7ninjas

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior vice president of engineering at a development studio that builds websites. I lead our engineering team.

What challenge were you trying to address with 7ninjas?

We needed a partner to augment our internal team, allowing us to scale up rapidly when necessary.

What was the scope of their involvement?

7ninjas has worked on about five projects with our internal team, mainly focusing on frontend work. They’ve done both design and dev, typically using React and React Native. While they usually work in conjunction with our team and follow our requirements, they’ve worked on complete projects before, from defining the specs to implementing the code.

Currently, we’re building a mobile app, and 7ninjas has a mobile developer building the native app for both iOS and Android. They follow our wireframes and documentation to work on the login, authentication, local memory, making sure lists are entered correctly, etc.

What is the team composition? 

Right now, they have one person working with our internal team.

How did you come to work with 7ninjas?

We reached out to a few companies that would enable us to ramp up quickly. We interviewed 7ninjas and liked what they had to offer, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in January 2017, and the work is ongoing.

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

We tend to quickly fire people who aren’t meeting our expectations, so our continued partnership with 7ninjas shows they’re reliable. I’d trust them to handle any aspect of the code base. The resources they provide work well with our team and do the work of about 1.5 of our developers. So far, we’ve had a positive engagement.

How did 7ninjas perform from a project management standpoint?

They participate in daily stand-ups with our team and use our ticketing system. They’ve adapted to our workflow, so we have no complaints.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We have a great relationship with them, and they do phenomenal work. Unlike many other firms, they have good designers and developers. They manage their team well and proactively respond to our needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We don’t hire them for more projects because they’re more expensive than other options.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Communicate frequently and document everything. Clearly outline your requirements because the language barrier can sometimes cause issues. If possible, have your own management team to ensure tasks are meeting your expectations.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the product manager at Floreo, a software company that is developing a virtual reality app to help people who have autism spectrum disorder develop social communication skills.

What challenge were you trying to address with 7ninjas?

We needed to update our website because it was outdated and had limited functionality. We wanted it to showcase our product, allow customers to create accounts and subscribe online, and have improved webpages.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided requirements, and 7ninjas put together a user flow that served as the basic map for what we wanted to develop. They used InVision to create the design, and we provided feedback until we got to the final product.

What is the team composition? 

They had a project manager and one designer. 

How did you come to work with 7ninjas?

They were a referral. We had a few calls with different companies, but we liked their budget and timeline the most, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $6,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership lasted from January–March 2019. 

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

We presented the designs to our CEO, and he was happy with their work. He only made minimal changes.

How did 7ninjas perform from a project management standpoint?

We met twice a week, and they were excellent at incorporating our feedback into their work. They were quick and efficient, producing about one screen a week.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understood and absorbed our feedback, asking follow-up questions if they needed further clarification. They had a fast turnaround that helped the project move along quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We were happy with their work. 
 
Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Be specific about what you want, providing precise and clear guidance. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of IoT and software engineering for a small kitchen appliance company. We’ve revised our business model from simply reselling appliances to buying small kitchen appliances from China, making small changes to them, putting our brand name on them, and selling them on the US market. We’ve started working with a lot of big retailers and we’re trying to expand internationally, and we’re currently selling in Canada and Mexico. We’re thinking about other places as well.

We’re asking ourselves what makes us better than our competitors, and one thing we’re doing now is revising our product line to focus on UX. Specifically, we’re telling our customers that the moment they buy one of our products, they’ll know exactly what to do with it. We plan to guide them on how to make a complete meal. Our three target markets are cooking novices, intermediates, and professionals. We decided to use technology in order to take them through our products, and we started hiring in-house firmware engineers to develop our hardware, and we also have a software team for our app.

What challenge were you trying to address with 7ninjas?

We wanted to deliver the best UX possible on the software side, to make something that spoke to our users.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a previous app that had been made in-house, and we weren’t satisfied with the UI/UX. We asked 7ninjas not to redesign it, but to nail down a few of its key aspects. Some of its concepts were a calculator, guided cooking, and the ability to connect multiple devices quickly and easily. I put together a scope of work with a few key points I wanted to see on the app, including its pages and how the connectivity piece would work. They delivered all the designs in Sketch and we handled development on our end.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a UI/UX designer and a project manager.

How did you come to work with 7ninjas?

We saw their work on Behance, we liked it, and we contacted someone from their team. I reached out to a lot of UI/UX firms, but the only one that stood out to me from day one was 7ninjas. The person I spoke to about our kitchen technology understood me from the first call. He gave me suggestions and asked questions that made sense. We realized that 7ninjas was the best fit and we moved forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $12,000–$13,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from September–November 2018.

