Nickelfox

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re developing a small device that plugs into users’ phones and allows them to perform health diagnostic tests. The first test we’re providing measures hormones in urine to track a person’s ovulation cycle in order to generate a fertility chart. I’m the company's founder.

Creating a smartphone-enabled tracker presents a lot of advantages. Our aim was to combine the accuracy of higher-grade monitors with the convenience of an app that would bring an improved user experience while giving immediate access to data.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nickelfox?

We needed help developing the mobile app while our company focused more on the hardware and algorithms.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Nickelfox provided the UI/UX design for our iOS and Android application. We handled the backend development.

What is the team composition?

I worked with the founder who led the project and was also our primary point of contact.

How did you come to work with Nickelfox?

I went to the same school as their founder and got to know them through my network. I also spoke to some of their previous customers.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost of their work has been between $40,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in the first quarter of 2016. We launched the app to the market 6–8 months later as part of a trial period. The official launch was in December 2016. We’ve been engaging with Nickelfox for bug fixes and enhancements as we’ve continued to scale up.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Two of the measurable results we’ve tracked are project time completion and quality. We did overestimate a bit on the time and budget, but the quality was accurate. I don’t have any exact metrics.

Users love our product. It’s a combination of our work and Nickelfox’s, or, a combination of hardware and software. We’re picking up in the market and the overall feedback has been quite good.

How did Nickelfox perform from a project management standpoint?

I would rate their performance as above average, but I wouldn’t call it excellent. There were some miscalculations in terms of timelines, but the work quality was still high. Nickelfox had to adapt to our team’s rapid-change mode.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re a small startup, so there were many unplanned elements in the software development process. It wasn’t as well-defined as that of a large company, but Nickelfox was able to adapt to our changing requirements.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Time and cost estimation could definitely be improved. We did miscalculate the original scope.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

SpoonJoy was founded to make healthy meals affordable and deliver it right at the doorstep, thereby making healthy eating a habit.

I was the founder and CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nickelfox?

We wanted to enable users to order healthy and home-like food from the comfort of their home and/or office. Given that most of our target population was office-goers, we expected a lot of traffic to be coming through mobile. Hence, we wanted to give the customers a simple, easy-flowing UI to order food with their mobile applications. The partnership helped us get the application ready in no time and to our satisfaction.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project entailed the development of a mobile application for iOS platforms. It included UI design, applications flows, and core iOS app development.

How did you come to work with Nickelfox?

I knew a few members of the team and had seen some of their work that they had done. I knew they fared better than most of their competition in terms of skills and the quality of work. Also, in terms of cost, Nickelfox is better than other similar service providers.

How much have you invested with Nickelfox?

The cost came out to be around $25,000. I constituted around 650-700 manhours.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project was initiated in May 2015 and was completed in September 2015. The duration of the project was around 4 months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The results were fantastic. Overall feedback from the team and customers was that it was easy to navigate through the app and that it was pretty intuitive. The look and feel of the app was appreciated a lot as well.

What did you find most impressive about Nickelfox?

The kind of commitment and dedication this team has shown sets them apart from their competition. The team is highly knowledgeable and take responsibility of their work products.

Are there any areas Nickelfox could improve?

They could work on the project estimation process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Boda Tech Private Limited is essentially a wedding services company, and we have built a mobile app platform. I am the founder and joint Chief Executive Officer of the organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nickelfox?

We were trying to create a one-of-a-kind wedding app that would allow a couple to invite their friends and family to their wedding.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Nickelfox used a whole host of tools. They managed our iOS and Android development along with the backend development. In terms of iOS, they assigned a four-member team to be in charge of the complete end-to-end product. With Android, they assigned us a five-member team, and they were able to get the product out before the stipulated time in the contract. As far as web and backend were concerned, I think there were two people involved. That development was also done within time. They also helped us redesign our UX [user experience] and UI [user interface]. Initially, they developed the entire product for the first two years, and now they are only managing our iOS development.

How did you come to work with Nickelfox?

A common friend of mine recommended them. He had worked with them on another project. I mentioned to him that I needed somebody to make an entire app for me, and he told me about Nickelfox and how they are very well accomplished in the product architecture. I then called them and we met. After discussing the vision for the product, I decided that they were the right people.

How much have you invested with Nickelfox?

The project ranged from $30,000 to $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Nickelfox in February 2013 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before we were working with them, we were very disappointed with our earlier iOS product, which gave us a rating of 2/5 on the App Store. Once we started working with them and released the new product, the majority of the ratings were 5/5 on the App Store, so the product at least worked without any crashes. For us, that was a big deal because it is a slightly complicated product.

