Flatirons Development

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of product management and UX at a business management startup, and my responsibilities revolve around our software development efforts.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flatirons Development?

We wanted to paint a visual picture of what our organization would look like in the next 5–24 months in terms of where we could take our product. We needed help in visualization to illustrate our roadmap moving forward.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Flatirons provided us with a senior designer that had the experience to think strategically. We had quick and open-ended conversations about our team's ideas. From there, they worked to discover the solutions and visualizations for our workflows.

We had daily, 15-minute check-ins involving myself and the senior designer. We never interacted outside of those calls, which was all we needed to work towards our goal. They used Figma to create designs, and we collaborated through Slack.  

What is the team composition?

We initially consulted with Rosina (Co-Founder & CCO), and then I worked directly with Jose (Senior Product Designer).

How did you come to work with Flatirons Development?

I previously worked with Rosina at a different company, so I chose Flatirons when I came into my current position and needed this work done. I had seen Rosina's leadership and experience before, and I could only imagine how that translated to her current team. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $12,000–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from October–November 2021. 

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

The project was unique because our output couldn't be tracked with any metrics or use numbers. Flatirons' work was meant to be an internal guide to our team to get people fired up about our vision for the company. 

However, I could say that Flatirons' work was already coming to fruition. There were elements from their visualization that had been immediately put into development to launch into our customers very soon. 

Flatirons successfully told the story about our company's future to our designers, developers, marketers, and the rest of our team. Their work got everyone on the same page, and it inspired action among our people.

How did Flatirons Development perform from a project management standpoint?

I was thrilled with Flatirons' project management. Jose and I only spent 15 minutes together, which we preferred. Nonetheless, they handled everything, including our communication, scheduling, and questions. The project went really well, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. We communicated through Slack and Google Meet.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Flatirons' professionalism and talent were outstanding. They had an amazing leadership group, but I was also impressed with their team's ability to own our projects and come out with high-quality work. They didn't just finish for the sake of completion, but they put a lot of thought into what they were doing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything. The project went well, and I was hoping to start a new contract with them in the future. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about your needs and goals. As long as you give clear instructions, then Flatirons' team can take and do it. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a ride-sharing service for people who live in transit deserts. We’re based in New York City, and we primarily work in the outer boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. Our product is used by a group of commercial drivers transporting hundreds of passengers every day along fixed routes in the outer boroughs.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flatirons Development?

We wanted to build a new product as quickly as possible. We had a new route and were expanding to a new territory, and to prepare for that, we needed an updated mobile app. 

However, our in-house team didn’t have the time to build the app and do it in a way that would be up to par with our standards. We needed someone to support and accelerate our product development. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, Flatirons came on board to augment our staff. They have gradually transitioned as our core engineering resource. We’ve maintained a staff augmentation model, but we heavily rely on their team and treat them as if they’re our team members.

They use React Native, AWS, PostgreSQL, and other technologies to work on our app.

What is the team composition?

We work with Michael (CEO), four developers, one project manager, and one designer.

How did you come to work with Flatirons Development?

We had engaged with Flatirons eight months before this project started. Because that turned out to be such a positive experience and they impressed us, it was easy for us to choose them again to work on a longer, extended project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $150,000.

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

We’re delighted with Flatirons’ development and processes. Our users have given mixed reviews for the app, but their complaints are not because of Flatirons’ work — it’s mostly about our product decisions and the app’s lack of features at this stage. These are things that we plan to fix with Flatirons as we continue working together. 

Across our team, we all appreciate and value working with Flatirons and want to continue the relationship. For us, they are the best choice we have for augmenting our team and building a product. 

How did Flatirons Development perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate daily with them through Slack, and 2–3 times a week, we have group calls through Zoom. In addition, all our engineers have daily stand-up meetings, and outside of that, we have larger meetings twice a week with their designers and CEO. There’s a lot of communication and feedback that’s given and shared.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Flatirons’ design and product development processes are very encouraging and impressive. Most people are impressed with how our product looks like. Flatirons’ mockups and prototypes always exceed our expectations. 

