classes and a real-time speakers schedule to keep up to date with talks and event locations. Additionally, they could connect with speakers and delegates using Twitter.

How did you come to work with hedgehog lab?

hedgehog lab had been a cash sponsor of our conference for many years. When we wanted someone to update our app, they were the logical choice.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative?

hedgehog lab produced this app for us as an in-kind sponsorship to the approximate value of £3,000 [approximately $4,700].

What is the status of this engagement?

We completed work on this project in May 2015. The conference began May 19, so the application was delivered and launched prior to that.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did hedgehog lab perform from a project management standpoint?

hedgehog lab delivered a great application that resulted in many downloads. There were an estimated nearly 4,000 iOS downloads. Most of the interactive functionality within the application worked very well. The intimate setting and informality of the conference is often one of the most commented on pieces of feedback we receive, which really helps to open up the networking of ideas and business opportunities.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve, or things you might do differently?

Just changes to the functionality, which we have already discussed. It would be good to get the app live earlier in future, a month ahead of the event would be good rather than the week before.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We're a start-up company – it's just the two of us, my friend from university and myself – and we've been going at it for about a year now. We're trying to build a video and photo competition social media platform.

What is your role in the company?

I'm a co-founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal in working with hedgehog lab?

We had developed a prototype prior to contacting hedgehog. We were at a place where we wanted to make what we had a lot better, and bring it to proper commercial standard, something that was ready to go to market. So, we approached hedgehog with a prototype and a wireframe and asked them if they could deliver what we were trying to build as sort of a minimum viable product, something that could go out on the App Store.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

We needed them to develop an MVP. In the process, they offered to build a website for us as part of the package.

What was your process in selecting hedgehog lab?

We used the Web to look at quite a number of companies. The key things that we wanted to have in the app were a very nice design and a good feel to the UX [user experience]. So, we were looking at various portfolios, trying to find good examples, and hedgehog really stood out. We were quite impressed with the range of services that they delivered. Obviously, they had an internal design team and the ability to create the assets that we were going to need. There were a number of things they offered that we were impressed with, in addition to just the coding.

Nevertheless, we did talk to a couple of other companies. Where hedgehog stood out was that they were very down to Earth. We had a lot of confidence that they could deliver what we needed within our budget. Unlike some of the other companies, they were quite willing to commit to a number of different features within the scope of the project, which gave us a lot of confidence to go with them. Based on these criteria, we decided to go with hedgehog.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative?

So far, the initial phase has cost about £60,000. [about $94,000] Before launch, we're probably going to spend another £5,000 to £10,000 [$7,800 to $15,600]. The total should be about £70,000 [$110,000].

When did you start working with them?

The kickoff was in October 2014, and we are still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any stats, metrics, or other feedback on the project?

Overall, we're very impressed with the work that they've done for us. hedgehog lab's design skills came through, and they've built something that I think has a very nice feel to it. Their team is quite young and dynamic, and they seem to have a very good grasp of the different apps that are coming out and are able to pull out the best features of those. We feel we have some of that leading edge design and UX components within our app, which is exactly what we were looking for.

We're a little bit over schedule in terms of where we initially wanted to be. Obviously, this is a very large and complex project, so that's not wholly surprising. They've been very good at gearing up their team to bring us back to the timelines we were initially targeting. We've been very impressed with their desire to satisfy us. Now, we're just sort of finishing off the bug-fixing stage, where they've been very good in helping us fix things that aren't quite right or that we needed to tweak or refine.

As a team, they're very friendly. Their project manager has been very good at more generally and broadly helping us with the key strategy of how we should be approaching the market, getting us contacts and so forth. He's well connected in the industry, and I think that brought a lot to the table. We're not just getting the development side, we're really getting a full package.

Is there anything unique or special about hedgehog lab that really makes them stand out?

