hedgehog lab

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Digital of A2Dominion

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

A2Dominion is a housing association. For over 70 years, A2Dominion has been building and maintaining quality homes in London and Southern England. We have over 38,000 homes for customers looking to rent as a private tenant, social or supported housing, or want to buy a share in their own home. 
 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire hedgehog lab to accomplish?

• Mobile app discovery and feasability

SOLUTION

How did you find hedgehog lab?

Referral

Why did you select hedgehog lab over others?

• Pricing fits our budget
• Good value for cost
• Technical expertease

How many teammates from hedgehog lab were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

A discovery piece to develop a new mobile app that will help tenants in A2Dominion properties manage their tenancy digitally. The goal is to provide a more effective channel for both the users and existing support channels. 
The scope of the discovery included:  

• Audience & Data Analysis
• Problem Definition
• Product Outline
• User Stories
• Wireframing and Prototyping
• Concept UI 
• Technical specification

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

When evaluating the outcomes of the mobile app discovery project, several measurable indicators demonstrate progress and success:

Prototype Delivery:

• Hedgehog successfully delivered the mobile app prototype and other deliverables on schedule, demonstrating adherence to the project timeline and effective project management.

Customer Feedback:

• During a user feedback session, customers provided overwhelmingly positive feedback on the prototype. This indicates that the app meets user expectations and has the potential to fulfil their needs.

Stakeholder Approval:

• Positive comments from senior stakeholders highlight the app's alignment with business objectives and strategic goals. Their approval is crucial for further development and potential investment.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

• Timely Delivery: Despite the short 4-week timeframe, Hedgehog managed to deliver the prototype on time. This indicates a basic level of project management competence in meeting deadlines.
• Responsiveness: Hedgehog was generally responsive to our needs and inquiries throughout the project. They demonstrated flexibility and a willingness to address our concerns promptly, which contributed to the smooth progression of the project.
• Project Management Proficiency: Project management is not their primary strength. There were instances where more structured planning and proactive communication could have improved efficiency and clarity.
• Our Project Manager: The presence of our own project manager was useful. Our project manager took on significant responsibilities in coordinating efforts, clarifying requirements, and ensuring that milestones were met. 
• Well-Defined Project: The project was very well-defined from the outset, with clear objectives and deliverables. This clarity helped mitigate potential project management shortcomings by providing a straightforward roadmap.

What was your primary form of communication with hedgehog lab?

Virtual Meeting

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

• High Level of Technical Expertise: hedgehog lab demonstrated exceptional technical proficiency. They developed a high-quality mobile app prototype within a short 4-week period, showcasing their ability to deliver sophisticated solutions rapidly.
• Excellent Output in a Short Timeframe: Despite the limited timeframe, the output was remarkable. The prototype not only met but exceeded our expectations in terms of functionality, design, and usability, highlighting their efficiency and effectiveness.
• Understanding and Addressing Our Problems: Hedgehog showed a deep understanding of the challenges we were facing with our current digital setup. They proposed innovative and practical solutions that directly addressed our pain points, indicating their analytical skills and problem-solving capabilities.
• Engagement with Customers: Their ability to engage effectively with our customers was particularly impressive. They conducted thorough sessions to understand customer issues and feedback, which they adeptly integrated into the prototype. This customer-centric approach ensured that the solutions were tailored to actual user needs.

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

• Project Management: Project management could have been more robust. Although the project was short and well-defined, a more structured approach could have enhanced efficiency and communication. Given the brevity of the project, this did not significantly affect the outcome. However, for longer or more complex projects, stronger project management practices would be essential.
• Virtual Workshop Challenges: The virtual workshops lacked the structure we had hoped for, making them somewhat challenging to navigate. This was in contrast to the in-person workshop, which was excellent and well-organised. Implementing a more structured format for virtual workshops, with clear agendas and better facilitation, could improve their effectiveness and ensure consistent outcomes regardless of the format.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the COO of Yoono, an automated intelligence service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netsells Group?

We hired them to develop our web platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went through an extensive discovery phase, during which we briefed Netsells Group about the requirements of our project. From there, they proceeded with the development process, handling most of the technical work that we needed to do in order to make our website scalable and stable. They used .NET for development.

We’ve already given them a task that focuses on UI/UX design, which is the next stage of the project. We’re planning to have them do maintenance work after we finish this part.

What is the team composition?

We work with their developers and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Netsells Group?

