Futured

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm an executive of InTouch, a company in the health industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Futured?

We needed an application designed for family members of the senior people who use our services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our company and Futured started with product discovery, definition, and budgeting. The team began the app's development and design work in October and delivered the application in December 2024. We continue to work with the team for updates and maintenance work. Futured has used  Kotlin multiplatform, InVision, and Figma to create our app, which is available on iOS and Android.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with Futured's lead developer, project manager, and account manager.

How did you come to work with Futured?

We knew Futured due to their reputation.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2024, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Futured's work is part of a more significant solution we're working on, and it has been critical that they deliver on time because of market timing. The team has also stayed on budget, going over by only 10%, which is acceptable, and we've had no problems with it.

How did Futured perform from a project management standpoint?

Well, we've used Google Meet. Futured has also visited to run account management tours. We also communicate through Slack channels. 

Our communication adapts depending on whether it's engineers, so we use more than one tool, or if it's business people talking to me when we most commonly use WhatsApp or phone calls. It depends on who Futured talks to in our company.

We've also used Jira for project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm not a mobile design expert, so I needed Futured's help to put pictures of the solution I dreamed of, and they've been very good at doing this.

Futured's work is a small part of a much larger implementation, so we needed their team to do a good integration of the data they were collecting via APIs. Futured has ensured this is well done and tested because we require this for the go-live.

We can rely on Futured; they've performed very professionally. When they went a little above the budget, they explained the reason. The communication with the team has been excellent, which we like.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Futured has been 10% over budget. If we push the needle, we would've liked Futured to be exactly on budget, but that's acceptable. They've accommodated our language needs, and we like it. I can't think of many things Futured can improve because we're still working with them and happy with their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Describe your dream and vision so that Futured can transform it into a screenshot and wireframes. Have a well-documented idea and a backend team that can tell Futured the APIs you need and their implications since this will save time and allow Futured's team to understand what you want quickly.

Futured will be able to throw ideas at you, so having a clear picture of what you want to build and finding the words to express what you're trying to achieve is essential. Their team has a lot of expertise in business, development, design, and project management, and they excel at thoroughly following up and challenging us, and we liked it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at a derivate company of Decathlon. I’m a project manager of Rent Project, a rental project in our stores.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Futured?

Since the project is about renting, we deal with legal acts because we’re giving our property to the customer to use.  For this process, we had to make an agreement handover protocol.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve hired Futured to automate the handover protocol process. Initially, we gave them our basic tools. We had the system base of how we operated so they could see it and collect the data from there to make the handover process automatic. We also shared our guidelines and what we wanted.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with six people. We first met with the owner; we told them what we wanted and saw what they could offer. From there, we’ve been in contact with a dedicated project manager and 3–4 front- and backend developers. However, we mainly communicate with the project manager.

How did you come to work with Futured?

They were already working with them on other projects from entirely different areas. Someone in our company told me that Futured’s developers could help.

How much have you invested with them?

The scope is about €50,000 (approximately $54,000 USD), but there’s no final number.

What is the status of this engagement?

We contacted them in December 2023 and started working with them in January 2024. We’re still in communication with them because we’ve launched, and there are some minor problems to take care of. Additionally, we’re thinking about how to improve it.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We implemented the solution last month within the timeline we wanted, so we had no problems there. Moreover, we made this project to speed up the handover process for customers. We’ve reduced the processing time by 60%, so we’ve fulfilled our goal.

How did Futured perform from a project management standpoint?

Futured has been on time and within budget. Communication is excellent; we have weekly meetings, and they’re available every day for our questions or problems because sometimes there are issues that we need to deal with immediately.

Overall, we manage the communication channels and can always call each other.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I don’t want to give names; the whole team is amazing. In my experience, they’re all really reactive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s always room for improvement, but I can’t think of anything to improve off the top of my head. I’m really happy with the results.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared and structured about what you want from them. Not because Futured can’t do it, but because it’s always better to have exactly what you want so they can focus on it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a mobile development team lead for JABLOTRON. We create IoT cloud infrastructure for alarm and home comfort systems. We're part of JABLOTRON GROUP HOLDING, and our headquarters are in the Czech Republic.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Futured?

We wanted to develop a new version of our mobile application for end users. This application is used for controlling the alarm system in their homes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Futured has created the first prototype of the mobile app based on the UI/UX designs we've created in-house. Most recently, they've developed a new version of this app for both iOS and Android devices. Futured has been working for us for many years, so they were already familiar with our old application and already knew the app's use cases before the most recent project arose.

