Brains & Beards

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Engineering of femtasy

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a streaming platform for erotic audio stories for women (and everybody else!).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Brains & Beards to accomplish?

• Build a MVP of a player for femtasy's content
• Setup a solid mobile development and delivery framework for the femtasy in-house team

SOLUTION

How did you find Brains & Beards?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select Brains & Beards over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned
• Previous experience

How many teammates from Brains & Beards were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

In the summer of 2020, we engaged with Brains & Beards to undertake a project focused on the development of a prototype (or MVP, depending on how one chooses to label it) for femtasy's player app. 

The project's scope was deliberately kept small, as our primary objective, in addition to releasing an app for our audience, was to address specific inquiries: 

• We sought to determine the level of interest among users in accessing content via mobile devices as opposed to web platforms. The key question was whether this shift would attract a substantial number of new users, justifying the effort required to maintain both platforms. 
• We needed to ascertain whether Apple and Google would permit the inclusion of femtasy's application in their respective app stores. Given the subjective nature of app reviews and the vague guidelines surrounding erotic content, it was crucial to validate this early on. 
• To seamlessly integrate a new platform into our existing team's development process, boasting a productive in-house team of seasoned developers handling backend and web, decided to leverage React Native for the app development. 

The objective was to facilitate an easy transition for our current team to assume ownership of the code. 

Like any startup, time was of the essence. Balancing the desire for high code quality with comprehensive documentation for a smooth project handover at the end, we were equally eager to expedite the app development process. 

The goal was to obtain answers to our critical questions promptly, following a true agile approach.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• The app was built and released on time, but even this first prototype version gathered great feedback from the users. We got a straight 5,0 score on App Store on the first 20 app reviews. 
• The development team was trained and empowered to continue on their own with the development of the mobile app thanks to the solid foundation created by the Brains & Beards team.

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

All deliveries were on time. Thanks to a true agile and iterative process we were continuously tweaking our collaboration to ensure we would get the maximum out of our time together. They are always on top of all topics and ensure communication is as effective as possible.

What was your primary form of communication with Brains & Beards?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

During the whole process, the communication was fantastic and the process was kept simple and lean allowing us to focus on what mattered for the success of our project.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Brains & Beards could have done differently?

Not that I can think of at the moment :)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Engineering of ManoMano

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

ManoMano is an e-commerce marketplace for DIY and Home Improvement

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Brains & Beards to accomplish?

• Launch ManoMano's B2B App
• Launch ManoMano's B2C App
• Secure both native (iOS and Android) and JS (react-native) knowledge in the team
• Secure expertise with stores and automation (App and Play stores)
• Develop the product while growing the internal apps team

SOLUTION

How did you find Brains & Beards?

React Native Meetup

Why did you select Brains & Beards over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Technical Expertise

How many teammates from Brains & Beards were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We started ManoMano apps beginning of 2020 with an external company. ByJune we had 4 internal developers and we stopped the other contracting company. By August 2020 Brains&Beards joined the project and we have not stopped working with them since then. ManoMano was web based only so the objective was to launch 2 apps (one for each market: b2c and b2b) to offer our users a much closer and improved digital channel and that would become the main lever for user retention. 

The experience in the app had to be much better than the website, so usability and performance were key. In September 2020 we launched the b2b app and in April 2021 we launched the b2c one. There were some parts that were webviews in order to go fast in the MVP. The next achievements were a full native authentication and checkout without any webview. That was achieved March 2022. 

As well the internationalization of the app for 5 countries (France, Spain, Italy, Germany, UK), available in the 2 markets (B2C and B2B), with different acquisition mechanisms and differentiated features, it was achieved in January 2023. 

The apps have been in the vanguard of technology adoption in ManoMano. First to use microservices and API first in all our tech teams. Then to use GraphQL with federated schemas. And in the second half of 2023 it's been put in place AR native technologies to create a differentiated experience in the apps vs the website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Launch of 1 app in 6 months, replicating what 15 teams in 7 years had done for the website. Launch of the second app, including a full refactor, in 6 more months. Rebuild of the automation processes with stores and testing. Setting up a Design System. Internationalization of the app in 5 countries/languages and 2 markets (like 10 apps).

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

They work as another team member inside agile teams. In ManoMano we use scrum and SAFe and Brains&Beards hasalways adapted to this way of working and has contributed to improve it a lot inside the team. The commitment in story points in each sprint has always been achieved which shows both good estimation capacities, commitment and technical skills to make it happen.

What was your primary form of communication with Brains & Beards?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

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

Great technical skills that help you take technical decisions. Great adaptability to the team and company situation. Commitment and Participation as if they were internal employees. Flexibility in terms of pricing conditions. Great partner for a successful mobile product.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Brains & Beards could have done differently?

No. Our communication has always been transparent and fluid. They always bring very good engineers to work on the project, both for their technical skills and for their team collaboration.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Development team leader of Lokalportal GmbH

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Your place for local living

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Brains & Beards to accomplish?

• We hired Brains & Beards to support us with the development of the mobile app

SOLUTION

How did you find Brains & Beards?

Referral

Why did you select Brains & Beards over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Brains & Beards were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Certainly, the team at Brains & Beards seamlessly joined our development team, bringing a wealth of experience that was readily apparent. They quickly established a trustworthy working relationship. Their support on a React Native mobile app project was invaluable, and they also proved to be a great asset in handling native iOS and Android components when needed. The quality of their work, including their architectural decisions, was highly commendable.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to the valuable collaboration with Brains & Beards, we embarked on an exciting journey to create a brand-new mobile app for a promising young startup in Germany. This project was a ground-up endeavor. Every member of their team seamlessly integrated, enhancing our development velocity to match that of highly skilled German developers. 

While quantifying success can be challenging, the most significant achievement was the rapid transformation of our app into a valuable product within a remarkably short timeframe, maintaining an impressively low rate of bugs.

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

In that instance, the Brains & Beards team seamlessly integrated with the company's mobile development team, which took on the primary role in project management. Notably, Brains & Beards exhibited remarkable flexibility and adaptability, promptly aligning with evolving requirements as they emerged.

What was your primary form of communication with Brains & Beards?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Certainly, what stood out most in our interaction with Brains & Beards was the genuinely positive and inclusive atmosphere they created. Their work ethic was both productive and detail-focused, with a keen awareness of technical aspects while keeping the user experience front and center.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Brains & Beards could have done differently?

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Software Engineering of Vay Technology GmbH

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Tele-driving passenger vehicles on public street un EU and USA.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Brains & Beards to accomplish?

• Build a ride-hailing app for a tele-driven vehicle service.

SOLUTION

How did you find Brains & Beards?

Referral

Why did you select Brains & Beards over others?

• Pricing fits our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Flexibility

How many teammates from Brains & Beards were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Team built ride-hailing mobile application for Android and iOS with unique features related tele driving-vehicle service. Team is embedded into our B2C team. Key deliveries are on time launches of internal and external customer services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

App customer feedback and NPS score.

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

The team is very responsible and flexible. All projects were delivered on time.Team members are pro-active and suggested various improvements in app.

What was your primary form of communication with Brains & Beards?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Flexibility to adapt to our changing demands.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Brains & Beards could have done differently?

We receive exactly the service we need. Nothing to add.