Hero Team

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of Our Own Brand, an independent creative agency.

For what projects/services did your company hire Hero Team?

We hired Hero Team to handle the build of a custom brochure site for a client of ours, along with an eCommerce store.

What were your goals for this project?

To create a seamless user experience from our designs to the implementation of them in development and build, especially in the store.

How did you select this vendor?

We've worked with Hero Team before on similar projects.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

As a creative agency, we only have a small internal development resource, so working with Hero Team on large scale dev builds is a great option for us. They took the time to understand our requirements for this project and how best they could support us as we moved from high fidelity designs into build. They integrated everything seamlessly.

What was the team composition?

We worked collaboratively along James and the entire team via Slack, Github and Trello.

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

Having a trusted development partnership on hand is a hugely important tool for our business and changes the scope of the work that we're able to take on.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Everything was done via standups on Slack, which worked well for us as our team already uses the tool in that way. It was very effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are transparent and approachable. Nothing is too much.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None!

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an exclusive dating experience and a modern way to connect with like-minded singles in London. We adhere to a high-quality vetting system that you'd expect from a quality Private Members' Club and in-app photo verification to eliminate any wasted time. I am the co-founder and director.

For what projects/services did your company hire Hero Team?

To build our mobile application, on both IOS and Andriod.

What were your goals for this project?

To build our mobile application as a new startup. To create an easy to use back end system, to allow us to verify our users.

How did you select this vendor?

We searched online and discovered Clutch. Hero team stood out as they were also a new startup like us. After the first initial meeting, we found them the best fit for us and what we wanted to achieve.

Describe the project in detail.

We arrived at the first meeting with our wireframes and a rough idea of what we wanted. They advised us on how they could achieve what we wanted and what was unrealistic within our budget and timeframe. Later that day they sent over an email with the cost breakdown and how they would spread the work out over the next coming months. We communicated through slack and met weekly to check progress and agree the workload for the upcoming sprint.

What was the team composition?

The hero team assigned us 1 project manager and 2 developers. We worked closely with all three, thye understood our vision and communicated well with us.

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

In the short amount of time, our app has launched we have received great feedback resulting in a 4.7-star rating on the app store and many downloads from around the world. We continue to hear nothing but positive feedback on the app and how easy to use it is.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

As we mentioned before we communicated through Slack, almost every day we would talk and discuss tasks that were set for the day, and touchback base on the progress made. This made the workflow very effective and easy to manage.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were impressed by how quickly Hero Team was able to bring our dream to a reality. If there were an issue to arise they were very quick to respond and resolve, they were always at hand 24/7.

Are there any areas for improvement?

In hindsight, more time spent looking over the functionality of the app from the wireframes and more focus on the design from a consumers point of view.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of Immersive Interaction, an immersive experiences provider for education training. It’s a projected virtual reality classroom where users can experience VR without using a headset.

What challenge were you trying to address with Hero Team?

Our software had a lot of usability problems. It was getting nearly impossible for us to update content and for customers to find and download new content. We needed to take our platform and put it online to make the content more discoverable for users. We therefore needed Hero Team to redevelop a large portion of our software.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They redeveloped part of our software, which included an accessible online catalog of all our content and the ability to curate new lists of content. They also developed a desktop app that would run on a customer’s immersive space PC. This connects to the cloud and downloads new content. It also enables playback and control of the space using the content.

We did an extensive period of wireframing with discussions on exactly how each feature would work. They put together an AWS structure and incorporated a lot of different Amazon components like Elasticsearch. They wrote the application in Node.js and the frontend was done in React. They created an installer for the app, which was in Electron. Much of the UI was done in Material-UI.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, a lead developer, a designer, and another developer.

How did you come to work with Hero Team?

We put out a request for quotation (RFQ) on a local government and tender website and received around 12 different applications from agencies around the country. We spoke with each agency and each put in a proposal with cost and details about how they’d implement the work. Hero Team’s proposal was the best, by far. When we spoke to them, we saw their level of technical expertise and past experience was unmatched.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent 80,000 pounds (about $98,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–September 2019.

