Glance Creative Ltd.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing director of Scape. We’re student living specialists.

What challenge were you trying to address with Glance Creative Ltd.?

Glance Creative created our app called The Scape App. It’s a tool for our residents to enhance their stays and lives throughout university.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app is built for iOS and Android. We have a very diverse audience, so it was important for us that the app is usable for a wide range of users. We did analysis beforehand so that knew what we wanted. After that, we needed to select a provider that could bring such an ambitious project to life.

Glance Creative provided app development and now offers maintenance and will develop any subsequent versions. The app combines features that previously were siloed in our old system. Now, these functionalities work together.

What is the team composition?

I mainly work with Simon (CEO), a project manager, a project developer, and a couple of other members

How did you come to work with Glance Creative Ltd.?

We did an RFP process. We started with a long list of the 18 best app companies and narrowed it down five; Glance Creative was in the top two. They blew the competition out of the water because of how considerate, transparent, and thoughtful they were in the whole process. It was visible that they wanted what was best for our company instead of just trying to sell their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in October 2019 and is ongoing.

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

The project was delivered on time. We needed to meet or beat the deadline for internal reasons, and Glance Creative made it happen. Everyone in our company, when they saw the new backend, remarked on how this was the simplest way to communicate something so complicated.

How did Glance Creative Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

Glance Creative really took our needs as a company into consideration. Because of that, we always felt like we were in great hands throughout the project. Their team was also able to foresee issues so they could bring it up well before it happened. 

We had weekly calls, live projects trackers, and daily interactions. We used Jira to track issues, Slack for other communication. Our project manager was spot-on with managing our expectations and setting a clear road map, so we always knew what was happened at every step. They were always on call, but if whatever reason, we wanted to go see something, it was all in line. They even managed their relationship with our creative agency in a fantastic way. All in all, the project went without a hiccup.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There were so many things that were impressive that it’s hard to pick out one! If I had to pick, though, I’d say it was their ability to go above and beyond for what they were scoped to do. The team gave incredible guidance at every step concerned things we hadn’t foreseen. It was the first app I’ve developed with an agency and it was by far the easiest and smoothest run I’ve done, despite being the most complicated project as well!

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything from Glance Creative’s side. On our side, if I knew beforehand how good their team was, I would have brought them in much earlier in the RFP process. 

Any advice for potential customers?

I highly recommend that future clients have a chat with them before launching an RFP. They had good ideas to help us develop our ideas and scope. I’d also say they should have a talk with Simon. He’s a great representation of the company and will really instill trust in you. Lastly, talk to their references! I’d be happy to chat about my experience to anyone.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a director of an IT company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Glance Creative Ltd?

We had an idea for a dating app, and we approached a few companies to help us with it.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built the app from scratch, and they made suggestions on the design. They did research of the technologies we use within the app, and they made suggestions about which technologies were our best options. The finished product will be a cross-platform app for iOS and Android. I believe the work they're doing is native to each platform. They're also managing some paid and social media advertising for us ahead of launch.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with their owner, a main point of contact, a marketing lead, and one other team member.

How did you come to work with Glance Creative Ltd?

We met with several companies, but Glance had the best knowledge of the technologies we hoped to use. They had good ideas, and they stood out from the other agencies we considered.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent £140,000 (approximately $173,000 USD) on their work so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2019, and the work is ongoing.

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

This is a new endeavor for us, but they helped us through the process. Their market research is strong, and the whole collaboration is pretty seamless. Anytime something needs to be changed, they keep everything up to date, and their documentation is very good. We're very happy with the app itself, and the results are better than we expected.

How did Glance Creative Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

They managed the project in sprints. We can see what's been done in the development process, and we meet with them once a month. All the changes are logged, and they send adjustments to billing if we amend anything. They used Jira to log the project and send demonstrations. We also use Google Drive for documents, and they send links to anything extra we need to know.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very professional, and they deal well with everything. All their work is easy to access or view, and they supply us with all the information we need. They made the whole process simple.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything they could improve or do differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I don't have any specific advice but to go with them. They made sure our whole project went well, and I'd recommend them highly to anyone who was considering them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the company director of Emoji Who Limited. We offer a messaging app. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Glance Creative Ltd.?

We hired Glance Creative to build the app. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Glance Creative is helping us ideate and develop a messaging app for iOS and Android. It started as a simple idea but quickly grew to a complicated concept. We wanted to avoid bullies and trolls taking advantage of the app, and so we drew upon Glance Creative’s expertise to create a solution. They came up with excellent ideas and delivered them to perfection.

