Magora

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of an iPad-based visitor sign-in system. We have thousands of businesses that subscribe across 40 countries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Magora?

We hired Magora to develop our web- and iOS-based applications.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Magora developed a cloud-based web application and a native iOS application. Our in-house designer provided wireframes and Magora executed the design.

The application allows visitors to sign in on an iPad and then sends a notification to the host. The web app also allows the host to track daily visitors and print a visitor badge. The host has the option to pre-register visitors.

What is the team composition?

Alex (Senior Developer, Magora) served as our project manager and our main point of contact. We also worked with Arthur (Head of Sales, Magora).

How did you come to work with Magora?

We searched for contractors on a freelance website. Magora had great reviews and had a good culture fit with our team.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $50,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2014 and the project ended in March 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We raised $1 million in seed funding after they developed our solution. We now have millions of visitors signing in at thousands of businesses worldwide. Moreover, they delivered a great UI/UX.

How did Magora perform from a project management standpoint?

Sometimes we would contact Alex daily, but other times we communicated only twice a week. But we never had problems getting in touch. Even after the completion of the solution, the team has been very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our relationship was very cordial and professional. We genuinely liked their team and we have maintained a good relationship with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t evaluate that now because their company has changed so much in the years since the engagement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clients should scope the project fully before beginning any development.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a finance startup in the UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Magora?

We hired them to build a product demo for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I’m not a designer, so I had them create what was essentially an online slideshow to demo the web platform I intend to build. They designed the UI/UX concepts for the proposed site and demonstrated a customer journey from initial registration to browsing for products and adding them to a shopping cart. There were additional slides depicting user account features and functionality.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact was James, and then they assigned a designer. There was an additional designer based in Russia who occasionally joined us for conference calls, but I’m not sure how they split the work.

How did you come to work with Magora?

I received a few recommendations by word of mouth.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost was under $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

They completed the project in about six weeks from June to July 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before hiring Magora, we had a hard time getting people’s attention and creating enthusiasm for our product. Their demo work significantly increased our success at getting people to back our startup.

How did Magora perform from a project management standpoint?

They did well, considering that they weren’t native English speakers and didn’t have much familiarity with the British banking market. We had an initial meeting face to face, which helped with communication at the start, and then we kept in touch via phone, Skype, and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They did the work well and delivered everything within their initial timeframes. We were under a tight deadline to have something to present for meetings and they took us from a blank piece of paper to a finished design very quickly. I only wish we’d had more time because I know they could have done even more for us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t be shy about asking for what you want. Our project was a bit outside the realm of their normal jobs, but they embraced it and turned out good work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Tribus Australia is a community engagement platform aimed at enabling community groups to deliver community-led projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Magora?

We needed them to build the digital platform that would make up the backbone of our business.

What were your goals for this project?

To deliver a digital platform that supports community groups in delivering their projects.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We compared a wide range of vendors via a request for information process. Magora offered the best combination of cost, quality, and speed.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They provide our entire software development capabilities, including the frontend, backend, and solution architecture.

What was the team composition?

There are two frontend developers, two backend developers, a project manager, and a UX specialist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Our web platform is now live and being used by community members throughout Melbourne.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They provided project management services for the project via an embedded project manager with the team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their developers are very efficient.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

There are always challenges when working across language barriers. Our project manager spoke English fluently though, so the issues were marginal.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of a company developing a travel app. It allows users to keep journals and share their thoughts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Magora?

We needed help developing the iOS version of the application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided support on the iOS side and backend development using Java. We sent them a list of the features we wanted, based on which they sent us a quotation.

Users have access to maps and a currency converter, they can make reviews, and add photos and videos. The app also has a check-in functionality similar to Facebook’s and creates a timeline of the trip.

What is the team composition?

I had a sales contact and a project manager from their side. I also worked with a Java team lead and a Java engineer.

How did you come to work with Magora?

I found them on Upwork and saw they had quite a lot of experience in this field. Their price was on par with their competitors, so we went ahead with Magora.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of the project was $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Magora in May 2017. The project was completed around January 2018. There are still providing help with some small items.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have any statistics about it. The app launched recently and Magora did a good job with it.

How did Magora perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a good job in this respect. We worked on Upwork, through which they logged the number of hours spent on our project, also communicating using Skype. I had a call with their project manager every week, going through what they had achieved, and whether the work met my requirements or not. The process was smooth.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve mentioned everything already.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We offer a social networking iOS application. I'm the company's CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Magora?

