Merixstudio

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive at a financial services company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Provide a range of financial services tailored to meet the needs of startups and small-medium enterprises (SMEs).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• To build a pre-filtered pipeline pre launch and post launch to capture leads for our CS
• To sell our products online (fully digital bank)
• To provide useful information, tools and resources to our clients to make better decisions with their money

SOLUTION

How did you find Merixstudio?

Referral

Why did you select Merixstudio over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Merixstudio were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Front-end development of 12-15 pages (desktop, mobile and tablet previews) Implementation of Strapi.io (CMS) to support ongoing front-end development

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Lead-generation (B2B website) Brand site (Launch new brand to the market) Jump off for follow on processes (Onboard, Online Banking)

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

Initially, the project encountered delays and experienced changes in staffing. However, it is important to note that these challenges were primarily due to an additional third party (Brand / UX design) firm's own delays. Once the team was established, they showcased exceptional responsiveness and consistently went above and beyond expectations.

What was your primary form of communication with Merixstudio?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The level on communication. One is never left in question of where the project stands.

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

I would highly recommend them to other businesses.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of GoMetro, a specialized transport, logistics, and analytics company. We build various software products used worldwide for different transportation and logistics reasons. Public and town planners use our data to plan bus routes or new highways.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merixstudio?

In 2022, we designed a new vehicle tracking system. There are many vehicle tracking systems in the market, and companies face a challenge when they use many vehicles with different trackers because they can’t get a single view of their whole fleet. 

We built a project to allow companies to have a single view of all their vehicles even when they have different trackers in them. For this, all the tracking companies in South Africa will share their data, and the vehicles’ owners will give permission. This way, if a company rents vehicles from another, they’ll be able to see all vehicles at once. 

The project had two major components: the telemetry side and a portal. We needed a very strong user and admin portal. While we kept the telemetry layer ourselves, we went to the market to look for a company to outsource the portal building.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Merixstudio has built our user and admin portal. We had already designed the portal's UI/UX and functionality, and our UI/UX team worked with Merixstudio's design team to make changes and improvements to the design. From there, Merixstudio has handled the coding for the portal's front- and backend using Python and the Django framework. 

They've delivered the first phase, which is the MVP; it's now in production. Additionally, we have an ongoing maintenance contract with Merixstudio. 

What is the team composition?

We've worked with around 6–8 teammates from Merixstudio, including a commercial manager and a project manager. 

How did you come to work with Merixstudio?

I found them online while looking for companies specializing in Python and Django. We also focused on the size of the candidates' previous projects. We found three companies and ultimately chose Merixstudio. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent more than $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2022, and they delivered the MVP in October 2022. Our engagement with Merixstudio is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Merixstudios' technology delivery is excellent. The goal was to have the MVP by the end of October 2022, and Merixstudio has delivered on time — this has been the biggest success. Both of us have been very responsive to each other, and they've never kept us waiting for answers. As a result, they've enabled our sales team to start demonstrating the solution to customers when we had planned. 

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint?

They've delivered on time. However, the project has cost more than initially planned, though the budget increase isn't too significant. 

Their communication and responsiveness are excellent. We primarily use Slack, though we also use email when necessary. Additionally, we have weekly and ad-hoc meetings through Google Meet. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Merixstudio is very proactive in helping us improve the product's design. For example, they didn't just take our design and implement it; if they saw something we'd left out or any issues, they raised those areas of opportunities with us. Overall, the team cares about the design. 

Early in the project, we had a concern about their UI work. I raised the issue with them, and Merixstudio listened and immediately took positive steps to address the problem and fix it completely. I've worked with companies that give excuses when we've raised concerns. Meanwhile, Merixstudio doesn't find excuses; they find solutions. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Although the ultimate delivery is very good, the project has gone over budget. While I understand that estimating the budget for software development is challenging, Merixstudio could improve their budgeting skills. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Our project has worked so well because both sides are very responsive. For an engagement to be successful, you can't expect Merixstudio to be responsive and not reciprocate. We're both quick to answer questions when they come up, which means neither of us wastes time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a SaaS platform for marketing services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merixstudio?

I needed help building my product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Merixstudio has helped me build my product from scratch. Initially, I provided them with documentation and wireframe mock-ups, and they were in charge of the rest, including UI/UX design, development, and testing.

The platform is a desktop app with two sides to it. One side has storage capabilities, where users can store logos, typefaces, and images. The other side is a design tool that users can leverage to create their own designs based on templates.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with over 10 people from Merixstudio, including UI/UX designers, frontend developers, backend developers, project managers, and QA engineers.

