Appuchino

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-owner of Higgins & Higgins Music; we supply educational books to secondary schools.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Appuchino?

We previously supplied schools with CDs but were trying to move away from this and create an application to offer the same service. We’d previously attempted to do this with two other companies but were unsuccessful, so we hired Appuchino to try to create the app for the third time. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started by giving them the previous examples of the app that hadn’t worked out. We were hoping to build an app for students to use on their phones and something that could be used in a classroom setting with a projector, so it also needed to be web-based. The app and web link also needed to be intertwined on the backend. 

When we started, we initially thought we would only develop audio, but as we got deeper into the project, we added e-books to the system because we could input PDFs. Students can access the platform through phones, tablets, and desktop computers. We’re now adding other features to the platform because we just completed our first academic year with it. 

What is the team composition?

We work with two individuals.

How did you come to work with Appuchino?

We were looking at two different companies, and Appuchino seemed to go the extra mile for us, so we decided to move forward with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent a bit less than €35,000 (approximately $37,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2022, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We consider this engagement a huge success because the platform is extremely functional, which was our goal. Our users are praising the content in the app, and we haven’t had any issues. We went through two iterations of the system not working, and now we have something that functions efficiently and works well that we’re proud of.  

How did Appuchino perform from a project management standpoint?

They hit all their deadlines and have completed everything, so we’ve been satisfied with the project management. 

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Alexey (Founder) has been incredible and takes the time to work through issues. We’d been through so much with other companies and had such bad experiences, but Alexey took that in stride and has worked through all of that. We go back and forth a lot, but he’s patient and makes it work. He has made the engagement very pleasant, and it very easily could have been difficult. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Appuchino takes the time to understand what we need and our goals. We gave them a lot of information and brought a lot of negative experiences from working with other companies. Still, Appuchino is the first company that has taken the time to propose helpful solutions. We can’t give them enough credit for making the application work. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing we can come up with. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have an idea of what you want instead of a list of what you don’t. Be honest about your needs and wants so they can determine what’s possible. If you let them know what you’re looking for at the beginning of the engagement, there is a better chance that you’ll get what you’re looking for. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder of a software as a service for law enforcement

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Appuchino, and what were your goals?

We are a very small startup currently and wanted to get started on selling our product as soon as possible. We already had a somewhat functioning IOS app, but it need a lot of work. All while a desktop application still wasn't existent until now. We decided to focus on developing the desktop client ourselves, and wanted help to bring the IOS app to an acceptable level quickly.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We used just about every website out there to find talent. Upwork ended up being the platform we used. Through Upwork, we had a lot of companies give us their proposals and estimates. However, Appuchino stuck out as they were the only ones to identify the flaws in our current IOS app. Every other company told us the existing code was good, and that was just about it. We didn't feel that the other companies really understand our product nor the level of quality we were looking for.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had an initial dialog via Upwork. We didn't have much to provide to Appuchino for the IOS app other than the source code. Once we sent that over and it was reviewed, we had a Zoom call to discuss what exactly the product is and what we need done. Then they sent over an estimate. Some key technologies that Appuchino incorporated for us consisted of (but not limited to) Firebase realtime database, for tracking user locations, bug fixes in Swift, revamped visual design, and an image uploading feature.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We communicated directly with Alexey and his team via Slack, of which consisted of at least two software engineers, a designer, and a quality assurance tester

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

While we aren't planning on officially releasing our product until August, we have had great responses to Appuchino's work each time we've demonstrated the app and completed test runs. Everyone is always impressed

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Project management was done through Clickup, communication was done with Slack and Zoom. Testflight for testing. And Gitlab was used for code version control

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

As already stated, we were impressed that they actually acknowledged existing flaws in the app. While others simply had a "can do" attitude, and we weren't super sure of their abilities. But we also found Appuchino to be unique in it's size. It's not a very large company, but we actually preferred this. They felt much more genuine and our project wasn't just another paycheck for them to rush through.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

The only thing that we had to really work around, is the time zone difference, since we're in the U.S, and Appuchino is based in Ireland. But this is obviously not something that either one of us can control.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CTO at Axonista, which has a video technology platform and builds video apps and websites for our customers. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Appuchino?

We hired Appuchino’s team to augment our in-house development team. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Appuchino provides our firm with development resources to augment our in-house team, assisting with iOS mobile app and Apple TV development projects. They also help with Android projects. We’ve worked in Java and Objective-C, but have moved into Kotlin and Swift. 

What is the team composition?

The teammates we work with from Appuchino change depending on our current project. At most, we’ve worked with 6–7 teammates from Appuchino’s team. 

How did you come to work with Appuchino?

Alexey (Founder) was a member of our local engineering community and frequently spoke at industry events. Their team was well-known, and when I was looking for additional developers, I reached out to them. Appuchino’s experience preceded them — they’d already developed successful, well-known apps in our region. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $200,000–$300,000 with Appuchino.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership with Appuchino began in April 2013, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Appuchino’s resources are always excellent — we wouldn’t work with a subpar team for almost a decade. They are always proactive and aren’t afraid to challenge our customer’s ideas if they aren’t the best solution for the problem at hand. Appuchino’s work helps us retain customers because we can deliver on time and within their budgets. 