Currently, our app is in the open beta stage, so we haven't released it yet. We'll launch it in about three months, but we'll continue working with Futured. The version we're about to launch is the MVP variant, so we have many future implementations ahead of us.

What is the team composition?

Currently, we have four teammates from Futured working on the app on each platform.

How did you come to work with Futured?

Before the first prototype of our app was created, we gave three potential partner firms the same information and description for the project. They had to create a proof of concept (POC) for this app. Out of the three firms, we chose Futured as our main provider.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay Futured by the hour. This particular app has cost us nearly $2 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Futured on this specific app in January 2021. However, we've been working with them since 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Futured's work has met our expectations. As mentioned, the app is in the open beta stage, and the reviews have been quite good thus far, which is successful. The app is much faster and more user-friendly than its past version, so we're satisfied with the results. 

How did Futured perform from a project management standpoint?

We've integrated Futured's developers into our own team. They work under our management, which is based on agile development. We run 14-day sprints, which is working great for us.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

I would like to give a shout-out to Jevgen (iOS Tech Lead) and Martin (Lead Android Developer). They're like the fathers of each version of the application and have a sense of ownership. Both have been of great help, as they've even helped us hire internal developers to join our team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing about working with Futured is that, although they're an external company working for us, their ownership of the app is really high. I wouldn't expect for an external company to work on an app for us with this level of ownership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything Futured could improve on.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Use the same model as we do. Integrate Futured into your internal team so that the app's knowledge remains also in-house. They're great developers and have great ownership of what they create.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on January 3, 2023.

Ladislav Novák
CEO, JABLOTRON CLOUD Services s.r.o.Software

Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic

51-200 Employees

Jul 2012 - Ongoing

$1,000,000 to $9,999,999

Project summary
Futured has been hired by a software company to develop a new mobile app — with a modular architecture — for their alarm system. Working in two-week sprints, they've built the app for iOS and Android devices.

Feedback summary
Futured has delivered the first prototype of the app, and the client is pleased with the faster and more user-friendly version. They have daily stand-ups and regular communication, making their long-term partnership more productive. The team is also flexible despite the client's changing needs.
This review is an update by the client company. The original content is located below the new review.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a software company that creates IoT Cloud for Alarm systems and home comfort systems in the JABLOTRON GROUP holding. Headquartered in Jablonec nad Nisou in Czech Repuplic.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Futured, and what were your goals?

We want to develop new version of our mobile app for end users of our Alarm systems. Our current app is not anymore too much up to date. We want to create modular architecture (more teams works on one app = code base). The Futured is one team for one generation of Alarm system.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We've working with Futured several years in many different projects and we are still satisfied with their work and also with high collaboration standards.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We provide their team with wireframes and designs. They work in two week sprints and cooperate with our Product Owner. The cooperation is really close - the team implements feedback and our PO adjusts tasks to meet our final goals.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We have one development team of four developers two for each platform (iOS, Android) with our testers and Product Owner. Then we have two senior app developers in Core team which does common core parts of app. All teams in the project has own Team Lead from our company - the Team Lead communicates with CEO of Futured and work together on team performance and satisfaction.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Within few sprints they deliver first prototype of the app - same for core team and team for Alarm system. We are already able to controll production version of Alarm systems (like arm/disarm to see history of the system, ...). The app is much more faster then previous version and much more user friendly.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We communicate in daily bases on stendups and in the end of sprints are online reviews for our whole company (everyone is free to connect). We use our Jira software to coordinate teams.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They have really good top developers who want the best for us - they've been working for us (same key developers) for several years (and we haven't been an easy customer all this time - changes in goals, changes in capacity). They are also open in communication and the collaboration is at a high level.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Several times they were afraid to be honest and this led to a longer road to a mutually good outcome.
Star Ratings
Overall rating: 5

Quality: 5

Cost: 4

Schedule: 5

Willing to refer: 5

This review was published on December 7, 2022.

Jan Souček

Owner, JABLOTRON CLOUD Services, s.r.o.

IT Services

11-50 Employees

Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic 

$1,000,000 - $9,999,999

Aug 2019 - Mar 2022

Project summary:

Futured helped a technology company develop a mobile application for their alarm system. The team handled wireframes and UI/UX designs, following the client's ideas, to create a user and installation version.

Feedback summary:

Although the project was stopped, Futured worked on two-week sprints to release the application for testing. The team maintained direct communication, holding daily stand-ups and following agile scrum methodology. Overall, their skills and experience made them reliable partners in this field.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Product Owner at JABLOTRON, an international technology company producing alarm systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Futured, and what were your goals?

