Exyte

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director and founder of Civil AR Solutions Inc.

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte?

We needed a partner to develop a mobile app with AR.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a description of how we wanted the app to work and what file types we wanted to use. Then we worked with Exyte to figure out the best way to build the app.

What is the team composition?

I mostly worked with one person, Nikita (Head of Mobile Development). Then there was another person working on design and development.

How did you come to work with Exyte?

We put a request out on UpWork and considered a few different vendors. Exyte stood out because they demonstrated their capabilities very quickly and their price was competitive.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $16,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in July 2020 and is ongoing.

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

We’re very happy with the product. Exyte was able to get a proof of concept out in about a week. We were very impressed with how quickly they were able to get through the first phase of the project. We’re nearly done with the app; there are just a couple of bugs we’re still working to resolve.

How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

Initially, we communicated over Slack and email. Later on, they used our own project management tools, like Jira, and that worked very well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was very pleased with how easy it was to work with them. I’ve worked with other developers in the past and have had a hard time communicating with them. With Exyte, communication was very good. They effectively translated our ideas and concepts into actual features that we could use.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m not sure that there was anything they needed to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would give anyone looking to develop a software product the same advice: have a concrete idea about exactly how everything is supposed to work and establish your testable criteria at the beginning of the project.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and designer for WorkoutLabs. We specialize in informational products and online platforms for the fitness industry. Our mission is to make fitness simple and accessible to everyone. For example, we make yoga cards, which make it easy for anyone to get started with yoga from the comfort of their own homes.

We also have a mobile app that allows users to browse or create their own workout routines in a visual format that’s easy to understand and follow, whether it's at the gym, at home, or elsewhere. We are primarily a B2C company, but we do work with some hospitals and universities to provide our platform as a solution to their organizations as well.

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte?

We initially worked with a different company to build the original version of the app, but they failed to deliver the specified application. We were looking for someone who could build our specified application.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Exyte picked up the project and took it to completion. They improved the app over what it was originally and what we had in our specifications. They initially came on board to actually finish the original version that was planned. Since then, we’ve been working with Exyte to continuously improve and add features to the app. As of now, the app is for iOS only, but we will most likely work with Exyte on the Android version in the near future.

The app is for WorkoutLabs’ Fit product, which is a subscription-based service for individuals to signup to. They can browse our large selection of workout plans or create their own and schedule that on their calendar within the app. They can track their progress with different fitness metrics like their weight, strength, body measurement, etc. to move toward their health and fitness goals.

What is the team composition?

We work primarily with three team members from Exyte. Igor (CEO) is our primary contact. He makes all of the arrangements as far as our partnership with Exyte, including rates, scheduling, and team members assigned to work on the project. Mark (iOS Developer) has worked on the app from the start. Julia (QA Engineer) was doing the testing prior to releases.

How did you come to work with Exyte?

An iOS developer that I trust and worked with before referred Exyte to me. He had worked with Igor at a different iOS development firm. Also, besides the recommendation, I went with Exyte because of their profile on Clutch; they had overwhelmingly positive reviews from their other clients.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $50,000–$60,000.
 
What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Exyte in November 2019, and the engagement is ongoing. Mark is currently working on the app's latest updates.

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

Our app has approximately 60,000 downloads. One metric is the app's crash report — so if users are having a good experience with very few or no crashes, that's a measure of the quality of the work. In working with Igor and Mark, I consider their prompt communication and adherence to schedule and estimates that they provide or tasks that I layout. 
 
How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

Exyte’s project management is excellent — I'm very happy with them. We communicate through Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their work and efficiency distinguishes them from other providers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There really aren't any areas where we've had problems. I wish their rates were cheaper, but that’s not talking about their work. Otherwise, I’m happy with everything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have very clear specifications on tasks and assets like designs. As long as the task is clear, the Exyte team will be able to execute it pixel-perfect and will have things as you specified. If the specifications and tasks are vague, it will be difficult to arrive at a result that is satisfactory.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work as a product manager for a construction company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte?

