JAKT

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a consumer social startup. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire JAKT?

Instead of hiring for an in-house UI/UX designer,  we hired JAKT to build out several core features for our iOS app and update our screens with new branding.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to revise the look and feel of our beta app to prepare it for the market.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed JAKT in person and reviewed their work samples.

Describe the project in detail.

JAKT developed sketch files and designs for more than 80 screens in our app. In addition, we needed help organizing our entire design-to-development workflow. With this foundation, they helped us create new features and functions.

What was the team composition?

We work with a UI/UX designer, a supporting designer, a project manager, and a proof of concept (POC) manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We've received lots of feedback from users and investors for the quality of the design.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We conduct Slack calls and in-person meetings. Their workflow works well with our team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They work quickly—at the pace a startup needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and CEO of a virtual assistant company for tutors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JAKT?

We were looking to build the beta version of our iOS app. We built the design in-house with our own product design team. We needed a team to do the actual iOS development work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They worked closely with our head of product and our product designer to make sure they understood the product that we had designed through our user research and early alpha version testing. They followed two-week development sprints with daily communication between our team and theirs. We discussed how things were going, what things were looking like, and user testing during our daily calls.

We collaborated on building the onboarding process of the app. They were instrumental in iterating real time onboarding process that worked for our users. The app is for iOS, and we used JavaScript and ReactNative to build the app.

How did you come to work with JAKT?

I met Mike [Michael Saloio, COO] at a dinner party. I liked his development process and the way that he works. I had looked at many development shops, but I didn’t like that they wanted to take an authoritative role over product design as well. Since we were passionate about the design we have already built in-house, we wanted to work with a team that was going to collaborate with us on those existing designs. JAKT did a phenomenal job collaborating with us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2016. We launched our iOS app in March 2017 and JAKT did QA on the app for two additional weeks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

JAKT built the app and pushed live, but we did design so I can’t attribute the usage data to them. We were able to push live three iterations of the app throughout our engagement. We were able to link 100% of user data into our own in-house backend manager as a result of working with them. We were also able to produce our app in record time; JAKT moved very quickly.

How did JAKT perform from a project management standpoint?

90% of the time, they kept the deadlines that we mutually agreed upon. We had phenomenal planning meetings and they put together comprehensive documents outlining the current status and timelines.

We had some difficulty with real time communication. When we had bugs that were directly attributed to their work, we weren’t always able to get in touch with them because they would be on billable hours with a different client. As a result, we did not receive real-time fixes or responses. The problem persisted, but we eventually intervened and explained the type of relationship we needed. About halfway through our engagement, it got better, but it was never perfect.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They integrated well with our internal team, which is why we hired them over their competitors. Our engineers and their engineers love working together; they felt like an extension of our internal team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their real-time communication. By nature, it is hard being an external contractor, but that was an area for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder of MapFit, a mapping provider. We have applications that provide routing and guidance to consumers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JAKT?

We needed help establishing our branding and product look and feel. We had worked with other agencies in the past to do similar work, but not for MapFit.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provide logo and branding services along with customized development services. They developed a brand-new website and helped us know what the user interaction would look like on mobile and the web. They used JavaScript and a variety of server technologies as well.

They also provide product design and development services. They designed the look and feel of the website, the branding, including color schemes, and user experience. They played a critical role in defining what that will be.

What is the team dynamic? 

We worked with a product manager, a designer, and a couple of developers. We interacted with four people not including the founders of the company, but there were also people working on the project that we didn’t talk to.

How did you come to work with JAKT?

We searched online and found something they put on Drupal that was interesting. Based on that, we contacted them to see if they could help us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2016, and our relationship is ongoing. We just started a new project this week.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They completed everything we requested and the quality of the work was outstanding. Everyone is extremely professional. We spent more with them than we would’ve with anyone else simply because they were very easy to work with.

We started out with a project that was a tenth of the size of our eventual spend with them because we thought we would just have them develop the website. The fact that we spent 10 times more than we had originally budgeted is a testament to their quality of work.

