TELUS Digital

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of software product development on the digital team of a furniture retail company. We focus on the website’s frontend customer experience and systems support as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WillowTree?

Our company is actually in the middle of a two-year project to completely re-platform our website. We are moving away from a more monolithic platform onto one with a very modern architecture, including headless commerce, and customized APIs.

WillowTree is providing independent third-party audits of our work to make sure that we are building everything in a stable and secure way and provide recommendations when necessary.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

This project is a fairly unique engagement in that their team is working as a check and balance for our work rather than providing the development themselves. Even though we had the development capability, we wanted to make sure that we were building a good, innovative product.

When they look at various aspects of the project, we give them specific issues to look for, and out of that, they are able to tell us what works well and what they think we could tweak or do better. Since the project has taken place over the course of a few years, they have helped us at a couple of different stages.

Their first task was to audit the infrastructure that we had set up for microservices, which used Kubernetes and Docker, as well as our CIC pipeline and general codebase. The second phase focused more on security, diving deeper into possible problems and test cases for those.

We also had them investigate our testing framework for different microservice environments on the frontend, and then tell us if there were improvements from the year before and provide QA recommendations on the architecture of our new headless CMS platform.

As we have gone along, they’ve also evaluated our progress on the recommendations that we’ve had previously, noting where we’ve made smaller changes and also re-evaluating larger pieces that we had put together based on suggestions they had made about consolidating things before.

What is the team composition?

Their project coordinator served as our main point of contact once we started the project. There was also a security specialist, as well as a lead engineer and a handful of support engineers.

How did you come to work with WillowTree?

I was originally put in touch with them through our enterprise IT department here who had worked with them in the past on actual development projects and knew that they did good work.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost has been a little over $100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The first audit that they performed with us was in December 2018, and we are continuing to work with them on the project as we make progress.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their service provides a really critical sanity check on the work that we’re doing. I’m not an engineer, so I trust my team and believe in their work, but at the end of the day, it’s incredibly comforting to have a second pair of eyes to vet everything outside of the organization.

The main deliverables in both audits were large documents summarizing their findings, in which they included a checklist of action items on their main recommendations. Those documents were high quality, well-designed, and very informative in both cases, so we really felt like we were getting a lot of value that we could show to our stakeholders after the project.

How did WillowTree perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication skills are fantastic. We set up a Slack channel with them where our engineers could interact and ask questions directly, which was really effective. On top of that, we set up weekly or bi-weekly meetings to go over updates that could be fixed more quickly or would influence how their work progressed.

During the second part of the engagement, we worked with a slightly different team from the first audit, but they had no problems talking to each other and sharing documentation so that the knowledge transfer didn’t cause us any problems or delays.

What did you find most impressive about them?

This ties into their communication, but the transparency throughout their work was something I really appreciated. They would always let us know when things were going to take longer or if they had run into any roadblocks. Their transparency helped us to be incredibly confident that they were doing their best work for us at all times. I never had to send multiple emails just to get information like you do with a lot of vendors.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they could improve off the top of my head. They are one of the best vendors I’ve worked with, and I am consistently trying to think of other projects that we could partner with them on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the mobile channel manager at one of the 10 largest credit unions in the United States. We primarily serve members through our digital channels, so we’re focused on providing the best digital experience possible. Our company offers savings accounts, checking accounts, loans, and more. I’m heavily involved in our mobile banking app that allows customers to do their banking on the go.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WillowTree?

We’ve engaged them three times since I joined the team in 2017. The first and second projects were centered around building core functionalities in our mobile app. Afterward, we had them develop new features and designs for the product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, in our process, we gather a high-level evaluation of our end goal, including the business requirements we need to abide by. Then, we met with WillowTree to begin working through designs. They’ve helped with all the designs for the mobile app to this point. In that iterative process, they listen to our feedback and adjust accordingly. In our industry, it’s also important to make sure we are in compliance with legal regulations. Their team considers that in their work, delivering refined designs that we can approve before moving into the development phase.