What is the team composition?

We work with about five people: Simon (CEO, Glance Creative); Gaby (Project Manager, Glance Creative), a project manager; Ariana (UX Strategist, Glance Creative), who handles design; Tyrell (Junior Marketing Assistant, Glance Creative) who steps in when others are away; and Irena (Marketing Manager, Glance Creative), who’s involved in marketing but helps with brainstorming as well.

How did you come to work with Glance Creative Ltd.?

I searched online for companies based nearby in London—having face-to-face interaction during the project was important to us. After finding a few companies and setting up meetings, we instantly clicked with Glance Creative. We met with Simon and found him calm and knowledgeable. Their website impressed as well—they had worked with a lot of big companies. Their team was our first choice, hands down.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in late September or early October 2018, and the project is ongoing.

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

We’ve tested the app with about 18 people so far, and everyone has been nothing but complimentary, especially of the designs. Our team is also very happy with the app, and we’re pretty difficult to please. 

Glance Creative has taken over our marketing efforts, and we’re already taking notes on what we want in version two of the app. We’d definitely have their team update the app down the road. That’s how much we like them and trust them.

How did Glance Creative Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

The team has been very good. I especially appreciate their level of organization and structure. When we first discussed building the app with Simon, we had multiple meetings to go over what we wanted and what was required. Everything is done sequentially and explained to us very well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What's amazed us has been working with Simon. The team is all excellent, but Simon especially stands out. He doesn't take no for an answer. When we have a difficult problem that we can't seem to solve, he finds a way around it. He's a calm, relaxed person who breaks down technical jargon into layperson’s terms that I can understand. I call him, “Simon the diamond.” He's a great guy to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m not a tech person, so I occasionally struggled to understand the concepts they were explaining to me. I think they dumbed it down as much as they could. I can’t think of anything they could have done better for us. If another company did what Glance Creative does for half the price, I still wouldn’t leave. I appreciate Glance Creative that much.

Any advice for potential customers?

Before you write off something as impossible, speak to Simon; he may well have the answer to your problem. He's always had for us. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of Select Developments, a real estate firm that develops a variety of properties influenced by the latest advancements in technology.

For what projects/services did your company hire Glance Creative Ltd.?

I hired Glance Creative to develop a mobile application for iOS and Android with web admin panels. The app was for both current and new residents to use it as a tool for their daily routines while interacting with smart home devices.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a functional product that met our requirements delivered in the most effective way possible.

How did you select this vendor?

After searching extensively on Google and contacting other development agencies, I eventually came across Glance Creative. I was impressed with their portfolio and user-based approach to app development. That solidified my decision to collaborate with them.

Describe the project in detail.

I provided Glance Creative with my initial concept. With their expertise, they formulated the appropriate focus groups, determining my target audience. Then, they created wireframes and designs.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, UX strategist, UI designer, a tech lead, and a QA engineer. We also engaged with their marketing team and several frontend and backend developers.

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

The project was successfully implemented within the planned budget and timeframe. I was extremely satisfied with their level of professional services.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We communicated through Slack and partook in weekly calls. Sometimes those calls were skipped due to minor issues being resolved during Slack conversations. Communication flow seamlessly between their team and myself.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Glance Creative delivered what they promised. Their team is reliable and knowledgeable. Glance Creative exhibits years’ worth of technical expertise, bringing innovative and creative approaches to every solution. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

There are no areas of improvement. Their team allowed me to see the overall picture and provided the resources to ensure my app had a seamless development process.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the research director for PemTech, an energy medicine business.

What challenge were you trying to address with Glance Creative?

We wanted an app that could exploit the electromagnetic energy of a smartphone to treat a range of conditions in the human body.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Glance built the native app from scratch. It’s fairly simple, using a start-stop-reset function to control a pulsed electromagnetic signal created by the phone’s normal hardware. They also designed the graphics and consumer interface.

We’ve launched the prototype to test its usability with the Google Play Store, and Glance is now engaged with the project’s second phase, improving graphics and UI. The app is only available for Android at this time, but we plan to build an iOS model in the future.

Free of charge, Glance has also offered guidance for commercialization of the app.

What is the team dynamic?

Simon [Lee, CEO, Glance Creative] was our initial contact. He introduced us to Gaby [Clebsch, Project Manager, Glance], who served as lead on the project, and Anthony [Cannon, Android Developer, Glance] worked on coding.

How did you come to work with Glance Creative?