How did Appuchino perform from a project management standpoint?

Appuchino’s team is very reliable and talented; we’ve used the same resources across multiple projects. Our in-house project manager leads projects, but Appuchino’s manager always ensures that their resources are up-to-date on the latest development practices. We use Jira and GitHub to manage projects, and sometimes we use Asana or Trello for smaller projects. Most of our communication is through Slack or phone calls — sometimes using Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom to discuss projects with our customers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Appuchino has really experienced, dependable engineers — we know their work will always be good. Alexey has a keen sense of design, which he’s instilled in his engineers. We work with a lot of media companies, and it’s amazing that Appuchino’s team knows how designs and development processes interact, which yields great-looking apps. Whenever I have high-profile customers, I utilize Appuchino’s team because they understand design.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything specific for Appuchino to change at this point. Generally, I provide Alexey with on-the-spot feedback during a project because they’re always searching for improvements.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise customers to be very clear about what they want from a partnership with Appuchino. If there is anything customers don’t know how to get what they need, it’s essential to collaborate with Appuchino’s team because they understand how to develop good products. Appuchino will help customers discover their product’s potential. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Flipdish help their clients to receive more online orders. They make powerful ordering websites and apps for quick service delivery and takeaway restaurants. Flipdish help their clients to regain control of their sales channels and build customer loyalty with tailor made ordering apps & websites.

They are known for their friendly and professional service and market leading products. I'm CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Appuchino, and what were your goals?

Once we picked Appuchino, we sat down with Alexey to discuss our initial thoughts and ideas in more detail and show him our first rough wireframes. Appuchino took a few days to run the estimates and shortly after followed up with their proposal.

After papers were agreed on and signed they got busy working on wireframing and design concept. During the design stage we were presented with a couple of options for the general design direction and icon sets. The app development then kicked off in parallel with the backend development that we did inhouse.

The product we decided to start with was Flipdish iOS app - a restaurant aggregator with hundreds of restaurants in Dublin. It took Appuchino about 8 months to compete the first version of the app. After receiving the initial feedback from our customers though we made a decision to pivot, we changed the product concept rather dramatically and decided to reposition the product as a white-label solution for restaurants.

Appuchino reacted fast and supported the change swiftly. They quickly made the changes we asked for and adapted the codebase so we can easily build restaurant-branded apps. At about the same time we've ordered the Android app too. After both apps were released Appuchino worked with us to further support the app in the next few years.

SOLUTION

How did you select Appuchino and what were the deciding factors?

We met Alexey - Appuchino founder - by accident. Believe it or not, our co-founder and CEO James met him in a Dublin pub! At that point we were discussing some of our initial business ideas with a few other agencies.

However because Alexey showed such a genuine interest and involvement into the project from our first meeting and because his pricing was also very competitive, the partner selection process became really fast and easy for us.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Appuchino team helped us build the mobile part of our product from scratch. When we changed our business model to white-label solution, Alexey came up with a remote config idea and in a matter of a couple of months we had a completely different product ready to be shipped. We were able to build customer branded apps and remotely enable and disable app features.

This version of the product became very successful and was the one that remains core to our business up to date. There are more than 3,500 businesses that currently use Flipdish-powered solution built on the code delivered by Appuchino.

How many resources from the Appuchino team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Initially I worked as a backend developer and product manager. Alexey, Appuchino founder, was a project manager and software architect on the app.

The first version of the iOS app was developed by 2 Appuchino iOS developers. As our company grew we assigned various people to work with Appuchino, from CTO to project managers. I'd say from Appuchino side on the peak of active development we worked with a designer, a PM, 2 iOS developers, 2 Android developers and a QA engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We got the app delivered and it has since helped thousands of restaurants and millions of consumers.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Communication with Appuchino was timely and efficient. During the first two years we were communicating directly with Alexey who was leading the project from Appuchino side. We had a Slack channel set up to discuss technical requirements and details directly with the developers.

Task management was executed through Trello. We had regular calls and - where needed - meetings with Alexey and the rest of the team. The collaboration was smooth and we were very happy with it.

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

What we valued most in the course of our work with Appuchino was their individual approach to us as a customer, true care about our product and its future as well as the team’s flexibility and ability to adjust to the changing requirements. They had a healthy degree of perfectionism, with a good eye for detail and things to improve.

They also brought many ideas and suggestions to the table along the way, which was something we appreciated and often took onboard.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

The first version of the app was delayed by a couple of months vs. initially made time estimates. However that wasn't completely Appuchino's fault as we were working on the backend at the same time as the app was developed and changes were made frequently.

In the end of the day we got a solid product that we were happy with, which was something that mattered most to us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Noviscient, a wealth and asset management company based in Singapore.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Appuchino?

We needed someone to create an iOS version of our client portal, to help our investors monitor their portfolios in real time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Appuchino used the Swift programming language to build and develop an iOS mobile app for our web portal. They also integrated Firebase to detect and troubleshoot any issues and runtime errors quickly.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, a developer, and a QA specialist.