We developed and coded our app in-house, but don’t have an internal design team. We wanted a company to help with that aspect of the build.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided them with a basic blueprint for the number of screens we wanted and reasonably detailed requests for each screen. They designed each screen’s icons, colors, fonts, and layout. Their main objectives were to make our concepts useful and improve the UI design.

We provided written guidance to describe our brand vision and potential logos. We looked over their work on a weekly basis over four to five weeks. We provided comments and feedback before receiving the next iteration from them.

What is the team composition?

We had an account manager who acted as our main initial contact and worked with us throughout the project. He provided quotes and introduced us to members of the design team. We were also in direct contact with a lead designer.

How did you come to work with Magora?

They approached a friend of ours who knew we were looking for a team like theirs. We had poor experiences with three individual freelancers in the past and decided we wanted to work with a company.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about £5,000 ($7,029.40 US).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between February and March 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of their design work is very good. We are satisfied with what they delivered and their cost. They were very timely.

How did Magora perform from a project management standpoint?

They did very well, particularly in light of experiences we’ve had with freelance designers. They started and finished on time, produced work reliably, and made the whole process seamless. We interacted with our contacts via email or Skype whenever we needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their reliability and consistency—especially relative to project timelines and budget—were great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Early in the process, they delivered work that was inadequate. That could have been avoided with a more thorough read through our design brief. After that initial hiccup, they progressed nicely.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you brief the design team on all your expectations, likes, and dislikes. Put in the time early on to discuss all the design aspects and you’ll be satisfied with the results. They work hard and are reliable.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a mobile app-based hiring platform geared towards the healthcare profession. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Magora?

I reached out to Magora to assist me in the initial stages of development for my app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Magora and I initially discussed the best development options that would take my app to fruition. They then sent over a powerpoint presentation that outlined their experience with development projects similar to mine, as well as their specific plan for my app.

After we agreed on a plan, we moved into the discovery phase which entailed laying out the basic workflow for the app’s development and fleshing out the app’s requirements and features. Based on that, Magora created a visual prototype and wireframe that lay out the groundwork design for the app.

Currently, I’m providing my feedback on the visual prototype so Magora can make the necessary changes. 

What is the team composition? 

Initially, my primary contact was Magora’s head of new business acquisition. They then assigned me a project manager who now serves as the primary day-to-day contact for the project. Their head of new business acquisition checks in every couple weeks and remains available if I ever need to speak with him.

How did you come to work with Magora?

I did a fair amount of market research, using both Clutch.co and a variety of other sources to compile a list of companies to look into. Magora received great ratings, particularly on Clutch, and seemed to have a good rapport with the companies they’ve worked with, so I decided they were the best choice for my project.

How much have you invested with them?

I invested approximately $8,423.

What is the status of this engagement?

I began partnering with them at the end of December 2017. The engagement is ongoing, but I haven’t decided whether I will continue to work with them through the next phases of development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They produce very high-quality, professional work that meets my specifications. They’re also very receptive to any changes I need to be made.

How did Magora perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a good job; they were very responsive to my needs and expectations. We communicated primarily through Skype, email, and phone calls. For project management tools, we use Google Docs to keep track of our progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I found their professionalism and collaborative effort most impressive. They provided me with a definitive and accurate timeline of when they would deliver on each project milestone. They were also very receptive to my ideas, while also providing me with some of their own. As a result, our communication was never robotic; we had a very productive partnership. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re on the more expensive side, but they provide high-quality work so it’s generally worth the cost. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d simply recommend working with them. They’re reliable and produce high-quality work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president of a cryptocurrency ecommerce platform that specializes in loyalty programs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Magora?

Our site platform was built on Wordpress, and we wanted to rebuild it on a much more secure and flexible platform. Wordpress didn’t work as well with different APIs we wanted to further our venture. We also wanted a new vendor because our vendor at the time wasn’t very responsive to our requests to customize the site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Magora rebuilt our website using the LAMP model with C++, PostgreSQL, Java, and Python. That enabled additional functionality for the site, such as the ability to create our own customer categories, which allows us to customize the shopping experience for our users and provide more compelling content. For instance, we’re now able to build and customize a category for Valentine’s Day that can include flowers, chocolate, rings, and other holiday-appropriate items.

What is the team composition? 