We found out about them through a recommendation.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we've spent about £50,000 (approximately $60,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Netsells Group around November 2022, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t gone live with the website yet, so there are no metrics to share at this point. From a qualitative standpoint, Netsells Group is great to work with — they’re open-minded and adaptive, and they have a great leader in Rob (Commercial Director). He’s very insightful and knowledgeable, which gives us a sense of security around what we’re doing.

How did Netsells Group perform from a project management standpoint?

We manage tasks using Trello. For communication, we interact through Zoom, email, phone calls, email, and Slack. For managing tasks, we use Trello.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re most impressed with Rob’s creativity.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything that Netsells Group could improve on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO for an InsurTech business. We provide telematics technology to predominantly insurance companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with hedgehog lab?

We’re building a leading-edge technology to enable telematics, driving, and heavy monitoring using a mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We work with hedgehog lab on a couple of projects; fundamentally, they work on mobile development for Android and iOS. We initially provided documentation for the project, and they’ve helped us build and architect a software development kit that sits in the middle of our mobile technology, providing the telematics capabilities that we communicate with our services. The team has used JavaScript, Kotlin, Swift, and Objective-C.

The app captures the movements of the mobile device; it uses sensors or GPS motion to effectively monitor the acceleration, braking, cornering, location, and speed data of the driver. It detects the starting point of the driving journey and collects the telemetry data to send it to our backend system, where we can analyze it and come up with a score and risk profile for the user to understand the driver’s risk profile accurately.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 4–6 team members. They all have mobile development or architecture backgrounds, so they’re senior software engineers, software architects, or other technical roles. Additionally, we deal directly with the leadership and commercial people.

How did you come to work with hedgehog lab?

I knew Sarat (CEO & Co-Founder), and their reputation was world-renowned. They were known as good employers and skilled engineers, and I had a good relationship with their leadership.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably invested around £250,000 (approximately $298,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2021, and our collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our working relationship is great, so we continue to work with hedgehog lab in several capabilities. Moreover, their work is high-standard, and the end result is always what we’re looking for. We also have a lot of customer feedback, so we’re able to measure the effectiveness of their work.

How did hedgehog lab perform from a project management standpoint?

We work together with an agile framework. They’ve generally met the timelines, so it’s been a positive experience. Communication is also excellent; we keep constant contact, and they keep everybody in the loop. Additionally, we use Jira to manage and monitor the workloads.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They stand out for their ability to move quickly, flexibility, high standard for technology, and strategic approach. hedgehog lab invests time and effort into our products and creates greater opportunities for us to explore together; we wouldn’t get that from a traditional software house.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing specific comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work with them as closely as possible and consider any opportunities for engagement. They can create new opportunities and deliver on specific and immediate objectives.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former interim CTO of Oxehealth, a MedTech business that delivers hardware and software products. Our product is a web-based app that enables healthcare providers to have computer vision-based patient monitoring in single-occupancy rooms. We have teams that install, run, and maintain hardware, and that operational service is in support of our product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with hedgehog lab?

We were running a web app delivery project and had some scoping around an app that needed to be built. We needed to move away from legacy tooling and make in-house tools to better support our growth and teams as we scaled to existing geographies and international markets. We were struggling with resourcing for some new projects and decided to hire hedgehog lab to reduce the impact on our internal teams.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

hedgehog lab helped us with internal tooling. First, we identified some requirements and success metrics for the project, and we provided them with the wireframes. They helped build an internal customer requirements portal that helps capture complex customer needs through sales, contracting, and onboarding. 

The portal’s functionality is to help us through our contract live process, which involves engaging with the customer and getting them set up with our product and services. Then, the portal helps manage that engagement on an ongoing basis through appropriate change management processes and protocols. 

Our staff is the target audience: the operational teams who run our product at the service level. The hedgehog lab team focused on a few objectives, primarily improving the data quality of our onboarding process and how we capture customer requirements. We also requested that the tool reduce our operational model's risk, ensuring that requirements are up to date and improving our contract live process insights.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two developers, and Sarat (CEO & Co-Founder) provided some high-level oversight. 

How did you come to work with hedgehog lab?

Sarat and I are in similar trusted CTO networks, and I reached out to him for help. We knew that hedgehog lab had provided similar pop-up teams for other businesses I have spoken with in the past, so we decided to go with them.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent about £75,000 (approximately $94,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–April 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of hedgehog lab’s work was high, and the maintenance has had a relatively low overhead. They were very responsive to changes and requirements throughout the project. The feedback from the operational teams has also been strong, and they’re very excited to use the tool. Since we’re still trialing and rolling out the product internally, we don’t have any hard metrics yet. However, the portal will allow us to deliver our products faster and realize revenue sooner than before. 

