VAR Unit

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Vidoni, an AR training platform for various industries—mostly manufacturing but also medical and others. We create AR training content.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VAR Unit?

One of our clients wanted a training application for medical personnel, and we needed help with its development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a prototype in place, but VAR Unit basically redid it from scratch. It’s a Unity-based application for iOS mobile devices. We had some design elements in place and they helped us put it all together, creating a whole new app focused on consequence-based learning in order to provide a more efficient process.

We reused some of the content from the prototype and worked on a weekly basis to make sure that everything turned out as the client needed. The app provides an augmented reality visualization of the user’s hand, along with what could go wrong in a real-life scenario as well as the possible consequences of mistakes so that they can learn better and faster. Our client asked for several changes along the way, and VAR Unit helped us build it in a way that made everyone happy.

What is the team composition?

There were two or three developers involved. The CEO was our main point of contact and acted as project manager.

How did you come to work with VAR Unit?

I know the owner of the company from my personal network. When we received this contract, I reached out to him as well as several other companies, but we ultimately decided to go with VAR Unit.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent between $10,000–$50,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them on this project from May 2017 to February 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The application is now fully deployed but it’s only for internal use. Every time they delivered a new version, they tested it on their side and we tested on ours to get the number of bugs and issues as low as possible. When we pushed it out to the client, we wanted them to be happy and to give us as little reports as possible. Any bugs that were present were fixed within one week, which was helpful.

Overall, our client was very pleased. They liked the structure of the application and how the process was managed overall. There were several decisions to be made during development, but they were happy with how the whole team from both sides was able to solve all problems and build the application.

How did VAR Unit perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was good; I was happy with it. Their team was accessible and we used Slack to communicate. Considering the number of change orders we had from our client, it was frustrating to go back and forth many times, but they were very flexible with it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

This project went well. I was pleased with how they managed the project and their overall performance. Each week, they’d perform a small presentation and sprint review over a call, providing all the details of what had been done as well as any issues that came up.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had some problems, but I wouldn’t pin that on VAR Unit’s side. The few bugs we found were fixed quickly. However, they could do a little more testing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would totally recommend them. They are professional and know what they are doing. They understand AR and cloud computing, and they have the right team in place.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Prosoma, a VR therapeutic consultation tool.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VAR Unit?

We hired VAR Unit to develop the software for a VR application from scratch.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

VAR Unit designed and developed the app for the Oculus Go VR headset. In addition to the app’s interactive elements, they focused on data management: gathering, storage, and exchange. The team has tested the prototype, but we don’t have a final product at the moment.

The solution enables patients to access multiple relaxation exercises, as well as psychoeducation material for managing stress. These resources help users cope with the adverse effects of cancer, in particular.

What is the team composition?

We work with three people on a regular basis.

How did you come to work with VAR Unit?

One of our friends had worked with them on a project and later introduced us. We talked to VAR Unit about what they could offer, and their response impressed us. The relationship evolved from there.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $15,000 and plan to invest another $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2017 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

VAR Unit’s expertise was invaluable as we determined the app’s shape and functionality. Testing yielded favorable results for the prototype. The solution is now feasible and we’ve invested additional money to build a more complex version. If the product’s success didn’t speak for itself, we could never have secured those funds.

How did VAR Unit perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re the best agency I’ve worked with. The team is well-organized and always prepared; they’ve helped us imagine the process. Also, their management team is accessible and flexible, even though our process changes daily. Although the current product is vastly different from our initial idea, VAR Unit responded quickly and has adapted to our evolving vision.

We have in-person meetings to review progress for each 1–2-week sprint. They explain how things worked, take us through next steps, state what they needed from us, and communicate the available options for the next project layer.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team is cooperative and adaptable. During meetings, VAR Unit demonstrates their investment in the partnership and commitment to success. They proactively supplement our internal knowledge gaps and suggest ways to improve the app.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve had a positive experience with them; I can’t complain. Most issues arose because our team didn’t know what we wanted.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It's not necessary to have a specific vision in mind. Clients should run their ideas past VAR Unit because the team will know what to do to and how to find the best solution.