Wow Labz - AI and Blockchain Product Studio

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director at Cosine Labs, an IoT company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wow Labz?

I needed a company to develop our iOS and Android apps.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were responsible for the design and development of our iOS and Android apps. We built the first versions with Wow Labz, which gave us enough time to hire people on our end and build a team internally.

We did manual testing, and they also had testers to test the apps.

What is the team composition?

There were one or two designers, one iOS developer, and one Android developer. We also were given a tech lead to help with the overall architecture.

How did you come to work with Wow Labz?

The founder of Wow Labz and I were college mates. I was the CTO at Wow Labz and worked with them for over a year. I knew the team well and knew what I was getting into, which is the reason I chose to work with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from summer until the fall of 2016. It lasted 3–4 months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It got us a lot more business initially. We worked with them because we needed a quick go-to-market strategy, and we knew it would take at least a month to hire a team to build the app. We wanted a quick launch time so this was one of the best ways to do it.

How did Wow Labz perform from a project management standpoint?

Adherence to timelines and responsiveness were always good. This was a new domain altogether. IoT is not something Wow Labz had done before, and not a lot of companies know the nuances of creating a good IoT-based mobile app. There was a bit of learning, but they picked it up quickly. They met our expectations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are a great design firm with a mature development team. It’s easy to explain what you want. It’s sometimes better to interact with the technical team directly rather than having a project manager in between. They have the ability to do that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

What you want as an outcome should be clear in your head. Wow Labz helps in ideation as well, but it’s best done by the client.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of Mooshak Technologies LLC. We have built a social media product for multimedia content creation, dissemination, discovery, and consumption, specifically for Indian vernacular languages. The product is primarily in the form of a mobile app and has close to 200,000 downloads on the Google Play Store. We also have a web version.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wow Labz?

We needed a partner to help us with design, server and app development, testing, maintenance, and feature enhancement. This included a new backend, a web app, and an enhanced Android mobile app with more features.

What were your goals for this project?

Our initial backend wasn’t scalable and our Google Play store ratings were suffering because of various limitations. We also thought that it would be easier to attract new users on the web. Therefore, we wanted to build a scalable backend, a redesigned mobile app with new features, and an enhanced UX, along with a new web app.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We initially heard about Wow Labz from one of our consultants. He had worked with them previously and was impressed with their quality of work and their understanding of building vernacular applications. That was our primary reason for choosing them.

We first approached them to build an MVP integrated with our existing backend. They did a great job with that, so we decided to approach them again when we wanted to build a social media platform.

Describe the project in detail.

They created a backend to handle the API that drives the mobile app and the web app. That involved keeping track of user profile data and the multimedia content that's generated. The backend had to be scalable for the huge amount of content that was generated, as well as the large number of users whom we had to concurrently support. Additionally, it had to be designed with a choice of components that would help us run operations as efficiently as possible.

The second part was that we needed a mobile app with a UX specifically designed for Indian users who were using the internet for the first time. It had to enable users from 20 or more linguistic groups to easily navigate the UI and discover, consume, and create content in the easiest possible manner. Given that many of our users would be in areas with low bandwidth, the app had to ensure that this infrastructure issue did not degrade the UX. We also needed a web client that would have most of the features of the mobile app.

Finally, we needed an administration panel that would allow us to manage content and users, and extract important statistics about users, content, and app usage.

What was the team composition?

Their CEO was always available to discuss product strategy. We had a product manager, Mayur (Chief Products Officer, Wow Labz), who kept us updated on a regular basis. We worked with two resources on the Android side. Their CTO and another developer were also involved in the backend. We worked with an additional web development resource whose name I don’t remember.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The web app worked very well, and it was one of the only apps in the country which offered real-time transliteration of text. The mobile app was launched on schedule and it worked brilliantly. The ratings on the platform to date are very high.

I’ve been told the backend scaled very well in testing. They stress tested it for 10,000 concurrent users and it held strong. The CTO told me that the backend could scale automatically as more users join. Any minor bugs were very promptly fixed, and now the app has been bug-free and crash-free for quite some time.

In addition to this, Wow Labz organized meetings with Google and some other potential partners for us.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They delivered on time. Once, there was a delay, and they called me to explain why the delay happened and gave me a new date. I appreciated that. They also worked closely with our design and marketing teams. They often integrated new plugins to track conversions and other metrics. They even worked on weekends when there were production issues. All in all, I feel they went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that the project was a success.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The authenticity of their people stands out to me. They are honest and they share their points of view, which I often find useful. They also take a lot of ownership and treated the project as their own. There were times when we couldn’t pay for the development, but the app demanded it. They were candid about their availability, and they did the best they could as soon as their teams had time, without expecting any payment.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we’re very satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of a company that owns an app made for music festival attendees. The product is designed for users to connect with like-minded people, exchange goods and services, and discuss travel logistics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wow Labz?

