Blue Label Labs

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a business networking platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Label Labs?

I needed to develop my mobile app and website, so I hired Blue Label Labs.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Blue Label Labs oversaw the development of the website and the app. The team was also in charge of building the backend for both.

How did you come to work with Blue Label Labs?

Both Zachary (Partner & VP) and Danny (VP of Product) had entrepreneurial backgrounds. Besides their competitive pricing, we liked that they understood the journey and process of founding a startup, so we hired the team. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March 2019–March 2020.

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

We never got to show the app to the world because the final product went live 7–8 weeks before COVID-19 hit. However, we were still nominated for a Webby Award, which is something that we’re very proud of. Our investors, members, and partners were very complimentary and excited about the app. It was well received.

How did Blue Label Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management sometimes ran over a bit more than what we expected, but we allowed them to do so. There were also challenges with the structure of their team. I recognize that having offshore developers presented its advantages, especially in keeping the costs down, but it prolonged communication between us. Feedback took a while to reach the right people.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Danny stood out during the project. He was very talented, passionate, and hardworking. He had a great eye for design and was very patient.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We didn’t immediately realize that things were a bit fragmented across their team. When we went to meet them in person we thought that everyone worked in the same office, but we quickly found out that most of them were working remotely. Though there was communication between them, it would’ve been helpful to have everyone in one place. 

We found that aspect quite frustrating since we were led to believe that it’d be a smoother, more seamless process. We instead experienced a 48-hour turnaround for each round of feedback.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The New York team was a bit more rigorous about sticking to our roadmap and timeline. However, as we communicated more with the developers from India during development, things were no longer happening at the pace that we had agreed to. My advice is to have a clear agreement with Blue Label Labson in terms of the roadmap, timeline, and expectations.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the director of technology and wholesale for our company. We're a specialty coffee company looking to scale a new drive-thru concept.

For what projects/services did your company hire Blue Label Labs, and what were your goals?

We hired Blue Label to develop our mobile app, which is the sole method of ordering at our new drive thru concept. We wanted a platform that could simplify the ordering process without requiring interaction with a staff member, and could scale with us as we grow. We also needed an internal facing app so our staff could manage orders.

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

We worked through discussions with 5 different app development firms. Blue Label provided far and away the best value and insight into the entirety of the development process. They listened to what we wanted to accomplish, and sought to add value to that vision, as opposed to altering our business plan like some of their competitors. They were also incredibly responsive throughout the selection process.

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

Our scope of work included iOS, Android, and Clover marketplace builds. This required integration with a payment gateway for payment processing, inventory management, employee accounts, Firebase for push notifications, and much more.

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

We worked consistently with 5 members of Blue Label's team. Their CEO, VP of Design, Project Manager, Director of Client Solutions, and UX Designer. We did not have consistent interaction with development resources, as that is Blue Label's CEO's area of expertise.

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

We have exceeded our goals for revenue by nearly 40% since launch, and our app has almost 7k users for just one physical location. We also have exceeded the expected proportion of orders processed in our app by almost 50%. We are delighted with all of the deliverables.

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

Blue Label provided weekly touchpoints, in addition to instant communication via Slack or text with key resources. This is one of their strengths.

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

The willingness to do whatever was needed to meet our goals and make us feel positive about our experience remains unassailable. The team provided one of the best customer service experiences I've ever had.

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

We had one communication oversight over the 5 months of working together that was shared responsibility and quickly resolved. That would be the only area I could even begin to entertain the idea of "improvement", if you could even call it that.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a mobile app startup. We provide delivery and pickup services for food vendors at live entertainment venues.

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Label Labs?

We came to them for design work not long after coming up with the idea for our service. Our team is fairly new to the entrepreneurship realm, so we needed assistance with branding and design.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with them on illustrations, logos, colors, and other design work. They also helped us build a pitch deck, develop a UI/UX framework for our solution, and determine what we needed to develop an MVP. We had multiple meetings each week to discuss their work and give them feedback to incorporate into their deliverables.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Ashkan (Client Solutions Director), Danny (Partner & Product VP), and one other person from their team.

