Miquido

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We were set up in 2001 as a backend software developer for IP network device control. We also set up another system around 2 years ago in order to focus on consumer applications.

I am the Chief Executive Officer of the company. I have an extensive experience in the telecoms, cable, and programming sectors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Miquido?

We needed resources for developing a mobile application. Our target audience is the college age demographic, users who are familiar with social media platforms and are used to sharing content with friends, communicating around that content. We ultimately plan to open up to both younger and older demographics, creating an all-mind environment in which all friends are connected and able to watch the same content at once through mobile devices, almost as if they were in the same room.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have worked with Miquido on a media/messaging application developed for both iOS and Android. Miquido is also working on our backend solution, which was developed partly by us.

We also plan on using Miquido for our website redesign, as well as marketing material production.

How did you come to work with Miquido?

We needed to find a developer for video and TV services. I had the technical director of the company manage the search. After several weeks of shortlisting, we hired them. We did a Skype interview with their team and chose them out of 4 firms.

How much have you invested with Miquido?

We will spend over $100,000 this year. Most years we spend around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our collaboration with Miquido over three years ago. This is ongoing work with major projects being added on a rolling basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their systems are being used a lot currently. I can compare them to a couple of other subcontractors. Miquido's systems function very well because they test thoroughly before delivering their modules. They can also do integrations, and sometimes they do for us.

How did Miquido perform from a project management standpoint?

They were smaller and weaker with project management before. Project managers and tools are great for productivity and collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about Miquido?

I get great access to the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, which gives us extra confidence. They go above and beyond for us. I know that their business is based on relationships and personal referrals, which is the best way to build a company.

Are there any areas Miquido could improve?

They are small and growing quickly so sometimes it can be difficult to get resources when you need them. It’s a minor problem and can be overcome with proper planning. If you tell them in advance what you need, they usually can make arrangements to suit your project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a semiconductors company in the UK. The division that I work for is involved in developing wireless, multimedia speakers. This particular one was related to our retail division, which is the work we did with Miquido. It involved developing applications for their speakers. Pure basically sells retail radios and wireless speakers.

What is your position?

I am a Software Engineering Manager at the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Miquido?

Our company has quite a lot of software expertise but very little app experience. We have a couple of internal people that had started doing some apps. Although relatively skilled people, they didn’t have the experience. Then we had some contractors in, and that didn’t work very well. We chose Miquido initially just to take what we already had running in iOS and run it on Android. Those were really the challenges that fill the gap in for our application.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Miquido’s initial remit was to take an application that we had written in iOS, but not fully completed, and convert it to Android. Because we were happy with the work they did, we involved them in both the iOS and the Android development, to take both of those products forward.

They led the Android product project themselves. Some of our team members were working on the interface with some of our systems, but it was mostly them doing the user experience and the development. We felt that they were our own employees, fitting into the product as required, and getting their ideas on how it should work. Eventually, we set up scrum and agile teams, and then they ran with those scrum and agile teams with some members of both teams.

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

It was over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It is completed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The app is in the store, and the feedback that we got from the app is not as good as we like, but that’s more to do with the system rather than the app itself. We had some system issues which weren’t related to Miquido, so I wouldn’t like to taint their work with that sort of thing. There’s nothing publicly, unfortunately, that I can really share with you. We’ve done an evolution of their project since, and I’ve been working with them on that. Again, it’s almost as though they were really internal employees, even though they were working in their offices. They attribute to our agile teams really well.

How did Miquido perform from a project management standpoint?

We did project management ourselves. We tended to use Miquido as individual team members. From that point of view, there wasn’t really an issue. I found them incredibly flexible. Occasionally, staff had to go, and there was some turnover at their end. They were very good at keeping the people up to date though. Then, when we had various issues and we had to reduce the staff, and then increase their services, despite what the contract said, they were very flexible and tried to work with us as best as they could. The overall point of view, as a resource, they were very good.

What distinguishes Miquido from other providers?

We were very impressed with the quality of Miquido’s staff. Miquido's team is technically very good, and they worked hard and contributed to the project. Their flexibility was one of the things that really stood out. Where other companies may have stuck to the contract a lot more, they were happy to work with us where they could through some difficult situations, and made it a lot easier for us.

Is there anything Miquido could have improved or done differently?

I can’t really think of any negatives.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Skyscanner is a global search engine that enables people to find comparisons for flights, hotels, and car hire.

What is your position?

I am a product manager. I was working on our car hire side of the business when I came into contact and worked with Miquido specifically on the car hire Android and iOS app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Miquido?