How did you come to work with Merixstudio?

A friend of mine recommended Merixstudio. When I talked to them, they had a great attitude, so I hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent around $400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Merixstudio’s work is outstanding. The project is being monitored by our CTO, and everything is good so far. We haven’t launched the platform yet, but our ultimate success metric will be customer signups and customer satisfaction.

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint?

Merixstudio’s project management has been perfect. We use Slack, Miro, and Jira to communicate and manage the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The fact that Merixstudio acts as a business partner is impressive. They’re very interested in pushing the project forward by bringing their knowledge to the table and providing great suggestions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder and engineering director of a startup that makes veterinary software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merixstudio?

We were trying to set up a team augmentation model where Merixstudio would provide back- and frontend developers to be a part of our team. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Merixstudio provides us with back- and frontend developers to augment our in-house team. They use Python with Django on the backend and Typescript with React and GraphQL for the frontend.

What is the team composition?

We don't interact with a project manager, just four of Merixstudio's developers. 

How did you come to work with Merixstudio?

We looked at reviews on Clutch.co and interviewed about nine of the top Python companies. We were initially only looking for backend developers, but Merixstudio convinced us that it was a good idea to take on frontend developers as well. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around £250,000 (approximately $306,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership with Merixstudio began in March 2021 and is scheduled to be complete within a few weeks. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don't have any metrics, but Merixstudio's two frontend developers have quickly become a part of our team, and we'll be sad to see them go. They've produced a lot of features that we wouldn't have been able to do without them. 

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint?

My team manages the project since Merixstudio's developers are essentially a part of our team. We've integrated Merixstudio's teammates into our Slack channels and also use Google Meet for our morning team standup meetings. We also have Slack huddles throughout the day and GitHub for our projects. Merixstudio always meets deadlines and stays within budget.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had some issues filling a backend developer position with Merixstudio's developers, which was frustrating because that's what we wanted them for in the first place. However, we adjusted our plan and hired full-time developers for that role instead. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I'd advise customers to hire Merixstudio. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the manager of language revitalization for an indigenous organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merixstudio?

We wanted to develop a language learning app for our organization and its beneficiaries and participants.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired Merixstudio to design and develop a language learning app for iOS and Android. We started the engagement with an initial meeting, wherein we explained to them what we were looking for and what our expectations were for the mobile app. After a few more meetings exchanging our thoughts and input for the app, they started building it.

The app offered general language lessons for our organization’s beneficiaries. When users open the app for the first time, they’re asked to sign in and answer a few questions about their age, ethnicity, and level of proficiency in the language before they can access the modules within the app. After finishing each module, users are required to pass a test before moving forward to the next one. Each passing module is a little bit more advanced than the previous one.

We wanted the app to have a warm, welcoming feel to it. Merixstudio worked closely with our language specialists to make sure that the app had all of the features and designs that we wanted for it.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is a project manager, but there are around 5-7 people in total working on the app itself.

How did you come to work with Merixstudio?

At the time, we had a language specialist who was working with our organization, and this app was something that he had been looking into developing for quite some time. He did a lot of research on various app developers across Canada and the US and found that Merixstudio was the best fit for this project because of their reputation and the type of work that they've done before in language revitalization.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t launched the app to the App Store and the Google Play Store yet, but we have conducted user testing. We’ve received very positive feedback from the individuals who tested the app in terms of its layout, content, and modules.

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint?

Merixstudio has performed really well in terms of project management. They’re incredibly helpful and are always there to answer our questions and address our concerns. They also guided our IT person in filling out the forms for the app markets, which was great.

We typically communicate through email, and we also have Zoom meetings once every week.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with how supportive and helpful Merixstudio is. They took their time to explain every step of the app development process to us. They made sure to meet with us through Zoom every week to update us on their progress, explain everything that they were doing, and ask for my feedback. This really showed how much they cared about our satisfaction and how they’re constantly trying to improve themselves.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish they had explained the whole process upfront before we started the app’s development. They developed the app just as how we planned, but we had to upload all of the content ourselves, which we weren’t prepared for.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to do your research, prepare and have all of your questions written down, and establish a budget and timeline before you start the engagement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Facta, and we build software for the finance and accounting industry. We’re located in San Francisco.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merixstudio?