How did you come to work with Blue Label Labs?

Over the course of several weeks, we reached out to six companies and had an initial hour-long meeting with each of them. We vetted them based on their budget, their previous body of work, and their understanding of our requirements. Due to price, we were going to go with another company, but Blue Label Labs was willing to bring down their costs to secure our business.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $30,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–May 2020.

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

Our main objective was to obtain an MVP and put together our pitch deck for angel investors and other business partners. Without their critical design work, we wouldn’t have been able to meet these objectives. Thanks to them, we’ve been able to land two investments and two business partners. They helped our startup pick up traction.

How did Blue Label Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a very good job. We were new to the app development industry, so they gave us great guidance and made sure we stayed on top of everything. Ashkan always had a one-on-one meeting with us to make sure the partnership was running smoothly. Their team was more than willing to redo anything without charging us extra. They communicated effectively as well. We communicated via Slack and used Invision for project management purposes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very knowledgeable about design trends. They helped us develop designs that would still look good in several years so that we could focus on the functionality of our solution.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s hard to find anything to nitpick. The only reason we’re not working with them now is their price range.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them know what your end goals are for the project. They’ve got a wealth of experience that’ll help you realize these goals as long as they’re communicated to them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a startup in the sports industry that handles video, editing, computer vision, and mobile applications. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Label Labs?

I wanted to build a clickable, scrollable prototype that fell within my budget. We hired them to deliver a prototype complete with wireframes, UX designs, and screens.

What was the scope of their involvement?

To start, we established the deliverable set for the prototype and defined the timeline and budget. They created all the clickable screens and wireframes for the prototype for iOS. In the long term, the platform will serve both iOS and Android. They created the prototype using InVision.  

What is the team composition?

There were four people: a sales representative, a UI/UX specialist, a creative teammate for iterations, and a project manager.  

How did you come to work with Blue Label Labs?

We looked online to find a partner, focusing on sites like Clutch. Using reviews from Clutch and other websites, I set up 30–40 calls with agencies and dev shops. In the end, I decided to go with the team that best understood our needs and had experience with projects like ours. Their portfolio items were designed in a way where I knew I’d be comfortable if their aesthetic was applied to my vision.   

How much have you invested with them?

Working on a fixed fee basis, we spent about $25,000 on their work. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project spanned August–November 2020.

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

My ongoing acceptance and approval of their work indicated that they were successful in this role. Additionally, I shared their progress with several individuals in my network for feedback while the project was ongoing. They also ran their work through a testing loop and did surveys with 15 people of different nationalities within our target demographic.

The quality of their work was strong. Both the screens and the overall design looked great. They were helpful in executing on fine-point, specific issues that could’ve got in our way. For instance, all of their logo options looked good. They helped us pull the trigger on the look that would be helpful to our company.   

How did Blue Label Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We had hour-long meetings on a weekly basis as well as communication through a Slack channel. The project was small enough to not need a project manager, so they didn’t need to do too much project management. At times, however, I found myself a bit limited to our weekly meetings because some of their team members were less responsive on Slack than I would’ve hoped. In the end, it’s remote work, so it was all okay.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

After listening to my needs, they asked the right questions to dig deeper into my ideas. That helped them understand how I wanted the platform to look and perform. In their first iterations of a few screens, we could see their understanding of my vision. They were able to take my ideas and turn them into something physical.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

I didn’t have much contact with the project manager outside of her setting up meetings and recording some of our calls. I think her involvement in the project was unnecessary, and we could’ve saved some money by dropping her out. 

They were generally good communicators. However, there was no follow-through on their part when we would discuss having side conversations and meetings over Slack. That was a bit annoying.

I also wasn’t happy when team members that were staffed on the project missed our meetings. That comes with our project being on the smaller side, but I felt that they should’ve been more involved. Especially when we’re only meeting one hour per week, I’d expect the team members to engage in that meeting. 

