Infinum

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder of a sound design and music software company based in the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed to create a standalone solution that delivered a better and more streamlined experience for our diverse, existing user base. Since our customers count on our products for performing music live on stage we needed to ensure that the resulting product was incredibly reliable and solid. We decided to partner with Infinum to achieve this goal.

SOLUTION

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

We interviewed numerous App developers during our search and received drastically different estimates. Every other vendor we interviewed didn't seem to understand our customer's core needs nor the complexity of what we were setting out to do. In contrast

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

We needed an App built for iPadOS that was capable of handling complex MIDI and Audio signal paths in realtime, synced to our website storefront for accounts and purchase verification. We also needed a way for our team of sound designers and musicians to add to and manage libraries via a custom, web-based CMS.

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

Our project started with a project manager, two graphic designers, and one front end developer. From there we scaled up to two full-time iOS developers and two full-time back-end Rails devs, along with a full-time QA role for the back half of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within a few weeks of the App's beta release 33% of our existing user base had downloaded and accessed the beta. During the beta period we've received fantastic feedback on the App's performance, design, and feel and have had very few bugs that weren't already addressed before the beta. We're planning to move from TestFlight beta to public release after just a couple months in beta, which is fantastic.

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

Infinum had a well-realized way of work that we were able to onboard and blend with our existing tools. Slack for simple communication, Figma for design, and Productive for task/ticket and sprint planning. We've met weekly for a quick sync with a sprint review every other week where each member of the team demonstrates what has been accomplished and the next sprint is planned.

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

Some of the goals we thought would be most challenging, such as the custom MIDI and audio engines we knew we'd need, were realized incredibly quickly by Infinum's iOS developers. We ended up getting so far ahead during the first 3 months that our team had to work hard to catch up! During the first year of our collaboration a couple member's of Infinum's team have received promotions that necessitated them to offboard from our project.

We anticipated these transitions being a bit of a setback but found the opposite. Infinum did a fantastic job of replacing personnel and ensuring they were incredibly well prepared before they jumped in. The project didn't skip a beat, even when we transitioned on a new project manager.

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

One area where we ran into trouble was actually because of a positive. We made the conscious decision to start front-end development first to get the App's engines working and then start bringing back-end devs in later. But because the iOS devs on the front-end got so much done so fast, we ended up needing to regroup a bit to make sure that the back-end was able to catch up to the front end team.

Thankfully we were able to ensure all the needed connections happened and we worked with Infinum to adjust our staffing so that back-end could work at the required speed.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Modra zavarovalnica create accessible insurance and other financial solutions aimed at increasing an individual’s social security in all stages of life. Position: Member of the Management Board

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Design and development of mobile application and API backend environment. Goal: Provide digital financial and supplementary social security services to the members of Modra zavarovalnica.

SOLUTION

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

The vendor was selected in a two-phase process. In phase 1 interviews were conducted. In phase 2, multi-criteria evaluation was performed. Deciding factors: size and organisation of bidder, reference projects, competencies, methodology of work, price of services,....

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

• Workstream 1: research and product strategy
• Workstream 2: ETP release Technology : Vendor use Flutter framework, which allows one programming language and one codebase to create two different apps (for iOS and Android).

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

The vendos has provided more than 10 different professionals with different competencies: UX/UI designer, Backend web developer, Flutter developer, Project manager, .NET developer and others

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are not yet in the phase of mass use of the application.

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

Clearly defined roles and responsibilities, communication is clearly and respectfully, very effective project methodology, trying to understand every time how their activities fits into mission of Modra zavarovalnica, respect each member of team, etc.

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

The continuity of project activities is ensured despite changes in their team structure., High level of efficiency of work methodology

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

no suggestions

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
Hrvatska poštanska banka is a bank in Croatia. I’m the head of the direct channels division, which includes digital channels.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Infinum?
They’re our mobile app developer.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?
Infinum developed our Android and iOS banking app from scratch. They handle the ongoing, day-to-day activities regarding the app, including solving any issues.