We contracted them to carry out work on implementing a VR workspace where we could demonstrate our products for our investors. We wanted to do it in a VR environment to facilitate all the changes that have been implemented through the COVID-19 pandemic.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have launched the project and we are currently in a maintenance phase with them. We started with the scope phase, where they helped us a lot with insights into the technology and bumps in the road that we may face while building the product. We were going through some functional and technical analysis already, and they brought us from the idea phase to an actual roadmap with costs and milestones.

They then prepared all the models that they needed to put into the VR environment via a 3D artist. After that, they developed and designed the whole 3D theme. It is quite complex, and it was something that needed to be programmed and developed in the VR environment.

The solution is widely supported, so it was important for us to test it on different devices. We even created a very simplistic cardboard VR functionality where the user can use a smartphone for it. There was also an admin panel with a dashboard for the operator. The solution was integrated with our CRM, which allowed us to gather user information. They helped with general load testing and ironing out all our issues.

What is the team composition?

I think there were four people in total. We worked with a 3D artist, a 3D designer and developer, and then there was a project manager and a QA expert. We also worked with their CTO and CEO, who joined in on the meetings as well.

How did you come to work with Exyte?

We met them at a conference and randomly approached them. This idea was in our minds for a while, and we started talking about it. We decided to go with them because of their expertise and their knowledge when it comes to transforming ideas into real products.

How much have you invested in them?

I think we are slightly over £200,000 ($259,700 USD) right now.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2020. The main phase was completed in August 2020.

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

We launched the demo to the focus group and gave it to our top managers and investors. The goal was to achieve a wow effect and an immersive experience, and that is exactly the feedback we received from both groups. We are very happy with where we are right now.

There are still a few issues with the user experience that cause people to feel uncomfortable wearing the glasses and VR headset for too long. I think they did a very good job advising us on how to implement the scenarios and mechanics for VR. For example, we don’t allow users to walk because it makes them dizzy. This is where they teleport from one point to another. I never actually thought about that, but it was something that they implemented. They are very knowledgeable about the user experience in VR specifically.

How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

We were a bit worried about how communication would go because there is a bit of a time difference and because it was an outsourcing project. Anyone going into an outsourcing project worries about that. They managed to keep us updated all the time on what was happening and the progress, however. We have very close communication; they utilize different channels like Slack, calls, and emails. We felt very comfortable with how things were progressing. We are constantly in control of where we are and where we’re going. That is why the result was very predictable for us. We knew exactly what we were getting into because they matched our expectations along the way at all times.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think it was their technical expertise in virtual reality. We were expecting that. It is fairly new technology and there might have been some research and development, but they knew exactly how to build things. With anything we asked them, they always found a way to implement it and bring it to life. That was pretty exciting.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything at the moment. It would be great if they would have approached us a year ago, but I think it was all good. Nothing pops into my mind right now.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would definitely recommend Exyte to any other company that is trying to bring ideas to life, especially in VR. We were talking to some other agencies, but this is where their experience and technical expertise were much higher than anyone else that we talked to. We would definitely recommend them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Guruprepcoach.

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte?

The challenge was to develop our app. Our goal was to streamline the process for competitive health and fitness bodybuilders.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Exyte is designing and building the front- and backend of our app. Their team’s using React Native and other technologies to make the app compatible with iOS and Android. Currently, their team’s in the last stage of development.

This app is for the health and fitness industry. The platform allows coaches to communicate with their clients. For example, coaches can send clients their diets and workout programs. Clients can also send progress pictures to their coaches.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with the project manager and the team leader. They assigned probably six people to the project including QA teammates.

How did you come to work with Exyte?

I actually found them on Clutch. They ranked in the top 10, which struck me. I looked at their website and liked their previous work. I reached out to the owner of the company. We had a good conversation and it felt like that was the right connection.

How much have you invested with them?

The project will cost a little more than $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on the app in February 2020, and we’re in the last month of development now.

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

They're a phenomenal team that works hard for us. We've had a great experience working with Exyte.

How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

On day one, Exyte laid out all of the milestones. They’ve made sure to stay on target with our budget and timeline. If they have to make adjustments, their team lets me know ahead of time. They communicate extremely well to make sure that I know what’s going on with the project.

