# DockYard DockYard Reviews (9), Pricing, Services & Verified Ratings - 5.0 out of 5 average review rating - 2 connections joined DockYard's Network [Visit Website](https://dockyard.com/?utm_source=clutch.co&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=directory) [Get a Custom Proposal](https://clutch.co/profile/dockyard) **The Preeminent Elixir Development Consultancy** DockYard is a leading AI development studio. From strategy to development and implementation, our team can help you put AI and machine learning to work for your unique needs. Over the last decade, major companies—including Netflix and Apple—and industry disruptors alike have trusted DockYard to overcome complex product challenges. We believe that digital products can be made in an ethical and resilient way. And we incorporate that belief through our range of consulting services, from product strategy, design, and user experience (UX) to full-stack engineering and QA. DockYard’s integrated approach allows us to solve problems quickly with stability, maintainability, and scalability.  Our firm is smart, experienced, and deeply knowledgeable about modern application UX, design, and architecture.  On the bleeding edge of technology, DockYard often pioneers the field, and invests heavily in the open-source community. And with consultants nationwide, we've got staff in key markets across the United States. ## Company Information - Minimum project size: $25,000+ - Hourly rate: $150 - $199 - Number of employees: 50 - 249 - 1 Locations: - Hingham, MA (Headquarters) - Founded in 2010 - 1 languages: English - 3 timezones: Central Standard Time (CST), Eastern Standard Time (EST), Pacific Standard Time (PST) ## Services, Focus Areas, Industries, and Clients ### Service Lines - 30% Custom Software Development - 20% AI Development - 20% Mobile App Development - 20% Web Development - 10% UX/UI Design ### Focus Areas - Application Platforms: - 100% Linux server - Programming & Scripting: - 75% Elixir - 15% Ember.js - 10% Ruby - Mobile Platforms: - 60% Hybrid & cross platform apps - 14% Android App Development - 14% iPhone iOS App Development - 12% Other mobile OS - Frameworks and CMS: - 60% Phoenix Development Framework - 20% Other frameworks and CMS - 10% Laravel - 10% React Native - User Experience Focus: - 45% UX Strategy - 35% User Research - 20% Usability Testing - Mobile Focus: - 25% Consumer Mobile App Development - 25% Enterprise Mobile App Development - 20% Productivity Mobile App Development - 15% Financial Mobile App Development - 15% Publishing & Digital Content Mobile App Development ### Industries - 10% Business services - 20% Education - 20% Financial services - 10% Medical - 10% Information technology - 10% Media - 20% Arts, entertainment & music ### Clients - 40% Midmarket ($10M - $1B) - 60% Enterprise (>$1B) ## Pricing Snapshot Average rating for cost based on this provider's reviews: 4.3 out of 5 **What Clients Have Said** *(This summary is based on verified Clutch reviews.)*: DockYard's pricing varies significantly, with projects ranging from $100,000 to $1.5 million. Clients appreciate their value for cost, noting strong project management, design excellence, and effective communication, with no budget surprises reported. **Most Common Project Size**: $200,000 to $999,999 based on 5 reviews *(Pricing information for this provider is based on reviews where the project size was available.)* ### Pricing by Service - Custom Software Development: $200,000 to $999,999 based on 3 reviews - Web Development: $200,000 to $999,999 based on 2 reviews - UX/UI Design: $200,000 to $999,999 based on 1 review - Other IT Consulting and SI: $1,000,000 to $9,999,999 based on 1 review - IT Staff Augmentation: $1,000,000 to $9,999,999 based on 1 review - Other Design: Confidential based on 1 review ## Reviews Clutch investigates each reviewer's identity and work history. Every review goes through a rigorous, human-led verification process to confirm the reviewer's identity, and reviews that we verify are visibly marked as 'Verified' so you can trust that they come from a real client. [Learn More](https://help.clutch.co/en/knowledge/how-clutch-verifies-reviews) ### DockYard Review Insights Overall Review Rating: 5.0 - Quality: 4.9 - Schedule: 4.8 - Cost: 4.3 - Willing to Refer: 4.9 ### Top Mentions - Communicative (5 mentions) - High-quality work (3 mentions) - Unique expertise (3 mentions) - Great project management (2 mentions) - Timely (2 mentions) - Creative (1 mentions) - Detail-oriented (1 mentions) - Easy to reach (1 mentions) - Efficient (1 mentions) - Exceptional performance (1 mentions) - Flexible (1 mentions) - Great team (1 mentions) - Knowledgeable (1 mentions) - Openness (1 mentions) - Open to feedback (1 mentions) - Proactive (1 mentions) - Receptive (1 mentions) - Team players (1 mentions) - Trustworthy (1 mentions) ### Review Highlights **Effective Integration with Client Teams** DockYard effectively integrated with client teams, providing valuable expertise and becoming respected experts. Their team was flexible and adapted well to feedback, fostering a successful collaboration. **Collaborative and Strategic Partnership** DockYard was lauded for their collaborative approach, often being seen as partners rather than just vendors. They provided strategic insights and worked closely with clients to understand and meet their business goals. **Strong Elixir and Phoenix Framework Expertise** DockYard is consistently recognized for their expertise in Elixir and the Phoenix framework. Clients appreciated their technical proficiency and involvement in the Elixir community, which enhanced their projects' outcomes. **High-Quality Code and Testing Practices** Clients noted the high quality of DockYard's code and their thorough testing practices. Their commitment to test-driven development resulted in software that was largely bug-free and well-received by QA teams. **Design Excellence and Aesthetic Appeal** Multiple clients praised DockYard's design expertise, noting their ability to deliver aesthetically impressive and polished designs. Their focus on UI/UX was highlighted as a key strength, contributing significantly to the success of projects. **Effective Communication and Project Management** Clients commended DockYard for their effective communication practices and strong project management. They were noted for keeping projects on schedule, being communicative, and managing projects with a 'no surprises' philosophy. **Adaptability and Problem-Solving Skills** DockYard's ability to adapt and solve problems efficiently was highlighted. They were able to tackle any issue with a strategic approach, ensuring projects were completed successfully. **Improvement in Marketing and Outreach** While DockYard is well-regarded for their technical expertise, there is feedback suggesting they could improve their marketing and outreach to attract a broader range of clients beyond referrals and word of mouth. **Challenges with Remote Work Preference** Some clients noted challenges with DockYard's preference for remote work. While remote work was generally effective, some clients expressed a desire for more onsite presence to enhance collaboration. ### DockYard Reviews #### Grafana Dashboard & SaaS Features Dev for Software Company (Featured Review) **The Project** - Services: Custom Software Development, UX/UI Design, Web Development - Project size: $200,000 to $999,999 - Project length: Nov. 2023 - Jan. 2024 **Project Summary**: A software company hired DockYard to build enterprise-ready SaaS features. The team ported a dashboard functionality for the client from Grafana and exported integrations via Slack and externally exposed APIs. **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 5.0 - Schedule: 4.5 - Cost: 4.5 - Willing to Refer: 4.5 **The Reviewer** CEO, Prowler - Industry: Information technology - Client size: 11-50 Employees - Review Type: Online Review - Verified **The Review** — Mar 6, 2024 **Feedback Summary**: DockYard's work was met with positive acclaim. The team delivered the required features according to the client's specifications. DockYard communicated effectively via virtual meetings, emails, and messages. Their designs were aesthetically impressive, and their competency in Elixir stood out. ""Their design aesthetics and their competency with Elixir were impressive."" **BACKGROUND** Please describe your company and position.I am the CEO of ProwlerDescribe what your company does in a single sentence.We secure the cloud with open source software. