TechWings

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Co-Founder of a startup that is helping people navigate the career space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mentalstack?

Design and Web Development

What were your goals for this project?

Build an MVP that we can use to test the market, get feedback and begin conversations with potential investors

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had an existing contract with them for Design services so we continued the partnership

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They developed our front & back end and deployed our project. Also developed our home page. They also did all of our integrations with 3rd party tools such as Stripe, Sendgrid and others. Also developed complex functionality such as Video/Audio within our platform.

What was the team composition?

Team consisted of front-end and back end developers, designers, Testers, QA and Dev Ops. Our main point of contact was a dedicated project manager who was our key liaison. We interfaced primarily through the PM and MentalStack dialed resources up based on deadlines, etc.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The financial impact is too early to tell as we are just in early days of our company. However, having a tangible project gives us the ability to now begin our feedback loop with customers and have demo days with investors. So for us, this is tremendous value as we have moved from ideation into practical application / deployment.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Skype was the main mode of communication which was highly effective. Also, given the fact that there is a 6hr time difference, we didn't feel it at all as the team was readily available or got back to us as soon as possible. Jira is used to manage tasks which was also effective to have consistent transparency.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

There is a single point of contact. There is work being done in the background however, you don't get bogged down with who has rolled on and off the project. They have a pool of talent and they can dynamically adjust their staffing model to accommodate what is happening on the project, however, the stress of that happening was invisible to us. Our designated PM keeps everything moving seamlessly. Also, for an offshore company the English proficiency is extremely high and they also understand cultural nuances and references.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The only thing would be if your not a highly technical founder/co-founder, its important to ask questions and understand the complexities of what your building. Certain features are highly complex in nature, especially if you are integrating with any 3rd party tools, and can cause unexpected or additional effort to get right, which means it can impact your budget. It's important to discuss all of these possibilities and potential scenarios in advance.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a firm develops and operates a cloud-based platform that enables users to create 3D virtual tours of real-world spaces/apartments that can be experienced and shared online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mentalstack?

Mainly for improving the process of capturing UI, which captures photos to create spherical images, and some other bugs in the mobile app.

What were your goals for this project?

To improve the user experience and provide more data needed from the capturing photos process

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found this vendor on Upwork.com, that has great recommendations

Describe the project in detail.

The user needs to capture around 40 photos to complete a spherical image. and each photo captured needs certain data.

What was the team composition?

Project manager, Mobile team leader, and ios developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Yes, just download the app 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective, no issues here, deadlines were met on time, communication was on a daily basis

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The extensive knowledge regarding the AR functions we needed and we achieved all tasks on time.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Written reports need improvements

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO of a home services startup

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mentalstack?

Design work for mobile app

What were your goals for this project?

Develop a professional aesthetic and brand for the app and company.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Competitive hiring process through Upwork.

Describe the project in detail.

Complete pre-design and design phase of mobile app development.

What was the team composition?

Two designed and a business analyst.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We seamlessly transitioned hundreds of design elements to our internal development team.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow between teams was very effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was most impressed by their communication. We did daily calls and they were constantly providing updates on the direction and work product, and they made several value-added suggestions along the way.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No areas for improvement of note.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're a tech company that makes products for the real estate industry. I'm a growth specialist.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mentalstack?

For redesigning the web app and developing new features.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to create a prototype.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I really liked their designs on dribbble and I selected them from an online freelancing company.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed, developed and tested the web app. Everything was done according to our specifications and wireframes.

What was the team composition?

Overall there were 4 developers and 1 designer involved. The team was lead by a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The attention to detail helped me demo the product faster.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was the highlight of the project. It was done very professionally and tasks were divided into sprints using Atlassian products. Communications were prompted via skype. There was not a language barrier.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Attention to detail and good code. Their team has a great eye for design.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not much improvement needed but perhaps frequent reporting on tasks would be something that can be made better.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We operate a Taxi application in Saudi Arabia (Uber Like App) I'm the executive manager

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mentalstack?

For revamping our applications to be more scaleable, reliable, and user friendly

What were your goals for this project?

Build a reliable applications and backend to enhance customers experience

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Through RFP

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They provided:

• Android Client application
• Android Driver application
• iOS Client Application
• Back End
• Dashboard and admin panel

What was the team composition?

• Account manager
• Project manager
• Head of mobile development
• Head of backend development
• iOS Developers
• Android Developers
• UI/UX Designers
• Backend Developers
• Testers
• Dev Ops

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The results were great, we finished the first phase. It was pretty user interface along with reliable apps

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project Manager is great and handles all the project stakeholders effectively

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The Organizational Structure. The work environment is so friendly and they know what to do.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We are now working on phase 2 of the project and it will contain adding more features

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I had an idea for a mobile app game called Solopreneur.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mentalstack?

With no prior experience in gaming or development, I needed to outsource the work.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to build a minimum viable product (MVP) and test it with a small group of users.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I conducted an online search and shortlisted several candidates. Each shared a pitch based on my development brief. Mentalstack showed a result-oriented attitude and exceptional agility in their proposed approach to the project. I also reviewed their reputation on Upwork, which was largely positive.

Describe the project in detail.

Mentalstack began building an iOS application. After four development rounds, we had a working MVP, but I chose to pause the project for personal reasons. I relocated and needed to focus on generating income in a new country. My decision had nothing to do with Mentalstack, they performed well throughout our engagement.

What was the team composition?

I spoke with the lead software developer daily, but I was also in contact with a customer support representative.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We tested the MVP on our same Wi-Fi network and the application met the key functional requirements.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The collaboration was smooth and effective. Their team was technically knowledgeable and proficient.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

With a customer-first attitude, their team worked quickly and productively.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There are no areas come to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CPO of a blockchain company in Singapore. We are in the process of creating an innovative social network for entrepreneurs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mentalstack?

We needed a partner to create the foundational elements of our product.

What were your goals for this project?

We want to offer a new method of social interaction with connections to the Ethereum blockchain.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We chose to work with Mentalstack because of their past experience in the industry, recommendations from colleagues, and because they understood our needs.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Mentalstack is working on UI design strategy and various system development services.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, a designer, and a technical team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Our product is only in its alpha phase, so we haven’t seen any significant impacts yet. We expect to see results within the coming months. The team’s knowledge has really boosted our development speed.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I was impressed by their approach to project management. Overall, the quality of their service has been great.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I really appreciated their responsive communication skills and their knowledge of our industry and its language.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CTO of a financial services technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mentalstack?

We needed to build our software-as-a-service offering on Microsoft Azure.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed several candidates through different venues and evaluated their communication, price, and technical capabilities.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Mentalstack handled web design and development using the .NET framework. They also provided guidance for Azure.

What was the team composition?

Their team consisted of software engineers, a QA specialist, and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Mentalstack helped us achieve our technical goals. We went through a tight sprint cycle and changed direction several times mid-sprint. They accommodated our changes through all the ups and downs of a tech startup.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We worked with a single project manager and a lead engineer, so the process was very effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re proactive in planning and meeting client needs.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

They are very good, though key man risk can become an issue when you’re working with employees of this caliber. They should also be better prepared when staff leaves by rotating employees in different duties.