Iron Forge Development

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder of a national adult recreational basketball league company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Iron Forge Development, and what were your goals?

We started out as an offline seasonal basketball league business that did not allow for us to scale. After many failed attempts we realized that we did not have the technological resources, infrastructure, or manpower to run our leagues in multiple cities at one time. We tasked Iron Forge with developing a self-serving mobile app for our league teams and players that would solve our technical infrastructure, manpower, and scalability issues.

SOLUTION

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

Before hiring Iron Forge Development, we had a really bad experience with another app development company so we kind of knew what to look for and what not to do. The deciding factor for hiring Iron Forge was due to the fact that they took the time to really understand our business and our objectives for developing an app, the details of the project process, and the timeline that they provided.

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

The scope of work consisted of developing a first-of-its-kind sports league app for the recreational marketplace. There were seven milestones within the development process and the app code and framework were built using Flutter language for Android and IOS.

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

In total there were four individuals that I worked with:

• Sales Associate - initial contact
• COO - scope & development meetings
• Project Manager - assigned post-contract
• Sr. App Developer - had meetings during the pre-launch phase.

However, the Rockstar of their team and my main point of contact that I met with weekly was the Project Manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were on a very tight timeline and budget. It was critical for us that our project stay on track and be able to launch within the timeframe we had originally stated. Everything with our project was ahead of schedule and on budget and we were able to launch a week before our launch date. Needless to say, we were very happy and pleased with those outcomes.

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

Iron Forge's project management style was very client/customer-centric. I was always in the loop of our project due to our weekly update Zoom meetings and I could email my project manager at any time with questions if I ever had any. We never had an issue with any of their communication tools or methods.

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

Being a non-coder tech founder, I appreciated their technical expertise. They helped me with thinking thru some blind spots and consulted me on the best practices, methods, and techs to use within our app.

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

None that I can think of at this time... they knocked it out of the park for me! I wouldn't change anything in reference to my experience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a company that created Manna Cooking: The only app in the world that allows people to find, customize, share, cook, and shop recipes all in one place.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Iron Forge Development, and what were your goals?

We hired Iron Forge to do a UX/UI overhaul of our beta product and help us implement more development power. Our launch is set to go live next month, November 2021.

SOLUTION

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

I had a personal connection to one of the founders and discovered Iron Forge coincidentally via Linkedin. We had spoken to a number of agencies previously and the quality and competence of each paled in comparison to Iron Forge. Iron Forge had experience working in our industry before and demonstrated immediately that they understood our brand and aligned with us on goals for the go to market product.

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

We kicked off with their month long discovery process and broke down the existing product along with goals for V1.0 They first delivered us information architecture for all the new UX. Upon completion we proceeded to wire frames and UI inspiration samples. Once our team approved those they completed the UI in Figma and created a clickable prototype, then began the development process in conjunction with our internal team.

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

We worked with a project manager, designer and developer weekly. Initially met with the CRO and other executive team, as well as an additional technical member of Iron Forge who did IA drafting

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are still ongoing the final phase of the project as we approach our launch. The quality of their product speaks for itself. We have seen a major upswing in traction since showing demos of the new app to investors, advisors and new users.

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

We have consistent weekly calls, and they were also very flexible with us. I appreciated the balance of organization and structure with the understanding that we are a young, dynamic company with unpredictable schedules.

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

I mean this answer literally: everything. While that feedback may not be actionable, it is truthful. Their design talent is perhaps the most striking, but they are far and away from the best agency I've interacted with.

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

Totally satisfied

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and founder of a connected fitness platform that bridges the gap between physical therapy and home fitness. We have a connected fitness tool called AXIUS Core, which improves our users' core strength, balance, and mobility. It guides people through a data-driven journey with a connected IoT application.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Iron Forge Development?

We needed a proof of concept for a prototype IoT mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we had a discovery phase in terms of wireframing and mapping out what we wanted to build. We first provided an initial project scope document for Iron Forge to go through. After a few discovery calls to relay our needs and discuss the scope, they produced a comprehensive and detailed project scope and wireframe for the project.

Then came the implementation phase where they actually built it, which went through several different iterations. They ended up building several versions of this prototype app before we finally landed on the final version. Finally, we created a go-to-market (GTM) strategy, which they also helped design and implement. They continue to work with us on refining their work.

What is the team composition?

There are two people assigned to the project.

How did you come to work with Iron Forge Development?

They were recommended to us through a business networking group. I decided to work with them once I had a chance to speak with their development team because they were flexible, customizable, and had lots of experience in bringing apps to the market in this particular space. 

How much have you invested with them?

The total spend for this project is $75,000 so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in March 2020, and we’re still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to their work, we’ve been able to acquire nearly half a million dollars in investment so far. 

