Droids On Roids

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder and managing director of Holdapp, a mobile app development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Droids On Roids?

We engaged Droids On Roids to help us develop a frontend web panel for a third-party client.

What were your goals for this project?

The web panel needed to help accountants and administrators manage user data. It forms part of a larger system we are developing for our client.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We’d worked with Droids On Roids on previous projects using their mobile app development resources. We decided to engage their web development talent based on our past positive experiences with them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Droids On Roids provided a React resource who developed the frontend web panel. He used designs and an API that we had created in advance. 

What was the team composition?

We worked with a frontend developer with strong React knowledge. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is still underway, but Droids On Roids’ part is complete. We plan to launch the full system by the year’s end.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Our PM managed the resource and integrated him into our internal processes. He adjusted well and worked seamlessly alongside our team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Droids on Roids provided highly self-reliant and proactive resources. Whenever the developer encountered a problem or an unclear task, he solved the issue quickly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we’re satisfied with their work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Rabbit Sp. z o.o. is a producer of systems for the control, management, and monitoring of street lighting. We specialize in the production of equipment and systems for control and monitoring of external street lighting, road and architectural, reduction of the lighting cost, management of lighting in industrial facilities. I’m the director of research and development, responsible for creating new solutions in the field of lighting control.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Droids On Roids?

Our company needed an application for Android devices to control one of our products using Bluetooth technology.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were responsible for creating our application, from the UX project to programming. Despite the lack of a detailed description of the project on our side, we were offered preliminary mock-ups by Droids On Roids. We then discussed the method of data exchange communication to make it as smooth and comfortable as possible. The user or service technician can handle all the devices in their possession from the application level.

What is the team composition?

They established a team of five people to work on our project. There was one scrum master, 2–3 developers, one frontend engineer, and a QA tester.

How did you come to work with Droids On Roids?

I found them through a Google search when I looked for a company located in Wroclaw. I visited their website, and I was intrigued by their portfolio. After checking a few of their presented projects, and I liked them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $23,000–$25,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2016. Six months ago, in late 2018, we made several improvements in the app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The application is available on Google Play and has been downloaded more than 500 times. Since then, we have sold over 3,000 devices that cooperate with the application.

How did Droids On Roids perform from a project management standpoint?

We usually worked in one-week sprints, with one or two meeting per month to evaluate the scope and discuss details. We used Jira, sending our suggestions to the project manager. Our feedback was very quickly implemented to project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I most appreciate their quick understanding of our needs, not only regarding the appearance of the application itself but also with communication and the data exchange protocols used with the drivers. Their quality of work, knowledge, and experience were impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It's hard for me to notice mistakes; it was our first venture into this type of project. Everything seemed new but effective.

Any advice for potential customers?

It’s very important to describe and present your needs and expectations. The better you prepare, the better Droids On Roids can work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the head of IoT platform development at a company that develops IoT solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Droids On Roids?

We approached Droids on Roids to develop an Android app that would be an integral part of our client’s IoT use cases. 

What were your goals for this project? 

Quite plainly, our goal was to fulfill our client’s needs and requirements.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our lead developer shared mutual contacts with Droids on Roids, so we contacted them. The initial interaction with their account manager went well, and it was clear that our companies were on the same wavelength. They also provided examples to showcase their capabilities, which made the decision easy. 

Describe the project in detail. 

Droids on Roids created an Android app that would play a key role in communicating between an IoT sensor/device and the backend of our client’s IoT platform. Before starting the project, we provided Droids on Roids with mock-ups of the app along with a set of requirements to meet. They then establish end-to-end communications between the IoT device and backend within the first few sprints. The following sprints had dedicated objectives to take us closer and closer to the full product release.  

What was the team composition? 

Their team consisted of two Android developers, a tester, and a Scrum master who worked with our product owner.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have any quantitative metrics to share due to an NDA with our client, but Droids on Roids performed well. Because we collaborated so closely throughout the project, we always knew what they were working on and how it fits with our development. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs? 

