Heady

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief product officer at PopViewers, a startup entertainment platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with Heady?

The challenge was taking a great idea and executing it. A lot of people have great ideas, but even the most beautifully-designed, technically-implemented apps are out of sight and out of mind in the App Store. 

Our CEO approached me. He’s a mission-driven person who wants to bring diversity to tech, as well as empower voices that are frequently marginalized in the Hollywood and fan community. I was really driven to this mission. We were trying to create a product that would let us execute quickly and demonstrate the primary functions of our app and its value proposition, without being too hung up in the details that you’d need to really scale. 

We wanted to build a proof of concept (POC) app that would let us raise more funding. Heady needed to be able to implement a UI that was very detail-oriented and compelling, since it has to compete with the other media apps out there.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our proof of concept (POC) app. It’s a working iOS binary in the entertainment space that actually demos the features that we want to show. There are a couple of different components that went into this product. One functionality allows users to specify which movies and shows they did or didn’t like. They added micro-animations, swiping functionality, and a feed-based set of media cards that played video, which made the app feel alive.

We now have a CTO who has their own development shop. Heady still hosts our app data side. We drifted from them with a heavy heart because we loved working with them; it just makes more sense for us to go with our CTO’s shop.

What is the team composition?

I worked with 5–6 people on their team. I didn’t work with anyone less than an A-player. Their CEO, who is a tremendously empathetic and a customer-centric person, really bent over backward to make sure we were getting the custom solution that we wanted. 

Jacob (Project Manager) was the crown jewel of the organization. We worked with a couple of UX folks that helped us with user testing the product from both a concept and usability standpoint and produced really beautiful reports that were totally the gold standard in making user research accessible. There was a team of offshore developers that were embedded in their standups, and they were great, too.

How did you come to work with Heady?

Our COO found them. A lot of firms would’ve weighed us down in bureaucracy and long-term artifacts that we didn’t necessarily need. Heady was able to see where we were in the execution cycle and determine what we needed to build so that we could start demoing something more than an InVision prototype but less than an enterprise-ready application, which we didn’t have time to build. Walking that tightrope and getting it just right allowed us to go out and raise more funding. 

I was involved in the interview process when we weighed Heady against other firms. Here at PopViewers, we really care about whether people believe in the mission. Heady was far and away the one that believed the most in what we were doing. They really got it, and that was one of the primary criteria that made us go with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June 2019–April 2020.

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

They were really phenomenal. When we had to leave Heady, it was evident that they truly wanted what was best for our organization; they totally understood why it made more sense for us. They did everything they could to transition us to our new team. They were really awesome. 

Our KPI was to raise more funding, and Heady met that. The app captures the spirit and the voice, which allows us to not just demonstrate a product but also the company and the ideology behind it.

How did Heady perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was excellent. We used Slack and Jira. We were really detail-oriented, and they were incredible in heeding to those details. They made the POC feel ultra-responsive and detailed. There was absolutely no choppiness or delays when scrolling through the app. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They became part of our organization. They truly wanted what was best for us, and they proved that. That’s the rarest thing. They were top-notch. They had the ability to understand and believe in our mission. They put their own organizational interests behind ours.

Their attention to detail as far as implementation and execution went was stellar. We needed the multimedia components to feel smooth, delightful, and amazing, and they were able to execute on that. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The mark of a great organization is these relationships. You can always manage little tweaks. There were defects here and there, but that comes with any development. I can’t isolate one area that they could actually do better in. They couldn’t possibly be better from a relationship standpoint; they addressed everything and always did right by us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If your product resonates with them, that is the circumstance in which these guys really excel. If you are doing something that you believe in, that’s when they’re going to be most effective.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior vice president of digital commerce for Hibbett Sports. I lead our e-commerce efforts and I’m responsible for our overall marketing. We’ve been in business for almost 75 years and we have about 1,100 stores in small to mid-sized markets. About 75 percent of our business is footwear and we also sell athletic apparel and sporting goods.

What challenge were you trying to address with Heady?

We launched our website and our plan was to launch an app as well. A big part of our customer base is sneakerheads—people who love buying sneakers. We knew an app would be essential for the business. Hettie took over development from a previous partner to continue the constant improvement and development of our Android and iOS apps.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve worked on a mobile e-commerce solution with online product listings. Heady created an omnichannel component that allows customers to buy online and pick up their orders in-store. They’re doing everything from design to development to strategy.