How did Iron Forge Development perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great at project management and communication. They have a detailed scope of work and agreed-upon milestones that they're able to follow and reference. The team always keeps me up to speed on their progress in terms of deliverables — they consistently give me real-time updates on a weekly, sometimes even daily, basis. For operational communication, we mainly use Slack, but we also have occasional Zoom meetings and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have the expertise and vision that you'd want from a big company, but they have the dedication, flexibility, and attention of a small team. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have any suggestions for them to improve; we’re satisfied with the results of their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear understanding of what you want to build prior to engaging with any development and design group like Iron Forge. My advice isn’t specific to them, though; I'd say that's for any time you're outsourcing your UI/UX.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of a mental health technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Iron Forge Development?

We hired them to help with development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed two native iOS apps for us, working collaboratively with our internal team. They also developed an ERP web application. This project was more complex and included intricate design work and backend development. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with 7–8 people. There was one iOS developer, four web application developers, a lead designer, a project manager, and two additional designers. 

How did you come to work with Iron Forge Development?

They were recommended to us. 

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve invested a bit over $200,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2020, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They consistently executed our ideas. They’re effective, but their work is also affordable. They’ve taken on some complex challenges. 

How did Iron Forge Development perform from a project management standpoint?

They hit all of our deadlines. Our iOS developer is very responsive and works well with our team. The rest of the team’s project management is good, but not great. Communication is frequent, and they keep me informed of any major obstacles or issues. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re reliable and get stuff done. I can count on them. They know how to solve problems. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are times that they could’ve communicated a little better and been more organized in tracking the project. However, I would still give them high marks overall. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you want a US-based development team, they’re a great option, especially if your company is smaller. Define the project well upfront. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a technology startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Iron Forge Development, and what were your goals?

We worked with Iron Forge to create a clickable prototype so we could validate our startup concept. We then had Iron Forge build out our MVP so we could further test and validate.

SOLUTION

How did you select Iron Forge Development and what were the deciding factors?

I felt strongly that Iron Forge was a partner. They provided a lot of value outside of just the technology aspect. Members of their team helped me with fundraising and digital marketing advice. They also weren't just trying to build what I asked them. They provided pushback in areas that they thought the concept could be improved.

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

Iron Forge first created a clickable prototype of the app in InVision that we used to validate our concept. After validation, they also built our iOS MVP in Swift. The app involved integration of several APIs, dashboards, and scheduling functionality.

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

We worked primarily with Ian from Iron Forge on the development of our app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was delivered in a timely manner, and they worked quickly and diligently to fix any bugs that we found during testing.

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

They had a very clear process and communication process throughout the life of the project.

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

Again, I thought their approach of forming a true partnership with us as the client was what was most impressive. They were more than just a development company, they helped with fundraising and marketing strategy as well.

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

There is nothing that jumps out at me that they could have done better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a tech startup called Last Minute Hair. We provide an on-demand delivery service for beauty products making it easy for local beauty supplies stores to market and sell their inventory to consumers and then deliver it within an hour.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Iron Forge Development?

I was looking for a trustworthy development company to help with building out my mobile app to take to the market. After trying to build it out myself, I realized that it would take so much time I wanted to find a tech company that I could trust.

I wanted to have a click-through prototype that I could leave to the audience and a visual for people to see exactly what I was speaking about. I wanted to find a software developer to help start the app process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Iron Forge Development was very hands-on with educating me on the process that it would take to build my app. I knew exactly what I wanted my app to do and the features that it had, but decided that I needed a narrative created for my app.

The key feature that I had for my app was the ability to do a two-step authentication for the receiving and payment of the deliveries and they helped me work through that process. Iron Forge Development helped me integrate the POS software that I also created to the app and helped to make it easier for consumers to search for a product by brand name and user type.

I knew what I wanted to do and the feel that I wanted in the app when people use it, but I didn’t have necessarily a full look. Working on the project, we were able to go back and forth and told them what I wanted to say and the language and they give feedback on how we could potentially write it.

Initially, they didn’t know what they'd be able to complete, but they work on building key pages and important aspects.  Iron Forge Development was really helpful when we built the driver side that the consumers would use. While we had a consumer side to be more lighthearted with a lot of images, we want to keep it conservative when we’re dealing with the business side and keep the same emotions, but in a cleaner way.

They helped to make my app more user friendly and more sustainable for the future. The app is available for iOS and Android and they also helped me with the process of adding the app to Google Play and Apple App Store. In 4–5 weeks, they built a prototype for my app, which includes a lot of things because it's very intricate.

What is the team composition?

It is very intimate. I'm able to get in contact with everyone from one of the founding CEOs. I work with one of the CEOs, who developed the entire frontend design for the mobile app. I have access to them and they are really supportive.

How did you come to work with Iron Forge Development?