How did JAKT perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly meetings. We used Basecamp for some things and also a tool called Zeplin. Our developers were able to retrieve image assets directly from the JAKT team through those tools. Through Basecamp, we were able to keep track of how the project was moving along. We used Slack for quick questions. During different parts of the project, the collaboration was in real time. JAKT were always on time and on budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Over the past 10 years, I’ve easily spent over a million dollars in services hiring design firms to work on various projects. JAKT is a brand-new team with outstanding design skills. They have a really strong understanding of user experience and how consumers will approach products. That was crucial for us. Design is one of those intangible things that you know is good when you see it. JAKT’s designs are excellent — they have talent.

They also really understand the product. We’ve worked with design firms who can put together a logo, but JAKT understands how consumers interact with a brand and how that brand translates into how the project interacts. They have an incredible ability to translate a feeling from the design and try to fit that into actionable website designs and flow for the product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They’re a brand-new company, and I think they’ll be huge. I feel like we got involved with them at the right time. I think a year from now they’re going to be charging much more for their services. We’re really happy with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We develop mobile apps and websites which help guide patrons of the performing arts in finding shows they would like to go see.

What is your position?

I am the Chief Executive Officer of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with JAKT?

We needed resources for developing our application.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

JAKT implemented the mobile app design made by our company. The app was developed exclusively for iOS.

How did you come to work with JAKT?

They came as a reference through the design company that I'd hired.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The total cost of the project was $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them two years ago. Our work is almost complete.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The feedback has mostly come from our internal team, focusing on the design, rather than the implementation. There has been very little public feedback so far. With regards to our internal team, we thought that they delivered a fine product. I would rate it with a 6/10, given the number of bug fixes and product reiterations which we needed to make because certain items may not have been tested properly. We've had a few issues, but overall, JAKT created the design that we asked for.

How did JAKT perform from a project management standpoint?

As far as being on time, they were average. My expectations were a bit higher in this regard. I was surprised that we went as high as we went, budget-wise, exceeding the initial quote. Even though we added some additional requirements, there were a few stressful months during which we were unexpectedly overrunning our budget.

What distinguishes JAKT from other providers?

JAKT was very reactive. If we needed to sit down with their team, they were very quick to accommodate us. Communication was excellent.

Is there anything JAKT could have improved or done differently?

Testing has already changed within their company, but at one point, their philosophy was to only test the new features added to the app. The version that was pushed out to the app store only had testing done for its current changes. This was a catch for us, because without the regression testing necessary for all features, subtle effects can permeate through the app when making a small change. This caused us to have a couple of emergency pushes which were quite stressful.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work as a private tutor through my organization. The website we developed is designed as a way to help students set goals, generally organize, and track their grades. It's a way of using technology to accomplish the tasks I'd been doing for twenty years using pen and paper. 

What is your position?

I am the owner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with JAKT?

Four years ago, I built my first website in collaboration with my former partner, using a different company. I needed a new vendor.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

JAKT developed my platform in accordance to the original design. It's a user-driven solution. Every student can enter in different information and use it in their own personalized way.

How did you come to work with JAKT?

In February of 2014, my former development company informed me that they would no longer support the platform on which my former site had been built, and that it would be shut down in May. This was a month before exams, which was really bad news. We only had ten subscribers at the time, but I still wanted to get the site up-and-running again as quickly as possible. I found JAKT through contacts. They seemed to understand what my aim was in terms of design, so I became involved with them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The total development cost was $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The collaboration is ongoing. We’ve been working together for two years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any feedback or metrics from this engagement?

The platform was designed for students, so it needed to be as fast as possible not only in its web form but also as an iOS app. The general problem stood in troubleshooting and understanding how to make the app run fast. We went back-and-forth and came up with some good ideas on managing data for users, without slowing down as more and more elements were added. When initially opening the app, only the present day plus ten days forward are pulled. Data from beyond that point and from the past can be easily gotten, but with this approach, there’s no delay at all. Students have appreciated being able to do this.

