December Labs

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a co-founder and the president of sinQ Technologies. We’re a mobile health technology firm that facilitates the flow of information between health plans, home-care providers, and people receiving care in their homes. Our platform performs several different functions, some are regulatory and compliance-related, and others are value-added for keeping people healthy in their homes for longer. Ultimately, we also aim to reduce the cost of these health plans. The company has 15+ employees, and we have an extended team of partners.

What challenge were you trying to address with DecemberLabs?

We founded the company 2 years ago and had a lot of success initially with our mobile and web tool. The main focus has been on the app, but taking it from a pilot to a fully functional PHI-ready [protected health information] platform proved to be an issue with our existing development team, although we had some good developers based in Philadelphia. The project required more than their capabilities.

What was the scope of their involvement?

DecemberLabs went through the effort of assessing my ideas for the company in light of our technical capabilities. We discussed the mobile app for iOS and Android, the portal (which provides access to healthcare providers and health plans), and the IVR [interactive voice response] interface that allows people to dial in and complete all the functions they’d otherwise be doing via the app.

Because we are working in the healthcare space, we have a highly regulated environment as far as security and compliance. A part of our challenge was having to work with the latest technologies, and building from the ground up. Both our portal and mobile product are based on React. We didn’t want to develop independent iOS and Android applications, but there aren’t many talented React developers out there, and even fewer are able to understand our business direction.

We used Twilio for the IVR part and Ruby on Rails for the backend, as well as Laravel PHP. We use a secure health vendor called Aptible for some of our compliance needs, and DecemberLabs has been working closely with them. Their team also supplies test support and has caught a ton of issues.

In terms of the information flow between different organizations, the integrations in healthcare are rather archaic. This is another part of DecemberLabs’ involvement. At any point in time, we’ve worked with 5–6 people from their team.

How did you come to work with DecemberLabs?

I had an existing team in Philadelphia that consisted of 4 full-time people and a bunch of part-timers. They were good technologists, but something was lacking. I tried to make that model work for way too long, and it became clear that I needed a better business acumen in my delivery team.

I was referred to them by a former MBA classmate. He had worked with DecemberLabs successfully in 2016 and introduced us. I explained the problem to them and tried to understand the nature of the company, but I also looked at a white-glove studio in Philadelphia, which was more of a traditional end-to-end service provider. They asked good questions but were more about technical delivery. DecemberLabs appealed to me because their interests reflected what I wanted to accomplish with my business. Focusing on development is good, but lacking a business context for providing the right guidance is problematic.

Also, given my situation, I needed a partner who could be as flexible as I needed. I had to transition everything quickly from a team that had been working on this project day-in and day-out for a year. I wanted a partner who could take that brain dump, formulate a plan, and allow me to recover from it. Since my team at the time said that the work would take 8 months to complete, I was astounded that DecemberLabs put together a plan in 2 months.

I had to work hard as well, but I didn’t mind. What was lacking before was precisely my role in the process and how I could improve our efficiency. DecemberLabs included me in that plan. I will start looking for full-time equivalents at some point to replace some of these roles, but I now have a partner who I can continue with for perpetuity. They’ve shown flexibility, desire, and passion in understanding in achieving my goals.  

How much have you invested with DecemberLabs?

The cost has crossed the $200,000 mark with our growing and ongoing collaboration. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the collaboration with DecemberLabs in December 2016. The actual development started in February 2017. The project is ongoing. 

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

From an end-user perspective, we are able to provide feedback on bugs and efficiency. We do this in a collective way with DecemberLabs, which is great. Ten sets of eyes looking at an application is always better than 1 set.

We’ve had 3 recent expositions of the products, including live events where critical customers came to our booth and walked through the app and portal products, which were connected to a live backend. We’ve had a good amount of throughput, which generated business potential in the order of $600,000–$700,000. This option wasn’t available to me before since we didn’t have a robust-enough product to merit conversations. From this perspective, DecemberLabs has been able to get me past the hurdle.

How did DecemberLabs perform from a project management standpoint?