We hired Merixstudio for custom development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When they came into the partnership, they reviewed everything for about a month and created a plan to fix all of the technical problems we had. They've done a bunch of things for us, including fixing a legacy codebase and writing a new software. They're also in charge of auditing the quality and code of our platforms.

Furthermore, team has also built a bunch of new products and implemented many UI/UX improvements. On the frontend, they use TypeScript, React, and Redux. On the backend, they use SQL, Serverless, and PostgreSQL. The main purpose of their outputs is to contain, analyze, and communicate financial data, so it affects both the accounting and finance departments at companies.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with their project manager who’s in charge of organizing everything. We also work with their two frontend developers, three backend developers, two designers, and a customer service lead.

How did you come to work with Merixstudio?

Merixstudio was referred by another service provider in Poland. We were told that the team could produce high-quality work.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership began in February 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The value that they’ve delivered has been impressive. Thanks to them, we have a software that’s very easy to onboard because it’s automated. As a result, it’s easier for customers to get their work done. In addition, data integrity is very high, which allows us to offer good UX. Overall, we have had a good experience working with them.

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint?

They have an excellent project management process. They finish their work on time and as expected. They have a dedicated project manager assigned to us and we let him dictate the course on a number of our decisions. So far, he’s been right with all of his decisions. We use Jira and GitHub as our project management tools, and we communicate through Zoom and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their engineers and designers is great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One of their engineers left in the middle of the project, but that’s pretty typical for outsourcing providers. Besides that, we have a pretty flawless relationship with Merixstudio.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust Merixstudio because they’re experienced and they know what they’re doing. Give them a little leeway because they’ll deliver as long as you trust them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CTO of a company that provides embedded financial services for startups. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merixstudio?

We were trying to build an API and the corresponding dashboard to power our embedded financial propositions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Merixstudio provided us with an entire scrum team to augment our in-house development team and develop our proposition software. Before the development began, we had a few workshops with a designer, who helped us visualize and create a mind map of what we wanted to achieve. We dove into the details of the product we wanted, but didn’t completely design the product because we’d created one with another designer. 

They built onto our existing MVP platform and brought it to production. Merixstudio also developed several of our internal development processes and workflows in Jira. For this project, Merixstudio utilized React.js and Selenium. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with Paveł (Mobile Engineering Manager), two backend developers, and a QA teammate from Merixstudio. 

How did you come to work with Merixstudio?

We initially shortlisted several candidates on Clutch, and Merixstudio understood our project the best and had experience with similar projects. They had a lot of really great reviews on Clutch. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested €70,000 (approximately $78,000 USD) with Merixstudio. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Merixstudio was from April–August 2021. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Merixstudio took our startup mentality and built up our ideas into products that are now in the hands of our users. Before working with Merixstudio, we were pre-product with no customers. Now, we have products and solid development processes in place that have instilled good habits in my team.

The API Merixstudio built is very stable and we haven’t gotten any complaints from users — all of the issues with our embedded systems have been rectified. Merixstudio’s work has made my life a lot easier. 

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint?

Even though he was only a part-time project manager, Paveł acted more like a full-time manager. He ensured that our project was set up correctly and built an impeccable project management process using Jira. We usually used Jira and Slack for daily communication and had daily standups in Google Hangouts. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The best thing about working with Merixstudio is having access to their exceptional development talent and QA team. Their team helped us stabilize our system — their talent and dedication to the craft really improved our business. No matter the developer, Merixstudio maintained high-quality work across the project. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Merixstudio’s financial awareness wasn’t great because they were focused on their craft. Often, they didn’t understand the cost implications of certain design decisions, but we found a good balance between work quality, timeliness, and cost after a while. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise customers to be as clear as possible about their project's objectives, timeline, and budget. It’s also important to encapsulate each project into specific details so that the customer always knows where Merixstudio is at a given point in a project. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a company that produces emergency lighting systems and options.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address Merixstudio?

They’re producing a web user interface for one of our systems, implementing the frontend and the backend. We’re giving all the interfaces to the hardware of the embedded system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we had a few chats about how to implement our wants, as many companies don’t have experience with embedded systems. We then move into a hybrid remote and in-person workshop.

Merixstudio is currently designing and developing the UI for our solution. The product allows people to configure their space after they connect to local WiFi networks. Currently, the solution runs through a web browser.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with around 8-11 people right now, including full- and part-time teammates. Resources for UX design and QA come and go as needed. In the beginning, with first contact, they had senior developers with experience available to answer my questions. Now, we’re with a different group of people.

How did you come to work with Merixstudio?