The app is available for both iOS and Andriod. The WillowTree team still works with us on updating and adding features.  

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact throughout all of our projects has been Sean (Principal Software Engineer, WillowTree), who is the technical lead. We’ve had different project managers in our different phases of work as well. There have also been designers, developers, and analytics experts assigned to our projects. The team size has varied according to what we needed for particular projects, but Sean has been able to provide a consistent perspective. 

How did you come to work with WillowTree?

We had a preexisting relationship with WillowTree when I joined the team. I inherited that partnership. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December 2016, and the partnership is ongoing. My first two projects with them took six months each. We are currently working on a three-month engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The two most notable impacts of their work are the increase in usage and an increase in App Store ratings. Both have benefitted dramatically from engaging with WillowTree to build and refine our own custom app. As more features are added, our ratings improve more.

How did WillowTree perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team was willing to adapt to our workflows and build their own structure around them. We work in scrum agile developments to allow for a collaborative production process and smooth release of the new features in the app. All of their project managers have been incredibly accommodating in that way.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re innovative and always looking for new industry concepts to improve our business. The team gives us a forward look at the mobile marketplace. They always update us on the latest news from Apple and Google to help us optimize our app. Also, the staff approaches their work with passion, which is one of their strongest attributes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. They’re a great partner, one we truly appreciate.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You’ll get a great ROI out of using them for your consumer-facing projects.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of strategic projects for a health and wellness platform. We focus on improving health through smart incentives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WillowTree?

We knew what issue we wanted to address with these apps, but we were having trouble creating engaging and user-friendly designs. My company hired WillowTree to provide inspiration and design four new app concepts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

WillowTree designed and delivered conceptual prototypes for four separate iOS app projects. The team utilized Sketch, InVision, and other design tools. They handed the prototypes off to our in-house design team.

What is the team composition?

For each project, we usually worked with two designers and occasionally researchers and testers. Throughout the four projects, we worked with around ten WillowTree team members.

How did you come to work with WillowTree?

WillowTree showed us their past design work and demonstrated their approach. The process that they followed in executing projects correlated well to our business needs. Their design work spoke for itself.  

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together lasted from April 2018–February 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have any results or metrics yet because we’re still in the development phase, but all four prototypes that WillowTree designed will launch. They delivered the user-friendly design that we wanted. Every executive in the company was pleased with WillowTree’s top-notch work.  

How did WillowTree perform from a project management standpoint?

They were flexible and fluid. The team quickly adapted processes and amended deadlines to accommodate our needs. For instance, we initially had weekly meetings, but they were willing to meet daily for some projects and twice a week for others based on what we wanted. We used Teamwork for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What set WillowTree apart was their dedication to our vision. I have found that other design consultants become impatient and eager to hand over the design after 3–4 iterations; WillowTree emphasized from the beginning of our partnership that they wouldn’t stop until we were 100% satisfied. Their team was incredibly receptive of the pitches and ideas that our internal designers sent them throughout the project. Our partnership was collaborative, transparent, and honest, which is not something you usually get.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish I could offer something here, but any bumps we experienced were always worked out.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Locus Health, a healthcare software company. Our products remotely monitor and track patients’ health status post-discharge.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WillowTree?

We first engaged WillowTree to develop an iOS application for iPad. More recently, our team hired them to convert our web-based clinical dashboard into a mobile iOS application for phone, iPad, and the web.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The dashboard project began with a discovery phase, which included our clinicians, nurses, and various decisionmakers. We then moved into the design stage, putting particular emphasis on the UI’s capacity to display vital signs, measurements, and trended data into a much smaller form factor. Next, WillowTree developed the app in a series of eight agile sprints. They prototyped and tested the solution before releasing the final version.  

What is the team composition?

The team comprised five full-time resources. They also brought in design and UI experts for certain development and design phases.

How did you come to work with WillowTree?

I engaged WillowTree to build a website for my previous employer have used the team ever since.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2018 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Users love the app because the solution is intuitive and fits their needs. The beta test was especially successful because it proved the app’s efficacy in real decision-making situations.