We aim to have a true Agile delivery model. Everything done in the prior week is reviewed on a weekly basis, so we are able to interact and provide feedback.

DecemberLabs uses Slack extensively for real-time communication. The Agile board is done through Trello on their end. My company uses ZenHub for ticketing and issue management, which DecemberLabs has integrated with.

One of my reasons for choosing DecemberLabs was that they didn’t hide behind project management. I have a 20-year history in management and technical consulting, and I know what works and what doesn’t. At some point, with a live production system, there is a kind of rigor around changing and managing everything. As a startup, we needed a more flexible solution. They can manage both changes and our enormous scope, which needs to be done urgently. We’ve achieved good transparency through the tools we use, but everything ultimately came down to the individuals on the team being completely forthcoming.

We have daily standups and weekly demos. I’m able to understand exactly where everyone on the team is by investing half an hour of my time per day.

What did you find most impressive about DecemberLabs?

I appreciate their ability to respond and be dynamic. They’ve taken an individual interest in understanding our business. As soon as I started working with DecemberLabs, their lead sat with us for 2 weeks in order to understand everything before providing direction. After that, their ability to provide thoughts and recommendations for my business was truly valuable. Prior to this engagement, I provided all the direction myself.  

DecemberLabs is able to challenge my thinking and provide alternative approaches. This requires a depth of understanding that most technical teams don’t have.

My contact from DecemberLabs proposes improvements on a weekly basis. These are non-transactional inputs that I’d expect from full-time internal staff.

Are there any areas DecemberLabs could improve?

I have no complaints. DecemberLabs could push back even harder on certain things. They’ve been willing to work with me almost to a fault, and they’ve behaved like an FTE [full-time equivalent] team to such an extent that I expect them to act like stakeholders in my company. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and CEO of Biostrap, a wearable technology company. We create Android and iOS mobile devices that record biometric data and interact with Bluetooth devices. Basically, it’s all about deep insights for your health.
 

What challenge were you trying to address with December Labs?

We were in desperate need of some help because we had an upcoming launch and deadlines. Our developers were doing low-level service-side stuff, and we just didn't have enough resources. We needed some dedicated guys to work constantly on the UI [user interface] that I was trying to build.
 

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired December Labs to help with the development of our iOS and Android apps. They took ownership of the iOS and Android UIs. It takes a special skill to know how to create a good UI using good paradigms and frameworks, as well as writing and building good code for different UI elements. I think December Labs delivered phenomenally on that, which is what we needed from them.

We started off with 2 developers — one for iOS and one for Android. The iOS developer codes in Swift 3.0, which is a standard Apple Xcode that uses standard Xcode libraries for iOS apps. We were having issues with lag in the Android app development, so we ramped up to 2 Android guys for about a month to keep up with the iOS development.

How did you come to work with December Labs?

December Labs pinged me on AngelList, and I said, “All right. I'll give it a shot.” I actually wanted to find someone locally because it gets difficult to work with remote teams because of the communication barrier. We got a call from one of December Labs’ guys who vouched for them. I also studied their portfolio, which looked good. They were really accommodating. I told them, “I don't know you guys, I've never worked with you, and I don't have any references, so let’s just do some trial projects.” I think we gave them a 2-week trial period so if it didn’t work out, then it would be easy to exit. They obviously performed exceedingly well, and they slipped seamlessly into our team. They also got up to speed within a week, which was great.

How much have you invested with December Labs?

I pay about $2,700 per developer. We’ve been using them for about 2 months, so I think we’ve paid about $50,000 so far. I know that developers here are expensive, but I think December Labs’ prices are extremely reasonable. They’re not cheap, but you get senior-level guys and good quality for what you pay. That’s worth it to me.  

What is the status of this engagement?

