NERDZ LAB

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a Dutch company based in Rijswijk, which provides tax advisory mainly to Eastern-European expats that reside in The Netherlands. Currently, we are a team of ten people. Myself, I am a Project Manager, who is responsible for planning, execution and managing the resources of any project ongoing within our company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire NERDZ LAB?

We hired NERDZ LAB to create a mobile app, which would allow our clients to complete their tax statements entirely from their mobile devices. So far, there is no such product available on the market within our niche. The main challenge of the project was to make a rather complicated task (filling the tax return) as simple as possible for our customers.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal was to create a product, which would make the administrative lives of our customers much easier. Furthermore, as a company that has been active on the market for more than 10 years, we were willing to launch a product, which would stand out on the market. As a result, we are willing to ensure a future growth of our customer base thanks to innovative approach that we enhance.

SOLUTION

How did you select NERDZ LAB?

First, a year before the project was actually started, I posted a project offer on upwork.com. A person from NERDZ LAB reached out. In the end, due to some practical issues on our side, we were not able to proceed with the project for the time being. However, the portfolio presented by NERDZ LAB stayed on my mind.

Once we were finally ready to start the project, the first thing I did was reaching out directly to NERDZ LAB to ask if they could help us with app development. The answer was positive, so we were ready to start.

Describe the project in detail.

After presenting an example of an online form, which our app was supposed to based on, we have received the pricing. After that, we adjusted the project to the budget that we had. Already here, I really appreciated the openness of NERDZ LAB to adjust the product to our needs and the resources that we had.

What really struck us a lot, was the fact, that the NERDZ LAB team had run countless tests on the form available on our website, to understand the logic themselves, instead of waiting for a ready scratch received from us. This is the type of initiative that you rarely come across.

Once we started the project, we had weekly calls to discuss the progress and adjust the very last details. In the end, we developed first an Android app only, since that was the most rational solution looking at our website's statistics. Also, there were relatively very few deliverables that I was responsible for (absolutely many less than I expected).

What was the team composition?

I was assigned to a dedicated Slack channel, where I mainly communicated with our Project Manager and a person responsible for Customer Relationship. Sometimes, yet very rarely, I had to contact someone else directly (e.g. a developer). However, my main contact person was our Project Manager, who was just a great bridge between our organisation and NERDZ LAB. He was always there for me and willing to help with any issue that we came across.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to NERDZ LAB, we have launched a product that no one else has to offer within our market. So far, we have collected a thousand of users (even though we are already past the peak period in our branch). So far, we have heard only positive feedback from clients who have used the app. Everyone loves the simplicity of the design and the intuitiveness of the app.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was so efficient and effective that I couldn't believe that working with anyone can be this easy. Since the very beginning, everyone at NERDZ LAB was open for ideas, feedback and negotiations. Since day one, I felt like every single detail was tailored just for our organisation.

We had weekly update calls and communicated through a Slack channel, what made the entire flow clear and easy to come back through. Since I am not a developer myself, what I valued the most, was the simplicity of our communication and the open-mindedness of our Project Manager.

Although the technical side of things might be tricky for a newbie like me, at NERDZ LAB you are assigned a Project Manager, who makes every detail clear and understandable even to a person with no technical knowledge.

Above all, our Project Manager was just a very nice and helpful individual, just like the rest of the NERDZ LAB team. It was a pure pleasure to work with these people.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

• Efficiency & effectiveness of communication
• Very organised way of taking on the project, moving forward with it to eventually wrap it up
• Making a seemingly difficult project feel achievable for a person that has no technical know-how
• Personal approach and willingness to provide tailored solutions
• Enormous initiative and always thinking a step ahead
• Kindness. After all, we spent a couple of months working together, and the kindness made it all easy and pleasant.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Believe it or not, but I cannot think of anything that could have been done any better. There was no waiting time, communication was unbelievably smooth, a lot of initiative on the NERDZ LAB's side, customisation, personal approach and just a wonderful working atmosphere. I have no areas for improvement, and I truly hope to come across more of such professional teams in my career (and not only).

