Imua

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and president of an apartment directory platform. We are a mobile app and directory platform for the multi-family apartment industry in the US.

What challenge were you trying to address with Imua?

We needed a company that could help us develop a web app and a mobile app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Imua designed and developed a cross-platform Bubble mobile application, a web app, and a Webflow website for us. We designed the site to look clean and professional because it was aimed towards other businesses instead of consumers.

Aside from that, Imua also helped us with our logo and branding as well as our colors and overall brand identity. We went through an entire branding exercise, where we talked about what we were looking for in our identity and vision. 

The mobile app is now in beta testing phase, but we have released it in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Its main features include a directory of vendors for multifamily properties and the ability to save or favorite those vendors to a specific list.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with three people from Imua.

How did you come to work with Imua?

I came across Imua through an online search. I interviewed around eight firms and went through a rigorous selection process, but I ultimately went with Imua because they fit my needs and budget and I felt really comfortable engaging with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent somewhere around $40,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

I’m very impressed with the quality of Imua’s work and the overall experience of working with their team. They’ve delivered high-quality products that work really well. They’ve also been able to nail down the kind of design in the use case needs that I was looking for.

How did Imua perform from a project management standpoint?

One of Imua’s biggest strengths is being very clear about the timelines. They’ve always been very consistent in meeting deadlines and having follow-up calls to process or validate a new testing process based on the deliverables.

We primarily communicate through Slack, and we use Figma for project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with how professional Imua was in terms of how they approached the project and the deliverables. I feel like they really care about the outcome of the project and are as invested in our success as we are. During the earlier phases of the project, they were in the trenches with me, figuring out our problems and working on coming up with solutions together.

Another thing that really impresses me is their responsiveness and excellent follow-through. They always do what they say they’re going to do, which is really important in business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they could have done differently. I’ve really enjoyed working with them, and I would refer them to anybody I know.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Imua has a very strong judgment, and I suggest that you trust their instincts. The way that they’ve thought through solutions has ended up saving us a lot of time over the course of the project.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I buy, repair, refurbish, and sell industrial machinery, specializing in recycling equipment.

What challenge were you trying to address with Imua?

I was looking to sell or broker many different pieces of equipment, and I needed to share information via some sort of online marketplace. I wanted it to be a mobile-friendly website, not an app. I wanted other users to be able to create equipment listings as well.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Imua built the website and designed the logo. I gave general direction, and they worked to make the site mobile-friendly, user-friendly, and attractive. The main functionality of the site was the ability to post pictures, list the pieces of equipment, and send the listings to other users on the platform who might be interested.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Eric (Founder).

How did you come to work with Imua?

I met Eric at a convention for auto dismantlers, and he was working on software for that industry. We talked about my website idea and ended up partnering.

How much have you invested with them?

I invested about $2,500 with Imua. They wanted to grow and had an interest in that industry, so they only charged me the startup creation fee.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on this project from February 2019–May 2019. I think it took about two months to build the website.

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

Imua built an excellent website, and it met my expectations. Even users who were less computer savvy found the site to be user-friendly, which speaks to the quality of Imua’s work.

I used the website for a large project that involved cleaning out an entire facility. At least 100 pieces of machinery needed to be uploaded, categorized, and posted, and I did that via the site that Imua developed. Initially, we had some kinks to work out when uploading more than one picture at a time, but Imua was able to fix that feature.

How did Imua perform from a project management standpoint?

Imua was very quick to get the website running. Eric flew to Los Angeles to meet me in person, which shows how much effort he put in to make sure our project was done well. Outside of that meeting, we communicated via phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I would say that their personal interest in the recycling and scrap metal industry was important to me. They cared about the industry and knew its potential. They were willing to put in extra effort because they knew that they could grow in that industry beyond just the project that I wanted them to create.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They really hit the nail on the head with what I asked for. I don’t think there’s anything they could’ve done differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you know exactly what you want, communicate those specifics clearly with Imua. I was very vague when communicating my needs to Imua, because I didn't exactly know what I wanted but Imua was very helpful. I was vague about my needs to the point where Imua actually created the logo, and I just reviewed their work, but they did a good job.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Playe, a cloud-based video production platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with Imua?

