Apptension

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a company that has created a place for informed fashion users. We have our headquarter in Wrocław (Poland). Our team is over 20 people and we are growing constantly.

For what projects/services did your company hire Apptension?

I started the company with a great idea and a head full of concepts. I needed to achieve my goals. The goals were to create a place on the web for aware users of fashion and to build a community around it. They helped me to achieve this goal.

What were your goals for this project?

The main goal of the project was to build the MVP application as soon as possible, market it, develop it based on user feedback.

How did you select Apptension?

I chose their team on the basis of the clutch review and interview with them

Describe the project in detail.

The scope of the project included branding, design, development, maintenance, and development of new functions after the production launch. The team used only my vision and ideas to generate a backlog. No other services were provided.

What was the team composition?

PM, TechLead, BE Senior, FE Senior, BE Mid, FE Mid, QA, UX/UI Designer

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

The application has been downloaded more than 300k times during the first 3 months from the launch. The commitment of the team allowed me to achieve all the challenges presented to them.

Users very much praise the design and usability of the application. When the first performance problems appeared, the team quickly worked out a recovery plan and implemented it. Like every application that hasn't come out of MVP yet, a startup has its bugs.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Transparent communication was a routine, there were exceptions, but this did not cause major problems. Project management and all tools for this purpose were on their side. Every attention and feedback from my side was taken into account and the things that concerned were corrected.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most impressive was their flexibility and the unconditional way to face all challenges and problems. The professional management and documentation of the project are also worthy of mention.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a strategic producer and new business development manager for pro(u)d Solutions, a consultancy company. I’m responsible for all the business coming from new areas, such as digital footprints, developments, new programming, and so on.

What challenge were you trying to address with Apptension?

I received a brief from a big multinational company in my home country. They needed to develop a new app based on insights they’d identified from the consumer.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Apptension developed a mobile app that will provide a solution for regular consumers. It comes under the scope of a fast-moving consumer good (FMCG). So far, we’ve done the discovery phase.

What is the team composition?

The team varied depending on the phase of the project. We were working with 3–4 people in the beginning, and there were 10 people involved in the workshop. I’ve worked with 10–15 people from Apptension at our peak, but the range was 3–10, depending on the phase of the project.

How did you come to work with Apptension?

I searched the market for a development partner, and Apptension came as a recommendation from a previous connection, who’d worked with them and was very satisfied. I briefed them and another three development studios, and they won the pitch.

How much have you invested with them?

For this project, we’ve spent roughly $50,000–$100,000, and the next phase will be $500,000 or more.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Apptension in November 2019. The collaboration is ongoing for other projects.

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

Apptension has provided a very good solution. Most importantly, they’ve been able to incorporate the client’s feedback, even if that meant doing a pivot on what we’d done or if it required extra hours. They have a very constructive approach to client feedback and were always willing to come up with new solutions.

I was so satisfied with the results that I’ve continued to use Apptension as my partner for both development and design.

How did Apptension perform from a project management standpoint?

They were on time and were able to provide me the feedback I needed in time for me to prepare for client meetings. They were also able to incorporate my change requests. I have only good things to say about them, not only about the project manager but also the creative and strategic teams. I’m really pleased to work with them.

In the past, I’ve worked with other companies who develop big egos when talking about big clients, but I never felt that here. They’re very good in terms of both IT outcomes and client management, which are both skills that aren’t found easily in development studios.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re really competitive in terms of price and output. They have fair deals, and they make us aware of what they’re delivering and for what amount. As an intermediary to the client, that also gives me a good perspective on what to sell or not to sell. Apptension is a good partner to have.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some of their members need to improve their English.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I’d suggest being open with them, putting the challenge on the table, and being open to try new things. In some of the projects we’re working on now, I sometimes thought that their approach wasn’t what I briefed them for, but then I understood why they did it, and the outcome was even better than I would’ve thought. Trust the team and giving them a bit of space. If you’re not happy, say you’re not happy, and they’ll come back to their initial ideas.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an interactive producer for The Mill in London. We’re a visual effects company specializing in visual effects within the advertising realm. Our department specifically focuses on interactive and digital projects.

What challenge were you trying to address with Apptension?

We needed assistance in building a CMS that catered to an app and website that we built for a major sporting event.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Apptension helped us create a CMS that serves our app and website. The CMS caters to a large gallery, localizations, and copy within the app, which is interactive for users. The product comprises eight challenges and rewards. There’s gameplay and then a filter, which is shareable. The platform also has a gallery and text that’s controlled by the CMS. Their team provided maintenance for a period of time too.