I initially reached out to Simon, who I knew from a previous project, but my business partner wanted to hire a San Francisco-based development company, believing a Silicon Valley name would lend credibility to our project. I disagreed with this decision and was proven correct. The US company managed to overcomplicate what should have been a simple project, adding functions we never asked for, so we ended that relationship and went back to Glance.

How much have you invested with them?

About £5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I first contacted them in November 2016. After attempting to work with the San Francisco company, we started work with Glance in September 2017 and our relationship is ongoing.

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

The app works and performs exactly as we requested. They delivered the prototype on time, in full, and I'm delighted with the results.

How did Glance Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They're a very personable team. We communicate primarily through instant messaging, which I prefer to the indirect back-and-forth quality of e-mail, and they’re always available through phone calls.

Gaby kept the project well-defined throughout, which we appreciated after our chaotic experience with the previous vendor. Glance kept it simple, creating a product that fit our specifications.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Glance has technical expertise, but they also know how to interact on a human level. They’re pleasant, responsive, and they treat clients with respect.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind. We're midway through our project, and they have so far provided excellent service.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO of Dotegy, a start-up designed at providing low-cost online brand protection services.

For what reason(s) did your company hire Glance Creative Ltd.?

We needed help to establish a mobile footprint. Essentially, we were looking at how to reinvent a "traditional" way of doing things with a fresh perspective.

What were your goals for this project?

Instead of providing a concrete solution or application, we were looking at conceptual designs of how to grow our mobile presence. The idea was to brainstorm now, and then further down the line create a complete platform (integrated web, mobile etc.).

How did you select this vendor?

I'd previously worked with the Simon Lee [CEO, Glance Creative Ltd.] during my time with NetNames and had followed him and his company's work with Locassa and then through to Glance. So I was already familiar with the quality and integrity of the company and their work.

Describe the project in detail.

We used an agile process to review the project's output. We met every two weeks to discuss the latest iterations of designs, discuss new avenues, and then set-off on another two-week cycle. As mentioned, the project was primarily brainstorming in advance of launching a large development project because the online brand protection industry is very traditional in how they 'think' or how vendor 'believes they think'. The idea was to break the mold.

What was the team composition?

In the early stages of the creative brief, we worked directly with Simon and the designers. Then as we moved into an iterative cycle of work, review, re-work, we were assigned a project manager and had direct access to designers who were very responsive to the project's demands.

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

I'm very satisfied with how the project went. We were working on a small budget, with tight timescales in a demanding sector, so the outcome was more about where we could pilot the project in the future. In terms of achievements, we met our goal of trying to shake up an established industry with some fresh ideas.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We've had a very effective workflow; the exchanges were very fluid, whether it was commercial, technical or UX/UI. The team at Glance are down to earth and able to articulate in a way which didn't require years of background in the tech industry.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their attitude was very impressive. You can choose an agency to create something for you and it will probably work but here everyone was striving to do something better than just "normal" or "good."  Exceptional was always their goal, and not being satisfied with ordinary was refreshing to work with.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Overall we had no complaints. We would like to have taken the project further but we had constraints that were completely on our side of the business.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the company director of Big Picture, and we are a field marketing company. We put resources into retail and distribution outlets, to be able to market our client’s products.

What challenge were you trying to address with Glance Creative Ltd?

We wanted to design an app that would demonstrate our client’s products without text. The app would be a universal sales tool where we could demonstrate features, but we didn’t have the need for localization into multiple languages.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

We knew that it would involve a 360 of the individual products that allow users to look at the merchandise and explore the website. We also wanted to be able to create hot spots that users could touch to see and play with certain features. Glance designed an interface for us to navigate between products, to see the products, turn them, and to further engage with the different features. They gave us a library of features to choose from, so we could have galleries and videos; it could be interactive or flat file. They gave us all of those tools.

The other challenge was that we didn’t want to have to go back to the developer every time we added a new product. Glance created a content management system, which allowed us to upload the assets, images, or video and then design new products ourselves.

What is the team dynamic?

We normally work with about 3 members of the team, including the developer, and primarily the project manager.

How did you come to work with Glance Creative Ltd?

We shortlisted 3 firms from an internet search and met with each of them. Glance seemed to be the most creative, and we had a gut feeling they would do well on this project.

How much have you invested in them?

We have invested around £20,000 [approximately $27,000].

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Glance Creative Ltd in August 2013, and the work is ongoing.

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

It is difficult for us to measure anything on their performance. Once the work was completed, it’s the actual users that create feedback and statistics.

