UKAD

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a one-man-company providing UX design services to e-commerce companies in Sweden, as well as to some clients abroad.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with UKAD?

For most of the time, I act as the designer of the companies I contact with, but I also use technical partners like UKAD when I need to sell technical solutions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

UKAD has assisted me on different topics, depending on the client, providing PHP and .NET developers. I’m currently using them to build custom WordPress websites based on the solutions I come up with. UKAD will also be providing some custom coding for an A/B testing platform on behalf of one of the biggest retailers in Scandinavia. They are also building a time-tracking app for my internal use.

While I was employed at a previous company, we purchased a quite large e-commerce platform, and started developing the website together with UKAD and the company that provided us with the software. That company did not help very much, so UKAD’s first task was to review the code of the platform. They produced a big document, which we pushed forward to the software provider to tell them what they needed to redo. Since then, we have stopped using the software’s own consultants and use UKAD exclusively. We had three full-time resources for a few years who handled pretty much all development for the .NET platform.

How did you come to work with UKAD?

I was working for an old traditional Swedish company that had been selling mail-order items and wanted to delve into e-commerce. I was a part of creating that website for them, working as a non-contract employee. I came into contact with UKAD through one of our consultants. They helped develop that platform for the company; they are still providing services seven years later. It’s been an ongoing relationship since I left the company. I got to know them through that employment, and when I started my own business, I used UKAD constantly.

How much have you invested with UKAD?

Projects are setup in different ways. UKAD will usually invoice my clients directly, but sometimes I will invoice clients and pay UKAD myself. I don’t have exact numbers, but I estimate that we spend a few hundred thousand Swedish Krona, which equates to a few tens of thousands of US dollars.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with UKAD around five years ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I would need to go through all the projects I’ve had over the years and ask clients to provide metrics for the work.

How did UKAD perform from a project management standpoint?

During my years with UKAD, I have developed a deep relationship with the team, so to speak. I know them in person, and, compared to other developers I’ve used, UKAD’s people are proud of what they’re doing. I get better results from them than I do from other tech partners who are a lot closer to me geographically. I always get good results from them, but, depending on who the project manager is, UKAD will take on different amounts of responsibility towards me as a client. The good thing about them is that they think for themselves, so if I hand off a design or brief of what I want to accomplish, UKAD will come back and suggest other possibilities for whatever they find to be a wrong approach, in order for the work to be done faster, with less effort and money from our end.  They are very friendly in the way they do business, which is amazing for me since I’m not a technical person myself. UKAD can provide me with that kind of knowledge, instead of just delivering work.

I tend to not assign deadlines for my projects because that puts pressure on me. UKAD’s members want deadlines for themselves, which is great. Even if I don’t provide them with one, they will knock on my door and ask for designs, timelines for tasks, and so on. They are not dragging things out, but rather are pushing me forward. From my perspective, this is great.

What did you find most impressive about UKAD?

It’s not that I can’t say anything good about UKAD, but I don’t have any unique characteristics to mention about them. I always approach them for projects, and I have no reason to go to anyone else.

Are there any areas UKAD could improve?

Based on the way I do business, there isn’t much which UKAD could do differently. I can be a problematic customer, working on several projects at a time and going back and forth between clients. UKAD has been very responsive to my way of working and never required me to provide a brief that they could work on for a month. We are very agile in our work, so, if I need a resource for a particular purpose, UKAD can provide it fast, and not require planning for several months ahead.

I recently approached UKAD about an A/B testing project on behalf of a large client. The existing developer wasn’t available, so I needed someone from their team. I provided a brief of the project, and UKAD started interviewing people right away, coming back to me with a solution.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of Whiteport, an unusual IT design and usability consulting firm. We work as a virtual collective of companies of sorts, designing and producing digital media for helping people build better businesses online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with UKAD?

We initially needed help with our website in 2009.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

UKAD redesigned our website and did a fantastic job. They have provided .NET, PHP, and WordPress development. UKAD has produced some Umbraco ASP.NET websites, and have been involved in some more serious application development projects, including a virtual switchboard for a telecom company.

