MindSea

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an early-stage motion recognition API company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MindSea?

We hired them to develop an application for physical therapy, which was sort of a proof of concept (POC) of our technology.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MindSea has developed two Android apps to be used in clinics. One of them is for patients to use their smartwatches to track their own physical therapy performance. The other one is for practitioners. There’s also a web portal associated with it for managing users. The staff developed a Wear OS app that runs on the connected Android smartwatch. 

The app allows physical therapists to onboard patients and assign exercises and diagnoses in an initial appointment. The patients can use their respective app to go to an exercise library within it and watch videos with instructions on how to do them correctly. As they perform the exercises, they’re connected to the smartwatch, which tracks reps, compares their performance to their personalized baseline, and gives reports on their progress and accuracy to motivate them. 

All the information is securely shared and provides objective data for the therapist to treat the patient. 

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Reuben (CEO). 

How did you come to work with MindSea?

I didn’t select MindSea, one of our founders did when I came on board. However, I was familiar with the team because I had shortlisted them for another development project for a startup I worked with. I think the staff was hired because of their expertise in the medical technology space, and the fact that they’ve won awards for their work both in Canada and the US. 

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent around $135,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement started in December 2020, and it’s ongoing. The main project is now completed, so we’re currently working on a few more revisions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This has been an elastic kind of project where not all details had been predefined. Even so, we came in around 13% over estimates, which is pretty good. MindSea always has been able to find workarounds when we’ve had changes in the scope — they’ve been good and agile partners. 

Our business has gotten quality work from their team. Before the revisions, the delivery of the final product took a little longer, but that’s because of the dynamic nature of the project, not so much because of the developers themselves. The cost has been slightly higher than estimated, but that’s usually how things work out. 

How did MindSea perform from a project management standpoint?

Our team has held weekly meetings and used Trello. We’ve also used Figma to review designs together.

What did you find most impressive about them?

MindSea seems to attract quality people. Our project has had a few personnel changes — which is normal in the tech business — and the newly hired employees they’ve assigned to us have been really talented. 

I like that initially, the staff spent a good amount of time doing UX research before diving into the design — that was appropriate and professional and helped us understand our customers better. MindSea’s real strength lies in their UI/UX research processes which allow them to be more effective. They are not just focused on the customer that’s hiring them, but also on the end user experience. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The team can get better at estimating scores. We’ve had some situations in which a Scrum phase gets a low score on its estimate and when we dig deeper into it, it suddenly has a giant Fibonacci number on it. A phase can look small, but it can involve 10 subtasks to complete it. 

At times, they’ve also rolled out with bugs that we wished they had caught before. However, these are pretty minor quibbles. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more you can invest at the beginning of the project, the fewer surprises you’ll have later on. Take the time to make sure that your requirements and business objectives are as clear as they can be and are very well understood to make the most out of the relationship and send the staff down the right path.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder of a company called Constant Health, which is a digital platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MindSea?

We have a brick-and-mortar operation called Bariatric Medical Institute and have been doing medical weight management for the last 17 years. We understand the clinical side of weight management and wanted to get into the technology side. However, we were super apprehensive about getting into tech because the complexity of building a good app can be incredibly difficult. Building an app itself can be easy, but building a good app is hard. We wanted to find experts that could help us do build an app we could be proud of.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did a little bit of everything in this complex development project. There are five parts to it: the Android version, the iOS version, a clinical portal, a patient front web portal, and a service-side portal. It was a large-scale endeavor, so we broke the project into bite-sized pieces. We wanted to work with a team that was adaptable and able to work with us as we went forward.

When we first started, the scope was just the iOS build. There were two reasons for this: the expense of building the app for various platforms in a native environment and our desire to pinpoint common mistakes through testing to learn from them in future builds. By starting off with one platform, we helped ourselves avoid similar mistakes on the second platform.