I don't have much experience working with other companies, but I would say that I have been most impressed with their design work and their enthusiasm to make the app really interesting and different. I don't know specifically about their capabilities in coding but, certainly, the app is very slick and works very well. I've been incredibly impressed with their design and UX capabilities.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

Not really. I said that they were a little bit behind schedule, but I don't think I can put the blame on them – that is just the nature of these projects. As I've said, they've been very accommodating in trying to get us back on schedule. There's not a huge amount that they could improve on.

Maybe their communication could be a bit better, but I think that's probably because they are in a rapid growth phase at the moment. Apparently, they've spent a lot of time in workshops, so there were maybe a couple of occasions where we didn't hear back from them right away, but that's to be expected.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

The advice I would give is just to make sure that you are clear with them on how you're going to receive progress updates and how you're going to track bugs. They've been good at those things, but I think they can always do more to make sure that you're very organized and that projects are run very efficiently. That's what we have been learning throughout the process, just how to manage those things with them. They've been learning a little bit as well. We've given them some feedback, and they've improved significantly in those areas.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

I've essentially started a technology company, building a mobile platform for both iPhone and Android. We're not really based anywhere. My father is one of the directors of the company, and he's based all over the place.

What is your role in your company?

I'm the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal in working with hedgehog lab?

What we were doing when we met up with hedgehog lab was figuring out the best road to market in the sense of how we would fund various stages or phases of a build, of the software product. Because we don't have an in-house team as yet and because we specifically wanted to go to a software house to do the build, we realized we'd have to do it in a couple of phases of funding, which meant building something like an investor deck to get the funding to build the actual product.

Please describe the scope of their work.

Hedgehog lab has been building what we call an investor pitch deck for us, which is essentially a large number of specs, visuals, videos, market research, strategy, market road map, product wireframes, and so forth. We will be raising money from now until September [2015] or so, then we will begin building the main platform.

SOLUTION

What was your process in selecting hedgehog lab?

I was in a meeting with a software house in London. They're a pretty big firm, with offices in New York as well. I realized that because they were one of the more expensive options they were not suited to what we were doing at that point. They might have been perfect later down the line. They recommended us to hedgehog lab, and they told one of their principals about me. He and I met up that very afternoon, which was  great. One of the reasons I went with them was how quickly they jumped onto the wagon and came to meet me.

I liked everything they were saying, and they seemed like a nice, up-and-coming company. We spend a fair bit of time in Newcastle, where they're based, so that was all quite perfect. We flew off about a week later to Newcastle to meet all of them, hear a bit more about how they work, and what they figured could be a good route for us with what we were doing. They were very excited about us, so we didn't really think twice.

Can you give a sense of the cost of your work with them?

The budget with hedgehog lab was £14,000 [approximately $22,000] but, in terms of actual work, it was about a £20,000 [approximately $31,000] investment. But, we agreed on £14,000 before we started, and they worked within that budget.

When was project completed?

We started work on the pitch deck in March, and we were hoping to finish in mid-May, which we did. It was probably about a two-month project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

It's been a great working relationship so far. I know that if I message one of them with a problem or anything, they'll come back to me straight away. They've been very responsive and they've worked hard to create well-made deliverables from what we talked about, like digital and video. Also, their analysis has been very well written up.

We were slightly delayed on finishing the pitch deck. We had an estimate of when it might be done, and we went a bit beyond that, but it was quite necessary. We kind of knew that would happen in the first place. It was never really a set final date. It was only what we thought might be the finishing time. I mainly worked with the client services manager in London. He's the one I always go through. But they also have a designer whose work is phenomenal. I've actually gone to him for another project. They are all good at what they do. We plan on doing the main build with them, so I plan on working with them for quite a long time.

Is there anything unique or special about hedgehog lab that really makes them stand out?

I've only had a limited relationship with them so far related to this very specific project. I haven't really seen any of their programming that isn't within my business. I think what excited me was mainly that they had done some big projects for big people, but were only a very young company and clearly had a stellar reputation. The fact that we were referred to them by one of their competitors was very impressive.

