Devlight

Please describe your company and your position there.

We created this app to help people achieve well-being and prosperity by enhancing mental and physical health. Our app is designed to assist people in breaking old patterns and forming new habits.

With AI-powered treatment plans, we pursue the objective of helping people who are feeling sad, anxious, unmotivated, stressed, or depressed easily take control of their mental health and bodies. With hundreds of workout trainers and meditation instructors around the globe, app users can get affordable, personalized, and cost-effective aid anywhere and anytime. I am the CEO.

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

We approached Devlight to develop a mobile iOS application and its backend, including the admin area that allows us to manage the application’s content.

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

In our quest for a Mobile app development service provider, we searched online and found Devlight. Their eye-catching website, their services with a problem-solving approach, and testimonials from their clients intrigued us to contact them. Furthermore, their services were affordable and good quality, exactly what we were looking for.

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

Devlight was responsible for the development of the iOS application. We provided Devlight with UI/UX design describing our idea, based on which they created requirements and technical documentation for the app. They also help us find the vendor for the backend and admin panel developed for easy content management provided for users in the application.

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

The Devlight team has a project manager, two iOS developers, and one QA specialist. And from the backend vendor, we worked with their Project manager, backend developer, frontend developer, DevOps, and QA specialist.

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

The final application meets all initial requirements, was qualitatively tested, and passed to us with all project documentation and other important artifacts. We are preparing for the project launch for production, and we expect the application to grow our customer base.

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

I am satisfied with the communication with the Devlight team, I was not directly involved in the development process due to my workload, but the Devlight team provided me feedback and on-time weekly status reports describing project progress.

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

Devlight has proven to be a motivated, responsible team with extensive experience in mobile development. I'm impressed with their flexibility, domain expertise, and outstanding product quality.

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

During our cooperation, I didn’t notice anything that could be critical for the project's success.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Nova Poshta is the biggest b2c logistic company in Ukraine. My position at the time of project implementation is Chief Digital Transformation.

For what projects/services did your company hire Devlight?

To develop a mobile application for customers, for couriers, and create a cloud platform for these applications.

What were your goals for this project?

Nova Poshta has chosen a strategy for customer experience digitalization to create the most convenient and reliable service for its own customers.

How did you select this vendor?

We were looking for a partner in the local market for a long-term relationship with strong expertise in mobile application development. To all companies, we sent a task to describe how they see the solution to our problem before starting the cooperation. Devlight delivered an adequate and elegant solution. They showed a high interest in solving our tasks, helping us to overcome technical barriers inside the company.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

As far as the number of smartphone users continuously grows, the mobile application becomes the main way to get in touch with the company, thus we have built this product based on the principles of reliability, ease of interaction and aesthetics. The mobile app implementation causes the company’s internal processes transformation.

This app becomes one of the main tools that help "Nova Poshta" to be a technological leader in the logistics services market. The ability to independently perform all necessary actions to send or receive packages in one app significantly increased customer loyalty and the number of app users.

What was the team composition?

• 2 Android developers (Java, then Kotlin)
• 2 iOS developers (Objective C, Swift)
• Architect (GCP Platform)
• Data analyst (Google BigQuery, Data Studio)
• Middle javascript developer (NodeJS)
• Senior javascript developer (NodeJS)
• Senior designer - Junior designer - Project manager Total: 11 team members

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Launched new mobile application «Nova Poshta». This is one of the best applications on the Ukrainian market by the number of active users and positive reviews. Main results:

• more than 2,6 million MAU;
• over 25 million shipments tracking subscriptions per month;
• more than 2 million shipments were created by customers via mobile applications
• the client's digital card allowed to reject the plastic card;  
• more than 500,000 parcels per month were paid for in the application.
• Nova Poshta confirmed its status as an innovative company and started the process of digital transformation.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It wasn't very easy to overestimate the role of the Devlight project manager. He coordinated the work of different teams not only within Devlight but also built up communication between various departments in Nova Posta to get the information needed for implementation. He also helped to work with negative feedback in marketing, which allowed us to react quickly to problems and eliminate them.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The partnership approach of Devlight is the most impressive. They are always ready to help in solving a problem first of all. What I mean is:

• helped to teach Nova Poshta staff on new technologies for successful product launch
• always explaining why they offer this exact solution and its pros and cons.
• when they saw a mistake on our part, they would pay attention to it and suggest a solution, even if it wasn't profitable for them.
• always made concessions when we needed them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Of course. The first thing Devlight should pay attention to is the presentation of its offers to the clients. If on the customer side, the decision is made by a person without a technical background, it can be challenging to understand its essence and make the right business decision. That's why we had to additionally discuss Devlight's proposal to clarify details and simplify it before going to the company owners.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a financial company based in Kiev, Ukraine, with a focus on cryptocurrency mining. We have created our own cryptocurrency. I am the head of product development for the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Devlight?