In terms of setting up the profile, we needed to make the process quick and conflict-free. JAKT completely redesigned this functionality, vastly improving how it functioned.

The app has a lot of moving parts and JAKT has made a good job of fixing bugs as they come up and at anticipating issues. The user base is composed of 12-18 year olds, who are more impatient than the average human being. They’ve done a wonderful job.

 How did JAKT perform from a project management standpoint?

There were some hiccups because of organizational issues within JAKT. They let me know about this and I appreciated how they handled what was a very difficult situation. This delayed things in terms of how long the original development took, but they did a wonderful job.

What distinguishes JAKT from other providers?

The platform is working, it’s terrific, and there are a lot of students using it. They’ve been really good about fixing things and doing what other developers don’t do, which is fixing things instead of waiting for me to find things myself.

Is there anything JAKT could have improved or done differently?

Especially within the age of texting and emails, meanings can be lost when rushing a message. This is not necessarily a JAKT-specific gripe, but something that we could all keep in mind. They are good and certainly not slow, but everyone could communicate better.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are Wall Mural LLC, a small startup company that offers users the ability to preview images on walls.

What is your position?

I am the Chief Executive Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with JAKT?

We needed help in developing a small iOS app for the preview of images on walls.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

JAKT developed our application for us. They built out the backend API which houses the images. Design was handled by an outside agency with which JAKT was collaborating. I believe that they currently do all of their design work internally.

How did you come to work with JAKT?

I had met somebody that had a good knowledge of young, lean development teams. They thought that we would have a good fit with JAKT. I had interviewed a number of different developers and felt that their team would give our app the attention that it needed. There was a bit of a technical challenge for what we were looking to do.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

This is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with JAKT in November of 2014. Our collaboration is ongoing. We've published the third version of our app on the App Store and will be making an announcement for it this week.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

They did a decent job with the work. I think that both our teams had a bit of a learning curve. They've matured since the early days and I've seen some definite improvements in them. From experience, I know that sometimes it's necessary to stumble in order to fix things.

How did JAKT perform from a project management standpoint?

This company is only a secondary project for me. Ultimately, what we were looking for was for JAKT to stay on budget and within schedule. They did a good job of both.

What distinguishes JAKT from other providers?

This is the only time that I've developed a product of this nature. I don't have a comparison term. It was an overall successful project and I'm very happy with what JAKT built.

Is there anything JAKT could have improved or done differently?

They could benefit from faster communication. I work with a graphic installations company. They have set deadlines for each store in terms of what graphics need to be put out. Software development may tend to move slower than what I'm used to from my work experience. JAKT moves blazingly fast compared to a bank, but they're not so quick in comparison to the companies that I run.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a co-working space in New York City that caters mainly to early-stage entrepreneurs. We have different programming that’s a little more extensive than just offering office space. We act much like an incubator; we have office hours with mentors, access to perks like Rackspace, free hosting credit, and other things of that nature.

What is your position?

I’m the CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with JAKT?

We have hundreds of members who are part of our community. We wanted to build a member dashboard experience to on-board members, throughout their participation within our location. Part of the experience is creating a directory of who these people are and what they do, having a communication tool to interact with each other, and also setting up their experience throughout the space, whether it’s giving them access to the internet or training them on how to use the printer. So it’s just a very extensive membership experience, to guide them through everything they would need thought their membership here, and JAKT built that.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

They were primarily responsible for the dashboard development. I’m calling it dashboard development, but there’s a lot that goes into it. It’s really an app all in itself, which has a bunch of different feature-sets. I’m not familiar with the technologies they used to build it.

How did you come to work with JAKT?