Our team developed a small, one-page website with limited interactivity that services the gallery and all localized text within the app. Both the app and the web are localized into six different languages. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with five people from Apptension including a project manager.

How did you come to work with Apptension?

Our resource manager, who heard of Apptension from other companies, recommended them. Their team actually worked with our LA office on a previous project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in November 2019 and completed in January 2020.

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

The product doesn’t go live until the summer. All of the testing results are positive. There were no issues from a frontend point of view. All of the servers set up that they helped us with were good too.

How did Apptension perform from a project management standpoint?

Day to day, we communicated through a Slack channel that included both dev teams. Their project manager and I had daily stand-ups via Google Hangouts. Any initial documentation was done by email. It was really easy to communicate with them. All of their communication about what they required from us was clear. If there was anything that they weren’t sure about, their team also made sure to clarify. They were also quick to respond.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team communicated clearly and remained on top of their assignments. They even reminded us about events such as bug fixing sessions, which was helpful in managing such a large scale project on our end. They were also flexible when we needed them to be.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear on what it is that you need. They were responsible and outlined their needs, so there wasn’t any ambiguity. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a design and engineering agency based in New York City. Our company works with clients to design, develop, and launch digital products and experiences. I’m a product lead on the product strategy team. I was the project lead on our work with Apptension.

What challenge were you trying to address with Apptension?

We were working with a luxury fitness studio to build and deliver an on-demand fitness app. Our in-house engineering team is relatively small, so we needed their help to build the backend services and capabilities needed to deliver a production level on demand.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The end product needed to support workout video playback, payments, and subscription capabilities. It was built for iOS and Android and offered separate apps for trainers and subscribers. Trainers could upload content for the subscribers to play on their end of the app. On both sides of the coin, there’s room for a lot of photo-sharing. We connected the app to social media platforms. This was particularly important because many of the trainers are also Instagram influencers. 

Our team handled the upfront strategy, design, UX, and front-end development of both the iOS and Android platforms. Their team was brought on to augment the team for backend infrastructure work. They were tasked with server and database management responsibilities. On the backend, we used Prisma, PostgreSQL, AWS SQS for messaging, Cube, and Firebase. For the front-end, we used Swift, Kotlin, and various other technologies on our end.  

What is the team composition?

At max capacity, we had a total of seven people from their team. That included a project manager and developers. 

How did you come to work with Apptension?

Our head of engineering was connected with them prior to the engagement. Once we discussed the scope and our aggressive timeline, they were one of the only providers that were excited about that challenge and wanted to push themselves to meet our deadlines. We felt that they would be the most comfortable and competent in delivering this work.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $10,000–$20,000 on their work so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the work in September 2019, and our collaboration is ongoing. There was a break in deployment for about a month, but we picked things back up in February 2020.

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

We don’t have any hard metrics yet. They collaborated well with us, suggesting technologies to use and explaining how to implement them. Their team was the expert for the backend development, so we trusted their judgment. Our team was impressed with their consistency, despite a significant time zone difference. We got into a rhythm and cadence with our work that ended up benefitting us.   

How did Apptension perform from a project management standpoint?

We landed on GitHub to discuss and identify problems while working. They recommended that we add another software on top of GitHub to further manage the project. That worked well. We also had constant communication through Slack. In addition, we had a weekly call with them to discuss progress. That later turned into a biweekly call because most of our communication could be handled over Slack or GitHub. It was nice to have someone on their end managing their outputs. That made the collaboration easier for us. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’d never worked on an on-demand fitness app and neither had we. Even so, they took everything in stride along with us. Their ability to produce high-quality work with consistency while dealing with a new type of project was impressive.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were some holes in documentation both in and outside of code. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you’re communicating effectively because it’s easy for information to get lost in translation when working with an outsourced, remote partner. I’d recommend Slack for problem-solving, so all conversations are documented.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital project manager at Unit9.

What challenge were you trying to address with Apptension?

We were looking for development work to be done.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Apptension initially helped us with a VR project for HyperCRC. Now, they’re developing an app with a 3D program for use in the construction industry. They’re using Unity for programming, Firebase, and cloud servers. The app pulls data from the server, and then we showcase the data in 3D and make sure the data is parsing back to the server correctly.