I think they've got really an interesting work dynamic. The office in Newcastle is a great place. Honestly, I've only talked to them about three or four times, but everything so far has been really good. They are just unique in the way that they excelled in just a small period of time and expanded their business so quickly.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

Honestly, there's not a huge amount of advice I could give. They're very forthcoming and charismatic. It was pretty much a no-brainer to work with them, just based on how much they gave back to me and how excited they were about the project. Their creative process was so enjoyable that I really wouldn't need to tell anyone what to do. I think it was very smooth. I wouldn't have anything to say to anyone apart from just enjoy working with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We're a messaging startup. Our app is going to be mainly mobile, but it'll work on desktop as well. We're based in Glasgow, Scotland.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I'm the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal in working with hedgehog lab?

I've not had a lot of experience with software or with building an app. Hedgehog lab was recommended to me, and I got in contact with them.

Please describe the scope of their work.

Hedgehog lab has been doing mainly the development work.

SOLUTION

What was your process for selecting hedgehog lab with which to work?

I was using my own money at the start, so I had to go for a company that was willing to work on a tight budget. hedgehog lab was quite willing to deal with the limited budget, so we were able to get things started. It was mainly the recommendation that introduced me to hedgehog lab, and then I did my own research on them. They seemed to be a very good fit.

When did you begin working together, and is the relationship ongoing?

We started in February of this year [2015], and I'm still working with them.

Can you provide a ballpark figure for the size of the work that they've done for you?

For what they're doing now, we've spent about £30,000 [approximately $47,000] working with hedgehog lab.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any stats, metrics, or general feedback to show the success of the project?

The feedback has been great. At the moment, we're mostly doing one update a week. If there were any questions or if they had any other material, they'd get it to me as quickly, so I can look at it, think about it, and get back to them. I'm pleased with the communication.

Is there anything unique about hedgehog lab that really makes them stand out compared to other companies?

It's not just one thing. It's the whole package they provide. They cover all the bases. They've got a great team that has a lot of resources in different areas. That's what attracted me to using them.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

No. The relationship has been just fine so far. To be honest, there's nothing that needs improvement.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

Give them as much information as you can so they can do a good job. Be as open and as transparent in the initial meeting as you can, so they can understand your thoughts and put them on paper.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Head of Digital Marketing at a Fast Food Restaurant 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Provides consumers with beautiful, health[ier] alternatives to fast food on the high street

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• health[ier] website rebrand

SOLUTION

How did you find hedgehog lab?

Previous to my employment

Why did you select hedgehog lab over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

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.

• Creating new functionality on our brand website to allow us to communicate more information & services to our customers.
• New filtering & sorting functionality
• New module on product pages to allow for collapsable nutritional information 
• New category for nutritional section 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Delivered on or ahead of time from hedgehog
• Hedgehog went above and beyond to show us the potential functionalities we could implement on the website 
• The deliverables were to the brief and required minimal back and fourth

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

As previously mentioned, always delivered on time/early. 

Responded in a timly manner when we had an unexpected issue that required fast action. Despite occuring at COP on a friday, hedgehog were immediately available to assist.

What was your primary form of communication with hedgehog lab?

Virtual Meeting

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

Really approachable, friendly people. They are knowledgeable, reachable, and helpful.

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a petcare app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire hedgehog lab, and what were your goals?

We hired Hedgehog labs to help us manage our product roadmap on an interim basis

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Great client-focussed attention and a specialism in app development

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Product mgmt

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

1 product manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Moved our agenda forward at pace, onboarded quickly, and helped rally the team behind key initiatives.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Sharp, swift, and transparent.

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

Customer service — they really wanted to do everything possible to add value.

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

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

GEM carries out survey-based research on entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship ecosystems around the world. GEM is a networked consortium of national country teams primarily associated with top academic institutions. GEM is the only global research source that collects data on entrepreneurship directly from individual entrepreneurs. GEM tools and data are therefore unique and benefit numerous stakeholder groups.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Netsells Group, and what were your goals?