We wanted to develop new mobile applications for new alarm system. Our goal was to support easy installation for installers just with mobile phone.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Our decition was based on feedback and experience.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

UX/UI was designed by designer from FUTURED on the basis of internal made wireframes. After some matching of our ideas, two teams were set, one for user application and one for installer application. We were working in 2 weeks iterations (sprints), every application release was available via App center for testing.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Resources were different in different stages of project. At first, we had 3+3 (iOS/Android) divided into two teams, but after couple weeks, we joined both teams to one. In last stage before project cancelation, we had 4+4

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Project was stopped, so there is no measurable outcomes.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We communicated directly with the team members on daily bases on stand-ups. Project was managed in an agile way using the scrum method.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their skills, references, experience, reliability, and feedback were impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I have no idea

Star Ratings

Overall rating: 5

Quality: 5

Cost: 4.5

Schedule: 5

Willing to refer: 5

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I'm a project manager at a telecommunications operator in Slovakia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Futured?

We needed support developing a mobile application targeted towards a young audience from Generation Z. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Futured has designed and developed a mobile app for iOS and Android devices using Kotlin. Futured has built the app from scratch according to our requirements. We've requested a mobile app that can manage the activation process of our services and the daily management of our product. The app offers a benefit club for our customers, with a gamification part where users can win prizes. Futured has completed the major part of our app, and customers have been using the app since May 2. 

What is the team composition?

I've worked with 7–8 teammates from Futured.
How did you come to work with Futured?

We placed a tender around a year ago and talked with 4–5 service providers, ending up selecting Futured. 

How much have you invested with them?

Our spending is in the range of $100,000 –$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Futured in December 2023, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our main measure of success is that Futured has delivered the project in the requested time frame. We also like the app's design, and Futured meets our expectations. 

How did Futured perform from a project management standpoint?

Futured is very responsive, especially during the beginning of the project. The team came to our office during the project's first two weeks to meet our staff and requirements. After that, Futured is present in our virtual meetings.
Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

I want to highlight the main developer and designer's work. They're both proactive, helpful, and good experts in their area. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm mostly impressed by Futured's expertise in mobile app design and development. The team is also really proactive and responsive. We have good discussions, and  Futured delivers all our requirements.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything Futured can improve on. I'm really happy with our engagement.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I suggest engaging with Futured because they offer good cooperation and are experts in developing mobile apps. The team is also pretty fast on delivery. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the IT Manager of GTS Alive Group

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company is the licensing authority for issuing and promoting International Student Identity Card (ISIC), International Teacher Identity Card (ITIC) and cards for other groups of people in 17 countries around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Futured to accomplish?

• Development of a new mobile app for cardholders

SOLUTION

How did you find Futured?

Referral

Why did you select Futured over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fits our budget
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Futured were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Experts from Futured helped us with the UX/UI design of the new mobile application, provided consultations on the existing design and then developed a completely new mobile application for Android and iOS - iPhone on the basis of our assignment. 
The key tasks were to develop an app that was user-friendly, stable, secure and fast. At the same time, it will be ready for further development and the projected high growth in the number of users in the coming months and years and launching abroad across the world.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The new app has high popularity among its users as evidenced by its rating in app stores, which has increased from about 2.3 stars to 4.6 stars compared to the old app.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The team tried to be as helpful and accommodating to our needs as possible. They were willing to work overtime to best meet our deadlines. In the end, unfortunately, we were not able to avoid delays compared to the original timeline, the complexity of the application was higher than we expected on both sides at the beginning of the collaboration.

What was your primary form of communication with Futured?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Each member of the team is an expert who strives to do the best job possible, to propose solutions and to challenge proposals that do not conform to best practice. I've never experienced this at any company before and I have to say it was great and helped significantly to advance the quality of work for our internal team as well.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Futured  could have done differently?

Perhaps just put more effort into the initial analysis of the project so that the estimate of the requirement is more in line with the actual requirement and thus the timeline is better planned.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am a manager of Loono

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are an NGO that specializes in health and prevention

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Futured to accomplish?

• We hired Futured to help us with product discovery, redefinition and refactoring of our existing solution

SOLUTION

How did you find Futured?

Referral

Why did you select Futured over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Futured were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We approached Futured with an already launched MVP and sought their guidance for product discovery. Subsequently, we needed them to oversee the redesign of our current app and its features, followed by the development of the app using a different technology than what we had initially employed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We successfully launched the second version of the app without any glitches and implemented an improved design, all on schedule.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The project management was exceptional; they met all our needs, even handling tasks that seemed almost impossible. Nothing posed a problem for them, and they exhibited a high level of professionalism and flexibility to ensure the successful delivery of every aspect. It fostered a highly collaborative and friendly environment.