We work with a project manager, a business analyst, and an account manager. Although there are other business analysts and developers that work on this project, I only speak to those three. 

How did you come to work with Magora?

We sent out an RFI to companies through UpWork. We had about four companies reaching out, including Magora, that had the price range that we needed. We ultimately chose Magora because their bid to work with us was extremely professional. While the other companies didn’t provide us with much information on their plan for our site, Magora gave us a 10-page Powerpoint listing the milestones they intended to meet, the price estimates, coding language they intended to use, etc. They also listed other loyalty programs they had worked on prior to us and which examples best fit the model we were trying to approach. Magora was also able to do development for iOS and Android, which is something we are interested in for the future. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested close to $50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started partnering in June 2017. We’re launching the first phase of the site in early February. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site is currently in Amazon Web Services Micro Instances so we can run practice demos. We don’t have any external feedback yet, but internally, we’re very pleased with their code quality. It’s very responsive and does exactly what we want.

Magora is very good at capturing our expectations. For instance, I gave them a verbal description on Skype of what I wanted our categories to look like. They were then able to code and build that out without us having to suggest alterations.

How did Magora perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m pleased with them. Because I only interacted with three members of their team, it made it easier to relay on questions, comments, or concerns I had. 

To communicate, we used Trello and Confluence. We also spoke via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Although they are a Russian-based firm, their command of the English language is very impressive. They’re very responsive to us, despite the 12-15 hour time difference. 

They’re also understanding to the fact we’re a start-up. When we had some funding challenges, they were accommodating and flexible, which was greatly appreciated.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They use an agile project methodology, but they didn’t provide any visual representation of the website’s progress that I could bring back to our investment team. It would be great if they could provide a Gannett chart or another kind of visual project tracker I could use, as opposed to having to build my own Excel spreadsheet.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Eurekly, a New-Zealand-based startup, is an online educational platform that provides tools for one-on-one lessons. I'm a project manager in charge of delivery.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Magora?

We needed to deliver an initial MVP.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Magora handled the design and development of the web-based project. We initially worked on the architecture and UX components. We provided detailed documentation of what was needed, along with mockups. Once those were approved, we moved to the development stage, for which we followed Agile practices, with two-week sprints. We identified the scope of each sprint together, deployed biweekly, and signed the work off. The technology stack included .NET on the backend and React.js on the frontend.

Because it's a marketplace connecting students and tutors online, we built functionalities to ensure that tutors are delivering their services, including maps, videoconferencing, messaging, whiteboards, scheduling, and payments.

What is the team dynamic?

I interacted with the entire team during general catchups, though mainly with the technical lead and the designer. Before we started development, we did a lot of work with their UX designer.

How did you come to work with Magora?

We didn’t create a regulated tender. There was a shortlist of candidates we selected by reading testimonials online. We submitted our project for them to scope and decided based on the price/quality ratio offered by Magora.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work was slightly above $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Magora in August 2016. The project was completed in October 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're happy with what they delivered. They stuck to the scope of the task, it was timely and of good quality, and communication was great. Our team still consults Magora from time to time, as they have great expertise regarding our project. Everything has been good.

Site metrics wouldn’t be relevant, given that we built an MVP with Magora and moved development to another team. The site is functional, but we are tweaking and tuning marketing-related components, and it's not live yet. After seeing a bit of traffic and a response, we will adjust accordingly.

How did Magora perform from a project management standpoint?

I handled project management for most of the collaboration. A manager from Magora was only involved in the last couple of weeks, while finishing the project and creating paperwork.

They used Redmine as an issue-tracking system. It was set up for us and proved a convenient tool. We used Skype to communicate daily. They were 100% responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provided an excellent ratio of quality, price, and communication. The team was quite positive and had our best interests in mind.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. I was happy with them.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Anytime someone works with a contractor, they need to follow what’s best for the project. For us, working on a scrum basis was ideal—making small builds and deploying the work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Integrics is a software development company creating a product called Enswitch, a platform used by companies looking to offer B2B telephone services. I am a support person within the company and provide high-level support to customers experiencing issues and also manage the development of the product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Magora?

Our customers are looking for a complete solution. We wanted to make sure we covered every possibility the end-user could have a need for. We had a gap as we did not meet Windows users’ needs and wanted to develop a product to address that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The interface is for our telephone system and what they created is a complete application. There hadn’t been a Windows program in place before. They used our documentation to access the telephone system via an API and started developing it, creating the look and feel of the application, as well as its internals: how it works and how it interfaces with user input.