How did hedgehog lab perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great at meeting deadlines; they communicated expectations clearly around timeframes and effectively organized to complete tasks on time. The team hit all the milestones along the way, which is rare in teams solely staffed by engineers without project management support. We primarily communicated over Slack, and we used GitLab for issue tracking and task management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve had mixed experiences with other agencies in their ability to deliver quality, and hedgehog lab felt like a safe pair of hands with solid talent. Sarat made a point of checking in regularly to make sure that the project was successful rather than leaving it all to the very end when there’s a higher risk of everything going off the rails.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In hindsight, I would have liked to have a bit more automated test coverage of the work they delivered for us. However, that was far from a deal-breaker, and I didn’t stress it as a hard requirement going into the project. Overall, there wasn't anything I had significant concerns about.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend having a clear idea of the project's scope and the expected deliverables, which is good for any project you outsource. Although hedgehog lab was very communicative, I had to take the initiative to ensure we had appropriate sprint planning and prioritization since I worked with the engineers rather than project managers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of Booost Education, which makes apps for students with learning disabilities in higher education. I also head up our design and development capabilities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netsells Group?

We hired Netsells Group to work on the first product we wanted to take to market. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Netsells Group developed our mobile application and corresponding web app in Flutter with a PHP Laravel backend and various APIs. We had several scoping calls with their team so they could better understand our product. All of the design work was done by my team, but Netsells Group did write our user stories and requirements. Once the back- and frontend development was complete, they ran QC testing and deployed the product to app stores. After the app launched, Netsells Group began maintaining and updating the app, adding features and improvements.  

The app is primarily for students with learning disabilities in higher education, including students with everything from mental health issues to ADHD. Our goal with the app is to help those students organize their tasks and get support to help accomplish activities throughout their education.  

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with Netsells Group’s account manager, project manager, scrum master, and a few of their developers. 

How did you come to work with Netsells Group?

We originally commissioned another agency to build our product but had a bad experience with them. After doing a Google search and finding Netsells Group on Clutch.co, we hired Netsells Group to take over development. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested £80,000 (approximately $105,000 USD) with Netsells Group. The initial project was £50,000 (approximately $66,000 USD), but we made additional payments to cover smaller projects and maintenance fees.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership with Netsells Group began in September 2021, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Netsells Group turned around our project quickly despite a three-month delay from our previous partners — the app launched in October 2021. We’ve exceeded our projected sales metrics because of Netsells Group’s excellent work. 

We’re planning to launch new products over the next 12–18 months, and Netsells Group’s development approach will inform how we design our product. We plan to focus more on user stories to ensure our design process is as robust as Netsells Group’s development process.

How did Netsells Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Netsells Group works in development sprints and always meets our deliverable requirements. Their team uses Jira to manage the development and lifecycles, and our codebase is in a GitHub repository. We also use Trello to manage user stories, and that’s where I convey our support issues. We had weekly Google Meet calls at the beginning of the project, but now I’m in regular contact with the project manager and development team through a shared Slack channel. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Netsells Group has an extremely robust development process, so I know that by the time I receive the final deliverable, it’s been thoroughly tested and checked. Each deliverable from Netsells Group meets their high standards. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have nothing for Netsells Group to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise future customers to utilize Netsells Group’s technical expertise and listen to their recommendations. It’s better to go to them with a problem for them to work out than a solution. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the principal analyst of a security nonprofit and our organization has around 450 members. We produce information security materials for companies to use, such as risk assessment methodologies, standards of good practices, and benchmarking tools.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with hedgehog lab?

We were looking for a vendor that could help us migrate our existing toolset into a series of web apps.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

hedgehog lab built a web app for us and a full software solution that initially included gathering requirements and elicitation. They provided us with design, development, and UI/UX research, and approached the project from a psychological perspective. This was something we didn’t have internally, and they came up with a solution that was going to work for us.

We currently have a support contract with them where they’ll continue to make changes with the app, and build three more — they will be our primary vendor moving forward.

What is the team composition?

We’re currently working with Ben (Interim Head of Product) as our main point of contact, three technical specialists, a dedicated lead designer, and several members of their support team. 

How did you come to work with hedgehog lab?

We did a lot of our initial research through Clutch to make our short list of candidates. We liked the idea of working with a vendor in the UK so we could see them, and that was one of the reasons why we hired hedgehog lab.

