Hipo

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CEO of Avocare. We are a virtual care company that connects patients with physicians online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Hipo?

We needed a company to help us build a mobile and web application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We approached the project on a task-by-task basis, so we started with a UX design and strategy phase. Hipo created an impressive set of wireframes and user flows, convincing us to move forward with them to build the rest of the app. That process evolved over time. We suffered a bit from scope creep, allowing something that once was relatively small to grow into something quite large. Still, we are pleased with the end result.

The crux of the app is a messaging interface that allows patients to connect with physicians. This presented a unique challenge in that apps in the healthcare space in Canada need to comply with the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA). Hipo built an infrastructure to meet those requirements and added levels of security and access control. The user interface was built to be intuitive and progressive for the healthcare industry.

From a feature standpoint, users can use the website to message their physician, schedule an appointment at their clinic, ask for a prescription refill, and so on. On the backend, physicians can charge for their services. All of the functions are replicated on the mobile version, as well. Furthermore, Hipo developed a chatbot from scratch. When users text a number, an AI-driven chatbot conversation initiates and automates an appointment booking. Their expertise in building practical AI applications has gone a long way for our business.

What is the team composition?

I worked closely with a UX technician, a designer, a backend developer, and the CTO, who acted as a project manager.

How did you come to work with Hipo?

Of all the firms I considered, I felt the strongest connection to Hipo’s team. They understood our goal and were enthusiastic about being a part of the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent more than $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement lasted from January–June 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have become a revenue-generating company a year after we launched. There are close to 10,000 patients using our application. Our chatbot has capably handled more than 20,000 conversations, which we define as 15-30 messages with a patient.

How did Hipo perform from a project management standpoint?

The scope creep made it difficult to meet incremental deadlines, but that's common with these kinds of technical projects. Our initial goal to finish in four months was ambitious. However, we launched a market-ready, regulation-compliant healthcare app with a functioning chatbot within six months of when we first put pen to paper for the wireframe. That is a testament to their talent and what they’re capable of building. That’s pretty superhuman.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their approach made us feel like a part of the team. That’s an empty sales pitch for most firms, but Hipo delivers on it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The scope creep is our responsibility, not theirs. However, I’d say they could better forecast that scope creep potential in their estimates or build better buffers in the timeline to account for it. Admittedly, that’s a tough position for them to be in, and I think every other firm faces similar challenges.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior editor at Tyndale House Publishers. We publish books and Bibles.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Hipo?

We came up with a unique concept for an iOS/Android app that could interact with print Bibles to enrich the reader’s experience. We’d already completed extensive design work and had a print designer create PDF wireframes. However, we lacked the resources to execute our vision, so we reached out to Hipo to build our app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a native app for iOS and Android that could adapt to mobile and tablet displays. It was important for the product to have a consistent user interface across all platforms, so we gave them very detailed specs on fonts, visuals, and relative sizes. Using our provided wireframes, Hipo’s team was able to produce a pixel-perfect replica of our designs.

The app features a visual capture function that can recognize the reader’s location in a book without using a QR code. It would then retrieve and display text information as well as other interactive elements related to the page’s content. They’ve already completed a light version of the app with limited features and have released it a few months ago. Currently, we’re preparing to submit the full version to the App Store this week and predict an October 2018 launch.

What is the team composition?

My primary contact is their CEO, but we’ve also worked with a team of about six people, including iOS developers, Android developers, backend developers, and QA testers.

How did you come to work with Hipo?

We initially found them through a referral. A colleague of ours had worked with them to build an app and said good things about their work. We liked the app that they’d created, so we solicited bids from them along with two other companies.

During the vetting process, their CEO seemed really interested in the project and was willing to engage with us in detail, even at that stage. They presented a thorough proposal that stood out from their competitors. Although they weren’t the least expensive, we felt comfortable moving forward with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work began in December 2017 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve done great work so far. Customers have reacted positively to the light version of the app, and we’ve also seen strong responses at demos and trade shows. We’re particularly impressed with the app’s functionality; it’s able to do complex things in a way that appears simple and intuitive.

How did Hipoperform from a project management standpoint?

We generally communicate through Slack and email, and there’s never been an issue with language barriers. The team also holds regular video calls almost every week to provide updates. Beyond that, they produce consistent alpha releases to test the progress on various features.

In terms of scheduling and time zone differences, we haven’t experienced any major challenges. I would occasionally post something in the afternoon, but they would always take care of it by the next day. If we’ve ever needed anything immediately, they’ve typically been pretty responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Hipo’s team distinguished themselves, even before we hired them. They asked great questions to understand what we were looking for and engaged with us in a constructive way. I also appreciated that they understood how complex our project was. Their comments helped us refine our concepts and execute them successfully.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. We faced some challenges during the development process, but it’s not like they could’ve handled them any better than they did.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If they don’t provide exactly what you thought you asked for, don’t be afraid to communicate that with them. There have been times when they’ve delivered something that was different from what we’d initially asked for, and we had to talk to them about it. Sometimes they had legitimate, practical reasons for those changes. Other times, they simply misunderstood our requests and would make the corrections without charge. In that sense, they’re fair with their time and have never been defensive if we brought something up.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a company called Fieldguide. We build image recognition technology and software that replaces printed field guides. Users can input a picture of animals, plants, or gear and one of our apps will identify the object.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Hipo?

We didn’t know what form the app should take and wanted a team with a wide range of experience to help us build it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built the app from end to end, with mobile apps for both Android and iOS. They also developed the backend and API infrastructure for the web app. I was the primary UI designer and provided them with interface design mockups and functional requirements.

The core technology has shipped and we’ve launched the second version of the Android and iOS apps. We’re scaling up the infrastructure and the website to accommodate over 20 million images. We’re currently launching a series of satellite apps that are dedicated to particular subjects, like a separate system for bird identification. We have a good rhythm and release one or two satellite apps per month.

What is the team composition?

We work with a team of about seven. There is an iOS developer, Android developer, two backend API developers, a machine learning specialist, a QA lead, and a web developer for the frontend of the websites.

How did you come to work with Hipo?

We were introduced through a mutual contact. We came up with conceptual designs for the software and they were recommended. I vetted them against a few other companies and they offered the best balance of resources within our budget. I liked their portfolio and felt they would be a good match.

How much have you invested with them?

Our average expenditure is roughly $35,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January or February 2015 and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We track our successes and engagement numbers for active users on a daily and monthly basis. We’ve conducted revenue generation experiments that exceeded expectations and we’re very satisfied with their work. We’re happy to report successes and rapid growth to our early sponsors.

How did Hipo perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a very clean ticketing and management process. We communicate through Slack, Codebase, and Zoom. We get regular milestones and queues in Codebase to aggregate issues and deal with bugs and new features. They made it very easy to budget time and expectations and we’ve had a very smooth process. They often exceed our expectations, especially in complex features. They provide crisp estimates and are willing to go above and beyond.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a lot of clients and get pulled in multiple directions, but they absorb that energy and are a calming, rational force in our dealings with them. They resolve chaos more quickly and effectively than other development shops and professionally handle difficult situations where a lot needs to be done in a short period of time and within a particular budget.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There is always room to clarify our expectations or implications of design. They’re very good at filling in holes in our explanations and have a good understanding of our intentions, so we haven’t gotten into trouble in that way. We can still cut down on the iterative design cycle and make soft improvements, but they’re stellar to work with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re really comfortable with communication. Their culture is remote and they have teams in various places in North America and Europe. They accomplish a lot in our off hours. There is still enough overlap in time zones to allow us to catch up and they’re extremely responsive at all hours. Use that to your advantage if you choose to work with them.