Need ongoing website support to align to our organization's objectives.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Decision was made before I joined GEM.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Ongoing website development, maintenance and support.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We work with a project manager who then directs our requests to his colleagues.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Our website audience continues to grow. Last year our Global Report was downloaded 35,000 times, a GEM record, thanks in part to Netsells.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Their project manager is always responsive to our requests. After we submit our requests, we work out logistics via email or a Zoom call.

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

Their knowledge about our organization and their relationship with us over the years allows them to know our website infrastructure challenges and opportunities.

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

None. 

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on October 21, 2019

Chris Aylett

Operations Manager, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor

Other industry

11-50 Employees

London, United Kingdom

London, United Kingdom (9307)

$10,000 to $49,999

Jun 2018 - Ongoing

Project summary

Netsells Group manages a website for an international research project. The team works with an existing codebase to build and maintain the platform, fixing bugs. They support updates such as data interfaces.

Feedback summary

Supporting a smooth transition of responsibilities, Netsells Group has delivered organized website management services. The team has been transparent about expectations and provided tools to foster effective collaboration. They have resources, enabling flexibility and continued partnership.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the operations manager at Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. We’re an international research project— a network of universities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netsells Group?

We had a website that was designed and produced for us by an agency in 2015. They had outsourced the backend elements of the platform to an individual who about a year ago stopped working for them. We were in a situation where the backend of our site was not being maintained.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Netsells Group took over the management of our website that hosts an archive of PDF reports, which are all searchable. The platform has a series of data interfaces or visualization tools that are updated each year with new data. Members can access different features in a special members area. Mainly, their team has been maintaining, developing, and fixing bugs when they occur. Their team familiarized themselves with our existing codebase and dived into the website, which has been difficult as the code wasn't written well.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a project manager, who has acted as an intermediary.

How did you come to work with Netsells Group?

The design company that had built our website put us in touch with Netsells Group. Basically, they said the person who ran the backend of the site for us had fallen through. Their team told us they wanted to outsource our services to Netsells Group, who they’d worked with on a few different projects. We didn’t employ them directly. Since the beginning of 2019, we’ve actually been contracting Netsells Group directly.

How much have you invested with them?

This year, we’ve spent about $32,000 on their services. Before this year—when we started to work with them directly—it’s difficult to tell because the intermediary billed us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2018, and the collaboration’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When we were let down by the previous provider, they’ve been able to pick up the slack. It could’ve been a disaster, but it hasn’t been. I’m very happy with them.

Their team has also been honest. Our project manager has always told me when what we thought was a simple request would actually require many hours to complete. I’ve appreciated that they’ve been upfront. We’ve had a positive experience working with Netsells Group.

How did Netsells Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Other than phone and email, we’ve used Trello to communicate. I can say I need a product by a specific deadline, and it will get done. Their team has been systematic about project management. Netsells Group has proper structures in place to make sure their clients can track tasks. When we’ve placed a work request, we’ve been able to see that it’s logged in the right place and check its status. Unlike other providers, we’ve been able to view Netsells Group's progress. The project management interface has been good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Netsells Group has a fairly large staff. Their team seems to log requests properly and record changes. We feel safe in their hands, knowing the engagement can be wound back if needed. If a key teammate were to leave, they would still understand what was going on and transition seamlessly. Their team has managed all aspects of the project professionally. There’s a good project management structure that has given us confidence in their work. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so. I’ve been impressed.

Star Ratings

Overall rating: 5

Quality: 4.5

Cost: 4.5

Schedule: 5

Willing to refer: 5

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the Commercial Director at Incremental Solutions Ltd. We provide GPS data analytics, machine learning, and optimization to the UK Rail industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Netsells Group?

We needed to consume and translate a number of rail industry-specific data feeds in order to enhance our analytics products.

What were your goals for this project?

To meet the objective of the project and translate the data feeds as required.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended to us through SME networking contacts.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They developed, configured, and launched the new feeds for our analytics products.

What was the team composition?

There was a project manager and a backend developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work increased the functionality of our analytics products, which allows us to target new rail customers.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management was very impressive. We’ve built a strong relationship for future work with them.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed with their flexibility and their willingness to go the extra mile.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.