We decided to create our mobile application for exchanging our cryptocurrency. I was in charge of finding a company which could design an attractive UI/UX [user interface/user experience], develop our app for Android and iOS, and perhaps help us with marketing. At the time, I had no experience with mobile app development, so the process was completely new.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We decided to develop a cross-platform application and created a scope for its main features. I had some meetings with my colleagues, discussing how we should develop the app. We didn't provide any prototypes or other material to Devlight beyond the requirements.

The app needed the ability to exchange cryptocurrencies between one and the other, exchange them for traditional currencies, and vice versa. It also needed to track variations in exchange rates and save different statistics. We also needed to scan QR codes through it, for ATM exchanges.

Devlight assigned two Android developers, a UX designer, and a project manager for the project. The team remained the same throughout the process.

How did you come to work with Devlight?

We initially approached a different agency, but they didn't have a good understanding of the cryptocurrency world. Devlight was recommended to us by a contact. We had an initial discussion with Devlight's team and assessed their knowledge around the cryptocurrency field.

How much have you invested with Devlight?

The cost of Devlight's work has been $40,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Devlight in July 2016. The actual development started at the beginning of August, and the first iteration was finished in November. The second iteration was started in February 2017, and it's ongoing.

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

Devlight's work was good. The first version of our app had 10,000 installations by the end of 2016. Developing the application within a set budget was also important to us. Devlight delivered a good-quality product for a reasonable price.

How did Devlight perform from a project management standpoint?

Devlight was very good from this perspective. I had calls with their project manager every day, at the same time. We discussed the work, including any issues, and decided on the solutions needed. I was given weekly reports for the completed work, as well as the ongoing and planned tasks. The process was very helpful for me, as someone without experience in development.

We had a deadline for the end of November 2016. The application was completed by the beginning of that month, which meant that we had three additional weeks to test it. It was a good result for us. I had some worries initially about Devlight's reliability, but they proved to be very good.

Devlight used Teamwork for scheduling and communication. I was included in the platform and managed the project along with them. Devlight also used InVision for prototyping and Sketch for designs, but I mainly collaborated with them through Teamwork.

What did you find most impressive about Devlight?

When we started the project with Devlight, I hadn't worked with any other development companies, so I had some worries. During the process, Devlight became our partner, rather than just an outsourced company. They had our product in mind, not just the money, which led to a very good application.

Are there any areas Devlight could improve?

There were a few unclear moments during development when I didn't have a good understanding of what tasks the developers were working on. This may have been my issue more than Devlight's.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an early-stage startup developing a native iOS and Android mobile app dedicated to emerging artists who are looking to develop their own brand and manage their performance.

I am the founder and CEO of the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Devlight?

I was looking to undergo native mobile development for Android and iOS, including UI/UX [user interface/user experience] design for a prototype. I had a clear user story in place. I noticed that Devlight had a good team for both fronts, and they were able to propose improvements for my branding, design, and even the logo itself.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I didn't provide any complex wireframes or sketches on the design front, only a list of features I wanted. I gave Devlight's team some screens of hand-drawn ideas, and they came up with a prototype in the form of clickable screens, which were close to what I was looking for. We are continuing to refine those designs.

I was looking to provide an intuitive flow for the app, making it simple to use especially for digital nomads—people who are using it while on the move, and while working outside. Because the design is intended for artists, it's engaging, funky, and warm, but not to an excessive degree. We are helping people develop their careers, so the app needs to be sexy and serious at the same time. This is something that Devlight captured in their UI/UX designs.

The app has numerous multimedia capabilities, for which Devlight has researched the latest software development kits and API integrations. We have daily Scrum standup meetings via Skype, and I also visit them at their office, during which they come up with ideas on the most up-to-date approaches we can have. I've gotten many ideas from Devlight's developers themselves, not only from the scrum master.

How did you come to work with Devlight?

I approached several agencies, and held a sort of beauty contest, looking at which one could come back with some appropriate screens and ideas based on my user stories. Many were not willing to do this for free, while others developed one or two screens. Devlight was quick and proactive and delivered more wireframes than I was expecting. They brought in their own ideas and delivered good quality results. Devlight stood out among the five or six agencies I contacted. I waited for a bit before hiring them, in order to make sure I wasn't mistaken.