Seriously, I think that NERDZ LAB should start a side business and just teach other companies on how to run projects and communicate with the client.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of operations at the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NERDZ LAB?

Our client needed a web and native mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

NERDZ LAB provided development services for native iOS and Android apps as well as a web app.

NERDZ built the Android version in Kotlin and the iOS version in Swift. The team built the web app’s backend in PHP and the frontend in Vue.js. The client provided the wireframes and designs, and NERDZ did the build from scratch. The app is for a large sports association, and it displays video and other types of content.

We’ve worked with NERDZ on other projects, both big and small.

What is the team composition?

There have been seven people involved in total. NERDZ LAB provided developers, QA testers, and a project manager. On the mobile team, we had one iOS, one Android, and one backend developer, as well as a QA tester and a project manager. On the web side, there was a backend developer, a frontend developer, and the same project manager and QA tester. 

How did you come to work with NERDZ LAB?

We were looking for a development team based in Ukraine. NERDZ was a partner of ours before I joined, so I don’t know the full details. We trialed them on a couple of projects, and this was probably one of the largest we’ve worked with them on.

How much have you invested with them?

The mobile app cost around $23,000, and the web app cost $10,000. Including some of the changes, the total will be around $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I would suspect that the collaboration with NERDZ started in early-2020, if not a bit earlier. This project started in July 2020, and it’s ongoing. The work is nearly finished, but the end client hasn’t provided us with the API data yet. We have everything in place, and we’ve built a mock API.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The clients that NERDZ has worked for have always been happy. We do reviews and retrospectives with clients, and no one has complained about the quality of NERDZ’s development. They’re one of our go-to teams.

How did NERDZ LAB perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project managers are transparent in working with us and conveying any issues that come up. They work with other members of the team to get things resolved.

We required certain data from the client in order to finish the project, and NERDZ came up with proposals to get around that issue. They kept the team on hand, waiting for the data. They finished their bit in November 2020, and we’ve been waiting on the client since then.

We use Jira across most of our projects, and we communicate through a mix of videoconferencing, Skype, and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their reliability and value for money relative to the output set them apart. Also, their willingness to solve the client problem — as opposed to not helping us when it doesn’t suit their team’s needs — is impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be really hypocritical if I called out something they could’ve done differently in this instance. Many of the challenges we had on the project were unrelated to NERDZ.

As with every team, there are areas to improve, but the end output was good quality, and the end-client was satisfied with their work. They’re always pragmatic about how they spend their time. If there’s a blocker, they’ll look at what they can do to get rid of it, or they’ll do something else and wait until the blocker’s removed.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If the client is open and honest with them, NERDZ will be open and honest with the client. It’s important to be transparent about where we are in getting the project ready for development, what budget we have to work with, and so on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Co-founder of a sports technology startup

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire NerdzLab?

For developing an Android application. We already had an iOS app, so we needed an extra developer to replicate our app into an Android application. Also, we required a QA engineer to test it.

What were your goals for this project?

The concept of our app is truly unique: it allows smooth online communication between coaches and athletes by handling all stages of the process from capturing and sharing videos to giving feedback.

SOLUTION

How did you select NerdzLab?

We were introduced to the Nerdzlab team, actually their CEO - Volodymyr, by a previous client we both worked with. It was quite a long conversation, but we managed to start the development in January.

Describe the project in detail.

It’s an iOS & Android project with the main idea to make communication between the trainer and his clients as easy as possible. One of the core features is an ability for clients to share video with his training and trainer to adjust his comments to it. A trainer can draw different elements on a video to make comments as accurate as possible for his clients. There is an advanced messaging system, as communication is a core part of the app. Lastly, the application has a custom video player to support features that default one cant.

What was the team composition?