I think we started working together in May 2017, and the project is ongoing. It’s one of those things where we just keep adding features. The product keeps evolving as well, so there’s always work to do.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I can't give you hard metrics, but I can say December Labs is extremely fast and good, which is a rare combination. I'm not an iOS developer, but I understand how to structure good code. I’ve looked at their code and I think they do a great job. I actually have to find tasks for our iOS guy sometimes because he finishes them so quickly. Work on the Android app kind of lags because it’s so much work for those guys. It’s awesome working with them. They’re responsive and extremely flexible. I kind of go out of the process sometimes, and I’ll ping them directly to ask if they can fix something.

How did December Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

December Labs assigned a project manager to us. We are using JIRA to manage all of the different tasks. They do a great job of picking up the tasks assigned to them. They also call us when they need work to do, which is thoughtful, and then they will do exactly what we tell them to do. They typically don't work over the weekend, but they were willing to help us out when we had issues during one weekend. They’re really accommodating, which is good and helpful.

They’re in Uruguay, but they’re easy to approach and understand. What’s cool is that they’re all basically in the same office. They would work together, which was nice. I would do the product designs and stuff like that, and then I would assign it to our product manager who would then assign the tasks to whoever was responsible for them on the December Labs team. They follow our processes; we don't have to do anything different for them. We just treat them like normal team members.

What did you find most impressive about December Labs?

I feel like I can give them a task and they’ll finish it, they’ll come back, and they’ll ask the right questions. If I give them a mock-up and something doesn't make sense, they ask about it. They’re trying to solve the problem and they want to do it correctly. I don't like to micromanage. Unfortunately, I've worked with guys who just throw their hands up in the air if they’re stumped, and they stall until the decision is made. December Labs tries to go beyond that, which is refreshing to see. They work within our guidelines, they feel like our team members, and we definitely enjoy working with them. Of course, skill is important, but managing your team is important too.

Are there any areas December Labs could improve?

It’s hard to say. I don't think I have any complaints.
 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO and a co-founder of EllieGrid. We've designed a smart pillbox for people who take multiple medications. There are hardware and software components to it: the pillbox itself and a mobile app that allows you to program the pillbox with individual settings and alerts.

What challenge were you trying to address with December Labs?

We initially worked with individual developers and a few other firms to build a skeleton version of the application. We engaged December Labs because we needed to build it out more so that we could take it to market.

What was the scope of their involvement?

December Labs built the application for Android and iOS using React Native. We relied on their team to complete the backend and frontend development of the app. Within the product, users can create an account, connect to the pillbox via Bluetooth, and program the pillbox with information such as which compartment holds which medicine. December Labs also programmed the app to include smart alarms and push notifications that present a window of time for people to take their pills. The application also builds reports about whether or not the user took their medicine, which is information that can then be sent to caregivers.

What is the team composition?

December Labs has been flexible in terms of how many resources they dedicated to our project. Their team size has ranged from 1–3 developers at times, but they’ve also added designers when necessary.

How did you come to work with December Labs?

Their co-founder initially introduced himself to us to be friendly because we’re both in Houston, and I later ran into him at an event. We discussed his company at that time, but we were focused on other projects. Once the need arose for a development partner, I reached out to December Labs again to see if they could help. From that discussion, I determined that they could be a good fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in 2018 and remains ongoing as we continue adding features and making improvements.

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

I don’t have much in terms of metrics, but qualitatively, I can firmly say that December Labs has provided excellent service. I previously worked with other firms because they were inexpensive. December Labs was a step up in that regard, and I learned that you get what you pay for. They are more reliable than past vendors in terms of quality and speed of their development. They can work quickly without sacrificing product quality.

How did December Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

December Labs was flexible in being willing to use Slack and Trello as we requested. We found those methods to be the best way to communicate and track their progress without bothering their developers too much. We also have weekly meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve been honest and forthcoming in all matters during our time together. I once asked them to complete a one-off project separate from the original product, and they gave me a price and a timeline quote. Though they didn’t meet the deadline estimate, they didn’t charge any extra costs, which has been rare in my experiences with development teams.