Toward the end of the project, they started to renege on one of the deliverables because it wasn’t clearly defined in the initial scope. However, they said delivering it wouldn’t be difficult at all and said they’d follow through on it. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d be careful when working with larger agencies because some of the smaller tasks and projects may take a back seat when push comes to shove. However, the end product is great and gives me something to base the platform on. 

Remember that working with a contractor is like buying a pair of shoes: you have to be very specific about what you want. For instance, as a customer, you may assume that your 20-page website would come with a footer that’s consistent across all screens. It’s still important to vocalize small details like that to avoid any corner-cutting. They’re running a business too, so make sure you’re contractually covered on everything that’s important to you and that communication lines are open.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT director for a professional sports players union.

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Label Labs?

We needed them to build a mobile app to interact with players.

What was the scope of their involvement?

A previous developer initially built the app, but we weren’t happy with the work. We decided to move the work over to their team for an app refresh. Additionally, we wanted them to implement some additional functionality. The new functionalities included push notifications and timely communication of our announcements. We also wanted to establish a way for players to give feedback to the association about work-related issues. The app was built for iOS and Android.   

What is the team composition?

We worked with three team members. 

How did you come to work with Blue Label Labs?

I believe they were referred to us, but I was not part of the company at this point. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $250,000 on the project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since January 2018. While we didn’t engage much with them in 2020 due to COVID-19, we have some ideas for additional developments to the app. In 2021, we’ll make these improvements.   

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

We’re basing the performance of the app around how often our players are using it and what kind of feedback they provide. They seem to been particularly engaged with the on-field feedback portion of the app. We also track engagement analytics, which informs us about what features players are using. 

How did Blue Label Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They leverage Asana, which has been effective in tracking the status of various tasks. Their project management style includes working in two-week sprints followed by QA and our approval. That’s been efficient, and we work well together as we implement changes into the app. During active development, we met every week. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re an efficient and professional company. We’ve never had issues with their capabilities to turn around our requirements in an appropriate amount of time. It’s been a positive experience overall.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to have use cases and a project plan outlined. Otherwise, everyone has different working styles, but I’d recommend them to others looking for development work.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a health care companion application. We’re part of a larger health care company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Label Labs?

We wanted to work with Blue Label Labs to help build our Android app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Blue Label Labs built our Android app from scratch. Their team also managed the design work using the iOS platform as a guide.  I also provided them with images, assets, and an API to access data.

Their team learned about the platform’s intricacies; the app’s complex and domain-specific. They then determined which technologies to use. Afterward, they worked with us to create a schedule for development and testing.  

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and 2­–3 developers on this project.

How did you come to work with Blue Label Labs?

I personally know the founder and heard positive reviews over the years. I was happy to work closely with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $100,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our partnership in February 2020, and it’s ongoing. They’re currently in the testing phase.

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

The platform’s complex and domain-specific. At the beginning of the project, I demonstrated and gave them access to the iOS app. Their team then build a deep understanding of the product’s intricacies, which pleasantly surprised me.

How did Blue Label Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated a little bit by e-mail but mostly through Slack. I communicate with the developers via a Slack channel. If there were any issues on my end or theirs, we resolved them via Slack. We also use Jira for tracking.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I only use a piece of their services because it was a straightforward port. But I know that they also have design and project management skills. I’ve been so happy with them that I plan to take advantage of their other services in the future.

One of their strengths is that they oversee the entire project, which made it hands-off for me. I had confidence in their ability to deliver exactly what was promised. The final product wasn’t only a feature parity but also close to a pixel-perfect rendition of the existing app.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve delivered demos and the codebase to review on a more frequent basis. I wasn’t unhappy but would’ve liked to have more visibility there.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I trusted them from the beginning. They were able to take the guidelines and run with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company is developing a social platform for restaurants that provides customers with great lifetime value and rewards-based tools. I’m the CEO and founder of the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Label Labs?