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

The quality is amazing. They did everything as specified and the system works really well. What most impresses us is the flexibility of the solution they’ve implemented. It allows us to add different types of experiences and effects.

Once we release the new platform, it’s going to impact our business in every way. It’s going to allow us to create a community of customers rather than isolated customers. They’ll be able to share content with each other and discover content that’s being made by people in their organization as well as a wider community.

t also helps us to distribute content. It’s currently quite difficult and requires quite a lot of support to keep the network updated, but with the new system, it’s going to all be automated because they’ll be able to do it themselves. Eventually, we’ll be able to publish and sell new content for the system as well.

How did Hero Team perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m impressed with their project management. They initially came to our offices and saw one of our spaces to understand what our business challenges were. They saw the existing system and what our problems were. We discussed how we wanted to take it forward and they produced the wireframes based on our initial requirements. There were a lot of back-and-forth conversations around very specific implementation details.

They worked in an agile methodology and we shared a Jira account for tracking. Every couple of weeks, we’d have a Skype meeting with them. Their communication was excellent, using Slack, email, and Google Docs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing was their overall technical competence. They have a level high technical knowledge on every aspect of the system. One example was the content download which wasn’t performing very well in Node. They were able to rewrite that system in Go and it performed much faster. They built it for a Windows platform but it also runs on Mac and Linux. Their platform knowledge is excellent.

They also explained things in a way we could understand. They didn’t talk on a technical level but in a very straightforward way. They also translated our requirements into actual features and got them built. It’s not always possible to explain that clearly, but they did and translated it into a solid, workable system.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they delivered everything we asked for and in a timely fashion.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have an understanding of what outcomes you want. Be clear about what you want before engaging with them. They are going to work and get into your requirements quickly.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Co-Founder of an events, marketing and PR company in Dubai called Thrive. We empower individuals with opportunities to connect with and learn from some of the best in their field so that they can acquire the tools and confidence to create a career they want. We do this through TED-like speaker events, workshops and corporate programmes.

For what projects/services did your company hire Hero Team?

We hired Hero Team to help design and build our new company website.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create a slick website that was easy to navigate, looked amazing (reflecting our branding) and that was easy for us to update ourselves.

How did you select this vendor?

We had heard a lot about Hero Team - in particular, the high quality of their work, their customer service and fast response times. We wanted the best, we went searching for the best - and we found it. We researched and considered other companies here in Dubai but after having a call with Gehan (Lead Developer), it was an easy choice - he really understood what we wanted to achieve, he was personable and had great suggestions and solutions.

Describe the project in detail.

We had a couple of calls and an in-person meeting (while we were visiting London) so that Hero Team could fully understand our vision and discuss ways to achieve it. We loved their creative approach and, unlike most people we have worked with, they actively listened to us. Hero Team created detailed wireframes - again, their work on this reflected how much they 'got' us and had listened to us and they were therefore able to start work on creating the website promptly. Hero Team continually updated us on their progress and checked in to make sure we were happy with how the website was developing. They tweaked things here and there when asked without delay, and the result was a polished site completed efficiently and within the expected time-frame. Even though we were based in Dubai and Hero Team in London, we did not find this a problem at all as their communication was so good.

What was the team composition?

We worked with Gehan Gonsalkorale (Lead Developer) throughout the whole project.

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

Upon launching the site in June 2019, we had a wave of extremely positive feedback about the aesthetics of the site and the easy, logical navigation. Furthermore, we have noticed that our events and classes are filling up much more quickly since having the website - a result of the increased traffic no doubt.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The lead developer updated us regularly about the progress of the site. Deadlines were always met without exception. We typically communicated via email - which, being in Dubai, worked very well for us - but we were always assured by Hero Team that communication over the phone/Skype was available whenever we wanted.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were blown away by Hero Team's technical knowledge and dedication to customer service. Their communication was impeccable, their efficiency and attention to detail on point, and we appreciated their patience and creative solutions to our vision. Overall, it was a pleasure to work with a company that clearly has so much passion for what they do - it really comes across in every aspect of their work - and that is a rarity!