How did WillowTree perform from a project management standpoint?

WillowTree’s ability to scale benefitted the project because we needed their collaboration and expertise to execute the project. Despite some scheduling challenges, the team kept the engagement on schedule. We enjoyed the cooperative nature of the sprint process. WillowTree demonstrated the prototype and readily processed our feedback while also providing input from a UI and process perspective. We met in person on a biweekly basis.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of the software stands out. The UI is clean and modern.

Are there any areas they could improve?

During the early stages, we spent a significant amount of time helping WillowTree understand how clinical decision-making works. Having that knowledge would benefit the team with future healthcare clients.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clients should not cut corners during the discovery and design process. Our investment in those stages paid off with a great design and functional solution.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior manager for innovations and analytics for a large American brewing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WillowTree?

We engaged WillowTree to build a responsive web application to replace an existing system. The app allows our company, competing brewers, wholesalers, and retailers to plan shelf sets in a collaborative digital space. The previous tool was built on the incorrect platform and suffered from poor performance.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The web application allows retailers to choose a brewer. The brewer builds a plan for a shelf set and then uploads it to the platform, where other brewers, wholesalers, and retailers can review it and provide comments. The retailer can then use that diagram for their scheduled reset.

WillowTree provided full design and development service. They were given a blank slate to design the frontend. We then agreed on the design and made a unified list of requirements in our kick-off meeting; we ensured that their proposed solutions matched our architecture boards and procedures. Once they received the go-ahead, their team then built the tool from top to bottom—from the frontend to the server to the database structure.

What is the team composition?

We adjusted the size of the team to comprise 10–12 people. We work with a project manager, frontend specialists, backend specialist, and UX people.

How did you come to work with WillowTree?

We put together a request for proposal complete with our vision and budget requirements. Our architecture team then reached out to six vendors; WillowTree was one of them. Their team and portfolio demonstrated a great deal of expertise, so we chose them to complete this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent just under $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started worked together in June 2018, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

WillowTree improved the app’s overall performance. The previous app architecture limited us to making 300 accounts per project; the new tool allows us to add unlimited accounts. We can more easily collaborate with big-name clients who need thousands of accounts. Also, new product uploads take ten minutes instead of 3–5 hours. Lastly, at our most recent sales and marketing convention, the updates had an overwhelmingly positive reception. Ten wholesalers signed up for our tool on the spot.

How did WillowTree perform from a project management standpoint?

The project manager is excellent. They are highly organized and transparent about progress and potential delays. We have the right number of touchpoints per week, and they always follow up and attend in-person meetings when necessary.

WillowTree uses an internal project management tool integrated with email. We’ve onboarded them into Jira for documentation and scheduling. They’ve adapted on the fly to our internal procedures and project management technologies, such as sign-on tools and API managers like MuleSoft. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

WillowTree goes above and beyond the statement of work. No requests fall through the cracks, and they focus on the big picture. As a result, they’ve become a trusted partner for future development. We’ve now assigned them our crown jewel application—an inventory and ordering tool that needs bug fixes and a performance upgrade. We look forward to starting that project with them soon.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I couldn't have asked for a better experience. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you know your future requirements. Provide them with as much information as possible, including goals, wireframes. A clear timeline will help guide how they allocate resources.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a division of 21st Century Fox. We make sure all our content is available to our viewers across multiple devices. I’m the vice president of technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WillowTree, Inc?

My team is responsible for the Fox Sports App, our flagship application for iOS and Android. We were rebuilding both native apps from scratch and needed to expand our team size to finish the iOS version.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve augmented our team since early 2017. Originally, we carved off features for them to assist with. They helped us with a native SDK that can be used across all Fox Sports applications. It allows users to sign up or create an account, choose favorite teams and leagues, and manage their user profile settings. They helped us build out our podcast feature and linked it to the app. Users can view any of our national studio shows, as well as highlights and clips.