We had a little bit of design work, to begin with. We were working with a company here in Ottawa, but they only deal with design. They were partnering with another development agency, but we decided to abandon that engagement because we were worried the designs wouldn't make sense with the development if we were working with two separate partners.

After reviewing their mockups with MindSea, we saw that there was a lot of rework to be done. Our previous partner was designing a solution for a hybrid platform rather than a native one, so the mockup only provided a somewhat general idea of how the project should go.

What is the team composition?

I'm very hands-on, so I met with their entire team at the start of the project. I flew out to their office and met with 10 people: three developers, four designers, the CEO, and everyone else on the team. Since then, I primarily worked with a project manager, who is also the lead designer.

As time passed, I've been more involved with the developers as well. I have been lucky enough to work with the same lead developer who is doing the server and iOS work. The project manager and lead developer are the people that I regularly interact with.

How did you come to work with MindSea?

We may have found them through Clutch. From there I met with their former CEO, who I'm still friends with. He was great at his job, despite only being there for a month. They seemed to understand what we were trying to accomplish better than the other teams we considered. We met with five different agencies, and MindSea seemed like the best fit.

At the time, Bill (Former CEO), had gone through a fairly meaningful weight loss himself and appreciated the issue we were trying to solve. Aside from them being able to make pretty solutions, they also had a real belief in what we were trying to do. That was what allowed us to start working with them.

How much have you invested in them?

We've spent at least $400,000–$500,000 at this point.

MindSea has a share of Constant Health, which was part of the deal. They worked at cost to help build out the app because it was such a robust project. Our work evolved from there. Through government funding we received, MindSea actually has lent us some of their employees to go on our payroll. It truly is a partnered venture that we're doing together.

What is the status of this engagement?

I agreed to get going with them in September 2020, and the project is still ongoing. We're still using them for Android work. With two of their employees also doing some of the work on our internal payroll, we are doing all the server, iOS, and web portal work internally.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our app is a tool for clients to work with clinicians in a more seamless manner. For weight management, it's hard to track and communicate issues or success between appointments. It is usually one of three things: the person is incredibly successful, the person is not so successful but the clinician doesn't know until they come back, or the person is not so successful and chooses not to come back out of embarrassment.

Through their help with our product, we've been able to remove embarrassment and feelings of failure during this process because of the real-time feedback for the clinicians through a client's struggles. From that standpoint, it has been incredibly successful. In a typical weight management program, there's about 40% attrition, and we currently have about 14% attrition.

How did MindSea perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication is awesome through Slack and definitely not a problem. I learned working with technology is like building a house. There is definitely scope creep and changes through the process that complicate things. We either learn new things, problems present themselves, or there are new features you want to build out, so I definitely take some blame in terms of delays.

I'm sure some of it is on their end too. Things like staff turnover or people are getting spread too thin with multiple projects could both be issues. They're about average when it comes to deadlines, but I wouldn’t put all the blame on them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team I work with is phenomenal. Warren (Senior Product Designer & Design Team Lead) is a rockstar who I couldn’t be happier with. We've become genuine friends and the same can be said about the teammate who onboarded us.

With the team that I have been dealing with thus far, it's a friendship as much as it's a business relationship. That is always something that I want to strive for because I believe in real partnership. Lots of people talk about partnership, but it’s not always achieved. They came through on that end.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The price became an issue at times because the number of hours they originally estimated was way off. They came down on price because their estimations were off, but that's probably the biggest issue. we faced. They resolved this, but they were 40% off their estimated hours required to build the product. That was a big deal and pretty problematic. 

They did rectify it as best as they could. I have to be reasonable as well; they’re not going to work for free, and that has been the only real issue we've had with this project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be involved. When I talked to the team, I asked what I can do to make their jobs better and easier. The difference is having someone from the company involved on a regular basis. We had a Slack channel, and I was always involved in meetings. When problems came up, I always responded within a couple of hours maximum. That makes a big difference.