What is the team composition?

For the HyperCRC project, we worked with three developers and a project manager. For the app, we’re just working with Krzysztof (Backend Developer), a Unity developer. We have a lead dev in the UK, but Krzysztof is the main person working on the app’s backend and synchronization with the client-server. He makes sure that the 3D element works with the data to be pulled into the app.

How did you come to work with Apptension?

HyperCRC has worked with them before. We’re currently using one of the projects that they built for organizing and scheduling our own internal system, so we knew them from that. Our lead in-house developer recommended Apptension, and our project managers have worked with Apptension on various projects. We like their work, which is why we continue to partner with them on projects.

How much have you invested with them?

My company spent between $120,000–$300,000. The HyperCRC project cost around $80,000 for the year I was involved; the app we’re working on is £170,000 (approximately $209,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

I started at Unit9 a year ago, but the relationship between Unit9 and Apptension began about four years ago. The HyperCRC project has been in motion for two years now. The project that we’re working on currently, which is due to finish this week, has been three months long. We have been doing research for the app since December 2019 and began development in January 2020.

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

Their work on the HyperCRC project over the past year has been absolutely amazing. Our director has been very happy with their work. When the app goes live, we have a second iteration that will probably involve two of their developers rather than just one. We will definitely use Apptension in the coming months. There’s another project that involves the same company but in another country. 

How did Apptension perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a senior project manager for the HyperCRC project, and he was amazing. I actually learned from him in terms of growing as a project manager. His side handled the project’s organization and financing. His translation of dev port to normal presentation was great. When I first started in VR, I didn’t understand it, since I have immense experience in web. The project manager helped me understand a lot. 

For the app project, there was no need for another project manager. We only acquired a Unity web developer, and I’m the project manager. We have daily standups and communicate through email. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Having worked with offshore development teams in India, Australia, and Canada, what differentiates Apptension is that they’re available whenever we need them. Aleksandra (Head of Project Delivery) and Dominika (Head of Client Engagement) handle the admin part of our work together, and they’re amazing about getting back to me right away. For example, the app was meant to finish today, but I asked for Krzysztof to be extended until next week. I got an email back within five minutes that this was okay. The price is absolutely great for the quality we’re getting. They’re good about working with our process and the current standards that our developers put into place. They code the way we want them to. Also, their understanding of Unity is great, which is a reason we’ll use them again. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

This isn’t really a fault on their end, but because they’re a company, they require at least two people on a project. If they do go into lending developers individually, without having to make hierarchy requests, that would be great, but that is only a preferred way from my side. They normally like to have two people minimum on a project. For this project, we didn’t need a project manager, so I had to negotiate with them not to have one on the project. That was just my preference, and they accepted it, so we didn’t have any issues.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have an internal lead. They have different levels of developers, so to remain in sync, have something like a daily standup to ensure you have control over what has and hasn’t been completed. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a company that invests in e-commerce startups and entrepreneurs in new e-commerce technologies.

What challenge were you trying to address with Apptension?

We wanted Apptension to build an e-commerce chatbot for a number of very specific applications. The chatbot was built for potential development and investment.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They are developing the chatbot. The chatbot has multi-purpose functionality; it could work on a website or an app. They use Svelte along with a Rollup.js configuration. AWS Lambda serves as the hosting platform. The backend is written in Python with a serverless framework.

Their team also did research around the AI technologies we could be using for the chatbot. Half the work was research and the other half was building the prototype.

What is the team composition?

There were 2–3 main developers I spoke with along with a main project manager.

How did you come to work with Apptension?

They worked with a company that I had previously invested in.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested somewhere between $20,000–$40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in July of 2019. The work is ongoing.

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

The quality of their work has been excellent. They’ve done an incredible amount of work and exponentially broadened the scope of the project in a smart way. The ROI on the budget we’ve invested has been great. They’ve exceeded the initial set of expectations.

How did Apptension perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve had conversations with developers on a weekly basis. The communication and tracking of the project have gone well. The project management is very conscientious; they are regularly in touch with me. Any changes have been communicated ahead of time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very knowledgeable about cutting-edge technology.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing that could be improved.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I think other people might have a much more specific product to build, whereas I went in a bit unsure of what I wanted to develop.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the operations manager for Schema Design. We create data visualization products for our clients.

What challenge were you trying to address with Apptension?

