InsaneLab

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a social networking company. We’ve created an iOS/Android app that allows mothers to connect and interact with local moms, scroll through different feeds, and track local events. As of today, we have a little over 50,000 downloads.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with In’saneLab?

We initially developed our apps on native platforms: we used Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android. However, we realized that having a duplicate codebase was too time-consuming to maintain. As a result, we needed resources to rewrite the app in Xamarin, which would target both platforms simultaneously.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did a complete rewrite of the frontend using Xamarin Native. The app had about 50 different views, so it was a fairly big project. After working with them for a couple of months, we asked them to create a custom-built chat backend using .NET. They’re currently working to deploy the backend, finish the Xamarin iteration of the app, and set up the hosting environment in Microsoft Azure.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is the project manager. There are also several backend developers working on the chat project and frontend developers doing the Xamarin implementation.

How did you come to work with In’saneLab?

I was searching online when I happened to stumble on a blog post that they’d written. At the time, we weren’t quite looking for a Xamarin implementation yet, but I kept them in mind. We decided to make the move about six months later.

Compared to other vendors, the deciding factor was a presentation they had conducted about MvvmCross and Refit. They talked about the benefits of training personnel to use Refit because it’s so much more efficient. Not only were they committed to finding the most efficient approach to a project, they were dedicated to supporting the development community.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent roughly $40,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work started in April 2018 and is ongoing. We’re actually putting in the chat system this week and expect to deploy the Xamarin version of the app in about a month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t completed the project yet, so we don’t have any hard metrics. However, based on our internal testing, we’re satisfied with the work we’ve seen so far, both in terms of quality and implementation speed.

How did In’saneLab perform from a project management standpoint?

Although they’re based in Eastern Europe, their project manager is typically available for our whole work day. His English is excellent, and he provides comprehensive responses to our questions. If I something isn’t working or if there need to be adjustments, the team will fix the issue by the next day or, at the very least, address it with a detailed answer.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate the speed of their development. They’re very efficient and produce quality work quickly. They definitely make the most of their work hours.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing major comes to mind. Recently, we had a tight deadline to meet, so we pushed them to deliver fast results. There were a few mishaps with the developers, so we would’ve liked more communication and QA on that front. However, we realized that they were just trying to be flexible for us to meet the deadline. We’ve since addressed the problem, and they’ve corrected it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of VKNGS, a small digital studio. We have a lot of experience in the market and specialize in designing all kinds of interfaces and interactions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with In’saneLab?

We needed help with multiple web designs and mobile app development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Every project with them is totally different. They usually assist with designing web apps and iOS and Android mobile apps. I’m not always sure what they use on the backend because we only work really closely with them on frontend development. They use .NET, JavaScript, WordPress, and React. Most of our clients have their own development teams who do the backend.

What is the team composition?

They have separate departments for web design and for mobile apps. We’ve worked with four or five developers but mainly communicate with two of them on the web design front because it’s what our projects mostly consist of.

How did you come to work with In’saneLab?

They may have found us, as we worked for a client of theirs before. We simply started incorporating them into our work.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $60,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2016 and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They perfectly understand us on a deep level. I can rest assured that we don’t have to check everything and make several changes or fixes because, from the first look, the quality of their work is better than what other software houses can deliver. I also don’t have to spend much time managing them, which is a big deal for me.

It’s hard to find a software house in Poland that’s of high quality and open to ideas. We don’t even bother looking at any other companies now because we know what’s out there, besides issues with communication. We don’t have these problems with In’saneLab. They’re a perfect partner for us for both frontend and backend work.

How did In’saneLab perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re flexible and willing to fit into what their client wants, in our case, using our project management system—InVision. We mainly use Slack for communication, and they’re always helpful, open, and ready to discuss anything.

They have very focused employees that complete the work within deadlines. They’re also always willing to learn and will work closely with their client’s vision. In our company, every detail matters, down to pixels and animations. In’saneLab has no problem with polishing these details

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re able to work together perfectly. This is the development collaboration I’ve been looking for over the years.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be better if we could be in the same office with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

LiveHelpNow is a helpdesk SaaS [software-as-a-service] provider located in Pennsylvania. I am the founder and CTO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with In'saneLab?

We wanted to find quality ideas and website UI development resources. We don't have any full-time design employees, so we needed a third party.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In'saneLab initially designed a WordPress blog for our company. I don't know how many developers were assigned, but the work was done fairly fast, being completed in 2 weeks. The main thing I liked about In'saneLab is that they didn't use much of our time. We could simply give them a set of functionalities to design for, which is what In'saneLab did. They came up with a professional and mobile-responsive solution.

We have worked on many other projects with In'saneLab, including development ones using Elixir, Perl, and .NET.

How did you come to work with In'saneLab?