We started working together actively during the Men’s World Cup in 2018. We started tackling large feature sets together, refined our processes, and changed a myriad of key pieces in our software development structure. They’ve helped us improve some of our software development processes, increasing our productivity. We do more code review and sprint planning postmortems thanks to their recommendations.

What is the team composition? 

We recently expanded the team size from two developers to four. We also have a full-time project manager and a full-time QA lead.

How did you come to work with WillowTree, Inc?

We were featured at a Microsoft Connect conference a few years ago. We spoke to our contacts there and asked for recommendations for consulting firms that specialize in Xamarin. They gave us three names, one of which was WillowTree. We ultimately decided on them after speaking with all three recommendations.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017 and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were the highest-rated app in the App Store and Play Store during the World Cup. We could not have done that without their contributions. We consistently have ratings above four stars and we’re very satisfied with the work they do with us. We’ve worked with a variety of developers at different stages in their careers at the company but the relationships with them have always been good. They’re collaborative and easy to work with. They’re not afraid to make suggestions for improvements and do a lot of research on their own to find better options.

How did WillowTree, Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

We have one collective board that covers all the work on the app. We set the work we do on our side, and their project manager handles everything on their side. They have all the information they need and are very responsible. They make sure everyone on their team is aware of the project status and updates items regularly. They’ve always hit deadlines and we’ve never had an issue.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Every year, they have a summit at their headquarters. That’s where we really saw what made them unique. They focus on their staff and work on some great projects with a lot of different vendors. They are innovative in a variety of tech sectors and industries and the level of knowledge sharing among their specialists is really impressive. They look for new things to introduce and move beyond their role as just a consulting agency.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. They’ve done a great job and follow through on their promises. We’ve had a great experience with them. They don’t push us to add staff members or resources and they’re a good partner.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend WillowTree to anyone. They’re a very talented group of software engineers, especially in the mobile space.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the IT director at a data science company. We conduct clinical trials for major pharmaceuticals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WillowTree, Inc?

We wanted to develop an app that would make our workforce more productive when working out of the office.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They took over the project from a vendor we were unsatisfied with. They examined the existing product and then conducted a series of targeted interviews and surveys to determine the pain points for our clinical research associates. WillowTree presented us with a journey map to simulate what a day in the life of a user would be with the new product. They developed the app for Android and iOS, and it allows us to remotely scan and share documents and other files to our master systems.

What is the team composition?

The team consisted of 10-15 people. That includes a project manager, an architect, a backend developer, several designers, and QA testers.

How did you come to work with WillowTree, Inc?

We found them in a Google search. After having a poor experience with another vendor, I knew what to look for when I interviewed WillowTree. I asked about their previous work and their timelines to complete apps. I was also able to attend their yearly customer event, where I spoke with several of their existing clients and hear about their experiences, and that confirmed that WillowTree was the right choice.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent more than $1,000,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in 2016, and we have ongoing projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app allows us to digitize what we would normally do manually, and we do not experience defects. They’ve done great work, and we are pleased with the app.

How did WillowTree, Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent communicators. They were reactive when needed, and they were proactive when they saw a way to improve our product. They met all of our deadlines, and they ensured that we were getting their best work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were collaborative and transparent throughout the project.

Any advice for potential customers?

Do your homework and try to get customer feedback for all possible vendors. If possible, give them a small project to determine their fit, and put them in situational environments to see how they respond.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a business systems analyst for the website and mobile apps of a retail business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WillowTree?

For the company’s initial introduction, we needed a vendor to create an online and mobile app presence. We have no in-house developers, and the work required a significant and knowledgeable team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The overarching aim of the website is to establish the company’s history, provide information to customers and vendors, and to provide a unified platform for marketing. WillowTree built our go-to-market website from the ground up, as well as both Android and iOS mobile apps. From UX design to both front- and back-end development, they were involved at every step of the process. The work was based on the brand agency-created concepts that we provided at the start of our engagement with them.

One clear benefit in their construction of the site is that when our marketing department needs to make changes to their website content, they can now do so in-house. Once the development work was completed, WillowTree also assisted with the strategic establishment of our online presence. Finally, they took the lead in the submission process for both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

What is the team dynamic?