The workflow was effective and efficient. We had full access to their Jira board, which allowed us to plan sprints together in an open atmosphere, and they always took into consideration any potential delays caused by holidays and work speed. If there were any questions about the requirements, we discussed them within a dedicated Slack channel. 

What did you find most impressive about this company? 

The most useful part of the collaboration was being able to work with a company that had an instinctive agile mindset. We learned a lot of practices from them, which helped us improve on our own development. 

Are there any areas for improvement? 

It’s hard to point out any areas for improvement because the project went so well.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

For IoT projects with multiple components in the field, it’s very important to have end-to-end tests early on. This is definitely easy to achieve when Droids on Roids is your development partner.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior director of software platforms for an electronics company. We make and sell 3D speaker systems. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Droids On Roids?

We needed an app for iOS and Android devices to control one of our products through Bluetooth technology. We brought on Droids On Roids for development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided a general overview and some basic mockups. Droids On Roids turned this into a fully-fledged design—complete with graphic design assets. The team created a prototype from scratch in six weeks for a conference we were attending. We then committed to full-scale development. Each app took 3-4 months. They made the Android version using Java and Kotlin and the iOS version using Swift. The team completed work using agile development. At the end of each week-long sprint, we reviewed their work and provided feedback to inform the following week’s sprint. 

The app connects to a 3D speaker system that can generate 3D effects that vary depending on where listeners are sitting. The app allows users to mark their location relative to the speaker, which would then adjust its performance accordingly. Users can also control the audio, save and load settings, and equalize graphics.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 4-5 people on each stage. A scrum master led a team of developers using week-long sprints, and two people provided graphics. I acted as product owner and had the final say on their work. 

How did you come to work with Droids On Roids?

We found them through online searches. After considering a few vendors, we pursued Droids On Roids to complete this project. Their top-notch reviews, reasonable rates, and demonstrated expertise in our discussion made them our first-choice vendor.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $140,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November 2017–July 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Droids On Roids delivered high-quality applications that met our requirements. We’re highly satisfied with their work.

How did Droids On Roids perform from a project management standpoint?

They were one of the best companies I’ve ever worked with. The team’s commitment to a truly agile development process deeply impressed us. They met every deadline and kept their progress up-to-date on Jira. I had full access to their bug tracking system and code repositories, which made the collaboration completely transparent from start to finish.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Droids On Roids ran highly productive sprints. I knew precisely what they were working on at any given time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’re thrilled with their work. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Provide an internal point of contact to keep track of their progress; it will help make sure that Droids On Roids is fulfilling your requirements. Their team strongly encourages this oversight and made it easy to keep track of their work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the co-founder, managing director, and CTO of a startup called HSPal UK Limited. We formed the company to help all UK-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in the hospitality industry with managing their food and health safety.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Droids On Roids?

We hired Droids on Roids to develop a native iOS app for iPads. They also supported our backend structure and configured our product website to deliver an easy-to-use experience.

What were your goals for this project?

We were looking for a developer who could challenge our ideas to make them more intuitive and user-friendly. At the same time, we also needed help setting up the backend architecture and related processes, including the CMS and product site.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A colleague referred us to them. Out of the four other competitors we considered, Droids on Roids stood out for their fast and professional approach. They delivered the quote quickly and outlined how the collaboration would work, including the requirements and processes. Everything was well-organized, and they felt trustworthy.

Describe the project in detail.

Droids on Roids built an iOS app that enabled our users to log in, manage their accounts, and monitor processes related to health and safety. We initially conducted a two-day discovery workshop to go over the project before moving on to the first stage of planning. During this time, we prioritized the tasks, divided them into sprints, and agreed on the scope of work.

From there, they developed the app, supporting us with the backend architecture and configuring our product site. This helped users better understand our system, which would have otherwise been very complex, fractioned, and hard to manage.

Due to the project length, we used an agile methodology and divvied the work efficiently between the team. At the end of each sprint, they ran their deliverables through multiple layers of testing and implemented the new features.

