TechWings

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a small website that provides consumer product energy use data.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mentalstack?

I hired Mentalstack to redesign and redesign and redevelop the site as well as the back end-user admin interface.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to make the UI of the site more intuitive/user friendly and improve, and improve performance/speed.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I selected a couple of vendors based on Clutch reviews, their client portfolios, and interviews.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They worked with me on the design of the site, then handled the back and frontend development and QA testing, and made a few minor changes/improvements that I requested after the main project was complete.

What was the team composition?

There was a project manager who was main point of contact. On the design side, the team had a UX designer, an illustrator (who was pulled in for a few small projects). For engineering, there were a couple of frontend and backend developers and a DevOps engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Not yet, we haven't gone live with the new site yet as we're still working on some updates to content and our database.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We had a project manager who we communicated with primarily via Slack. They were fairly effective at taking feedback and conveying it to the development team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were generally comfortable working with sometimes shifting project requirements as our goals for the site evolved over the time we were working on it.

Are there any areas for improvement?

More communication about the timelines for reaching various milestones and how long modifications would require could be helpful.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a career focused start up. I am the Co-Founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mentalstack?

We hired them to help with Design & Prototype

What were your goals for this project?

Have something tangible so that we could have next stage of conversations and really validate our idea.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed and developed all of the wireframes and also assisted with our pitch deck. They work in 2-week sprints so we started with discussing the idea and mind mapping the product. We then developed the wireframes by feature will allowed to iterate as we went. We had a completely working design at the end which we were able to use to see all of the functionality.

What was the team composition?

We had a designated project manager with multiple designers. We primarily interfaced with the PM only, which make it much more efficient for us. It would have slowed the process down if we had to interface with multiple parties separately.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are very early in the startup lifecycle so there hasn't been a direct business impact yet. However, the deliverables from this project have clearly helped us to further asses product-market fit.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project manager assigned to us was very talented. Very effective in helping us think through everything and really determine what is important and valuable. She also is extremely professional, meets with us daily to ensure everything is to our satisfaction.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They get it. The understand the lifecycle of startups. Everything that they produce is something that adds value to the process. Where ever you are in the journey. Whether your going to raise or get feedback, their deliverables help you to accomplish your goals.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is very little they can improve. The only improvement is make sure you are clear on deliverable timelines. They are a great agency so they are busy and you just need to have conversations upfront on how resources will be dedicated to your project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We provide information on the energy use of home electronic devices and are branching out into reviews and offering energy-saving ideas for consumers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mentalstack?

Our site design was outdated - we wanted to make it easier to use, as well as incorporating some new pages/features. We hired MentalStack to oversee a complete redevelopment of the site.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a site that would be more usable for visitors, as well as having a CMS that would make it easier for our contributors to keep our content up to date.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We read a number of reviews on Clutch and elsewhere and narrowed the field to 3 prospective agencies which we got bids from and spoke with. We ended up going with MentalStack because their bid seemed reasonable and we liked their approach to development.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They worked with us on the redesign of the site, including the development of a new logo/brand and wireframes + mockups of all the pages on the site. They worked closely with us at each stage to make sure that the deliverables were consistent with what we were looking for. We're just starting the technical aspect of the project.

What was the team composition?

The project team consisted of a project manager, one primary UX/UI designer and drew on additional internal design resources (e.g. illustrators) as needed. We're just beginning the technical side of the project, for which they'll provide engineers and QA.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project hasn't launched yet.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was very effective, we collaborated with a project manager primarily via Slack and was extremely responsive and effective in gathering feedback and making appropriate changes.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Mentalstack's design work, as well as their ability to incorporate feedback and changes as needed, impressed us.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is an Energy focused company that focuses on Infrastructure for Air Conditioning. We build software to support the tasks from the internal team. I am the Technical Leader

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mentalstack?

We built our product from scratch and Mentalstack helped us providing Software Developers to build our frontend and backend. We built a software with cutting edge technologies that allows us to build fast and scalable applications for our team.

What were your goals for this project?