Most of our communication went through our project manager, although periodically their engineers and developers would also be directly involved in discussions. In order to coordinate with our internal systems and generate data necessary for the development, they established a hefty infrastructure and middleware team.

How did you come to work with WillowTree?

A number of development shops vied for the contract, but WillowTree ultimately won.

How much have you invested with them?

Between $200,000 and $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We engaged their services around Dec. 2015, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Due to the company’s introduction to the market still being in its early stages, we are still collecting and measuring the impact of our engagement with WillowTree. However, initial feedback has been positive about the website and app functionalities.

How did WillowTree perform from a project management standpoint?

Typically, our means of communication was via either email or conference calls. During the development process, we did do onsite visits to both our offices and theirs by our respective teams. Their team is very responsive, particularly when it comes to updating us on code or design issues and providing us an estimate for its repair. For any problem areas, they would give us detailed feedback on the issue itself, the cause, the means of repair, and an estimated length of time for completion. Throughout the process, they were consistent about providing executive status reports to both their and our internal times in a timely manner. Even though they were off-site, we always felt well informed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

WillowTree’s relaxed internal work culture was a breath of fresh air in an otherwise occasionally staid industry. They are constantly on the lookout for new features and advanced functionality that allows us to be a leader in our retail space and gives us a distinct technological advantage over our competitors.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some of their cost and time estimates were overly conservative. Although their work was always completed in a timely manner, it would have benefitted our office to have slightly more accurate approximations for our scheduling and budgetary purposes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Regal operates one of the leading theatre circuits in the United States, providing its patrons with a convenient and enjoyable movie-going experience. I am the VP of media. I oversee the strategy and execution of the company website, app, and social media channels.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WillowTree?

We had a mobile app which had been built by a partner company but made the decision to build our own version in order to have some independence in terms of features and functionalities. We hired a mobile agency for this and had a successful launch. As a result of this, our partner agency was bought by a well-known entertainment company and brought in as their in-house team. When that happened, we were left with an app on the market without anyone to manage and improve it. We reached out to a number of agencies and settled on WillowTree.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

WillowTree was brought in to look at our app and make a decision between continuing to develop it, or destroying a few years of work and starting fresh. Many agencies prefer not to maintain apps built by other companies. We also wanted to determine if WillowTree had the skill sets to work on our existing app. They reviewed it and determined that the app had been built very well, so they were happy to manage the existing codebase.

There have been some cosmetic changes since that time, and the app has been rebuilt entirely on the backend. Our app is available on iOS and Android.

How did you come to work with WillowTree?

WillowTree was highly recommended by the company that built our initial app. We took that as a huge boost in confidence. Our executive team sat down with WillowTree's team, and it was apparent from that meeting that they were the company we wanted to move forward with.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with WillowTree at the end of 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The biggest success for us was having WillowTree take over the app. After that, they integrated our entire loyalty program into it, which was already the biggest of its kind in the movie industry.

Our second project was launched less than a month ago, and it involved native ticketing through the app's e-commerce capabilities. In the past, any click-to-buy ticket button would land users on our partner company's platform. WillowTree decoupled all connectivity and dependencies with it and launched our first foray into selling online tickets.

What did you find most impressive about WillowTree?

I was a part of starting a mobile agency in the past, and I appreciate the amount of work that goes into any project, from the discovery to the technical draw-outs, user-experience journeys, and the actual testing. There is a lot of heavy lifting which goes into even a standard build. There is no disconnect between what our company wants and what our fans want, which is the biggest thing for us.

Are there any areas WillowTree could improve?

While WillowTree is great at understanding our project needs and bringing them to life, I’d like to see them stay a little more ahead of emerging technology trends.  Identifying what’s new, researching the technology and pro-actively presenting recommendations where it makes sense.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide technology for companies which sell AVRs and speakers for movie houses. I am the senior director of enterprise app for the company. All the corporate apps that run the business are supported by my team, including SAP as our ERP [enterprise resource planning] system, and Salesforce as the CRM [customer relationship management]. We're a traditional IP organization that supports mostly backend CRM, ERP and HR systems. We also roll out small mobile apps, depending on the usage, which is how we came to know WillowTree.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WillowTree?