We vetted a bunch of different companies. We did an RFP, and we took proposals from everyone that we have relationships with. They’re not the only development shop that we know, given the scope of the industry we’re in. Their proposal, and their ability to execute the referrals that we gave them, led us to choose them as the vendor.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

So far it’s been between $50,000 and $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started to scope out the project about a year ago. Our work never stops; there’s always a different feature we’re rolling out. So we’re going to be continuing to utilize their services for as long as we develop our internal application.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Our experience has been great. Our members use it, and they seem to like it. We don’t get any negative feedback from our user base. I’ve worked with development firms in the past where things have been buggy; this is not that experience. JAKT did a very good job staging the project before pushing it live, so it’s pretty seamless. We’ve had nothing but a good experience with them.

How did JAKT perform from a project management standpoint?

We are an extremely thin organization because we have physical locations that we run. They took on the project management of this project, utilizing our limited amount of bandwidth and still executed in the timeframe and budget that we agreed to.

What distinguishes JAKT from other providers?

In my experiences with development shops before, and with having developed several different projects, I think the communication was really crisp. The expectations for the deliverables were managed properly. I think that’s not common. I deal with a lot of development firms on other projects, and they try to blame you for everything that goes wrong. You didn’t spend enough money or you cut corners, it’s like a sales job from the beginning. I don’t feel that with JAKT, like a bad sales agreement feeling that you get, close to buying a used car. Their communication and professionalism really stick out a lot.

Is there anything JAKT could have improved or done differently?

There’s nothing bad to say. We’ve had such a great experience. From a branding perspective, I can tell them that the experience supersedes the brand, and that needs to change to scale.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a do-it-yourself ticketing company. We've been in the business for about three and a half years. I've served more than 1,900 unique customers doing more than 8,000 unique events. Nearly a million people have registered for events on our platform through iOS, Android, and desktop.

What is your position?

I am the CEO and founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with JAKT?

We have a super complicated technology product. We jokingly in nerd speak call it a "platform as a service" as opposed to "software as a service." The unique challenge for us was that we were simultaneously developing desktop web, iOS, and Android. We needed to develop a cohesive strategy that lined up from a design perspective and lined up with the long-term business goals. JAKT came in and helped us out both with web and iOS.

They have a very talented design team, and a strong business sense. It wasn't just working with somebody who was good with keys. It was working with someone who took the time to understand what our goals were as a business, and then helped us put together a cohesive strategy for design and development that are lined up with those goals.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

This was almost two years ago now, so it's since been redesigned, but they did a full redesign of our web platform. They helped us build the frontend for that using JavaScript and Node. On the mobile side, they helped us do a full design and development of an iOS application, which was done using Objective-C.

How did you come to work with JAKT?

During the course of the last three years, I've probably worked with 35 different engineers and designers. Anthony [Tumbiolo, the founder at] JAKT, was one of those early designers and engineers. I think we were actually working in the same co-working space, in New York. Just by happenstance, we started working with them.

During a period of time, we shuttled in and out consultants and advisors. Some were good, some were bad, and some were terrible. Anthony was part of the fantastic group of people that helped us develop the business and the products through the course of the last two years. I had a lot of experience working with consultants, and Anthony and team JAKT was probably the only group that we've really stuck with throughout the whole process.

What is the status of this engagement?

Most of the work has been completed, but Anthony and I are always working on random little side projects together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

It's tough to quantify the work of one consultant during the course of three years. We're still alive as a company and still thriving, so I would say that speaks for both the success of the project and the affordability. There is definitely a level of success there, I just can't give you a specific metric because it would be impossible to parse down.

How did JAKT perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very communicative and they stay within deadlines and budgets; those are probably their biggest strengths. JAKT is incredibly professional and attentive. They're pros. It's not like dealing with a ragtag group of engineers who have one former engineer who's working as a project manager. They are dedicated business professionals, along with talented engineers, so they really are a fantastic service team in that regard.

What distinguishes JAKT from other providers?

I would say exactly what I just mentioned before. You're combining strong business sense and a really communicative project management team in conjunction with best in class engineering for a multitude of platforms.

Is there anything JAKT could have improved or done differently?

No.