From their perspective, it is super helpful because it allows them to get answers quickly and move faster. From my perspective, it was helpful because I understood the process and associated problems that occurred. That made a big difference in understanding their pain so they could appreciate my pain. Issues become more of a conversation at that point, as opposed to just working in our own silos.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a network for independent insurance agencies. We provide business services and technology solutions that help independent insurance agencies grow. When an agency becomes a member of our network, they get access to insurance markets as well as a whole suite of business services and tools. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MindSea?

We wanted to give insurance agency owners access to their business information at the tip of their fingers. For example, our tools would help them understand what happened to their business yesterday, which clients they needed to be concerned about today, and where their additional revenue opportunities were. 

We turned to MindSea to help us build a mobile solution that addressed those questions and more.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

MindSea developed a mobile app that provided insurance agency owners insights around their business so that they could take action. It was a cross-platform solution built using React Native. Our engineers did the backend while theirs worked on the frontend.

One of our concerns around mobile app development was adoption — we wanted to make sure that we were building something that our users wanted. Insurance agents aren’t the most tech-savvy population, so we needed to make sure that our mobile solution would be something that they’d actually want to use.

Initially, MindSea helped us understand what the feature set would need to look like. I brought some sketches that I’d brainstormed with some others in the company, working with their team to bring them to life. They did a bunch of workshops to explore user personas, looked at what our users cared about and how that varied across the audience, and then started talking about features.

All of this culminated into a feature-value matrix that plotted all of our ideas out. This helped us understand the value that our solution would have for our users, and it became a really good foundation for our product roadmap and MVP. 

What is the team composition? 

We had a designer who also ran the show as a project manager. She drove all of the meetings and made sure things stayed on track, but she also gathered requirements and translated them into designs. There was also a main developer who oversaw a team.

How did you come to work with MindSea?

I looked at five companies that came in through a mix of referrals, cold emails, and Clutch. I mostly wanted a partner that thought how we thought to meet us where we were. We knew our customers really well, so we didn’t need a giant deep-dive to learn about our customers. MindSea struck the right balance between analyzing our target users and respecting our institutional knowledge.

I’d also add that it was great to see them work through some of our initial technical questions like when we were choosing the right platform for our app. MindSea was the only company that I talked to that said they couldn’t be sure which platform was right for us until they fully understood our scope. That showed a lot of humility and trust in the process. 

How much have you invested with them?

We paid about $100,000 between the first meeting with MindSea and getting the app live in app stores.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in October 2019, and we’re still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was really important for us to build an application that was beautiful, easy to use, and intuitive — something that users wanted to put their hands on. Our app is a data-intensive experience, which is hard to make easy to navigate. 

But, that’s what we got with MindSea. They took our ideas and solidified the UX design in the exact right direction for us. The team had great ideas around how to resolve complicated UX issues, and the end quality exceeded my expectations.

How did MindSea perform from a project management standpoint?

MindSea was really good about always hitting deadlines. They pushed the agenda forward to drive future development and were transparent about how things were trending.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Again, what set them apart was their ability to strike a balance between meeting us where we were and pushing us to adopt other best practices. We could see that manifest both in their agile process and the actual end product. 

During discussions around feature sets, they would work to understand why we needed a feature before gently pushing back to guide us toward a better mobile experience — even if we might’ve given something up in the process. It was a compelling, healthy way to think through problems.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have a lot to say on this front.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Projects always work out well when both parties are clear and transparent. Just be honest and straightforward with what you need, even during tricky conversations. MindSea will do whatever they can to make that happen. If they can’t, they’ll explain why and help you work through a different solution.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Myluxierge. It’s a two-way e-commerce platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MindSea?

They offer a blueprint service. They layout the blueprints of the app and a pitch-deck. Basically, they got it to the point that I could bring it to an investor

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After the blueprint service, they designed a prototype. We went through testing on the prototype. Once we had that feedback, we revised it. We had three versions, and by then, we concluded the prototype. The team also put together an outline for the future app after the MVP was released.