What was your primary form of communication with Futured?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The quality of the delivered products, including designs, administrative aspects, and code, was consistently excellent. They quickly grasped the intricacies of our product and promptly provided solutions to meet our requirements.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Futured could have done differently?

While their pricing falls on the higher end of the spectrum, it aligns with the exceptional level of quality and professionalism they deliver. Additionally, if you don't have detailed requirements and designs in place, initial estimations may be slightly off. So, if you are working with a limited budget, be prepared to consider simplifying your overall scope.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I aman executive in an subsidy of a automotive manufacturer company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Futured, and what were your goals?

We wanted to develop mobile apps for our mobility projects. The challenge was to do it fast, cost effective and in a good quality.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We had a good experience with Futured in the past. Their developers became a part of our development team. team on another project and together they delivered great results. Good communication with the team management and with the developers made the whole cooperation simpler.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Development is managed in JIRA and the communication is via Teams. Since the cooperation was mainly remote it was a challenge we had to accept. But there was no problem with all the required meetings, syncs, feedback rounds etc.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Mobile iOS and Android developers (1+1)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Development was managed in JIRA in agile way. All estimations and deadlines were met. Project is not launched yet. Currently in process of finalising and QA. We haven't found any major or critical issues so far.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Futured developers were part of our internal team and fit into the team easily. PM was managed by us. In general the communication was flat and open, everyone was flexible, thru email, developers used Slack and Teams.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Futured have a wide range of developers with different tech stack to offer, they are flexible and cooperative.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I would appreciate if they rotate their developers less.

Although they were open regarding seniority of the developers, medior developers with experience were more juniors. MD rate was set to mediors.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work in Product Management for an electronic consumer product based in Austria.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Futured, and what were your goals?

We wanted to develop a new mobile app which is needed to use and navigate a new product we developed. Our goal was to create an intuitive and user-friendly app that looks modern and up to date.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We searched and interviewes diffeernt app developers, We decided for them based on factors like skills and possibility to visit each others location for better working together.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

At the beginning we had several meetings to determine what the app should be able to do and fixed must have and nice to have features. They then provided us with a click protoype and screens of the app. When we started implementation the must haves where implemented for iOS and AN. Adaptions and bug fixes were implemented and revised app versions were delivered. We then added new features that were not listed in the must haves from the beginning.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We have an assigned project manager as main point of contact throughout the project A designer creates screens for all ned features for us to approve before implementation. We have 2 developers at all time, one for iOS and one for AN, who develop the features we decided on. A QA employee tests all new implemented features and reports in a shared file which tasks are done for us to accept.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We did not yet launch the product, but the feedback within the company, influencers and early users is very positive. We get the feedback that the app is easy to understand and use. The workflow of achieving the things the user wants to with the app is very intuitive.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We had meetings both at their and our office. We scheduled bi-weekly meeting to keep bth sides updated, to answer questions and to discuss. We used Notion as main tool of collecing informations (lists, tables). For communication we used a common Teams group and e-mail. Timeliness was very good, answers to messages were received quickly.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The designer and developers could make anything possible that we want. Furthermore, they came up with own ideas how to improve our app.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

The project is done in english, as both speak different languages. In the beginning of the project this caused some misunderstandings. But throughout the project we figured out how to communicate and sometimes use very easy language so that everybody is on the same page.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Lead of Development in the company. I am responsible for grow and quality across whole development and teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Futured, and what were your goals?

Goal was deliver key initiatives (features) until important sport event. Second goal is still bring technical innovations on the table and make the best application on the market with new technologies and find the best way how to eliminate technical dept.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We searched for cooperation with the company which focus only on mobile development. We chose this vendor based on very good flat communication and product based development experience (not just project).

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Initiatives here delivered in iterative and incremental way via SCRUM. We have several brainstorming on iOS and Android chapters how to approach general modularization of application via product slicing techniques, architecture principles such as Domain Driven Design and Hexagon Architecture. Next steps was creating PoC with new architecture and implement those principles to current applications.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Five mobile developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Regarding completed initiatives I cannot share any details. What I can say we deliver those important initiatives in time with huge success. About technical goals we iterate to specific outcome/solution how we want eliminate technical dept and align standards from architecture PoV.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Communication is really flat and open. Developers to developers (UX, QA, BA, PO, ...). Delivery flow is covered via SCRUM ceremonies. For company-to-company cooperation we set up health check meeting ones per two weeks.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I really appreciate that flat communication and cooperation without any bureaucracy or process with open cards.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Some communication details and giving delta/negative feedback right away at the beginning of cooperation. How ever trust was build over time and delta/negative feedback come after some time.