Underlabs Inc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder & Group CEO of Incred Financial service

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

InCred is a new-age financial services group that leverages technology & data-science to make lending quick & easy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Underlabs Inc. to accomplish?

• We engaged Underlabs to enhance an already-existing WordPress website, establish our brand's visual identity, lead workshops for product discovery, create application screen designs, and develop native mobile applications that run with both iOS and Android smartphones.

SOLUTION

How did you find Underlabs Inc.?

• Online Search
• Clutch Site

Why did you select Underlabs Inc. over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Underlabs Inc. were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Our aim was to develop a solution that might utilize our AI process to assist individual cryptocurrency investors in making judgments. The initial phase of the collaboration involved enhancing the current website and producing the "brand book," which is the comprehensive visual representation of the brand. 
Following that, both teams spent a few days working via workshops to define the product's technical and business assumptions. Using this foundation, we produced wireframes and mockups of the application's screens after which we established a list of User Stories that outlined the application's flow. The creation of a technologically sound, user-friendly, and intuitive application was made possible by the well-designed design phase.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Both apps were released at the scheduled time. They are now used by many users and the feedback is positive. Moreover, the application works smoothly, without major faults requiring complex repairs.

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

All they did was adhere to agile best practices, which made it possible for us to communicate clearly. Without the application of a methodical and consistent approach, the time difference presented a hurdle that would have complicated the project. The difficulty became apparent during our secondary quality assurance and throughout our responsive, time-sensitive collaborative work. 
Overall, it was successful, albeit this problem might have been resolved by giving the ItCraft PM more decision-making ability.

What was your primary form of communication with Underlabs Inc.?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their knowledge at every turn in the process of developing a mobile application is much appreciated. There are other important aspects in this procedure besides the developers' competencies. The product is a reflection of the exceptional work process across every stage. Their expertise, creativity, and problem-solving skills were commendable.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Underlabs Inc. could have done differently?

Every project will have certain elements that might be improved upon. In our situation, the decision-making process would be sped up by establishing responsibility levels and thresholds, especially since we operate on two different continents.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive Assistant of Carve Real Estate

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Carve Real Estate is devoted to selling small businesses, restaurants, franchises, bars, cafes, breweries, and more. Business brokers with years of experience, we feature more than 100+ businesses for sale.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Underlabs Inc. to accomplish?

• The project's objective was to create a real estate website that went above and beyond standard listings, enabling agencies and developers to provide their clients with specialized, state-of-the-art services. Our goal was to create a platform that buyers, developers, brokers, and property owners could use as a one-stop shop. The platform would be simple to use, allowing users to maximize their visibility at the lowest possible cost.

SOLUTION

How did you find Underlabs Inc.?

• Online Search
• Clutch Site

Why did you select Underlabs Inc. over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Underlabs Inc. were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

To list and market solutions for real estate professionals and users, we required a real estate website. Users can use the features and functionality of the website to search for property listings and get in touch with the builder or agents. However, property listings can be effectively managed by developers, owners, individual brokers, or brokerage firms. Additionally, we may use the administrator panel to manage every specified user and attribute.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While it is only a few months into deployment, most of our agents who are using the portal are happy with it.

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

Project management was pleasant. The project manager had much responsibility and deadlines were tight. The manager shared a list of milestones with us so we could keep track of their progress and evaluate each new release.

What was your primary form of communication with Underlabs Inc.?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The team's most impressive aspect was their ability to develop any request that we had. They delivered on the functionality of both the front-and backend, flawlessly.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Underlabs Inc. could have done differently?

No. We’re very satisfied with their work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and co-founder of a mobile app for culinary services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Underlabs Inc.?

My partner and I are chefs and don’t have any technical background, so we outsourced all the technical parts of building this app to them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Underlabs developed our mobile app from scratch, designed our logo and color scheme, and developed our website. Basically, they were in charge of the entire technical side of our business. The app is a fully functional MVP compatible with both Android and iOS. Now, we’re getting ready to scale it.

What was the team composition?

We worked with over three teammates from Underlabs, including the architect, a developer, a UI/UX designer, and a person in charge of branding, among other people.

How did you come to work with Underlabs Inc.? 

We found them on Google. We shopped around and ultimately decided that we didn’t want to go offshore. We wanted to work with a hands-on team with whom we could meet to discuss the vision of our company, so we chose to work with Underlabs.

How much have you invested in them?
We spent around $130,000 CAD (approximately $97,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working together in mid-2021, and Underlabs delivered the product in February 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our main success result is that the app is making money and working as it was supposed to work, so Underlabs delivered exactly what we asked them for. Moreover, they delivered a product that they were proud of and use themselves.