We engaged Apptension to help us create visual installations for a third-party client’s conference.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We created seven video installations and an interactive touch screen that would run throughout the conference. Our side made the videos and the interactive map for the touch screen; Apptension built the software to run both.

The video installations were run off of custom pillars with multiple screens on two sides. Meanwhile, the touchscreen installation was operated on Microsoft Surface Hub. Our teams weren’t familiar with these technologies, so Apptension learned their limitations on the fly. Their team figured out how to run each video on multiple screens and how to sync the video on both sides of the installation. 

The development last three months. An Apptension team member then flew with us to the conference to provide live support.

What is the team composition?

Apptension dedicated a full-time developer to the project. We also worked with a project manager, a QA person, and a few part-time developers.

How did you come to work with Apptension?

Our founder met their team at South By Southwest (SXSW), and we started collaborating on other products. When this opportunity came along, we felt that they would be the perfect team to pair up with.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000 and $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from August–November 2018.

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

The software performed well with minimal bugs and issues. Apptension made tweaks on-site to ensure that the event ran smoothly. Our client was pleased with the end product, and so were we.

How did Apptension perform from a project management standpoint?

Aleksandra (Head of Product Delivery, Apptension) led a highly organized and talented team. She kept us in the loop on progress updates and warned us of any potential delays. We met twice a week and communicated through Slack and Jira.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We valued their professional work ethic and their personable approach. Despite our time zone differences, the Apptension team adapted to our work schedule and was highly approachable throughout the collaboration. We could never have completed the project without them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Any advice for potential customers?

We found it helpful to have frequent meetings. Apptension provided valuable insights and progress updates. They also organized each meeting carefully to use our time as efficiently as possible.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the senior digital producer at Bonsaininja Studio, an independent creative studio that designs and delivers complex communication and digital projects.

For what projects/services did your company hire Apptension?

One of our top clients asked us to design and deliver a large interactive exhibit that would showcase two of their brands at an international technology conference. The display was to convey the public vision of the brands and illustrate how a futuristic kitchen might operate.

Our primary challenge was to provide a gamified experience through VR technology that would lean on facial and emotional recognition. Our team designed that element with a group of psychologists, but we hired Apptension to develop technical solutions to ensure an enjoyable experience for all users.

What were your goals for this project?

The main goal was to showcase a technology that will become mainstream in the years to come in an engaging and fun way.

How did you select this vendor?

I contacted several Italy-based vendors we’ve worked with in the past, along with a firm I knew from when I worked in Northern Ireland. We also received a number of other references. After we presented the project, challenges, and budget to the development teams, we narrowed our list to three companies. We selected Apptension from the group because we felt they were the most reliable team and the most enthusiastic about the project.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Apptension provided technical direction and frontend and backend development of IoT devices and other featured software. The technology was built to react to various visual stimuli, deduce the users’ specific customer profile, and recommend a particular product. The technology gently harvests user data and provides group analytics. Apptension conducted QA testing and thorough maintenance. They coordinated training sessions and worked to ensure functionality in a live environment.

What was the team composition?

We had access to a single, full-time POC. The project team consisted of a technical leader, front- and backend developers, a DevOps designer, and a QA specialist.

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

We consider this specific activation a great success. Our client collected a great deal of data during four days at the conference. The overall footfall was higher than past editions, and we imagine that the facial recognition activity contributed to that success. The results exceeded our initial goals, and our client was enthusiastic about the project’s outcome.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

All assets, services, and products were delivered on time and within budget. We used Jira, Slack, Google Slides, and Basecamp for project management purposes. Although much of the development happened remotely, we didn’t experience any troubles because of the time differences.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Apptension exhibited a strong capacity to understand our needs and respond accordingly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We would have needed more testing to ensure that the application accurately recognized more diverse faces.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive producer for a digital studio. We provide a variety of services like experience design and web development. We can also take on large-scale interactive installations and documentaries. Our other services include video content production, marketing material design, and 3D asset creation for web development projects.

What challenge were you trying to address with Apptension?

Despite having an in-house development team, we occasionally get too busy and need to extend our capabilities by engaging a trusted partner. We've meant to work with Apptension for a while and when two projects came up simultaneously, we seized the opportunity to hire them for web development.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Apptension helped us over the course of two projects. First, they developed an informational website for an educational institution. Then, they developed a campaign website that utilizes user data to display exciting infographics and innovations. We attached a director to both projects and provided the technical plans. They contributed to those documents as well. Our internal QA resource worked with their QA team. We designed each site’s UI/UX, but only provided minimal development support. They skillfully lead the development efforts.