Michael holds his team accountable, and they all have a great attitude. In addition, they meet our expectations about deadlines and work quality. The success of their team is a testament to Michael’s leadership. Their engineers are also responsible and have a sense of pride in their work. I’m pretty happy with our partnership with Flatirons so far. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We recommend that they come to our meetings with an agenda aligned with our company’s progress. We meet about twice a week and follow a product roadmap. As a result, everyone’s default is to just come to the meeting and wait for me to ask questions and poke around. 

It’ll be more helpful if Flatirons can drive those meetings and move the conversation about how to be more efficient and effective as a product team. I understand that’s not fully their job, but I want to feel that our teams are aligned and moving in the right direction. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

To maximize your engagement with Flatirons, you need to have a clear idea of what you’re trying to build or accomplish as early as possible. They’re good enough to help mold loosely formed product ideas into something actionable and deliverable. 

The clearer you are on what you’re trying to build, the better Flatirons can be at directing you and creating the product. Have your own clearly defined road map and discuss that with their team. 

Engage with Flatirons on an ongoing basis, so there are no doubts, uncertainties, or miscommunication about the next steps. Once the engagement starts, you still have to remain highly involved and responsive so that Flatirons never has to guess what to do next. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a software company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flatirons Development?

We were looking for a company to build out an MVP for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Flatirons did the development of an MVP for our software. They were involved in the UX/UI of the desktop application as well.

How did you come to work with Flatirons Development?

I believe I originally connected with them via LinkedIn. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent approximately $50,000-$60,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since December 2019.

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

Flatirons is very responsible and accessible. Even with COVID, we’re still engaged frequently and they’ve been very responsive to address any issues that have come up.

How did Flatirons Development perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re good. Flatirons is very transparent, and we had a good, clear schedule. The team has met every deadline and every budget that we’ve initiated. We’ve used a few different tools, including Trello and Slack. We also have weekly calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The blend of UX/UI design, as well as having a technical team, was great. We didn’t have to go to one company for the design and another to implement it. Flatirons’ multifaceted team is excellent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’re very happy with them. That’s why we’re still working with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them the whole scope of the project and create a roadmap for what you want them to do from there.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m CTO of a pre-construction platform that helps contractors and subcontractors do estimates for construction projects. We also help them purchase and deliver materials to construction sites.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flatirons Development?

When I started with the company a year ago, we didn’t have any formal UX design. Our entire web application was cobbled together by developers. We wanted to make our system more usable, especially for people who don’t use technology every day.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve outsourced our UI/UX design to Flatirons. They do customer interviews, design, and user experience for our application. We work 2–4 weeks ahead of our developers and we do revisions as needed.

What is the team composition?

I work with two people from their team. There could be more behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Flatirons Development?

I found one of their principals through LinkedIn, we met in person, and decided to work together from there.

How much have you invested with them?

I’m guessing we’ve spent $100,000–$150,000, based on the hours.

What is the status of this engagement?

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

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

The application was a disaster from a UI perspective when we first started and now it’s better. The team also allowed us to develop faster now since they can focus solely on the development and not the UX.

How did Flatirons Development perform from a project management standpoint?

We manage them through our team. They perform well under the circumstances we provide them but they aren’t managing the project themselves. We use Clubhouse for project management and they have an account through us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their consistency has been really helpful. I’ve worked with outside firms in the past where we’ve lost 1–2 key people on a project and we’ve needed to get new people up to speed. It’s great working with another small company that’s owned by the people I’m talking to, so I know they won’t abandon the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re a small business, which comes with its own staffing challenges. That being said, every time I ask them to do something in a rush, they get it done. They always give me advance notice when they’ll be out and are great at communication.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to provide as many examples as possible of what you’re trying to accomplish, visually.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of a sales training and job placement platform for entry-level professionals. We bring in a pool of applicants who apply for our sales boot camp and then match them with different employment opportunities.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flatirons Development?