They’ve had big customers and were a bit more expensive than our previous vendor at first, but we’ve had an easier experience working with them, so the money is well spent now.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve roughly spent £150,000 (approximately $200,900 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in May 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t released the app yet so I can’t really provide a figure at the moment. However, in terms of the budget, they were very spot on with the figure they gave. Some functionalities fell by the wayside, but they were always upfront when it comes to issues, and that’s something that’s really important to us. hedgehog lab is transparent and they allow us enough time to make good decisions based on all the knowledge they provide.

The app is good overall and functions as expected, so we have no concerns. We just recently finished a penetration test and there have been a couple of minor issues, but nothing really major.
 
How did hedgehog lab perform from a project management standpoint?

We haven’t had any concerns with their deadlines and they’ve hit all the major milestones that we set perfectly. They manage their projects through Basecamp, and we typically communicate over the phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed by the fact that they consistently hit their deadlines, treat the project seriously, and are always upfront and transparent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t really think of anything because I don’t remember being disgruntled at any point in the relationship.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The hedgehog lab team is very upfront and if you’re the same towards them, then they’ll come up with the best solutions for you as an organization. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Head of Client Service at a company specialising in Digital Product Development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We partnered with Netsells to work together on a bespoke fitness mobile app that allows users to track their fitness progress and set training goals. Together we worked on defining, validating and building the MVP to get the app to market as soon as possible.

SOLUTION

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

We initially first came across Netsells on Clutch during our research stage of the right company to work with. We wanted to make sure that we were working with a market leader who is highly skilled and trusted and saw the reviews on here. We spoke to their Lead Consultant who impressed us with the team’s experience and clear process for delivering MVPs. Getting the initial set of features tight, but also aligned with user expectations was really important and their understanding of this area was definitely a deciding factor.

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

The project consisted of an MVP version incorporating the basic features. The objective was to start with a small, limited-scope MVP version and then scale it up into a full-featured app. This started out with a pre-discovery workshop to align the teams on overall app goals. The next project step was a Problem Sprint which focused on user research and understanding the need behind the app and what user requirements, followed by a Solution sprint which focused on defining the scope of work and core features that would sit within the MVP.

Their UI/UX team provided wireframes and concept designs for review and validation. The actual build of the MVP was delivered through a “Implementation Sprints” which also incorporated a UAT process to catch any bugs before launch. Work is on-going post MVP to further build and refine the app’s feature set with a product roadmap that Netsells have assisted with. The app was built cross-platform in Flutter to get the solution to market quickly on iOS and Android.

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

We worked with Netsells’s Discovery team which consisted of Product Managers and UI/UX designers. We also had a dedicated Scrum Master who oversaw every sprint. On the development team there were two senior Flutter Developers and two QA engineers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far the app is in private beta and has had excellent feedback. It's extremely well designed and intuitive, but most importantly the majority of users say they will continue monitoring their fitness activities using the app once the full version is live.

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

We collaborated closely throughout the partnership, using a dedicated Slack channel, agile SCRUM ceremonies and weekly reporting to delivery high sprint velocity and a quality product.

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

Their honesty and transparency are extremely commendable, working as true partners at every stage of the process. They were equally as invested in the project’s success.

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

There’s nothing major that stands out. As with all projects there were occasional slips on timelines but these were dealt with in an extremely professional and open manner, we never felt like they were overpromising.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of Halo Solutions Ltd. We provide communications and instant management software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with hedgehog lab?

We wanted to scale our software so that it can be used globally.  We also wanted to add about 100 new features.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

hedgehog lab helps us navigate the problems relating to our software. They’ve given expert guidance and advice on different budgeting and framework options.

hedgehog lab offers full solutions for our database, web, iOS and Android design. They also provide wireframes, branding, and design. They’ve helped us completely redesign our database, taking us away from off-the-shelf products like SashiDo and taking us towards a bespoke build for AWS.

Now, they’re working with us to deliver version s4 and 5 of our software, which will have about 90 new features of the 100 that we want to build. It’s for mobile apps and websites.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Christian (Account Director) and the team includes Russell Head of Technology), George (Support Product Lead), and Lizzie (Product Manager). There are other people involved as the designer and someone else who works on other parts of the system.

How did you come to work with hedgehog lab?

We found them through a wildcard internet search. We wanted to leave our current agency and find a new agency that was bigger and better.

We settled on hedgehog lab because of their Clutch ratings where they were number one in several areas. They have a great attitude for helping, and they had really clear designs to help us; they had the same kind of mindset as us. Another main factor was their pedigree of existing brands.

How much have you invested in them?

When all is said and done, it will be close to £600,000 GBP (approximately $848,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership began in December 2020, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve delivered on time and on budget 100% so far. In terms of customer service, their attitude is really friendly and they’re really good at understanding concepts.