Are there any areas for improvement?

We were so impressed with Hero Team that it's difficult to pinpoint anything that could have been done better - we really have tried to think of something! We hope they open a Dubai office soon - the quality of their work and attention to their customer is needed out here!

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of Tried and Supplied, an online supplier database for the food service industry.

For what projects/services did your company hire Hero Team?

I hired them to do a full code review and make suggestions for how to improve our site and provide guidance on our future product development.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to ensure our new developer was fully up-to-speed with the code base, and we wanted to ensure the security of the site. We asked Hero Team to make suggestions for product improvements.

How did you select this vendor?

We found several vendors on YunoJuno and our internal developer and I interviewed each of them. What impressed us about Hero Team was their commercial understanding of how to quickly deliver what we wanted.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

One of their team members spent three days with us in our offices, running through the code with our developer and drawing up new wireframes for the improvements. He assessed the security of the site and spotted a number of gaping holes that we needed to fix.

What was the team composition?

We worked with one code reviewer.

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

We have eliminated our security risks and completely re-written our front-end in React as opposed to the much older Angular.js. This means that our site is much lighter, loads faster, and is written in more consistent code. That code is easier to fix, so we spend less time fixing bugs and also create them less often. The designs are also much more user-friendly, which has resulted in an increase in conversions for supplier sign-ups.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project was managed very well. We kept to our schedule and achieved everything we set out to do, which was no mean feat. They were extremely efficient with their time and went above and beyond to help out later on when we needed to complete additional development quickly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They really thought about the business first and foremost, rather than the development. This meant that they were able to make a much bigger impact on our business in a shorter timeframe. They questioned our assumptions and got us thinking differently about the UX, and they pushed us toward a superior product.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we’re completely satisfied.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a startup that helps clients measure and mitigate cybersecurity risks in their supply chains.

What challenge were you trying to address with Hero Team?

We needed a team to produce the frontend of our online tool.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Hero Team developed the frontend of our platform, which helps corporations manage the risks posed by their suppliers. They provided advice on the frontend’s look and feel, then built it out using HTML, CSS, and Vue.js. After building and putting together all of the workflows, pages, and components, they built out all the tests as well. Then, they helped tie the API on the backend to the frontend.

What is the team composition?

During the main development phase, we worked with the founder and four other people.

How did you come to work with Hero Team?

I don’t usually reply to cold emails, but I did respond to theirs. We spoke to one other development agency but chose Hero Team.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent £70,000 (approximately $88,100 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2018, and the work is ongoing. The bulk of the project is done, but they still need to do a few changes because we changed our minds about what the project should do.

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

The product is stunning, and our CTO thinks it’s excellent. Hero Team doesn’t just do what we tell them to—they take the time to understand exactly what we are trying to achieve. They’d push back if things are wrong and advise us if things need to be changed.

How did Hero Team perform from a project management standpoint?

Our CTO acts as their project manager. We chat every day using Slack, and we also have a weekly standup call. Initially, they broke down the whole project into tickets and put them all on a Jira board. They then gave us access so we could add new tickets and look at the ones they were working on. They’ve also dealt with bugs quickly and easily.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are advisors as well as developers. You could share your vision, show them some designs, then let them run with it. They’d come up with new ideas as well as things that need to change. They’d come up with challenges before they posed problems. It’s like having four employees attached to the company. They’re a nice group of people.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure the initial planning is done. Talk to them about the project and your key objectives, and paint a picture of the product that you’re building. That’s how you can unlock the value that Hero Team brings. Also, provide constant feedback on what you like or don’t like about their work.