Small Planet

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are a top global market research firm, providing consumer and retail market research information and insights for a wide range of industries.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the general manager of ReceiptPal, which is part of our innovation group. We developed, with Small Planet, an app that consumers download and provide retail receipts in exchange for points and rewards, as well as records of all that they’ve purchased.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Small Planet Digital?

Our goal for the app was to understand consumer behavior better. For the people who download and use the app on an ongoing basis, we have an understanding, collectively, of what they’re purchasing in the retail market. We aggregate what they’re purchasing and when in the retail market.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Small Planet's role was to help us design and execute a mobile app for iOS, and we're in the process of developing the same for Android. They designed, created, and executed the app itself. They also made sure it was fully usable and engaging for users.

What was your process for selecting Small Planet Digital with which to work?

We researched a lot of different app firms around the country and interviewed them. We went onsite to meet the finalists. One of the main criteria was an understanding of what we wanted for app functionality. We looked at their ability to think strategically with us, and how a mobile app would fit into what we're trying to do as a company as well as what’s most engaging and attractive to consumers.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

In terms of the development time, it took about two and a half months from the initial concept and strategizing to when the final product submitted to the App Store. Small Planet was very efficient for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

The productivity of ReceiptPal has exceeded our expectations. Our conversion from download to active usage and retention has been very strong.

We wanted to start with just one platform, and iOS was the platform of choice to test. Now that that's been proven a success, it seemed like the best move to extend to Android. I don’t think we would have done it differently looking back.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

We had a dedicated team that was involved in most of our meetings, and we became a tight-knit group. Their constructive feedback was important to us from a creative and design perspective as well as a functionality perspective. I would say Small Planet thinks from their customer's perspective, and they look to understand what we want to achieve. They helped us think about how our end users would be using the product and how to make it better. We really worked as partners.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something you might do differently?

Generally, I’d say that the partnership works well, and I don’t think I’d do anything different after working so closely with Small Planet on this project. The whole project was a learning process, and the product was successful, which gave us the best result.

BACKGROUND

Could you give a brief description of your organization and your role and responsibilities?

I’m an assistant professor at the Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders at UNC [University of North Carolina at] Chapel Hill. I’m a psychiatry professor here. We have been trying to find ways to use technology to improve treatment delivery and also expand services for our patients. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for the work with Small Planet Digital?

The goal was to develop an iPhone application to improve treatment for our patients. It was part of a federally funded grant. We had initially worked with another company here locally and had some difficulty with them so we needed a new company quickly. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of work in more detail.

It was mostly iPhone app development. We have since expanded it to develop an iPad application as well.

What was your process for selecting them?

I actually had a friend who was friends with somebody who works with Small Planet and I’d researched them and looked them up and saw that they’ve had a lot of clients, worked with some great companies and also saw some of their applications and was really impressed by them. That’s how we ended up selecting them.

Can you provide a sense of the size of your initiative with them with either a general cost range or a personnel work hour figure please?

It would be hard for me to estimate the number of hours. I can say that their contribution was in the $250,000 to $500,000 range.

Is the work still ongoing?

It’s still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the first development project? Do you have any statistics or metrics that you can share?

I don’t have any that I can share right now. We’re in the middle of analyzing that since we’re in the middle of a research study. I will say that we were all really pleased with the product and found it really intuitive and good to use, and it exceeded our expectations at every level. They also really understand app development and really understand what makes for a good app.

Do you still feel you selected the right platform to develop with for the app?

Yes.

Do you have any plans to develop for Android?

Yes. We’d like to expand it later, but we’re starting first with iPhone.

Can you please assess their overall work performance?

It’s exceptional. They’re on top of their game. Their communicativeness and project management is like head and shoulders above the rest. Graphics are exceptional. The backend is exceptional as well. Just at every point, they’ve been a dream to work with.

Besides what you’ve already mentioned, is there anything else unique or special about Small Planet Digital that stood out for you?

I’ve learned a lot from them about project management. I’ve also learned a lot from them about how to conceptualize iOS development and also conceptualize app development and what makes for an attractive and engaging app. They’ve just been really helpful and educating. They are strong with collaborating and listening to their client, it had been a problem in the past in working with other technology firms. There is sometimes a language barrier if you’re not savvy in technology. They have no problem speaking human and speaking computer at the same time. They’re also really good at listening to what you want and what you’re interested in.

Looking back on the project, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something you might do differently?

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Product Director of (a/an) Telecommunications

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We block and screen robocalls and other unwanted calls on voip landlines and mobile devices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Small Planet to accomplish?

Develop Android version of three call screening apps

SOLUTION

How did you find Small Planet?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Small Planet over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

What was the size of Small Planet’s team?

6-10 Employees

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

Smallplanet is responsible for developing and delivering multiple android versions of the existing iOS app, in a timely manner set by our company and our company's clients. They are responsible for ongoing maintenance on such apps, and well as continued improvements to the apps and services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Deliver first builds by set date
• Deliver release candidates by set date

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

They've delivered items on time and with great communication. Their response has been great.

What was your primary form of communication with Small Planet?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email
• Messaging App

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

They are able to work on multiple projects at once, never letting one fall to the wayside. Highly adaptable to our company's changing needs.

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

Small Planet could improve attention to detail.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for a small fashion brand and I run our sales operations

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Small Planet, and what were your goals?

Small Planet was hired to create a "customizer" for our custom products to make CX more seamless through this process

SOLUTION

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

We did a lot of research and ultimately decided on Small Planet because of their experience helping another brand we know of

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

We spent months digitizing all of the components of our business - products, fonts, and other assets before we could go live

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

We worked with multiple engineers as well as their client services contact

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was a great experience working with the Small Planet and their work completely changed how we do our custom sales on our website/ our internal workflows

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

They gave us a lot of set guidelines and touch points to reach along the way which were very helpful

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

They were able to adapt to our specific business model and requirements to create a product very unique to us!

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

No!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company develops and commercializes pharmaceuticals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Small Planet, and what were your goals?

A iOS phone app to serve as a frontend pharmaceutical sales tool.

SOLUTION

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

I was not involved in the selection of the vendor.

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

This was an iPhone app written in Swift that was tightly integrated with Realm/MongoDB and a customized set of Python backend applications.

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

We worked with people at all levels of their team including the COO, a project manager, several iOS developers and at least 2 different UI/UX designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There were multiple phases of the project and all features that were requested in each phase were delivered to completion.

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

We had regular meetings and open lines of communication with them using email and Slack. They definitely offloaded project management tasks from our plate, which is exactly what we desired. All deliverables were timely, taking into account expected technical obstacles along the way.

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

I found it very easy to work with all the members of their team. Their responsiveness to requests, comments and concerns had been very fast and thorough.

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

No, all was good.