Rant

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and director of a company that produces interactive apps for the education market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Rantmedia?

We needed technical support for app development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We contracted Rantmedia to develop an app for us. I proposed the core scope of the project and they provided creative input on the design and created a wireframe. The developed native apps for both iOS and Android.

What is the team dynamic?

I generally work closely with three people, depending on the project.

How did you come to work with Rantmedia?

I was aware of Rantmedia from different trade shows. I talked to people who had worked with different app companies and they seemed to be the best.

How much have you invested with them?

Around 100,000 GBP.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2014. We have one project that is still ongoing, to be completed by January of 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The user feedback we have received has been really positive. Schools have really enjoyed the apps and want more of them.

How did Rantmedia perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through a variety of methods. We usually use email but they're very local to me so I meet them in person as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their work was high quality. They were also happy to work with me on the creative side and they provide strong inputs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager of a large Welsh building society that offers mortgage savings and insurance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Rantmedia?

We brought Rant aboard to develop an app for children, which was a brand-new endeavor for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed the app from the ground up for iOS and Android, including all the design work and some animation. The app featured several mini, Tamagotchi-style games in which users could take care of a character they designed. The game’s several levels built up to a more involved “survival mode.”

The app was cross-platform for management purposes. Since they began working with us from the start of development, they had a relatively free playing field to create our desired product within the scope of our brand guidelines.

What is the team dynamic?

We worked with a total of five team members: three software developers were constantly involved, and I personally interacted with two others.

How did you come to work with RantMedia?

Whether they initially contacted us or we found them via a search, they pitched for the project along with two other companies. We choose Rantmedia because they’re a local agency, and we prefer to work with Welsh companies whenever possible. Their experience in gamification and enthusiasm for our products made them the best fit—along with extensive metrics.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested over £100-150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2016, and recently re-engaged for a new project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The select members of our team who have actually seen the app have confirmed that it captured everything we requested. It was well-received in our usability testing, with both a research agency and members of our target demographic.

How did Rant Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Although we challenged them, their progress consistently matched our expectations. They fulfilled our detailed requirements for delivery schedules within our specific cost matrix. Their proximity enabled us to hold weekly progress meetings with the designers in person. We communicated by email as needed, and they’d often send us Excel spreadsheets to annotate and return. We had constant access to their project management tools.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their dedication and work ethic reflect the fun nature of what they do, which makes them pleasant to work with. The team’s approachability makes it easy to pick up the phone if an issue arises.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We just re-engaged with them, and they are already supplying us with information more efficiently. They learned from last time, and now their communication is exactly what we need.

Advice for potential customers?

Their creativity and expertise make it worth giving them the latitude to work independently, propose new methodologies, and influence the end product, even if you initially have a clear idea of what you’re looking for.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder of a business finance app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Rantmedia?

We wanted to create a simplified app to serve as an accounting system for small businesses. It allows users with little to no financial knowledge to send invoices, log payments, and even includes a GPS system to help manage timesheets.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After I provided a brief, they worked alongside a branding company to develop the UX, providing feedback at each stage of development. Rantmedia has won awards for their design work, so I trusted them with the overall flow. The app was designed for both iOS and Android.

We launched four months ago and they continue to provide support, ensuring all functions work properly. We’re currently discussing ideas for improvement and ways to develop the app online.

What is the team dynamic?

We’ve worked with seven or eight people. Anton [Faulconbridge, Director, Rantmedia] is the boss, Gwen [Vaughan, Head of Delivery, Rantmedia] serves as project manager, Rachel [Sulek, Designer] and Ed [Sharp, Digital Product Designer, Rantmedia] worked as designers, and we had iOS and Android teams.

How did you come to work with Rantmedia?

I searched online for local development companies, but they were quite small and lacked the expertise I needed. I expanded my search, but wasn't impressed with any of them, to be honest. Finally, a friend recommended two companies, and after meeting with both, Rantmedia was by far the best.

How much have you invested with them?

About 80,000 pounds.

What is the status of this engagement?

We had our initial concept meeting in September, 2016. We kept in touch for the next nine months as I organized investors and then began work. Our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have roughly 50 active users, which is a good start for us. We’ve also received great feedback. Users like the simple layout, find the app easy to navigate, and we’ve had no reported crashes.

How did Rantmedia perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate mostly through e-mail and Skype, but also conduct a number of face to face meetings.

They're fantastic, I can't say a bad word about them. They hit every deadline, provide constant feedback, and take the time to create a quality product.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Other app developers I talked to offered a lot of big ideas, but lacked the ability to follow through with the concepts. Rantmedia took the time to think through the development stages and that forethought made them precise and realistic.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, to be honest with you. We’ve had issues with marketing and branding companies, but Rantmedia was faultless by comparison.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the senior systems engineering manager at G24 Power. We are a low-energy, electronic design company, and we also work with Solar PV [photovoltaic]. Some of the key products we make are small Internet of things types of devices, sensors, or iBeacon devices that we can power with solar panels.

I am the only software person in the company, and my role is to decide what the software should be, spec that up, and if I can’t write it myself, I outsource it and find an appropriate subcontractor.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Rantmedia?