What is the team composition?

I worked with four people, including Taylor (VP of Client Experience), Thomas (Developer), Katie (Product Designer), and one more.  

How did you come to work with MindSea?

I found them through a Google search. I was impressed that they developed a company-proposal software that I had used. They offered services that we couldn’t find elsewhere. They explained the blueprint process, the deliverables, the timeframe.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $18,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in mod-November 2019 and we concluded in March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of the product was amazing. We built a functional prototype and it’s exactly how I wanted it laid-out. They turned my idea, my vision, into a fully functional prototype. Now, once I have investors, I just need to go to them to build out the final product.

How did MindSea perform from a project management standpoint?

We had meetings twice a week. And at each meeting, they updated me on what they had done.

Every email went to the entire team. They were great with corresponding. If I were to send an email, they always responded quickly when I had questions or concerns. Taylor was awesome because he gave a lot of advice as a founder of a new company. He was very helpful and took me step-by-step through the process of finding an investor.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It was the team. They became vert invested in the app. They were very excited to work on it, and the app demographic fit the team that was working on it. Every week, they were very excited, very involved, and gave me some awesome feedback that helped evolve the platform. I hadn’t even thought about some of the ideas they proposed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared. When working with them, they appreciated that I had a very detailed business plan. Before contacting them, I laid everything out including the features I wanted and how I wanted it to work. Obviously, a lot of it had to be revised, but when I handed it to them, it was a very smooth process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a company in the health and wellness space that’s developing a device intended to measure biometrics within the body. I’m the director of product development there.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MindSea?

We’ve undergone the development of a wearable prototype and a mobile app. After prototyping the app, I decided to evaluate the partnership we had previously. We entered an app redux with them to evaluate the code of the mobile app created by the other firm.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In addition to the app redux, they handled creating new designs and wireframes for the mobile app. We went through the blueprint process during which they developed the app prototype in Invision. The app was functional and displayed our features in a whole new UI/UX that was levels above what we had previously.

What is the team composition?

My main points of contact were the project manager and head UX designer. 

How did you come to work with MindSea?

I had personal connections to their company and had seen some of their previous work. Based on that, I was inclined to ask if it was possible to collaborate. From there, we went into a workshop session, and they provided a whole new level of organization and creativity. That’s what sealed the deal and convinced me to hire them for this work. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $20,000 on their work. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2019, and our teams plan to continue to develop collaboratively moving forward.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We did user testing through their team. Based on the workable prototype the provided us, we did a comparative analysis of the app that was previously developed. All user testers preferred the MindSea app. They received plenty of positive feedback on the UI/UX side. 

How did MindSea perform from a project management standpoint?

They introduced our company to Slack as a communication and collaboration tool. On their end, they used Trello. They met all the deadlines we set because they were at a whole new level of organizational capability. Their team kept us in the know about budgeting, action items, and progress. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’d been working with another team that wasn’t as invested in our product as we would’ve hoped. MindSea was invested in our product and offered up suggestions to enhance our UX. They challenged us to tighten up our firm and make difficult decisions about our product. Everything was clearly defined through this high level of engagement. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It was such a positive experience that I struggle thinking of things they should improve upon. We’ve asked them to support the app, but they didn’t have the capabilities in-house to pivot from our former subcontractor. However, they were willing to find external resources for us to fill the gap. Even when they didn’t have a specific skill, they found resources to fill the need immediately.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’ve had software development troubles, MindSea can be used as a rescue. They provided a full service that was unlike anything I’ve experienced in the past.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of customer experience at SalesRight, a SaaS product that allows sales teams to increase sales using interactive pricing guidelines. I work directly with customers to make sure they’re getting the best out of our product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MindSea?

We’re a startup that only had an idea when we hired them. We needed a partner to take us from the blueprint process through the design and development of our web app. Our goal was to get an MVP with a quality UI/UX from the engagement.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After explaining the product to their team, they completely took it over, starting with the blueprint process. They developed several iterations of  UI/UX design options as well as QA and user testing. All of their efforts led to the creation of a mobile-compatible web app. 