We didn't have a car hire app at that moment. We wanted to build an app fairly rapidly, and one of my colleagues identified Miquido as a suitable candidate to be able to do just that.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Miquido went through a number of iterations for the app. Initially, we just provided the product requirements, and Miquido did the full design, development, and testing. As time went on, we reached a point where we were driving the product, in terms of product manager, and we had a UX [user experience] designer on our side, but worked closely with the development team at Miquido. We shared the testing, so we had test engineers on both teams.

We did a fair amount of work around improving our processes and that was very much collaboration in the two teams, given that we're geographically in different locations. We reached a point where the direction was given by us, but we would work together to decide what is the most important thing and what's technically possible and the direction we were going. Miquido inputted into that as well and gave feedback.

How did you come to work with Miquido?

A colleague of mine looked at various options. Initially, we just wanted a prototype in a short span of time and as I say, it was felt Miquido came across as very ambitious, very fast moving, a relatively new company looking to make an impact. They were able to respond to our request that we wanted it done reasonably fast. They could actually handle that and deliver that, and they'd be able to respond in the timescale that we wanted. Plus, on the financial side of things, they were reasonable as well.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've finished the car hire app project and we've brought that in-house. We've brought together the flights, hotels and car hire into one app, so our requirements for working with a third party ended. We stopped working with Miquido around July 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We've gotten great user feedback on the app. In terms of the app store ratings, we're at a 4 out of 5 for both apps. We also have a great conversion rate on the app.

How did Miquido perform from a project management standpoint?

Miquido did very well. They are very responsive and always on hand in terms of being available as part of the weekly sprints that we ran. We ran sprints every two weeks, and they were very engaged in that process, which is good for us.

Project management-wise, Miquido was very proactive. They were able to understand our requirements and challenges, especially the pain points around at what point are we going to get out of an app so that we can test it initially and then coming back with obviously the bugs that we found. We did a lot of work around process improvements, looking at where the bottleneck is in our step and development process lifecycle.

Even at the end, we terminated on good terms, and they were very helpful even. We went through a ramp-down maintenance mode with the app, and they were able to help during that period, and there was iOS upgrade during the final period, so they were able to help with a specific issue that we appreciated and that they didn't necessarily have to do that. They gave guidance on a specific upgrade regression – something stopped working – so that helped us as well.

What distinguishes Miquido from other providers?

They came to Edinburgh a few times, and we had a number of onsite workshops. They were very proactive in coming forward with ideas to improve the products. They were always looking at how do we improve, even though it wasn't a Miquido car hire app, they bought into what we were trying to do so that made it much easier for us.

The Miquido team is very high energy and had a good level of development skills. They were aware of trends and changes that were happening, especially with any iOS or Android release. They would then be able to understand what implications this had on the current app quickly, what we needed to change to ensure that we were making full use of the operating system, so that was very helpful.

Is there anything Miquido could have improved or done differently?

Not really.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for a big, global insurance company based in the United Kingdom. I lead the development team in the Barcelona, Spain office.

What is your position?

I am an engineering manager. I oversee the engineering teams, set practices, and provide the staff and tools needed for our daily activities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Miquido?

We needed mobile developers. As an insurance company, quality and security are main concerns.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Miquido will be working on mobile applications for us. The projects in which they will be involved are focused on the internal transformation of the company, automating processes, and creating models that can be reused on other projects.

We plan to organize a hackathon next week. Miquido is helping us plan it and have provided a speaker that will be addressing motion designs and animations for mobile devices.

How did you come to work with Miquido?

I had collaborated with them at a previous company. We worked on a large mobile application. Miquido was in charge of Android and iOS development. At the time of my departure, the team Miquido provided was composed of 14 developers.

When we needed development work at my current company, I contacted them again. We are now negotiating our contract and determining the projects in which they'll be included.

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

We don't have a specific budget for working with them. We will pay them a rate based on the team they provide us. We plan to start with a four person team, and expand it to eight developers.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work is ongoing. We plan to have a continuous relationship with Miquido and make them part of our team. We will specify the way in which we work and request engineers for our various projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

On my previous team, the development process was streamlined by having the entire team working on the project on Miquido's side. I like the way in which Miquido works. They get involved in the work and add value to it, as opposed to other developers I've worked with, which detached themselves from the project once it was completed.

We've had multiple meetings regarding the hackathon we're planning to host. It was a good process, and they didn't charge us anything for the speaker they will be sending.

How did Miquido perform from a project management standpoint?

On our previous collaboration, we had three different teams, with a team leader for each project. I spoke with their chief technology officer every three days in order to see how everything was going. He is involved in their operations and has good oversight. Whenever there's an issue, he helps in solving it proactively. This was the main reason I suggested their services at my current company.

What distinguishes Miquido from other providers?

Whenever we had meetings between our teams, we had the feeling of being a single unit. We worked together and had a good relationship. We would usually go to dinner together afterwards. The social aspect is important within this work. I'm overall quite happy with them.

