ChopDawg.com

What was the scope of their involvement?

ChopDawg.com started out with InVision designs. That’s a touch-and-feel application where we could prototype what we were looking at. They organized weekly meetings, and we signed off on every piece to move forward. There was no scope creep, and nothing along the lines of “I said this, you said that.” The process was instrumental in moving forward with this application.

The initial scope of the project was to do a full-blown mobile app, with everything from customer profiles to buying items, prior to going to the store as well as covering the in-store process. Unfortunately, we had to take a step back for internal reasons and consider a phased approach. We made a proof of concept first, and worked in phases from there, with building blocks along the way. Josh and I brainstormed that idea, and his company was flexible enough to accommodate us.

I’ve learned over the years that the more people we involve in a project, the more we’ll have different ideas being thrown out, collectively increasing the scope of the project. I’ve found that ChopDawg.com follows the same methodology as I do–we take a step, we all agree on it, we sign off, and we take another step. It’s like a building block to a production environment, making sure that both sides of the coin are equal, and that we all understand what they need to have.

We’ve just signed off on the prototype. They nailed that phase, and we’re now going into development, which I can’t comment on yet.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with three people from their team so far, including Josh (CEO, ChopDawg.com).

How did you come to work with ChopDawg.com?

I’ve been in this business for 40 years, and I just took a stab at ChopDawg.com based on their website. I brought them in along with another vendor, and they outshined that other vendor immensely. They weren’t a very starch kind of software shop; they were open to different ideas, and they brought their experience from other outfits to the table. They’d worked for a large restaurant, which impressed us.

They also had a very casual approach, which fit with our team. They impressed us with their understanding of how mobile applications work, but they also followed a workflow that met our requirements.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost so far has been $10,000, and I expect that we’ll pay another $50,000 when this is all over.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February or March 2019, and the collaboration is ongoing.

What was the scope of their involvement?

ChopDawg.com is building the app for both iOS and Android devices. Despite being a purely mobile product for now, it will require a website, a payment mechanism, and emerging technologies such as blockchain and VR. We’re still in the design stage. Having finished the design sprints, we’re not making a color prototype and creating the backend. We’re rethinking that backend infrastructure to account for the amount of data we plan to enter in the app.

What is the team composition?

At the moment, I’m working with two designers and a project manager. I also speak to the CEO, a marketing person, and the assistant to the CEO regularly. We expect the team to be 10–12 in total when the development starts and we scale up.

How did you come to work with ChopDawg.com?

I interviewed several local tech agencies in New York. Many of the larger ones wanted to scale down my project dramatically while charging high fees and didn’t seem to understand my concept. One of the smaller firms planned to outsource the code, design, and project management to outside the US. Given the potential for language barrier issues, I didn’t feel comfortable with that arrangement.

Then I went onto Clutch and looked through reviews for a number of agencies. I landed on ChopDawg.com and clicked through to their website where I watched their videos and looked through the methodologies. Their level of sophistication blew me away. I reached out and received a reply from Joshua (CEO, ChopDawg.com) right away. I was still in the process of redesigning the app and had to wait nine more months to start the project. They were patient with me throughout this time. When I was ready to start, I gave ChopDawg.com the business because they were way ahead of the other agencies I spoke to.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $170,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2019, and the project is ongoing.

What was the scope of their involvement?

After listening to our concept, ChopDawg.com started laying it out visually. They designed high-fidelity wireframes using InVision. 

During the design phase, they captured who we are, our mission, and our purpose. As a benefit corporation, we want to give back to the dogs who are helping us. We donate a portion of the revenue from our subscription base to support them.

Our platform is universally useful. Users can pick a specific dog to connect with. Anybody can tap into the benefits of dogs through our app, including patients in a hospital, college kids leaving home for the first time, people who feel anxious and scared right about their flight takes off, or the elderly who feel lonely when left at home. The user has complete control over the experience through our positive, interactive, and immersive UX.

What is the team composition?

ChopDawg.com assigned us a program coordinator and two developers. We worked more closely with the one who was based in San Diego.

How did you come to work with ChopDawg?

Joshua (CEO, ChopDawg.com) made a great impression on us. Most people at our startup are working moms, and many of us are health care professionals. He was very accommodating and took the time to explain everything about ChopDawg.com's process. 

The proposal they presented was very thorough. We found their collaborative style very appealing, and they offered the best and most reasonable prices for what we needed.

What is the status of this engagement?

After a couple of initial meetings, we officially started working together in March 2019. We will be done with our project in about two weeks from now, in June 2019.

What was the scope of their involvement?

ChopDawg.com developed a prototype, which our team will use to find a partner that will greenlight the complete build.

What is the team composition?

We have worked with the president, a project coordinator, and a designer.

How did you come to work with ChopDawg.com?

We found the team on Clutch after narrowing our search down to vendors that work on smaller projects. ChopDawg.com understood our goals and didn’t try to overcomplicate the project. Also, their estimates were within our budget.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $10,000 on the prototype.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2019 and the partnership is ongoing.