Our company is growing, and as we started looking to scale, we wanted a more efficient business model. We hired Flatirons Development to build a platform that would help connect talent with the right company.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built our web app and designed the frontend of the platform. The app has a candidate and employer side and uses an algorithm to match their profiles. Every week, the platform triggers an automatic email to employers with a list of the 5 candidates who are most qualified for the position. We also have several filters that allow employers to search for candidates with ease.

Since the web app launched, they’ve fixed bugs and helped us add on additional features.

What is the team composition?

Mike (Founder, Flatirons Development) is our project manager, and then we have a developer and designer working on the project.

How did you come to work with Flatirons Development?

One of our employees recommended them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $50,000 on the MVP  and between $15,000–$20,000 for maintenance, totaling around $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in March 2019 and the app launched in June 2019, but they’re providing ongoing support.  

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

Our platform has several thousand views every month, and we’ve seen an uptick in the matching algorithm.

On our student side, we’ve received a lot of positive feedback. Generally, they think the design is simple and easy to use. We expected a decrease in profile creation and our conversion rate, but it has stayed steady, which is indicative of the fact that candidates are finding it easy to complete the form.

We’re also happy with the employer's side, but we get more constructive feedback from employers. To be fair, this is only the first phase in a five-step build-out. We need to improve our algorithm and eliminate gaps in our service and tech. However, we’re optimistic because we’re figuring out how to scale the platform.

How did Flatirons Development perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re really satisfied with their service. They’re awesome communicators and always respond quickly. We’ve had a few bugs, but they started working on a fix immediately. We generally get in touch with them via Slack, though we also use Trello and a panel to check analytics.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very hands-on, and the speed and quality of their work is top-notch. On top of it all, they offer a fair price. I’ve been happy with our partnership, which is why we continue to work together.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Think more about your long-term goals and metrics. They did a great job guiding us through the process and helping us determine the project’s success using analytics. We only gave them information for the first part of our build, but we could have helped them more by telling them exactly where we wanted to go with the project.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CEO of dtour.life, a divorce management platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flatirons Development?

We were looking for someone to help us with our UX design. It’s a very robust software and we needed to be able to guide different types of users through it.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Flatirons Development was responsible for the UX design for our cloud-based application. They ensured that the system was intuitive for both individuals going through a divorce as well as the professional audience that manages divorce cases. The ensured that our different audiences could enter information, upload data, run reports and more. 

Their team also conducted A/B testing of the application. We have stakeholders around the testing so we held video calls with demos and Q&A sessions. 

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Rosina (Chief Creative Officer, Flatirons Development).

How did you come to work with Flatirons Development?

I was looking for a talented UX designer and I came across Flatirons Development’s portfolio online so I emailed them. At first, we hired them on a contract basis. 

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with Flatirons Development began in August 2018.

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

We get a lot of feedback that we have a great look and feel. Clients have been continuously impressed by our UX. After our review with our stakeholders, there was general excitement about how we’ve solved the problem of walking users through our site. 

How did Flatirons Development perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is beyond excellent. It’s flawless. I can’t imagine having a better relationship with a vendor. Frankly, in today’s world, the responsibility involved in a project like this is so valuable. I truly cannot say enough about how responsible and professional they are about communication and deadlines. Our teams use Slack to communicate and InVision to review prototypes. We also have Google video calls every day.

What did you find most impressive about them?

