DianApps

Please describe your company and your position there.

Thousand Greens is a global network of private club golfers. We enable our members to play other member private golf clubs as guests. I am the Founder of the company.

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

We were working with a previous developer who left us in a lurch with an incomplete and non-functioning web and mobile platform. We hired DianApps to fix all the issues, complete all the functionality, and build new enhancements.

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

We were referred to DianApps by the previous developer

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

The project is a complex project with both transaction services as well as social networking services. There is a backend database (Hasura and Firebase), a any device anywhere web and both iOS and Android mobile apps. The scope of work included extensive QA to ensure that the functionality was working as designed and fixing or completing each functional piece.

Many functional modules required new design creation as well. Some functional modules were completely redesigned for UX reasons. A lot of the backend needed to be refactored for performance and stability.

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

There was a project manager, a lead solution architect, two backend developers, a front end developer, and a QA engineer

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

The DianApps team is very competent technically. I found their attention to detail impressive. Given that they picked a troubled project in mid stream, they did thorough QA testing, identified issues that were not even user visible, and methodically fixed them including refactoring where necessary instead of simply band-aiding. Five months into their involvement, our platform is functioning flawlessly on the core functionality, and is delivering to performance and stability expectations.

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

We have a 1xweek or 2xweek call with the team which involves the project manager and the solution architect. In addition, we use Basecamp, WhatsApp and Jira for communication and tracking. The team is responsive and available for ad-hoc calls as necessary.

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

I've worked with three other development companies in the last four years, but DianApps is by far the most competent. Their grasp of development principles is strong, they take a "do it right" approach as opposed to "do it quick". Their QA and scenario analysis is impressive and they think through edge cases that even we hadn't thought about.

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

The time zone between India and the US is less than ideal, since it introduces a 24 hour lag in responsiveness. That sometimes becomes a challenge when we encounter a P-1 system or user down issue.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Co-Founder of a real money gaming startup. We develop own games based on skills where you can win real money.

For what projects/services did your company hire DianApps?

We wanted to create skill based casual strategy games for android, but we were unable to hire an experienced in-house team. We hired DianApps to make the most important module - the game module. The aim was to create the entire module within 2.5 months.

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

We started looking out for a competent tech development firm to get us started with our game module. We got a call from the co-founder Parag who explained to us on an introductory call how DianApps was exactly what I was looking for.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

They created the game module in lesser time than expected. They were quite thorough and meticulous in building each section of the game module carefully. They built the backend along with the matching algorithms, the withdrawal, payment gateway integration and finally, integrating it on the frontend and delivering the entire game module.

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

We worked with 3 positions. 2 backend developers and 1 android developers.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

They completed the project even before time and it was very efficient. The codes ran well, because the logic was flawlessly executed.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project management was efficient. We used to have daily updates and we charted out the workflow for each sprint. We used to communicate using various tools for workflow management.

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

They understand the human side of development. They see our projects as their own, and they have a dedicated team of genuinely capable individuals.

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

An extremely minor suggestion - Dianapps can work on formalizing their workflows with clients.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder of a telecommunications company that provides SMS & voice services to customers worldwide.

For what projects/services did your company hire DianApps?

We were facing technical challenges with respect to scaling up & development of new features on the panel.

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

Our primary criteria was to get an experienced engineering team on the project who have prior experience of scaling systems & also experience in building saas products. It took us a month to do our checks and have them onboard.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

They handle the entire tech infrastructure and make sure the system is up 99.99% of the time. They also are responsible for building & maintaining an architecture which works at high scale.

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

There are 2 resources on the project who look after the panel.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The team is very receptive and completes work on time. This is evident from the sprints that are help and completed every 2 weeks.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We have weekly discussions on tasks & project wise discussion with individual members. The engineers assigned to us are very committed to there work and we are happy with the experience.

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

The quality of engineers they have is better than what we have found from tech agencies. They have been very supportive in every aspect of the project, which is turning out to be a great experience.

