Geekbears

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I'm a product manager for ETA Transit Systems. We're a vehicle location tracking service and provide hardware and software for the public transportation industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Geekbears?

We were trying to expand into an ancillary market that was very much related to our work tracking vehicles and reporting data to the federal government. We engaged Geekbears to help us design a new web application that would allow our customers to record passengers getting on and off a vehicle.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?
In the beginning, we had some initial designs on a whiteboard but didn't have any code. We asked Geekbears to develop the app's wireframes, which they then turned into mock-ups. Once we received feedback from the market, we reengaged with the team to develop the software in early 2024. Geekbears has built an MVP that allows our customers to see the trips they're going to survey and record data about that trip. 

Geekbears built our app's MVP from scratch using MongoDB for databases, AWS, Next.js, and JavaScript. 

What is the team composition?

We've worked with three designers, three engineers, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Geekbears?

We found Geekbears via Upwork and started to work with the team on this platform, specifically for the wireframe design. After that first project, we engaged with the team on our own because we felt comfortable working with them. We chose Geekbears because they had a good methodology for tackling the work.

The team's experience and the work they shared with us from their previous customers gave us confidence. Geekbears also seemed very well organized and had systems in place, which was reassuring.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $55,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our initial conversations began in May 2023, and the work started in June 2023. Our engagement is ongoing, and the team is working on the project's second phase.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Geekbears has delivered and built exactly what they've committed to. The team has also quickly corrected the issues we've encountered. The web app is intuitive because Geekbears has taken a lot of time to design the wireframes and mock-ups. The app's UX is a change from what we were used to from the previous software we had built in-house. 

My teammates have all said that this app is the next step for our company and that it's easy to use. We're still getting feedback from the market and have recently shown the new MVP to our customers, and Geekbears will make changes based on our customers' feedback. 

How did Geekbears perform from a project management standpoint?

Geekbears consistently meets deadlines. In some instances, the team has gone over by a few days, but that hasn't been critical, and these delays have been caused by a change in scope. We communicate through Google Meet for video calls and Slack to message back and forth. For development-specific tasks, we use ClickUp.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?
Carlos (Co-Founder & Head of Development Services) has stood out for his work, and he's the teammate I interact with the most.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm mostly impressed by Geekbears' responsiveness. We've had urgent requests, such as preparing the site for a demo or fixing something that wasn't working as expected, and the team has jumped on immediately and helped us when we were in a crunch.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Geekbears' handoff between teams has been a bit rocky at times. I've had to explain key concepts a few times, and their internal communication could have gone better. However, that is the only friction we've had during our engagement. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I suggest being as detailed as possible when engaging with Geekbears. The more detailed you are, the better your product will be.