The app interfaces with other internal systems. It has all the modern features of a banking app, like making transfers and payments, checking services, and using our e-branch. The app is in line with other banking apps on the market.

What is the team composition?
I don’t have insights into what the team size was during the initial development. Currently, we have 3–5 dedicated resources, depending on our budget and project plan. Their relationship manager is our main contact. He relays all our requirements to the developers and analysts.

How did you come to work with Infinum?
Infinum was working with the bank before I came onboard. The app was up and running when I started.

How much have you invested with them?
The cost so far this year is up to $200,000. The total since the bank signed the contract till now is more than $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?
Infinum had an ongoing contract when I started working at the bank in December 2019. The collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Things are going quite well. We’re happy with the relationship and with the day-to-day operational matters. The app has good ratings in both stores.

How did Infinum perform from a project management standpoint?
My team has daily communication with them. We use standard communication and documentation tools as well as create change requests and test scenarios. There’s nothing too advanced.

What did you find most impressive about them?
Infinum has a young responsive team that’s well-equipped for what it does.

Are there any areas they could improve?
There’s always room for improvement, but there’s nothing significant. We can always ask for more developers, lower prices, and better delivery but we’re definitely satisfied with the overall services Infinum provides.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?
They’re a serious company, well-recognized in the Croatian market and outside of it. This is a nice thing for any company that started from scratch. Infinum provides a wide range of services in banking and other industries. As a company, they definitely had a positive trend from the beginning, and they provide high-quality services.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a fashion technology startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Infinum?

I believe that the future of fashion is made to measure, and with the help of technology, we’ll be able to fit garment patterns automatically for customers. Infinum is helping me develop a manufacturing system that draws custom clothing patterns based on each individual customer’s measurements.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the beginning of the project, I explained how I envisioned the site and provided written requirements while my partner oversaw the project. From there, Infinum provided product development and code writing services. Based on my specifications, they developed the platform in Python.

What is the team composition?

They had a project manager, one frontend, and one backend developer assigned to my project. I met around five people from their team in total.

How did you come to work with Infinum?

A friend of mine who had worked with Infinum recommended them to me. I considered a few other companies, but they had the best price.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost was around €25,000 (approximately $30,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with Infinum in March 2020, and they wrapped up the project in July. Now they continue to provide maintenance and updates.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work is still in progress, but I’m happy with the results so far. There hasn’t been anything they can’t do. I’ve tested the system and have been able to fit several women because it works. At the moment, I’m only using it only internally.

How did Infinum perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re quick and they communicate well. They’re using Slack and their own project management system, along with email, phone calls, and video meetings to keep in touch with us. Overall, they’re really nice and I enjoy working with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re more expensive than other providers, but they’re very professional. I’m happy with Infinum and would recommend them to others.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They’re quick with everything I need, and

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They should be very specific in terms of what they want to get in the end. The more specific the client is, the better the quality of the result will be.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of a creative film technology company. We focus on improving the creative workflows in film, television, and theatre.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Infinum?

We brought them on to develop our web app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve done all of the design for the web application. Infinum implements it and builds the solution. Our team works with them on a constant basis for the web app and continual improvements to the product. Their team also built our marketing site and helps with its web design from time to time. They’re handling everything from concept to build. The site is on WordPress.

What is the team composition?

For the web app, we have three individuals working on it. On the marketing site side, there are an additional three people.

How did you come to work with Infinum?

Infinum is based in Croatia. I have a friend who lives there and recommended Infinum and a couple of other agencies. We interviewed all of them, and they created proposals. Ultimately, we went with Infinum.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested somewhere between $200,000–$1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started around April 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Without the web app they’ve created, we couldn’t have a viable product. We’ve seen usage grow from zero to lots because of Infinum’s work. They’ve developed a beautiful and functional website. That has allowed us to explain our product better and get more leads.