What was the team composition?

We started with two frontend developers, one backend developer, one designer, a project manager, and a client happiness officer/growth manager. Later in the project timeline, they added a second backend developer. They were a great team, and we miss working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After we launched the app, we immediately received amazing feedback on its functionality and UI elements—in particular, users liked the circular dials used to speed up user log processes. Clients found our solution intuitive and easy to operate, especially considering the complexity of our idea. It was a win-win situation.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Droids on Roids offered several communication and tracking channels, which made the whole process very efficient. They organized dependencies smoothly, and our project managers gave us frequent updates. I appreciated their transparency across all aspects, which allowed us to have full control over the project. This included team tracking, sprint planning, day-to-day communication, project code updates, data and file sharing, and version testing.

The team used an agile methodology, which enabled them to deal with unexpected turns swiftly. They provided alternative options to address issues and recommended ways to best handle the current situation. If we had any extra requests, they were happy to implement them while also challenging us to ensure proper functionality.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I’m impressed with their multi-layer testing method, and their code writing skills are particularly exceptional. Even six months after release, we’ve only found a single minor overlook out of 51,000 lines of code, and I’m convinced that their work is virtually bulletproof.

Are there any areas for improvement?

This was a hard project for everybody due to its scope size and length. However, we didn't experience anything concerning, and we’re happy with the final the result. The design and UI solutions exceeded our expectations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a startup that’s developing an app to help users find small jobs in the gig economy. I founded the company and am also an investor in it.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Droids on Roids?

After finding out that none of the apps currently on the market had been created specifically for the gig economy, we set out to build one. I contacted Droids on Roids about providing us development services. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Droids on Roids took care of every aspect of our platform, from the login and interface to the core logic. They developed the iOS mobile part of the platform based on the web version I built with another vendor which was a more affordable option than starting from scratch.

Droids on Roids challenged our concept productively. During the three days we spent working together, we addressed several flows for the product and finalize our concept. By the end of the workshop, we received a starting estimate of the product along with an initial design. 

Most of our efforts focused on creating an interesting interface. We needed to design a UI that wouldn’t annoy or frustrate users. The app lets users create several profiles, given that there are multiple skills one might leverage in the gig economy. The likelihood of being recruited largely depends on how they design their accounts, so it includes useful guidance on arranging separate skills into one or more profiles to maximize exposure. 

What is the team composition? 

Droids on Roids set up a team of 10 people to work on our project.  I was assigned one scrum master, two mobile developers, two backend engineers, and QA testers. Around 6–7 people, depending on the stage.

How did you come to work with Droids on Roids?

I found Droids on Roids through a Google search. Even though I had already established relationships with other companies, I was intrigued by their portfolio. They offered me the option to conduct a workshop, which seemed very promising.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent below $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Droids on Roids in April 2017.  I had to end the collaboration in December 2018 due to a lack of funds.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we haven’t launched the product yet, I only have internal feedback rather than metrics to share at the time. Everyone who has seen the app, including the partners of our company, have told me they liked it. Users have particularly appreciated the UI. 

Droids on Roids was highly proactive and regularly proposed new solutions unprompted. We were particularly impressed by the workshop they set up. Their great ideas often changed my point of view on the original concepts I had in mind. 

The team’s insight greatly enhanced our ability to understand our idea in full. The other company we worked with was less motivated about suggesting an approach and would wait for our specifications instead.

How did Droids on Roids perform from a project management standpoint?

I was involved in the planning and development phases. We held at least two meetings per week to review the work we had completed in between.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated the caliber of services Droids on Roids delivered. Despite how expensive the process has been, they’ve produced a high level of code quality and focused attention on our engagement. 