Additionally, their team has made an effort to visit with us in person, either in California or in Houston. Their management team has been very present and available. It’s refreshing to work with people who are dedicated to our project. December Lab is staffed with good, honest people who also have excellent technological capabilities.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they have exceeded my expectations, to be honest. They’re the highest-quality development firm I’ve ever worked with.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of Welwaze Medical, a startup that is developing technologies for early breast cancer detection. We have two products: a pad that detects cancer and an app that reads the pad’s results.

What challenge were you trying to address with December Labs?

We needed help developing the full app. We didn’t have the expertise we needed in-house, so we partnered with them to complete the development.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided a full solution. They oversaw project management, design, front- and backend development, and all the technical aspects. They also worked with AI to develop a computer vision algorithm to read results.

They have multiple technological capabilities and really took ownership of the product. They asked to speak with an oncologist to understand the data and get their insight. They were very involved and were like a part of our company.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with Washington (Executive VP of Mobile & UX, December Labs).

How did you come to work with December Labs?

I needed a team with a range of capabilities, including computer vision expertise and blockchain knowhow. I interviewed four different suppliers and December Labs was the only company that could fill all our needs. I explained everything over several calls and they came back with suggestions. I met with them in person and decided they were the right group to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2018. We’re currently in development and will launch the beta in August 2018.

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

They’ve delivered a good quality product.

How did December Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They execute everything according to the project plan. Their timelines are always realistic and they’ve hit every milestone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They take ownership of the product and are a part of the team. They are available at all hours and their level of commitment and engagement is very high. They understand our philosophy and are willing to argue their points and make improvements. They operate as an extension of our startup.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of engineering at Seneca Systems. We sell our application to local governments to help them manage their communications and workflows.

What challenge were you trying to address with December Labs?

Our application was primarily web-based and we needed someone to develop a subset of the features from the web app into a mobile app for both Android and iOS.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We began by giving them a demo of the web app, listing out which features we wanted in the mobile app, and providing them with documentation of our API. Then, they developed the wireframe and preliminary design work. That went through a few cycles of revision until it was approved, and from there they started doing the design work.

Every two weeks they would give us a new build, we’d provide feedback, and they would implement that for the next build. Toward the end of the project, they went through the web app and identified and implemented additional features they thought would increase the user experience.

They developed the app with React Native and it’s available for iOS and Android. They designed everything from login to listing out communications, and enabling city employees to respond across multiple channels from one interface. Users can also manage workflow so that they can track progress details until completion, as well as add notes and locations.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two engineers, two designers, and had a business contact that would check in every few weeks.

How did you come to work with December Labs?

They reached out to us through email. We decided to work with them after I spoke with one of their customers who had a great experience.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with December Labs February–May 2018.

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

The only metric we were tracking was project length, and they exceeded our expectations.

We haven’t launched yet, but I can say that their design skills are great. The user interface they created is beautiful and easy to use.

They pay attention to detail, try to understand the problem, and come up with solutions instead of just meeting requirements. December Labs thinks through what you tell them to do and suggests alternatives when they are better for the project. Most of the time, they were able to identify and solve problems before I ever mentioned them.

How did December Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They gave us updates every two weeks on changes in the build, project progress, what work remained, where the project was in relation to the established timeline, and the expected end. In addition to these updates, we had daily communication through Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

December Labs was familiar with the agile management methodology, which enabled them to adapt to changes in the app and overall project needs. I appreciated that they didn’t need much detailed guidance. They knew our API, and whatever they weren’t familiar with, they would find out. We didn’t have to invest a lot of our own project management or development time to support their development.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really, I was impressed with their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I think December Labs works better when they are given an entire project versus working as part of a team mixed with their developers and their customers’ development teams. It requires trusting them, but it’s worth it.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of an iOS investment app that people can use to generate intelligently-tailored portfolios and have our team of investment professionals actively manage their accounts. We’re part robo-advisor and part traditional advisor.

What challenge were you trying to address with December Labs?

We started off with some other developers to build the app’s backend foundation, but they were too slow and some of the code was a bit sloppy. We were trying to create a scalable, robust system that could grow with us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

December Labs worked on our platform. It’s a native iOS app with a .NET backend that’s hosted on Microsoft Azure. We have some deep integrations with our custodian bank and broker dealer, as well as with Plaid for ACH authentication.

