SoluLab

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Deals en Route is an application that allows businesses to distribute coupons through deal fencing. We provide applications for both stores and users, and we also have a website for the stores.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SoluLab?

We were looking to find a developer that could provide transparent and quality work—factors which we had been missing in previous collaborations.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We made a prototype app using another developer, but SoluLab told us that they couldn’t build on top of it, and we had to start from scratch. They took over, becoming involved in everything from design to back- and frontend development—anything related to the technology of the app. They also did patent research for us.

As a startup, we want to make sure that costs are low, and money goes to where it’s needed. The current app has been developed only for iOS, which could reach most of our target audience, namely college students. If the proof-of-concept testing goes well, we will look at the scope for the Android side as well, which will be built off the iOS version. SoluLab has started this process, and they have the right people for the development.

They are developing everything on the website as well. We use Stripe for coupon redemption. The app integrates with the website.

What is the team composition?

We currently have six developers, but there were four previously. They provide additional developers during crunch times, such as when we needed to deliver something faster than expected because of investor deadlines.

How did you come to work with SoluLab?

A friend who had worked for them connected me to the company. I told him about my problems with the previous developer—the high, no transparency whatsoever, and the atrocious quality of work. He connected me to Chintan Thakkar [CEO, SoluLab], who setup a business call. He explained his background and how the company worked. After the call, I received a spreadsheet with a breakdown of the cost and time for every feature, giving me an idea of what it would take.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $25,000 to $30,000 so far. We have $8,000 remaining in the budget.

Our previous developer was going to charge us $120,000 for the project, and the quality of work would have been lower.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with SoluLab in September 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m very happy with the work they’ve done for my company. We’ve received good customer feedback, and they’ve always been there in terms of support. They proved that they had the right people and the right amount of experience to get the product off the ground.

I am not one of the technical founders, so I can’t speak to the code quality, but, functionality-wise, the first phase of the app worked as expected. There were a couple of glitches that required work, but, in terms of UI [user interface] design, the app is flawless. Bugs are expected with every app.

We received a wireframe before coding was started, in order to properly clarify everything. We could provide revisions for elements like the login screen color. We had the chance to brainstorm with SoluLab, and see their ideas as well. There were times when I actually accepted their inputs, because they looked better than what I had in mind. I have no complaints on the design or coding sides.

How did SoluLab perform from a project management standpoint?

Chintan Thakkar was hands-on in this respect, taking on a CTO role for us. I had confidence in him, and appreciated what he could bring to the table, based on his outside experience and innovative thinking. He was a good asset. He made sure to call his clients, even staying up late at night for it. When we needed help, he was always available, whether it was through a conference call, Skype, or email.
We received a breakdown spreadsheet in the beginning, detailing the cost and expected time for completing every phase of the project. I received screenshots of their work through a platform they provided. I found them to be very transparent, giving us screenshots of everything they did, every 10 minutes. This included things like keyboard activity.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The transparency, quality of work, and support we’ve gotten from SoluLab—for the amount of money we spent—were excellent. They made sure we got the best value for money.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We didn’t use a single platform for feedback, instead using Excel, Skype, or Google Docs. Some things were left out of the scope because of this. Having a single platform through which clients can send revisions would ensure nothing gets missed. I found myself struggling to find previous comments, and ensuring that those were included in the next revision. Everything else was perfect.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of Versifit, a sports and fitness app designed to connect people quickly with on-demand activities. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SoluLab?

I was trying to articulate our requirements and get SoluLab to build our grand idea. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SoluLab built our app from scratch. We had our own wireframes and mockups, as well as documentation of technical requirements, but the process was ultimately done from the start by working side-by-side with SoluLab. The first version of the app was released natively for iOS and Android.

The original aim of our app was to connect people to various venues and locations, utilizing geofencing technology. The main features of the beta released in 2016 included browsing maps and feeds in order to see available users within an area, as well as an Instagram-like feature that showed inspirational videos and pictures that people posted, promoting health and wellness. We also had a group chat function.

How did you come to work with SoluLab?

I found SoluLab through Elance after we put out a brief requirement for a fitness-style app. I could have included more intricate details that would have allowed me to find select candidates, but we did receive around 100 applicants. It was easy to vet most of them, and we ultimately had a list of 5 providers with actual experience developing fitness-related software. From those, we selected SoluLab.

How much have you invested with SoluLab?

