Purple Deer Studio

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Managing Director of a mid-size private healthcare provider. We operate in London and the whole UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Purple Deer Software Studio, and what were your goals?

Our company hired Purple Deer to design and build a website, and landing page, and refresh our brand colours and logo. To build and integrate with our current logistic software a new platform for Ad-Hoc urgent bookings within the London area.

SOLUTION

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

We used Purple Deer because of their competitive pricing, better than average predicted finish time and professional approach.

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

The whole process was very straightforward and easy to understand. We were always presented with a few designs to choose from as well as different options for our problems/needs (ex. card payments through our website, auto filler for the address based on a postcode, etc.)

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

We've worked with a small team of creatives and developers. Sylwia, the product owner, was our main contact, and Paulina was taking care of the designs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are now able to process new courier orders much faster and our clients can track their deliveries and pay by card on our website.

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

Very effective. We have a few communications channels on Slack as well as WhatsApp. Questions were answered promptly

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

Attention to detail and understanding of the complicated process involving a non-techy person explaining his vision (it's me)

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

none

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO & Founder of Nectis Ltd, a data analytics B2B company. We do relationship analytics and diagnostics to improve companies' performance, opportunity, and equality.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Purple Deer Software Studio?

We needed help creating a module to reduce the friction of data entry in our app. We had an active integration process with Slack and Outlook, and we wanted to automate it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Purple Deer provided us with custom software development. We worked with them through a workshop to create the spec. From there, they built the module for our app. The solution harvests people’s contacts from two different applications, Slack and Outlook, automating the process we had in place.

The team built functionality that includes a series of options to import contacts; it can go 100% back in a user’s timeline, or users can subscribe to have a regular update. The module looks at people's messages and identifies who they’ve interacted with. 

For example, if someone wants to create a social network graph of the people they’re collaborating with, the app can gather details and allow the user to import that. This information harvest is seamless for our users. The app will become an integral part of our app, though we still have work to do on our end. Purple Deer gave us a three-month warranty, and they ensured that the product’s IP was ours.

What is the team composition?

We worked with all of Purple Deer’s staff, though there were four people most engaged in our project. Two leads were involved, including Lukasz (Co-Founder & CEO).

How did you come to work with Purple Deer Software Studio?

Last year, we ran an advert looking for developers, and Lucasz got in touch with me through LinkedIn. Although we discussed potentially developing our app’s frontend, we didn’t take the project forward back then. Lucasz got in touch again a year later when we started this project, and I explored whether they could do this bit of work. We went ahead with Purple Deer because it seemed like they had the experience and the skill set needed. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from January 2022–April 2022. We're currently within our warranty period.

Although we’ve discussed the possibility of them building a mobile app for us, we haven’t moved forward with that project at this stage.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Purple Deer was very professional and easy to collaborate with. Their communication was high-quality; they listened to us rather than trying to impose their priorities. The team delivered on time — they gave us a timeline and stuck to it. Although these things sound fairly standard, in our experience, they’re not typical in these kinds of projects. Overall, we were very happy with Purple Deer.

Moreover, the team delivered on their promises. The final result was very high-quality in terms of functionality. We appreciate the three-month warranty Purple Deer offered and that they ensured we owned the IP, which was really important to us. Currently, we’re building the interface to integrate the module into our app. We’re making sure there aren’t any bugs, and Purple Deer has been responsive in fixing the issues we’ve identified.

How did Purple Deer Software Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Responsive and personable, the team was highly communicative and very collaborative. We used Slack and meetings to keep in touch.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Purple Deer was both professional and very personable. The end product was high-quality and not full of bugs. They listened to what we wanted and ensured we got it; they broke the project down to ensure that the spec was effective. It was a pleasure to work with them — that’s high praise.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there wasn’t anything they needed to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would encourage you to do the workshop, even if you have your own spec. The workshop is something Purple Deer offers that’s well worth taking advantage of, even if you think you know what you want.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO of a data analytics company that provides technology into the personal insolvency and debt recovery sector.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Purple Deer Software Studio, and what were your goals?

We wanted to provide a mobile app so that individuals in money trouble can self-serve the and manage their debt repayment plan. The design needed to be functionally robust but extremely easy to use and speed to market for this product was a critical factor.

SOLUTION

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

We received first hand recommendations for other independent companies and also conducted a range of comparative assessments ourselves. Following a few video calls with Purple Deer we knew they were the best company to work with. Open, Honest and took a strong collaborative approach.