I checked out multiple websites talking about software development and identified those with experience with embedded systems. After speaking with 5-6 companies, I picked Merixstudio because they had the best meeting and asked the right questions.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to €90,000 (approximately $102,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked together since September 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We work through a design, sprint, and then delivery process. The sprints last two weeks, and we present deliverables to our stakeholders for their approval before continuing to the next task.

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re all in the same slack channel and have daily stand ups. Merixstudio responds quickly to requests. Whenever we need to make changes, they find someone to implement them. There’s no lack of communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility stands out. With 200-250 developers, they can provide more support when we need it. Likewise, if someone is not currently needed, Merixstudio has other tasks to assign to them.

Additionally, their design and frontend development have been very fast. I expected the work to take much more time, but their resources are great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There could have been more preparation from both sides. Merixstudio couldn’t have done anything, as we were under time pressure, so a few issues did pop up with the embedded system.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take your time in preparation.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a medical software company. Our goal is to offer more insight and transparency into medical billing to help physicians employ best practices when managing claims.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merixstudio?

We already had a system that enabled bookkeepers to process physician claims, but we wanted to make an extension of that app specifically for physicians. To do that, we were looking for a team with a lot of expertise in frontend development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Merixstudio handled the frontend development of our progressive web app. They worked in conjunction with our internal development team, which dealt with the backend side. We first set up several sprints and detailed what needed to be done and who needed to do them. 

The platform is already finished, but we have yet to launch it. The app allows physicians to log in and see an overview of their earnings and track claims from inception to completion.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a total of five teammates, including Sławek (Project Manager), two frontend developers, a designer, and a QA specialist.

How did you come to work with Merixstudio?

Someone recommended a software agency to us. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the technical background we were looking for, so they put me in touch with Merixstudio, who had a good track record in web-based apps and used the same tech stack as us. They showed us a number of their past projects that proved that they were the best fit for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from April–August 2021. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was a pretty good project. Merixstudio did an excellent job of getting ahead of the curve — they finished well ahead of time and below budget. Furthermore, we didn't need to redo any part of their work. Whenever we found any issues or bugs, the Merixstudio team solved them very quickly and efficiently.

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint?

They exceeded expectations in terms of the timelines. Moreover, they did a great job setting up meetings well in advance, so there was no shortage of communication between us. We met 1–2 times per week on average. 

The project manager was really professional and responsive — he kept everyone on track and prevented any scope creep.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Merixstudio was a very collaborative team — it was easy to work with them because they set aside their egos and focused on what we wanted to achieve. Additionally, the communication couldn’t have been better. They were willing to sit down with us and plan the project in detail.

Overall, they had a phenomenal skill set, worked efficiently, and communicated effectively. Finding a partner like that was invaluable to us, and we plan on working with them again on the next version of the product. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve been more proactive about giving us suggestions, but in the end, that wasn’t their fault. We designed the product, so they were just doing what they were supposed to. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do your work ahead of time and make sure that the project is scoped efficiently. If you know what you want to build and have a clear vision, Merixstudio will handle the execution and deliver precisely what you want.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CTO of a company in the IoT industry. We also offer cryptocurrency-related financial services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merixstudio?

We hired Merixstudio to replace our existing software development team because they weren’t able to scale our application to the international market.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Merixstudio is helping us build our website’s frontend dashboard and reconcile our legacy data. They use standard platforms, technologies, and programming languages, such as React Redux, Node.js, React Native, Webpack, TypeScript, Docker, Kubernetes, and AWS. Additionally, they use CI/CD (continuous integration and continuous delivery) practices.

What is the team composition?

Their team composition oscillates between 9–12 people, depending on the project. This includes two project managers who constantly help us out.

How did you come to work with Merixstudio?

Merixstudio was a recommendation from one of our portfolio investors who had used them previously. We tried them, and they’ve worked well so far.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Merixstudio has helped us release our app’s 1.5 version, as well as our frontend dashboard’s 2.0 version. So far, their work has been very good. We’re satisfied with them, and we’ve received positive feedback.

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint?

Merixstudio has been very good at managing the project. They ensure that we have written weekly updates, and they also keep us updated over Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Merixstudio is very communicative, and they’ve met my expectations. Overall, they’ve done a good job.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be constantly engaged with them, and make sure that you give them as much information as you can before they start working with you. Merixstudio has great assertiveness, which I really appreciate, but it also requires us to be highly assertive from our side. If you’re going to hire them, try to be very communicative for your engagement to work as well as you need it to.