We got on board one Android developer, one QA engineer and Delivery manager. Later on, we decided to assign an iOS developer as well, so that we can scale up our development efforts.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have done some excellent work so far. Our application was successfully published on PlayMarket. Our products have been well received by our audience of users. We are excited to continue our collaboration with NerdzLab.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The development process was set up very clearly. High-quality communication from the whole team successfully contributed to effective cooperation. Twice a week we had a call with the team, and that helped to streamline the development effort.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We have worked with several third-party development teams and Nerdzlab has been the best for us by far. They are highly competent. They don't shy away from deep technical challenges and offer alternative solutions when a prescribed path isn't possible. They are flexible in how they operate and their client-success-first approach has shined through in every interaction I have had with them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CTO of a startup developing apps to help people sleep.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NerdzLab?

One of our previous developers couldn’t commit as many hours as we needed for our projects, so we decided to look for additional development and QA help to further the product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided extra developers who handled some animations and other in-app features that we were working on at the time. The first project was fairly small and consisted primarily of adding an animation to our onboarding using Swift for iOS.

Since then, they have continued to provide ad hoc support on a variety of small feature additions and improvements to the core product. They wrote an entirely new web area for playing audio and integrated a couple of plugins including SnapKit.

What is the team composition?

We worked with about three members of their team, including a QA engineer, and a couple of developers.

How did you come to work with NerdzLab?

My co-founder came across them online, and we were impressed with their portfolio of previous projects. Our initial interviews went well, so we decided to move forward with them from there.

How much have you invested with them?

The project has cost around $4,000 a month, so around $35,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around December 2019 and are continuing to partner together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have specific metrics resulting from their work since they have been pretty much fully integrated with the development work of our in-house team. However, we track the bugs in all of the features that we develop, as well as how many revisions we have to go through to make sure that everything is working, and for the most part, they’ve been up to spec in all of those ways. The initial code is usually a little buggy, but their QA has always been able to fix that.

How did NerdzLab perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicate well around all of the different timeline and budget aspects of the project, and they are good about making sure they understand everything and ask questions anytime they don’t. Our teams used Trello, Slack, and GitHub for managing the project milestones.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What impressed us most from the start was the quality of their animations, which are really top-notch. Since then, too, we’ve really appreciated their responsiveness to all of our requests and the organization of their QA process, which makes it really easy for us to navigate in iterating back and forth with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The initial quality of their code could be improved a little bit, but they always do a good job of catching any bugs in their QA process and eliminating before we launch, so it’s never caused any major problems.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As long as you have clear specifications, regular meetings, and provide feedback in both directions, you’ll have a successful partnership with their team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of a mobile app company focused on the gaming space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire NerdzLab?

We're building a platform similar to YouTube and Twitch.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted quick development of a solid MVP to test our assumptions and gather data.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After interviewing several teams, we decided NerdzLab was the best team for our needs.

Describe the project in detail.

Initially, we began with only the development of the app. However, NerdzLab helped connect us with a design team and we completed the project together.

Our app enables users are able to watch and upload videos. They can subscribe, like, and share any video. The app also includes a section where users can explore videos.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a team of several resources.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They impressed us with their attention to detail and how they met all timelines as agreed.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They’re very attentive with their customer service, project management, and communication. They made the workflow easy.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their combination of customer service with technical chops makes them great.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that I can think of at the moment. We're very happy with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for Freedom Development Company AB. We provide IT consulting services and develop mobile applications for various industries, from advertising to health to business. I'm a project manager, overseeing all development and marketing strategies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire NerdzLab?

Our advertising platform is a dynamic digital travel guide that helps travelers on their vacations and gives local businesses a new way to interact with them. It directly connects advertisers with end users.

We hired NerdzLab to work on this platform and its accompanying apps. They currently develop our backend and update the iOS and Android apps, too. They also continuously update and patch those apps, as needed.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal is to provide a dynamic, quickly evolving travel guide while driving traffic to local businesses.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found NerdzLab on Upwork. I personally conducted Skype interviews with all five applicants, and NerdzLab felt like the best fit. They aren't a large company, so they match our small size and budget.

Describe the project in detail.

They've implemented many features and designed a complete backend overhaul to support them. The features included invoice generation, messaging, and a guided registration process. We provided complete, detailed wireframes in both English and Greek. NerdzLab gave us the time we needed. The apps are native to iOS and Android.