How did Nickelfox perform from a project management standpoint?

Three years back, we were new to building apps. This was our first project. They introduced us to Slack, which was an app they made us download and use. They were very efficient in terms of project management. I think that only on two occasions in our milestones they were late by a day or two, but other than that, almost everything was managed on time. We were very happy.

What did you find most impressive about Nickelfox?

One thing is that when they are not able to deliver, they clearly say no. That’s the one thing we appreciated about them, that instead of saying yes to all our whims and fancies, they were very clear about having every milestone noted. After detailed discussions of exactly what we wanted and how we wanted to go about it, they would commit to the project, which I think was the right way to go about the partnership to avoid any sort of miscommunication of expectations.

Are there any areas Nickelfox could improve?

In our first version, which was created back in 2013, the Android app had a few bugs. The backend and the Android app weren’t totally in sync all the time. That issue took unduly long to get resolved, but once we pointed out what wasn’t working, they resolved it in decent time. Initially, the product given to us had a few bugs, but we were really happy that they fixed them once we brought it to their notice.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

At my organization, we are building a product that helps women find clothing according to their emotions and perceptions about their own body. We’ve built the technology right now in the form of a mobile app that our user downloads. They chat with our app to describe their perceptions about their own body, and then the app is able to recommend them clothing from online and offline stores of their favorite brands in the US. Our software finds clothes that will flatter their body and make them feel their best.

I’m the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nickelfox?

I met Nickelfox about a year and a half ago. At that point in time, I did not have a co-founder. I did have a backend engineer working with me, but I was looking for frontend help for our app, and specifically someone who could be more than just an outsourcing company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We are a startup, so we have gone through a few versions to get to where we are. With Nickelfox, we’ve done three different versions of the app, in each of which there were completely different features built. With this project, I was specifically looking for a partner that could not only build the app but also help guide us through determining the best practices. Nickelfox helped us figure out how the technology will be best experienced by the user and what should be divided between the clients and servers. From a design perspective and from their tech knowledge, I think Nickelfox has a good mix. I could really feel that they put a lot of thought into their work as they were always asking me questions and really vetting it to themselves to understand what they are building. Early on, I trusted that I was in good hands with respect to the frontend development of my app.

How did you come to work with Nickelfox?

When I spread the word that I was looking for a very good frontend engineer, I was connected to Nickelfox through their director of technology and through one of the founders, whom I had already known.

How much have you invested with Nickelfox?

So far, in total we have spent $11,000 on the three projects, but there’s going to be more work.

What is the status of this engagement?

It’s ongoing. The two previous versions of the app that we worked on with Nickelfox have since been closed. The third version, which should be the final version, is ongoing. Even though I have a co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, and my technical team is getting established properly, I still think that there’s value in working with Nickelfox. Even right now, we hire full-time iOS engineers because I think the quality of their work is really good. We have been working with Nickelfox for one and a half years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The first two apps that I worked on with Nickelfox were not launched. The current version is actually in private beta, and it’s been five weeks. We have 115 users already, and the conversion rate of our product is very high, which is about 54%. The industry standard is 2%. The private beta is going really well. It’s still very early to share more numbers, but the few key metrics on our product are the percentages of accuracy of likes that users see of the product that they like. That is more than 50%. Our conversion is more than 50%, so at least the standard metrics are really good, way above the industry standard. From a product perspective, in the last five weeks, we’ve been getting a lot of feedback from the users, and Nickelfox has been implementing that feedback on a daily basis so that we improve the product every day. They are almost like an extension of my own team.

How did Nickelfox perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, Nickelfox has been really good at project management. In the last two projects, I was going through a period myself of understanding what we are building, and in the early stages, their feedback was really constructive. Their response rate was very helpful as I was in my own process of finding out the right thing for the product. Overall, I would say that they’ve been really responsive. Even though we are in different time zones, I think their ownership level is very high for what they do.

What did you find most impressive about Nickelfox?

The most important thing that distinguishes Nickelfox is the fact that they really put their heart in understanding what we are building. Over the past year and a half, I appreciate the personal relationship that I have now ended up building with them. To me, it doesn’t feel like I am talking to some third party who is just going to do whatever is written on the paper. I don’t fear that they will raise the invoice for every single little detail that I might ask them to change. I feel like they’re sharing the goal with me of what I am trying to build. Whenever we send them a chunk of work, they do their best to understand it and ask me all the right questions. I don’t hesitate to approach them with changes; they adjust very well and come back with the reasonable next steps.

Are there any areas Nickelfox could improve?