When we have a major shoe launch, we run a raffle. Customers can sign up for the raffle in the app, and winning the raffle gives them the right to purchase the shoe in one of our stores. We do the raffle for hot, limited edition shoes where we might only have 5,000 shoes and 100,000 people want to purchase them. We run the raffle up to 2­–3 times per week.

There’s also a store portal that they run. Our stores log in through that site and they’re able to see the winners have the shoes prepared for when the customer walks in to make their purchase.

What is the team composition?

We typically meet with 2-3 people from the organization. They pull in broader resources as needed. My point of contact is Marina (Mobile Product Manager, Heady).

How did you come to work with Heady?

Our previous developer had a partnership with them, so we considered their abilities as well as the cost involved, and we felt there was a better value. We used them in conjunction with our previous development partner until that company was sold to a third party, at which point we transitioned to using Heady exclusively.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend more than $1 million per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2018 and the engagement is ongoing.

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

Heady has made the raffle a success for us. It’s a major traffic and revenue driver for our stores, so it’s absolutely essential that it works correctly and that we continue to add features and benefits to that process. They’ve improved the experience from a feature and functionality perspective and a stability perspective.

They’re good at tackling difficult problems. For example, there’s an incredible amount of logic and infrastructure built around the raffle. Tens of thousands of people join the raffle, and Heady has to choose the size and 1­–3 locations they could win at and then randomly select the winners. Then, they send the winners push notifications through text and email. Some people don’t respond and therefore forfeit, so we have to run a second raffle the same day.

We’ve also measured our sales, traffic, downloads, star ratings on the app stores, and raffle statistics, such as how many people signed up and the overall sales of the listed shoes. Their work has been fast and defect-free. We haven’t often had to rework things with them, which is great.

How did Heady perform from a project management standpoint?

We meet three times a week to go through the project roadmap and discuss any open issues or changes in direction. Marina is a very strong project manager; she’s basically part of our team and Heady is basically an extension of our team. They have good customer service and take care of their clients.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been in the app space since 2008 and I’ve had my ups and downs, I’ve had to switch providers multiple times. We really wanted the best in class and we needed something very stable that could scale. We weren’t looking for something lightweight and cookie-cutter. They met our needs, which is a tough ask. They have good capabilities.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’re very satisfied. We definitely want to invest more in them, so we might need them to scale next year.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I think communication is key. Communicate well in terms of what you’re looking to do. Involving them in the process and discussion is critical.

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I'm the founder and CEO of a travel startup that provides curated itineraries to millennial travelers. We are a peer-to-peer platform that connects travelers with local guides.

What challenge were you trying to address with Heady? 

We’re quite early stage. I was looking for an agency that could help us do the initial build for an MVP. I’d been working with a freelancer but it was moving too slow. I wanted more professionalism and structure around the build. I had all the designs already done, so I was looking for a partner that could work with what we had. It was also important to quickly get to market and not spend seven months in development.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

We brought them the existing designs and backend built by the freelancer. Heady worked with the freelancer for two weeks to learn the way that he built it and his logic on the code. From there, Heady took over the development of the MVP. 

They helped us prioritize the scope of work. We talked through each component to figure out what was absolutely necessary for the MVP and what we can put on the roadmap for post-launch. The main features of the product for the market are an itinerary creator, a profile builder, and search functionality. 

What is the team composition? 

I initially worked with their lead product manager. After the first few weeks, they transitioned the project an associate product manager. There’s also a lead developer in Brooklyn and three engineers in India (one full time and two part time). They added a product manager in India as well who works on the design. 

How did you come to work with Heady?

I met Andrea (Managing Director, Heady) through our membership in a local coworking space. She helped me get connected. A lot of other shops didn't want to deal with our existing backend. From the beginning, Heady agreed it was usable and said they could work with what we had. I was also transparent about my budget and desired timeline, and they were able to customize a solution to fit my needs.

The other reason I chose them was my connection to the people that worked there. They're super friendly. Andrea was so supportive and enthusiastic about the product. Everyone at Heady was excited to work on a design and build for an early-stage startup.

How much have you invested with them?

The full scope will be around $100,000. It's all based on hourly work. Their development fees are $60 per hour for the engineers in India. The team in New York is between $120–$160 per hour. They provided that breakdown of cost at the beginning and have stuck to it throughout the build.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work began in June 2019 and the engagement is ongoing. The first beta will be done at the end of September or beginning of October. We plan to continue working to build out additional features into early next year.