What is the team dynamic?

We initially worked with a single project manager who set us up with a developer and handled the consultation process with our customer, discovering what they wanted in the product. From there, we set up an hourly rate quote and they assigned one main developer for the work. From time to time, there has also been a business manager to oversee the project. Aside from the main developer, they also made use of a couple of dedicated test people.

How did you come to work with Magora?

We looked for a company which could handle development and found Magora on Upwork. We wanted a professional development company with dedicated project managers and testers. I could see the advantage Magora could bring due to their scale and dedicated resources. They did well in terms of managing the project and testing our product, and this was due to their wide expertise.

How much have you invested with them?

The total is around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Magora in August 2016 and finished in August 2017.

The product is now in maintenance mode. Occasionally, users come up with bugs which need to be fixed, but our major work with Magora has concluded.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Metrics are difficult for us to measure, given that we don’t have any end-users ourselves. We give the software to the businesses who purchase our telephone systems, who then give it to their end-users. We don’t have exposure to them, plus the software is quite a long-term investment, not necessarily something which customers will give to their users straight away.

We have had feedback from our customers’ technical people. They think it’s good, but the comments have been limited. The important thing is that our company can now provide a Windows application, so we can be assured we have a complete solution.

How did Magora perform from a project management standpoint?

They have always been responsive. At one point, we had an issue with the estimate for a particular feature, which ended up taking longer to make. We asked about the increased cost and ultimately resolved the issue. They admitted that it didn’t go very well and asked what they could have done better. I told them that we should be made aware in advance when something might take longer, and they updated their processes accordingly. They seemed keen to take on our feedback.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The project management was the most impressive aspect. As far as development goes, they did a perfectly good job, but there are many other companies which could have done the same. In terms of managing it from the client's side, my life can be made easier by the team remaining responsive and testing the work well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The inaccurate estimate was an issue at the time, but in the grand scheme, it wasn’t a large one. The biggest issue was that we wanted them to include a software telephone in the application, which involved using a software library they were unfamiliar with. This will always be a challenge, and in this case, it led to multiple bugs which needed to be fixed. They could have been more robust in their testing at that point. It was a piece of feedback we gave them. Overall, they did quite well.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I don’t have any specific advice to Magora. For someone hiring any software developer, it’s important to provide good specifications of the desired product, maintain communication, and offer feedback.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a branch operations manager for an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Magora?

We wanted to find a way to streamline ordering and serving food at our branch; it was too time-consuming and not efficient, so we needed to partner with a dev company to replace the manual process with technology.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we were using a generic point of sale system, but we realized that it wasn’t meeting our needs as a buffet restaurant. We talked with Magora until they understood our business challenges and what we wanted from the app. They came up with a solution and we workshopped it until we reached a final idea, then they began developing the app.

The engineer team focused on making the app user-friendly, and they eventually ended up giving it three interfaces. The first is our backend admin panel where we can edit the menu items, control log ins, etc. The last two are made for an iPad or other iOS device, and they’re focused on the ordering. Customers can log in and place the order, and chefs can log in and look at the orders being placed. Everything is in real time, so the orders get sent to the kitchen right away.

What is the team dynamic?

I work directly with the sales manager, project manager, and a business analysts who oversees all the designs. I assume they have a larger team they all work with.

How did you come to work with Magora?

I received quotes from four different companies, two of which were in India and had lower prices. Magora was a higher price, but I chose them because their proposal document was promising and they seemed able to provide exactly what we needed.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started getting quotes in July, and we officially began working with Magora in September.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Right now, we have the minimal viable product. We’re still doing some debugging, but the app’s fully functional, and I’ve been setting up my team on it for about two weeks. It’s a good product, and we’re excited for some additional features we want to add in the future.

How did Magora perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication is clear, and they don’t hide anything from us. They use a management tool that lets us track their work in real time to see what they’re currently do, any problems, future projects, etc. They usually respond to any emails or questions within a day.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Magora listened to us throughout the project and had excellent customer service. We needed a product that worked well but that was also custom-designed for our specific needs and business model, and they met those expectations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

During the price negotiation, I was a bit confused about the technical work they mentioned, so a better explanation of that to non-tech-savvy people would be helpful. It would make the process and price clearer so that everyone knows what to expect.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They provide the option of daily, weekly, or monthly reports, so pick what works best for you.