I just hope they don’t increase the cost because as a startup, that’s a very key factor that we have to consider to make sure that we can still afford them. Otherwise, nothing really comes to my mind in terms of what could have been done differently.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Founder of a media company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide professional music feedback and artist support services for musicians. Our services include detailed song reviews, music consultation, playlist promotion, and other services designed to help artists improve their music and reach a wider audience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• We hired Nickelfox to help us design our website based on detailed instructions and references that we provided in Figma. A representative of our team worked closely with a Nickelfox designer throughout the process, providing direction, feedback, and specific requirements for the different elements of the website. Our goal was to turn our ideas and requirements into a polished, professional, and user-friendly website design.

SOLUTION

How did you find Nickelfox?

https://dribbble.com

Why did you select Nickelfox over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• High quality samples

How many teammates from Nickelfox were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Based on the visual references and materials we provided, Nickelfox created approximately 20 desktop page designs and corresponding mobile versions for all of them, resulting in around 40 individual page layouts in total. The work was completed to a very high standard, with great attention to detail and consistent quality across both desktop and mobile versions. We were very satisfied with the final result. I was also particularly pleased with the work of Ayushi, the designer assigned to our project. She did an excellent job throughout the project, and I was very happy with the quality of her work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The main outcome of the project was that we received a complete, high-quality website design that was ready to move into the development and implementation stage. The designs provided us with a clear and consistent visual framework for the entire website across both desktop and mobile devices. The project was completed successfully, and the final result met our expectations in terms of quality, usability, and overall visual presentation. We were very satisfied with the outcome.

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

The project was managed very well. The team was responsive, communication was easy throughout the project, and they were always attentive to our requests and feedback. They delivered the work on time and were flexible whenever we needed adjustments or revisions. We worked closely with the designer throughout the project, and any comments or changes we requested were addressed professionally. Overall, we were very satisfied with both the communication and the way the project was managed.

What was your primary form of communication with Nickelfox?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What impressed me most was Nickelfox’s approach to doing business. Their philosophy of working with clients is very similar to our own — they seem to focus on building long-term relationships rather than simply completing a project and moving on. Throughout our cooperation, I felt that they genuinely cared about the client’s interests and wanted to make sure we were happy with both the process and the final result. I particularly appreciated their willingness to find solutions that worked well for us, even when it required additional effort on their side. This client-first, long-term approach is something I personally value very highly in business, and it was probably the thing that impressed me most about working with Nickelfox.

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

Nothing significant comes to mind. Overall, we were very satisfied with our experience working with Nickelfox. Whenever there were questions or something needed to be adjusted during the project, the team was open to discussion and worked with us to find a solution that met our needs.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of Perfick Ventures

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Mobile App Development

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Design and develop an AI-powered cross-platform mobile app (iOS, Android, iPad) that simplifies plant identification, health diagnosis, and long-term plant care management.
• Enable users to build a personalized Digital Garden with care records, growth history, and health insights, supported by AI tools like Plant Doctor and PlantGPT.
• Deliver a scalable, secure app with subscription monetization, multilingual support, and gamification to drive long-term user engagement and retention.
• Build a beautiful app.
• Build within the agreed budget.

SOLUTION

How did you find Nickelfox?

Referral

Why did you select Nickelfox over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Nickelfox were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

• 1). Authentication & Onboarding.
• 2). Plant Identification. 
• 3). Digital Garden.
• 4). Care Management.
• 5). Plant Health.
• 6). AI Assistant.
• 7). AI Gardening Coach.
• 8). Notifications.
• 9). Subscription.
• 10). User Settings. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Increased user retention via consistent care habit tracking (watering/fertilizing streaks) and proactive AI-driven reminders.

Conversion of free-tier users to Plant Parent ($3.99/mo) or Lifetime ($59) premium subscriptions after hitting usage caps (e.g., 5 IDs/month).

Reduced plant care failure rate through accurate AI diagnostics (Plant Doctor) and weather-based, context-aware recommendations.

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

• The team consistently met deadlines. 
• They communicated effectively. 
• They quickly addressed any issues or feedback. 
• They are so great to work with. 
• Thank you Nickelfox Team 

What was your primary form of communication with Nickelfox?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• They are great to work with. 
• They have a lot of knowledge and experience. 

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

• I can't think of any. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Shapercult

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Shapercult is a D2C Shapewear & Intimatewear Brand for Indian women.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• To design and develop an AI-powered mobile app for personalized shapewear recommendations on both iOS and Android platforms.

SOLUTION

How did you find Nickelfox?

