Fortunekit Labs

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder of ATKT, a start-up which is a digital + on-ground platform, for India's college-level cultural talent (singers, dancers, poets, comedians, etc)

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Fortunekit Labs?

ATKT wanted to build an app (Android + iOS) that would be able to host all our content in one place. While we had a tech partner in place, we needed a specialised but cost-effective team to design the UI/UX for the apps. The app also had a web-browser based back-end for data entry and administration. This was essentially a very detailed Minimum Viable Product to demo to clients and investors...an MVP++ so to speak.

What were your goals for this project?

An app that was easy to navigate for a new user, and great to look at, given that this is an "entertainment" app. Also - the back-end should be easy to use so that the overall operations should be smooth across the full chain.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Fortunekit was recommended via an Indian entrepreneur's group that we (co-founders) are part of. We also asked for their portfolio, and selected them primarily based on these two factors.

Describe the project in detail.

Fortunekit had to interact with us (ATKT), and the technology partner (TP). In essence they needed inputs from the ATKT to understand the end-user's needs, as well as inputs from TP to provide designs based on the limitations/ advantages of the platforms that the apps were being built on. Required a constant feedback loop during the development and testing process, and tweaking of designs to incorporate feedback. As ATKT was doing this for the first time, we needed flexibility from our partners to incorporate changes as we learned.

What was the team composition?

The co-founder who I met before the project started was the point of contact, and almost all my interactions were with him. He also worked on the designs himself, but so he was the Lead UI/UX on this. He was supported by 2 other designers who I had minimal interactions with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are very happy with the way that the app looks and behaves, given that this is only a MVP-level build. We have also got positive feedback from our target audiences in terms of ease of use and how good ("bright and energetic") it looks.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Fortunekit's team - led by their founder Aman Jha - was always accommodating of all our requests and we had very little trouble in the quality of output. They also interacted with the TP very smoothly and reverted on time with any specific requests that the TP had.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They proactively provided inputs about the best ways to leverage the technology platforms that the TP was working on. A lot of new design elements were incorporated mainly because of their knowledge of these platforms (React Native mainly). This really made the app look a lot better than we initially envisaged.

Are there any areas for improvement?

In the initial stages of the project there were a few hiccups in terms of timeliness, which I ascribed to their lack of a specific operations management team since it is a young company. However, the founder took extra time to work with me to create an information flow system that solved this problem. Subsequent to the project's completion, the founder did mention to me that he now has that team/ function in place.