We use Slack to communicate and have weekly conference calls using Zoom. They plan our meetings well. We held a conference call at 2 a.m. their time, so they’re still working on our app in the early mornings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Honestly, their dedication has most impressed us. Extye embraced my ideas and have gone above and beyond to make them happen.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be nice if they were in the US, but other than that, they’ve done a phenomenal job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to keep your lines of communication open because they will be in constant contact. Be readily available.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the two co-founders of Trace but my position is chief information officer. We offer a blockchain tracking system for the hemp industry. We’re not only a government software contractor but also provide paid services for businesses.

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte?

It’s difficult to update code with blockchain, which is both a bug and a feature. We wanted to build out a system that allowed us to upgrade smart contracts.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Exyte helped to develop a system that allows for the upgradability of smart contracts. Their team worked with one of our engineers to create the architectural design. Then, they implemented it.

We also work with one of their frontend developers who’s developing features for our iOS app. They familiarized themselves with our complex tech stack that includes technologies such as IPFS and GraphQL.

Their team’s also working on an analytics platform to keep track of our costs. We discussed all of the information that we wanted in a report, which is important because it costs money each time someone makes a transaction or interaction on the block. The analytics platform allows us to send people invoices and to understand where costs are coming from. It helps us to allocate cryptocurrency to people in the best way possible so that we don’t create unnecessary costs for ourselves. Exyte’s currently building an automation feature and finishing the code.

What is the team composition?

We work with 2­–3 people on their team including engineers, analytics teammates, and a frontend developer.

How did you come to work with Exyte?

One of our engineers led the process and found Exyte through his network. We wanted to hire people who understood blockchain and decentralized technology but were also able to deliver on our budget. We looked into other overseas agencies to save on costs but didn’t think they were up to the same caliber as Exyte, which was a happy medium. They're a top-notch firm that offers a lot of value.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent some amount within the range of $50,000–$60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2019 and we’re still collaborating. We plan to lean on them for a while.

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

Exyte’s does a great job, executing on tasks well. We passed the torch to their frontend developer and he executed on that project well. Everyone loves our app. Their team helps us to consider high-level concepts. They’re more hungry for those discussions than we are.

How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

They show up to meetings and make sure that there’s always steady progress. We have project management in-house because it’s advantageous for the product manager to be stateside. We changed product managers and their team’s open to working with different individuals. They know all of the tools necessary to interface with a product manager efficiently such as JIRA. They communicate about whether or not deadlines need to be pushed. We’ve hit almost all of our deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provide a willingness and desire to build their brand. For example, Exyte completed work for us pro-bono because they wanted to build the tool and open-source it. They’re not just in the partnership to execute and make money on specific tasks. They’re genuinely curious and want to help in decision making, which is where their team goes above and beyond.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were moments when we didn’t fully utilize Exyte’s resources. I wish that they reached out because we could’ve invested more in them. But they didn’t want to increase our costs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a proactive product manager because that’s how you get the full value out of an agency like Exyte. They’re built for the engineering side of a project. It’s important to have a high-touch product manager who doesn’t let the pipeline of tasks dry up.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a commercial and residential pool leak detection company. When our customers think there is a leak in their pool, we find the leak and do the repairs. I’m the lead developer.   

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte?

We needed some extra assistance in our native application development for mobile. We reached out to them to implement a few features.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did custom programming for a new iOS app. We’re switching to a new programming language called SwiftUI, and they have the skillset to assist that. They created custom photo taking within the application. So, they can process it and upload it to an API. They’ve also integrated a few UI features, dealing with navigation and user-flow between screens.

What is the team composition?

I had a main point of contact, and there was at least one developer assigned to my project.

How did you come to work with Exyte?

I was doing research online and they posted a few technical articles that I was impressed with. We reached out to them because they were skilled in the languages we wanted to use.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $20,000–$28,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2019 and our work is ongoing.

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

We do field testing. After a few builds, our leak technicians test the app to make sure things are working. Then they give us feedback, usually, it’s positive, or they let us know if they experience any bugs. Then, they resolve them. They’ve provided a lot of technical insight into the best practices. That was a well-valued aspect of working with them.