During the build, we were scaling up our own internal development team. So, shortly after they produced the MVP, they transitioned it over to our team. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of one designer, two developers, and a QA team. Our designer was also the project manager.

How did you come to work with MindSea?

Halifax has a really tight-knit tech community, so we knew about them because they’re local. They had an excellent reputation in the community, with experience with projects similar to ours. 

In our early discussions, we found that they’re really strong with mobile developments, and we knew that we eventually wanted to move our web app toward mobile. We liked that they had that mindset from the start. It was also helpful to be able to meet them in person because of our proximity to one another. Because of all of that, we chose to hire them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We engaged them in July 2018 and launched our product in February 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When they completed the MVP, they passed it off to our dev team. We’ve been growing rapidly since then, converting multiple paying customers. The positive feedback we’ve received speaks volumes to the work they put into the design and build of the app.

They also delivered a product that our product team could develop further. We’ve released multiple features since then. That also speaks to the quality and clarity of the MVP.

How did MindSea perform from a project management standpoint?

We enjoyed the unique team setup. Because our project manager was also our design lead, we had a more direct connection to the product itself. We valued that personal touch and created better relationships as a result.

The project manager had a thorough understanding of our product this way. We used Slack and email to communicate, but we also had in-person meetings. Our project was always prioritized by them, and communication was excellent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We appreciated the uniqueness of having our product designer double as our project manager. It definitely stood out to us. Also, even though they’re a smaller team, we were always confident in their abilities. They brought a ton of experience to the table, which earned our trust. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There isn’t anything that comes to mind. With relationships, you get out what you put in.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re excellent, so be sure to engage with them. Don’t hold back from building a strong relationship early.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and founder of my own app development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MindSea?

I wanted to deliver a photo app as close to the launch date of the iPhone 4 as possible. Time to market was my main concern. I could have either ramped up on iOS development and made the app myself or hire a team to help bring the product to market a lot faster.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MindSea helped us develop several apps. The most successful products are a suite of apps that replicate the experience of sitting in an old school photo booth. In particular, there are two apps that are thriving right now. One of them is designed for recreational use such as taking selfies with friends. The other is more capable, designed for people who want to set up photo booths at events.

While I was involved in the development process day-to-day, my focus was on the overall design. We worked together but MindSea built the app. Initially, the app was for iPhone. MindSea ended up porting it to Android. They helped develop other versions for the iPad as well as a universal iteration. As iPhones and iPads changed with various screen sizes and different iOS iterations, MindSea has been the one bringing it forward for each new device and operating system. Their team also built software, which made it easy for me to quickly deploy branded versions of the app.

What is the team composition?

From QA to development teammates, I’ve worked with probably 15 people over the course of our collaboration. MindSea has design, development, and test teams who are experiences on both iOS and Android platforms. They also have a seasoned web team who helped build web components for a couple of my apps.

How did you come to work with MindSea?

I searched Google to find that a lot of app dev companies were overseas with non-English speaking teams. It seemed that there was always going to be a go-between which didn’t seem efficient to me. I found MindSea online. I held a typical interview and hit it off with the founder, who understood my vision for the initial app. I talked to the team members who would be helping to write the software. There were no layers between me and the people who were actually getting their hands dirty with the software.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in 2010, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

MindSea captured my vision for the app really well. In the app store, the first product performed well. It was featured in the list of top 10 photo apps for the first couple of years. We made our Android version because Amazon asked us to develop an iteration exclusively for their app store. Businesses contacted us to port the app for their respective stores and each was willing to pay for that privilege.

Without MindSea, I wouldn’t have built the app in time for the iPhone 4 release. They were able to perform development tasks in parallel, which I would’ve had to do in series. It would’ve been a much longer process to launch the app without their team. If I didn’t have them onboard to help bring my ideas to light, some products might have never seen the light of day.