The cost of their work was around $30,000 for both apps.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with SoluLab in October 2015. We released the MVP in January 2016. The bulk of the work was done by that point, but we continued to make a few tweaks. The engagement with SoluLab ended in May 2016.

The app has pivoted since that point, and it provides a different experience today. We made the new version using a different developer. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

SoluLab helped us test our idea and create a more tangible user experience. We gained some traction using the original model and were selected in an Inc. Magazine competition called The Coolest College Startups 2016. We also had a mention in an article about up and coming startups. SoluLab’s design gave us a little notoriety, which planted seeds with potential investors.

We were trying to build a pristine user experience with a number of features. We were trying to make a Ferrari, when all we needed to build was something simple, like a Ford Focus. We needed to let people grow the theme and add features as part of a natural evolution.

Our original business model was not scalable, and the changes we had to make led us to step away from SoluLab and look within our domestic networks for a software development team we could work with closely.

We gained a few thousand users during the 3 months when the app was live. Then, we shut it down in order to refine our business model and obtain funding. Certain aspects of the app needed to be simplified, and we had to focus on the core content—connecting people—instead of adding extra features like allowing users to upload videos. We didn’t need another Instagram.

The app had some initial bugs, but we did put SoluLab under pressure to release it quickly. There were some slight instabilities related to the app being a new idea. We released it in around 2 ½ months, compared to our current development run, which has taken 9 months.

How did SoluLab perform from a project management standpoint?

They were responsive overall. If we needed quick changes to be made, SoluLab set up meetings and kept clear lines of communication to understand and diagnose our ongoing issue. From a project management perspective, they handled the work well. We used Basecamp for tracking tasks.

What did you find most impressive about SoluLab?

I appreciated that they were able to help us grow our idea from a design standpoint. The wireframes and mockups we had were amateurish compared to what SoluLab was able to finalize. They manifested our concepts and were quite responsive. I emailed and called the team at random times, and someone was always available.

Are there any areas SoluLab could improve?

The app had some stability issues at times, but this problem goes both ways. SoluLab could have implemented some internal code review procedures, but we definitely pushed them to the max. They were trying to deliver to an American client within a rapid timeline. Our new company has taken 9 months to make a new release, instead of the 2 ½ months we gave SoluLab, and they had no frame to build from. They were still able to deliver some type of MVP within a short time. So, I can’t really hold this against them.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Clean Router. We sell a wireless router that filters the internet for kids.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SoluLab?

I think the first product we had them work on was an app. We had an existing app that they were referencing, but it wasn’t exactly the same thing. They started the build from an existing platform, but the app itself was new. We had developed the first app in-house, and we didn’t do a great job on it. Additionally, we just didn’t have enough bandwidth to do it ourselves.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve built three mobile apps for us so far, and now they’re building more of a whole platform, an end-to-end system. The apps are around our existing product. One is a parental control app, one is a filtering app that goes on the kid’s phone, and another is called Clean YouTube. We have CleanYouTube.io, so it’s a portal into YouTube, and SoluLab built an app to go along with that. Now they’re helping us build out some of the backend systems and such.

The apps are all available on iOS and Android. The technologies varied on the different projects. PhoneGap was on the first one, and some more recent ones they built native. The backend technologies varied between Python, PHP, MySQL, and a handful of other stuff. I don’t want to go in-depth with the backend system project, as some of that is proprietary and I don’t want it published.

SoluLab is very good at meeting the needs of the project, and not trying to pigeon-hole the project into a technology they already know. A lot of times, you’ll work with a contractor who knows PHP, so all they do is PHP. On the backend system SoluLab is working on right now, there was some code that we were able to use in Python. They extended that using Python. None of the other stuff we had was Python, but it was the right fit. They’re very agile and able to use the technology you need to solve the problem, not the other way around.

How did you come to work with SoluLab?

We originally connected with them on Upwork. Deciding factors in choosing them included cost and efficiency. They’re very cost-effective. When you work with inexpensive contractors, you often get poor results. These guys are actually really good to work with and they produce really high-quality stuff. My co-founder and I are both developers, and we know that the code they produce is very good quality.

How much have you invested with SoluLab?

We’ve spent in the ballpark of $30,000 to $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June of 2016, and our relationship is ongoing. I just had a meeting with them about an hour ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re very easy to work with, which is a huge factor when dealing with contractors. Their communication is fantastic, and the quality of work is great. The reliability and stability of the solutions they provide is as good as I would produce myself, which is rare to find among contract workers.