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

They completely redesigned our calculator feature, and there was a great reception to that at CES. We have a guided cooker feature, for which they designed a unique way for users to scroll videos, both vertically and horizontally. It lets them know which steps are done, and which ones have timers. That concept blew people away at another show we attended. We had attendees use the feature to actually cook with the unit. One major retailer told us they’d be happy to put the product on their shelves the moment it’s released.

How did 7ninjas perform from a project management standpoint?

We worked with a project manager, who wasn’t involved in the work on a daily basis. We didn’t have any issues. We met twice a day with the UI/UX designer, with the project manager being involved only at the beginning. They worked through the items we requested.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The UI/UX designer from 7ninjas was very talented and the right person for the job we had.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had an issue in the second phase, where I felt that the same passion and energy from the first phase were missing. The moment I brought it up, they completely blew us away with their design skills.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s important to make sure that the provider has the right person for the job. 7ninjas has a lot of talented people on their team, and I’m confident they can find someone.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the product manager at Beautiful Company, a startup e-learning system.

What challenge were you trying to address with 7ninjas?

We engaged 7ninjas for web design services for our product.

What was the scope of their involvement?

7ninjas created designs for our web-based platform, using tools such as InVision to create the UI/UX for 8–10 different web pages.

What is the team composition? 

We worked with a designer and product manager.

How did you come to work with 7ninjas?

We found them on Dribbble and ultimately liked their portfolio and how they reacted to our project. They were also very responsive, friendly, and supportive from the start. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about €5,000–€6,000 (about $5,635–$6,762 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together for about six weeks starting in November 2018.

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

Although it's too early to tell how our product will perform, we're very happy with the designs 7ninjas created overall. We've received a lot of positive feedback from user testing. 

How did 7ninjas perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very reactive and organized. They did a good job of pricing out the scope of work without being overly rigid about charging for every minor detail. If other members of their team joined a call, for example, they didn't charge us extra for their time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their whole process was very advanced; they used the latest design tools and delivered high-quality work that was easy to pass along to developers. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really, they were very transparent and communicative throughout the engagement. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Follow their process and be open to using their collaboration tools as well as their suggestions. The quality of the work they've been able to produce for us speaks for itself. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a company that provides a roommate matching software for colleges, universities, and apartment complexes focused on student housing.

What challenge were you trying to address with 7ninjas?

We were in the process of transitioning our website from an outdated legacy software built with PHP technologies to a new platform. We wanted an updated frontend experience that leveraged our backend API endpoints. The app needed to be faster and more accessible. We looked for a vendor to help us with developing the new web app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

7ninjas developed the entire UX for web app across laptops, PCs, iPads, and other tablets. We provided designs, and the team built them out using React. The app helps users find roommates through networks, specific matching groups, and compatibility scores. Users can either like or skip over potential candidates based on lifestyle, college majors, and housing preferences. 7ninjas integrates an external API to allow chatting on a digital discussion board. We’ve also implemented an account management process and notification system as well.

What is the team composition?

I mainly spoke with our project manager, but I occasionally interacted with the lead developer and a QA specialist.

How did you come to work with 7ninjas?

I found them through Clutch.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2018, and the project is ongoing.

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

My technical team praises the app, and they enjoy working with the 7ninjas team. They’ve been highly collaborative. We feel comfortable launching the current project, but we’re still working through some bugs. We’ll probably be done by the end of October.

How did 7ninjas perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management system is good. We have a daily call through Google Hangouts, but we also use Slack and Trello. They’re very responsive and knowledgeable, working efficiently through each task. We’ve never run into scheduling issues—their timing is on point. 7ninjas is also very good about communicating their needs, making sure we provide the necessary information and updates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Working with their project manager has been great. He’s communicative and responsive. We wanted a high-quality, cost-effective solution. He’s doing his best to meet our needs, really looking at the product form the client’s point of view. The developers are also great. With a quick turnaround time, they deliver working prototypes that reflect different elements of the app.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t. The only hiccups we’ve had were related to billing, converting USD payments to Polish currency. We don’t do wire transfers that often, so it was a little confusing, but we’ve resolved that.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and co-founder of an internet telephony service provider (ITSP) that works with various companies across Europe.

What challenge were you trying to address with 7ninjas?

We needed a web portal that would allow clients to manage the services we provide to them, including a dashboard that compiles a detailed overview of key metrics like calls received, call distribution across different countries, and so on. We tried to build the system internally, but didn’t have the resources needed to complete the job. We reached out to 7ninjas to supplement our team.

What was the scope of their involvement?

7ninjas helped us build all components of the system, including both design and frontend/backend development. The backend integrates data from different services, including an internal database, and external data pulling via APIs. We had the option to code with Python or node.js, and we adopted the latter.