What is the team composition?

They assigned a project manager, a QA team, and a few developers.

How did you come to work with Apptension?

They were referred to us by a colleague who has an ongoing engagement with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in Fall 2017.

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

They believe in producing high-quality work that’s on par with what we develop internally. Apptension remained transparent and proactively engaged in communication to accommodate challenging client feedback. This approach enabled them to navigate short project timelines and deliver successful products.

How did Apptension perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re communicative and organized. We interacted through email, Slack, and Google Hangouts. All document sharing was rooted in Google Drive. We overcame a six-hour time difference by meeting with them at the end of their day. They worked ahead of the production schedule, so our meetings consisted of reviewing their progress and making a plan for the following day.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The speed at which they delivered an early build of the first site was remarkable. They stayed ahead of the curve throughout both projects and that allowed us to polish each deliverable further.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We found that each party had a different understanding of the scope at several points throughout development. We were able to clear everything up quickly, so that didn’t negatively impact the engagement in a significant way. However, both teams discussed the issue as something that could be improved during the next project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Visual references and guidelines were useful in communicating our vision to them. I’d also recommend establishing a plan to maneuver around the time difference from the start. Later in development, revisit the unknowns that occurred at the beginning of the engagement to ensure a unified understanding between both teams.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital delivery director at a creative agency that works with footwear and hospitality companies. Our digital campaign services include product launches, advertising campaigns, and marketing campaigns.

What challenge were you trying to address with Apptension?

We do annual internal projects. This year, we wanted to create a digital experience based on a local photojournalist’s print work. The photographer had documented his relationship with an elderly man who has lived in Hoxton for over 80 years. We wanted to do something based on this for our project.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We built an interactive website using Apptension as a development partner. We handled the creative and the UX/UI design in-house. The photography came from our partner. We also commissioned music, produced videos, and created other content. They worked solely on web development; their UX and design teams collaborated with our in-house development team.

We had audio recordings from both the photographer and actor that portrayed the subject – someone who’s lived in the area for over 86 years without and never left. We segmented the experience into different chapters based on the audio’s topic. They built facial recognition software that uses the webcam to track users’ faces.

The site invites users to close their eyes during each chapter. The experience then introduces background noise to complement each picture. The site asks users to open their eyes after they’ve had enough time to imagine the scene. After detecting that their eyes have opened, we will display the photograph of that scene, so that they can see what it actually was they’d been imagining.

What is the team composition?

The project manager was responsible for planning, delivery, timelines, and managing the development team. However, we maintained direct communication because we prefer close relationships between design and development resources. The development team included three people and the CTO.

How did you come to work with Apptension?

I had friends at a company that previously engaged them. They suggested speaking to Apptension.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them between March – April 2017. The website is still live, but won’t be updated as it is a one-time project.

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

The site won about four industry awards – a great recognition of our work. We didn’t use KPIs because this was a passion project. From an internal perspective, we loved the site and the creativity that went into it. Everyone was proud of the site; it was a positive experience.

We didn’t necessarily want to attract a specific number of people to the site, see a number of shares, or something similar. We wanted to create a compelling experience that resonated with people. To that end, the site experienced organic growth without paid media.

How did Apptension perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive via Slack and phone. We had daily standup meetings each morning to review that day’s work. The team was flexible and adapted to our preferred methods. Our project manager helped them transition to our workflows. They performed well once they learned our processes.

They were experienced problem solvers; we felt confident about the integration between teams. We had access to senior developers. They were ambitious and worked late nights to deliver our vision.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their approach enhanced the team dynamic. As a remote partner, Apptension extended themselves; they were interested in our work and make the project their own. That sense of responsibility and engagement truly distinguished them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Near the end of the project, I spoke with the IT business manager about how we’d like to work with them in the future. We didn’t want to go through the same startup process again. Similarly, any future projects would need a more efficient onboarding process for new team members. We also had some specific feedback for improving QA, which didn’t perform on the same level as development. QA is just as important during the building phase.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Outline requirements to Apptension as soon as possible, and make sure that expectations are clear. We had an upfront discussion on this topic but later found that our approaches differed slightly. Had we provided more information, and spent more time discussing how we wanted to run the project, they would have been in a better position initially to react to that.