How did SoluLab perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is off the chart. For instance, with the current project, we’re using Basecamp for communication. Rajat, one of their leads on this project, and Chintan make sure we get updates in Basecamp at least daily, and often multiple times a day. Their written and verbal communication is phenomenal.

What did you find most impressive about SoluLab?

Frankly, it’s the cost-to-quality ration. You don’t normally find developers of this high-quality at that cost. Their thoroughness on tasks is probably the second most impressive. They architect everything out really well, they’re easy to work with, and they’re technical, so they get it. They’re obviously smart guys technically. They also communicate really well.

Are there any areas SoluLab could improve?

No. It’s been great to work with them, and we’ll continue to work with them in the future.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The project through which I met SoluLab is a product that is a wildlife identification app for enthusiasts. I’m the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SoluLab?

My background is in startup business management, and before that design, but not development. I posted a job for native iOS development of the app. When SoluLab came on, we had our first version out, which was a very bare-bones MVP. They came on to take us to the next step.

When we originally started and made our technology choice, the technologies to build one code base that works well across platforms weren’t very mature. One of our core principles was to have a very high-quality application, and we knew we’d be loading a lot of content through the app. A lot of the apps we’re competing with are slow and have performance issues. We wanted to go native iOS so we could get the highest quality for the end user.   

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The backend already existed, and we continued to build on that. We definitely added new features and functionality and replaced some. There were a few that we had to refactor, and then there’s still some old, untouched stuff in there. So, I would say it’s a combination of a rewrite and modifications.

The main feature we added when SoluLab came on was in-app purchasing. Prior to that, we had proved out the model and made sure the backend API’s were working. When they came on, they were really looking to now add in an opportunity for a revenue stream. We also used ODR. We have thousands of apps that need to be downloaded, so we had to come up with a way for a user to only download exactly what they needed.

The way it works is that you can download one list, and it might have 500 wildlife with 3,000 images. Then you might download another list of wildlife for the next state beside yours. We don’t want that user to have to re-download all 3,000 images again. The system was built so it could determine what you didn’t have, and only grab the missing assets. They did all of that work. They also added sound maps for wildlife, like range location information.

They got the design upfront, but there were holes in the design. In some cases, they came back with design proposals where there were holes, and other times they came back to offer a better way to do something in the design we had. So, they were quite active with the design.

How did you come to work with SoluLab?

I found them through Upwork. The deciding factor in hiring them was the same reason we were happy with them the whole time; they made a point of reaching out and following up often. They put themselves at the front of the line. They were impossible to ignore. They were just very attentive, and throughout the project, they were like that the whole time. We worked with Chintan, and he was basically project managing us.

How much have you invested with SoluLab?

We’ve invested maybe $50,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June of 2016, and the project is ongoing. We’re currently wrapping our planning for the next version of the app. SoluLab has been helping us with reviewing estimates.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of the systems we used through Apple turned out to be inherently problematic, but that was beyond their control. Unfortunately, that was keeping our key metrics down. We’ve since replaced that, but I don’t have any hard metrics that would show their hard work.

The quality of the work was good. My partner is a very high-level CTO. I might give SoluLab an A, whereas he might give them a B. I felt they understood the requirements. They did the work, and they were timely. I just didn’t have any problems with them at all. They did what they were hired to do.

How did SoluLab perform from a project management standpoint?

I think project management is one of their strongest points, and maybe that’s why I was constantly impressed with their follow-up, organization, and communication. I was less involved in the details of the code. They were setting their own deadlines, and they were pushing us constantly to follow-up on comments or unblock them in some way. So, they were very motivated to move it forward rapidly. We used Skype, Asana, Upwork, Git, and of course, iTunes.

What did you find most impressive about SoluLab?

For an outsourced development team, the communication was impressive. I’ve been finding offshore development partners for about 15 years, and often there’s a language hurdle. The communication was really a strong point with these guys.

Are there any areas SoluLab could improve?

I think they probably need to have two tiers of development. They’re priced quite low, which is attractive for clients, but you get what you pay for. I think they could do a two-tiered system, where their newer developers are at a lower rate, and they have senior developers at higher rates, and they aren’t afraid to quote higher on a project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

EduWorlds is a consultancy working in the e-learning area. We mainly work with educational publishers and higher-education institutions, ones that have traditionally offered face-to-face courses and are looking to create online ones. I am the director of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SoluLab?

