Idea Link

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Kingston Associates, which owns CuttingSeason.com. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Idea Link?

Idea Link developed a web app for me. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Idea Link developed a website and an app hosted alongside it. They used Bubble.io to do this. During the discovery phase, we had an in-depth discussion of what I wanted for the app. They sent multiple statements of work to make sure everything was correct. From there, they started building the app. I asked them to make changes midway through the project. 

After that, I had them on retainer for 1–2 months to do small tweaks on the web app as I got more customers. I also asked them to develop another website, and they used Webflow for that.

In terms of features, the website let users participate in weight loss challenges. After signing up, they were required to put money in escrow. After that, they’d compete to lose a specific amount of weight. If they hit the target, they could split the funds evenly. If they didn’t hit the goal, they’d lose their deposit. 

Throughout that process, the end users would receive emails about the challenges, when they’d start, and when they’d have to wait. Users also had to fill out randomly generated words so we knew their weigh-ins were accurate. Moreover, they had to upload videos and had to communicate with our team through the app. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with a project manager, a designer, and two developers that worked on my app. 

How did you come to work with Idea Link?

Idea Link was introduced by a friend with prior experience with them. 

How much have you invested with them? 

I invested around $35,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The development project lasted from January–April 2023. The first round of development concluded at the end of February 2023, and then we made some revisions between March–April 2023. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I ran about a dozen challenges through the website. Everything was quite successful, and I didn’t have any problems. 

How did Idea Link perform from a project management standpoint?

Idea Link was responsive and operated within our expected timelines. Moreover, they were communicative about the progress of their development work. They also stayed on budget. To communicate, we used Slack and ClickUp. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with how communicative they were. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any. 

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on 01/06/2023

Graham Rowe
CEO & Founder, Kingston Associates Inc.
Healthcare
1-10 Employees
Snellville, Georgia, United States
Less than $10,000
Dec 2022 - Jan 2023

Client quote
''They’re an experienced team.''

Project summary
A healthcare company hired Idea Link to provide UI/UX design. They helped the client create a smooth and user-friendly platform for their weight-loss app focused on senior adults.

Feedback summary
The client was delighted with Idea Link's high-quality deliverables. Idea Link used Slack, Figma, Google Meet, and email as the main tools to keep a communicative and responsive project management process. The client also praised their commitment to customer satisfaction, which was key to success.

BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Kingston Associates Inc., a healthcare company focusing on weight-loss challenges across the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenges were you trying to address with Idea Link?

I needed a customer-friendly website where people could sign up for our challenges. It was important for us to have a smooth UI/UX because most of our clients are senior adults.

SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?

Idea Link helped us with our website's UI/UX design based on our specific requirements. We started by having a long call to go through my concept and what I wanted to do. Consequently, they sent me a document listing my requirements for me to confirm. They also took care of color schemes and user flow tweaks based on their experience and the data I gave them about my audience.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and a designer from their team.

How did you come to work with Idea Link?

A colleague referred them to me. He spoke to them highly, introduced us via email, and that's how the partnership started.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around €6,000 (approximately $6,400 USD) with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2022–January 2023. We plan on engaging with them to develop our website.

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

I like Idea Link’s design, and their hard work resulted in a high-quality product.

How did Idea Link perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was great; their team was communicative, responsive, and delivered within deadlines. They adapted to my tight deadlines without an extra charge and even started working before I sent the initial payment deposit, which I appreciated. Regarding communication, we had a Slack channel where they updated me on the process and a Figma file to show me the progress and check in with me to review everything. In addition, we used Google Meet, phone calls, and email to send documents.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were committed to delivering a high-quality product and within my expectations, so their customer satisfaction skills were their best attribute.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I didn’t think there was anything they could improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be responsive and ask them for feedback because they’re an experienced team in terms of design.

RATINGS
Overall rating - 5 
Quality - 5
Cost - 5 
Schedule - 5
Willing to refer - 5

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO for the U.S. market of an open access network provider. We have networks across 5 countries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Idea Link, and what were your goals?

We needed a custom project management tool to be able to manage progress and quality control in large fiber network rollouts as we were unable to find something suitable on the market. The system had to be flexible to changing requirements during project execution whilst also being able to integrate with our other existing platforms.

SOLUTION

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

As we decided to try to develop the application through a no-coding platform we found Idealink through references on the platform. After evaluating several different providers we gelt that they had the best combination of price and skills, and most importantly they seemed to understand what we wanted.

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

They designed and built a project management system based on the Bubble no coding platform. The system included GIS-based information to design and display network information using Mapbox, as well as document signing features, schedule booking with customer notification, and an advanced work order creation and allocation feature.

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

The team has varied throughout the process depending on the requirements and scope but has always included a project manager, technical backend lead, and frontend developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to launch the first version of the system within a few months which was a great achievement from the whole team. Following the initial launch we have continued with improvement iterations and build additional features and modules making the system more complex.

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

The project management has evolved during the process and I think that it has grown as Idealinks internal organization has grown more mature. In the beginning it was less structured when the scale was smaller, but has the project has continued to grow more structure and tools have been introduced.

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

Great overall communication with the whole team. I appreciate their creativity and strong understanding of our business needs.

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

Documentation is something that we have discussed since some time back is needed for a system that is now getting relatively complex, but it is on the list of (many) things that are planned.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder-Director and CEO

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Idea Link, and what were your goals?