How did Underlabs Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Underlabs gave us a lot for what we paid. We were very demanding because we didn’t know what our requirements implied from a technical perspective. Still, they were able to embrace the chaos and deliver an appropriate solution under a fair budget. As for communication, we used Slack, and their response time was immediate within working hours.

When we initially brought the app to market, we expected a certain reaction that didn’t happen, so we had to go back and add new features. Underlabs made that happen very quickly and integrated every feature of our app seamlessly, making it easy to bring to market. From then on, any time I needed something post-production-wise, they did it immediately.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Underlabs is not a generic company — they strive to deliver amazing products.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Underlabs could sign important corporate contracts. They have the talent for it, so they should aim higher and stop being so modest.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communication is key; tell them what you want, and they will make it happen.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Ag Grow Consulting Limited is a company of crop consultants. We check crops for our farmers and observe and make recommendations to them, which allows farmers to operate their businesses better. We’re a team of university-trained agronomists. I’m the admin assistant.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Underlabs Inc.?

Because our scouts are located in a rural area, we were having a difficult time getting information to the scouts in the field with apps or programs. We need to generate reports in order to send those back to the farmer. We wanted a reporting app that we could manage, that the scouts could use on the field to send the report to the farmer’s phone.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went to Underlabs with the idea of what we wanted the final product to be. We had a lot of input on the screens and buttons, but they helped facilitate all of the development phase. They helped us to understand better what the programming side was capable of doing. We didn’t realize how good it could be. They had never worked with agriculture before, so there were challenges with terms that we use, etc. They did their own research into those terms, and their understanding of our industry was phenomenal by the time they were done. They took our vision and turned it into reality. The app is built on iOS.

How did you come to work with Underlabs Inc.?

I did a Google search and found reviews for Underlabs. They were one of the higher ranked firms. It was a Friday evening when I emailed some of the firms, and Joseph got back with me right away through a phone call. That was huge for me, because it gave me a chance to explain the project verbally. A lot of other firms wanted a document to explain what the app was. I didn’t know how to type it out. I needed to be able to discuss it with someone verbally. The phone call with Joseph solidified who I was going to use. I didn’t check into any of the other companies.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2017, and the work is ongoing. Our scouts were able to start using the app in May 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

On our old program, our scouts were losing an hour a day. We don’t have that time loss anymore. We have ten scouts and we’ve gained ten hours a week with each of them. We’re saving ourselves a full-time position’s worth of time. It has also saved us a lot of money because our old program charged large yearly fees. In 2 ½ years, the app will have paid for itself. Plus, everybody loves the app. It’s a simple format and only has the buttons we need. It’s quick and simple to use. The app comes with a computer management server on the backend that we are able to use to put our information in. The report is easy to send to a farmer’s phone through text or email. Underlabs created an offline function that connects to the cloud, which is huge for us since some of our locations are in rural areas. The drivers don’t have to drive somewhere to find service in order to use the program.

How did Underlabs Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They were awesome. I couldn’t be happier. They were quick to respond to emails. When we needed to have more of a conversation to clarify things, we’d talk on the phone. For our team, that was important. Email is great, but sometimes you need to talk on the phone. They were willing to do that for us. Their reports and proposals were always done very professionally and were understandable. I know programmers can talk too technically, but Underlabs kept it on our level so we could understand.

What did you find most impressive about Underlabs Inc.?

I haven’t worked with any other providers. I know they did a lot of work with the map function which is something we really wanted. I knew they had won awards in their mapping abilities. Honestly, the maps are great, but I’m more impressed with the overall experience and how quickly they got everything running. They were able to facilitate the whole project with our limited knowledge of programming and what we wanted, which was also impressive. They put in functions that we didn’t even think were possible. They made it bigger and better than we thought it could be.

Are there any areas Underlabs Inc. could improve?

There were times when there was a lot happening at once, and times when something would get forgotten. Some of that was because we didn’t understand each other’s industries. In the end, we were able to get on the same page.

BACKGROUND

ClassRate is an idea targeted at millennial students to allow them to rate their professors in a modern and swift manner. They are able to share tips on how to study and pass their courses and keep in touch with their classmates and class work. Professor ratings can be quick or thorough and can be edited up to one hour after submission. Other classmates can then determine the relevancy of the review by a simple thumbs up.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

The opportunity presented was to replace an age-old word of mouth method among students in order to know which classes to sign up to. Another challenge was to create avatars of students and professors in order to gamify the process and make it more fun for students to rate classes and professors.