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

Nothing comes to mind as of now.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a social media start up. Our platform brings together every one in sports to help create revenue for women’s pro athletes.

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

DianApps helped us with the development and design of our app. Our goal was to create a professional yet attractive app that users would feel safe using and would come back to use frequently.

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

Parag reached out to us. His intelligence and drive was a huge factored in deciding to work with DianApps on this project.

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 goal and objectives. From there the team created our first wireframes to go other before starting the development process. We are currently in the development phase and hold weekly demos to go through what is being accomplished.

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

Our team consists of a product owner, quality analyst, a UI/UX designer, and two IOS developers.

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

We are currently still in the development phase but are looking to launch our product at the end of September.

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

We have constant communication with the entire team. We communicate through WhatsApp and Basecamp. They outline the entire project in detail using a shared spreadsheet.

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

Their professionalism and knowledge has been key for us. They are able to execute and provide valuable feedback on all tasks that we ask them about. They are very organized and transparent on the process.

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

Things have been great so far in preparation for our lunch in the upcoming month.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the project manager for a business management SaaS company.

What challenge were you trying to address with DianApps?

We needed to outsource two parts of the backend and frontend of our mobile app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we gave DianApps a project plan. It was a detailed product requirements document with what we wanted and what we were trying to build. Within one week, they gave us project estimates and the cost breakdown. We signed an NDA and started development.

We provided design, and DianApps helped us with the front- and backend development for an Android MVP. The backend stack was in Django, and the frontend was React. After establishing the parameters, we launched the iOS and web versions as well.

We started with an MVP phase. Then, we marketed it for our user base and got 1,000 users. Thanks to this, we understood which other features we had to incorporate to have longer user retention. After the feedback, we launched the second version of the Android app. We launched the iOS app on phase three, and phase four was the web application.

The app is for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in India to help them manage their workforce. They can create a profile of their staff. Other features include online salary payment and calculation.

What is the team composition?

We have four backend developers, four frontend developers, three QAs, and one product owner.

How did you come to work with DianApps?

I found them on Clutch. It was very helpful in finding the right vendor.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2020, and we have an ongoing engagement with them.

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

They had projected three months for development, and they delivered in two and a half months. The product had a 99.9% crash-free use, and we were able to scale up pretty fast.

Moreover, the app has a total active user base of over 5 million and almost 3.5 million monthly active users, so the reach of the product is around 45% of monthly active users. Until now, we’ve processed about $200 million of salary payments in total.

How did DianApps perform from a project management standpoint?

They meet the deadlines and explain what they’ve accomplished. We have daily calls to discuss our plan for the day. We record all sessions and use Confluence, Jira, and Notion.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They do proper tech solutions. They have a backend developer who is a senior architect, and he always runs the solution through one of our co-founders before starting development. They take ownership of the project and work around the clock when it’s needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m happy with the way they handle things. They’re great.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and co-founder of PharmAssess Diagnostics. We build software solutions that help pharmacists conduct their billable clinical services such as prescribing medication for patients.

What challenge were you trying to address with DianApps?

We were looking for efficient developers so we hired DianApps.

What was the scope of their involvement?

DianApps provides us with a full stack development team consisting of a couple of frontend developers and one backend developer. There's also one member who checks the quality of the whole product and creates documentation around it.

What is the team composition?

I work with Vikash (Technical Co-Founder) who is the project manager and allocates the developers. There’ve been two backend developers on this project, plus a third one who works in and out. Of those three people, we now only retain one. I’ve also worked with four frontend developers, two of whom are still working with us. 

Two of the three QA analysts are still on board, but we hired the one who left DianApps for contract work simply because he was really good. 

How did you come to work with DianApps?

The original company that we were working with didn't do a good job so we went to look for another one. I've been in touch with Vikash since September 2020 and he’s been messaging and emailing me about different opportunities. After about four months of silent communication, I decided to give DianApps a shot.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $70,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our partnership in January 2021 and it is still ongoing.