How did MindSea perform from a project management standpoint?

We hold video calls but MindSea uses Slack and Trello religiously. With Trello, we can see what’s been triaged and what’s being worked on presently. We’ve used slack for any day to day communication. When we had big releases and had more than just one person on their team working, the scheduling was met with the same rigor with which they used their organizational tools.

There was no software for a long time in the development process. I really appreciate and resonate with their design process. Before any software is written they work extensively to first explore, document, and design the software. They call it their blueprinting process. They rightly want to make sure that a product is captured on paper when it’s inexpensive to make changes and explore different ideas. It was a super helpful process, helping save time, money, and consternation.

What did you find most impressive about them?

MindSea has struck a great balance between being big enough to produce world-class work and small enough that I could reach out to teammates directly. There wasn’t a huge chain of command that filtered my messages. I didn’t have to navigate a huge bureaucracy. Their size is a great asset. No one’s phoning it in. They really care about their work and even take pride in it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to carve out time to visit Halifax—it's an amazing city!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a software developer at Vapium. We develop cutting-edge software and hardware products in the medical space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MindSea?

We're building a product that will help users consume cannabis in a controlled way and record their usage. (Cannabis is legal in Canada and is used extensively for medical applications.) We reached out to MindSea to help us develop an iOS app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we talked in-depth about our requirements and the audience. Then, they did the blueprint of the application, so they basically designed the app on paper. After we provided our feedback, they started the development process. The app allows customers to share their use of cannabis with their doctors and give feedback on the effects of the medicine on their condition.

What is the team composition?

We're currently working with our project lead and two developers. They're very flexible and willing to increase or decrease the number of team members depending on the phase of the project.

How did you come to work with MindSea?

I worked with them previously. I was the CTO at a different company, and MindSea built an iOS app for us. We had a very good experience, so I didn't hesitate to hire them for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent between $150,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2018, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're currently testing the app with our business partners, and the feedback has been amazing. Everyone who saw the app has been impressed with both the concept and the product.

How did MindSea perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly meetings, and communication has been very smooth. If there is a problem and I reach out to them, they get back to me within minutes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very personable and fun people, so it's been an enjoyable process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Our experience was focused on building an iOS app, so I highly recommend MindSea to anyone who is doing a similar project. However, MindSea is also very knowledgeable about Android and other software. Some overseas companies are cheaper, but there might be communication issues, and it's hard to get the same quality. MindSea offers very good value.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the senior product manager at Excentus, a loyalty marketing company focused primarily in the convenience retail space, which includes convenience stores, wholesalers, and fueling stations. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MindSea?

There were a few challenges we needed help with. First, we wanted to update our entire experience within the fuel rewards program since we hadn't made any updates to our digital pieces in over four years. Secondly, we wanted to improve engagement within the program. Lastly, we wanted to digitize the entire experience. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MindSea set up a design thinking workshop, where we laid out a blueprint for building the app. While our own internal team did the actual development, MindSea provided three rounds of in-person user testing with about 12 different users, who viewed 50-60 screens that they had created prototypes of. Using that feedback, they helped us build a prototype in InVision and retested it to ensure we'd resolved all of its issues. 

What is the team composition? 

Since our project was so complex, we not only had a lead designer managing the project, but also three full-time designers as well as their CEO heavily involved in every aspect of the engagement.

How did you come to work with MindSea?

I had worked with MindSea before at a previous company and recommended them to our company for the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $80,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place between September–December 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team is extremely happy with the prototype MindSea helped us develop. It's one of the most exciting projects we've worked on in a long time. We've also received a lot of positive feedback from users during testing, who are eager for the app to go live. The strategy MindSea laid out for us was very thorough, yet easy to understand and well received by our customers, members, and internal executives. We're very optimistic about how this product is going to transform our business and the program as a whole. As a result, our biggest partner has prioritized our program as their top initiative for 2019 and 2020, giving us a lot of visibility. 