What was the team composition?

We had five people: an iOS coder, an Android coder, various backend web programmers, and my main contact. They added a fifth person after I requested frontend help.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They address bugs swiftly. They've also added extra features, which were irrelevant to the initial project, that I requested.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We communicate using Slack and organize the workflow on Trello, which get updated as we move. I have been given access to test the backend and monitor changes as they are happening.

We have Skype video meetings to ask questions and get on the same page. I frequently call my main contact. We communicate in English and have no problems understanding each other.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

NerdzLab has a big team with enough people to manage all aspects of development. We certainly appreciate that. They are well organized and experienced in the field, which is a great relief for us.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Most areas for improvement belong to us. As a startup, we have to learn a lot. NerdzLab gives us that chance.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the managing director of WhatSalon, a marketplace solution for hair and beauty establishments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NerdzLab?

We wanted to develop several mobile solutions, both for salons as well as individuals operating within the beauty industry.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

NerdzLab used Swift to develop an iOS platform for freelance beauty professionals. Functionalities included booking calendars to inventories, financial reporting, expense management, and client management. We then expanded the scope. The team has since built multiple applications for iOS and Android, which includes a rebuilt Objective C-based marketplace for consumers. NerdzLab also rebuilt the Android version for Kotlin. They now manage our backend development and services.

What is the team composition?

We interact with Volodymyr (CEO, NerdzLab), Vasyl (Co-Founder and CTO, NerdzLab), two mobile developers, and two backend engineers.

How did you come to work with NerdzLab?

We received 100 applications for our brief on Upwork and PeoplePerHour. Our team then shortlisted the applicants to 10 agencies and spoke with the heads of each vendor. We provided test cases to each agency before hiring NerdzLab.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2018 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Testing proved the platform is robust. While we haven’t launched the market place yet, we continue working on support services.

How did NerdzLab perform from a project management standpoint?

NerdzLab delivers quality work ahead of schedule. Consequently, we’re confident in our long-term relationship and plan to expand the scope further. We use Slack during the business day and Zoom for daily check-ins.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They truly invest in their clients by proposing a variety of innovative solutions. The team even references competitors’ work or options we haven’t considered.

Are there any areas they could improve?

To be frank, no. They’ve been exceptional and the relationship is building momentum month-over-month. I’ve visited their office in Lviv, and found them to be exceptionally hardworking and sharp.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them. Prospective clients should give the team an opportunity to at least look over the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a GPS tracking mobile application. The platform serves to help users locate their friends at events.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NerdzLab?

We were in the process of creating our mobile app but didn’t have the in-house resources available. To bring the app to life, we hired NerdzLab to help with development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

NerdzLab is developing our app from start to finish. We supplied their team with designs that our internal team created. After reviewing the work we provided, they made key suggestions to fix issues. They’re working on the iOS and Android versions and making improvements to the backend.

Their team is building live GPS tracking capabilities into the app. This tool involves creating a live map for users to utilize. To do this, they had to learn several frameworks and new libraries and incorporate them into their work.

What is the team composition?

I primarily work with Vasyl (Co-Founder & CEO, NerdzLab). There are about 4–5 other teammates working on the project.

How did you come to work with NerdzLab?

We looked online for overseas developers, especially for teams located in Ukraine as we have experience with companies from there. We used freelancer.com, Upwork, etc. and interviewed several teams. During our meeting, NerdzLab quickly gave us new ideas, a timeline, and a quote within 48 hours. We also liked their pricing structure, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $30,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2018 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re not tracking their progress yet since the platforms are still being developed. However, they’ve met all of our deadlines, and we’ll set KPIs in the future for the next version.