The primary goal of the project was to build an MVP. We’re currently testing the product with our first customers and are making improvements based on the feedback we receive.

What is the team composition?

The size of the team varied throughout the project. At minimum, we worked with one backend and one frontend developer, a business analyst, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with 7ninjas?

A friend of mine told me about their team and the work they do. They came highly recommended.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with 7ninjas between November 2017 and March 2018 and are currently collecting customer feedback on the current product.

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

We need to improve constantly, which is why it’s very important to listen to feedback from customers. We are working with new and returning users.

How did 7ninjas perform from a project management standpoint?

I really appreciate their team’s direct and open communication, especially with their project manager and business analyst. This has given us a different perspective on the project. Our approach to working with 7ninjas has given us the opportunity to explore new ideas and find the most effective solutions possible.

We used different tools to communicate, including email, Slack, and Skype. I have also travelled to Poland in order to have face-to-face meetings with the team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Communication was key to this project. The whole 7ninjas team was collaborative and easy to work with. We could share and consider different points of view in creating the platform. Their technical skills were also very impressive.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I advise customers to reach out to the 7ninjas team and have a preliminary discussion. Brainstorm as many different possibilities for the project as possible and work with them to find the best options.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of Founders of Color, an online community for minority entrepreneurs dedicated to helping grow and sell their businesses.

What challenge were you trying to address with 7ninjas?

We wanted a new website that didn’t use WordPress.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I was very pleased with the logo design work they’d done for us previously, so when I found out they did web development as well, I hired them for to build our new site.

They built us a custom site, doing all of the design and development work in Python and React.

They now provide maintenance and updates on an as-needed, retainer basis.

What is the team composition?

I interacted with about six people at the firm, including designers, project managers, and both co-founders. There are also other developers on the backend, but I didn’t interact with them directly.

How did you come to work with 7ninjas?

I was considering other firms, but I was most concerned about aesthetic and was impressed by the quality of their work. A lot of developers use stock imagery for their job examples, but it was really important to see that they had done something similar to what I was looking for. I found a site that they had developed that I was really impressed by. They gave me some pricing, which I compared to other developers and found it to be really competitive.

How much have you invested with them?

I've invested $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2017, and the site launched that August.

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

People love the beautiful site they built. It's gone a long way toward establishing our brand. As we secure further resources, I plan to update the site quarterly since it’s been a major driver in building our community. Currently, we have about 2,700 subscribers, and I attribute that success solely to this great site.

How did 7ninjas perform from a project management standpoint?

They are incredibly responsive. They only bill me once a quarter because I don't give them enough work for them to bill me monthly. Whenever I reach out, however, the team is always very communicative and gets it done.

When we were building out the site, we had a couple Skype calls and used Slack and Trello, but since then we’ve used email exclusively.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I love working with them and have no desire to go anywhere else. They’re trustworthy, affordable, and have always been incredibly fair. I can also tell they value me as a customer and I wish I could afford to do more with them. I wish them all the success in the world!

Are there any areas they could improve?

When you are dealing with people with no development experience, it's important to set expectations. While something like adding a button might seem very simple and straightforward to me, it can be incredibly complicated from a development standpoint. It’s not just 7ninjas that could do a better job educating its clients, but all developers. Many clients only have experience using WordPress, which has a strong user interface, and transitioning to a custom site requires completely different knowledge. They could have done a better job explaining what it would take to run the site. I'd find it helpful if they developed some product, quick tutorials, or videos to help their clients be better clients.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the managing director and lead designer for a mobile application development shop based in New Zealand.

What challenge were you trying to address with 7ninjas?

We were looking for extra resources to help us with an app because the contractors we usually work with were busy. It was a tight time frame so trying to keep the search just within our local community wasn’t going to work. We decided to look for resources overseas.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We generally build B2B apps but this particular project is a consumer-driven app. The app’s purpose is to help people stop smoking through a cessation program that uses vaping to replace combustible smoke from cigarettes and helps with nicotine withdrawal. There’s a timed-release video program and notifications that alert the end user that a new session is available. The app also includes a chat function for peer to peer support. Users can discover others in their local area to talk about the general struggles of quitting an addiction.

We gave 7ninjas the bones of the app (UI design, UX design, and a set of technical specifications) and how we wanted it to function (wireframe, navigation, and a clickable prototype) and they’re building it based on that blueprint. In addition to leveraging cloud services from Firebase and Google, they’re taking a cross-platform development approach and using React Native to fit within budget and the initial build timeframe. The app will be available for both iOS and Android.

What is the team composition?

I’m in contact with about five members of their team. Because I'm a developer myself, I can work directly with their lead mobile developer.

How did you come to work with 7ninjas?