I was working on behalf of a multinational publisher client. They retained us in order to develop a project for creating an interactive learning platform on mobile devices, namely the now nearly-defunct feature phones. This involved stepping back almost 10 years in terms of what phones could do, yet bring as many of technical capabilities which happened in the interim. We needed to source a company which could help deliver this. We were looking for a degree of expertise in UX design, but with a sensitivity towards what constitutes good learning. I wasn’t expecting any agency I’d be working with to have had prior experience with e-learning (although that would have been a bonus), but I was looking for people who were quick to understand the brief and the potential of the project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SoluLab handled both the design and the development of the website. I was asking their team to develop for a device they hadn’t used for about five years, so they literally had to go home and borrow their grandparents’ phones in order to explore what was actually possible on the devices. There was an unusual mix of the old and the new, and we needed to think creatively and get around the challenge quickly.

SoluLab delivered a website of learning materials that was targeted at a particular audience, which happened to be in India. To a certain degree, local knowledge was important, but we also needed to work within quite strict technical constraints, including the antiquated end-user devices.

The product needed to work on the Facebook Free Basics platform. There was a series of technical gateways and standards to be met, in terms of possible types of websites and web services within this bubble.

There was a lot of research to be done, and issues to be born in mind by people developing the solution. What SoluLab came up with was a kind of website which worked with these devices. They took a lot of care in designing its activities, minimizing low-memory features thay nonetheless maximized the visual attractiveness of the materials. The interactivity was within the constraints of the very limited browsers on these old phones. They managed to use servers which, instead of having client-side interactivity, employed a lot of cleverness to host that interactivity. They still gave the user an engaging experience, without expecting the user device to carry out those processes.

Within this, SoluLab was also very proactive in coming up with additional benefits for making the experience more engaging. As an example, a user can provide an answer to quiz questions, with limited interactivity like true/false answers, multiple options and so on. SoluLab’s suggestion was to bring some analytics to the experience on the server side. A user will select true or false to quite a simple question, and the server would retrieve the percentage of people who had given the same answer. We could write extra content and send it back to users, making their small-screen experience as engaging as possible.

SoluLab’s members went out and signed up themselves to the other services being offered in this domain. They did a lot of research into testing the limits of what was technically allowed, in terms of showing images and playing back video and audio. SoluLab determined that, although regulations said that a particular feature wasn’t possible, other people were going beyond and stretching X, Y and Z. There was no reason why we couldn’t do that, and even though we hadn’t asked for this, they gave us suggestions on how to implement these things and improve the product. It was perhaps because the project was so novel that it got their juices flowing.

How did you come to work with SoluLab?

I put out a brief and sourced SoluLab through a predecessor to Upwork, called Elance. I chose them because of the comprehensive response they provided. SoluLab went out of their way to understand the background of the project and did independent research that they included in the proposal.

They were my initial recommendation after the initial tender, but we also found another company that was half the price. The client wanted to have an initial iteration with this cheaper option, and spend as little money as possible. By then, I’d had several in-depth conversations with SoluLab around the planning, trying to get them to reduce their proposal as much as possible in terms of price. They couldn’t go under a certain price point and told me that it wasn’t realistically possible to develop a product for the price we were requesting, but that we could go back to them later on. SoluLab was professional in keeping the relationship open, and in assessing what was and wasn’t possible for the budget being offered.

We did develop an initial prototype with someone else, and it had many of the imperfections and limitations that SoluLab had predicted. However, the client saw enough of something which they liked, albeit very limited. We went back and considerably increased the budget, so I approached SoluLab to redo the work. Even though they didn’t get the job the first time, SoluLab remained open to conversations. There appeared to be a lot of integrity on their end compared to the other groups I’d contracted over time on platforms like Freelancer and Elance. I have developed a feel for the type of work someone can do, the amount of preparation they’ve done, and whether they’re trying to upsell or scam me, or whether they’re genuinely interested in getting the job done.

How much have you invested with SoluLab?

The cost of their work was around $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with SoluLab in December 2015. The project was completed after three months, around March 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We ended up with a product which met very strict internal design guidelines in terms of medium limitations. It was technically reliable as far as anyone could tell.

The clients took the content and put it on their own servers, so I don’t have data for how well the platform fared with end-users.

How did SoluLab perform from a project management standpoint?

Statistics have been mostly internal in terms of meeting stakeholder demands and responding to a very aggressive development schedule. The flexibility was nearly always at their end in terms of SoluLab working as quickly as possible and having to wait for three or four days as we got the stakeholders in a room to review it. Stakeholders were appreciative but also wanted the next iteration done in a tight timescale, thus repeating the cycle of being slow to provide feedback. SoluLab was helpful with onboarding this process.