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

Through this engagement, we’re able to hone in and rotate talent quickly and efficiently rather than going through the standard recruitment and interview process. DianApps is able to provide additional resources as required.

How did DianApps perform from a project management standpoint?

For the most part, DianApps meets the deadlines and objectives for what we’re looking to implement. Their attitude is good, too. They're honest workers who are quick to respond and get things right. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The developers from DianApps are smart and talented. We've worked with other developers who are good on paper and able to do some coding, but they weren’t as diligent with the required work as DianApps. We’ve had to explain things a dozen times with the previous service providers, but DianApps only needs to be told once or twice.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be more flexible with their payment method. The channel we're currently utilizing for transfers charges us sending fees, which is sometimes a lot. Ideally, we should be splitting those fees between us, but DianApps does not currently offer that option.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as communicative about your needs as possible, especially with the project manager. You’ve also got to be quick at filtering developers. Don’t be afraid to get rid of some resources since it is a normal part of the process. As in our situation, having four developers is good, but having just two could be substantially better.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a transport provider. I work across various areas of the business, but mostly I'm an IT manager.

What challenge were you trying to address with DianApps?

Our initial provider went out of business due to some legislation changes, so our application was half done. No one was really prepared to take on the project, and people didn't want to get into it because someone had already done half of it and there’s always issues around that in software.

The application was very critical for us to get online. We needed to have tracking capabilities for our drivers and gather a lot more information for deliveries and such.

What was the scope of their involvement?

DianApps actually took over the project to finish and deploy it. They were involved in the whole development process. They did the backend in PHP and the two native apps for iOS and Android.

Basically, the app is a tracking and billing platform. We use the app to send jobs to our drivers, and drivers use it to start and finish their job. Customers can log in and see the proof of their deliveries, tracking, and more. We do our processing in terms of customer billing and so on, so it’s a full, end-to-end system.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with a few people, but the team has been generally small. We have 3–4 people workign at a time. I basically deal with the main technical lead. We also work closely with the senior developers, and sometimes with the QA people.

How did you come to work with DianApps?

The only specific thing was that they were willing to do the job, and we were desperate at that point in time.

How much have you invested with them?

We've probably spent around $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with DianApps for at least three years, and it’s an ongoing partnership. Nowadays, we engage a bit less because the system is in production, but they provide regular maintenance and updates.

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

One of the main criteria was to actually have the app in production and replace the billing system. We had to do that within a certain time limit, and DianApps achieved it.

Overall, we’re satisfied with the quality of their work. The team leaders that we’ve dealt with have been fairly invested in trying to figure out the business requirements and use cases. When we discuss something with them, they come back to us and ask if there’s a better way to do it, whereas our previous provider only did what they were told. There wasn’t a lot of thinking or analysis behind it, and we've found that with DianApps. Thanks to them, we’ve managed to get the application to work.

How did DianApps perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management is good. We have regular updates and in terms of development cycles, we have regular releases. Although things can always improve, we’re satisfied.

We communicate 2–3 times a week and use Jira to track all items and requests. It’s our main communication tool. We live in different countries, so we have specific meeting times.

What did you find most impressive about them?

As I mentioned, DianApps stands out for being engaged. Also, their eagerness to be part of the business, understand it, and add value is one of their best qualities.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything at the moment. Most of the issues we’ve had have been related to time zones and availability rather than anything team-related.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open and try to explain the actual business process and issues that you’re having. I’m not a developer by any means, but you should think about how your application should work and behave because it’s highly likely that you’ve got it wrong. You need someone to actually have a look and critique it, so you have to take suggestions from the team and not be rigid about it.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a SaaS provider that offers scheduling software to fire departments. I’m the owner and product manager.

What challenge were you trying to address with DianApps? 