We were looking for support to build our cloud-based platform, so we reached out to Imua due to their especially in Bubble.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Imua has helped us build our cloud-based video production platform on Bubble. The application allows us to manage everything related to video production, including the assets, resources, and people involved in the process.

Initially, we spent 2–3 days answering their questions about the feel and DNA of our brand. Then, they came back with a branding document that included everything, from logos to colors, typeface, and branding assets.

Next, we went through the design phase, where they spent about four weeks doing design work, going through the workflows and use cases of our application. We went through the entire platform, from the high-level view of what we were trying to achieve to the nuances of how each user would use each part of the application. It was a comprehensive and very detailed design process.

Finally, we went through the development process. It was an eight-week process, where Imua took everything we’d created on the design and branding processes and put it together into an application using Bubble.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been working with three main people from Imua. Eric (Founder) was the first person we spoke to, and he took the role of the CTO due to their technical expertise around integrations and application development. We’ve also worked with Alexander (Principal & Co-Founder), who took ownership of the design and branding processes. Additionally, we’ve worked with a Bubble development expert, who built out the application alongside Eric and Alexander to bring our vision to life.

How did you come to work with Imua?

We were looking through Upwork when we first found Eric, along with a few other potential vendors to choose from. I did a little research before talking to anyone and ended up in Eric’s LinkedIn profile, after which I contacted him.

We evaluated three different providers. Although others were more economical, the decision to work with Imua resulted from a process where we assessed how they took our ideas and their approach to building them out, designing, and developing them into an application. It was one of the best decisions we made.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $70,000–$80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Imua in April 2020, and we’re still working together. It has been a very detailed and comprehensive development project, and we don’t have an end date. Hopefully, we will shift our collaboration into a monthly retainer in the next couple of months.

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

Although we don’t have any particular set of metrics at the moment, we can say that we wouldn’t be where we are today without Imua. Bringing their expertise to the table was a game-changer for us.

How did Imua perform from a project management standpoint?

Imua’s communication has been terrific. We communicate via Slack, and they’re always very responsive. They’re based in Sydney whereas I’m in San Francisco, one of my partners is in London, and another is in Dublin. This kind of global engagement might seem like a challenge, but it hasn’t posed any real issues. If anything, we’ve had small issues around timing, but there have been times when we’re doing many things at once and other times where we’re not doing as much, so it is normal.

Besides Slack, we’ve used Figma and Miro as whiteboard tools. Alexander has used those tools to take us through the mindmaps.

What did you find most impressive about them?

My favorite part about working with Imua is how involved they’re in the project and how deep they’ve tried to understand our business. Their ability and willingness to pull things apart, get to their core, and find out the reason why we do them is also impressive.

Alexander, in particular, has questioned why we do certain things on multiple occasions, which has led to a pivot in the conversation. Thus, critically analyzing businesses is a massive skill of theirs. Additionally, on the technical side, Imua has never been stumped on by a challenge.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be great if Imua offered a closer hand-holding for companies like ours who don’t have a lot of experience in development. There have been times when we would’ve liked them to be more hands-on. However, every time we’ve given them feedback, they’ve changed for the better. There has been an improvement from their side, and they’re willing to take feedback from their clients.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust Imua’s process. For us, their process has worked out beautifully, and they’ve delivered what we asked for.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a company that helps aspiring professional speakers reach their potential.

What challenge were you trying to address with Imua?

We’re building an online tool to help professional speakers make more money and book more gigs. I needed a partner to help me create a strategy, as well as the tool itself.

What was the scope of their involvement?            

They helped me with strategy. I built a beta version of my web-based tool and they offered an outside perspective. They re-strategized the entire product using Fibery, starting with who we’re targeting. Then, they did a design phase, which resulted in some screens I could share with professional speakers to get their feedback.

The tool offers dynamic pricing, which is new to some speakers. There’s also a process with best practices to help ensure users are generating the most revenue and staying organized. The third feature is an outreach strategy to help them find new opportunities for professional speaking.  

