Digis

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CFO of a SaaS UGC Webapp company. We enable brands of all types to capture video of their customers using or talking about their products or experiences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were looking for frontend developers to support our existing team and to work with a group that maintained enough resources to grow our team as needed.

SOLUTION

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

Digis was found through a referral and we began our working relationship with one developer. We have continued to add additional developers on a fairly consistent schedule that parallels our growth.

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

Digis has worked on our proprietary project and will continue to do so.

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

As stated we began with a single Digis FrontEnd Developer and over six months we have grown that to four.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team is adept at working with our Project Manager and aiding in time estimates as well as self-directing towards deliverables that match their strengths.

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

Our communications stack consists of Slack, Jira and Figma. Project management is a dedicate full-time resource that on our internal team. Communication and timeliness is always clear and concise.

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

The ability to consistently source and maintain talented resources at all skill levels is impressive. 

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

Digis has been receptive to our needs and work with us a true partner, not just a vendor.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of the company. We are developing and selling vehicle diagnostic and fleet management solutions to B2B customers and consumers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed to add a frontend developer to our inhouse team to speed up development of our new fleet management platform

SOLUTION

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

We were searching via upwork for a freelancer and got offered a perfect fitting candidate offered from Digis.

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

We had a kick-off meeting and from day one Denis from Digis was part of our development team. He gets task from our inhouse team and is working on them remotely. Frequently he is presenting his progress and we launch it our live system after review. New tasks are always based on new features so we usually see progress every couple of days. Denis is using Javascript mainly.

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

We have frequent contact to our Project Manager Vlad and on adaily basis to denis the Developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new platform is a huge step forward in regards of design, loading times and scalability (eg number of cars to be shown on a map at a same time). Since we launched the new platform after 11 month of development more and more of our customers chnge from our old version to our new one and they are quite impressed by the new platform. Now we can attack the market with a top notch product.

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

We are in touch with their developer almost on a daily basis so it feels as if he is a part of our team. We use slack and zoom for communication.

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

Very helpful and quite responsive at any time.

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

So far everything to our full satisfaction.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the VP of engineering at connected2fiber. Connected2fiber is a cloud based service company that helps telecom companies buy and sell connectivity.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Digis?

Connected2fiber hired Digis to help design build and deploy a quoting system which helps buyers price and quote connectivity for multiple addresses at the same time as per desired specifications.

SOLUTION

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

We interviewed multiple vendors and candidates and the engineering team at Digis impressed us with their quick understanding of the problem and their analytical skills.

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

Initially Digis built a simple but working version of the cpq. We used an iterative approach to add features and functions to the product. This product became very successful among our customers and they too requested more features which made the product which it is today.

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

There were 10 software engineers, 2 qa and 2 pm.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team has been innovative and reliable. Their experience and professionalism were admirable. They delivered successfully and on time. Any problems or bugs were addressed quickly.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Digis became and extension of my team and we collaborated on design and worked together on features. Digis contribution on this specific project comprises the majority of the work.

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

Quality of engineers and great communication skills. That helped a lot in the success of the project.

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

We are in need of more engineers from Digis and their recruitment could be faster. We do understand that hiring quality engineers takes time though.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Project Manager, Requirements Engineer

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Digis?

The feedback from our alpha testing phase shows us, that certain processes were poorly understood by our first users. Furthermore, the core idea of the platform could not be conveyed. We decided to keep the basic virtues, but upgrade the project with a completely new UX/UI concept.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

As always, we did some interviews on Upwork and decided to work with Digis. Based on the initial interviews, which were very professional.

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

Our project can be well divided into project phases. In the beginning, it was quite understandable that the UX/UI designer had to deal with the product. Before the actual work could start, a lot of discussions took place. Many approaches and ideas grow during the discussions with a requirements engineer and the CEO. The first low-fidelity prototypes were created in Figma, which gradually described the concept.

Based on the low-fidelity prototypes, the first process and data object diagrams could be created. In several iterations, we were thus able to develop a new UX concept. Once the low-fidelity prototypes and processes were finalized with the development team, we were able to start with the high-fidelity mockups, which were mostly created in consultation with a front-end developer.

In parallel, we designed our own pattern library/design system based on the Atomic Design principle. This gave us the opportunity to have a unified design across the whole platform. Further changes to the individual patterns were easy for us to handle.

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

My team works directly with a UX/UI-Designer. A responsible project manager was always available to us as a contact person.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication was smooth either through our teams communication channel or with the project manager via email. We were in daily contact with the UX/UI designer in form of dailies or when we had to clarify some questions. With the project manager, we had a short conversation every 2 weeks to clarify all possible questions.