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

We collaborative had several workshop sessions to better understand the scope of the project and challenges we're looking to address. Purple Deer really took the time and dedication to understand our industry and the issues that our end users are facing. This enable them to come back with excellent wireframe designs and user journey experience right from the start. It made the development process really focused and efficient.

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

They provided a great amount of resource to our project and we worked with a range of their team at various stages of the project. But we had a great project manager that coordinated everything super efficiently and was a great point of contact that we could turn to at any stage.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our product is just being launched in the market now so early days yet to build up statistical results, however initial user feedback is super positive and they love the user experience and ease of use already.

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

We used Slack primarily to communicate on a day-to-day basis and this help coordinate actions right across our teams. We schedule in group video calls and workshops as a when required and individuals also set up 1-to-1 calls as a when required to talk through more involved and complex technical problems. It was really easy and flexible which made the project run very well.

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

Their dedication and ability to understand our industry and our end users profile was great right from the start. This enable them to provide beautiful UI and UX designs. Their technical development skills in app technology is extremely high and we learned a lot from them along the way.

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

No. Their project management and technical delivery process is excellent and i'd happily go through the same process all over again!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the operations director of Podcast.co We offer podcast services to anyone who wants a podcast. We also manage MatchMaker.fm, which allows podcasters to connect with guests to feature on their show.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Purple Deer Software Studio?

We live in a mobile world, so we wanted to take our web application to mobile devices. We reached out to Purple Deer because we didn't have our own in-house app development team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We launched MatchMaker.fm about a year ago, and all the functionality was web-based. Our clients wanted a faster way to access the messages and reply to people. Purple Deer developed MatchMaker messenger, which allows people to read and respond to messages via mobile device.

Usually, their team reaches out and helps define the project from start to finish. However, as we already had a brand pack, they used it to create a mobile-friendly design for the app based on our web app. We had some meetings to see the scope of what we wanted. After that, they came out with some designs, and then the development team took on to build the app.

What is the team composition?

We had a small team that included the owner, a designer, and developers.

How did you come to work with Purple Deer Software Studio?

I wasn’t in charge of choosing our partner, but I think they found Purple Deer on LinkedIn or Clutch.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested somewhere around £10,000 (approximately $14,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in January 2021, and the app launched at the beginning of April 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have around 8,000 active users on Matchmaker.fm. About 80% of them use iOS devices, and we had an issue with Apple accepting the app. We had to take off data purchases, so we did that in-house. Because of that delay, the app on iOS just launched. We don’t have a lot of feedback on it. On the Android app, we have around 300 installs. 

We haven’t received feedback from customers. Most of our team were there during the development, and there was no feedback since they knew what it was like.

How did Purple Deer Software Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very thorough with our project and always contacted us for extra information. In the beginning, there were some prerequisites to work that delayed things slightly. However, that was something that we had to do that we hadn't prepared for.  For communication, we had our own Slack channel and we also did Zoom calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were a small team, and they were very well organized. That helped the project since feedback arrived early to the developers and the quality improved.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We were going to work on a second version of the app, but we put a hold on it because we want to see how well the iOS app does. The scope of the project we paid for has been finished, but we may work again with Purple Deer.

We had a meeting about improvements that could be made, and we decided that they should do more workshops just to make sure the communication between the two companies is better.  There were times where the communication wasn't there, but the fault was on both sides. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that the specifications for the scope of the work are completely confirmed before the work starts. That way everyone is on the same page, and everyone knows what to expect from the product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of a cybersecurity insurtech startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Purple Deer Software Studio?

We wanted to develop an MVP for our new software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Purple Deer Software Studio developed the MVP of our data aggregation platform, which will provide data analytics to the insurance industry.

First, we provided Purple Deer with very clear software requirements and rationale. We then worked with them to develop the product, take it through the product testing process, and continue on with further development. This will be a SaaS product, so Purple Deer used Node.js and built the product on Docker to provide us with a highly scalable mobile software product that will grow alongside our customer base.

In terms of features, we specifically wanted the UX to be developed for non-technical business owners, and Purple Deer worked on that element. Also, they brought various API integrations from a range of software products together. They collated those APIs and translated that information into something usable and relevant for small businesses.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Sylvia (Product Owner) and Lucas (CEO) throughout the project. 

How did you come to work with Purple Deer Software Studio?

We found Purple Deer because we’d worked with their previous company. Also, a startup that had worked with them recommended them. 

We did extensive research on software companies before deciding on Purple Deer. The main reason for choosing them was their excellent communication during the tendering process. Also, I invested a lot of time in getting them to understand the project to make sure their quote was fit for purpose.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about €65,000 (approximately $78,000 USD) with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked through September 2020–March 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measured the success in the product functionality — we’re currently testing with some customers. We also took into consideration their ability to deliver within the timelines they outlined and the budget they gave us.