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

I'm really happy with their work and their approach. It's hard to give key metrics at this point. Heady provides a lot of value by parsing out what’s absolutely necessary for launch and what can wait. I’m confident that they have a clear sense of the roadmap. They give me a lot of visibility into what they're working on each day. They immediately follow up about any problems or roadblocks. They've been transparent about the entire process. 

Their frontend engineer is really good at implementing the visual aesthetic. I was concerned that the design would break down once it went through development. They've been so efficient with its implementation. The frontend is simple and true to the original design. 

How did Heady perform from a project management standpoint? 

Project management has been good. I meet with them all the time. I'm probably in contact with them 2–3 times a week. Heady sends me weekly updates and they're super responsive on Slack and email. One of my main concerns was that I'd never had contact with the people who are actually doing the work. That’s not the case at all. While the majority of communication happens in New York, they do daily standups with their team in India. I've joined a few times when they had a new design to show me. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

I really like that there’s a connection to the team in Mumbai. I've met them. They're really nice and they speak great English, which makes it really easy to work together. In particular, the product manager in India is great. She’ll comment on InVision and ask questions about the design or flag items that don't make sense.

Are there any areas they could improve? 

I don't think so. I've been really happy with Heady. I’d recommend them to anyone who's looking to do a design and build. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Be really transparent about what you need. Also be open to letting them figure out what's necessary and what's not. If you come in with openness about your designs, Heady will work with you to quickly achieve your business objectives. If you have a tight deadline, let them take control of the roadmap. They’ll make it happen by the date you need.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the co-founder of Pipsnacks LLC, a family of healthy snacks with non-GMO heirloom mini corn.

For what projects/services did your company hire Heady?

Our e-commerce business is a strong channel for us. We hired Heady to help us build out a progressive web app to offer an enhanced shopping experience on mobile devices.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to create an easy-to-use web app for our mobile shoppers. Importantly, we wanted it to work with our Shopify backend.

How did you select this vendor?

We’re based in the same place, so we loved having the Heady team right down the hall to discuss design ideas, troubleshoot, and keep to our launch calendar. We felt that they really understood our brand and showed a lot of excitement around our business, so we were completely taken care of.

Describe the project in detail.

Before the project, we didn’t have a mobile-optimized website, despite a large percentage of our customers shopping on their mobile devices. Heady helped us fill this gap and created a better shopping experience, without the cost of creating a full-blown app.

What was the team composition?

Rahul (CEO, Heady) was involved in the process. We worked closely with him and a project lead from beginning to end.

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

They gave us insights into how mobile shoppers utilize their phones and what aspects of their shopping experience are most imperative in generating the sale.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was very effective. They set up tools like Slack that made it really easy to communicate and keep to the timelines.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

How much they care about their clients impressed me. Rahul is such a passionate business owner with tons of corporate experience—he really made us feel like a part of the Heady family and did everything to make sure we were happy with the result.

Working with them was always fun and educational; we were always excited to meet and talk about the project which speaks to Rahul's ability to manage the process and our expectations. We love the team and could not recommend them more.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can't think of anything.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital and content director for a group of lawn and garden brands.

What challenge were you trying to address with Heady?

We hired Hedy to provide engineering and strategic advice services for our existing mobile applications. We needed an expert vendor to help us best utilize the platform and move our business ahead.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The native iOS/Android app is a lawn care and task reminder solution. Heady works on UI/UX improvements and helps select appropriate technologies for ongoing enhancements. We update the app several times per year.

What is the team composition?               

The 5–10-person team includes a project manager, a business analyst, a UX resource, separate Android and iOS developers, and QA specialists across both platforms.

How did you come to work with Heady?

One of our mobile partners referred Heady. We tried the team out in a small capacity and then gave them more work over time.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2017 and the partnership is ongoing.

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

It’s now easier for my team to implement strategies within the app. Our team cannot disclose specific quantitative metrics. But we are happy with the engagement’s qualitative results.

How did Heady perform from a project management standpoint?

They are fantastic. The teams hold in-person meetings when we need to be in the same place. Otherwise, we communicate via Slack, SMS, and Google Hangouts.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They operate as an extension of my team, which is incredibly valuable.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They address all of our requests. I think they’re great and I assume other customers agree.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a curated content platform for modern parents.