We have an investment in another firm whose owner recommended In'saneLab after we asked him for good quality designers. My major consideration always was not having to give the partner many details. Being able to describe a project in a couple of sentences was very important, and that's what In'saneLab was able to provide.

How much have you invested with In'saneLab?

The cost of In'saneLab’s services has been around $250,000 overall.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with In'saneLab in 2015. The collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our subscription base was increased tremendously, by around 64%. In'saneLab contributed to the redesign of another brand, called HelpSquad. It produced a through-the-roof conversion rate; around 62% of the people arriving at the site will at least get a trial service. In'saneLab also built 2 blogs for the brand, including one called HelpSquad Ideas, on which we publish video content. The blogs also have excellent subscription rates.

Instead of only slapping things together, In'saneLab has made an effort to understand our business. After I give them an idea, In'saneLab's team will do their own research, looking at the competition and at what does or doesn't work, in order to put the best of all worlds together.

How did In'saneLab perform from a project management standpoint?

We have worked with one project manager from In'saneLab, as well as another contact based in the US. In'saneLab has gotten the project management concept right, allowing us to not deal with developers directly. The communication is very straightforward and streamlined, with only 2 very smart managers.

What did you find most impressive about In'saneLab?

I appreciate the fact that In'saneLab can work on a project based off of very little information. I can provide 2%, and have In'saneLab provide the remaining 98%. They will research everything around the task with absolutely no input from us.

Are there any areas In'saneLab could improve?

No.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with In'saneLab?

I don't know how many project managers In'saneLab has, but I would advise clients to work with ours, Ben Grinberg and Mateusz Cisowski.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My business is Learnaboutgmp.com. We’re an online life science training provider for big biotech and pharmaceutical companies. We provide an online training platform for them to get trained in different regulatory aspects of manufacturing drugs and medicinal products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with In’saneLabs?

Actually, an online community was the first thing we wanted to create, and we created that with In’sane. We also integrated it to a WordPress front-end which houses all of our training courses. That’s where we advertise our training courses. We had 2 platforms originally and have been working with In’sane to get it down to 1 platform which would be easy for users visiting the site to navigate, to find out what was going on, to take courses, to sign up, etc. It’s gone through various iterations to get to where it is now.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

There were 4–6 developers on the project, maybe not all at the same time, but from different variations of the project. Our platform depends on a WordPress backend. We had to change all of that integration of WordPress into our community software. In’sane did all the design elements of that and the integration. We also integrated a Stripe payment mechanism, so we have an online payment system as well. There were other things minor things they worked on too, but these are the big ones that come to mind.

How did you come to work with In’saneLabs?

I found them on a smaller project that I was working with years ago. I’ve been dealing with web-related work for a long time. They jumped out to me as the best and most responsive service, and also the quality of the work was second to none. We’ve worked with various Indian contractors in the past and the quality of the work there, to be honest, wasn’t very good. Once we found In’saneLabs, it was clear to me that they were going to be the provider we were going to use going forward.

How much have you invested with In’saneLabs?

We have spent over $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with In’saneLabs for the last 4 to 5 years. The project is completed but it is ongoing; it’s kind of a living project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had an increase in sales from where we originally were when we asked them to redesign the platform and integrate a new payment system. We saw a pretty big bump in top-line revenue as a result of that. That’s the one metric that stuck out to me.

How did In’saneLabs perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management was always comprehensive. They have automated a lot of their support as well. I’m kept up to date each week on the progress of any bug fixes or the addition of new features that are going in, so it’s always very responsive and clear. We communicate through various communication mechanisms such as their Atlassian bug management system, Skype, and Slack.

What did you most impressive about In’saneLabs?

The quality of their technical work is really something that stands out. They’re always looking to tell you about things that you can do better, which is always refreshing.

Are there any areas In’saneLabs could improve?

I’m not really sure, to be honest.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Information Technologies of Brock & Company, Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Food Service Management Company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Moving our Legacy platform to Cloud-based system

SOLUTION

How did you find InsaneLab?

Referral

Why did you select InsaneLab over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from InsaneLab were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Moving our Legacy financial application to cloud-based platform. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Time Savings, Centralized access.

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

All was exceptional.

What was your primary form of communication with InsaneLab?

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

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

I was impressed with their attention to detail. As a multi-location food service management company, Brock and Company needed a strategic move away from our outdated legacy desktop system. Partnering with Insanelab was the best decision. Their team's meticulous attention to detail and commitment to understanding our business—from our legacy processes to our forward-looking vision—was truly exceptional. The new, centralized cloud-based platform they built provides our departments with secure, role-based access for streamlined workflows and powerful, real-time reporting. This modernization has significantly improved our efficiency and data accessibility across all locations.

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

Nope.