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** What specific goals or objectives did you hire DockYard to accomplish?Deliver enterprise ready SaaS features.Project manage the delivery for a few months. **SOLUTION** How did you find DockYard?Online SearchWhy did you select DockYard over others?Design Excellence in PortfolioHow many teammates from DockYard were assigned to this project?2-5 EmployeesDescribe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.Dashboard functionality ported over from Grafana Results Suppression / Muting / Allow List Scan Results Export Integrations with Slack, PagerDuty, Jira, AWS SecurityHub, and custom integrations via externally exposed API Enhanced User Management **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?Delivery of features.Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?Time was slightly longer than estimated due to holidays, and this was communicated along the way.What was your primary form of communication with DockYard?Virtual MeetingEmail or Messaging AppWhat did you find most impressive or unique about this company?Their design aesthetics and their competency with Elixir were impressive.Are there any areas for improvement or something DockYard could have done differently?We are happy with the outcome. --- #### Prototype of Custom Software for Influencer Marketing Firm **The Project** - Services: Custom Software Development - Project size: Confidential - Project length: Aug. - Oct. 2019 **Project Summary**: DockYard developed a clickable prototype for a software marketing company. They conducted user interviews, helped research and discovery, and were involved with design. **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 4.5 - Schedule: 5.0 - Cost: 4.0 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** Co-Founder, Mavrck - Industry: Advertising & marketing - Client size: 51-200 Employees - Review Type: Phone Interview - Verified **The Review** — Jul 30, 2020 **Feedback Summary**: Internal stakeholders were very impressed with the final results. DockYard built a strong partnership with their clients by communicating regularly. They were intelligent and great to work with. "“We made changes during the project, but we still hit our timeline and the cost didn’t increase.” " **BACKGROUND** Introduce your business and what you do there. I’m a co-founder of Mavrck, a software marketing technology company. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** What challenge were you trying to address with DockYard? We were trying to design an output test product offering for a customer. **SOLUTION** What was the scope of their involvement?  They delivered a clickable prototype. That included customer development, research, discovery, user interviews, and design. We had a mockup already and we were trying to expand on the output test. The goal was to retest our assumptions and do more research discovery. Then they iterated on that design and delivered a more polished mockup. What is the team composition? We worked with three people, including a project manager and a designer. How did you come to work with DockYard? One of my coworkers worked with DockYard in the past when he was with another company. We considered a few other firms, but what attracted me to DockYard was the testimonials they had, the sophistication of the brand, and how they described their products. The team we worked with was very impressive, and we really liked how they approached the project in the courting phase.    How much have you invested with them? We spent about $100,000. What is the status of this engagement? We started working with them in August 2019 and we wrapped up in October that year. **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?  We did a final presentation for our CEO and CTO, and both were tremendously impressed with the work that DockYard did. We were focused on making the UI/UX better than before, and the project received high marks across the board. We continued with suer testing afterwards, and the UX/UI was received very well too. How did DockYard perform from a project management standpoint? They were very communicative with the timeline upfront. We made some adjustments and they were very flexible with the initial planning. We stayed on schedule and they met all our expectations. We made changes during the project, but we still hit our timeline and the cost didn’t increase. We used Excel for dates and deliverables. We used email, phone, and a lot of video chat. They also flew to visit us halfway through the project and at the end of the project. What did you find most impressive about them? I was very impressed with the team. The designer was intelligent and great to work with. The output was very high quality and the communication was great. They built a relationship that was really strong. From the initial sales individual that we worked with to the account manager, it was a pleasure to work with them. Are there any areas they could improve? This might be unique to the project, but it’s still feedback—we don’t really have a measurable ROI because the product hasn’t been launched yet. A little more emphasis on that could have been helpful through the engagement, though. Do you have any advice for potential customers? Trust their process. I did enjoy the research and how they managed the project. Leaning on them and trusting them to do what they do best worked out for us. --- #### Elixir Dev Augmentation for Automotive Marketplace **The Project** - Services: IT Staff Augmentation, Web Development - Project size: $1,000,000 to $9,999,999 - Project length: Feb. 2019 - Apr. 2020 **Project Summary**: Using Elixir, DockYard supported the rebuild of an automotive marketing site. They wrote reusable code, designed a database, and built the architecture. They executed reporting abilities and AWS integrations. **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 5.0 - Schedule: 4.5 - Cost: 4.0 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** VP Software Engineering, Automotive Marketplace - Industry: Other industries - Client size: 5,001-10,000 Employees - Review Type: Phone Interview - Verified **The Review** — Apr 8, 2020 **Feedback Summary**: DockYard assimilated with internal teams effectively to provide valuable expertise that facilitated the project successfully. The team was flexible and readily adapted to feedback to sustain effective collaboration. They were efficient problem solvers who operated according to best practices. ""It didn’t feel like their team was ever stumped, which struck me." " **BACKGROUND** Introduce your business and what you do there. I’m the VP of software engineering at an automotive marketing website that helps local dealers list and aggregate their inventory for consumers. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** What challenge were you trying to address with DockYard? We decided to embark on a tech transformation that involved rewriting our platforms from scratch. We chose to use Elixir and needed an agency that specialized in the language. **SOLUTION** What was the scope of their involvement? DockYard worked 100% remotely, but there was a week when they spent time on-site for initial architecture discussions with our team. They moved across all of our different systems including helping us to design our database and implement the Elixir architecture that we chose as an umbrella application. Their team designed the code to be reusable following best practices. They also supported the implementation of our event reporting engine, which captures different user activities on the site anonymously. They also assisted with the implementation of our various AWS tools. What is the team composition? We worked with four engineers but also had access to their software architects. How did you come to work with DockYard? We researched which programming language and platform that we wanted to build our new system on. We found that DockYard was heavily involved in the Elixir community, which led us to their website. We emailed them to engage and their team was interested in our project. How much have you invested with them? Over the course of the year, we spent about $1.5 million. What is the status of this engagement? We started working together in February 2019 and wrapped up in April 2020. **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?  We wanted DockYard to be part of the team. We insisted that they were helping us to build our team culture and helping us learn Elixir and best practices. Their team excelled at those qualitative metrics. Our team was receptive to them and learned from them. They also worked individually on smaller project teams. Internally, we had many different issues with gathering requirements. We treated them as employees, working alongside our teams to push the whole ball forward. Their team was successful at integrating with our team and becoming respected experts in their different areas with our folks. It was enjoyable to work with them. How did DockYard perform from a project management standpoint? We communicated via Slack and Zoom. We handled all of the project management but one person from their team worked a couple of hours a week. She was helpful in coordinating across their engineers and handled any paperwork that came up. Their team was open to feedback. They were open to discuss any wrinkles that cropped up, which we also relish on our team. Their team was open to making course corrections whether it was about product or personnel. What did you find most impressive about them? They’re extremely thorough in identifying the best way to implement something in code. Their team finds the most efficient way to implement a function. That always impressed me. Their ability to tackle any problem with a set of patterns that they used previously came quickly to them. It didn’t feel like their team was ever stumped, which struck me. Are there any areas they could improve? There were times in our project when we needed to complete a task, which required us to take a suboptimal path. Their team could be more receptive to that. My advice is to take a step back and understand what the client’s trying to accomplish at the moment. It could be helpful to relinquish the staunch approach to doing things the right way. It wasn’t a big deal, but it was noticeable late in the game. Do you have any advice for potential customers? Be upfront, honest, and transparent with what you want and you will maximize your investment. Their team’s willing to work with you on anything. --- #### Software Engineer Staff Augmentation for Health and Wellness Company **The Project** - Services: Other IT Consulting and SI - Project size: $1,000,000 to $9,999,999 - Project length: June 2017 - Dec. 2018 **Project Summary**: DockYard provided a resource to augment a software development team. He worked alongside the in-house developers on a legacy software rewrite project in Elixir. **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 5.0 - Schedule: 5.0 - Cost: 4.0 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** Software Engineer, Health and Wellness Company - Industry: Information technology - Client size: 51-200 Employees - Review Type: Online Review - Verified **The Review** — Jan 12, 2019 **Feedback Summary**: The development project progressed extremely well, with the resource offering expert skill, insightful ideas and suggestions to simplify the platform, and effective workflow and communication throughout. "“Our resource produced quality code along with proper tests.” " **BACKGROUND** Please describe your company and your position there. I’m a software engineer at a health and wellness company. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** For what projects/services did your company hire DockYard? We needed software engineering staff to augment our team on a legacy software rewrite project in Elixir. What were your goals for this project? To rewrite our legacy software in order to provide a more seamless experience for the users, and to clean up the backend data model and customer-facing reports. **SOLUTION** How did you select this vendor? We chose them due to their location in the United States and our use of the Phoenix Framework, which was written by one of their team. Describe the project in detail. They provided an Elixir programmer to give us a much-needed lift during the development of our legacy software. What was the team composition? We were a small team, and we had one programmer from DockYard join our team. **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success? The initial, small-scale launch took place at the end of 2018. The app is functioning as expected and we will continue to develop it and move clients off the old platform and onto the new one. Our resource produced quality code along with proper tests. He wrote foundational test infrastructure code that allowed us to work with cloud services in production, and simulated cloud services in development and testing. He also proposed alternative implementations that ended up positively simplifying our architecture. How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs? Everything was wonderful. He worked remotely and I provided him with the necessary information about the work items. He understood the work quickly and wasn't shy about asking questions when clarification was needed, also working well with our in-house resources. What did you find most impressive about this company? If all of DockYard’s resources are of a similar caliber to the one we worked with, I can heartily recommend their services. Are there any areas for improvement? I have no complaints or suggestions for improvement. --- #### Architecture Dev for Blockchain Company **The Project** - Services: Custom Software Development - Project size: $200,000 to $999,999 - Project length: Apr. 2018 - Ongoing **Project Summary**: DockYard developed the architecture for an open-sourced EVM blockchain explorer using the Phoenix framework. The system tracks all blocks and transactions and stores them in a Postgres database. **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 5.0 - Schedule: 5.0 - Cost: 5.0 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** Project Lead, POA Network - Industry: Other industries - Client size: 11-50 Employees - Review Type: Phone Interview - Verified **The Review** — Oct 23, 2018 **Feedback Summary**: DockYard is experienced to the point that the team requires little supervision. They work efficiently and produce a high-quality product. Their expertise is so widespread that development partners on the same project ask DockYard’s team for assistance. ""There is not much direction that needs to be given—they're very independent in their work." " **BACKGROUND** Introduce your business and what you do there. I am the project lead at POA Network. We are a public blockchain network and an Ethereum sidechain. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** What challenge were you trying to address with DockYard? In coordination with two other Elixir development shops, we relied on DockYard to develop elements of our new project called BlockScout, an open-sourced EVM blockchain explorer. **SOLUTION** What was the scope of their involvement? While the other agencies had other responsibilities, we tasked DockYard with building the architecture and designing the database for BlockScout using the Phoenix framework. The most prominent aspect was creating our indexer, which collects all of the metadata on the blockchain—the blocks and the transactions—and stores it in the Postgres database. What is the team composition? Our development team has ranged from 2–4 members depending on the stage of the project. How did you come to work with DockYard? We found them at an Elixir conference in Texas in February 2018. We discussed our needs, and the schedule aligned that we could work with Chris (Architectural Engineer, DockYard), who is the creator of the Phoenix framework. We believed that he and that team would be the best people possible to help build our application. How much have you invested with them? We’ve spent between $400,000–$500,000 for DockYard’s services. What is the status of this engagement? Our engagement began in April 2018 and remains ongoing. We love working with DockYard, and we’ll keep them on board for the long term. **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? DockYard’s involvement ensured that this project would be completed faster and better than what we could have accomplished without them or with a different development team. The internal developers that we have recently hired are very impressed with the code DockYard has supplied. How did DockYard perform from a project management standpoint? DockYard is a team we don't have to worry about. We communicate well using GitHub and Slack. They understand what they're in charge of, and they run with it. We've never had overlapping problems with the other teams. They understand the overall project and each task that's given to them. There is not much direction that needs to be given—they're very independent in their work. What did you find most impressive about them? Their overall expertise in multiple areas of the project is notable. The other teams we work with go to DockYard if they have questions. They always seem to have all the answers. Are there any areas they could improve? No, I think they're doing a fabulous job in all aspects of the business. Do you have any advice for potential customers? Be cognizant of their independence. They understand, and they do their research. There isn’t much more we could provide them to do their tasks better. --- #### API Dev for Major Mass Transit Agency **The Project** - Services: Custom Software Development - Project size: $200,000 to $999,999 - Project length: Dec. 2016 - Ongoing **Project Summary**: DockYard mainly assists with revamping an API that’s used by third-party developers on customer-facing technologies. They’re addressing several issues with four engineers that support the internal team, remotely. **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 5.0 - Schedule: 4.5 - Cost: 4.0 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** Head of Engineering for Customer Experience, Mass Transit Agency - Industry: Other industries - Client size: 5,001-10,000 Employees - Review Type: Phone Interview - Verified **The Review** — Nov 2, 2017 **Feedback Summary**: The internal team is satisfied with DockYard’s development work and the general feedback has been positive so far for the API. Communication is effective and they’re unique in their level of technical skill, however, they could work on having engineers available for onsite work. ""[T]hey’re knowledgeable in what they do." " **BACKGROUND** Introduce your business and what you do there. I’m the head of engineering for a major metro system in the United States. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** What challenge were you trying to address with DockYard? We had several big projects for revamping everything that has to do with our customer-facing technology. We knew that with this much work, we could use all the help we could get. **SOLUTION** What was the scope of their involvement? We’re working on a new website and software that powers predictions for train arrivals, digital signage, and SMS notification for service disruptions. Most of the work was around helping us implement an API that we make available to third-party developers so that they can build applications that help our riders find out where their vehicles are or get information about schedules and such. Currently, we have an older version of the API and there are under 100 different applications that use it for either iOS or Android or some type of website. There were several implementations that were difficult to do and circumstances around how often the API could be used, as it is expensive to run. The new version of the API will address some of these concerns. With DockYard’s help, we’re wrapping it up and are about to put it out there for use. What is the team dynamic? We worked with four dedicated engineers over the course of our engagement who essentially became part of our team. How did you come to work with DockYard? They are a pretty well-known company, so we reached out to them. How much have you invested in them? We have spent more than $200,000. What is the status of this engagement? We began working with them around December of last year and the work is ongoing. **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? The general feedback we have received has been positive and our team is happy with the development they have done. How did DockYard perform from a project management standpoint? We’re happy with the level of communication we’ve received so far. We mostly use Slack, phone calls through Google Hangouts, and we may meet in person but this is very infrequent. What did you find most impressive about them? We like their technical expertise; they’re knowledgeable in what they do. Are there any areas they could improve? The engineers that they had were all remote, which was a potential challenge. Our preference and a recommendation for them would be to try and get engineers who could work with our team onsite. --- #### Custom Design For IT Startup **The Project** - Services: Other Design - Project size: Confidential - Project length: Mar. 2015 - Ongoing **Project Summary**: DockYard built an SaaS platform that can manage e-commerce, POS, and data analytics. They developed a mobile-friendly front end, performed UI/UX design, and provided strategic consultation. **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 5.0 - Schedule: 5.0 - Cost: 5.0 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** Founder & CEO, IT Startup - Industry: Other industries - Client size: 1-10 Employees - Review Type: Phone Interview - Verified **The Review** — May 28, 2015 **Feedback Summary**: Navigating the system is fast and easy due to its simple, intuitive interface. DockYard's enterprising management, proactive communication, and dedicated work built a productive working relationship. They delivered milestones on schedule and kept in constant contact about the project's status. ""They hire really well, and they have a strong culture that I see in every one of their employees."" **BACKGROUND** Please describe your company. We provide software-as-a-service (SaaS) to the fitness industry. Our product delivers online booking, reservations, e-commerce, POS [point of sales] marketing tools and data analytics – the full business management platform.  