How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication and their ability to meet deadlines is excellent. We used our internal communication tools, so via chat. We hold video calls and share screens to walk through what needs to be done and itemize tasks for the upcoming week.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They don’t automatically implement something if it isn’t the best idea. They don’t hesitate to interject what they think the best practice should be. Sometimes, other companies will implement things just because we told them to, even if it’s not the best way to do it. Exyte is thoughtful enough to let us know if there is a better strategy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind right now.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communication is always key, and take their feedback into consideration to ensure a well-built project.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager for COBOL-IT in charge of the IDE.  The product is based largely on open-source technology that supports a compiler and a development system.

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte?

My contacts at Exyte were brought on to provide development to fulfill customer requirements in our Eclipse IDE.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve gone to Exyte with many projects. The first project was a plug-in for the COBOL-IT debugger. Since then, Exyte has helped us fulfill customer requests, including helping some customers that have mixed Windows and Linux environments. They also worked on some functionality with our data displayer, code coverage and real-time profiler. The customer can display a data file supported by COBOL and scroll through and modify it. Most of the work has been written in Java.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked three developers.

How did you come to work with Exyte?

The lead developer here at COBOL-IT posted a job on the online Eclipse forum.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in May 2015. COBOL-IT continued to work with Exyte until December 2017.

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

I was very satisfied.  It was extremely important that the work provided by Exyte be of very high quality.  They were very responsive and provided the level of quality that we required.

How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

My main contact at Exyte had excellent communication skills and was able to turn around tasks promptly. He made sure he was clear on what my expectations. Since we couldn’t sit across the table from each other, we’d go over the project on phone calls in the morning my time and during the night his time.

There were some cases where I was working on projects that integrated with COBOL and required detailed specifications because of specific functionality. He worked well in that environment, as well as on projects where less detailed instruction was provided.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Exyte was a pleasure to work with. Sometimes, when developing a new functionality, they would return a short video, which allowed us to validate the functionality very quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our biggest challenge has been the time difference, and we’ve worked through that. He’s been terrific, and we’ve had an excellent relationship.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Being really clear about your priorities is always important when working with an outside team. They can provide extra resources if you want, but we prioritized things for them, which helped us move forward step by step. This also made them comfortable and helped them respond to us well.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a digital product studio, and we work with clients to solve their problems with technology. We also build custom software solutions for startups, entrepreneurs, and Fortune 500 companies. I'm one of the founders.

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte?

We're a new brand, but I've worked with many members of my team for several years. We needed to onboard several new clients, and we hoped to quickly expand our bench of skilled engineers, specifically on the iOS side.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Two of our clients wanted to build out a native iOS app and a web platform with iOS parity. Exyte provided strong communicators who could be fairly autonomous.

What is the team composition?

Their co-founder and CEO is our main point of contact. We also work with their iOS engineering lead, as well as with an engineering team.

How did you come to work with Exyte?

My CTO worked with Exyte previously, and we knew that they could provide team members to step in quickly and supercharge our engagement. We had a phone conversation and told them about the projects we hoped to take on. They put us in touch with engineers on their team, and we interviewed some of the resources we hoped to hire. We looked over their GitHub to review the code, and we decided they had the right skillset to help us. We agreed to terms, and we got started.

How much have you invested with them?

They charge us an hourly rate. We're approaching the $20,000 mark with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our CTO has worked with them for about a year, but we formally started our engagement with them in September 2019. The collaboration is ongoing, and we have every reason to continue working with them.

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

I don't have any statistics to share about the impact just yet, but we have experience working with distributed team arrangements like this one. We're very comfortable working with them, and we trust that they will do their job and communicate well. Our team is thrilled to work with them.

How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

They're accountable, and they show up to meetings. They're fully integrated into our Slack, Jira, and other tools, and they feel like members of our own in-house team. They live up to our standards for remote and distributed working team. The rates are mutually advantageous, and they're helping us build up our portfolio.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They go above and beyond, and they ensure their hours overlap works with ours. There is a time difference, but they structure their day to be more available.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything they should do to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I don't have any specific advice for potential clients. Our CTO's preexisting relationship helps, but Exyte's resources are fantastically good at their jobs. Ask for what you need and see what they can do for you.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a 3D sketch application firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte?

We hired Exyte to help with software development for the web and mobile.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We developed a mobile UI component that allows users to choose colors within the iOS app. The one is a subscription website that helps users manage their subscriptions.

What is the team composition?

In total, we’ve worked with two people.

