Develapps

Introduce your business and what you do there

I’m the CEO of a startup based in Madrid called PYNK SYSTEMS, which offers an ergonomic office desk called Ergon Desk. The desk incorporates a mobile application which is used to control it, so the client or user is able to adapt the desk to their preferred height. We are still a small company of four people.

What challenge were you trying to address with Develapps?

We originally had a development team that created some Android beta apps in order to start defining the technological product that would be paired with our physical product, since we also design and produce the desks. We needed a partner to carry out the development for the actual app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired Develapps with the objective of transferring our technical specifications to a mobile app built for the iOS and Android platforms and assist in their launch to the respective app stores. This is connected to an artificial intelligence engine which feeds the backend.

What is the team dynamic?

The project was divided into phases including a design phase in which the CEO of Develapps, a project manager, and a graphic designer collaborated on. Then, they assigned a project manager and two developers, one for Android and another one for iOS, and a developer for the backend.

How did you come to work with Develapps?

We needed a technological partner instead of someone in-house, so we started searching online for development firms in Spain. We thought Develapps was one of the most professional ones. We received several offers and they were professional looking, even though they weren’t the most affordable one.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in March 2016 and we finished the projects in May 2017.

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

We launched the product not long ago, so we don’t have any statistics or metrics available yet but our level of satisfaction and our clients’ level of satisfaction with the product are very high.

How did Develapps perform from a project management standpoint?

They started working with a project manager that used a project management tool that made reports and divided the development in sprints. In the beginning, we made some design mistakes since the reach of the project wasn’t well defined. Since the app is connected to the table and with a backend that they didn’t control, we had some delays.

Then, the assigned project manager was switched to another company and the project management style changed — this improved the development pace. There were some delays and we didn’t meet some of the timelines, but that was because we didn’t define some things properly, to begin with.

What did you find most impressive about Develapps?

They are really good at design. Also, their Android and iOS development skills were good and they are very autonomous in the way they develop apps.

Are there any areas Develapps could improve?

Sometimes, they were slow to react to unforeseen events or with technologies that go beyond apps, for example, communicating with the Bluetooth parts of the desk. They didn’t analyze these communication protocols in the beginning and it gave us some problems. There’s some room for improvement in this aspect.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at Hofmann and I am an IT manager in the production department. Hoffman is a Spanish company in the city of Valencia that is focused on personalized photography products. The company has been on the market for 90 years. Previously, everything was analog but today it is digital. People make photo albums, frames, cups, pillows, and then we produce them here. We are part of the Fotovox group at an international level, covering Europe.

What challenge were you trying to address with Develapps?

Last year, we contacted Develapps to continue our mobile development strategy. We were working with another company but we had to look for another alternative.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We traditionally used a Windows application that you could download to your PC in order to add your pictures and build photo album products. Then, we started using Mac, and lastly, we incorporated mobile devices.

Initially, we assigned one full-time developer for each platform.

How did you come to work with Develapps?

We needed to continue our development efforts because the group that we were working with went bankrupt or closed, so we needed another partner. We went through a selection process and we looked for a company with a certain type of skill. We not only needed someone with experience but also needed them to be close because we have had experiences with companies that are located too far away and communication has been complicated. We also needed them to have certain business knowledge because this is a very specific photography business. We wanted to be able to connect and vibe with our team. If you're going to work with someone, you need to understand each other.

I contacted several vendors and conducted interviews with them. We told three of them that we were interested and that we wanted high-level proposals in order to save time.

How much have you invested with Develapps?

The first project was €20,000 [US $21,817]. We did a series of requests to make really small changes to the previous version that we had of the application. We had a limited reach.

What’s the status of this engagement?

We started working approximately in September 2016. We continue working on this project and are very happy. In fact, we are almost ready to release a new version next week.

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

We are selling the product through different platforms. Through mobile, we are making €500,000 a year. This goes together with what we're billing, which is around €40 million a year. We are confident that the mobile space is going to grow considerably. Maybe it is too soon to measure because we have not seen the first Christmas yet. Our company sells throughout the year, but we sell way more during Christmas. We need to close the year to see the trajectory.

How did Develapps perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a very well-known tool called Redmine; it's similar to JIRA and other platforms for project management and tasks. I personally manage the project. We create tickets that we submit to Redmine, and organize them in sprints to assign a couple of people to these tasks. We gave them access to this tool and kept all documentations on it. Aside from this, we had periodic meetings for following up; whenever they had a new version, they would let us know when everything was integrated. We worked on continuous integration and it was automatically compiled. We downloaded it into mobile, we did a couple of initial proofs, and then assessed the status.

What did you find most impressive about Develapps?

They're very reasonable and normal from every point of view. There are people in general, and I am referring to the technological world, that are special and difficult to understand. However, they were easy to understand from the first moment. I can lift up the phone and talk with them and they are very easily understood. They come to our installations and we have a relationship that is very easy and communicative. Sometimes, there are failures and misunderstandings, but for me, this is the most valuable part. They're very good at what they do, and they deliver.

Are there any areas Develapps could improve?

Right now, I'm very happy with how they work.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Cricket Genie is a consumer app that allows professional and amateur cricket players to record and analyze their game statistics.

What challenge were you trying to address with Develapps?

I was looking for a cost-effective way of developing natively on iOS and Android in order to create a minimum viable product.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Develapps has enabled me to develop an MVP on Android and iOS. They became involved from the beginning, helping me with the massive design and analysis phases. Develapps scoped out technical specs and developed everything from the backend database to the native Android development.

How did you come to work with Develapps?

I found Develapps at Google Campus, a co-working space on Old Street in London. I also got references from other people building apps. I have been working with Develapps on and off for the last four years.

How much have you invested with Develapps?

The cost of Develapps' work was between $50,000 and $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The Android application is currently live, and the project has been completed. We're currently in a transition period, pivoting towards a different industry.

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

Through Develapps' work, I have been able to successfully raise seed investments. We average a 4.4-star rating on Google Play. The quality of the app is solid. As far as I'm concerned, Cricket Genie has been a success from a development standpoint, but we're orienting towards a more lucrative area, economically speaking.

How did Develapps perform from a project management standpoint?

Develapps had very good performance. Apps are complicated, and they've worked with me in exposing technical issues and in mitigating the risks involved. As a non-technical founder, having a team who can give me a heads up around issues is obviously appreciated. It gives me an element of foresight.

What did you find most impressive about Develapps?

Develapps provides a very professional service. I've worked with lots of freelancers and other developers, and working with Develapps has proved to be very tidy in comparison from a technical and organizational standpoint.

Are there any areas Develapps could improve?

No. Develapps has been brilliant in terms of development and project management.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with  Develapps?

For anyone starting out development projects with third-party agencies, doing as much work up front to define what they want will lead to a clearer outset for the work.