We had to cover an architecture that allowed us to maintain the Software in the future, focusing on Scalability and easiness both on the client side and the development side. We chose the AWS infrastructure and we built a suite of tools on top of that, which give our team a better vision of the components of the company and allows us to have a data centric application.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them at Upwork and they had a very good reputation. Their team passed our technical interviews with high quality work.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They developed part of a frontend and backend application using technologies like AWS, Nodejs, Javascript, HTML5, CSS3, and Vuejs. Using a microservices and serverless architecture, they were able to deliver the APIs and tools needed by our team. We improved the requirements and architecture through the time and they adapted easily to all the changes that we proposed.

What was the team composition?

The team has provided multiple software developers with multiple profiles, including two backend developers and two frontend developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We wanted to build a solid team with general understanding of our stack. The level and complexity of the solutions we faced were high and the team responded in an excellent manner. After some months working with the mentalstack team, we decided to form a solid and long term team. Besides, the mentalstack team is able to scale up and down depending on our business and season needs.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The entire management and development has been always a co-participation since we have a dedicated team working with the mentalstack developers. In consequence, the management provided was a plus but was not our main business need. We like to have control of all our Software Development Cycle. Although, every time we needed anything, it was provided as soon as possible with an excellent cooperative spirit.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The quality of the developers is very good. We don't look all the time for developers focused in one or two technologies. We always look for people that can solve problems disregarding the technologies. We look for people willing to learn and adapt fast to new environments, and that's what we've found with Mentalstack.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We've had success in almost all the projects we've done together. The only thing that I would suggest is to enforce the necessity of cultural fit adaptation of their developers into other teams. Nonetheless, I believe that our situation might be unusual, because we like to have their developers working with our developers, both parts immersed. That's why I believe our projects have been a bit different, requiring extra requisite, with some struggle in a few occasions but always with a successful outcome. Thanks for all guys!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a new startup for Skydiving and Parachuting industry. Our business will evolve around the mobile application we are developing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mentalstack?

We hired Mentalstack to create a breathtaking, and unique design for our mobile IOS and Android application.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were for UI/UX design which will be implemented to our mobile app, which Mentalstack will also be assisting us with. We searched online for mobile application developers and compiled a list of 4 companies based on studies of their online presence and portfolios. After receiving proposals for 3 developers we were most impressed by Mentalstacks vision and well prepared proposal and decided to proceed with them.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched online for mobile application developers and compiled a list of 4 companies based on studies of their online presence and portfolios. After receiving proposals for 3 developers we were most impressed by Mentalstacks vision and well prepared proposal and decided to proceed with them.

Describe the project in detail.

Mentalstack completed market research to make themselves aware of popular products in the same niche with the aim to best understand the user base. A Moodboard was delivered with ideas which could be applied as references for future design. Next step was building an in-depth mind map for user's paths. Finally, they made clickable prototype for whole app, the last thing was working on UI, color scheme, graphics and illustrations, and breathed life to rough wireframes.

Being a niche sport there were concerns about getting the right message across but Mentalstack handled it well and communication throughout was great. We were involved with the design throughout the whole process so very little revisions were required. The vendor offered their own opinions and guidance along the way and the end product fitted our expectations.

What was the team composition?

The design team was flexible but mainly consisted of a Project Manager, a Designer and an Art Reviewer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Currently our mobile application is still in development but with a successful design stage now completed with Mentalstack, we will be continuing with development with the vendor.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Regular daily communications with the Project manager was completed using Skype and phone calls as and when required. Communications were always clear and efficient.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by Mentalstack's vision and experience. Getting my ideas across and onto paper were easy and the final design represented their hard work and dedication.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We were very satisfied with their work along the way. We ended up with a beautiful final product and are eager to continue onto development with Mentalstack. Being our first venture into app development Mentalstack assisted us throughout the process and made things easy.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We’re a team of creatives, engineers, makers, and designers with decades of marketing and advertising experience. By combining our knowhow with the latest technology, we create immersive, experiential activations for our users. We build each project from the ground up, which sometimes means inventing our own processes when needed. Our aim is to reach the hearts of our consumers in an engaging, relatable way. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mentalstack?