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

We personally love to work in a very process-oriented way. Because when we understand how to do something, we usually know how the end result can look like. With Digis, we also had the feeling that they knew what they were doing and how to do it. Every next step was planned from the beginning. If something didn't work in line with our processes, we could readjust it.

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

We were basically satisfied with everything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm CTO of the company. We develop applications to help build research communities on college university campuses and virtually showcase research work. I work with our business team to decide business priorities and technical needs and work with our dev team for implementation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We have an ongoing web development project with DIGIS where one of their developers is actively involved in the development of a virtual events application we've built over the past year.

Our goals have been dynamic, our roadmap has had new large projects set month to month and the DIGIS developer has actively given feedback on the technical aspects of project design and has been involved in implementation.

SOLUTION

How did you select DIGIS and what were the deciding factors?

We selected DIGIS as the developer that we interact with's resume stood out, in interview they shared some example code they worked on which also was obviously complex. They demonstrated knowledge of their example code that let us know they'd be a meaningful contributor.

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

The DIGIS developer is actively involved first in giving feedback on technical requirements of a project and timeline. The developer then has worked with a team of other developers to create code, review code, and actively communicate their progress while sticking to this timeline.

After roadmaps they give feedback on improvements on technical processes and technical improvements across the site. In particular, we are working with a full stack developer, with expertise in Angular and Node JS.

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

1 person from the team, full stack developer with emphasis on Angular and Node JS.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They've been an important part of coding features that were demonstrably wanted by our clients. So far we've gotten qualitatively strong responses from clients and our business team to features that the developer has been involved with.

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

Currently, this aspect of the project is run entirely by us. They've been responsive on Slack, available in Google Meets meetings, and have been active to meet timelines.

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

Their account manager (or recruiting manager, not sure exact role) helped identify good candidates very quickly. The developer we've worked with has ramped up quickly and we're finding continuing to grow in efficiency contributing to the site.

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

The main spots for growth right now would be a continued increase in efficiency of coding + code reviewing and growth in ownership of particular projects. Based on the current trajectory, I think as more opportunity arises this will happen organically.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a scooter company. We develop scooters and stations where riders can charge the battery. We also offer a mobile app to use as a service. There’s an IoT part that corrects the data and offers the data through APIs. From the other side, we have a mobile application where we’re reading the data and can control the data. It’s connected to the IoT.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DIGIS?

The scooters have to be charged, and it usually takes a few hours. Instead of a rider charging their battery, we charge it for them. They go to one of our stations, remove the battery from the scooter, and we provide a new battery within 60 seconds. They’re full again and can go riding. We needed someone to develop our mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DIGIS developed our mobile app for those who purchase the battery swapping service. Our teams had a discovery meeting where we came up with a proof of concept (POC). We needed a lot of user research. At the end of that project, we were able to prove that it could work.

Last year, we raised €60 million (approximately $71 million USD) in order to produce the scooter and finalize the development and do the marketing. We’ve also created a backend in order to have all the logic for the commercial part of our information system. We created a web app in order to sell the subscription.

What is the team composition?

There is one iOS developer and one Android developer. There’s also a backend developer and a software developer who work on the website. Our project manager handles their team and a tester. We also have a DevOps person.

How did you come to work with DIGIS?

DIGIS was recommended to us by a partner. They started working before I joined the company. Their team came before the fundraising stage to deliver the POC.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between €150,000– €200,000 ($178,000–$237,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2019, and the engagement is ongoing. We’re in the phase where the MVP is satisfying our customers. It’s not as intense as it was a few months back but we’re doing some more improvements on the mobile app, the web, and the APIs. They continue to provide ongoing maintenance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We started from scratch with them, and I see them as a partner. There was a part of the project where there were some delays. There are many companies that would have charged me in order to fix that. However, DIGIS really understood and took responsibility.

They’d work evenings and weekends in order to support us without charging us for the extra time. Their team did that quite a lot of times. They were truly committed to helping us succeed. The quality of work is good, and I’m happy with them. We started in Paris and have our first customers on the street since 2021.