Droids on Roids performed very skillful work. At one point, I asked a different company to perform a code review to ensure everything was on track. The third-party team confirmed the standard of their documentation and every aspect of the software they developed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The multiple changes I requested increased the final budget past the initial estimate, which I didn’t feel was accurate, to begin with.  I’d like to see them predict more realistic project costs. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of IT for a used car retailer. We are an e-commerce site, and we deliver cars to customers’ doors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Droids on Roids?

We needed new full-stack developers for our website redesign and were having trouble finding new internal hires. Specifically, we needed fluency in PHP and JavaScript. We decided to outsource, and I felt confident they could handle our project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

With support from three of their developers, we’ve completed the site redesign and moved on to work on maintenance and new features. Because they’re so integrated with our team, it’s hard to say who did what exactly. Droids on Roids worked on an online financing calculator, specifically on the contact formula. They’ve also worked on responsive elements on the site. We expect to launch the latest version in a few weeks.

What is the team composition?

We worked with one person from their team initially. Later, we needed a second developer, and a third joined us a few weeks ago. We generally don’t use them for project management as we have our own scrum masters, product owners, and managers. Wojciech (CEO, Droids on Roids) is my main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Droids on Roids?

I found their website and thought their price was reasonable. Also, they’re from the same city in Poland as me, and it’s easier to communicate in your native language. I speak German and English as well, and Droids on Roids’ people speak English, but using Polish is easier.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in May 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s hard to pinpoint measurable results because we evaluate Droids on Roids based on how fast they work relative to our internal people and the quality of their code. If someone’s underperforming completely, we’ll approach the problem, but we don’t track specific measurements otherwise.

How did Droids on Roids perform from a project management standpoint?

As I’ve mentioned, we handle the project management, but they’ve been proactive about contact. They’ve identified problems as quickly as possible, whether through software or video call. We use Slack and Jira to coordinate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Droids on Roids provides good engineers, regardless of their programming language background. Although they specialize in Ruby on Rails, they’ll accommodate any other language.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything for the company as a whole.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should be open and transparent about their needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the software lead at Somewear Labs. We’re building a hotspot to support global connectivity for mobile devices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Droids on Roids?

We needed a team to implement our UI designs on the Android version of our app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided Droids on Roids with frontend design and visual elements, and they implemented them in our Android application. Droids on Roids implemented the UI we designed for the in-chat screen and various conversation management processes. Their team came up with great recommendations to make design elements for the weather report feature easier to implement. They also worked on the UI for our tracking functionality that allows users to share their location with their contact list. Droids on Roids is still working on certain UI elements of the application.

What is the team composition?

We have a scrum master, the main developer, another developer, and a test engineer.

How did you come to work with Droids on Roids?

They reached out to us. We met with their CEO when he was visiting San Francisco, and he showed us examples of their past work and explained their processes. We told them we had a limited timeline and budget, and they agreed to work within those restrictions. Overall, they seemed like a good fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $12,000–$14,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2017, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Droids on Roids has had a huge impact on our company. They’ve sped up our development process by a few months. We don’t have that many in-house developers, so we had their team complete some of the necessary development needs before we allocated any of our internal resources to the project. They’ve delivered most of the work, and we’re currently finalizing the app and preparing for its launch.

How did Droids on Roids perform from a project management standpoint?

Working with the Droids on Roids team is an all-around great experience. Internally, they have well-structured workflows and organized communication. We handle our day-to-day needs via Slack, but we also schedule weekly or biweekly meetings to discuss our priorities and share progress updates. It’s a transparent collaboration; there’s a mutual understanding of responsibilities and expectations across both teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their internal structure and operations are very helpful. They work as an extension of our team. Droids on Roids understood our requirements and helped us prioritize the workload efficiently.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, they’re great, but we did have one small hiccup. I provided them with broken code, and it took them a while to let us know. They shouldn’t hesitate to let us know when we messed up.

Any advice for potential customers?

Clients should be clear on priorities and expectations. They should tell Droids on Roids exactly what they want to build and leave no ambiguities. Enter the engagement with a strong vision and keep communication lines open.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the product owner at CultureSecrets. We provide our customers with a diverse array of cultural events in Paris. This includes concerts, theatres, exhibits, and art galleries. We have an iOS app and a website coded in Ruby on Rails.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Droids on Roids?