How did MindSea perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive and one of the most accessible teams I've ever worked with. We had bi-weekly video calls with their team and met with them in-person three times.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very good people and genuinely interested in building amazing products for their clients. They take ownership and pride in their work and developed a good rapport with our team. My internal team continues to request that we work with them again, so the experience has been very positive and we look forward to continuing the relationship. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They performed a culture review a couple years ago and asked me the same question, but I couldn't think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Dedicate as much time as possible towards the collaboration in order to help their team succeed while educating yourself on the process. They have some highly knowledgeable people on their team that can help guide the project, providing creative solutions along the way.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Scott Stallman: We develop a communication and scheduling tool for the contracting industry. I’m a co-owner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MindSea?

Doug Zinkiewich: The challenge was the development of our app. It’s a collaboration platform that allows on-site workers to share data and have mobile access to documents

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DZ: They developed our app for iOS. We’ve done user testing and come up with an MVP, and are now moving to other platforms.

SS: I initially constructed a PowerPoint presentation from data that I collected, with a basic walkthrough and flow from a user perspective. MindSea used that material combined with our feedback to build mockup designs.

What is the team composition?

DZ: Taylor (VP of Client Experience, MindSea) was the project lead from the very beginning. We also worked with a business rep, and had a main contact for development, who took part in weekly meetings. She was also the point person for user testing while developing the MVP and blueprints. There was another member working in the background, on the software development.

How did you come to work with MindSea?

DZ: In a previous position, I’d worked with an individual who’d developed an app with MindSea and who talked highly of them. We wanted a professional process for taking the app from idea to business and when talking to MindSea, they went through their process, stages, and everything that surrounded those—we liked what they had to offer.

SS: They picked up every idea we had, and they kept us on track in terms of goals and road mapping.

How much have you invested with them?

DZ: It was around $25,000 CAD (approximately $19,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

DZ: We started working with MindSea in late April or early May 2018, and finished in July. We’ve done the iOS portion, but we realized that we need to develop the administration web portal side.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

DZ: They were able to deliver an MVP along with blueprints and user testing within the time frame we outlined. We’re happy with the result and how it looks, and we’ve already talked with them about building the next versions.

How did MindSea perform from a project management standpoint?

DZ: We didn’t use a specific system; we developed a timeline in the beginning, and we followed that. We used Zoom and email for communication.

They were all in coordination, and they maintained the momentum, which was key for us. They were collaborative and proactive in what they did. They knew what to expect, as we worked through the process, and they worked well together. We could set up additional meetings with the CFO in order to determine valuations and go through some Excels.

What did you find most impressive about them?

SS: I initially wanted to incorporate everything I could into the app, but they kept us level-headed and helped us go through the journey of creating the MVP, so that we’d have a good structure to build on in the future. I found that helpful and I appreciated the constant communication. They sent us feedback and shared documents, giving us all the information necessary to understand the startup tech world. MindSea went above and beyond, and exceeded my expectations.

DZ: One of the things that attracted us to them was that they’d developed apps that sold on the market, and by a large number. Their experience is evident: they’re strategic and competent, they have a good project management mindset, they’re process-oriented, and they know what their objectives are.

As entrepreneurs, we don’t necessarily think within those areas, but MindSea is good at keeping us focused. The process can drag on, and there are roadblocks a lot of the time, but we were able to find solutions for the ones we encountered.

Are there any areas they could improve?

SS: They did go over the timeline for the initial kickoff and I had to ask them about our status. It would be good to have had updates throughout the process and using a scheduling tool might be useful. I don’t have any other comments; I think they did an excellent job and there isn’t much I would’ve changed.

DZ: I like their personalities, ideas, and the scheduling process. However, I would like the ability to make paper copies of our blueprints. I’m more old-school and I’m new to many of the modern communication tools, so I need to print the material, which is sometimes hard to do because of how it’s formatted.