Pixel and Texel

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I was the CEO of Fresh Food Connect, which was a hybrid nonprofit/for-profit in the food delivery producer and direct-to-consumer business model.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixel and Texel? 

We needed to hire an external resource to build out our mobile app. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Pixel and Texel built the app for both iOS and Android. They partnered with other technology firms for features such as payment processing. I believe they wrote the code for everything else themselves. They made changes for us as needed throughout the process. We also used their designer to create a logo. The final product that we took online was both a logistics piece for transport, as well as an online marketplace.

What is the team composition?

Overall, I'd say we worked with seven members of their team. There was a good balance of both backend and user interface experts.

How did you come to work with Pixel and Texel? 

I put out an RFP but I didn't get many applications. Next, I went to the top review websites, like PC Magazine and Clutch. I looked at which companies were in the top 10 ratings for the type of mobile app that we wanted. I visited the websites of those top companies to look at their examples of prior work.

Out of those, I contacted 5–7 and asked them to submit a proposal to the RFP. Then the Board of Directors and I chose Pixel and Texel. 

How much have you invested with them? 

We spent around $150,000 for the initial version of the app. 

What is the status of this engagement? 

Work started in December 2018 and we launched the first version in April 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Pixel and Texel were amazing to work with and incredible partners. They gently guided us throughout the process as we were extremely hands-on. Of course, we also changed our minds along the way. We had input from the Board that took us sideways for about a month. They dealt with that extremely well and kept us on track and on time. I was really pleased with the app. When we launched, our clients liked that the interface was simple, easy to use, and good looking. 

Our project was quite complex because it’s a last mile logistics for small food production and a delivery service. As a startup, I appreciated that they were extremely transparent on their costs. Pixel and Texel dealt with all the complexities so well. Another wonderful thing is that they were so involved that they actually became clients and signed up to use our tools. It was such a good collaboration. 

How did Pixel and Texel perform from a project management standpoint? 

Pixel and Texel generated detail-oriented milestones and deliverables. We met weekly and they would go through a list of 10–15 items they expected to achieve each week. That continued throughout the entire process. Their work was tied to their invoices as well so we could see if there were any issues. I've never seen that level of accountability in an outsourced relationship.  

Andrew (CEO & Founder, Pixel and Texel) was particularly good at understanding what we were trying to achieve and then building it out week by week. He was able to take all our information and strategy and boil it down into what his team needed to do each week. We had a small internal team, so sometimes we ran late on tasks that they needed in order to move forward. So they were willing to take on additional pieces for us, such as signing us up with Apple so that we could interface with the App Store. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

One of Pixel and Texel’s key strengths was that their team did a great job making it all feel seamless to us as the client. We didn't ever have to go back and explain what we meant, even though there was a lot of complexity in our work. They made a very simple user interface that was extremely impressive. It worked and we didn't have to go through multiple iterations. It was amazing how they pulled it all together. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

Having never built out a mobile app before, I was surprised by all of the associated costs. We had to pay for payment processing, data hosting in the cloud, etc. They were multiple monthly fees that we ended up having to pay beyond what we had budgeted. Pixel and Texel did let us know when some features that we wanted would incur additional costs. That was really hard for us to budget for and put into our strategic plan for the future. It would have been helpful if they had spent time upfront in going over those issues with us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CTO and co-founder of a virtual reality gaming and experience company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixel and Texel?

We have hired Pixel and Texel to provide outsourced VR development assistance for a range of projects, namely app development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our projects primarily tasked Pixel and Texel to work with Modo VR, Android, Java, C++, some Photoshop, as well as some emerging technologies.

What is the team composition?

Our team consisted of a series of engineers and designers.

How did you come to work with Pixel and Texel?

I worked with the two co-founders several years ago while at another job. When our need for outsourced assistance came up, I contacted them because I was familiar with their work and knew they'd be competent.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our first engagement lasted from February–April 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When our collaboration started, our internal team was quite small. We needed extra resources to help complete certain projects. Pixel and Texel was phenomenal in helping us reach those goals. Our team has since grown, so we haven’t had as much recent work with them, but they are definitely people we would go back to if we had more work that we couldn’t handle with our own team. Their involvement helped us accomplish projects that were bigger than what we could normally manage. They've been effective working in a space, and with technologies, where there's not a lot of known information yet.

How did Pixel and Texel perform from a project management standpoint?

Our communication has been efficient through different platforms, including GitHub, Assembla, and Slack. They’re responsive and accessible when we need them. They’re located fairly close to us, so while we try to have regular phone calls, we sometimes visit their office, as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are well-equipped to handle all aspects of VR development, from the design side to the engineering side. I think they are particularly strong in the engineering area.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’ve been pleased with their work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of rentmywardrobe.com, a platform that allows consumers to rent clothing to each other.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixel and Texel?

We were redoing our app and needed someone to help us rewrite our front end in React Native.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re building out our front end. Our existing code had a lot of holes in it, so one of their first tasks after coming on board was to help us sort through that and bring it up to date.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with two of their developers, although their whole team supported the project.

How did you come to work with Pixel and Texel?

We wanted to partner with a local firm. We ultimately chose Pixel and Texel because we liked how their team had a long experience of working together.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re still in the early stages but they’ve definitely helped us get organized and move forward.

How did Pixel and Texel perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Pivotal Tracker to manage everything and we’ve been really pleased with how responsive they are. They’re very proactive when it comes to staying on top of deadlines and will always alert us if anything unexpected comes up that might slow down the work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very personable and transparent in their communication. Their entire team is very adept from both a technical and a business standpoint, which isn’t a skill all developers have. The strong interpersonal skills have made it easier to resolve problems when they come up.

In terms of the work, they’ve gone above and beyond to help us get things accomplished. They helped us with our artwork for a wireframe even though they didn’t have to.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. I think they’ve been great so far and I’d definitely recommend them.