Miquido is involved in the developer community. They organize events and care about their engineers.

Is there anything Miquido could have improved or done differently?

Sometimes I have disagreements with the Miquido team, but it’s quite easy to discuss our issues directly and come up with great solutions together.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Our agency is specialized in web design and development as well as Internet marketing.

What is your position?

I'm the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Miquido?

Many of our clients requested apps as part of their projects. We needed the necessary expertise for this.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They've worked on around three apps for our clients, including making specifications, design, and coding. We've worked on web as well as native Android and iOS apps.

Their involvement goes beyond developing apps. They help in the specification phase and develop ideas, providing fact checking in order to make sure that we don't make promises that are outside the bounds of what can be created. Miquido make sure that what we propose to clients is realistic.

We work on a project basis, but they also offer full-time support when needed. Training is handled by us on the client side.

How did you come to work with Miquido?

I was introduced to them by someone who had used their services on a major project. I contacted Miquido, gave them my requirements, and liked their general attitude and vibe. The decision to work with them wasn't difficult, especially after speaking with other local firms.

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

The total development cost with Miquido so far has been between $10,000 and $50,000.

We've never been overcharged for their work – quite the opposite. They're more than fair in this sense.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've worked together on around five projects. I've recently asked them to allocate more resources to ongoing projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We've gotten good feedback from end clients. Any bugs that I've discovered have not been the fault of Miquido and have been addressed quickly. Any other issues were outside of their control. The end products have been nothing short of great.

Each one of the apps they've produced is being used live with no errors whatsoever. After the beta phase of my own project, the app has run for six months without any issues. Its uptime has been 99 percent.

Metrics include the required specifications that we've had to draft. In the past, we would have to create 100-page documents for each app. This has been reduced to a quarter of that size with Miquido while still getting the same end result. They were critical in understanding requirements that would have had to be spelled out for other developers.

We've worked with a couple of companies in the United States, and Miquido has been better than those by far. I recommend them very highly and have never used any other developer.

How did Miquido perform from a project management standpoint?

I've worked with two of their project managers so far, having a great experience each time.

The communication, even though we've in two different countries, was done well. They're accommodating in terms of scheduling, setting calls during our work hours, which are well beyond theirs.

What distinguishes Miquido from other providers?

Miquido seems to care more than any other developer I've known about the project. They're involved in the process, finding bugs and making suggestions that I would have missed.

Is there anything Miquido could have improved or done differently?

There may have been a few issues in the beginning of our relationship, but they've grown as a company. Currently, they're ahead of schedule by two months on the projects that are underway, so I have nothing bad to say about Miquido.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We help health plans lower hospitalization expenses and keep their members with a high risk of chronic disease more compliant to their care plan tasks. We are a startup, and we accomplish great outcomes through our mobile technology.

What is your position?

I am the president and chief technology officer of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Miquido?

We needed a technology partner to design and develop our core platform, which was an iOS- and Android-based mobile system. They also developed our web platform.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Miquido has created a mobile application for Android and iOS and has developed our web platform. We also link with different biometric devices and sensors. Miquido has helped us translate that data on the web and mobile apps into a meaningful, visual form.

We create requirements and work with their project manager in order to ensure that we're on the same page, and then start the development process. They provide initial testing for our products. We have a weekly standup meeting in which we discuss any issues, concerns, or questions.

How did you come to work with Miquido?

A colleague in a management class I took put me in touch with them. I studied with that person in my MBA [Masters of Business Administration] program, so I trusted their knowledge and judgment. We've analyzed around 10 other companies. Miquido has been the best fit from technical as well as pricing standpoints.

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

Our annual budget is between $50,000 and $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them for around two and a half years. We're currently in the sixth phase of development for our technology. Each of these phases has been divided into three sprints. We've achieved many goals with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We're very satisfied with their performance. We've worked with them for more than two years. If, at any point during that time, we had found ourselves less than satisfied, we would have used an alternative development shop.

One of the things that's nice about Miquido is that, if the requirements we give them don't make sense from a usability or design standpoint, they will push back and provide alternative approaches for what we're trying to accomplish and would be simpler for the user.

There have been around 1,000 users in total for our app. From a user standpoint, we focus mostly on the high-risk members. Everything that we design is done with simplicity in mind. Our app is minimalistic and intuitive. Within 60 seconds, a high-risk Medicaid member is able to identify what to do with it.

How did Miquido perform from a project management standpoint?

Earlier on, we did not have the technical capabilities that we have now in terms of understanding how to post information to Amazon Web Services, making sure that our product was HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] compliant, and so on. Miquido was able to offer resources quickly in order to help us in this respect.

When starting out, our only expertise was in database development. We were relying on them for everything else. As our company grew, we developed a core competency. Throughout this process, they continued to help us, and wrote training materials for our employees.