We approached Mentalstack to assist us with an interactive AI touch screen that uses Quividi software with reporting measures.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to display certain videos uing AI based on demographics. We hoped to create results that we could measure. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I was not a part of the selection process.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They assisted with all of our development needs for this project.

What was the team composition?

We had a dedicated project manager who gave us daily updates. He managed a team of developers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

No one has created technology like this in our market, so this is a first in South Africa.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project manager made himself available to us every day and helped us onboard developers for urgent late-night and weekend work when we faced any problems.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Our direct access to the project manager and the team was critical to the project's success. We could brief them whenever we had to clarify any of the related technical issues.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Because of the time difference, the project manager wasn't always available during our meeting times. We also faced occasional delays in communication, and sometimes had to wait for quotes to complete project elements.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're an IT consulting company that designs and develops custom enterprise systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mentalstack?

We hired them to design and develop a mobile application. My team of strong backend developers needed an infusion of talented UX designers and native mobile developers.

What were your goals for this project?    

We aimed to rapidly prototype a private enterprise mobile app. We wanted to experiment with emerging technologies that focus on great UX, information security, and speed to market.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After weeks of thorough screening and dozens of interviews, we selected Mentalstack for a long-term strategic partnership. We were happy with our pre-sale collaboration and support, their excellent communication skills, and their attention to detail. They also offered a risk-free trial period that showcased their collaborative work style and UX design skills.

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

We began working with Mentalstack in July 2018. The team built an exciting, challenging proof of concept for iOS. They had a tight two-week timeline that most considered unrealistic, putting their team to the test. The product looked stunning and implemented cutting-edge features. Once it passed the proof of concept stage, we added more exciting features and strengthened the code for our first production release.

What was the team composition?

The team consists of several part-time UX experts and designers, two full-time iOS developers, a part-time 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?

The product will enable our customers to tap into important and previously inaccessible insights, share information, promote specific services, and ultimately improve sales.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Their project managers are highly qualified, full of energy, enthusiastic, and fluent in English. They always speak their mind and never hide inconvenient information, which keeps everyone honest.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

It's all about speed, quality, and value! They quickly deliver excellent UX and design work and high-quality code. Their managers are accessible and responsive, their developers offer a diverse skill set, and their designers are creative and extremely fast. They can work creatively with vague or limited requirements, manage frequently changing priorities, and work calmly under pressure. Since they're a fun team with great personalities, working with them is a pleasure. The team exceeds our expectations!

Are there any areas where they can improve?

They should provide better access to technical staff and improve the depth of their technical documentation. To be fair, our project focused on rapid development and speed to market.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and founder of a development agency. We partner with agencies to develop products and services, in addition to engaging with our clients on internal projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mentalstack?

We needed help completing trial projects for two of our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially brought Mentalstack onboard to assist with just foundational work, but as time progressed, they were involved in every facet of app development. One of the products that they helped us develop was a blockchain app that allows users to invest in cryptocurrency with ease. We gave them a mockup of the design, and they built to our specifications. They also helped us with an early web release and included more features that weren’t in our original vision

The second app was a winery platform that connected wine lovers to beverages with an algorithm that analyzes their disclosed taste palate. We didn’t provide raw mockups for this app, so they had to redesign the app concepts from our PNG files. They also helped us with an early web release for the blockchain app. They also included more features that weren’t in our original vision.

Both apps are fullstack, so they’re available on all platforms including web, iOS, and Android.

What is the team composition?

We mostly interact with their project manager. Having multiple points of contact can be overwhelming, so we appreciate them for having one designated liaison.

How did you come to work with Mentalstack?

I discovered them while searching for app developers on Upwork. The project we initially hired them for was scrapped due to our client's funding. When future projects came along, we reached out to them via Skype and offered them the job.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent a little more than $65,000 to develop both apps.

What is the status of this engagement?

