Geekbears

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Hangurs is a peer to peer luxury fashion rental platform that allows user to rent luxury wear and fashion directly from closets near them. It’s like Airbnb meets RentTheRunway.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Geekbears has been a God send for Hangurs. From day 1, the team at Geekbears has helped us strategize, build and develop our mobile app from the ground up. From the beginning of uX/ui wireframes all the way through development our internal dashboards and App Store approval. Our goal was to get this thing off the ground, and seeing the way Geekbears took on this project head on, we don’t plan on using anyone else as we begin seed round fund raising. Geekbears knows our platform inside and out, they integrated API capability for our courier, and created streamlined processes to help us provide excellent customer service and gather feedback.

SOLUTION

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

Marcos and I had an initial conversation, mainly discovery, and we just hit it off from day 1. He understood my vision as well as my short and long-term goals.

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

From start to ongoing management; Geekbears has been there for Hangurs from day 1. We had weekly meetings, milestones, and targets that we would hit each week. They kept detailed notes and guided our trajectory - not only keeping track of their team tasks but our side as well. We use Slack to communicate (which they are very responsive), Figma for wireframes and Ux, AWS, and so much more than they know and I don't.

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

Ux/ui and development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are live on the App Store and very happy with the results. We had a few wrenches thrown due to a courier that dropped out last minute and Geekbears helped us navigate and implement our current courier! Deliverables are always on time, and they've far exceeded my expectations.

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

Very timely, responsive, and professional.

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

Can’t say enough good things about Geekbears. Very well-run company and they come highly recommended. They take a hands-on, personal approach to each company they work with and make you feel taken care of from day 1.

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

Nothing, even as they have grown they maintained the level of care that each customer craves.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on May 24, 2020.

Kevin Meagher

Creative Director, Hangurs LLC

Consumer Products

1-10 Employees

Los Angeles, California

$50,000 to $199,999

Jan 2018 - Ongoing

Project summary

GeekBears developed an iOS app for a fashion rental platform. They guided the client through every step of the process, using existing wireframes to design the UI/UX.

Feedback summary

The app is nearing completion, much to the client’s satisfaction. GeekBears has accomplished every objective in a timely manner without sacrificing quality. The team demonstrates a high level of professionalism, experience, and enthusiasm in the collaboration.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the creative director of Hangurs. We offer a fashion rental app that allows users to browse each other’s closets and rent outfits. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GeekBears?

We needed help with overall app development. We had no background in app or tech development, and we were looking for a knowledgeable partner who could hold our hand through the process from start to launch.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GeekBears did everything from UX and user design to front- and backend development. My partner and I started with an idea and some frames drawn out for what the app would look like. We then sat down with the GeekBears development team to discuss design choices. The main goal was to make the app simple to navigate so that users will use the app and keep it on their phone. Once that was done, GeekBears built the app for iOS. 

What is the team composition?

Marcos (Founder) was the original person who brought us on and offered his expertise. My point of contact is Carlos (Co-Founder & COO). We get on the phone with him twice a week along with the four-person development team.

How did you come to work with GeekBears?

I found Marcos by browsing on LinkedIn. We were looking for California-based people with startup and CTO experience. When we reached out to Marcos, he got back to us quickly, and we hit it off immediately on our first call. He’s super down to earth and willing to break down technical concepts into layperson’s terms. He even came down to Los Angeles to meet us face-to-face.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in January 2018 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re hoping to launch the app on the App Store in the next few weeks; We’ll have more success metrics in the future. The past two years have been a process of learning how to better implement our app than what we initially thought. They walked us through as well as anyone could.

Our main goal was to bring our idea to fruition. In taking an idea from paper into existence, GeekBears has gone above and beyond. 

How did GeekBears perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve been blown away by their ability to keep deadlines. They’re always on time and professional even when we’ve been a little late in getting back to them. We usually have 1–2 calls a week. Our tasks are all in Jira, where we also keep track of the running timeline. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve become passionate about an idea that isn’t even theirs. It’s the best thing we can look for in a partner. I’ve worked with brands in creative direction before, and finding a partner who believes in a project as much as you do is an asset. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re a true partner. None of this could’ve happened without them. I wish I could say something negative, but I really can’t.

Any advice for potential customers?

Set up a meeting to meet with Marcos and Carlos. They’re amazing guys, and their developers work hard and care about their clients.

Star Ratings

Overall rating: 5

Quality: 5

Cost: 5

Schedule: 5

Willing to refer: 5

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

For over 15 years, our mission has been to inspire hope and advance social justice for Southern California’s most vulnerable immigrant and refugee communities.

We do this through a combination of advocacy, education, empowerment, and representation. We provide legal services to more unaccompanied minors than any other public interest organization in the State of California.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Geekbears?

Lead development of a mobile application for immigrant rights education and empowerment for unaccompanied minors.

What were your goals for this project?

Esperanza has a unique opportunity to build a mobile application which will expand the reach of their released youth program – this program provides education and guidance to children and families who are navigating the legal immigration process.

At present, there are 14 Legal Orientation centers sponsored by the US Department of Justice, and Esperanza leads one of them - their legal orientation programs are booked solid months in advance.

A mobile app would help to alleviate the backlog and serve a much wider audience.

SOLUTION

How did you select Geekbears?

We searched UpWork for an organization that had app development experience, and we vetted them through an independent third-party who was able to vouch for their past product.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we selected Geekbears, we started with a discovery phase, so that we could be on the same page about goals and expectations. We then worked iteratively through various rounds of UI/UX development.

What was the team composition?

On vendor's side, we had frequent and helpful contact with Marcos, the CEO, who shepherded us at a high level through the overall process--from contract to deliverables.

We then worked with two UI/UX developers who helped with the overall app structure and eventually detailed mock-ups of the desired pages. There was a team lead, but everyone was equally accessible.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We now have a clickable prototype of our app, as well as a Product Requirement Document. With this, we are moving forward full steam to the actual development of the app for client use.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Marcos and his team were very explicit about timelines, but flexible when we couldn't meet our internal goals. To repeat, they were always on time, but because of the nature of our work at Esperanza, we were sometimes so swamped that we needed to push back our deadlines. We are thankful for their support.

Day to day workflow was likewise smooth, as we had regular meetings to discuss the iterations on the designs.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Geekbears was able to carry us through the complicated process of turning our lay person's dreams into an actual (and very beautiful) prototype. That they educated as well as guided is something for which we will be forever thankful.

Are there any areas for improvement?

From my standpoint, I can't think of any room for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a lawyer, however, I have a side idea that I've been working on which was more social media based in nature. They were to help build a clickable prototype to help gain investors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Geekbears?

Clickable prototype

What were your goals for this project?

something that was functional yet sleek and well designed to capture the eyes of users

SOLUTION

How did you select Geekbears?

I found them based on their reviews online

Describe the project in detail.

we did an onboarding followed by some market research and then wireframing and hi-fi and eventually got the design nailed down. we had calls 2 times per week when needed.

What was the team composition?

there was a project manager, a lead designer, and a few others who helped from a design perspective as well as making sure the design would work when we decided to build it out completely.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Investors loved the end product rather than just the slides we had that we showed them before.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was very effective, multiple chains of communication and always up to date on timelines etc.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They had the enthusiasm to turn this idea into an actual product and make the vision functional and appealing.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I think the main point for improvement would be on the overall design. we wanted sleek yet retro (which seems to juxtapose) however Ideally it would have been sleeker.