We needed a company to create the UI/UX of our app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were looking to build two separate paths for our marketplace: one that serves restaurants and one that helps consumers. I gave them the app that we initially launched to serve as a starting point for their development work. They created the diners and restaurants app from the ground up.

Their team also focused on the UI/UX of both apps. The deliverables were InVision prototypes that we’re now using to build the apps. Additionally, they created brand guidelines based on their designs and information I shared with them about our company’s vision.  

What is the team composition?

There were 3–4 people involved in the process on their end. 

How did you come to work with Blue Label Labs?

I had my marketing lead research companies to promote the initial version of the app that we launched. In doing that research, she found them because of their marketing skills. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $74,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in Septemeber 2019, and our collaboration is ongoing. We’re taking a pause right now, but it will continue in the future.

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

We did a user interview with a consumer on the app and a restaurant. Most of the feedback for the UI/UX was very positive for both apps. So far, my stakeholders, investors, and my team think the UI is wonderful. Their work has surpassed my expectations for the platform.  

How did Blue Label Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great at meeting our deadlines, staying on track to make sure each person was working diligently on hitting deadlines. The timeline worked out well because of that. We used Asana to communicate and comment on their iterative work. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a dynamic team that knows what they’re doing. They came up with solutions based on really loose concepts, providing tons of functions that I wasn’t anticipating.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They didn’t immediately relay information regarding budget changes immediately, and that would’ve been helpful for planning purposes. However, when I brought this up with them, they recognized the issue and waived the additional amount on the invoice. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

People should work with them because of their dynamism and skill. They responded quickly to requests, so make sure that you’re on top of your game by providing them with information.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a music discovery app that leverages social networks to stimulate music discovery.

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Label Labs?

We’ve been working with them on developing our MVP.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I designed the very first version myself with another agency, so we had the majority of the design assets beforehand. From there, they entered the development phase of the work. They have teams of designers and engineers developing our product native MVP. So, they handled programming as well as UI/UX. They created the final mobile app solution for iOS. 

What is the team composition?

There were four members of the team. That included a project manager, an engineering lead, a creative director, and a designer. 

How did you come to work with Blue Label Labs?

They had great Clutch reviews, and I was impressed with their prior experience. Their team seemed like a good match for us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $110,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started up in October 2019, and the project is ongoing.

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

They certainly did an excellent job when we put all of the assets together in the end. The beta testing on the app has been going great so far. People who have seen the app really enjoy it. We’ve been keeping track of the quality of the product and collaboration between our teams.   

How did Blue Label Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They were able to deliver based on what was provided to them well and according to our timeline. We used Asana to keep everyone on the same page.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their design skills and overall quality of the app were impressive. They’re work made our final product stand out. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re a great team to work with, so I can’t think of much. It may be helpful for increased organization around communicating delivery dates. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re working with them, come in with full knowledge of the problem you’re trying to solve. I’d highly recommend working with them as long as you have some prior direction going into the engagement.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and SEO of a project management tool aimed at making municipal project management more efficient.

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Label Labs?

We were looking to improve government efficiency in general. There are major inconsistencies in regards to the level of efficiency officials face in their day-to-day work. We wanted to put together a tool for their procurement needs and task management.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Blue Label Labs has taken my vision for the product and turned it into a working prototype of a web-based platform. Their team is currently working on the design phase of the prototype and the next phase will be backend development. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with Stewart (Director of Sales, Blue Label Labs) and Tanya (Director of Product Management, Blue Label Labs). We also worked with  Danny (Creative Director, Blue Label Labs), David (UI Designer, Blue Label Labs), and Kelly (Program Manager., Blue Label Labs)

How did you come to work with Blue Label Labs?

I had a prior relationship with Stewart and knew of the work he has done for a number of other companies. When I approached him with my idea, the comfort level I had with him and his dedication to making this a wonderful process for me really attracted me to Blue Label Labs. I got the opportunity to meet with some of the team members and really felt at home when working with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with Blue Label Labs began in July 2019.