The database redesign was a huge project because it carried a massive amount of risk. It was financially very large, and it was something that we had been worried about for a long time, but they have been able to completely sort it out. Now, we own all of the IP on our product, including the database, which is great for our business evaluation.

How did hedgehog lab perform from a project management standpoint?

They are always on time and always on a budget, which is good. We use Basecamp and Google Meets for project management. They have excellent communication and design skills. They’re the best we’ve ever worked with; they help us visualize solutions that we never thought possible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were really scared about moving from our developers to another one because we are not technically minded. We felt vulnerable, and we weren’t sure what was involved in switching providers. They made that switch so much less scary and so much more achievable, and we are really grateful for their guidance. I was really impressed with that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t be nervous about your own lack of knowledge if you want to move from one supplier to another; hedgehog really helped us in our transition, and I’m sure they can help other people transition as well. They’ll give expert guidance and really put you in control to get rid of those fears.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Handheld Health. We use academic, clinically-validated questionnaires to screen and prescribe exercises to people suffering from long-term health conditions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netsells Group?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we received government funding to produce an app that people with COVID-19 could use to download an at-home exercise program. We only had six months to deliver the project, so we needed an app development company to help us with this project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had nothing to begin with, so we needed to interpret the academic research and make it into something that everyday people could understand. Netsells Group designed the app, did UI/UX design, and helped us to interpret what the questionnaires would look like if we weren’t there to screen them. 

The team also assisted with the flow of the work and helped us set up a developer account on the app store and got all of the SDKs ready. They developed it using Flutter, so it’s for both iOS and Android. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with a discovery manager who was our initial single point of contact. Once the project started, we had one project manager. 

How did you come to work with Netsells Group?

We found them on Google. From other companies, I received an automated email, but Netsells Group’s CEO called me. We talked about the brief, and he said he would be keen on working with us. Netsells Group seemed really honest.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent £50,000 (approximately $66,000 USD) for this particular project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began talking to them in March 2020, and the project formally kicked off in April 2020. It was a 6-month project, and they were done in November 2020. We’ve just launched another project with them. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When the app started becoming more complete, they sent me a test version to use on my phone. I told them that it didn’t work properly, and within two hours, they fixed the problem. That was the only bug we found, so their QA was extremely thorough before they sent it to me.

How did Netsells Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered it on time and updated me every Friday about their progress and what they were going to do the following week, which was great. If I had other issues, I was able to drop them a line.

When I asked Netsells Group a question, I always got an answer within a day, which was fantastic given the lockdown and work from home situation.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It was helpful to have one point of contact. A lot of app development companies outsource their work and the customer is expected to have some underlying knowledge. 

Netsells Group was very sympathetic, so if a customer doesn’t have the knowledge, they will adapt to that situation to get the customer what they want. They also have a very transparent pricing strategy, which is great for startups and established companies. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think off. They did everything I asked them to do and went above and beyond.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as clear and concise about what you want right from the start. They’re really good at translating what you want and making your vision a reality.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of a technology company that develops systems that support mutual aid.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with hedgehog lab?

We wanted to build a smartphone application that allows family and friends to pool money.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They worked with us to design the architecture of the app and the UI. Then they built it for us using Java. The app is for Android.

They built a wallet that enables customers to send, receive, and pool money with friends and family. It’s integrated into a local payment system.

What is the team composition?

We worked with about seven people in total.

How did you come to work with hedgehog lab?

We found them on Clutch. We were looking for a UK-based company that had a strong culture that was similar to ours. We wanted someone who understood what we were trying to do and our brand. We wanted a collaborative partner with all the technical chops.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2019 and it wrapped up in April 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were looking for a company that was able to build a great UX/UI, and hedgehog lab did a great job. The customer-facing aspect of the project was really good. The technical build was great, and the handover was fantastic.

The coding was organized and structured in a very accessible way, which is really valuable to us, because in the long run, we want to be able to manage it on our own.

The other thing is that they were very generous with that general advice. Part of the reason why we wanted to work with them was that we wanted to tap into their broader experiences and industry knowledge.

How did hedgehog lab perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Basecamp and another communication tool. The process was very collaborative. The creative process of working with them was a really positive experience.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The creative process and UI was really great. They worked with us and helped us think through how to make such a technical product user friendly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything at the moment.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Spending time with the team and getting to know them is really valuable. We invested a chunk of time articulating our vision and our values with the aim of that being translated into the design and build.

It’s also important that you’re clear on milestones. They appreciate clear and consistent communication.