How did NerdzLab perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been excellent at managing the project; they’re more than willing to use our GitLab tool, even though they have their own in-house process. We’re able to track issues, make updates, and access code repositories if needed. They excel at communicating with our team—we primarily use Skype and have calls every few days. By the end of every day, we know what they’ve been working on or struggling with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The high quality of their code is unmatched—they put in the effort for our app to succeed. We never have to worry about other teams struggling with the code they’ve created because it's at such a high standard. They also have stellar communication skills and provide great suggestions to improve the product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything for them to improve on—everything has gone well, and their work is strong.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d recommend scheduling a consultation with their team and checking out their portfolio before selecting them for the project. Make sure your app is something NerdzLab have experience building and get their feedback on your ideas. In our case, they identified issues and made strong suggestions before even starting the work which was very valuable to us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of a company called Setai Television. We’ve created a platform for music artists to stream live concerts directly to their fans.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NerdzLab?

We have been developing the infrastructure, the backend, and the web app ourselves for the past two years. We hired NerdzLab to create the iOS and Android mobile app versions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have an internal design team that handed off a finished UX plan to NerdzLab, who then developed the mobile app for iOS and Android. The core functionalities we needed to be developed in JavaScript involved an artist being able to start a livestream and notify their fans, who would've previously registered through Facebook or Spotify. The fans can pay through PayPal, Stripe, Google Play, or iTunes to connect to the livestream concert.

What is the team composition?

I communicate directly with a project manager and one of the founders, and our CTO communicates directly with the developers. There are approximately six people in total working on the project.

How did you come to work with NerdzLab?

We are based in Munich, Germany, but our CTO and most of our development team are based in Ukraine. We were looking on Clutch for development companies in that area so that communication with them could be quick and regular.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $15,000 on the app for each platform, totaling $30,000. We’re adding some more functionality now, and the total will come out to approximately $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We contacted them in November 2018, and we will finish up the apps in March 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

NerdzLab has definitely helped improve our app. They’ve been extremely creative in suggesting additional functionality, which is uncommon when outsourcing a development project. We implemented much of their input, including additional methods of payment and pieces of the user story.

How did NerdzLab perform from a project management standpoint?

Our CTO meets daily with the project manager, and I usually have a call with them once a week. They send an updated version of the app every Friday. It was easy to track the progress of the project from the beginning, and the communication level is good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The best thing about NerdzLab is the strict timeline and budget. Unlike a lot of outsourced projects, where the initially agreed upon scope and price exponentially expand as time goes on, we signed a contract to prevent that. We agreed on a fixed price and a completed app by March, and they've honored that. Even as we create some new functionalities, they add them in for free.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be better if they had a larger team so that projects could move more quickly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The best way to partner with them is to agree to a set budget and timeline at the beginning. They’ll honor it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and founder of POS Store, an online ordering platform available on multiple verticals. Businesses can use our platform to accept online orders and offer other online services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NerdzLab?

I had the idea but needed a partner to develop and design the platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I told NerdzLab what I wanted to build, and then we worked together to come up with a design. We discussed what the flow would look like and reviewed a few real-life examples to get a better idea of how it should function. After discussing the features and benefits, we then created wireframes, which included a loyalty program, table reservation, credit card payment processing, and order history. They then began development, writing the code and integrating every feature into the platform.

Business owners can use the system to better brand themselves and increase traffic. They can gather quality information about their customers’ buying habits and use that to do target marketing campaigns.

What is the team composition?

We work with the founder, a QA and testing expert, integration specialist, iOS developer, Android developer, and design team. In total, it’s about 10 people.

How did you come to work with NerdzLab?

A lot of the companies we looked at didn’t seem to listen to what we wanted. NerdzLab understood our goals and immediately began suggesting ways to make the platform better. They showed a sincere interest in our success, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $60,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in February 2018, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t launched yet, but they’ve implemented every detail I wanted in the app. The quality of their work is exceptional, and I’m impressed with their work ethic and desire to make sure we’re completely satisfied with the final product.

How did NerdzLab perform from a project management standpoint?

Their documentation and communication are outstanding; they always make sure we’re informed of progress and setbacks. Unlike many firms, they’re honest and upfront about delays. I have complete confidence in them because they’ve gone above and beyond to meet our expectations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re extremely aware of trends and understand what our users are looking for. They expanded on our idea in ways I wasn’t expecting, which made me feel like we made the right decision in hiring them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should hire an in-house designer; they currently use a third-party designer.