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

Our work is still ongoing, but we will continue to work with Blue Label Labs for the development phase. Their team has been professional throughout the process, displaying creativity and expertise. Tanya was exceptional in taking my idea and turning it into a working prototype. Danny created a beautiful landscape and visual presentation of the product. Kelly, our project manager, did an excellent job keeping everybody on task.

How did Blue Label Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Blue Label Labs is extremely responsive. I could reach any member of their team by telephone, Slack, or email and get an immediate response. Their availability for their customers is uncanny. From that point of view, they were extremely engaged in the product and working with me to make sure any questions were answered immediately so they could move quickly. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

It felt like I was working with family members. Not only were they extremely professional in the way they were dealing with me and my vision, but they were extremely creative when it came to enhancing that vision.

Blue Label Labs is very fun to work with. Our weekly calls are always fun and interactive. Having that enjoyment working with the team is exceptional. They are truly interested in my success as a founder and continue to do more than just help me design a product. They put me in touch with people in the industry that can help further my progress as a first-time entrepreneur.

Are there any areas they could improve?

From my point of view, no. They were really hitting on all cylinders and they’ve got their operation and work management down to a tee. Their team worked extremely well together. Of course, you have some back and forth disagreements form time to time, but I think that only helps further the cause because everyone has such passion in the work they’re doing. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When working with a team like theirs, embrace it. Ingraining yourself in the process as much as possible means you’re going to get more out of it. You can put together an idea and they’ll take it and run with it without a problem, but if you sit on the sidelines the whole time it’s not going to be as great of an experience.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a property management software company that caters to small DIY landlords with less than 50 units. These are landlords who have 9-to-5 jobs but have inherited a home or have some type of investment property.

What challenge were you trying to address with Blue Label Labs?

As a smaller company, we have a good sales and operating position but needed help with some of the development work. Our goal was to get the browser version of our software ready with a really solid codebase so that we could eventually bring the development in-house.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Blue Label Labs has developed our property management software. It’s a web- and iOS-based solution that allows tenants to pay rent, submit maintenance requests, and store applications. There’s also a chat system to help landlords and tenants talk directly.

After defining our expectations with their head of sales, they gave me some estimates and pitched a few designs. We decided to move forward with their ideas and went into a week-long design sprint, which resulted in a really great prototype that we’re actually still referencing today. 

From there, they moved into the development phase for about eight months. We currently have an iOS app built in Swift as well as the web version based in JavaScript, React, and PostgreSQL.

What is the team composition? 

I initially worked with the head of product—who served as the sprint facilitator—as well as the product manager who was my liaison to the dev team. 

In the summer of 2019, they both left the company and were replaced by Darrell (Digital Product Manager, Blue Label Labs) and Jim (Product Owner, Blue Label Labs). They were very transparent about the switch, giving me weeks of notice to prepare. I was upset at first because my initial contacts were so strong, but it’s worked out for the best.

How did you come to work with Blue Label Labs?

We’d interviewed a few companies before finding Blue Label Labs on Clutch. I contacted them through their website, spoke with their head of sales, and visited their offices to review their pitch.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent approximately $350,000 so far. They’ve always been upfront about costs, whether something was going under or over budget. Generally, we’re on the same page about most things, so I’m pretty happy.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.
 

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

We’ve just had a soft launch within the past two weeks, so we’re still pretty new to market. But my experience has been pretty good so far. Everything works, and we’ve onboarded just under 20 users.

How did Blue Label Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We first coordinated through their project management tools, which included Asana, Jira, and Slack. As the development continued and we’d finalized our overarching decisions, we switched over to email.

I now mainly interface with Jim via email and also have an hour-long all-hands meeting each week to discuss our progress. Even though a lot of their team works remotely in different time zones, they’ve always been very responsive, getting back to me within a reasonable timeframe.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’d say that their strongest trait is their friendliness. I’ve been able to meet them in person many times and have always appreciated how much I enjoy working with them. They feel like a part of my team because they’ve helped so much in building the product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were some delays, but that’s pretty common in software development projects.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you’re upfront with your wants and needs, and they’ll do their best to accommodate.