They offered to fit in with whatever we had. We could use either Slack, Skype or Confluence. We had an issue tracker and also used Google Docs for accessibility.

What did you find most impressive about SoluLab?

They have a good understanding of the quality the team can deliver, and do so at a reasonable price point. SoluLab is very good at understanding where the client is coming from, sometimes better than we are. They can come up with alternate approaches at the project planning and design stages, which brings a lot of value. They’re trying different perspectives, and have shown us that they’ve done extra work on their own initiative. Communication-wise, everyone on SoluLab’s team that I’ve worked with, starting with their principal, Chintan Thakkar, and following with their project manager, everyone seemed to be on the ball. They were flexible in terms of working hours, and they responded quickly. The work was turned around quickly, and I was able to justify or clarify and issue.

Are there any areas SoluLab could improve?

For this particular job, I don’t think so. Compared to other companies I’ve worked with, SoluLab exceeded all expectations the first time around. The scoping, quality of work, communication and troubleshooting were all good. If anything went wrong, it was fixed quickly. The client never knows exactly what they want until they see it, and then they suddenly realize that they didn’t actually mean that, but SoluLab was understanding in these situations and handled them with a smile.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Sports Development is a Swiss sports instructor for soccer, hockey, tennis, and skiing. We train and coach professional athletes, and put together training methods for young people.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SoluLab?

We were using standard software like PowerPoint slides for showcasing our training methods. This was becoming awkward to use, so we decided to build an app and backend support portal and started looking for a company which could build this.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Around 5 people from SoluLab’s team worked on our project. I gave them requirements and images of what we wanted. They programmed the solution for iOS and Android and helped with the submission process. We have a training app and an analysis one for goalkeepers. The latter is only available on iOS, but we plan to port it to Android as well.

The training app works based on perception. It presents different objects in different places of the screen, which vary in terms of sequence and duration. Trainees have to follow it and perform special moves depending on what comes up on the screen.

The second app has 12 specific moves which are tracked in order to analyze goalkeeper performance. It works on iOS tablets and phones and synchronizes with a backend, creating a full report for coaches.

How did you come to work with SoluLab?

I looked online on multiple platforms and created several bids. Based on the level of understanding shown in their answer, I chose SoluLab. They were very reactive, asked good questions, came up with a sound plan, and had a good price.

How much have you invested with SoluLab?

The cost of their work for our first 2 apps was around $6,000. The second version of one of the apps will cost another $7,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with SoluLab in February 2017. The 2 apps have been finished per our requirements, but we have 2 other ones in preparation. We plan to start a version-2 of one of the original ones as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

None of our apps experienced crashes and they are currently being used. The training app we have is the first of its kind and we are very excited about it, as it was missing from our field. We have also received only positive reviews for the second app; it’s targeted towards a niche as well, and there was nothing else like it before.

How did SoluLab perform from a project management standpoint?

I drafted projects, and anytime SoluLab had a question, they came to us. They stuck to every milestone promised, even when we requested changes during the process. We used an online tracking tool.

What did you find most impressive about SoluLab?

I haven’t worked with tons of other companies, so I don’t know if this is a unique point, but I’ve been impressed with SoluLab’s ability to react to everything. During the testing process, we had issues loading the apps on our mobile devices before a presentation. We got in touch with SoluLab during the afternoon, which was nighttime for them, and they solved the problem.

Are there any areas SoluLab could improve?

They did everything we requested. We would have liked to have some additional features, but the scope of the product was not fully designed on our end. SoluLab has not disappointed us in any way.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’ve actually worked with Solu Lab in multiple companies. I used to run an investment firm and an app development portal. I now work for a law firm where I’m head of marketing. We do everything, including PPC (pay-per-click), but the real reason for the relationship is they help us a lot of the technology front, building any kind of product we need.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solu Lab?

Our biggest technology problem is that a lot of stuff being done on a marketing front and development of tools for clients has been pretty static. When I joined the firm, my idea was to really give some fresh air not only to the company, but to the industry as a whole. We decided we were going to change everything we were doing in terms of marketing. A lot of our systems were very old, from websites to internal systems we used that didn’t talk to each other.