How did Infinum perform from a project management standpoint?

They have their own in-house development tool. We also have a dedicated project manager who we talk to weekly. They help with the weekly sprints.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Infinum is very attentive. Their team gets the job done and is collaborative throughout the entire process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes, it takes a little while to find the right people for their team. Infinum would find developers, and I had to be more diligent about communicating when somebody wasn’t quite working so we could form the team that was appropriate for us.

It’d be great if they had come up with that on their own. That happened long ago in the past. We’ve had a great number of years with Infinum now. There are natural growing pains in the beginning.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be diligent about making sure you have the team that’s going to get it done for you. Do this within the first couple of months and be open about communicating with Infinum when you feel there are issues. Their team is very receptive to that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of product for Repsly. We’re a software company that provides a retail execution platform. Retail execution is essentially merchandizing and field sales. Large food and consume products brands use us when they send their teams into retail stores to merchandize their products. We’re the platform that they run on — a mobile app and a web app that they use to execute these field programs. We have about 800 customers around the world in 80 different countries using our product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Infinum?

We were looking for a partner to run our UX design process and wanted someone that was experienced working with our kind of applications.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Infinum offers many design services, but we’re a product company, so they’re providing us with access to UX design leaders and designers to join our team and build our product.
We’re going through a design update for our web application, and they led the whole workshop and kickoff of that project. They’ve been working with us directly on the design and implementation for a year now.
The project started with rethinking the product. We last did a redesign 4–5 years ago, and the website was great for the time, but our business transformed, and we went from serving very small customers with 5–10 users to large, global teams with hundreds or even thousands of people in the field. That level of business application requires a different UX, and its users expect different things out of their applications. Infinum’s team led the process of rethinking our application in light of our larger corporate clients.
Specifically, they helped us prioritize our personas and home in on who we were designing for. Then, they helped us workshop how we prioritize the roadmap on design, and worked with us through the design process, from concept to wireframe to actual UX design. They also interacted directly with our development teams to implement and deploy.
In this case, they designed for iOS and web, using a lot of core support technology. They had a project management system, Productive, that we found to be very useful. They work a lot with some good design collaboration tools. For example, we’re working with both Figma and Miro — we’re doing workshops on these platforms. We can whiteboard designs and concepts and work through different exercises to extract requirements and priorities, and then share them with the developers.

What was the team composition?

We’ve worked with 5–6 people at Infinum over the years, including project managers, senior designers, mobile designers, web designers, etc.

How did you come to work with Infinum?

We connected with Infinum, because we were founded in Zagreb, which is where they’re located. They had the capacity to bring multiple different skill sets into the UX design process, and they were located close to our development team, which is also in Zagreb. They didn’t just have the technical skills of mobile and web apps, but they knew how to run the design process. We interviewed multiple firms and felt that Infinum was the right choice for us.

We had a set of objectives in mind and set that up against potential firms in the region. We interviewed each company for their proposal, and Infinum stood out in several ways. First, this is the type of project they normally do. They have a number of other clients that look like us. Additionally, the type of people they hire suited us. They have teams of designers that collaborate with each other, so we weren’t just getting the people on our team, but we were also going to benefit from the whole company. That was a big differentiator.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent less than $200,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since January 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re about to launch our new UX, and that’s where the proof will come into play. We’re instrumenting our system to detect usability patterns with the new designs, and once I have those statistics, we’ll be able to compare user behavior between the new system and the old one.

How did Infinum perform from a project management standpoint?

They use a project management tool called Productive, which has been super helpful. We use it as a scrum system — there is a backlog and then things that are active in the current sprint. They also use it for their billing system.