We were working with a company in India to build an app to support and add extra features to our existing web application. That company struggled to keep up resources during the pandemic, and we eventually ended the relationship. We then looked for another company to complete the app and assist in development of the web application. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Essentially, the application DianApps is working on is a scheduling system that deals with a lot of management policies and union rules. Essentially, we’re filling overtime spots, but rather than hand them out ad-hoc, organizations have to call individuals in a particular rotation. It’s fairly complex, and the result has to be usable by hundreds of people while also being fairly intuitive. We have to specify the work very clearly. 

DianApps builds development teams and completes projects, breaking them down into a couple of weeks or months' worth of work. They do the development, testing, and delivery of tasks into TestFlight or one of our testing environments.

What is the team composition?

I’ve met with the owner — both in person and over the phone. There are also two development team leaders that I’ve met with. Finally, I meet with the five individual developers weekly. 

How did you come to work with DianApps? 

Their sales team reached out to us as a small technology company that they felt would be a good fit for them. I was in a bit of a bind at the time, and I was eager to call them back. 

I was happy to try out a few development companies, so I handed them a few small projects to see how they went. We ramped up over the next six months to where we are now. 

How much have you invested with them?

We pay by the hour, rather than by the project, and we’ve paid for around 300 hours to date, totaling around $20,000. We’re going to ramp up in the second half of the year, however, so we’ll probably spend 2–3-times that amount again by the end of 2021. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since January 2021, and I’m going to continue using them as our development company, assuming things continue to go well. 

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

I measure success by judging if the development work meets specifications, as well as how quickly we’re able to move it to a live environment. We don’t necessarily have firm dates because the work is done by the hour; it can change quite a lot during the development work and testing. 

I’m very, very happy with DianApps. There have been occasions when I wished they could have delivered a bit earlier, but that's almost as much our fault as it is their fault. I don’t think things could have gone much better. I’d rate them as an 8–9 out of 10 at this point. 

The quality of their work is excellent. There’s a couple of developers that I’ve been very impressed with, and I’ve specifically asked for them to remain on the team. DianApps will move people around depending on the requirements of other customers, but I’ve been told that the one person I requested to stay on our project isn’t going anywhere. 

How did DianApps perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ll have a weekly meeting, and there’s a project lead that’s less technical than the developers, which I prefer. His job is to keep track of the deliverables and any issues we’re having. He’ll submit a report immediately after the weekly meetings with an update on the hours used. 

There has been a slight language barrier, but they are very understanding and it hasn’t been much of an issue at all. They use Jira to manage the work, and it’s very structured. DianApps has a bunch of protocols that determine which tools they use. I’m comfortable with how the project management is going. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The skills of the developers themselves stand out. I’ve worked with companies in the past that pick up as many developers as possible as quickly as possible without regard for their experience or skill level. I’ve been very impressed with the knowledge and skills displayed by the people that DianApps have selected. They get things done efficiently. 

The owner himself, Parag (Co-Founder), is very willing to chat when necessary. He’s very responsive and a nice guy. We have a great relationship. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

If I would improve anything then it would be their responsiveness. They usually get back to me within a day or two, but a few things have fallen by the wayside and been ignored. That’s very unusual, however. I’ll follow up in a few days if something isn’t taken care of, and then it will happen. There are no major issues. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you understand what you’re taking on when you start working with a development team in India. The biggest issue that is unavoidable is the time difference. There’s only a short overlap — my early morning, which is their early evening — but they’re very good about staying available late their time. This may be difficult for companies on the West Coast, however.

Because of this, make sure communication is tight. Plan ahead for meetings. You have to stay up on communication or things will trail off and be forgotten. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the creator of a fitness mobile app.

What challenge were you trying to address with DianApps?

We were looking for someone to help with development as well as post-development maintenance and support.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started by laying out a roadmap for building the app, making sure they understood my requirements. After that, they started developing the iOS solution. The majority of the designs came from a company I worked with previously, but DianApps helped update and implement them. They communicated with me throughout the process to ensure everything was to my liking and to explain the technical specificities to me. We’re still working together on app maintenance.