We have used thousands of man hours from UKAD’s side over the years, and they have helped me develop 2 of my own startups. They haven’t missed a deadline yet, which is something I’m very pleased about.

One of our clients had a .NET project, and, as it happened, UKAD had developers on their other floor. I recommended their company to some of my clients, and they proved to be a fantastic development company. UKAD has kept the same clients since that time, which is pretty unique.

How did you come to work with UKAD?

I found them on Freelancer.com. UKAD does two things really well; firstly, their managers are partners in the company, and have skin in the game, so to speak. Also, their project managers work as the architects of projects, so when we express a request or have a concern, it will be immediately turned into action. This makes them very effective, given that you don’t have one person telling something to another, who in turn communicates with a third and then to the team. We are communicating with the head rather than the tail of the snake.

How much have you invested with UKAD?

The cost of their work is between $20,000–$30,000 per year for my personal projects. For the clients I’ve referred to UKAD, they’ve turned over 10 times as much.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with UKAD in 2009.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since I’m not a programmer myself, I can’t evaluate UKAD’s code quality directly. I have been working in development for over 20 years, and I would say that in regards to delivering clean outputs, I’m extremely happy with what UKAD has done since the first project. I have seen 20-30% fewer bugs with UKAD than with other teams. When it comes to graphic precision, they also perform well in matching the interface with our documents.

Being in Ukraine renders UKAD’s services cheaper than they would have been in Sweden, but I would work with them even if this wasn’t the case because they’re really good. As a designer, I’m less of a numbers person, but the work has been done on time and within budget, and our clients have been happy.

How did UKAD perform from a project management standpoint?

My strong suite is not in the management department, so I’ve tended to introduce UKAD to clients rather than to subcontract them; this way, they build their own relationships. I want clients to find long-term solutions which work for them. If they can get things out of the door, then they can buy more design services from me. Having a great go-to development team will also grow my business, and we’ve had a successful relationship so far.

UKAD has an open project structure. For me, as a designer, it’s important to speak with frontend developers and tell them what needs to be slower, lighter, and so on. It’s an effective way of communication when this level of trust and support is present.

They have used different kinds of management tools over the years, with Trello being the most popular. In the last couple of months, we have started using Google Spreadsheets for project management, and I find it nice. UKAD also works with JIRA and different kinds of version control platforms. They have been able to fulfill any of our client requests so far, and are very good at keeping deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about UKAD?

They have helped my clients find Java developers which didn’t exist in-house. UKAD’s top asset is the ground management, which is made up of strong, low-key people. Members are coached well and there is a corporate culture being adhered to. UKAD also has English courses two times per week for all employees, and they make a big effort to keep the staff happy. With great management, there is great performance; the two go hand-in-hand.

Are there any areas UKAD could improve?

They could offer more services. UKAD is starting to hire designers, which is something I’ve been asking them to do for quite some time. It’s nice to get development and design work done without having to go to multiple companies.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We create benefits calculators for the public sector in the UK. The U.S. equivalents would be, namely, for food stamps and income-tax credit. I am a director for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with UKAD?

The initial project we had was to create a budgeting tool.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

UKAD built our .NET tool based on specifications. It’s all bespoke, and there is a massive bag of features. Personal budgeting is one aspect of the app, but it has a number of features attached. We have around 180 clients which have access to a dashboard and backend. They consist of local governments and social-housing providers. Each one is individually configured on the system, with their own databases and control over various functionalities. They can create questions, budgets, categories, different layouts, and so on. UKAD assigned three backend and two frontend developers for the task, as well as a couple of testers. One of them acts as project manager, and the team has around seven people in total.

We have a chief internal developer, but everything else is being contracted to UKAD.

How did you come to work with UKAD?

We found them through an online search, by chance. We had an initial conversation, gave UKAD a small project to start off, and continued the collaboration.