How did Glance Creative Ltd perform from a project management standpoint?

Glance is generally good at sticking to deadlines, but we’ve had quite a few delays due to technical issues which meant we were a few months behind. Not all technical issues were on their side, though, we had some internal issues as well.

Occasionally, if we are not engaging with them, it can take a little while to get a response which has always been the challenge. However, when we do engage them, they are good. We use Slack to communicate.

We made a mistake and went to another company for a little while, but went back to Glance because of their quality, and also because of their feedback and responsiveness.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing is that they get around problems very creatively.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could do more to see the project as a whole, and not just from a brief.

Get Connected is the United Kingdom's free confidential helpline for young people less than age 25 who need help and don't know where to turn. Our service is for absolutely any issue and can be reached 365 days a year by phone, text, Web chat, and email. We have a small staff of around 15 employees with around 100 volunteers who support our helpline services.

I am the digital communications manager at Get Connected and was the lead contact for Glance Creative on the project to develop our smartphone application.

The development of the app was an effort to make our helpline services more accessible to digitally connected young people in the U.K. It was also about enabling young people to get easy access to helpline services within their local area. The primary aim of the app project was to increase awareness and access to Get Connected's helpline services amongst young people under 25.

Glance Creative developed a smartphone app on both the iOS and Android platforms. Glance Creative was selected after an open tender process, which consisted of a short-listing of initial written submissions followed by a final selection on the basis of meetings with four agencies. Glance Creative was chosen on the basis of the quality of their proposal, their experience of comparable projects, their understanding of our target audience, and the competitiveness of their quote.

The work Glance Creative carried out on the app by the service provider included scoping, designing, developing, and providing ongoing support for the app. The project to design, develop, and test the app lasted approximately four months

The app is performing as required in terms of its key functions. We have identified potential points for refining the app, but this will be dependent upon our ability to fund new developments.

With hindsight, we are happy with the technologies adopted, but may have underestimated the ongoing cost to develop and enhance the app in the future. We would advise other agencies, particularly those in the charity sector, who are considering the development of an app to prepare a more detailed scoping of the potential long-term costs up front and to build in more time for user acceptance testing.

Glance Creative provided an excellent service in the design and development of the app and fulfilled the agreed scope and requirements as set out at the commencement of the project. Glance Creative showed great flexibility in meeting additional requirements that came up during the app project and have consistently impressed us with their understanding of the app marketplace, particularly in relation to younger people.

Two areas that could have been improved are earlier or clearer communication when there were timing issues at one stage in the project and more detailed scoping and fleshing out of the requirements early on.

I am the Founder of UK Music Apps. We publish the world's only chord-based audio apps.

We needed to create a unique range of music apps products for the global music consumer market.

We obtained detailed quotations from six potential service providers. Only Glance Creative was able to demonstrate experience with low-level audio within the specific iOS environment. The initial project was around six months.

UK Music Apps now has nine separate music apps generating significant revenue from the crowded iOS music space. Our strategy to market multiple genre-specific music apps simultaneously has paid dividends with more than 50 percent of the range regularly among the top 20 best-selling music apps in key territories.

Glance Creative continues to work closely with us at every stage as if they were co-owners of my business. They are true partners and very dedicated.

Stealth Education Ltd. develops educational applications and games for young learners ages 2 through 11. As CEO, I was responsible for the company's overarching strategy, overseeing product development, and driving growth.

ABC Spy is a new kind of ABC app, combining the fun and creativity of taking photos with learning the alphabet and acquiring new language. Glance Creative developed an elegant, high-quality app that took our core idea and developed it into a compelling, successful mobile offer that delighted our target audience, which is both parents and children. The app has five-star reviews in the App Store and has been downloaded more than 20,000 times, despite minimal marketing.

Glance Creative built ABC Spy in iOS, exploiting the latest functionality and using cutting-edge programming techniques to deliver a smooth and intuitive end-user experience. We chose Glance Creative for three reasons. They took our brief and improved it. They are creative and deep thinkers. Unusually, they combine exceptional design with strong technical capabilities. They provide highly responsive project management and deliver on time and to budget.

ABC Spy is now available across all iOS devices, and we have no reports of bugs or issues with the technical infrastructure they built. The delivered app exceeded our expectations and has become our flagship product. I would not hesitate in recommending Glance Creative for any mobile app development project, especially one that attempts to innovate or push the boundaries of what is being done currently. If not unique, Glance Creative are very unusual in that they take the time to understand your business and ideas, and then help shape them into something special.