What distinguishes Miquido from other providers?

I've worked with tons of contractors and offshore teams. The biggest issues I've seen across these collaborations are lack of communication and unbalanced expertise (usually, there will be one experienced person while the rest are junior developers). These things don't apply for Miquido. Miquido has great communication, which makes any business transaction easier, and they have a high level of skill across the company.

Is there anything Miquido could have improved or done differently?

Earlier on, we didn't have a dedicated project manager. There were simply a couple of people that we worked with routinely.

Also, at first, quality assurance testing didn't have a set process in place, which led to many small bugs slipping by. They were easy to fix, but should have been caught.

Miquido's team continuously asked for feedback and, after this was brought to their attention, we put procedures in place that got rid of the testing issues, leading to a thorough process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of a real estate company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We fractionalise property and facilitate a marketplace for buying and selling property shares.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Plan, design, and develop our platform and marketplace.
• Plan and design our entire flow.

SOLUTION

How did you find Miquido?

Online Search

Why did you select Miquido over others?

• High ratings
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Miquido were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Miquido helped to plan and design our platform from start to finish. They developed our entire web application along with a marketplace, dashboard, homepage, and various other pages and features.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A fully functioning platform that users can now log into and use.

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

Delivered on time and consistent with communication and updates.

What was your primary form of communication with Miquido?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Flexible and open to changing their approach to suit our needs.

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

Optimising code more.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Waffle

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We help people discover, connect, organize and trade their interests.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Run validation boot camp
• Build designs and tech stacks
• Build MVP of alpha mobile app

SOLUTION

How did you find Miquido?

• Online Search
• Clutch Site

Why did you select Miquido over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Miquido were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Ran a useful bootcamp that concluded in useful validation insights with users 
• Built wireframes for app in conjunction with engineering to pick the best tech stack 
• Built alpha version of mobile app

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• App released on schedule and without bugs 
• Clear, timely and honest communication that built trust 
• Good management of project and capable team

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

• Timely 
• Good communication 
• They delivered on time

What was your primary form of communication with Miquido?

Virtual Meeting

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

The openness and not sugar-coating feedback.

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

Having more flexibility to assign resources half way through a project even when they haven't been previously discussed or agreed on would be nice, though it's understandable that people with the right expertise aren't always available at a week's notice.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm an Art Director for a Major Record Label, we represent some of the worlds biggest artists all over the globe. My role is to find talented collaborators to bring products, visuals and ideas to life and deliver those projects for our executives and artists.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our company was organising a large event, we decided to help manage the agenda and communication of the event we needed an App that could host all our amazing content in a structured and organised way. Our goal was to create a one stop concierge app that would be the "go to" for all our attendees at the event. Unfortunately, we were short on time and our standard for digital projects is really high. So finding a partner to help us was a struggle.

SOLUTION

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

We picked Miquido based on their communication, they were quick to respond in a thoughtful and insightful way. After our first meeting with the whole team we realised they had the attention to detail and problem-solving attitude we wanted from a partner. The team cared from start to finish.

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

together, we build a react app for a private group of atendees. The app had to account for a lot of flexibility and rich media content.

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

The team at Miquido was roughly 5-6 people. We dealt directly with the lead developers and account managers. This gave us the insight and direct relationship we wanted.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I haven't got any detailed outcomes, unfortunately. But I can say two things with confidence:

1. The creation of this product removed so many headaches we'd previously had with communication. It solved problems we'd dealt with for years
2. The feedback from people at the event was that the app made navigation, comms and understanding the event simpler than ever before.

The build of the app never had issues and we'll definitely be working with Miquido on more development projects in the future.

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

They definitely commit a lot of time to communication. everything was explained and decided upfront, with clear roles and responsibilities. We maintained regular check-ins and live updates on the status of the project.

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

The people at Miquido are talented, communicative and solutions driven. The passion that went into delivering the product was clear and we felt like we could have open dialogue at every stage of the project.

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

due to our short time-frame we could've spent more time on the contract and paperwork upfront. Nothing was wrong but we all got too into the product to ensure the paperwork around the project was done quicker.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Project Manager for a bank.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to develop a mobile app so that our employees could invite guests, book a parking space and control comfort from the phone

SOLUTION

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

We chose this vendor based on their past project, design skills and professionalism

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

We had a series of discovery meetings to discuss our goals and objectives. Within two month, they delivered the first version of the app.

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

A project manager was assigned to be our main point of contact throughout the project. Additionally, I mostly interacted with designer and two lead front- and backend developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within a few months, we created a transparent mobile app for our users.

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

The project manager was easy to communicate with and provided frequent updates. We had meetings, calls. We communicated also e-mail. Everything was delivered on time.

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

Quality and speed of action

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

No, All is perfect.