Launch by NTT DATA

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of Software Product at Insight. We sell insurance through multiple distribution channels across 12 states in the U.S. and partner with a major auto insurance company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Postlight?

We have an online portal for agents who are looking to sell insurance policies through us. Quoting a homeowners policy, for example, can be difficult because there are a lot of questions involved, and our portal was out of date. We hired Postlight to update the code and architecture, as well as to freshen up the design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Since that initial project, we’ve collaborated with Postlight on a number of both small and large projects, but they tend to take the same approach to working on a project. Once we identify a challenge that needs to be addressed, we work with their designers to produce a brief. Next, they spend some time interviewing end-users in order to understand what their needs are and to ensure that we’ve identified the correct problems with the software. They compile that data and return to us with a wireframe that we critique, and from there we move on to more detailed wireframing and implementation of solutions.

As an example of a recent project, Postlight helped us redesign the initial process of requesting a quote on our platform because our data showed that users wanted to have greater control and more efficiency. They built this out using React, which replaced some older JavaScript technologies we used to use. They also helped us add an autocomplete feature to our form so that we could capture more accurate address data for housing insurance quotes, and now they’re in the process of enabling an interactive map within the form so users can pinpoint missing locations.

Their engineers work directly with our internal team throughout every step of the project, which has meant that they’ve also taught our team new software skills along the way. When we started, none of our in-house developers knew React, and now three or four of them are proficient with it.

What is the team composition?

We work with five people on an average project, and across the life of this partnership, we’ve probably worked with 10 or 15 people in total.

How did you come to work with Postlight?

I had previously worked with some of the people who founded their company, so I was familiar with their capabilities and knew they’d be a good fit for our needs.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since April 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of the design goals for the form redesign I mentioned earlier was to decrease the rate of failed address validations. Since we made those changes, we’ve been able to push down the number of failures. They’ve also improved our page rendering and helped optimize some of the code on our servers in order to further improve our speeds. I can’t think of any specific data points off the top of my head, but every project we collaborate on is motivated by data, so there’s definitely been an improvement on the problems we address.

In terms of the actual development process, we have a pretty rigorous QA team. Since Postlight works with us directly, we all respond whenever bugs come up and get those addressed quickly. Their developers have a very strong reputation throughout our organization because of how reliable and responsive they are.

How did Postlight perform from a project management standpoint?

We work very closely with them, so our management team usually has a good sense of how their work is progressing. They assign us more of a product manager, rather than a project manager, who really understands the work we’re doing and is an active participant in developing it. That manager is also responsible for communicating with us via weekly meetings and sending project updates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like their design focus. They’re not just an engineering shop—they want to understand the problem we’re solving and participate in developing the solution before they start to code it. Not only that, they’re focused on seeing the project all the way through to production.

Another strength is their top-notch expertise and willingness to share it with us. Even if certain members of their team aren’t assigned to work with us, they’ll still set up time for their experts to give my internal developers an overview of technology we’re working with. They did a two-hour session with us for a recent project, sharing not only explanations but also best practice advice based on their experience with other clients, and it helped jumpstart our project really well.

The last thing I appreciate is how they focus on building relationships, rather than focusing solely on business transactions. They’re accommodating to our needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm part of the digital leadership team at a global media company. I work on the business and product side, collaborating with editorial, engineering, and sales staff and our whole digital business infrastructure.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Postlight?

We weren’t really a client, and Postlight wasn’t really a vendor. We worked with their lab division to create an experimental product quickly. We both had an interest in the product. Part of my role involves looking for interesting collaborations, doing experiments, and rapidly building small-scale products that we can learn from and monetize or expand once we bring them in-house. We wanted to test an idea and build a product together.

Postlight was a really good fit for us. We already had a relationship with a co-founder of theirs, and they had a Skunk Works division that could meet our needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We developed an app that functions as a Chrome extension and as a new feature within our company app on iOS. The core technology is the same on both platforms because, in the end, it’s actually a web app.

Postlight handled all of the production, but we provided the design guidelines. They worked as our engineers by integrating our APIs to make the app work.

Once we agreed on the collaboration, I met with some of their senior people for brainstorming sessions. At a certain point, we had well over 10 ideas. Some were way too big; some were way too small. We eventually settled on this experiment because it was a good match for our timeline and for the resourcing that both of our teams could offer at the time. Then, it was a matter of fleshing out the user story and product vision, which led to wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs while building the actual backend for the product, doing testing, looking for bugs and edge cases, and constantly iterating day by day.

We also had to tackle marketing because we wanted to launch this product publicly. We did an event together, I went on their podcast, and we did press meetings together. Then, we launched the product. I functioned as the product owner or executive sponsor. But, Postlight provided all of the product management and sprints.