What is the team composition?

They assigned two developers and a project manager to the project.

How did you come to work with December Labs?

Another startup we knew had used and recommended them. We were ending our angel round and looking to enter the seed investment phase, so timing was very important. I used to be software engineer, so I know how hard it is to find talented and affordable in-house developers and convince them to join a startup.

Within two weeks, December Labs gave us two senior developers who worked well and fit our budget. We didn’t have to pay additional expenses, so it wasn’t just a matter of outsourcing, but being able to scale up and down. They essentially helped us get to the next stage.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost so far has been around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October or November 2017. The collaboration is ongoing.

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

We’ve fixed all of the bugs and the app is scalable. We’ve become confident in our ability to grow without the technology platform becoming an issue. Our users are happy and so are we.

How did December Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve worked well with them. Their English-speaking abilities and communication skills are great. December Labs works according to U.S. time zones, so it’s worked out well.

We use Slack, Google Hangouts, and Trello for project management. Their process is on par with that of any top-tier, U.S. startup.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re willing to work with startups and understand the hardships we’re facing. Their team can act as a good sounding board for us because they’ve been there before. They simply employ quality developers. Everyone on their team is great.

I know of another startup that’s using them. They have machine learning and AI components, and December Labs gives them access to anything they need. They have developers who can do anything effectively. We’re hoping to implement some machine learning later on as well for some parts of the app. We’ll easily be able to do that because of them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have no complaints.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a company working with renewable energies, and the main product that we’re entering the market with is a turbine for residential and commercial use. I don’t have an established position since we’re a startup, but I’m generally in charge of all marketing activities. I also assist with human resources.

Our turbine is small enough that it can be placed on the roof of any home and supply its energy consumption. We started in Argentina seven years ago, but moved to Silicon Valley two years ago in order to expand to the U.S. market.

What challenge were you trying to address with December Labs?

Potential consumers often inquire about how our turbines work and how much energy they generate. To answer this, we asked December Labs to develop an app for us that we will launch next week.

What was the scope of their involvement?

My relationship with December Labs started when I decided to create a web app as a complement to our website. Through this app, users get an estimation of how much generated energy they could get, how much they’ve consumed in their home, and how these could be supported with use of our products. December Labs showed me different options during development, and also kept me updated on progress.  

The app allows users to draw a map of their home to calculate their electricity consumption. It also combines this information with the consumer’s location in order to calculate turbine performance. Everything is presented in a very fun way to the user.

Later on, we needed to refresh our website’s image, so we placed the app development on standby. We dedicated ourselves to relaunching the website with updated simplicity. We finished this two weeks ago.

What is the team composition?

A project manager led the team they assigned to me, and also coordinated everything as well as participated in discussions about our needs. I also had a designer and 1–2 team members in charge of development. We started with a team of four, but eventually scaled it down to three.

How did you come to work with December Labs?

They actually contacted us. They have a sales representative in San Francisco, but I’m unsure how they found us. I chose them because they provided a mockup that allowed me to visualize the outcome. Other companies I’d been in contact with didn’t do this, and the mockup really helped clear up what I wanted for the app.

I also really liked what they presented during the interview in which they explained the proposed development in detail. They managed it well, and also spoke Spanish, which made everything a lot easier. I’ve interacted with other companies who didn’t speak Spanish, and found it difficult to communicate project details clearly with them.

December Labs wasn’t the cheapest, but their budget was logical and adapted in a way I could with with. They were flexible in order to accommodate our needs as a startup with a tight budget.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent about $30,000 between the two projects.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2017 and will continue doing so until we’ve finished both projects. If everything goes well post-launch, we will have more projects in the upcoming year.

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

We still need to work on the website, and I’m thinking of new things to add to it. The website has been greatly improved due to the redesign. Creating a custom website would’ve required a lot more time and money. We needed a quick update in order to present to investors, and December Labs managed to do it in a rapid fashion.