When I approached Solu Lab, the goal was to have a technology partner more than a one-off development team for a specific project. Their task has evolved from hot fixing and fire drills around issues with the website or a piece of technology, all the way to building a web portal, a customer app, and so forth.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It’s an ongoing thing, and I really look at them as a technology partner. Whenever I have issues building with PHP, Java, native applications, simple landing pages, and any other technology difficulties the company might have, they’re the guys we go to. They help a lot on the design front as well, whether it’s simple wireframing or actually having designers in-house who can provide you with some features.

Right now, we have two major projects going. One is a web development portal, and they’re doing everything from the spec all the way to the design and coding. The second piece of it is really ongoing support. We change what we want to do on a daily basis. We have daily stand-up calls and decide what to do that day.

How did you come to work with Solu Lab?

I had a previous engagement with them that’s still ongoing. We started talking and met in person, then we decided to do a project before this one. It wasn’t really a pricing decision; it was a lot more of having experienced folks at the head of the firm who I could actually meet. It’s almost like local outsourcing. I could meet these guys in person and have discussions. Also, having someone who could almost internally manage a project was very appealing.

How much have you invested with Solu Lab?

We spend an average of $5,000-$10,000 per month with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project began in March of this year, and it should be ongoing for another year, at least.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s all about deliverables. We literally just started, and some of these projects have a much larger roadmap than just the three months we’ve been working together. They’ve been pretty quick at delivering some of the fixes I mentioned, especially around multiple landing pages for websites and some cool technology that we had to build.

We had very bad legacy landing pages. The conversion rates are off the roof with the new ones we built. It’s not an e-commerce platform, so it’s all on a per-case basis. The volume is not the same as you’d see somewhere else, but the conversions are really good.

We haven’t seen major issues with bugs. They do a pretty good job. Before sending us any data or any working prototype, we actually do internal quality assurance testing, which is all time allocated. They make sure that everything is QA’d before they send it to us.

How did Solu Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very organized and flexible. I’ve worked with multiple teams, and I don’t like to impose on the kind of tools they use internally to manage projects. I’m very flexible with that, and Solu Lab is good at using multiple products. Everything is very well-tracked. We use Trello for some stuff, Basecamp for some stuff, and JIRA for bug-tracking.

What did you find most impressive about Solu Lab?

I think it’s their ability to be flexible on an ad hoc basis. It’s very nice to be able to have a call at 10:00 p.m. knowing that a task will be done by 7:00 am. The constant updating of the project scope and flexibility in reacting to those changes is really good.

Are there any areas Solu Lab could improve?

Like any development team, sometimes they get a little sidetracked and want to build some cool technology just because it’s cool. It’s always hard to keep developers on track with what’s important. Sometimes things get built that shouldn’t be built, but that’s a small issue.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am consultant product manager working for a fintech company. They guide people around their financial needs based on their industries. I provide guidance on the development of the company website, which has not yet launched.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SoluLab?

We didn’t have any tech expertise and had to look outside for someone to build the site. There is a lot of business expertise in-house, but, in terms of getting the technology going, SoluLab helped us a lot. They brought in their background knowledge in order to truly understand what the product was.

We had worked with another vendor and had a rudimentary framework in place, but the technology we went with was completely different.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SoluLab built our website using NodeJS, which is their main expertise and is the leading web technology at the moment. The site was developed from scratch based on the visuals we provided. Besides designs, we also had certain functioning portions of the website in place, but, given that we chose a new technology, that code was not used at all. Having certain visuals and technical components did help SoluLab’s team grasp the idea much quicker.

Core functions include the interactions between parties. Users have the ability to filter, search, and communicate by messaging or video conferencing. We use third-party tools for video conferencing and posting help links. SoluLab provided research and guidance for choosing those tools.

I believe we used around four members from SoluLab’s team. I don’t know what the breakdown was, but I do know that one or two of the developers were full time, while the others had more sporadic or consultation involvements.

How did you come to work with SoluLab?

The person who was searching for an alternative to our existing vendor came across SoluLab’s profile. They had a background in the financial industry and had a website portfolio. I reached out to someone who had worked with them and came back with very good, positive feedback, so we decided to go with SoluLab.

How much have you invested with SoluLab?

The cost of SoluLab’s work has been in the range of $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with SoluLab in May 2016. The beta testing is undergoing right now, and I believe the intended launch is within the next three to five months. 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?

I don’t have any metrics to share because we’re not really validating the business-side value of the website. We’re looking at whether it is intuitive enough for the consumers of the content and of the platform itself, and determining if we need to tweak any of the features. There has been some positive feedback, which is what we were looking for, in terms of the look and feel of the site. There’s also been constructive feedback, given that we have been putting the site in front of people who had never seen it before. The beta testing is still ongoing, and we only have three or four users who have seen the site. We have one-on-one experiences and plan to expand it to larger audiences after we’ve determined how potential users are navigating the site, and if they are getting stuck anywhere. We need to ensure that the site’s flow is simple and intuitive enough.