How did DIGIS perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very connected to the project. It’s not always very easy because as with any IoT project, it doesn’t always go as planned. There have been many delays and changes. We have daily contact or may touch base three times a week. We manage the project in Jira so everything is centralized there. Our teams communicate via video calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re committed and have the ability to scale up in order to deliver fast. DIGIS always does their best. For example, I started on a Monday and by that Thursday we had to meet investors to show them the system was working. On Monday morning, I had a call with DIGIS and found the coordination between them and the IoT world wasn’t as good as it should’ve been. It wasn’t their fault. Yet, three days later, they made it work so we could show it to investors to raise money. I was quite shocked.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The little testing that they did wasn’t good enough. That’s something they can improve on. They’ve been able to react to that and it’s much better now, but it was something that was a concern at one point.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You can’t expect them to understand everything because of the fact that they work remotely. You have to invest a bit more in the specifications and architecture before working. This would apply to any offshore company.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Facedrive. We’re a rideshare company in Canada focused on the environment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DIGIS?

Our existing mobile apps reached the end of their lives, and we wanted a team to develop a new set of apps with us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DIGIS collaborated with us to develop two native mobile apps for iOS and Android from scratch. One app was for the drivers and the other app was for the riders. Their team helped us replace all of the functionalities from the previous apps and add referral, promotion, and coupon features to the new ones.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a product manager, a project manager, Android developers, iOS developers, and two QA analysts.

How did you come to work with DIGIS?

We previously worked with them to fix bugs and then approached them for this larger project.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $300,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between May 2020–February 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

DIGIS professionally finished all of the products’ functions and features in accordance with customer expectations. We’re currently in the testing phase the feedback's positive. People say they’re happy and impressed by the apps. Overall, it was a successful project.

How did DIGIS perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was excellent. We used Trello, Jira, and Confluence. They had sound processes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their technical resources were the most impressive part of our engagement. Their team included extremely talented senior resources who knew what to do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their communication skills a bit to better integrate with North American companies.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re a talented team that can deliver.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Founder of NVO Ltd. Our company works in advertising and digital marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

They helped us with our app redesign. We wanted to improve our users’ experience, make our product more up-to-date.

SOLUTION

How did you select DIGIS and what were the deciding factors?

We had already worked with them and were absolutely satisfied with their approach. They are an innovative and experienced team of individuals and it’s a real pleasure to work with them again.

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

They asked a lot of questions about users and our business. During the whole process, they provided us with intermediate results for approval: user analysis, sketches, wireframes, etc.

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

We mostly communicated with the DIGIS Project manager, but as far as I know, there were 2 designers and 1 frontend developer besides him.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After the new version release, users’ feedback was positive, and the number of reports dramatically reduced.

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

I enjoyed their work organization. Their team followed the set timeline and everything was delivered on time.

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

Their designers got our ideas so fast and they were so open and nice as if we were friends. All this resulted in quality design and our good mood.

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

No, as I remember there aren’t.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Chief Software Architect at a software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DIGIS?

We hired Digis to build a react-native mobile application for our users.

What were your goals for this project?

We are a software company that specializes in web application development, and were looking for a company that could meet two different needs:

1. First, deliver the mobile application we needed;
2. and second, deliver high quality code that would serve as a launch point for our developers to begin working in mobile space.

SOLUTION

How did you select DIGIS?

We posted a job description with what I consider to be a fairly complete set of requirements. DIGIS responded with sufficient questions and comments to indicate that they had read through and were attempting to understand these requirements before providing an estimate.

They made our short list, and after a zoom interview with their project manager - they convinced us that they would be a great fit.

Describe the project in detail.

We provided a detailed specification doc describing the needed features in the mobile application, including hand-drawn wireframes. DIGIS had a designer that turned our wireframes into actual designs, which the developer then instrumented. The process was interactive (using Slack for day-to-day communications) with weekly team meetings.

The mobile app had 3 broad functional areas (login, information retrieval/display from our API, and integration with a mobile web browser). The app was developed with react-native, and DIGIS published for both iOS and Android.

What was the team composition?

DIGIS brought one project manager, one designer and one developer. Over the course of the project (about 6 weeks), the PM was present the entire time. The designer was involved for the first 2 weeks and the developer for the rest.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The application met both of our goals - it has the functionality we wanted for our users, and their developer built a very well designed application and presented it to our develoment team very effectively. It should prove to be a great launching point for our own development efforts.

DIGIS delivered the project on time, and met our functional specifications. The costs ended up a little higher than the original estimate reflecting some scope creep.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Effective. Using Slack for day-to-day conversations was very efficient. We did have some misses in the overall project coordination, which I believe may have contributed to the project running over budget. But the team members were all very responsive to questions and conversations.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The designer was very very thoughtful in turning our concepts into a strong design that reflects our brand. The code that the developer wrote is very high quality and code we are happy (as a software development company ourselves) to bring into our product line.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Better timeline management to help us keep track of overall progress towards final delivery to help identify cost overrun potential before it happens.