They took the existing platform and content and refreshed it to more accurately and elegantly represent our company. We now have a lot of pending jobs for our U.S. expansion as a result.

How did December Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Slack to communicate and share documents with team members involved in the project. They also have Slack on their phones, so we’ve been able to reach them at any time. They’ve been consistently available to address any needs or issues.

Our engagement has been more informal in the sense that we only meet as needed instead of establishing regular times. We established deadlines, and although we had to change a couple of dates, those deadlines remained the same. There was only one delay, and it was because we didn’t provide data when it was needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They quickly understood our ideas. When I first started thinking about this app, I had an idea that wasn’t very clear, but December Labs materialized it. We understood each other easily, and everything happened very fast. They also quickly understood the design I wanted, which made the job easier for us.

I really like that December Labs is flexible in working with us as a startup with needs that change on a daily basis. For example, I asked them in the middle of developing the app if we could put it on standby in order to work on another project. I also asked them to remain flexible with the budget, schedules, etc., and they were completely accommodating. They got into the project without any hesitation. I’m really happy, and the results and quality have both been amazing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I haven’t had any bad experiences. They’ve been flexible when we’ve changed dates and requirements, and they always understand. I have nothing negative to say.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the lead platform developer at Liongard, a tech startup based in Houston, Texas. We provide a product that helps manage service providers, allowing companies that manage IT for other businesses to automate some of the things they do manually. 

What challenge were you trying to address with December Labs?

We engaged December Labs to provide additional development support as we build custom software solutions in order to achieve our goals in a more timely manner. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

December Labs provides development bandwidth support for our team, working on our SaaS platform to make improvements to its interface. They work on the backend and UI design, using technologies like Node.js, PostgreSQL, and React. They've significantly optimized our database, adding indexes on to foreign key columns and making some major navigation changes to the platform. 

What is the team composition? 

Our main point of contact is Marcelo (Co-founder and VP of Business Development, December Labs). We also work with a couple developers and designers on their team as well. 

How did you come to work with December Labs?

They share a coworking office space with us in downtown Houston, so we had crossed paths a few times and learned about what kinds of services they offered. Once we had a need for them, we reached out. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested between $75,000–$80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since January 2019.

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

Measuring development throughput is famously hard, but we use tools like Jira that we attach story point and tickets to that they've significantly expanded. We've tripled our output from 20–25 to about 60-70 story points per week. We're very impressed by the number of ticket closures and the complexity of the work they're able to complete regularly. 

How did December Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They're fantastic to work with. It's difficult to find developers capable of communicating clearly and taking the time to listen to and  understand the reasons we do things a certain way. Everyone I've worked with on their team has gone over and beyond to understand our goals and been very thorough in their approach. We mostly use tools like Jira, Slack, and Bitbucket, which have all been hugely helpful in the process. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Everyone on their team has a lot of talent and knowledge in what they do–there are no weak links on their team. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really at this stage. We had a small hiccup in the beginning that turned out to be a blessing. We requested they build a Windows installer, but we didn't scope the project well and their resource was not an expert in that framework. They ended up not charging us for most of the work and we learned a lot from that experience, so it's been smooth sailing ever since. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with their team regularly and clearly. We've had a lot of success using tools like Slack and Jira to accomplish that. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a CPO at a company that manufactures a neurostimulation device. Our product is a headset that vibrates on the head for 20 minutes and helps with stress.

What challenge were you trying to address with December Labs?

We were transitioning from a previous development agency and hired December Labs to continue iterating on our iOS and Android mobile app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we told December Labs that we were transitioning from an existing vendor. They looked at our source code, did an audit, and told us whether they could take on the project and how many resources would be needed. From there, we onboarded their team in conjunction with the existing vendor. We offboarded the previous agency a couple of weeks later, and December Labs took over. 