We hired Wow Labz to streamline our chat architecture, rewrite old code, and enhance our messaging UX. Our app had been in development for two years, and parts of our codebase were undocumented and poorly structured.

What were your goals for this project?

We were looking to build a reliable chat feature with multimedia content sharing tools. The code for this feature needed to be appropriately formatted and written for stability.  

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were looking for providers that could understand our needs as a startup. I knew that one of Wow Labz’s founders was a lean startup mentor, and had helped multiple startups navigate their technical requirements. I spoke to both of their founders, and they were flexible and empathetic to our situation.

We seriously considered seven different companies, including an international firm and an award-winning company that belonged to a friend. We ultimately chose Wow Labz because of their depth of knowledge and their approach to design and development.

Describe the project in detail.

Their team initiated the project with an assessment of our codebase, which they used to rewrite essential sections of our chat feature. They updated our messaging platform to allow for greater customization and real-time sharing of images, audio clips, and videos. The app is available for download on Android and iOS devices.

What was the team composition?

Their team consisted of a project manager and a developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since launching the update, we’ve seen a 25% increase in the number of chat messages exchanged on the app. We’ve also received positive feedback from users, including several five-star reviews on the App Store. The codebase is now much more stable and organized.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their team sent daily progress updates via email, and they were very responsive to all of our queries, typically replying within the hour. We held weekly timeline reviews, and they were always open to feedback and quick to make suggestions. They followed a systematic, biweekly feature release schedule based on the Agile development lifecycle.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were using a messaging infrastructure that often presents a steep learning curve for developers. They were able to start writing code within two days of the initial review. Also, their account manager, who is very experienced with software engineering, played an active role in every phase of the project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of anything they should change. They were terrific.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of Primaseller, Inc., a retail technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wow Labz?

We hired Wow Labz to build a POS app for use on iPads.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted an iPad version of our browser app that could integrate with hardware systems, specifically printers and scanners.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I connected with Wow Labz through a referral from one of my colleagues.

Describe the project in detail.

After gathering initial requirements and reviewing our API, Wow Labz delivered UI screens and a prototype walkthrough. We held a feedback session, and they began development soon after. They broke the project down into sprints, and periodically released private versions until we were ready for a beta release with select customers.

What was the team composition?

They assigned a project manager, two iOS developers, and a QA specialist to our project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app launched in October on the App Store, and we now have several customers using our system.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had a single point of contact, which made collaboration easy and straightforward. We were also able to reach out directly to their engineers when necessary. Their team used a project management system and a Google Sheets file to help track and share progress.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed with their responsiveness. Their team always answered our calls and resolved problems immediately. This was especially true for critical issues. The only delay came with the App Store processing our submission.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is nothing on their end, though I think we could’ve done a better job of explaining our functional use cases and edge cases. This would’ve made development happen even quicker.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Super Milk Products has a brand called Keventers, a chain of quick-service restaurants. We have around 300 outlets across India and abroad. I’m the general sales manager and was tasked with starting a new vertical, delivering dairy directly from farms to provide fresh milk to citizens across the region.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wow Labz?

We wanted to get into a direct-to-home concept, so we approached Wow Labz. We wanted to develop an ecosystem within which a consumer could place their order, track their history, and so on. Everything would be controlled on the backend on a day-to-day basis, with a delivery app for the people who deliver the milk.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our system. We have a consumer app available for Android and iOS, and a backend admin panel that displays our incoming orders and sends them to the dairy farms who dispatch them. Another app shows the delivery people a list of orders with a schedule. They can confirm each delivery, which is then displayed on our end.

What is the team composition?

I mainly dealt with Rohith (Co-Founder, Wow Labz) who developed the entire architecture. I could call him whenever we had an issue or a bug, and he went out of his way to help us.

How did you come to work with Wow Labz?