For what projects/services did your company hire Heady?

I originally launched the site with a different agency who did not provide the functionality I needed for sharing and optimizing content. I hired Heady to completely convert the custom platform to wordpress.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to work with someone who was knowledgeable and trustworthy to guide the conversion process with objectives and functionality at the project’s forefront.

How did you select this vendor?

A friend of mine recommended Heady to me, who—alongside other freelancers—I met with to discuss project scope. Heady stood out to me because of their honest, objective advice and transparent quotes.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

We kicked off with a strategy meeting to clearly communicate the company’s mission and goals for the upcoming project. Afterwards, we began identifying specific plugins, tools, and customizable Wordpress themes to use for optimizing cost-effectiveness while still achieving aforesaid goals. For the next couple of weeks, the designer advised me on best web-design practices, branding and content structure; the product manager used a roadmap to effectively supplement meetings that provided short- and long-term recommendations; even the developer worked with me directly to show progress, tweak details and offer new options. A QA specialist, who I rarely interacted with, delivered a site practically free of bugs.

What was the team composition?

I had the same team throughout the project, which included one product manager, one designer, one developer, and one QA specialist.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The original site lacked half the capabilities of the current one. An associate commented that my first site looked home-made; the current site’s professional and beautiful design has attracted collaborators and photographers who create the kind of content I want to optimize and share.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management was seamless. Heady used Clubhouse, Google Hangouts, Skype, and Slack to help facilitate on-time meetings where objectives were set and feedback was provided. Despite my working out of Sweden (and only visiting the Heady team a couple of times), the Heady product and design team working out of Brooklyn and the Heady developer working out of India, there were no lags.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They really take the product on as their own. When I previously worked with another agency, they only delivered exactly what I told them to, without providing industry insights, new ideas, or critical feedback. Heady, however, took the time to understand my goals, leveraging their team members’ diverse skill-sets to best reach them. They even provided cost-effective short- and long-term budget trade-off options to help me save money and feel confident in my decisions.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of quality and brand experience of a hotel management company. I’m responsible for the quality program for all of our brands and some e-commerce, including the mobile app.

What challenge were you trying to address with Heady?

We partnered with an agency to build a brand new mobile app. Once we finished, we realized it didn’t make sense to keep a whole firm on the payroll; we only needed maintenance and periodic enhancements. We began looking for an alternative solution that had the same qualifications as a well-known agency without the high price point.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our app is native for both iOS and Android. Heady currently maintains them and develops any enhancements or new features. Their work is ongoing but not from scratch. The app is a mobile booking engine that allows our guests a higher level of personalization. It stores their settings, offers special rates, and uses location to suggest nearby hotels.

Because we used location services, we had latency concerns in metro areas that had a high amount of our properties. We have over 1,000 properties, so the app could take quite a while to load all those options. Heady helped resolve that issue, along with other concerns like property images and other service calls.

What is the team composition?

We mainly work with our project manager and the lead engineers for iOS and Android.

How did you come to work with Heady?

They were a referral. We checked them out and asked for references. Once we decided they’d be a good fit, we hired them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them for about a year.

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

Heady not only has technical expertise with native operating systems, but they also understand our brand, voice, and client base. They do a great job of working with an app they didn’t develop and enhancing it to better meet our customers’ needs.

How did Heady perform from a project management standpoint?

We don’t have any problems. I tend to work fairly long hours, and whenever I reach out to Heady, someone responds back right away.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re an honest company that provides direct feedback when needed, and Heady never has an issue with that. Everyone is open to our suggestions and understands what we need. They’re incredibly easy to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve sometimes moved people around without letting us know, and I don’t like people working on my app that I’ve never met. They should talk with their clients beforehand to make sure everyone’s on the same page.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of Curbside Inc, a demolition and waste removal company. We provide dumpsters, containers, and other items to contractors, property managers, developers, etc. We're also building proprietary technology products for the space for both internal and external use.

What challenge were you trying to address with Heady?

We needed a development partner to help us build our technology products, including web and mobile applications.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Heady developed a web and mobile (iOS and Android) app, including wireframes and design. It includes an internally used application as well as a consumer-facing product. We'll eventually be working on some augmented reality technologies as well.

What is the team composition?

We work with the CEO, a project manager, and five full-time app developers on iOS, Android, backend, frontend, and QA.

How did you come to work with Heady?