They help us iterate on our mobile app, which can sync data from our device, so a Bluetooth-enabled data connection is involved. The work also involves the display of information, requiring the design of graphics. Most of the app is a way to interact with the device as a remote control to gather and display data. The December Labs team works on two-week sprints, and in every sprint, they develop a new feature or make an enhancement to an existing one. The app is native to iOS and Android, so they use Swift and Kotlin, respectively.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with two iOS engineers, two Android engineers, two QA specialists, and two product managers. 

How did you come to work with December Labs?

I have a backend engineer based in Uruguay who had heard of December Labs because they’re also based there. We talked to them, and they were very thorough because they took the time to do an audit before saying yes. Based on their proposal, we decided to go with their services.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $100,000—$200,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2022, and our engagement is ongoing.

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

Our app has fewer bugs, so customer service tickets have been reduced. Overall, there are fewer pairing and syncing issues between the device and the app, which is one of the primary metrics we track. As a result, the number of five-star reviews has increased. December Labs has done a good job handling everything, and the quality of the app and code has increased significantly. 

How did December Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great at project management. They deliver on time and let us know when anything is off. Moreover, they’re creative around timelines. We mainly communicate via Slack and Zoom calls and use Trello for collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about them?

December Labs is easy to work with; they take ownership of the project and deliver high-quality work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they need to improve right now; I only have good things to say about them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t hesitate to work with December Labs! Also, be prepared to show them an exciting project to motivate them because I’m sure they want to work on cool, impactful projects.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CPO of CardieX Ltd, a medical device company centered around blood pressure.

What challenge were you trying to address with December Labs?

We were trying to rapidly scale our development team. Our firm was struggling to find internal resources with experience in connected devices, such as wearables. As a result, we hired December Labs. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

December Labs is involved in building a number of our components. We have an internal technical lead, while the team supplies the experienced software engineers that we require. 

Currently, we’re building a native iOS and Android app and a cloud-based app. We’re creating a web portal in addition to an Android tablet app. For software, we’re using native technologies for each platform. The app’s main functionality is to provide an interface for our connected devices. 

Apart from development services, December Labs provides QA and UI/UX work for us. The team also handles the product management of our tablet app. Our company continues to add projects for them. 

What is the team composition?

December Labs have assigned mid- to senior-level resources to our projects. We have one Android developer and one iOS developer. For the web portal, we have one cloud system architect and a QA specialist. The tablet app itself is handled by a UI/UX developer and a product manager. 

How did you come to work with December Labs?

I found December Labs through another group I knew quite well. That group had used them in the connected devices space before — it was tricky to find good developers in this niche. I reached out to a colleague within that group, and he had great things to say about the team. Apart from that, our initial review of December Labs went well, so we hired them. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2021, and we’ve just hit our one-year anniversary with them. 

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

Like most development groups, we run in an agile environment; we’re constantly looking at the cadence of our sprints. So far, we’ve had a pretty consistent cadence among the group. We’ve continued to add to the work, but we’ve had no complaints about December Labs’ capabilities. 

How did December Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Jira heavily for project management and Teams for communication. We’re moving toward FDA approval, so we require plenty of documentation. We have a number of standups during the week and plenty of screen-to-screen meetings. December Labs has been responsive during our regular sprint meetings. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

December Labs moves quickly out of the gate. They’ve easily become part of our team. Moreover, they go above and beyond their responsibilities; their resources are passionate about what they’re doing. Whenever there’s a problem, they’re transparent in not only asking for our feedback but also returning feedback back and forth. 

Our company is in startup mode, so whenever we have needs, the team is quick to help us in any way they can. Overall, they’ve been a true part of our team from the get-go — this is highly unusual for me. I’ve worked with a number of contractors, and I haven’t had as great a relationship with them as I have with December Labs. They’re a well-oiled machine.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. Most of the time, the team is proactive and responds to our dilemmas. If there’s any need for improvement, it would be around our firm’s growth and paint points.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Consider the expertise that you require. You get what you pay for — there are cheaper groups out there, but in terms of value for money, December Labs is one of the best groups around. Trust that they’ll put good people into the project. They want to do the right thing. 

Overall, I recommend December Labs to anyone I know who needs extra development help. I don’t do that for many other companies.