Brightness Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Diligent Notes, an online Cornell notes company. Our site allows people to take Cornell-style notes online natively through a web app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brightness Group?

We needed a company that could develop a web app for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Brightness Group built our web app using PHP and Laravel. They also built a marketing site and an admin site using Statamic and integrated Stripe and Google and Facebook authorization into our site.

How did you come to work with Brightness Group?

I found Brightness Group through a freelancing marketplace. I created a business requirement document, and they reached out to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $8,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April 2021–August 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Brightness Group delivered a site that accurately matched what I needed. I haven’t needed any changes so far.

How did Brightness Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Brightness Group performed well in terms of project management. When we started the project, they provided a sprint plan and timelines for all the different components of the web app. We had weekly calls throughout the engagement, where they provided us updates on their progress and discussed the plans for the next week. I always knew what they’d done and what they were working on at all times.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with Brightness Group’s expertise and exceptional work and communication skills. They really knew what they were doing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they did great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to communicate your requirements and milestones clearly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder and CEO of a digital wellness brand. The focus of my brand is on skincare.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Brightness Group to use our existing branding scope and develop a responsive WordPress site that would be able to successfully and efficiently process micropayments through a variety of gateways - Stripe, PayPal, etc.

SOLUTION

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

We searched online for web developers and shortlisted three. We ultimately chose Brightness Group because of their communication skills, professionalism, and technical skills. It's not often that you come across a web development agency that is truly exceptional in both soft skills and hard skills. Brightness Group offered this unique blend that made the project a success.

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

We had a kick-off meeting to discuss our goals and objectives. From there, the team assessed the original WordPress site that we had, and they determined that it would be better to develop a new WordPress site from scratch. After we reached an agreement, they developed an initial mockup on Marvel.

After more than a few iterations, the team designed and delivered a responsive WordPress site that was able to process micropayments. They also updated the content of the website whenever I asked, mostly to reflect a sudden shift in our business model.

That said, I am grateful for their flexibility and their unrelenting support of the client’s needs. Collaborating with Harit and his team made it clear that they ultimately practice what they preach - that is, the client’s success is ultimately Brightness Group’s success, too.

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

A project manager was our main point of contact throughout the process, and there was also a dedicated designer as well as a PHP developer - the PHP developer managed the integration of the payment gateways and the integration of a video platform that would be used to feature our product.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The designer did a fantastic job of integrating the custom photography that I provided at the beginning of the development process - for example, the video loop on the landing page is clear, engaging and makes it crystal clear what the value proposition is. The payment process is also seamless, and the loading speed of the website definitely meets (if not exceeds) the expectations of my millennial target audience.

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

Marvel was a very helpful communication tool because it allowed me to annotate anything that I wanted to change or update on the mockup. Once I made the annotation, it would be shared instantaneously with the designer. And once he made the change or the update, he would mark it as "resolved." Therefore, it was very easy to keep track of the progress.

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

They gave us a professional, responsive, and aesthetically-pleasing site that will be very easy to update. At the beginning of the process, they spent a great deal of time listening to our vision and learning about our style. That said, they were not only able to accurately reflect our branding scope, but they went above and beyond to capture the ethos of the brand and its unique mission.

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

If there was any problem, it came from me - not them. As a first-time entrepreneur, I often prioritized perfection over progress, which ultimately caused some delays in the project. But I have learned my lesson and am grateful for their humanity and their patience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO of a green tech company serving the aviation and eCommerce industries

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed a specialist agency to develop some extensions for Magento and Wordpress platforms.

SOLUTION

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

Their experience, flexibility and professional presentation as well as strong references from past customers

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

Wordpress, Magento, PHP, Docker

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

4 - 3x Senior Developers and a Project Manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Project was delivered on time and budget

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

We used a combination of Trello, Wiki and regular online meetings to run the project

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

Their flexibility and willingness to go above and beyond the originally stipulated scope were impressive.

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

None