The challenge was to get every university, college, and high school to set up their classes’ information. This is done once by the first student who registers the class. All other ratings will be dedicated to the same class.

SOLUTION

Underlabs worked on a cloud-based solution to cater to managing all classes, ratings, and work groups on a class. End-to-end encryption is becoming the norm, as ClassRate works to take the lead in ensuring privacy among professors, classmates, and students.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

We are currently serving ClassRate to colleges and high schools throughout Anglophone colleges in North America, certain European countries, Australia, as well as India.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are an international trade association for the aviation industry. We are based in Canada and represent about 80 percent of the world's airlines. We help the airline industry and formulate policy and industry standards.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am a marketing manager and deal with all mobile initiatives here.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for the app with Underlabs?

This iPad application is strictly for internal use in the sales department. They designed an app that our sales team can carry with them for different sales calls and meetings. The app gives them the information and tools they need to increase sales conversions. We developed it natively for the Apple Store to optimize use and performance. Our sales team uses it to land more clients.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of Underlabs’ work.

They were given sales content by my team. The next step was for them to come up with some design templates that we accepted. They did multiple iterations on the app so that we could perfect together. The first round had some mistakes, but they were great about listening and correcting all issues.

What was your process for selecting Underlabs?

They are local, and we were impressed by their track record. So, many developers are young and don't have a long record of success. Underlabs showed us that they could handle the project. It became an easy decision.

Can you give us a sense of the size of the initiative in dollar terms?

I'm sorry, but I should keep that confidential.

When was the project completed?

It was six or seven months ago, so that was in the summer of 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Underlabs perform?

They performed very well. I am satisfied with the app and their work performance. They produced a fantastic app on time and on budget. Most developers cannot say that. They are able to understand solutions after one meeting. They are local, so they met with us in person a lot. It was great for explaining concepts and getting them to understand our business issues quickly.

When working with Underlabs, what is unique or special about them compared to other IT firms?

They are good with project management and can complete apps with success. They have the full package I think. That must be rare.

Looking back on the project, is there any area that you think Underlabs could improve upon, or something that you might do differently?

All issues were minor because Underlabs made quick corrections. The first iteration of the app wasn't great and had issues. They fixed everything and the second round was much better. I don't have anything major to report.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of Epic Staff

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Epic Staff is a mobile app that connects clinary and service professionals to hospitality establishments looking for staff.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Underlabs Inc. to accomplish?

• Create website
• Create app
• Maintain the app post production

SOLUTION

How did you find Underlabs Inc.?

• Online Search

Why did you select Underlabs Inc. over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fits our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Other

What was the size of Underlabs Inc.’s team?

6-10 Employees

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

Underlabs was subcontracted to build our app. Their communication during the entire process was key. We do not have a technical background and they adapted to our understanding of the field very quickly. They were mandated to create a website for our gig economy marketplace as well as an app for both contractors and establishments with specific features and functions related to our industry. Underlabs delivered a great products that fits our market perfectly with very little changes or upgrades needed.

Their customer service is amazing and they answer our questions no matter the time they are sent. They have really personalized their service to cater to two chefs with very little technical knowledge and gave us a product that reflects what we asked for and then some. The developers at underlabs really knew how to turn an idea I had into reality and went above and beyond expectations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• The app was released with very little to no bugs that couldnt be fixed promtly
• The app generated revenue and profit in its first year
• the crew responsible for post production maintenance are attentive and speedy in their actions/reactions

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

Milestones were delivered on time with little to no delay. The project was during the pandemic which added a communication barrier that didn't seem to affect the deliverables in any way. A group was created on slack which allowed our conflicting schedules to have little influence over the information that needed to be exchanged.

We even met in person when needed to add a personal emphasis on our vision. Overall, we are very impressed with the way things turned out.

What was your primary form of communication with Underlabs Inc.?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email
• Messaging App

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

The up to date knowledge that underlabs has on the latest of innovations created a confidence that the features we requested would use the best of the best in terms of technical development. Often times we would request a flow that the team at underlabs would breakdown the idea and generate an efficient series of deliverables that would surpass our expectations.

They didn't only delivered what we asked for, they went above and beyond to make sure our MVP was actually a sophisticated well rounded V1 that we could launch in the market with almost no modifications.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Underlabs Inc. could have done differently?

Despite the lack of face to face meetings due to the pandemic, I would say that underlabs went above and beyond to make sure we were happy with the results. If anything, underlabs should increase their prices to reflect the amazing value they delivered in our product