On the QA side of things, SoluLab does have in-house resources, but they don’t have any automation, which was disclosed from the start. The majority of the process is manual, and it’s an area I’ve focused on, making sure that the site was high-quality enough to go into production. There have been some issues which came up, but we have not looked very much into this. Based on what I’ve seen from our beta tests, the site is quite stable.

How did SoluLab perform from a project management standpoint?

What did you find most impressive about SoluLab?

I appreciated the fact that they were very upfront with the process. We installed Hubstaff, where we could monitor the work being done, and SoluLab was very open to explaining any questions we might have had about invoicing or other issues. There were scope changes which required certain things to be modified. In terms of trust and communication, SoluLab has been frank, open and fair.

Are there any areas SoluLab could improve?

Their expertise is in building software, while mine is business management. Following a methodology, whether it be Kanban, waterfall or Agile, which allows for the tracking of deliverables, and sticking to it, is important. This may vary from client to client, and I can see why the processes in this project changed, since there were business needs and scope changes, but, from a software perspective, it would benefit SoluLab to not have so much of a churn. It would also benefit them to deliver more things in time, and continue building upon them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My business is mobile applications, mainly for iOS and Android.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solulab?

The reason I contacted Solulab was to get a mobile application. My background is in creating applications or potential applications for mobile. What I then do is, I subcontract the work out to freelancers. So that could be in the UK where I'm based, or someone overseas, depending on the quality and pricing structure of the development team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had a previous team develop me a media player app, that allows the user to play videos that aren’t supported by iOS. I wasn't happy with the results I was getting so I searched for another team and came across Solulabs. 

I have a separate developer that builds the media engine for me, but I use Solulab to do a lot of the frontend, UI, and additional function changes. I’ve been very happy with their work ever since, and after building confidence with their skill set and quality of work, I then got them to build a separate Android version of the app. They did that from scratch and I was happy with the results. 

I have got Solublabs to research other ideas and also develop a number of additional features, such as at doing some other apps with them and got them to building in the functionality to download files faster than other apps were able to. 

Solulab were able to give me costs and time frame of development for any other ideas I had for apps. As my company is a development company, I have clients here in the UK that require apps to be developed. I have Solulabs put a proposal together, costs and time estimates which I pass on to the client and once approved Solulabs develop the apps. 

Overall, I’m very happy with what Solulab has been able to do for me thus far. They seem to have a wide range of knowledge and development on Android and iOS and will continue using them for the near and long term.

How did you come to work with Solulab?

I had one job that needed doing, and I came across Solulab on Elance. I found them to be informal and answered a lot of my questions about the development favorably. I gave them a chance because I've actually dealt with a lot of other companies, and I haven't always had the best experience with other companies. After giving Solulab a chance, they seemed to produce and provide a decent enough app and hit all the requirements I had.

How much have you invested with Solulab?

I think their pricing structures ran about £20 ($26) or £25 ($32) per hour. That can differ depending on what’s required and what kind of functionality and app you want to develop. An app could cost you $500 or up to tens of thousands. What I will say is that, sometimes using an overseas development team rather than using a UK team can bring the cost down fivefold.

What is the status of this engagement?

I've probably been using Solulab for about 3 years now, so since about 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Any development that I get a team to do, I will go through the functionality just to make sure. I have my own designer, so what I tend to do is get the designs and the artwork done, and then supply it to Solulab, mainly because I've been working with my designer for quite some time.

I normally get all of the assets, icons, things like that, and then send it to them. Normally when I get Solulab to do functionality or UI changes within the app, I get the app and test it through Crashlytics. They then send me a build. I download it onto my application and test it. Most of the time things are running fine. You might find a couple of bugs here and there, but as with all development, there’s never-ending bugs and fixes that you might come across only when you're using the app. The majority of the time, what they do in terms of UI or functionality seems to be fine. If I do find a bug or anything that doesn't work as it should, I let them know. I record a video of the issue and send it to them or I write it down in detail. They normally look into it, confirm they get the issue as well, and they look at fixing it.

How did Solulab perform from a project management standpoint?