Our company faced an enormous challenge of managing our data, task management, and CRM. We were using a number of costly tools to help us keep track of these dails, and in some cases, we were not using any tools at all. Our aim was to find an affordable, single-window solution that would quickly bring our data management under control, and have it be easy to adapt, customize, and evolve with our rapidly growing company.

SOLUTION

How did you select Idea Link and what were the deciding factors?

We chose to work with Idea Link because they specialize in No Code solutions, and proposed the most efficient way for us to move ahead. Their iterative approach made it possible to start quickly and get quick results in a piece by piece manner; we didn't have to know the end picture and could design and develop as we went along, constantly changing along the way, but having an immediately and continuously usable system. That was a game changer.

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

The entire project was built in Coda. Our company, Multiple Natures International, has a core team of 5 people, with an extended team of freelancers and partners that span the globe. We create human alignment tools--a psychometric test and training programs that enable people to understand their unique potential and connect it with what they do.

There are thousands of things to take care of--product development, sales, marketing, course management, participant management, certification management, email and communication, research, etc. Really speaking, it's an insane amount of detail, and as the company expands, it just grows exponentially.

For the task management, Idea Link structured our data in the most flexible ways, enabling us to view the details precisely as we needed. We can see tasks according to individuals, as well as by milestones, and can also see the load management with useful Gantt charts.

There are also Kanban boards for certain processes (like our certification process), so we can easily track where students are in the process, and ensure that the right printed certifications reach them on time. We did away with Asana which was an expensive solution that didn't give us half the functionality as this new solution.

Idea Link also created a CRM to manage our courses--tracking students each step of the way--their course completion levels, sending them automated reminders, scheduling their live exams, and more. In fact, they did such a comprehensive job, that we realized that in a few more iterations, we will be able to do away with our very costly Learning Management System, and will be able to add a few more sections and create our own LMS. It's just brilliant!

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

We worked directly with Rokas (CEO).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With each iteration of the tools we get more productive and efficient. It's a constant process of improvement that saves us time, energy, and money. And that makes us more productive.

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

The project mangement style has been very personal and professional simultaneously. We keep a log in Coda of the types of issues we're facing. We then book one hour sprints and get online and solve many of the problems right then and there. This approach is really quite novel. You are present while much of the development goes on, so you can give direct inputs and guide the process.

We have also made use of Bloo.io to track project work.

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

How easy they make the solutions seem to complex problems. And how their No Code approach provides virtually immediate solutions that can be modified at any stage. The tools totally evolve with us at the most micro level.

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

I think at the beginning there was not enough focus on making the pages visually appealing. I believe functionality is paramount, but form is also important because it often makes the user experience more engaging. However, once we addressed this, Idea Link really picked up on that and I'm really happy with the way things are being handled visually.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Gasta design & kommunikasjon as

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Developing websites based on Squarespace CMS and webapplications for business in Norway and the Scandinavian countries

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Idea Link to accomplish?

• Develop a lunch-box application for customer

SOLUTION

How did you find Idea Link?

Online Search

Why did you select Idea Link over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Idea Link were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Developed a lunch-box application based on Bubble. Design&analysis process was smooth with Figma and Slack cooperation. Developing the application in Bubble meant shorter development stage.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Application was delivered on-time.

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

The communication in the whole process was very effective. Good project management, and the IdeaLink people proved very easy to cooperate with and a trustworthy partner.

What was your primary form of communication with Idea Link?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

High level of understanding the customer. Good coding skills. Good project management.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Lawkraft

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Digital Transformation Education and Consulting

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Idea Link to accomplish?

• Develop Web App

SOLUTION

How did you find Idea Link?

Online Search

Why did you select Idea Link over others?

Great culture fit, Good value for cost, Company values aligned

What was the size of Idea Link’s team?

6-10 Employees

What was your primary form of communication with Idea Link?

Virtual Meeting, Email or Messaging App

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

Developing a Web App from A-Z by using an external Database-System that synchronizes with the No-Code-Database (bubble.io). Realizing a fitting UX-Design and implementing several APIs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Perfectly Working App
• Regular Video-Meetings
• Solving unpredicted issues / problems fast

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

They took enough time for detailled project meetings, gave realistic estimates for time and costs and always found an efficient way to make our vision come true.

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

Its a are very likeable and sympathetic team, strong leadership und customer success, very relaxed and focused at the same time. Their own success story in the time we were working with them gave us confidence that they knew what they were doing.

Are there any areas for improvement or something {provider_name} could have done differently?

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Program manager for an insurance intermediary

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Idea Link, and what were your goals?

Needed a distributor focused software to replace off the shelf form software.

SOLUTION

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

Talked with multiple vendors. Narrowed it down to 2. Understanding of the software was key as was communication.

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

• Decide on Technology: Bubble
• Scope out project/needs
• Wireframe
• Approve wireframe
• Provide supporting materials (docs, math, etc)
• Build
• Test
• Approve

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

• Designer Programmer
• work flows Programmer
• Data base Project Manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Launched on time. Distributors started using it which took pressure off of individual employees internally. We expanded the scope in 2022 to include a second product.

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

• Discord
• Clickup
• Zoom

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

We're impressed by their ability to probe and ask questions to help them understand our complicated business.

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

Company is constantly improving and putting new tools in place to handle the workflow