They’ve been working on the apps since April 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Mentalstack is very results-driven, so we do not doubt that their work will live up to our expectations. Everything that they’ve produced for us so far has been incredible, but a few small bugs have popped up. We understand that they don’t want to take attention away from core development, but it makes us look bad to our clients when they’re taking weeks to resolve simple issues. To prevent this, we hired an in-house developer to work with them on post-release bugs.  

How did Mentalstack perform from a project management standpoint?

Our teams have biweekly meetings to discuss which features are on the agenda for development. We used Jira to cross-reference the sessions with work tickets, and they used the platform to provide frequent updates on their progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The project manager was extraordinary at his job. They’re working with a dozen other companies, yet they make us feel like our needs are their top priority.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They tend to neglect smaller tasks, which could easily be avoided by bringing a designated engineer on board to resolve technical issues while the rest of their team works on new developments. We also don’t like how pushy their sales team are, but we understand that’s common for most companies.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the manager of a technology consulting company. One of the things we do is outsource development work for apps for our clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mentalstack?

Our client had an app that had been in development for a year. It was unfinished and had a lot of features that were missing. We took over the project and needed someone to take on the development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The application is for both Android and iOS, and we hired Mentalstack to develop both, as well as to build out the API. The applications are native, for a client with a general membership of several thousand people that they want to keep in touch with. They also want to post news and get information from the members, conduct polls, and include some event functionality.

We didn’t have much from the original developers to provide to them. We had to schedule several meetings with the Mentalstack managers in order to explain the project. We had designs and wireframes which we gave to them.

How did you come to work with Mentalstack?

We found them on Upwork. We posted the project, and they were one of the biggest companies that replied to us. We felt safe giving the project to a larger software house.

How much have you invested in them?

We have invested around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2017 and the work is still ongoing. The project is in its later stages.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project itself had a lot of features and a functional API already developed. They had to take all of that without any documentation. We were unable to provide them with any information about what the API did and where the bugs were coming from. They had to understand what they were doing and did it without our help.

They pay great attention to detail. Compared to the version they got when they started the development, the app is so much more usable and is now spotless.

How did Mentalstack perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate with them through their managers, but we have access to the help desk and we can see what they're doing. They have a lot of people on staff, besides the programmers, who take care of testing, reporting, and other things.

We pay them through Upwork, and through the Upwork platform there is time tracking for each developer, so we can pay them based on the hours they work. Additionally, they use HubSpot internally, and I use their HubSpot reports to complete my own reports based on the tasks completed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing is when we tell them about any new features or changes that the client requests from us, they are able to understand right away and do it without having to go back and forth.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be good to have a little bit more communication directly with the programmers because we mostly deal with the managers. I can communicate with the developers through Atlassian, the task management program that they use, but generally, if the developers have questions, they don’t ask; they ask their managers who then come to us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a company that has developed an app that helps people find street parking.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mentalstack?

We needed to find an app developer to help us build our mobile platform for both iOS and Android.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mentalstack designed and developed an app for both iOS and Android from scratch, based on the specifications and requirements we provided. They also provided testing and worked with us closely throughout development, so we could make changes and adjust features as we progressed. They incorporated mapping components that communicate to our API and populate specific information on the map, so users can find available street parking.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with a developer and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Mentalstack?

We posted the project on a couple different online forums and jobs boards and interviewed a few vendors that reached out to us. Mentalstack seemed like the best fit because they offered competitive pricing and could develop the app for both iOS and Android.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested $10,000–$15,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2018 and they're still working on additional features in the app for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Not only did Mentalstack finish development on time, but they also provided high-quality work that's been well received by our users. They've been good about fixing any bugs quickly as they pop up as well.

How did Mentalstack perform from a project management standpoint?

We typically have a meeting over the phone with them every morning and manage project tasks through Trello. They've been able to meet our tight deadlines, so we're very happy overall.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In addition to their technical expertise, Mentalstack is also very flexible and easy to work with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would only recommend asking them about their holiday schedules before setting up a timeline since they're located in Russia and often take longer holidays than in the US.