DITDOT

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m owner and director of an organization that provides content for the virtual world. We were founded in 2008.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DITDOT?

I use DITDOT’s development services for the things I produce.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The most recent project we did was a virtual museum for the Fortress of Klis in Croatia. DITDOT was responsible for the creation of the whole museum. The project scope included scientific data, script, architecture, lighting, and all the things needed by a museum. It was a mixture of real life and virtual things. DITDOT provided development services for the parts that were created using IT and technology.

How did you come to work with DITDOT?

They were recommended to me a few years ago. I started working with them and was satisfied, so I continued.

How much have you invested with DITDOT?

We spent between $10,000 and $50,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them on this project in February 2016 and it was completed in November 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was satisfied with the quality of the code and the way they presented the things I wanted them to do.

How did DITDOT perform from a project management standpoint?

They did their tasks according to the scope and the agreed upon date. I was working with two resources on this project. We used Slack and email to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about DITDOT?

They provide good services for an okay price. They’re near me and we’re able to have face-to-face contact a few times during the project.

Are there any areas DITDOT could improve?

Their communication could be better. For one thing, our discussions could be more frequent and more detailed. Sometimes, it’s much better to discuss things instead of making decisions on your own. It can save time because if you make a decision the client doesn’t like, you have to redo things.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner and director of Altacore, a small accounting and consultancy firm in Croatia. The company was founded in mid-2014 and functions as a one-man-band.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DITDOT?

At the beginning, I needed to develop a visual identity which could appeal to clients in the financial sector. It was important for me to present attractive documents to clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I presented my business vision and activity to them and received a few samples of work. DITDOT designed everything, from my company logo to memoranda and other material used during business events. The logo was incorporated into different areas, including business card designs, my email signature, and so on. DITDOT also started to develop a website for me, but the project wasn't completed because of my need to focus on other projects.

How did you come to work with DITDOT?

I had been in touch with DITDOT in the past and had seen some of their previous work. It was natural for me to go to them instead of another company whose work I was unfamiliar with.

How much have you invested with DITDOT?

The cost of DITDOT's work was around $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with DITDOT in August 2014 during the formation of my company. The process took 2–3 months to complete, mostly because of my delays. Our collaboration ended in November.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It is difficult for me to attribute results to DITDOT's work since we started working together as my company was being formed. I have gotten positive feedback from clients and associates, but I have no specific metrics. I continue to use DITDOT's branding work. I was pleasantly surprised by DITDOT's ability to put thought into connecting my visual identity with what I do. This extended to choosing colors and shapes, with a lot of consideration being placed in the symbolism behind each detail.

How did DITDOT perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management was handled well from DITDOT's side, but less so from mine. I had a lot of things on my mind at the time. Despite that, DITDOT remained responsive and made time to meet me when I was available. It never took long for them to reply to my email suggestions. DITDOT delivered on time and within budget. I communicated with one person from their team, but I'm not sure if he was the only one engaged in preparations. We kept in touch by phone, email, and through in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about DITDOT?

I cannot compare DITDOT with any other company since they were the only ones I've ever used. As I’ve mentioned, responsiveness and attention to detail were the two most noticeable factors.

Are there any areas DITDOT could improve?

I cannot think of anything right now, but my project was limited in scope. After I've worked with DITDOT again, I may have some things to share.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the co-founder of an online project management startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed to establish a working MVP for our web-based platform from the ground up, to test its viability and get the customer’s feedback as fast as possible. We were looking for a full-service development company to collaborate closely with our in-house team.

SOLUTION

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

After interviewing quite a few software development agencies providing outsourcing/team augmentation services, DITDOT was in our top three choices. We decided to go with DITDOT because they had good references, the pricing was advantageous and they were the ones we felt most comfortable with.

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

The key deliverable of the project was building a basic, but technically strong custom Minimal Viable Product (MVP). The initial scope of work involved UX/UI design, back-end development, front-end development, and QA. During the initial phase, we also included tech consulting services in the scope of work as DITDOT suggested a more efficient backend tech stack and architecture.

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

We worked with a dedicated team of three people, consisting of a front-end developer, full-stack developer, and UX/UI designer. Our own internal project manager facilitated communication between their team and ours.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our goal was to launch quickly and we managed to launch an MVP that delivered actual value to our customers less than four months into the project. So far, we’re very satisfied. Our beta users responded positively to the overall concept, interface, and features.

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

We maintained permanent real-time communication using Slack and Trello. Although it was a pretty complex web development project, DITDOT respected all important deadlines and the project has been delivered within budget. 

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

DITDOT always suggested the best approach instead of going the easier way. Their developers were way more than just a team extension and have significantly contributed to the technical direction of the project.

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

There were some minor communication issues in the beginning, but this was sorted out almost immediately. We never worked with an outsourced partner before and it took us a couple of weeks to find the perfect setup, but we’re really happy with how the DITDOT team reacted to feedback.