The most important thing was the cadence Infinum set up with us on weekly synchronization with me. This lets me know what’s happening on the ground level of each project. We meet weekly to do a recap and some reprioritization on the plan. They’re very agile and able to respond to changing needs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

First, speaking as a software company, Infinum understands the software business, whereas other providers we talked to had marketing-type design skills. Infinum knows how to make products. Second, their breadth of experience stands out. They have a great team of in-house designers. We don’t just have one designer. Third, they’re a great cultural fit with us. Because we’re embedding them with our team, they understand agile systems and they share our values in terms of creating greater customer experiences and adopting best practices. The transition to start working with them was very smooth.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing immediately comes to mind. We hired them specifically because they’re based in Zagreb, like our development office. This was intentional, as we wanted them to be in the same time zone as the team doing the implementation work. Selfishly, I’d love to have more time overlap to spend with them, but because they’re six hours ahead of me, there’s no way for me to be more available to them. That’s not their fault, however.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Look to align with them on your project and their experience. Can they show you examples that relate to your work? Ask them how they’ll find out what your design objectives are. Learn about their process to extract user requirements and design requirements. They did a great job of articulating their process to us.

Additionally, look for a cultural fit between how you and they think about products. Early on, we had them do an evaluation about what they thought about our initial product. They found all the items we’d highlighted to address, in addition to a bunch of other issues that totally made sense.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a small startup focused on developing immunotherapy for cancer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Infinum?

We needed the help of a company that could redo our site completely. Prior to hiring a web development company, we were using Wix. There were some limitations with what we could do with our website on our own, and the platform needed to be faster. We also wanted to create different versions of our site for our international work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project is rather large. Our existing website was about 10 pages, but they had to completely redo it from scratch. Initially, the project started with three phases, involving the US, Polish, Israeli, and Turkish websites. During each phase, we would launch new pages to our site. They’ve held our hands and provide direction through the process. We didn’t have an IT department or a brand guide for them to follow, so they created branding elements for us. That included the color scheme and font kit. 

After creating the website, they even helped with onboarding. We’re now using WordPress, so they trained me on the platform so I can maintain the site as we move forward. They also did DNS management, which wasn’t initially in our quote. They asked if we needed help there, and the answer was yes. 

What is the team composition?

Our project manager was the main point of contact, but I had weekly calls with him and the entire design and development team. It was interactive that way. The development team came to me directly with questions, but I mostly spoke with the project manager. 

How did you come to work with Infinum?

We did a lot of Google searching and found several vendor options. In their proposal to us, they were very thorough in identifying our business problems and defining what they thought we needed. They also answered plenty of questions about what technologies would be used and what platforms we would have to implement to make the process work.   

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since August 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is functioning much faster, so they’ve met all the needs we were hoping to achieve so far.  

How did Infinum perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re easy to work with and communicate great. They never left out a single detail in our updates. Using Productive, I can monitor their progress. They also send detailed invoices and updates. We’ve only missed one deadline, and it was for a justifiable reason.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication skills were amazing, which helped us through the process. They track their progress effectively as well. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Our biggest issue was not having content prepped for them on our end. Make sure you provide them realistic deadlines to accommodate any potential delays.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the co-founders of a group that created a healthcare app called AIdentyfy. The app uses machine learning tools to identify implants from x-rays for preoperative surgical planning.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Infinum?

My group conducts a lot of machine learning-based programming and research, and we needed a way to package this on a mobile platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Infinum was able to implement our machine learning model into an iOS app that is HIPAA-compliant. 

The app has a case-planning feature, so the surgeon or their team can input patient information and also store patient radiographic images. The automated implant identification feature works off of those stored images. If the surgeon wants to know which implant the patient has based on their x-ray, they no longer need to reach out to the patient’s former surgeon or try to get outside hospital records; instead, they can just take a picture, and the app’s recognition functionality identifies which company made that implant. This allows the surgeon to have the right equipment available.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager as well as developers and designers.

How did you come to work with Infinum?

