GRAFING d.o.o. – Out of Business

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
Meridian Collective is a design and development studio. I’m the CEO and product designer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GRAFING d.o.o.?
We have a lot of stuff on our plate, and I and my people can’t do everything on our own. We turned to GRAFING d.o.o. to help us complete some of the projects we’re working on.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?
For this particular project, GRAFING d.o.o. helped us develop an iOS and Android application. The platform they created is basically a micro-social network where users could create their own profiles and invite people to serve as their peer mentors or as a “personal board of directors” to help them in their life. 
What is the team composition?
I mostly worked with the lead developer and the owner of the company. They also have a couple of developers and designers working in the background, but I only ever interacted with them when I needed some changes done on the app. 
How did you come to work with GRAFING d.o.o.?
They came highly recommended through my network. I saw that their previous works were up to standard, so I had full confidence that they would be able to deliver what we were looking for. They also offered their services at a fair price, which was another reason I chose to partner with them.  
How much have you invested with them?
Up until this point, we’ve invested around $40,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
The actual development of this product started around June 2021. It was launched at the end of 2021, but we still have an ongoing partnership with GRAFING d.o.o. as we are waiting on what changes to the functionality the investors will require.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
I’ve been in the product design and development industry for over 15 years, so when I say that GRAFING d.o.o. delivered what I ordered, it means that it was really good. They successfully met our functionality and design requirements. 
How did GRAFING d.o.o perform from a project management standpoint?
Their project management is one of the things I was really happy with. They made sure everything was on point and kept me up to date. We aimed to finish development in December 2021 but they were able to deliver a month early. We mostly used Slack and Trello. 
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their transparency and communication are top-notch and so is their ability to meet targets on time. These guys know their stuff, and I’m happy to continue working with them. 
Are there any areas they could improve?
They’re a small team, so they might need more people to deliver work more quickly. At the moment though, they’re just fine. I understand it can be challenging to hire high-quality people.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Know what you want, but trust in the GRAFING d.o.o. team because they can discern well between what you want and what you need.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of VitaFit fitness and beauty center that operates from 2011.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GRAFING d.o.o., and what were your goals?

As we got severely affected by corona and our center got closed, we wanted to provide our customers with ongoing support. We were using Zoom and sending pre recorded videos to our customers. But, we wanted something better and more versatile, so we contacted GRAFING to see if they could bring our idea to life. They listened to our requests, came up with several proposals, which they then brought to life. They designed and developed a solution that we liked and our customers now love.

SOLUTION

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

We were looking for a local company that’s reasonably close, with whom we could meet live and discuss the problem and possible solutions. Another factor was of financial nature. We chose them in the end because their project proposal and the price aligned with our expectations.

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

We wanted an app through which our customers could sign up, and have access to all the exercises, organized in multiple categories. Also, we wanted the possibility to create custom trainings that have unlimited amount of exercises. Each exercise had to have instructions in video format, along with the number of sets and reps. Additional, we wanted to have the admin portal where we could edit all this. We also wanted a reservation system for group trainings or other one off events. We also wanted a special design that was not just a copy of some existing app. I’m happy to say that they delivered on everything that we asked for, and they also added their input on the things that we didn’t anticipate. They gave us weekly “test” builds so that we could be in sync with what they added new. I think this was key because I was able to give them immediate feedback and in the end get the best solution.

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

I mostly interfaced with their CTO who was leading the project, but I also visited them several times where I talked with the whole team (two devs and a designer).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Out of 300 of our clients, more than 200 are actively using the app for their daily exercises. This would be clients that we would otherwise loose to corona, so we’re very happy. Also, the number of clients that are on the personalized plan went from 20 to over 50 now. This was mainly because they took the personalized plan via the app which was a bit cheaper than the one where you come in the gym.

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

The CTO was pleasant to work with and he was very communicative. They emailed us about the status of the project and we kept in touch via Slack and phone when needed. Also, they used some project management tool that I can’t remember the name of right now. That was good because we saw what they’re currently working on.

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

We appreciate their attention to detail and the level of their understanding of what we wanted to achieve. I think this was possible because the CTO himself is a person that uses fitness apps and is active in sports.

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

This was my first experience with a mobile app company, so I can’t compare to anything else. However, I liked how this turned out and plan to use them for any future projects.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I co-founded GroovyCar and served as the CTO and backend/API developer. The product is an auction site where individuals can auction their vehicles directly to used car dealers. The dealers cut out the middle-man (auction houses and new-car dealerships that take the trade-ins), and the seller gets more for their vehicle without dealing with questionable individual buyers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GRAFING d.o.o., and what were your goals?

The product was mobile first. We only developed the API in-house -- no UI. We needed a mobile app for the iPhone and Android.

SOLUTION

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

I had worked with Nikola in the past, and we became friends. I'm familiar with his excellent work ethic, and have been impressed by the quality of the people he hires.

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

Grafing created the entire mobile app from scratch, including styling mock-ups and wireframes. The deliverable was based on Ionic, and the product worked on iOS and Android. We were in daily communication, and changes, new features, and issues were addressed in a timely manner.

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

I interacted with three or four developers from the team. I don't know their titles, but they were all professional developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product is fully functional, so the job was completed. Nikola and his team have always been available for any follow-up work as necessary.

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

We used GitHub issues primarily. We also communicated via e-mail, Slack, and Trello, but GitHub's issue tracker was our "source of truth." Timelines were managed by tagging issues with specific releases, and tickets also had a priority level (low, medium, high, etc.).

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

They got the job done at a budget-friendly price. Also always very friendly and professional. Excellent communication in English for a non-US company. A language barrier was never an issue.

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

The biggest issue we had was the turnaround cycle due to the time zone difference. Although they worked late in their evening to accommodate our hours, we often had a 24-hour waiting period. This probably wouldn't be an issue for most companies, but as an early-stage startup we were in daily contact.