How much have you invested with Devlight?

I prefer to keep the cost confidential at this stage. Compared to their competition, Devlight has given me a good value in terms of general cost and the hours dedicated to the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Devlight in mid-January 2017. We started the development for both Android and iOS apps after testing the clickable version of our prototype and receiving good feedback for it.

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

Two-thirds of the users testing our screens have found them to be clean, quick, and easy to understand. We've not had to completely kill any one screen; everything was understood by the users, and we only had to make adjustments like pushing buttons from the top to the bottom of a screen, integrating more explanations, and so on.

How did Devlight perform from a project management standpoint?

I interacted quite well with Devlight's project manager and Scrum master. He has very good English skills and has very good self-control in managing pressure and conflicting objectives. He's a good bridge between our groups, and quite responsive as well. We interact quite a lot on Slack and Skype and have Scrum calls every morning. We use Bitbucket and Teamwork for following the work, Google Hangouts and InVision to have access to the screens being worked on, Lookback for getting user feedback in video form, and Sketch, which allows me to comment on screens directly.

What did you find most impressive about Devlight?

Devlight has a quality team on the UI and UX side, and they have an entrepreneurial approach. They know that we are a startup, and are willing to take the risk and come up with ideas. Devlight is also flexible, making us feel like this is more than an outsourcing project. I have gotten a sense of commitment from the team.

Are there any areas Devlight could improve?

Devlight has a decently sized team, but they can have more work than they can handle at times. I haven't seen a bottleneck during my project, but I've noticed that they are a fast-growing company when I visited them on-site for a week. One or two additional developers would be good.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Uplata provides IT services within the Ukraine financial sphere. I am the marketing director of the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Devlight?

We needed to create a new website and web application for our services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Devlight was responsible for the design of our web application. Devlight specializes in mobile app development, and we plan to build a native version of our product in the future.

We provided Devlight with technical documentation describing our idea, based on which they created wireframes, sketches, and prototypes of the app. Devlight produced some of the text content and images of the site; we created the rest ourselves.

We have used our internal team for the frontend and backend development parts of the project. We are working with another company for SEO [search engine optimization] services.

How did you come to work with Devlight?

We chose Devlight because they are a professional and reliable company. They were willing to listen to and understand what we were trying to achieve and agreed to our crazy ideas. The team provides good knowledge regarding both app development and web design. Devlight cared about the success of our company, which is a unique thing.

How much have you invested with Devlight?

The cost of Devlight's work has been around $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Devlight in September 2016. We are planning to build a mobile application using Devlight.

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

I don't have any statistics or metrics for the app so far since it hasn't been live for long enough. We have started to test a beta version with a small user group, and it has seen some favorable initial reviews. Everyone has said that the designs are positive and creative.

How did Devlight perform from a project management standpoint?

Devlight adapted to our rules and procedures and stuck to every deadline. We have used Worksection, which is a Ukrainian app for project management.

What did you find most impressive about Devlight?

I can't think of anything unique about Devlight, but they delivered what was promised.

Are there any areas Devlight could improve?

I don't have an understanding of all the details of the process, so it would be hard to make a comment.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a logistics services provider offering end-to-end delivery. We work with customers shipping parcels from sites like Amazon, eBay, and AliExpress. We are the biggest logistics provider in Ukraine, with a staff of 18,000.

I am the online services and mobile app development manager of the company. I run a 15-person department.

What challenge were you trying to address with Devlight?

We decided to create a new mobile application for our company, in order to replace our old solution which had missing functionalities. The new app needed to allow our customers to track the delivery of their parcels as they travel through different branches of our company, sending push notifications when the delivery has been made. It also has a cost and estimation functionality based on distance.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Devlight has developed our Android and iOS application. The team was involved in the process from the initial UI/UX design phase. We had some technical specifications for their team, but no wireframes. We looked at a few existing apps provided by other companies and asked Devlight to replicate certain functionalities.

We had a limited timeframe, so we used 2 iOS and 4 Android developers in the beginning. Devlight also assigned us a project manager and a UI designer.

How did you come to work with Devlight?

We wanted to find a local company in Ukraine so that we could communicate in the same language. We focused on 5 candidates and spoke with their chief technology officers, founders, and development team. We chose Devlight because of the strong skill sets of their developers.