I did a Google search and found Infinum on Clutch. After interviewing a couple of software firms that seemed to be in line with what we were looking for, we reached out to Infinum. I liked their team — they had a good vibe about them. They also had someone on the team with machine learning expertise, so it seemed like the right fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in early 2019, and it ended in late 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We looked at the number of user downloads as well as feedback in the App Store to measure functionality. I looked at comments from my co-workers and people I don’t know who downloaded the app. I considered feedback on how ergonomic the app was to use for older surgeons who aren’t very tech-savvy.

How did Infinum perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very good and responsive. Most of our communication was through Slack, and it was very easy to get in touch with them. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I thought they were very professional. They were constantly asking questions and trying to pinpoint what we needed and in what form. They tried to see what would be helpful from a healthcare provider standpoint.

My team has a lot of coding experience, and we did a lot of the machine learning backend work. Even from a technical standpoint, Infinum’s expertise was up to snuff. We didn’t have to wait for them to catch up or anything.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I believe they only had one machine learning person. There were times when he was occupied with other projects, so my team handled some of the technical troubleshooting. It would’ve been nice if they had someone from their end to help with that. That would be my only criticism.

Any advice for potential customers?

They’re very detail-oriented, so be prepared with the exact product or specifications that you need. They can run on very little instruction or feedback, but I think it behooves the client to be specific and provide a lot of feedback in order to get exactly what you want out of them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a product manager and UX lead for a UX design firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Infinum?

One of my clients is building a healthcare mobile app with the goal of improving patient care quality. This project will also have a companion website for support. We brought on Infinum to help us build those solutions. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Infinum is developing a set of iOS and Android apps that will improve the quality of care for patients. At the kick-off, we had a very specific list of requirements organized in a spreadsheet, including rough wireframes. We then worked with them through an exploration phase, design phase, and UX and testing phase. Now, they’re developing the apps in Flutter, and we’ll go into beta testing soon. They’re also doing full stack development for our WordPress site

What is the team composition? 

I work with a project manager and a design lead, but other people have filled in whenever we’ve needed to increase their bandwidth. Overall, it’s been about 10 people. 

How did you come to work with Infinum?

I learned about Infinum through a US developer that I’d worked with.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent in the range of $75,000–$125,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in April 2020, and we have a target end date of December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Infinum is a great partner that knows how to evolve our UX designs to be more user-centric. The team is nimble, too. Every project I’ve been involved with usually has a mid-stream change that we all have to deal with. Infinum has been good about absorbing those changes, responding quickly without impacting the budget significantly.

How did Infinum perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management is very strong. They have a sophisticated, homegrown project management tool that helps ensure good communication.

At some points, a few of their members have been pulled into other projects, but that has never been a concern for us. I’ve never felt like the project was not moving because of how responsive they are.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their strength lies in their holistic approach. When we need them, they have the bandwidth to pull in someone for usability testing or bring on an additional resource for QA.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There have been times when I’ve felt like I needed to give individuals a nudge to keep them responsive about feedback or answers. But, when I do, they hear me. So, I don’t have an overriding concern about it. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try to be as user-centric and buttoned-up as they are. You’ll get the most out of the experience if you stay on top of your project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of software for a biotechnology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Infinum?

We wanted to build an MVP of an Android app to support our system and reach our end clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided them with a set of requirements. Infinum continues to develop our Android platform using Kotlin.

What is the team composition?

We work with about five people from the Infinum team.

How did you come to work with Infinum?

I knew of the company and that their team was made up of good developers who produced high-quality work. I emailed them, and they provided assistance on short notice to help us get started.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership began in May 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They provided a professional end case. When we raise complaints, they quickly respond and fix the issue. We enjoy working with them.

How did Infinum perform from a project management standpoint?

Infinum provides a project manager who works part-time and handles the financial aspects of the project such as billing. We have smooth cooperation.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Infinum has a good balance of different expertise within the company. They also assign senior developers to oversee less-experienced developers, which is a good thing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I don’t have any specific advice.