We’d heard about their work from people whom we trusted. We met with more than 50 developers across India to choose the right one. We looked at cheaper options, but the idea was to have a right understanding of the concept. Once I explained what we wanted to Wow Labz, they presented what we wanted perfectly. We liked Rohith’s enthusiasm, so we chose them. We were willing to spend more money on a good result.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around 30–40 lakh Indian rupees (approximately $44,000–$58,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from December 2017–May 2018. Development started in January 2018, and they built the entire ecosystem in two months, with the app ready by May 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s been phenomenal in terms of their understanding of our concept. They went beyond the scope of work given to them regarding development, troubleshooting, and meeting timelines. They lived up to our expectations.

In the evolving market of India, we did have some problems to solve, in terms of operations, delivery, and accounting. It’s a great app with hardly any bugs. It’s never crashed, either on the customer or deliverer side, and we’ve had 15–20,000 downloads. There was a lot of usage after the initial launch, which had a good impact on our business. We were cautious initially, but, after 6–8 months, we’re confident that the app will continue to work fine.

How did Wow Labz perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been professional, meeting deadlines and setting dates for trials. They follow up with us regularly and don’t make us wait. They were willing to get on a call to find solutions—I’ve had 2–3-hour calls in the night when them when we had problems to solve.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They took ownership of the project. If the provider sticks tightly to the scope of work, it can make things more difficult, but their attitude made them stand out. They’re a bit more expensive, but it’s justified.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re only based in Bangalore, but I would like it if they opened offices in Bombay and Delhi as well.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I’ve recommended them to a couple of businesses, and I think they will do well. I 100% recommend them as an IT provider that can develop a good app.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at the University of California, San Francisco.

I am an assistant professor in the department of neurology and psychiatry, doing a lot of work which involves technologies like mobile applications, in order to study attention and ways of improving it.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wow Labz?

I needed development resources.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Whenever I have an idea for a given research study or something which I'm trying to assess, I will give directions to Wow Labz, working together with them in order to create an application.

Some projects take longer to finish than others, but I've reached project number 6 with Wow Labz at this point.

How did you come to work with Wow Labz?

Wow Labz was recommended by a colleague that I worked with a few years ago. I gave Wow Labz a shot on one project, and have been working with them ever since.

How much have you invested with Wow Labz?

My biggest project with Wow Labz had a cost of $30,000, while smaller ones were around $4,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I have been working with Wow Labz for 3 years. We have an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I worked on a project with Wow Labz, developing 12 different modules, or tasks, within one app. Individuals would interact with them in order to assess their cognitive control abilities. The project was completed successfully and we were able to capture data remotely from thousands of users, directly to our servers. We built the app through a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

The project led us to refine the app, making it more applicable to the research. Our hope is to be able to deploy it to millions of users in the very near future.

People in academia have been excited about the app. I've been asked hundreds of times to grant them access to it after only showcasing prototypes developed by Wow Labz.

How did Wow Labz perform from a project management standpoint?

For the most part, Wow Labz provided me quotes and got things done on time. They could work faster, but I'm happy with Wow Labz' scale of work.

What did you find most impressive about Wow Labz?

I've enjoyed working with Wow Labz. One of their founders is very excited about doing things for the greater good and working with people like myself in finding out how the brain works. Wow Labz values this and they like to have fun working.

Given that Wow Labz is in a different time zone, I appreciated their willingness to stay up late and allowing me to call them at any time of day, in case something's not working right.

Are there any areas Wow Labz could improve?

Wow Labz could improve their timeliness for certain things, but I understand that things will take longer than normal if the client changes their mind often.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

My company offers a new kind of social engagement through short mobile video. Communities are formed around a certain topic, people ask questions by typing in, and replies are made through 20 second mobile video selfies. It's a more authentic experience formed through seeing a person speaking in their own words. We're based in Silicon Valley.

What is your position?

I am the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Wow Labz?

I needed a team that I could completely rely on for taking an idea, or a paper design, and building it all the way through to the App Store. I am not a technical person. Better yet, my technical days are over. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

When I initially discussed my idea with them, they were quite passionate about it. I eventually made them my long-term product partner. That means that they not only developed the actual mobile app for both Android and iOS, but they also developed the website, and worked on behind the scenes features.

I am responsible for funding, product strategy and vision, and user acquisition. They are responsible for everything product development related. Our product is strictly a mobile app.

How did you come to work with Wow Labz?

I've lived in Silicon Valley for almost 22 years and never really embraced the whole outsourcing idea. I come from the semiconductor/wireless world, and we don't consider outsourcing to be the marking of a good company. I was very skeptical and was trying to find out if I could put together a good team. I happened to mention this to the cover designer of a book I’d recently published, who worked in media. She told me she knew someone whom I could talk to. She put me in touch with the Wow Labz founder, Amit.