How much have you invested with Devlight?

The cost of Devlight's services was close to $120,000. We had a fixed-price contract.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Devlight at the end of January 2016. We have released our mobile application, but we continue to work with Devlight for feature enhancements. 

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

Our app has been featured as the best one in Ukraine within the business categories for Google Play and Apple App Store. We are also within the top-3 overall apps for Ukraine. Our app has been praised in terms of structure, design, and idea.

We never encountered an instance of the application crashing. Many other companies have approached us wanting to know who developed our app, and we've always recommended Devlight.

How did Devlight perform from a project management standpoint?

Devlight's project manager has worked with us throughout the project, coordinating the work. I acted as project manager on our side. Devlight's team was flexible and fast. Both of our companies are based in Ukraine, so communication has been simple and pleasant. We use Skype, email, and phone calls for communication. We also visit Devlight's team 1-2 times per year. We hold regular scrum meetings to report on progress and any issues. We also had weekly sprints.

What did you find most impressive about Devlight?

I appreciated Devlight's speed, flexibility, and ability to provide ideas we wouldn't have thought of. They've been a partner for us, rather than just a developer.

Are there any areas Devlight could improve?

No.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

‎Movinga is an online platform for relocation services. A person moving from Berlin to Hamburg can use our solution in order to put together a plan, handle bookings, and make invoices. I am the vice president of the company. I was an interim chief technology officer during our work with Devlight.

What challenge were you trying to address with Devlight?

We have a fleet of relocation companies for which we needed to develop native iOS and Android apps, enabling members to manage their jobs on the fly. Our partners could thus circumvent traditional processes and have immediate access to complete relocation orders. There wasn't a service similar to this on the European market.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Devlight provided several layers of service, starting with UI/UX design for our Android and iOS apps. We provided basic wireframes to Devlight's designer, who adjusted them based on his experience. We approved the changes and allowed Devlight to take over the work. Devlight then handled the backend and front-end development for Android and, in part, for iOS.

In total, we've worked with 6 members of Devlight's team, including a designer, a project manager, and 4 developers. We've had daily iterations assessing our project’s direction. I was responsible for monitoring this process.

How did you come to work with Devlight?

Devlight contacted our company and gave a quote for their services. They were competitive, compared to Berlin prices, so we contracted Devlight for a pilot project. Their team also speaks the same language as I do. They ended up developing our entire app.

How much have you invested with Devlight?

The cost of Devlight's services has been around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Devlight around March of 2016. The project was handed over in September. We haven't iterated the second version yet.

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

Devlight's apps have worked very well so far, but I can't provide specific metrics for them.

How did Devlight perform from a project management standpoint?

Devlight has held to all of our deadlines. I have no negative comments in this respect. We have worked with different people from Devlight's team, depending on the status of our project. During our prototyping mode, we kept in touch with their designer. While we underwent development and testing, I also spoke to Devlight's backend and front-end developers. I appreciated not having to go through a middleman.

We used GitLab as a code repository, Jira for ticket tracking, we had an internal Slack channel, and we also talked over Skype. I communicated with Devlight's team in Ukrainian, but I think that they prefer English generally.

What did you find most impressive about Devlight?

Devlight has a talented design team, much better than any other UI/UX mobile designers I've ever worked with. This is what initially convinced me that it made sense to work with Devlight. Their price has also been good. Devlight is three times less expensive than Berlin developers, with the same or better quality.

Devlight is also very good at utilizing non-mainstream, top-notch technologies. They've stayed one step ahead constantly, and they even introduced me to a design and collaboration front-end tool called Zeplin.

Are there any areas Devlight could improve?

I managed the project myself, and I think that the collaboration could have been difficult otherwise. It may have changed in the meantime, but at the time, Devlight didn't have a good project management structure.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Business Development (Unit) Director at Advent group. Advent Group is the leader in Graduate education recruitment.

For what projects/services did your company hire Devlight?

We needed an AI platform able to retrain easily and 'react' on a number of user behaviors.

What were your goals for this project?

Fast, own code, easily operable, potentially applicable product to other products of ours.

How did you select this vendor?

High understanding by the architect, good feedback from another project

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

UI, back-end, support

What was the team composition?

Architect, PM, UX, Back-end developer, Front-end developer

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Works perfectly for our purposes, more than 60% of our user service

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Agile - highly responsive and professional.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their flexibility and technical knowledge impressed us. They are both goal and client-oriented with superb project team composition.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It was perfect.