How did you come to work with Appuchino?

I knew their team because I’ve been following them for quite some time. I knew how they developed the company and how they created their first app and I just remembered being impressed with the quality of their work.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $25,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–June 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We met all the requirements in the scope and they’re continuing to help us make improvements and monitor the performance of the system. Whenever we have issues with the API, they’re quick to respond and they fix it immediately.

How did Appuchino perform from a project management standpoint?

It took some time building and developing the components because it was complex and we had to consider a couple of their proposals for a solution. However, they were able to pick up the pace and deliver the product in a timely manner.

We mainly used JIRA and Microsoft Excel to manage the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with how they developed the custom components close to the design we had. Additionally, the designers who got to try the application were very impressed with the quality of the app.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This project was our first experience developing an app so I can’t think of anything they could improve on. It was just a perfect collaboration.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

CLEVR Mobility is a micromobility suite operator. I’m the product manager for our SaaS solution, which enables our micromobility fleet to be shared and rented by our consumers. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Appuchino?

Appuchino is the developer of our iOS and Android apps. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The apps they develop communicate to our web solutions through an API that a different team manages and develops. By opening up certain features and functionality to the Appuchino team, our internal team can focus on our web solution. The team also executes the coding needs of the project.  

It’s a consumer-facing rideshare app that allows users to locate and rent light electric vehicles and scooters as a primary device. It allows users to find where shareable scooters are and use them in the mix of public transportation within their city. The shared electric vehicles are meant to be part of the greater ecosystem of public transportation for any given city. The app has gone live in Oakland, San Jose, Chicago, Illinois, and Ontario, California. 

Our project is ongoing, but micromobility is something that has been affected greatly by the global pandemic. When public transportation usage drops, shared light electric vehicle usage also drops, mainly due to the fact that people aren’t going out to restaurants, events, or concerts. We’re trying to get through this pandemic like any other business that has been affected. 

What is the team composition?

We have one primary contact. He’s in contact with the designer, and the designer often takes our user stories and turns it into visual mockups of the mobile app. 

How did you come to work with Appuchino?

I found them on the internet. I thought their pricing was really competitive, but it wasn’t so low that it made me suspicious. Their communication was excellent too. 

They were happy to work with me and even threw out some ideas before we engaged with them, which gave me a lot of confidence that I would be treated well once I signed up with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership began in September 2020, and we continue to collaborate.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We monitor our daily active user views. All the reporting and analysis have been skewed, but it’s not something related to Appuchino’s performance. Prior to the pandemic, we saw our ridership and daily active users growing, and we’ve been satisfied with their ability to introduce new features.

We’re really excited to do more development with them. We’re just a little bit in a lull right now, and just trying to hang on while riders come back. We’ve also been able to work faster than if we are to do everything by ourselves. Even before the start of the engagement, they’ve stayed consistent in their reliability and communication skills. 

How did Appuchino perform from a project management standpoint?

They often submit their artworks and we give our approval. Once we approve the user stories they develop, they go off in a sprint that lasts about 2–3 weeks. After that, we regroup. 

They don’t miss a single meeting, and every time I want a response, I receive it in a timely manner. Overall, there’s never any moment that warrants concern. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their design and creativity skills have been impressive. Our ideas have come to life because of them. Additionally, the artworks they deliver are attuned to the previous artworks they’ve done. Moreover, they have the ability to come into the project that’s not necessarily started by them, and be able to pick it up and take it to the next level seamlessly without any inconsistencies. 

Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised with the creativity Appuchino can bring to the table and how they are able to enhance the fundamental ideas that we give them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

If I have to say anything, they can perhaps be quicker in delivering features. However, that’s not really something that I’ve been satisfied with. Right now, I’m just in a perfect world.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Always plan. There needs to be proper planning in place and a product roadmap. The more planning you do, the more chance you have to succeed when you need to put things in order.

Additionally, identify the people your team is going to be working with, and align with them on where your product is going, what it’s going to do, and who it’s going to serve. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Head of Product for a running app company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Appuchino, and what were your goals?

We were looking for an experienced developer to develop an Apple Watch app for us

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We were looking at people with Apple Watch app experience and Appuchino looked the best!

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

They had to create the Apple Watch app from scratch, from recording and tracking runs, through to displaying this on the UI and syncing with the phone as well as iterating based on user feedback.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with a single developer full time for >6 months

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The Apple Watch app has been hugely useful to us.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

He integrated directly into our team really well and was like another member of the team!

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

I like how easily they integrate as part of your team.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO of Phorest salon software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Appuchino, and what were your goals?

We wanted to bring new features to market in a fast timeframe, these were to our in salon apps.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We know Alexy well and he is a professional who delivers in his work.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

iOS and Android native apps. The folks joined in our group to deliver them

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

3 native mobile engineers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We delivered new features which drove upsell and delighted our customers.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Direct, honest, and professional. We used our in-house tools like Jira and Slack to collaborate.

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

We were impressed with their professionalism and expertise in mobile app development.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

No.