Additionally, we had weekly meetings with the developers to make sure we were meeting the milestones and that we were happy with the work that was getting done.

How did Purple Deer Software Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly communicated through Slack, and that was great; we were able to have access to them at any time of the day. Also, we used Google Meet for meetings with various team members. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with their ability to communicate and their willingness to check in with us. They highlighted areas of concern or new software development, and they made sure we were happy with the build and the direction they were taking before moving ahead. The team made us aware of any potential risks or mitigation elements that would need to take place at a later point.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We just had one issue where there was a lack of updates in the code repositories. I’d recommend keeping everything updated so that it’s accessible, even if you’re not the code developer.

Any advice for potential customers?

I’d recommend being clear in terms of your software requirements, and engage with the Purple Deer team to make sure that you get a fixed price cost for the development that you’re looking for. I’d more than highly recommend them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and managing director of a branding and advertising agency called Make Us Care. We devise self-service tools that SaaS companies can use to engage more potential clients and open their services to the masses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Purple Deer Software Studio?

We needed their team to supply our small company with development resources.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We are an advertising agency without much knowledge in website and app building and development, so we were in need of a team that can perform all those related tasks for our company. We started by conceptualizing everything we needed from the technical team that Purple Deer Software Studio selected for us. With their team’s aid, we conducted workshops to come up with strategies that could help us unveil the different features that we were looking to achieve for our platforms — this step really helped us get a good grasp of the kind of UX we wanted to provide for our customers. 

Purple Deer Software Studio created a massive technical process, employing design resources that devised our wireframes for our MVPs. The next step of the project was the actual development phase. We presented their team with our own ideas and options that they could explore and consider as they created the final products — after finalizing these, they built a custom app from scratch. We opted to go for an app without many foundations to avoid spending a lot of money, so the project took off with rapid prototyping before they iterated the product design.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 4–5 resources from their team: frontend and backend developers, a design specialist, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Purple Deer Software Studio?

It was Lukasz (CEO) who reached out to us via LinkedIn. He sent me a message about their services, and I was interested because he just started the company. I was really into the idea of supporting startups because I just initiated my company as well. Owners who have just instigated their own businesses are usually willing to go out of their way just to provide high-quality services and products, so I wanted to give Purple Deer Software Studio a shot by becoming their new client.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent about £7,000–£10,000 (approximately $10,000–$14,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from September 2020–April 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The greatest achievement in this engagement was their commitment to delivering what they promised within the proposed budget. I couldn’t ask for anything more because Purple Deer Software Studio followed through with that promise. They addressed all our concerns in scaling and functionalities, and all their solutions were on-point. Everything was really resolved, one way or another.

How did Purple Deer Software Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicated via phone calls. Every stage of the project was clearly elaborated on to us. We had scheduled meetings to discuss progress updates, and there were instances wherein they let me navigate through the product to test it as well. Purple Deer Software Studio definitely guided us throughout the process, making sure that we didn’t move on from one step to another without clarifying our goals and expectations for the next step.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated how genuinely they cared about our products — their excitement and eagerness really flowed into the process and the product, so that gave us enough assurance that we were with the right development team. Purple Deer Software Studio dealt with complex coding work without making things hard for us to understand. We were always assured that they had the right solutions for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Definitely none, they were more of our partner than just a company that provided us with their services. They strived to accomplish the work that they promised to deliver.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Treat them as experts because they really are — I don’t think there’s a single person in Purple Deer Software Studio who isn’t aware of their tasks. Additionally, make sure to plan comprehensively and have everything prepared as early as possible.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder of Commit. Commit is the new generation of commercial property platforms. With premium research tooling and baked-in location intelligence, finding the right commercial property has never been easier.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Purple Deer Software Studio, and what were your goals?

Purple Deer Software studio was tasked to design a commercial property platform with site selection intelligence baked in.

SOLUTION

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

Purple Deer Studio was referred to me via another startup they worked with.

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

The development started off with several workshops to outline the scope and requirements of the job. Then Figma mockups were made and after that development took place. A variety of different technologies were used including custom built tech.

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

1 x Project Lead 1 x UI Designer 2 x Full Stack Developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was performed within the allocated time and budget to an extremely high quality. Deliverable was the platform.

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

Slack was used to communicate along with occasional google meets meetings.

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

The team understood the project, conducted market research, and went well beyond what was required of them.

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

No requirements needed.