What are the key features and functionalities?

We wanted to offer the power of our company to users by letting them bring our expertise anywhere online. If you’re reading a news story on a website that’s not from our company and activate the app, your device will scan the story and detect entities that are either publicly traded companies or notable people. Then, in a little web view, the app provides a list of those companies and people, allowing you to read our data and news about them. In Chrome, you can do that right beside the article you’re reading without leaving. In iOS, the results appear in a simple web modal, which means you’re not leaving the app to go to another webpage. It doesn’t hijack the experience.

How did you come to work with Postlight?

We had a pre-existing relationship with one of the founders of Postlight. When we first reached out to them, they’d recently announced their labs initiative. They were looking for small, experimental projects to do as collaborations. The partnership just made sense.

How much have you invested with Postlight?

The amount they gave is what they would bill for a similar project. We paid them an honorarium because we agreed that this was something we wanted to do together. There’s Postlight branding in the app itself. The work allowed them to gain exposure and hone their team. We were able to have a small product built that didn’t fit our in-house abilities at the time.

While we haven’t hired them on a retail basis yet, certainly our experience with them is helpful. Their lab is a place for collaboration where other forms of value exchange besides money are an option. I don’t want to speak for Postlight in terms of what they want from potential partners. With us, that arrangement works. I don’t know what they would charge clients.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December 2016, and the project was completed in June 2017. Our team is going to take ownership of the whole code base and maintain it going forward. Now that the product has launched and is stable, we’ve reached the end. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We saw some amazing tweets about the app. It was featured on Product Hunt and was covered by a variety of important and influential publications in our space. It got a lot of attention after it was launched. On the iOS App Store, there are no specific reviews for the product because it’s bundled into our existing app. But, on the Chrome Web Store, it’s got over 4 stars with 40 reviews. Most of the feedback has been excellent.

We just sold a sponsorship for the app, so it’s sponsored and driving some revenue for us. That sponsorship should go live soon. The product was featured on the Chrome Web Store. In terms of users and installations, it’s growing, and we’re happy.

How did Postlight perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re awesome. We set up a Slack channel to manage most of this project, and I acted as the frontline interface between our teams. In terms of project management and communication, everything was phenomenal. I couldn’t ask for anything more. They’re incredibly polished and professional.

What did you find most impressive about Postlight?

I’m wowed by their agility, speed, quality of the work, and ability to adapt to new developments. They were constantly pushing me just as hard as I was pushing them to make the product better and more ambitious, coming up with interesting and technically sound ideas for enhancements and solutions. They’re exactly the kind of people I want to build products with.

They’re a small, new shop and dealt with our large company very well. They were never frazzled or stressed. They always appeared calm and organized.

Are there any areas Postlight could improve?

I expected flawless execution, and that’s what Postlight delivered. We worked on this project for a couple of months. The work was very fast, focused, and contained. We controlled and managed the scope carefully. In terms of complexity and dependencies, this was a fairly straightforward project for them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief digital officer at Barnes & Noble Education. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Postlight?

We run a network of 1,490 college bookstores. One of our initiatives involves extending the types of products and services we offer to colleges. To that end, we wanted to create an online course offering that could provide affordable course material solutions at the colleges that we serve. We asked Postlight to design the frontend experience for students taking these online courses that we were introducing. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided a team of 3 people—a hybrid product and project manager, a frontend designer, and a frontend developer. These resources did all of the design work for the user experience and blended in with our in-house design and development team for building it.

As the relationship progressed, they shifted their team makeup to a frontend model. We knew we wanted to have these online courses available on mobile. We collaboratively settled on React, but we used React Web. As we finished the design phase, we switched the designer for a few frontend developers.

How did you come to work with Postlight?

I knew about their co-founder, Rich, for the last 12 years. We had worked together at a previous startup before our paths took different directions. Then, I heard that he and Paul started Postlight.

Once we realized our project needs, I reached out to him. I looked at another company for comparison, but I trusted Paul’s and Rich’s reputations.

How much have you invested with Postlight?

So far, we’ve probably spent $750,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2016, and they completed the work in September. We just re-engaged them for a separate project last month. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We launched the course last fall and spring with 5 universities in a pilot form. This fall, we're launching with another 30 universities. Our initiative is scaling quickly, and I think that’s highly attributable to the quality of the application and the experience. The price, quality, and value really expanded the sales from those initial pilots to 35 universities.

Also, we had a system-wide deal reaching over 250k students to license the overall platform. These students picked us partially because they recognized the platform, which contributed to us winning an overall deal.

How did Postlight perform from a project management standpoint?