Referral

Why did you select Nickelfox over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Nickelfox were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Nickelfox designed and developed a mobile app integrating AI algorithms for body type analysis and shapewear recommendations. Deliverables included UI/UX design, AI model integration, backend architecture, and deployment on App Store and Play Store.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We successfully launched the app with 90% accuracy in AI recommendations. App is currently in Beta Testing.

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

Nickelfox followed agile practices and maintained timely sprints. They're proactive, responsive, and quick to address any challenges or change requests.

What was your primary form of communication with Nickelfox?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

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

Their ability to translate a complex AI vision into a user-friendly mobile experience stood out. Their team was technically sound, and design focused.

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

Minor delays in API integration testing occurred, but nothing major. Communication could have been slightly more streamlined during peak phases.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the COO of a business services company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We offer Scheduling, HR, Payroll services to large organizations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Build a platform
• UI/UX Design
• Mobile app
• Project management
• Keep iterating the platform to accommodate its growing user base

SOLUTION

How did you find Nickelfox?

Referral

Why did you select Nickelfox over others?

• High ratings
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Nickelfox were assigned to this project?

8-25

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

We engaged them on a flat and fixed rate basis to help build a scalable platform.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our engagement with Nickelfox significantly damaged our trajectory and stability.

Building a business is already intensely competitive. But instead of supporting progress, Nickelfox actively undermined it. At a critical point in the build, they replaced senior engineers with juniors, misrepresenting them as experienced talent (even charging us 100% more)This deception led to poor code quality, unresolved bugs, and mounting technical debt—deliberately buried beneath layers of false progress. 

It wasn’t just mismanagement. It was petty and intentional sabotage.

They inflated invoices, withheld documentation, ignored QA, and left the platform in a fragile, unreliable state. When things began breaking, there were no senior engineers left—only underqualified juniors who lacked the context or ability to fix the mess. 

The results:

Platform stability collapsed at a critical time
User frustration surged
Internal velocity was halted while we tried to assess and recover
Time and capital were wasted undoing damage rather than building forward

Nickelfox didn’t just underdeliver—they left us worse off than when we started. The project has since moved forward, but only after a costly and painful recovery that could’ve been avoided with an honest, competent partner.

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

Project managent started strong over time became a nightmare as they started replacing seniors with Junios.

They repsodend by gaslighting us. Sayoing we were dilusaional. 

What was your primary form of communication with Nickelfox?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

This company was only impressive when they had senior ppl there. There would not be any reason to use them today and we wouldnt. This isn’t a vendor that made mistakes and tried to correct them. This is a vendor that acted in bad faith. They cannot be trusted.

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

Yes—almost every aspect of the engagement with Nickelfox needed improvement.

At the most basic level, they could have operated with integrity, transparency, and professionalism. Instead, they chose to act deceptively and destructively.

Here’s what Nickelfox could have and should have done differently:
Staffed the project honestly
They knowingly replaced senior engineers with juniors at a critical time, while continuing to charge senior-level rates. That’s not just unethical—it’s reckless and harmful to the client.
Maintained transparency in communication
Repeated misrepresentation of capabilities and progress reports gave us a false sense of security. Clear, honest updates would have helped mitigate damage early.
Documented their work and maintained handover readiness
They withheld or skipped documentation entirely, ensuring that once they left, the platform would be nearly impossible to recover without rebuilding key parts.
Accepted accountability instead of deflecting blame
When issues were raised, they avoided responsibility, deflected criticism, and at times became petty and uncooperative.
Built for long-term sustainability instead of short-term appearances
Their code was fragile, rushed, and in some cases sabotaged—built to pass superficial demos rather than to serve real users in production.
In short:
Nickelfox could have succeeded simply by doing the job they promised with the team they claimed to have.
Instead, they chose deception, cost us time and money, and left a mess that took months to clean up.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of Bozobaka Labs Pvt. Ltd. and we help students prepare for competitive exams

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Nickelfox?

1. Android App Development
2. UI / UX

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to develop some important features like community doubt solving, gamificaion, coin-economy etc. apart from fixing existing bugs and improving UI UX

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We researched online and shortlisted 3-4 companies. We met these companies in person and chose the one with better team, work history and recommendations.

Describe the project in detail.

We maintained a trello board for all the upcoming features and bugs. They initially rewrote the modules which required work to be done and then once the project was up to date, we started working on 1 feature at a time.

What was the team composition?

We got a developer, project lead and a tester.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our crashes reduced by 90% and we were able to provide our users with the intended features

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was smooth. We used a combination of slack, trello, Whatsapp and email. The team was responsive throughout.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I'm pressed by their work ethics and the quality of their code.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Quality wise it was great. Had the cost been a little less, it would have been amazing.