While it’s important to have an aesthetically pleasing design, they’ve created a design that is also smart. I couldn’t believe how they were able to take the complicated ideas I articulated to them and create something so beautiful and effective. They deconstructed our idea and provided it back to us in an incredibly smart and accessible manner. Flatirons Development is constantly solving problems in both a visually stunning and intelligent way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, and I’m not just heaping praise on them because it’s easy. I’ve worked with many vendors, but I would hire Flatirons Development again and again.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try to provide the best input possible because you can’t expect a quality product without it. Your commitment in hiring anybody is to provide them with direction. That included clarity of expectations, timing, and priorities. One of the reasons we’ve been successful with Flatirons Development is because it’s a two-way partnership.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of product for Osmosis, an educational technology product for students and healthcare. We try to enhance the education and medical learning experiences.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flatirons Development?

We were seeking a designer to help us improve our product’s video-viewing and learning experience.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Rosina (Chief Creative Officer, Flatirons Development) developed the UX/UI of our video-based dashboard and tested our video playlist feature. We proposed a broad strategy, and she consulted with our users about the product for their feedback before conducting usability testing.

Using Figma Software, she reworked our site from the ground up, focusing on our dashboard and log-in flow. She validated our playlist feature and also fine-tuned the learning experience associated with the videos.

What is the team composition?

I just worked with Rosina, who was my main point of contact.  

How did you come to work with Flatirons Development?

Flatirons Development had experience in the educational market, and Rosina had the specific skillset we were looking for. She had almost 15 years of experience in both research and design, so we knew we’d be able to hit the ground running with them.

How much have you invested with them?

I’d like to keep that confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from March to August 2019.

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

We’ve yet to implement all of the work that Rosina’s been doing, so we’ll have exact metrics in the coming months. So far, she’s delivered amazing functions and optimized our site flow. We now have a wider understanding of which features and functions are the most crucial.

How did Flatirons Development perform from a project management standpoint?

Rosina was super organized and had amazing communication skills. She’s an incredible listener, inquisitive, and made sure to document all of her notes from user research meetings. We really appreciated that she tries to get a complete picture of the business goals behind a project.

We used Trello and Slack to communicate. We’d also sit down for one-on-one Google Hangout sessions for user research.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Rosina is exceptionally skilled at extracting information out of users and is able to integrate that information into the next steps. Her keen ability to empathize with the user is very impressive.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would keep Flatirons Development involved in all of the strategic conversations because they’re truly able to provide solutions for your problems.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the co-founder of Helmm, a modern grooming brand for men that’s well-known for our debut refillable antiperspirant and deodorant product. Along with my business partner, we handle almost all aspects of the business, from web design to marketing, customer experience, and product development. We were heavily involved in the initial web design and development, however, we don’t have the coding or development expertise for proper execution.

For what projects/services did your company hire Flatirons Development?

We initially hired Flatirons Development to assist with our holiday season demand surge. We had Mike (Founder, Flatirons Development) implement a gifting flow on our website as well as install several banners and pop-ups that helped with holiday messaging. We viewed this as an opportunity to capitalize on holiday sales but also recognized that our initial build from a previous developer was lacking, which presented several challenges for us. Since we liked Flatirons’ work so much, we had them help with ongoing refinements to our website as well.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal for this project was to increase our e-commerce capabilities.

How did you select this vendor?

We found Flatirons Development through AngelList. We interviewed approximately five different agencies but felt the most comfortable with Flatirons Development because they gave us an outline and strategy that was easy to understand. They were also completely upfront about costs from the very beginning.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Flatirons Development started by helping us implement new gifting flows into our website, but it quickly turned into an ongoing consultation/retainer role since we were extremely pleased with the initial work they did. Their team first had to get an understanding of the specific tech language, processes and flows that our initial developer built. We didn’t have proper documentation to share with Flatirons Development, but they were easily able to understand everything within the first couple hours and even gave us advice on where we could improve things on our website.

It was clear that we had a lot of tech debt from our previous development team, though Flatirons Development went above and beyond in helping address it. They also helped implement reviews, press and other features that have dramatically improved our business.