How much have you invested with UKAD?

The cost of UKAD’s work has been around $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with UKAD in mid-2013. The collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I only have good things to say about them. I don’t have sufficient technical knowledge to answer this question, but UKAD has been fantastic for our requirements.

We had a choice between using UK developers, and outsourcing. We’ve obviously chosen to completely assign the project to UKAD, and they will continue to be our full development resource.

We’re transitioning to having UKAD develop our frontend. The portal itself is performing thousands of calculations per day, from as many users.

How did UKAD perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything is handled through Asana, and we have twice-weekly meetings with the developers. We also have constant Skype communication. UKAD has an Agile development methodology. The team has very good performance, and they’ve worked weekends when needed.

What did you find most impressive about UKAD?

My main concern is that I don’t want to advertise UKAD too well. Kharkiv is a very good source for developers, since it’s a center for academia within Ukraine. Many Soviet defense engineers were based in universities around that area, but they’ve stopped building missiles, and started developing software instead.

From my point of view, UKAD’s ability to scale makes them stand out. They have a good variety of in-house expertise.

Are there any areas UKAD could improve?

I haven’t got a thought in this sense.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Daek Drop In

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are B2C online tire company. We operate in Denmark and sell all kind of tires to diffent vehicles.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire UKAD to accomplish?

• business analysis
• UI/UX design
• full-cycle development
• support and maintenance

SOLUTION

How did you find UKAD?

Online Search

Why did you select UKAD over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from UKAD were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

UKAD developed a complex e-commerce solution for a car tire store. They performed detailed business analysis, designed user interfaces, and developed a digitalization strategy to reduce operations and make sales effective both for me and the client. UKAD's team made several integrations that allow clients to opt for the best options in a few clicks using car plates. They also built a system that connects the store with tire suppliers and mounting studios, so Daek Drop In operates as a fully digital business without offline offices. After the release, UKAD also helped me with support and some marketing activities, such as the installation of Google Merchant.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Detailed business analysis defined approach to digitalization
• A complex e-commerce platform delivered
• Timely and effective support granted seamless operations

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

The UKAD team demonstrated strong self-management skills. They consistently reported progress and outlined future steps during regular meetings, while remaining available for urgent troubleshooting. This approach was both comfortable and effective for all parties involved. Deliveries and responses were timely, ensuring a smooth and inconvenience-free process.

What was your primary form of communication with UKAD?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I really enjoy UKAD's creativity, quality, and the attitude with which they work. For me, as a person without any significant tech background, this helpfulness was very important and made our collaboration easy.

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

I can't name anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Academy is the leading company in Sweden in education in training and health.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire UKAD?

We needed them to build an education and administration platform, redevelop our website, and perform SEO.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted an innovative educational platform that would streamline our administration.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We received recommendations of their work.

Describe the project in detail.

After our initial suggestions on appearance and functionality, our project manager and the UKAD began working together. We then got a regular look at drafts and we gave feedback and finally approved each part in the platform.

What was the team composition?

Their team worked closely with our internal project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We can now offer digital education in the areas we want.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our communication and development process have worked flawlessly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They always provide quick and reliable support and they come up with creative solutions to any problems that arise.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, just that they had an office nearer to us.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner and operations manager of a software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire UKAD?

UKAD has developed multiple technologies. 

What were your goals for this project?

UKAD is our development partner. They also support many of our digital products and offerings.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them based on a recommendation.

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

They develop, support, and maintain custom software in .NET, PHP, and open source platforms like WordPress and Matomo. They also assist with hosting, server administration, and architecture.

What was the team composition?

They have a cross-competent team with senior developers, system architects, and development operations technicians.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They're an important partner. Their accuracy, professionalism, and technical skill are critical to us. They can always help, no matter what we need.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We speak frequently and they're highly efficient.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They quickly understand what we want to achieve. It's almost like they're sitting next to us.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

I hope they will continue working exactly as they do now, and keep learning new technologies and frameworks.