I found Iron Forge Development just in time for my very first pitch competition that I had last October 2019. Once I spoke to Chris (Chief Revenue Officer), I was definitely sold because of how genuine and invested they were to make sure that they would build a product that was best for their client. 

Iron Forge Development’s name popped up in a Google search and I started looking through their portfolio. I then searched for them in Google Play Store and Apple App Store. I started to look through the reviews and the consumer feedback of what their experience was using the platform for these apps that they built out. One of the apps that they built out had a 4.4 review.

Even the reviews that had a low rating were most likely due to human error where the person who was using the app didn’t use it well. It was mostly people who were excited or praising the app for these other companies that they built for.

With that, I felt confident that the people who were using my app would feel the same way just because of their detail; they have a very keen eye for detail and I really like that.

How much have you invested with them?

By the time the project is done, I will have invested $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with Iron Forge Development in November 2019 and I’m still working with them to finish the development of the app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve been able to acquire lifetime members of the app and people who are pre-registering to be a part of the platform. I have business owners who are really excited and impressed by the flow of the app and how their inventory will be presented to their customers, and how I built up the process in the app so that they are protected and their bottom line is protected.

They work from the back- to the frontend and they knocked it out. It looks really good and there weren't a lot of things that needed to be added afterward. I won my first pitch competition.

How did Iron Forge Development perform from a project management standpoint?

Iron Forge Development is always on point. The communication is awesome. Every time I reach out, they are very responsive. I have a direct cell phone number so I am able to text and call them.

If they can't answer right away because they are in a meeting, they will always get right back to me as soon as they have free time. It isn’t hard for me to get a hold of them. Project management wise, they’re always on time; they built out a full prototype within four weeks.

It was more of a collaboration, but I’ve been thinking about the work for two years before I met Iron Forge Development. I had my work together by the time I got to them, but they definitely helped bring me to full circle. They built up the prototype and that’s what I’ve been using to market.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I needed the job done right the first time and that’s what Iron Forge Development did. They are very personable and that’s why I have this true loyalty to them. They’re more than just a development company, they've almost become like family. They make sure that we are taken care of and we understand the process. If I need any help, they’re always there for me and I can call them up or text them.

Iron Forge Development’s theme and app design is very clean and polished. The users are always in front of Iron Forge Development’s mind when they develop an app. Their eye for detail is something that stands out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

With new team members coming in on the project, there should be a full understanding and consistency of what’s expected. That’s always something that is easy to work on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know what you want, have a clear idea of what you want your product, app, and website to do. Make sure everything is consistent throughout what identity your company has and align with that.

Once you have all of that, it makes the job easier because they’re able to pull the images together, speak the language you want, and implement features because they have a starting point of what exactly your company is about.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder & President of DocLocker

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Online Personal Family Document Storage

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Iron Forge Development to accomplish?

• Designed the App
• Made it user friendly
• Implemented Top Notch Security

SOLUTION

How did you find Iron Forge Development?

Referral

Why did you select Iron Forge Development over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Iron Forge Development were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Developed a User Friendly mobile App for Apple and Android so that families can store legacy family documents and records for generations to come, and for everyday life use.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The App is ready for launch so we don't know just yet but we expect big things and excellent response. 

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

Yes they responded well, and were always very accessible.

What was your primary form of communication with Iron Forge Development?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The depth of their involvement was most impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Iron Forge Development could have done differently?

Can't really think of any.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO of meMR Health.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Iron Forge Development, and what were your goals?

We hired Iron Forge for full mobile & web app development as well as machine learning/OCR.

SOLUTION

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

Very reasonably priced as well as a highly impressive portfolio.

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

They designed and developed a Flutter iOS, Android, and web app with the backend in Node, all hosted on AWS. API built with GraphQL and Database used Postgres.

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

We worked with Iron Forge's VP of engineering as well as a Sr. Data Scientist, along with a few Flutter/Node/AWS/Python devs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was successfully delivered along with our additional scope creep.

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

Project management started a little shaky, but was much better towards the middle to end of the project.

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

The ability to get the vast variety of tech done under one roof!

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

Tighter scoping and Project management. But they're a very solid team to work with overall.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Iron Forge Development, and what were your goals?

Build a WealthTech web app to help users manage their wealth.

SOLUTION

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

We relied heavily on their up front discovery process and the fixed priced development agreement.

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

As of 4/7/22 Iron Forge has not been able help us get past the design phase.

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

6 (CEO, CRO, COO, Project Manager, Designer)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were pleased with the quality of work of the designer, unfortunately we have received no finished deliverables to date over 12 months after entering into an agreement with Iron Forge.

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

Waterfall. Rigid structured weekly meetings rather than a more agile approach made it difficult for the project to make progress in a timely way.

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

Their designer is really talented.

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

Many. Bringing in a technical expert earlier in the process could have saved multiple months of design that was wasted.