What is the team composition?

I've worked with Parag (Co-Founder), Vikash (Co-Founder), and Ekta (Quality Analyst).

How did you come to work with DianApps?

I originally worked with them via another company that had contracted them. I kept working with them after I finished up with the other company.

How much have you invested with them?

In my one-on-one work with them, I’ve spent about $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since January 2021.

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

We’re still getting ready for a full-scale launch of the app, so we don’t have any hard metrics to measure success based on. However, they’ve proven to be very precise with their work. They want to help me bring the best product to the market, and have been willing to provide feedback on my desired solution if they felt there was a better path. They’re honest, efficient, and proactive.

How did DianApps perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re perfect project managers. I haven’t had any complaints. They respond quickly to any of my questions over Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their response time and knowledge of mobile apps really stand out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have no complaints at the moment.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come into the engagement with at least some knowledge of what you want, but be willing to listen to their feedback. They’ll help tweak your product to be the best it can be.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of LEVELD, which is a community-based marketplace app that allows users to rent equipment from each other. Our focus is on the tool and equipment rental industry, so anywhere from DIY home improvement tools all the way to small construction industrial tools.

What challenge were you trying to address with DianApps?

We needed someone to help with software development and take care of all our technical work. We also needed help with email marketing.

What was the scope of their involvement?

DianApps work on both the front- and backend development of our native iOS app, as well as some graphic design. The main features that I wanted were GPS tracking, a payment channel, and product creation functionalities.

It’s a location-based marketplace, so it uses the GPS coordinates from a user’s mobile phone to look for other users that might have items for rent or are looking for items to rent within the general area. To do this, the team integrated Google Maps which gives us the user’s location-based GPS coordinates. 

They streamlined the payment process — they implemented a payment channel using Stripe that allows users to complete transactions, as well as deposit money directly into their LEVELD account which they can then use to pay for future rentals. They also added the functionality that allows users to create content and upload it into the marketplace by themselves. 

They also handle email marketing by creating auto-generated emails using a drip marketing approach. We work collaboratively on generating email content that is targeted, and their team is responsible for directing it to specific users. They manage the timing and follow a strategy where they would email certain users on a particular day and after a period of 25–30 days, they would send a follow-up. 

What is the team composition?

I only interface with the owner and he delegates to the rest of the team. 

How did you come to work with DianApps?

Their team actually reached out to me directly — they had previously worked as the support team for an app developer that I once worked with, but that company closed.

The founders of DianApps then reached out to previous clients to see if any of them needed development assistance. After they contacted me, I realized the process would be easier if I worked with them because of their familiarity with the app and my code stack. Their pricing was also competitive.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent somewhere between $15,000–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in January 2019, and the project is still ongoing.

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

I measure success based on the time it takes to complete tasks, as well as the quality of the work upon testing. Once they complete certain tasks, we have a testing period where myself and others test out the product that they've modified or developed. With that said, the quality of their work has been consistently excellent and they typically do it right the first time, so there's not a lot of iteration required with them. 

How did DianApps perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, their performance is great and they manage the scope well. There were a few cases where we had some unexpected overages in hours, but usually, they are able to estimate the number of hours and the cost pretty accurately and stay within the budget.

We primarily use Basecamp to communicate. They're very easy to work with in terms of correspondence — they’re always available to address any issues and concerns I have. They fix things right away and prove to be a very turnkey business.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed by how accessible they are. They're available for almost 24 hours a day — if there's a problem within the app that affects the users, they quickly fix it. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

At this time, there’s nothing I can think of that they could improve upon.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very specific with your requests. Understand the design layout and functionalities that you require and explain it as clearly as you can, so they can work more efficiently. If you leave it open-ended by being too vague about your requests, the project can drag on longer than anticipated.