As skeptical as I am, I was impressed with what they've done. It took me three to four rounds of due diligence meetings to build up confidence in them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

This is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

It's ongoing work; we have no plans to stop. We started working together in October, 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Everyone who tested it said the app looks very good; it's very simple and easy to use. The app store and Google Play reviews from early users are overwhelmingly positive.

How did Wow Labz perform from a project management standpoint?

I am more than satisfied. The initial engagement was to get to the minimum viable product stage. They delivered within the allocated time. I liked that they gave me the first versions early on, so I was able to play around and get a few people to use it.

I was so impressed with the overall work of Wow Labz, that I extended the contract with them. They are a reliable product partner in a very competitive environment.

What distinguishes Wow Labz from other providers?

Even though I was born and raised in India, I kind of turned my back on it. I always thought that they're not good from a technical point of view, but I was very impressed with how creative, fast, and open-minded the people at Wow Labz are. They want to provide their ideas, and act like equal partners, which is what I want. What I don't like is people following a set of instructions, throwing them to the wall, and calling the job done. That is the opposite of these people. They display very mature thinking in regards to how you should approach a mobile app.

Is there anything Wow Labz could have improved or done differently?

Sometimes you have to be fast and nimble and not worry too much about respecting processes, but you do have to constantly enhance your testing capabilities. I feel that mobile apps are extremely competitive these days (the Android platform especially is very fragmented), and that we need to see more solid testing upfront, before it goes out. It's more of an observation than a complaint.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Sumeru Travel Solutions LLP

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Travel agency 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Wow Labz - AI and Blockchain Product Studio to accomplish?

• Mobile App development for Cab booking

SOLUTION

How did you find Wow Labz - AI and Blockchain Product Studio?

Referral

Why did you select Wow Labz - AI and Blockchain Product Studio over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Wow Labz - AI and Blockchain Product Studio were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Developing an App for taxi booking & related services for our B2C and B2B clients and also a full backend admin module to handle the same 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Delivering the App module in specified time with all features incorporated as discussed 

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

Yes they delivered on time and response time was also very good to our needs 

What was your primary form of communication with Wow Labz - AI and Blockchain Product Studio?

In-Person Meeting

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

Their readiness to help and support always stood out.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Wow Labz - AI and Blockchain Product Studio could have done differently?

Not really 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of a software company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

New kind of retreival infra for higher accuracy and explainability 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Wow Labz - AI and Blockchain Product Studio to accomplish?

• Phase 1 build, evaluations

SOLUTION

How did you find Wow Labz - AI and Blockchain Product Studio?

Referral

Why did you select Wow Labz - AI and Blockchain Product Studio over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Wow Labz - AI and Blockchain Product Studio were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Scope of work was a first of its kind vector engine and algorithms to execute on a complex dataset

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A clean scalabale system, evaluations to take us forward

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

Wow Labz team were incredible at every stage to understand our unique requirements, be available for any questions and went above and beyond in ensuring the project was a success and would help us in our journey. The project team and engineers were incredible to work with and adapted to the ongoing evolutions in the project, especially as it was highly experiemental and novel, they embraced the newness while being objective at every juncture, leading to a scalable, inherently value-add product. 

What was your primary form of communication with Wow Labz - AI and Blockchain Product Studio?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Both highly cutting edge as well as being extremely thoughtful and giving an incredible experience to an early founding journey

Are there any areas for improvement or something Wow Labz - AI and Blockchain Product Studio could have done differently?

None, they are doing a fabulous job.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder & CEO of a supply chain management company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Supply Chain Management for construction management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The AI Studio by Wow Labz to accomplish?

• Build web and mobile applications

SOLUTION

How did you find The AI Studio by Wow Labz?

Online Search

Why did you select The AI Studio by Wow Labz over others?

High ratings

How many teammates from The AI Studio by Wow Labz were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

They built a web application as well as an iOS and an Android mobile applications. The backend included:

• MongoDB database
• Amazon Managed Blockchain

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• On-time delivery.
• High quality web and mobile applications.

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

They used an agile approach with clear sprint goals.

What was your primary form of communication with The AI Studio by Wow Labz?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• The CEO was very involved and accomodating to make sure we land on an approach that works for our needs. 
• They had specialized team members focusing on their areas of expertise. 
• Their responses were prompt and effective.

Are there any areas for improvement or something The AI Studio by Wow Labz could have done differently?

I'm very happy with our working relationship with The AI Studio by Wow Labz and I feel comfortable recommending them.