We needed help with web and app development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our entire website and iOS application, while we provided the graphics. We did some mockups and they gave us additional advice to make them better. They’ve always been there to advise us with the best practices.

The main point was to create a system so when a user has an idea, it’ll provide the program according to their needs. The website also functions as a web app. We’re still working together and plan to do other projects with them.

What is the team composition?

Their CEO and a manager worked with us.

How did you come to work with Droids on Roids?

Our CEO was from Poland so it was practical for us to choose a company from Poland. We chose them because they’re really cost-efficient.

How much have you invested with them?

200,000 euros (approximately $230,000).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2015 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We work very closely with them—it feels like they’re with us every day. They’re very present in our daily IT life and it’s easy to work with them as they’re really flexible.

We started with zero clients and now we have 50,000 subscribers of the application. There are six major brand companies that are now working with us.

How did Droids on Roids perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Atlassian to track what they’re doing. We work in usually 32-hour sprints and have two meetings per month to evaluate the scope and discuss details.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re really cool and flexible, as well as being efficient. The team is concerned about the product. We’ve been working for around five years with the same developers. It was important for us to have an IT team that’s really aware and sensitive to our product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their English, especially the developers.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Meeting Application, a mobile app solution for event organizers to help them communicate with event attendees better. It contains several features like a live agenda, live speakers' profiles, and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Droids On Roids?

Our app was created over four years ago by several different developers, and it had some key issues: the Android version had a large workflow problem and we had some really old frameworks. We had two in-house developers, but I needed a large company who could review the code and suggest fresh, new parts to implement. We also wanted to start developing a new version of the application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had workshops where a few people from my company visited their head office, as well as a four-day long interview about our issues. After that, we had brainstorming sessions to discover our main problems, from which, they created a schedule with next steps that ran for about 12 weeks.

They checked the old code and then created new wireframes and designs – using InDesign – for a new version of the application. We’re coding the new version of the features in-house, but we’re using developers from Droids On Roids to do code review. They made several UI/UX changes, which then grew into new Android and iOS designs.

They created a totally new look for the CMS administrative panel, which implements the content in the application. They recreated the entire panel and changed the workflow of how we onboard our customers. They also redesigned and integrated an old business matching tool. which connect participants to events based on their behaviors and bios. Finally, they delivered a ticketing system, so we’ll not only be able to register event attendee’s, but also sell tickets through the mobile app.

What is the team composition?

We work with five people, but two or three weeks ago, one person changed. We also have a project manager.

How did you come to work with Droids On Roids?

I was looking for the best software house in Poland. 90% of people I asked said that Droids On Roids was the best, and we’re from the same city.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $70,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since January 2018, and the apps are almost ready.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was completed in 12 weeks, but the Android version took about 70% longer because we had some serious issues. On the other hand, it only took a week check and fix small issues on the iOS version. Even though we haven’t completed the project, I’d still recommend them. They can be expensive, but it’s better to spend more money in the end because they do awesome work. The quality is great, so I’d give them 9 out of 10.

How did Droids On Roids perform from a project management standpoint?

They use Jira and we communicate over Slack. We reach out to the developers for tough questions, but 95% of our communication goes through the project manager. If I send negative feedback about their work, they’ll implement the solution very quickly.

We had some communication issues with one of their UX designers, but it was a human to human issue – his work was pretty awesome. The communication flow with him was unexpectedly bad, so after one or two days we ask that they replace him, and they did.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I have very bad memories of the two previous software houses I’ve used, so I never believed that outsourcing could be better than using an in-house resource. However, after three months with Droids on Roids, every person on my side is very happy. Every time we try to find a solution, they bring it to us first. If we suggest improvements, they’ll focus on them very intensely and come up with an even better option. It’s great that they don’t just do what we suggest, but come up with ideas that are even better.