Honestly, the engagement was a bit rocky for the first couple of weeks. Because we already had an in-house team, we were trying to figure out the engagement model with Postlight. Establishing the scope and figuring out the division of labor created some initial chaos.  

After we got through the second sprint, Postlight meshed nicely with our team. They really took off in terms of delivery. During our engagement, we launched a brand-new product to the market. We used Slack and GitHub during the project.

What did you find most impressive about Postlight?

They have expert level skill sets in all of the services they offer—both for design and development. They have contemporary skills in React and API development. They keep a professional mindset.

Paul and Rich are experienced thinkers who can refine an ambiguous business problem into a plan. Their suggestions have been quite valuable, and we appreciated having them as a sounding board.

Are there any areas Postlight could improve?

Their rates are high. They could find a lower cost or a blended cost model that shared their strategic thinking without requiring such high-level talent for more routine work. When we get into production mode, some flexibility would be appealing. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the head of operations. We help individuals and corporates to incorporate sustainability offerings into their business model using blockchain technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Umvel to design our consumer facing website and platform. I had no experience in designing websites and I wanted a professional to help communicate our company's message and objectives.

SOLUTION

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

Having worked with Frank Van Der Ven in the past, I trusted his expertise in this area. After some proposals, we found Umvel had really done their homework and had an excellent vision for how we could convey our message.

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

The first step was to speak to the team and help them to understand our goals and where we were at. We met with Frank and Chema would listened attentively to our objectives and confirmed their understanding. They then proposed a design structure that not only was aesthetically pleasing, but also very intuitive for the user.

The minimalist website helped us to discard a ton of unnecessary text and focus on our core offering. The team were very responsive and provided numerous updates and drafts which were super helpful in progressing us. They used Figma which was intuitive for our team and helped me to showcase the platform to less technical employees with absolute ease.

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

Frank Van Der Ven helped us to organise our offering whilst 'Chema' presented his excellent designs. Both very professional and knowledgeable and they made the process very simple with excellent results.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The deliverables exceeded my expectations. Having no experience in design myself, the team guided me through the process and listened to what exactly we wanted to achieve. They converted my muddled goals into excellent results and I was beyond satisfied.

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

Figma and Email primarily as we required a very concise deliverable. No delays, communication was excellent and results were on time.

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

Umvel managed to simplify the process and helped us to have that Eureka moment! They translated our lengthy offering into concise and intuitive language and design to an extent that I haven't experienced before. Many companies tried to overcomplicate their offering to convince us to pay larger fees.

The Umvel team were transparent, honest and professional. I could trust their opinion wholeheartedly which made the process much easier for our team.

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

Nothing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

GGI’s main business approach is real estate development and management; it provides high-quality services through a profitable and sustainable management with commercial synergies.​

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Umvel?

We hired Umvel to create innovative projects to make the difference in the industry. Together we came up with these two ideas that became Food Central App & SmartWalk. We are making our best effort to accomplish our digital Transformation

SOLUTION

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

We decided to work with them due the creativity, innovation & ideas they always came up.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

SmartWalk is virtual tour created to visit Apartments/Offices/Available spaces to rent accompanied with brokers.

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

at list 5 in each project

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

https://smartwalk.com.mx/cliente/agendar-visita?project=6078c509e369946…

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

meetings once a week

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

I was impressed with their ideas and innovations.

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

Support Team

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a digital project manager at a healthcare communications company. I manage vendors and our cross-functional team to deliver digital projects like websites, apps, videos, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to leverage an existing Hololens application we had worked on with Vectorform and convert it into an augmented reality app for learners on their mobile devices. Since learners were no longer able to attend live meetings to see our Hololens application on stage, we wanted to bring the experience to an enduring format that learners could access themselves on their own devices.

SOLUTION

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

I did not personally select this vendor, but my organizational leaders did. One of the key attributes was Vectorform's partnership with Microsoft.

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

Our team worked with VF to create an AR app featuring PSA pathophysiology. It was previously created as a Hololens experience and was being ported to be used as an AR app.

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

A project manager and business development lead were our main points of contacts. We also worked with a designer and developer from their team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've had 100+ users access the app at this time.

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

We had weekly calls with VF and aligned to a timeline at the start of the project. We mostly corresponded via email or this weekly call. We also corresponded occasionally via MS Teams. VF was timely in their response back to us regarding project inquiries.

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

Their knowledge and expertise in Unity development is impressive.

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

The majority of our team is very focused on medical accuracy and content; if VF had improved knowledge or understanding of the medical aspects, they might be able to suggest or recommend different or better technical solutions but they are on par with other developers we work with. For medical education specifically they are expensive for the industry (grants specifically) but likely on par with other Unity developers