What is your position? I'm the founder and CEO. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** Could you describe the business challenge that you were trying to address with DockYard? We are entering a marketplace that is crowded and highly competitive. We believe that we're going to make our mark by having a superior product, which has groundbreaking features that we developed on the back-end, but just as importantly, has a design that is the best in the industry; the best UI/UX [user interface/user experience] in a streamlined, sophisticated, mobile-friendly look and feel that we think it's going to bring our back-end features to life. **SOLUTION** Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail. We are developing the back-end functionality in-house. It's in progress now. We are having DockYard do the front-end design for the product, and I think they're doing some great work for us. They're our exclusive designers, and we're open to expanding the project with them. A lot of their advisory or strategic thinking is embedded in the process, which is one of the things I like so much about them. From the very beginning, they're just kind of end-to-end. I think they help us think through our product spec. As a design firm, they have a very strong focus on the end user. We can come to them with a vision of what the product has to do, but they're very disciplined about helping us think through various segments of users and the unique perspective of how each of those segments would use our application. To me, there's a lot of strategic thinking that's baked into the process, and there's a lot of value in that. How did you come to choose DockYard? I had worked with them previously at a different company. Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative?  We're in the tens of thousands with them now. We expect to be in the low six digits during the course of the work. How long has the project been in process, and is there a timeline for the completion? We started in March. We've had some deliverables with them already, but we continue to work with them. We see our relationship continuing for the foreseeable future. **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** Could you share any statistics, metrics or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance? I think we'll have that in time, but it's a little early for that now. One of the most important measures for us is the number of steps a customer has to take to complete an action. In that case, we want that number to be as low as possible. So, it's not market quantified, but there is a quantifiable aspect to what we do with them. We look at how many steps are necessary using our competitors' software, and we want to reduce that while not overwhelming a customer with too much information on one page. I think they've been strong partners in helping us eliminate steps wherever necessary through their superior design expertise. We've not run into any issues from a project management perspective. I'm not just satisfied in this area – I'm frankly impressed. I've never had a budget surprise with them. They have very strong project managers with great availability. They've never missed a deadline. They operate their business and manage their projects very tightly, with the philosophy of "no surprises to customers." We've used Basecamp and Slack as project management tools with them, which have enhanced the overall experience for us. Is there anything that you'd consider unique about their practice that distinguishes them from other vendors?  I think they're excellent communicators, and that's worked out really well. In my experience, that's definitely not always the case. We always know where they are in the process. They're very vocal when they need something from us to move forward. I think they apply pressure gently but firmly when they need something from us. They've actually been enjoyable to work with. Part of the reason we keep going to them is that there's just great chemistry with the team. They hire really well, and they have a strong culture that I see in every one of their employees I've ever interacted with. In retrospect, are there areas in which you think they could improve as a service provider, or certain things you might do differently as the client if given the chance? Sometimes, I have development work that they can't complete because they don't have a person who writes in that specific language, but I understand that they can't have everything. There's no particular area I can point to where I wish they were better. What advice, if any, would you give a future client of theirs? The closer our team works with them, the better the result. I've actually had some people camp out in their shop for days at a time and work closely with them, so there's nothing left to interpretation. I have an active team member on their sprints, and they're up there whiteboarding all day long, and doing what needs to be done. If someone can afford to do that, I think it really pays off. --- #### Ember.js Developed Platform For e-Learning Provider **The Project** - Services: Custom Software Development - Project size: Confidential - Project length: **Project Summary**: DockYard built a web app on the Ember platform for an e-learning company. They provided front-end development, information architecture, visual and UI/UX design, and implementation.  **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 5.0 - Schedule: 5.0 - Cost: 4.5 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** Former Sr. Software Engineer, E-Learning Provider - Industry: Education - Client size: 5,001-10,000 Employees - Review Type: Phone Interview - Verified **The Review** — May 5, 2015 **Feedback Summary**: The software was remarkably cohesive, thoroughly tested, and mostly bug-free. DockYard's extensive knowledge of Ember and RAILS, analytical mindset, and cohesive blend of design and development skills were invaluable. Their dedicated work ethic was a crucial component of the project's success.  ""Everything they said they would deliver has been done. They really went above and beyond." " **BACKGROUND** Please describe your organization. We are an e-learning provider. What is your position? I was a senior software developer. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** Could you describe the business challenge that you were trying to address when you first approached DockYard? We were working on an application for online learning, but we had a very small internal team and an enormous amount of work to tackle. We had decided beforehand that we wanted to use the Ember framework because our developers were very comfortable in Ember. We wanted to find a vendor that could come up to speed quickly on Ember. DockYard happened to be one of the best for doing Ember applications, so they were a natural choice. We wanted someone who was smart in doing Ember, and DockYard fit the bill very well. In addition, we had an enormous amount of front-end design that we needed to do – visual as well as user interaction design – and DockYard provided those capabilities as well. So, we also used them for that aspect of the project. We really had two independent projects working side by side. One track was focused mostly on digital design while the other track focused on implementation. **SOLUTION** Could you describe in detail the scope of their actual involvement? They were pretty much driving the bus. They were doing a lot of the architectural analysis, which they would then divide up between their developers. One of the developers at DockYard was actually one of the core Ember team members and one of the major contributors to that framework. He's a natural leader, so it felt pretty natural to have him also lead our project. He was working with us to help understand what the problems were and how we could move forward, so that DockYard could develop the best solution. If it wasn't for DockYard, we would not have even gotten close to being able to deliver this particular project. They played every single role in the entire implementation process. How did you come to choose DockYard as your partner? A big part of our company is based in Boston, and we were looking for Boston-based vendors so they could be locally available to us, if need be. Our Boston colleagues are well connected to the tech community and had interacted with DockYard at various professional events. In talking with DockYard, we found them to be brilliant. That's one of the real strengths of DockYard. They regularly host Ember meetings in Boston and host an Ember conference every summer as well, so they're a major player in the development community in Boston and the East Coast. Their reputation is amazing in terms of the contributions they make to the community. Can you provide a general cost estimate for the amount you've invested in their services? I wasn't involved in the contract process, but I believe they were charging around $250 an hour. We had four developers working for six months. Is the relationship with DockYard ongoing? I no longer work at that particular company. I've since moved on, so I'm not exactly sure about the current status of the relationship. I believe the company is currently focused on moving things offshore, and they're mostly using DockYard as a means to jump-start that process. If the relationship were not continued, I certainly wouldn't put it on DockYard's performance but instead on internal changes within that company.  **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance and/or the overall success of your engagement with them? Our QA [quality assurance] team told us that they have never seen software developed so free of issues and bugs, compared to other software development firms. DockYard is very bullish in terms of doing test-driven development, so there's not a single line of code that they write that they don't actually write a test for. Generally, when we are looking at issues and defects, lots of times the defects are around the intersections between systems that are talking to us or feeding us data as well as systems that are consuming the data that we're generating, so we'll see a lot of bugs on the peripheries. In terms of the actual application itself, the QA team found very few actual defects and zero regressions. A lot of that was due to the test-driven development. It was really fascinating to be a part of a project where quality was such a driver in terms of actual development. We didn't experience any problems with their project management. Our company was doing a lot of the project management internally to begin with, and it was pretty sloppy. DockYard stepped in and was able to prevent a lot of potential disasters in terms of bad project management. They even volunteered to work on nights and weekends at one point, when our project team was accepting more work than they should have. DockYard really came through for us on many of those fronts. Everything they said they would deliver has been done. They really went above and beyond to try to get us out of a morass that our own project team got us into. They were fantastic. When working with DockYard, is there anything that you consider unique about their practice that distinguishes them from other vendors? I think they are the premier RAILS and Ember agency anywhere. If you want to create an Ember application, there is no better team. DockYard is pretty amazing in terms of taking a problem and trying to figure out the best way to go forward. One of the neat things about them is that, if you go back in their history, they started out as two separate companies. There was one company that did just development and another company that did just design. They happened to be working in the same collaborative workspace, they were teaming on projects, and they decided to combine. They can do everything. They do visual design and user experience design as well as development. They come from a background where they specialize in those specific areas, and now they've managed to merge to provide the complete package. To me, that's kind of rare, that a company can have such deep expertise in both design and development. You don't normally see that, so I think that's a special thing about them. In retrospect, are there areas in which you think they could improve as a service provider? I understand that DockYard struggles with how to market themselves and go after new opportunities. I think one of the challenges that DockYard has is trying to get out of that niche of just being really good with Ember. They need to frame what they do in a way that allows organizations that want to build apps to find them. Right now, their main source of new business is through referrals, conferences, and word of mouth. They need to go after organizations that don't yet know that they need to use DockYard. Once you've actually chosen DockYard, it's a pretty amazing ride. What advice, if any, would you give a future client of theirs? When DockYard offers to do the discovery phase, have them do it. The money that you spend in doing that will pay off in having a more cohesive road map going forward. It will save you money in the long run because DockYard is very good at doing requirements analysis. --- #### Custom Platform Development For Learnivore **The Project** - Services: Custom Software Development - Project size: Confidential - Project length: **Project Summary**: DockYard built a custom web app for a social network. The team took the lead on visual design and back-end development of the app, which was built using Ruby on Rails and Ember.js. **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 5.0 - Schedule: 5.0 - Cost: 3.5 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** Founder & CEO, Learnivore - Industry: Other industries - Client size: 11-50 Employees - Review Type: Phone Interview - Verified **The Review** — Apr 20, 2015 **Feedback Summary**: The app has scaled with the network, presents few bugs, and is easy to customize. During the project, DockYard refined their management and testing to deliver an outstanding product. Their creative methodologies, personal investment, and understanding of the project's goals were valuable assets. ""[T]hey treated the project very much as if they were stakeholders and owners, not as contractors." " **BACKGROUND** Please describe your company. Learnivore is a site that connects people to local instructors, classes, and friends in art, athletics, and academics. What is your position? I’m the founder. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** Could you describe the business challenge that you were trying to address when you first approached DockYard? I used DockYard to build the application from scratch. I had nothing, but a general concept prior to going to them. I went to DockYard with a series of mockups, and told them what I wanted to build. I had decided that I wanted to use Ruby on Rails, which they have a lot of experience with, so it made sense to have them at the helm. **SOLUTION** Could you describe the actual scope of their involvement in detail? They were responsible for the entire design and development of the custom application. I came to them with Pixel Perfect design, but I let them know that it was just a start, a way of communicating my vision. So, the site looks quite different from what I started with, because they did a full overhaul of the visual design. They operated in sprints, and they had broken down the entire process accordingly. We did the full design first, and then sprinted it out. I believe each sprint was around three weeks, and it took about four months to get there. I haven’t used them for hosting, third-party systems integration or training. I’m satisfied with the selection of Ruby on Rails as the technology to base this app on. They built it with an Ember.js, and the Ember has ended up being particularly helpful in terms of making us very agile going forward. Although I don’t maintain an ongoing relationship with them, they did help me find my in-house lead developer, and that was very helpful, too. How did you come to choose DockYard as your partner? I initially found them through a LinkedIn search. I presented my mockups and evaluated how people responded to that and what the bids were. I looked at DockYard and a couple other people in the Boston area who had good reputations as Rails developers. One of the reasons I chose DockYard was that they had worked on other marketplace sites. From my experience, handling the marketplace elements was going to be one of the biggest challenges, so I wanted someone who had experience doing that. Could you provide a general cost estimate for the size of this engagement? The first release was $200,000, and the second was $400,000. When was the application launched? It launched on June 6, [2014]. **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance? For me, the value of their involvement was just how easy it was to get a new developer up and running. She was able to understand the code easily and was able to go in and continue developing. As far as the product goes, we had an awful lot of bugs for the first month after it went live. We now have around 2,000 instructors, so frankly we still have a long way to go. They created an effective base platform, and now we’re just kind of iterating through to figure out how to make that platform more usable to our end users. We’ve had people who absolutely love our platform and some people who hate it, but I’m not sure that’s all their fault. It takes time to create a usable interface. I had two major engagements with DockYard. I had the release in June, and then another release at the end of September, which was twice as big. Although the June release had some very serious bugs, the second release was so much better. I’m talking leaps and bounds. Their project management methodology was just a thousand times better. They managed themselves much better. They were on time, and it was very well tested. It was a much better process. I’d say we’ve established a very effective workflow now. When working with DockYard, is there anything that you would consider unique about their strategic approach or development methodology that distinguish them from other vendors? I felt that in working with them, I didn’t have just a developer and a designer, but actually product manager, too. They were very thoughtful and took the time to understand what my business problems were. I expected that I would need to be very involved in terms of the product management, but I really wasn’t. They really internalized that, which was wonderful. I felt that they treated it very much as if they were stakeholders and owners, not as contractors, which was nice. It freed me up to focus on the marketing of my business, which is the hardest thing I have to do right now. It felt very much like a partnership. They communicated well, and they thought up some creative solutions for the UX [user experience]. What advice, if any, would you give a future client of theirs? I think taking advantage of their discovery session prior to the visual design was helpful because it clarified exactly what we were building. It was expensive, but I think it was worthwhile. --- #### Grafana Dashboard & SaaS Features Dev for Software Company **The Project** - Services: Custom Software Development, UX/UI Design, Web Development - Project size: $200,000 to $999,999 - Project length: Nov. 2023 - Jan. 2024 **Project Summary**: A software company hired DockYard to build enterprise-ready SaaS features. The team ported a dashboard functionality for the client from Grafana and exported integrations via Slack and externally exposed APIs. **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 5.0 - Schedule: 4.5 - Cost: 4.5 - Willing to Refer: 4.5 **The Reviewer** CEO, Prowler - Industry: Information technology - Client size: 11-50 Employees - Review Type: Online Review - Verified **The Review** — Mar 6, 2024 **Feedback Summary**: DockYard's work was met with positive acclaim. The team delivered the required features according to the client's specifications. DockYard communicated effectively via virtual meetings, emails, and messages. Their designs were aesthetically impressive, and their competency in Elixir stood out. ""Their design aesthetics and their competency with Elixir were impressive."" **BACKGROUND** Please describe your company and position.I am the CEO of ProwlerDescribe what your company does in a single sentence.We secure the cloud with open source software. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** What specific goals or objectives did you hire DockYard to accomplish?Deliver enterprise ready SaaS features.Project manage the delivery for a few months. **SOLUTION** How did you find DockYard?Online SearchWhy did you select DockYard over others?Design Excellence in PortfolioHow many teammates from DockYard were assigned to this project?2-5 EmployeesDescribe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.Dashboard functionality ported over from Grafana Results Suppression / Muting / Allow List Scan Results Export Integrations with Slack, PagerDuty, Jira, AWS SecurityHub, and custom integrations via externally exposed API Enhanced User Management **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?Delivery of features.Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?Time was slightly longer than estimated due to holidays, and this was communicated along the way.What was your primary form of communication with DockYard?Virtual MeetingEmail or Messaging AppWhat did you find most impressive or unique about this company?Their design aesthetics and their competency with Elixir were impressive.Are there any areas for improvement or something DockYard could have done differently?We are happy with the outcome. --- ## Portfolio & Awards ### Design Update & Subscription Flow for AI Platform The Challenge After securing funding in early 2024, iAsk, an AI-powered answer engine, needed to refresh its website, build a subscription model, and improve UX to boost user trust and investor confidence. Their site, originally built from a public template, felt outdated and lacked credibility. Additionally, introducing a premium tier was crucial for generating revenue and enhancing user experience. With a tight deadline, they partnered with DockYard for design, UX development, and Elixir engineering expertise. The Solution 1. Design “Quick Wins”To show immediate progress to investors, DockYard conducted a product design audit, improving layout, iconography, and language to create a more intuitive and visually cohesive interface. Updates to search functionality and information organization made navigation smoother, earning positive investor feedback before the engagement even ended. 2. Subscription Model ImplementationTo introduce iAsk Pro, DockYard integrated Stripe for payment processing, developed a paywall and authorization system, and enabled subscription management for users. Elixir’s efficiency allowed the team to implement these features quickly and securely, setting the foundation for sustained growth. 3. Full Website RedesignOnce wireframes were ready, DockYard’s UX development team built a modern, accessible, and responsive front-end using Tailwind and Phoenix components. This improved scalability and maintainability, ensuring iAsk could easily adapt branding changes in the future. The Results DockYard’s strategic design and engineering expertise helped iAsk grow from 1 million to 1.5 million daily searches, increasing user trust and unlocking a new revenue stream. Their agile approach balanced quick wins with long-term improvements, positioning iAsk for continued success in the competitive AI market. ### Design Improvements to Fuel Paid SaaS Launch The Challenge Prowler, an open-source cloud security tool, sought to expand into SaaS but faced a critical hurdle: an outdated UX and UI that didn’t effectively communicate its value. The platform’s Grafana-based visualization was clunky, preventing seamless navigation, while its data-heavy tables made security risks difficult to assess. To attract paying users, Prowler needed a streamlined interface that delivered clear, actionable insights for security practitioners, auditors, and compliance officers. The Solution 1. Simplified Security FindingsDockYard transformed Prowler’s complex data tables into an intuitive, collapsible format, allowing users to see high-level security risks at a glance and drill down into details when needed. Searchable tags made it easier to locate findings, while placeholders were added for future API integrations like Slack and Jira. 2. Visualizing Cloud HealthInstead of text-heavy scan results, DockYard introduced interactive dashboards featuring pie charts, bar graphs, and a Findings Over Time trend graph. Users could now click into charts to filter results, making it easier to spot vulnerabilities and track security trends over time. A global map of failed security checks provided regional risk insights for cloud services. 3. Service Status & Compliance InsightsA new Service Status Dashboard used color-coded cards to highlight failing cloud services, allowing users to investigate issues quickly. For compliance-focused users, the Compliance Dashboard now featured progress bars that visually indicated security posture, helping businesses meet regulatory requirements. The Results DockYard helped Prowler evolve from a disjointed UI to a polished SaaS product, significantly improving usability and appeal to enterprise clients. As a result, Prowler secured its first major SaaS deal with a $3 billion sports merchandising company and closed an additional round of funding—paving the way for continued growth. ### Doubling Kamana’s user base and recurring revenue Kamana’s solution is twofold: A digital wallet for healthcare professionals—such as travel nurses—to store their credentials and seamlessly move between jobs at various healthcare facilities. A platform for healthcare staffing agencies to easily find, qualify, and place healthcare professionals. At the company’s launch, Kamana led the industry in using technology to facilitate healthcare staffing. As other venture capital-backed companies entered the space, however, Kamana found itself in need of a product revamp to keep pace. Over a 17-month partnership with DockYard, Kamana more than doubled its user base and revenue. The company’s internal processes went from highly individualized to a fully scalable and repeatable development process that allows the team to plan and manage product delivery internally. ### Building a Future-Proof Livestream Platform The Challenge Veeps, originally a VIP package platform for artists, pivoted to ticketed livestreaming when the COVID-19 pandemic halted live concerts. Rapid growth brought scalability challenges—their Ruby on Rails app struggled to handle the surge in demand. To ensure stability and future expansion, Veeps needed a robust, high-performance system and an engineering team capable of accelerating the transition. The Solution 1. A Scalable PlatformDockYard recommended rebuilding the app in Elixir, known for its reliability and scalability. Running on the Erlang Virtual Machine, Elixir efficiently manages high-concurrency loads—ideal for Veeps’ rapid traffic spikes. This transition enabled the platform to scale from thousands to millions of users while handling complex real-time interactions, such as ticketing and livestream events. 2. Engineering AugmentationTo accelerate development, DockYard embedded top-tier Elixir engineers within Veeps’ team. A collaborative approach ensured seamless knowledge transfer, alignment on goals, and efficient workflows. Code quality was maintained through automated testing, static analysis tools like Dialyzer and Credo, and rigorous deployment practices. 3. Process OptimizationTransitioning from startup agility to enterprise-grade operations required structured development processes. DockYard introduced branch protection rules, CI/CD pipelines, and performance monitoring tools, giving Veeps real-time insights into system bottlenecks. By implementing Flame Graphs and caching strategies, response times and server efficiency drastically improved. The Results The new Elixir-powered Veeps platform delivers stable, real-time experiences for artists and fans alike. With a multi-layer reservation system, it can handle millions of simultaneous requests without crashing. By adopting best practices in both technology and process, DockYard helped Veeps future-proof its platform—ensuring continued success in the ever-evolving digital concert space. ### Netflix's modern scheduling application DockYard was tasked by Netflix to create a modern, custom scheduling application that enables users to collaborate, organize, and distribute comprehensive daily production schedules. ### Project with Harvard University Project with Harvard University ### Clutch Awards - [Clutch Award Badge](https://shareables-prod-static.clutch.co/badges/top_clutch.co_phoenix_framework_development_2026.svg) - [Clutch Award Badge](https://shareables-prod-static.clutch.co/badges/top_clutch.co_elixir_developer_2026.svg) ### Industry Recognitions - Inc. 5000 Awards ## Key Clients - Apple ## Packages ## Locations (1) ### Hingham, MA (Headquarters) - 18 Shipyard Dr Unit 2A - Hingham, MA 02043 - United States - 50 - 75 employees - Phone: 855-362-5973 ## Contact DockYard [Send a message](https://clutch.co/profile/dockyard) ### Connect on Social - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/2276222/admin/) - [X](https://twitter.com/dockyard)