We're not good in terms of mobile app usability design, so we wanted to boost our mobile capability. We wanted to work with a company that was an expert in the field—someone who could give us a sense of what it was like to design and build a mobile app from the ground up. We generally take existing apps and produce mobile versions, but this time we wanted to start fresh.

Our IT department had hackathons through which groups try to figure out a project or problem that needs to be solved. This involved thinking out of the box, not just making processes faster or improving RMA [return merchandise authorization] fulfilment. The problem we identified was that whenever there was an issue with conference room equipment, people would complain about it but wouldn't report it. We thought that a mobile app would be a great way for people to report problems with videoconferencing or telephone equipment. It would help provide the status of other rooms proactively. Our team made prototypes and PowerPoint back-of-the-napkin mockups. One was chosen as the winner. We considered building it ourselves, but we decided to go to an external vendor.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

WillowTree took our prototype and built a native iOS app based on it. It gave us all the bells and whistles of an iPhone, including the ability to take pictures and attach them to the ticket that was created automatically. You could do that just by hitting a button. At the end of the issue submission process, the user has the ability to call the helpdesk. We worked with two designers, a developer, a QA tester, a project manager, and an intern from WillowTree's team.

How did you come to work with WillowTree?

WillowTree was one of the presenters at a conference attended by our CIO. He really liked their philosophy and how they operated. WillowTree has a lot of interns, probably as many as our whole IT team. He wanted to reward a company which was looking ahead and giving something back, so he told me to have WillowTree build an app for us. Since we were doing our hackathon at the time, it was good timing. We worked on a crowdsourced project and were considering having the same approach here, but that project was a lot of work for our team. We needed to get 30 proposals down to 15, which was an arduous task. Our CIO liked WillowTree so much that we didn't even look at another mobile company.

How much have you invested with WillowTree?

The cost of WillowTree's work was around $100,000. The pricing was more expensive than we would have thought, but, considering the number of people who worked on it, it was worth it. We could have done the same work with two people instead of seven, but we wouldn't have gotten the same quality.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ended in October 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The executive admin organization is our most our most vocal critic, but also the first people who would tell us when we are doing a great job. We had them as the pilot group. They also took part in the prototyping and design. We tried to win them over, and they think it's an easy app to use. It was a big thing for us since we don't really build iOS apps internally. We might develop an HTML5 app, but that wouldn't give us all the functionality of a native one.

When IT rolls out tools, they do it from a technology standpoint. The questions being asked around our videoconferencing equipment were around problems with cables or the devices themselves. Our feedback was that people had no idea where the problem was; they just wanted to tell us what it was. When we figured that out through our design process with WillowTree, we realized that we'd been asking the wrong question, thinking from our perspective and not the users' point of view. We came up with an app that’s easy to use. It allows users to walk through and identify what the problem is. They've been happy since they only need to tell us what the symptoms are. We also have an out for people who do know what the specific cause of a problem is, allowing them to take a picture and create a ticket directly.

How did WillowTree perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a quick project using Agile methodology. That was another area where we wanted to gain more experience. It took 3–4 sprints to reach the end of production, so it was a very well-run project. The managers kept the project going and kept us informed. Not only does WillowTree have good designers and developers, their project management is tight.

What did you find most impressive about WillowTree?

The principles of the organization are relatively flat. WillowTree's VP of development came over and talked about their processes. I wasn't shielded from the management, and the people running the company are actually involved in the development. That was a huge benefit to me since I had direct contact with people who could make a difference in the company.

Are there any areas WillowTree could improve?

The process felt heavy at times since we were involving so many people from WillowTree's team. As we went through it, we saw that WillowTree was leaving room for contingency. That meant if a developer became sick, there was another person already piggy-backing on their work who could take over. I don't know if this could be done differently, but it felt heavy. That was my only issue with WillowTree.