We put an ad on Upwork and interviewed some firms but the results were a bit hit or miss. We eventually had a few good conversations with 7ninjas and decided to give them a shot.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in late October 2017 and it's an ongoing relationship.

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

We’re really happy with their work and the support they're providing through the development process. The app is very close to launch. At the end of this week, we'll finish the completion document but we're still planning new modules. We've had a few errors that were created on our side and they've been really great in helping to remedy those.

Their involvement has been strictly development to date but we’re planning to use their design team in the future. We’d also like them to provide support for the app post-launch, so we're working through that process as well.  

How did 7ninjas perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management and account management teams are great. The project manager has been very helpful in making sure the process stays on track and steering everyone in the right direction.

They're quite open and transparent. We have access to their development boards so we can see where tasks are instead of waiting to hear an update. The communication with their development team is strong through Slack, even though there’s a 12 hour time difference between New Zealand and Poland. I'll catch them at the beginning of the morning and they catch me late at night and it’s great to be able to talk and have those quick catch ups each day.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with other outsourced development teams and they generally won't offer an opinion. It's quite refreshing to work with a team who’s willing to say “That’s good but this might be better.” It's a very collaborative relationship. We don't consider them outsourced developers for hire but rather see them as valuable members of the team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think there’s always small technical changes that need to be made but they've been really open to feedback and fixing any issues.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and owner of a digital creative agency that handles website development, digital campaigns, etc.

What challenge were you trying to address with 7ninjas?

I needed a skilled front-end coder to assist me in developing my clients’ websites.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They worked with us on several projects, but most recently, they developed the front-end of one of our hotel websites. We provided them with a rough blueprint of what we’d like the front-end to look like, and they developed it using a variety of software, including HTML, JavaScript, and SAS.

What is the team composition? 

We primarily worked with a project manager, two developers, and Eugene Malinin [Co-founder and CFO, 7ninjas].

How did you come to work with 7ninjas?

I searched UpWork for a front-end developer and found Eugene, who was a freelance developer at the time. After partnering on a project with him, I decided to continue working with him. He eventually co-founded 7ninjas and recruited a larger team. I remained Eugene’s client throughout the building of his company.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve invested between $5000 to $6000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I began partnering with Eugene in December 2015, and we finished our latest project in April 2017. Because 7ninjas has expanded its clientele, they’ve became more expensive, but I’m inclined to continue working with them because they produce high-quality work.

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

Every project they’ve worked on for me was very well-received by my clients. As a result, those clients have continued to partner with me.

How did 7ninjas perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a good job. I have no complaints. I don’t have to look over their shoulder constantly. I give them a brief of what I want, they work on that, they bring what they have back to me, I give them my feedback, and we cycle through that process until the work is completed. We use Slack to communicate and Trello to leave feedback on ongoing work. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Unlike other freelancers I’ve found on UpWork, Eugene is extremely forward-thinking and has a firm grasp on high-quality development. He uses the latest technologies to ensure the best user experience. 7ninjas is the most impressive front-end development firm I’ve worked with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I prefer to work with a developer directly as opposed to a project manager because I’d like to communicate with a small team to ensure nothing gets lost in translation. 7ninjas has expanded since I started working with them, so I’ve had to work with their larger team. But I recognize this as more of a preference on my part, as opposed to something negative about them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise that potential customers, regardless of the firm, have a clear idea of what they want. Don’t be vague about your expectations.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a co-founder for a software consultancy that builds products for large businesses.

What challenge were you trying to address with 7ninjas?

We’re US-based, and like to hire good overseas partners to supplement our talent for various projects. We had a large project that needed three extra developers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They participated in the build, attended our daily standups, and helped us conceptualize the project. We worked dually on app and web development through React Native, which allows users to create iOS and Android apps from one codebase. We built one framework for the website, and a second one for the apps. 7ninjas helped with both frameworks for the various platforms.

What is the team dynamic?

We hired three developers from their team. Most of our communication was via Slack.

How did you come to work with 7ninjas?

My business partner discovered them through a Google search.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $50,000–$60,000 this year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in April or May 2017. The original project has ended, but we’ll continue partnering with them in the future.

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

We’re very happy with the work they’ve done for us.

How did 7ninjas perform from a project management standpoint?

We handle project management, and their developers integrate into our team. Interfacing with their developers and their non-technical staff went well and ran smoothly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re good at every aspect of running a consultancy. They follow up with clients, and resolve any issues with billing. They’ve provided solid developers with a good breadth of knowledge.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They did very well overall, but we didn’t always have 100% of their focus.

Advice for potential customers?

There are inherent challenges collaborating with an overseas team. 7ninjas takes time difference and communication into consideration, and are accommodating partners.