We had a new iBeacon device that we were about to go to market with, and we wanted a way for our customers to be able to log into the device and interact with it using their phones. They could buy the device, set it up how they want, and use it. This required a mobile app for both iOS and Android, and we needed it to be reliable and polished. Since this is what people would be using with our products, we wanted it to be very solid with a nice design so that they could get a good feel for our product. We didn’t have the resources or technical knowledge in-house to write the product ourselves.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with Rantmedia to develop the apps to help people understand and work with the devices more closely.

We initially met with them and shared our rough ideas of what we wanted along with one of our prototype devices. Technically, we told them the needed functions, but we didn’t have any knowledge on how the app would look or work or how the user would interact with it. We discussed ideas, and then they produced a scoping document including what they thought it should do and how it should look. We had screenshots of how it would look, including the colors and the branding. It was a very interactive process with a lot of discussions, and we worked as a team.

Writing an app that interacts with our firmware, a physical device, added another level of complexity to the scope. We worked hard to produce a document that they could work with to be able to really grasp our product; they helped in clarifying what was and wasn’t required. We wrote some demo code together and worked to understand the requirements and what could be done realistically within our timeframes and budget.

Before they started coding, they provided very clear, high-quality documentation of what the app was going to do, how the UX designers think, how the user will interact with it, and what it would look like.

They did all the design work for the UX side. They spent a lot of time exploring how a typical user might use the app, not just how it looked and where the buttons were but how people would navigate around the app, and what features could be added to make the app even better. Both the iOS and Android apps are native apps that they developed to deal with Bluetooth.

We are currently about to update the original device and have been working with Rant recently to get quotes to upgrade all the software.

What is the team dynamic?

I had direct interaction with 4 people from Rant. We had someone overseeing the project, as well as 3 technical people.

How did you come to work with Rantmedia?

We did a web search for software houses local to us. Because the project would interact with our hardware, we were aware of that extra level of complexity, as well as the fact we were still developing the hardware at that point. We wanted someone that could, if necessary, get on the phone or meet face-to-face, find any issues, and work through them as quickly as possible.

By far, Rant felt strongest in what they could deliver, the quality, and the way we could work and interact with them. We had confidence in their technical and UX ability as well. It was a perfect match for us.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent about 20,000—25,000 pounds.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Rant in April 2015, and the app was ready for launch in the beginning of 2016. We have worked together on smaller projects since then, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The people that use the app use it all the time, including me. We have never had anyone report a crash, which is incredible for what the app is actually doing. We had some feedback on minor things that we wanted to change, but generally, the feedback is that it is a very stable product. People like it and like working with it.

Rant brought in design aspects that we hadn’t thought of which have proven to be very useful. For example, the app remembers devices and their names and labels them, which wasn’t in the original scope. They thought this would be useful, and they were right; users love that.

I occasionally see the Android technical developer, and he is still thinking about the project and what we can tweak and improve. It is incredible to us that, even 2 years later, their technical guy is still thinking like that. They are a great company.

How did Rantmedia perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, I thought they were very good. While the app was in development, we spoke about once a week to see what was happening and to see if they needed anything from us. They kept us aware of what was going on. There was a slight overrun due to the complexity of interacting with our device. Communication was very good, and project management wise. We mostly communicated through email, and also spoke by phone and had in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their strengths are in the UI/UX and the polish they add to their work. There is an extra layer of quality that they have thought about in how the user will interact with the product and all the little things that make it look and feel nice. This strength exceeded expectations and added value.

In addition, they are friendly and approachable people. You can chat with them in a relaxed manner and still get things done. They are enjoyable to work with, and that puts them ahead of their competitors. Working with Rant puts a smile on your face, as well as getting the product out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. We all learned a lot. There were things we didn’t anticipate, working with hardware. As we plan the next phase, we already have milestones and improved specifications in place to help. Otherwise, everything went very smoothly and they were good to work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Managing Director of Sgil Cymru

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Production and Training for the screen industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Build a webpage that would sit alongside the SAW website
• Make it clear and logical so that those who were looking to come into the industry in Wales could easily find information
• Create a portal of all the training activity in Wales to be used by anyone 18 to 65

SOLUTION

How did you find Rant?

Referral

Why did you select Rant over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Rant were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

To deliver a clear and logical webpage that would show all the training activity happening in Wales that would be easy to navigate for the end user.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Rant delivered - in a personable and efficient way - a very clear and logical page that encompasses everything we asked for.

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

The staff at Rant are always polite, efficient, and caring about the outcomes of the project.  Could not have asked for anything better.

What was your primary form of communication with Rant?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

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

The ability to 'get the vision' and run with it.

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

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Largest Building Society in Wales Head Of Customer development

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Rantmedia?

to build an App called for kids

What were your goals for this project?

to engage with children in Wales to help them learn about money management

SOLUTION

How did you select Rantmedia?

prior relationship

Describe the project in detail.

An app to help children learn principles of looking after and saving money. In a fun format including games and challenges.

What was the team composition?

A project manager along with a design lead.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Shortlisted for App awards
• Downloads broadly in line with expectations
• Internal advocacy within our organization

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

very effective - very responsive team at Rant media

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their personal approach and understanding of our organization impressed us.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No