The coding languages and custom integrations include but are not limited to: Ruby on Rails, React, HTML/CSS, Postgres, and Stripe. Flatiron Development helped walk us through our current build and made things extremely easy for us to understand. Additionally, they now help us with ongoing refinements that increase our conversion rate and customer experience throughout the website.

What was the team composition?

Our primary point of contact is Mike. We also work with a developer and have experienced no drop-off in performance, speed, or quality of work.

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

Flatiron Development's work on our gifting flow helped us increase sales by over 37% during the holiday season. Additionally, they included reviews and press features, which boosted sales by over 40% once these were implemented. Their team is currently working on automating our backend, and we expect that our customer service and backend duties will become more efficient by almost 300%.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management is clear and helpful. Flatiron Development estimated specific deadlines and did not miss a date. We like how flexible they are, especially given that we often ask for small additions after the project has started.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Flatiron is a unique development company that feels much more like a partner rather than a separate third-party developer. We have access to our specific developer whenever we want to run something by him, as well as full transparency into the cost and timeline of our projects. We also appreciate engaging with Flatiron Development on a per-project basis, so we aren’t paying for the time that isn’t used.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is very little that Flatirons Development could improve, as we’ve been extremely happy with the results. One small suggestion could be keeping clients aware of how many hours each project is likely going to take as. However, we understand that it is pretty difficult to estimate how much time a project will take without first digging into it.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm one of the cofounders of KoaWare. We have an automated real estate marketing platform. Our products aim to simplify digital marketing for real estate agents and brokers.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flatirons Development?

We needed someone to help bring one of our products to market.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Flatirons Development oversaw the development strategy and execution for our product. We already had the product, which is a web-based platform, and they basically gave it a facelift. They were brought on to our development team to provide insight into the most necessary workflows. They served as the lead developer and oversaw product management. Our product is full WYSIWYG and directly editable. They simplified the UX so that a lot of the process is automated.

What is the team composition?

I only interact with Michael (CEO, Flatirons Development), but he had a couple of junior developers working under him.

How did you come to work with Flatirons Development?

I’d worked with Michael in the past. He has a lot of experience in the startup and tech communities, so they’re a natural fit for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

They started working on this project in October 2017, and wrapped up in 4–5 months.

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

They’ve really cleaned up our code. It's night and day from what it was. We're now able to put together integrations and affiliate partnerships because of the simplicity of their APIs. Michael is actually working on a second project for us now.

How did Flatirons Development perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is really good. We primarily used Slack and Trello to communicate, and Michael was available all the time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re extremely professional. Michael has so much experience. Not only is he able to execute on the development side, but he can really speak to the UX/UI experience on the product side. We trust that he knows what users are going to respond to.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have the best understanding of your customer and audience as possible. Understand the market and the product that you're trying to build. If you’re able to effectively communicate that, then they will be able to bring it to life.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO of Tattle, a customer experience improvement platform focused on mid-market fast casual and QSR brands. I oversee our new feature development and our core product upgrades.

For what projects/services did your company hire Flatirons Development?

We hired Flatirons Development to help us simplify our existing project dashboard.

What were your goals for this project?

Improve inbound sales leads generated from our website. Reduce customer complaints about difficulty finding pages and features and understanding UI/UX.

How did you select this vendor?

We reached out to and interviewed about 6 vendors. After reviewing previous work from Flatirons Development that showcased the desired skill set, and having a great verbal conversation with their team, we chose to move forward with them.

Describe the project in detail.

Their team helps us keep the product simple while adding new features for larger brands as we scale. We also had Flatirons Development redesign our sales website to improve inbound sales leads.

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

With the help of Flatirons Development, we were able to launch a large update to our platform, introducing new innovative tools for our clients.  The information was complex but Flatirons found creative ways to present it, making it feel simple and easy to understand.  It was a huge success, driving 80% adoption of the new features in 4 months. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have an impressive ability to understand our product and our customers' unique problems. They always provide clean, thoughtful solutions.