How did you come to work with Exyte?

While looking for UI and public libraries online, I came across Exyte and decided to contact them. They had a good representation of their previous work, which automatically convinced me. After speaking with them, I knew that their team could deliver what I needed. It was difficult to find great freelancers that were professional and communicative.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Exyte started in July 2019.

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

We’re happy that we found Exyte, and think of them as part of our team. It would’ve taken a month of work for us to develop the color component. Their team is knowledgeable in the space of iOS UI components. They created a beautiful and efficient code for those components, which helped a lot.

Customers are pleased with the UI component. The subscription website is almost done, and it will make the whole experience better for our users.

How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

As we’re a small startup, we didn’t have the resources for documentation. I enjoy working with them because they understand and ask questions quickly. If something isn’t documented, they will raise a flag, or, even decide themselves what the best solution for that particular challenge. There are also no language barriers. I’m very happy with Exyte.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication skills are impressive. Along with being direct and honest, their team doesn’t overestimate. They control the time and budget, making sure it makes sense and that we know what to expect. They’re also professional in their work.

Exyte knows what they’re doing. They’re detail-oriented and knowledgeable in the UI space. They also do a good job of suggesting solutions to make work easier.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I haven’t had any issues yet. I’m not sure how busy they are, but they’re transparent with us. If they have a busy schedule, their team lets us know when they’ll be available. We’re lucky to have Exyte.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re looking for hands-on and professional freelancers, work with Exyte. Sometimes, a process can be very complex with a project manager and a lot of meetings. With Exyte, they’re direct. As a customer, you’re working with one or two people at a time, and they strive to make things easy and enjoyable.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m in charge of overseeing the tech buildout of a platform that uses blockchain technology to democratize sustainability according to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. As a general partner in this project, I’m aiming to help build a solution to identify global challenges and devote resources following consensus voting and other mechanisms.

What challenge were you trying to address with Exyte?

The platform requires a combination of general application work and blockchain technology. We used Exyte specifically for our niche blockchain efforts.

What was the scope of their involvement?

In particular, we needed them to integrate five blockchains in an interoperable manner. This included distributed consensus voting, supply chain transparency, distributed file storage, decentralized identification, and distributed accounting mechanisms. In the beginning, we identified certain protocols we were planning to use. Exyte, after receiving this information from us, enhanced the research with their own input, R&D, and actual builds.

To construct everything, they used Solidity, Node.JS, React. They also followed the Bitcoin Core protocol as well as several other protocols we designated. 

We broke everything down into sprints. After our MVP was released, we took a two-month hiatus before starting the next steps.

What is the team composition?

We used a tiered system. I overall the entire project, but my project manager was assigned to handle the day-to-day coding and development. He reported high-level information and progress to me. In addition to him, there were 3–5 developers working on the project at any given time.

How did you come to work with Exyte?

We’ve worked with Exyte in the past, and they’ve proven themselves to be some of the best specialists around. Given our past success, we knew we could trust them with this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $200,000–$999,999.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from January–July 2019. We’re on hiatus now but plan to start back up soon.

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

Within three months, they developed a very complex MVP. It was very robust and built from scratch, so that’s definitely a testament to the speed and quality of their work. 

How did Exyte perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team exceeded many of our deadlines. Our different time zones actually helped us with efficiency, because we were able to essentially work around the clock. Communication was also never an issue, as my entire time also works remotely. We already had Slack, WhatsApp, and Skype in place. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their range of specialties was most impressive. Normally, outsourced partners specialize in one area. But, while we hired Exyte for blockchain, they also have incredible general-purpose devs and a vast variety of other skills. Their communication skills and price point for quality are hard to beat. Working with them definitely made the most sense to us from every angle.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, I don’t see any areas for improvement so far. They do thorough R&D and robust research. There was never a need to reiterate or circle back. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Because they have such a wide variety of development capabilities, let them know from the beginning what they can expect to take responsibility for. They’ll definitely be able to cater to your needs best that way. 

For the quality and the price point, I’d highly recommend them. There’s always been a divide as to whether in-house or remote development teams are more effective, but we’ve had an amazing experience with them. They’re hands-on and communicative to the point that it feels like they’re working in-house. They offer great balance.