I knew the owner of another development company, but their prices were a little out of our range, so they recommended we reach out to Heady.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested under $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them about five years ago. The original MVP they created took about four months, and we recently went into the second phase for the full year.

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

Their deliverables thus far have been excellent. There have been bugs here and there, but they're quick to fix them.

How did Heady perform from a project management standpoint?

From our perspective, the engagement has been excellent. They've been very effective and agile in helping us. Since our engagement is longterm, they've basically become a subset of our team. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're accessible; people on their team are always willing to help or contribute when I reach out, regardless of whether they're assigned to the project or not. In meetings, they're proactive about pulling in additional resources to bring more expertise to the table. It feels like their whole team is there to contribute to the betterment of the client. Their CEO is regularly involved and attends meetings he doesn't necessarily need to be in just to better understand our needs and come up with different solutions where needed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have an open mind. Technology isn't perfect; it takes a lot of iteration. One of the big mistakes a lot of startups make is expecting their vision to translate exactly. Heady can look at things from a technical perspective and make suggestions that might improve on your ideas. When looking for the best solution, it's important to leave your ego at the door and listen to input from a group of talented developers like Heady's team.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work in the customer experience and product management group for a bridal store chain. My responsibility is to make sure our technology initiatives are adding value to our company and customer experience.

What challenge were you trying to address with Heady?

We were looking to outsource the development and management of our mobile app. Another vendor had already developed the app, but we were looking for less expensive options for maintaining the app in its mature stage.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The previous vendor transitioned the app (iOS and Android) to Heady's team, which is now actively working on adding to, cleaning up, and maintaining the previously built code.

Within the app, brides can curate their favorite dresses and wedding products prior to coming into their appoint in one of our stores. One feature Heady built out is a quiz to help determine a particular bride's personal style and dresses she may be interested in. While e-commerce capabilities are built into the app, the main function is to encourage and prepare users to make in-store appointments through the app.

What is the team composition?

I work with a wonderful product manager, Andrea (Senior Product Manager, Heady). We throw a lot of work at her without a lot of context, but she's handles it perfectly. I couldn't manage the app without her help.

We also work with an iOS engineer, an Android engineer, a QA resource, a backend developer, and a development operations engineer.

How did you come to work with Heady?

The vendor that originally built the app recommended them to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested about $600,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The transition of the app from our previous vendor to Heady occurred between April to June 2017, and they continue to maintain it for us.

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

The transition went smoothly. We ran into a few issues when we attempted to launch the previous vendor's code, but Heady's team did everything they could to clean it up and fix any bugs, remaining extremely engaged and responsive throughout the process.

How did Heady perform from a project management standpoint?

Heady's team delivers satisfactory results, despite our often unreasonable demands. We tend to throw them many tasks at the last minute, but their team remains responsive and has never missed a deadline.

Andrea connects with me a couple times every other week to go over the status of their work, providing clear expectations on both deliverables and timelines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I feel as though their team is a part of ours; they basically act as the product owner of our mobile app. Despite the lack of context or time I provide Andrea, I can completely trust her to deliver great results in the best interest of our company. I couldn't do it without her.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They've been wonderful.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of an organization seeking to enhance the audition process for actors and casting directors by moving materials to a digital platform. 

For what projects/services did your company hire Heady?

Heady designed a prototype of our app.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a minimum viable product (MVP) to present to a potential investor/business partner. We also needed help with fleshing out our idea. 

How did you select this vendor?

Heady was recommended to us, and we decided to work with them after a few phone calls. They clearly knew what they were doing and had the right creative approach. We clicked with them as people and felt they could be trusted with our idea.

Describe the project in detail.

We described to Heady how we wanted our app to function. After we taught them about the industry, we formulated a plan for designing screens that would offer the best presentation for our investor. Then, we worked closely with their team to iterate a preliminary version of our app.

What was the team composition?

Heady’s CEO, product manager, and graphic designer worked in tandem to deliver our product. 

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

We're insanely happy with how the app turned out. Industry members have responded positively to the MVP.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Heady was incredibly easy to work with and always communicative. The team received and implemented feedback exactly as we requested. They were prompt and professional but lighthearted. Through their collaborative approach, the team took the project above and beyond what we could have done on our own.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They had the ability to learn about this esoteric industry, ingest the information, and deliver a product that demonstrated their understanding. They were impressively organized and orchestrated the creative process in a beautiful way.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I didn’t have any concerns.