When it comes to project management, I tend to find out where they are and make sure they’ve completed certain things. Each week they’ll give me a rundown of what they’ve done so far and what they plan to do the next week. They’re prompt in getting back to me, so the communication is good, and their skill set is good, especially compared to a lot of the other companies that I've sort of dealt with in the past. That’s why I've focused all of my work that I gain to Solulab rather than trying to farm it out to anybody else.

For iOS I think I dealt with one of the co-owners initially. I give them a written idea with maybe some screenshots of what I want to achieve, and they get back to me with any sort of additional questions that they might have about the development. We go back and forth a little bit until I'm sure that they understand and are comfortable with what the requirements are. That might just be two or three emails, and then it’s a case of them putting a proposal together. If they need to do any research or anything like that on what needs to be done, then they go and look into that and get back to me with any answers to questions I may have about a particular feature, for example. The process can be quite quick in regards to, here’s my idea, here’s what I want to achieve, and then they come back to me pretty much within 24 hours. They’ll put together the pricing and timeframe, and get back to me again.

Sometimes you can have a timeframe in mind, but inevitably it’s always going to blow out. I’ve always found that, with development as well as even residential property development, you might say it’s going to take 6 months, but you should give yourself double the amount of time to do something. In any case, we normally sit down and give a rough estimate. Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with them being able to perform or develop a functionality within a timeframe that they’ve given.

What did you find most impressive about Solulab?

Nothing jumps out in my mind to say they excelled at something. What made me happy was the feeling that they were able to do what I needed, and they were able to do it at a reasonable price. After I gave them the chance to do a couple of different features, I gave them more and more work.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Solulab?

I suppose it’s down to the individual to make sure how a team works. I made sure that there were standard procedures for testing, who would be looking after me, those kinds of things before I took them on board. If I felt that something wasn’t working, I would mention it to them, and they would look at putting something else in place. This is what I found with other developers that I've dealt with and still deal with, is that you might have a system in place, but something might not be working as well as what you’d want, i.e., the app might be coming to you without being tested properly. I make sure that I say to him, “What’s the testing procedure? How did you do it?” I know how the app works, so I know what I need to test, so I write down a number of test procedures for them. They look at that and make sure to do XYZ before they send it to me. I found that those kind of things help, because sometimes if you rely on people to do something, they might not do as well as you would hope.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Clean Internet is a company that blocks pornography for users. I’m the CEO. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SoluLab?

I needed software written for iOS and Android devices that would filter internet content. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave SoluLab a document that described the features that we wanted. We ended up adding more features as the project progressed. We began with building a browser for the Android devices; when the browser was used, it would block pornography and other browsers, prompting the users to use the Clean Internet browser. The product was not just an internet filter but also a device manager that would block or allow apps. SoluLab designed and developed both the iOS and Android apps’ client/server communications, which was the most important part.

How did you come to work with SoluLab?

I found SoluLab on Freelancer. They were professional and understood the complexity of what I was asking for. A lot of freelancers will say they can do something but can’t because of the complexity. This was a very difficult project that isn’t for just any developer.

How much have you invested with SoluLab?

We’ve spent around $5,000 with them over the course of our relationship.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November of 2015, and the work is ongoing. We’re currently working on other projects. SoluLab has been great with bug fixes and maintenance. They haven’t charged for anything that needed to be fixed. For any upgrades that I’ve wanted, we’ve negotiated with them to provide more features over time. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have dealt with many developers, and the communication with SoluLab has been great. We’ve had no problem. Sometimes, developers just disappear, but that hasn’t happened in this relationship.

We tested the app, and the quality of the code is great. There’s no ongoing trouble.

It’s definitely a niche product. We’ve got about 3,000 active users who pay a yearly fee to use the app. The feedback we get is about the filtering and not the functions of the app. The app connects to our filtering product, so that’s the main portion of the app.

How did SoluLab perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a project manager who we work with. There have been times when they’ve gone on vacation, but they always let me know. The project we’re working on now costs around $15,000, and I wouldn’t use them if I wasn’t extremely satisfied with their project manager and overall performance.

I’ve always had soft deadlines because I know the projects are very difficult. I’m very satisfied with how long it takes their team. They keep me informed of any delays, but there haven’t been many. We mostly use Skype to communicate, as well as Freelancer occasionally.

What did you find most impressive about SoluLab?

They did what they said they could do. Within the last couple of years, I’ve paid $25,000 total to other develoeprs but did not get the solution that I was paying for. SoluLab has always performed.

Are there any areas SoluLab could improve?

I can’t think of anything.