What is the team composition?

I worked with Eric (Founder) and Alex (Founder).  

How did you come to work with Imua?

I listened to their podcast and thought they sounded like smart people. I also chose them because they’re Bubble developers, which is a code-less platform. We haven’t started developing yet, but the Bubble framework will allow us to move fast when we do.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2020, and our first phase wrapped up in November 2020. We just had a call a week ago to start the next phase.  

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

I had one-on-one product walk-throughs with professional speakers. I showed them the mockups Imua created and my goal was to show clients something they’d never seen before. I also wanted to show them what it’s capable of and improve on it based on their feedback. With that goal in mind, they delivered a 10 out of 10.

How did Imua perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re really efficient and great to work with. We had a lot of Google Meetings.They communicate well, which can be hard when working on design and strategy with people who are technically proficient. They communicated effectively enough that I never felt that I was in the dark.

The team always delivered on time and used tools really well to keep things organized. They assigned tasks in a project management tool and if I was holding them up, they’d let me know.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re thoughtful and thought provoking. They didn’t just do what I ask, which is exactly what I needed. They asked a lot of tough questions while also helping with the answers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wasn’t prepared for how hard it was to do thoughtful and smart user feedback sessions. At first, I didn’t really know what I was doing and it was 5–6 interviews before I got into the groove of things. If Imua went the extra step to help with user feedback, it would be really helpful.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to be ready and willing to rethink your project from the start. That way, you’ll get the most mileage out of what they have to offer.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of PodCave. We have built a beginning-to-end software solution for publishing and promoting podcasts.

What challenge were you trying to address with Imua?

After about 20 years in the radio industry, we were new to the software space. We are not developers — our company is made up of idea people, so we needed a team to build us the software solution we were seeking for our users. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project had a big scope. Our MVP for the project was ambitious. We built out the UI for podcasters to import their podcasts and host their podcasting. A lot of the work that Imua did had to do with API integrations with texting and emailing platforms as well as social media. They did heavy backend API integrations and then a full UI for our users. The team used Node.js for the API work, and the solution is primarily built on the no-code platform Bubble.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people from Imua, but we mostly dealt with Eric (Founder).

How did you come to work with Imua?

We were on a hunt for a no-code solution so that we could maintain it on our own post-build. We searched around and looked at a couple of different agencies. Imua seemed like the best to work with based on not only their demeanor but also their clear vision of what we wanted.

How much have you invested with them?

It was about $29,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I believe it only took them 8–9 weeks to build the software, beginning in July 2019. We also did some follow-up work.

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

The solution that we’ve built for our podcasters is unlike anything else in the podcasting space, so the anecdotal feedback has been amazing. 

Our company was in the consulting space, but we’ve shifted entirely to software since the build. As far as metrics go, it’s still new; even after Imua completed the build, we still had a lot of work to do on our end. However, the traction has been good. We’re gaining users at a rate that I didn’t expect. 

How did Imua perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was amazing. We had weekly calls and communicated with them almost daily during the build. We mostly communicated through phone and email on our end, and I believe they used project management tools on their end. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Whenever we asked for changes, they got things done ridiculously fast. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No — we owe our whole business to them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know what you want and what your scope of work is going in. They’re smart and agile enough to tell you what they think will work better than what you have. If you come to the table with an exact plan and an explanation of why you have that plan, they’ll be much more beneficial, and the time will be worth more.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a technology talent matching platform and search business.

What challenge were you trying to address with Imua?

We wanted a partner for a brand refresh and to take that into our MVP platform & product design.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us update our brand values to reflect the next stage of the company’s growth. We selected a new logo and color palette. They also did user UX/UI design for a new web app.

What is the team composition? 

I worked with Eric (Founder) and Alex (Founder). 

How did you come to work with Imua?

We found them online after reviewing various potential partners through various sources. 

We decided to work with them because of their communication style and lack of friction with getting started. 

They took the time to learn more about our business and collaborate with us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2020, and the work is ongoing. 

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

We’re happy with the work. They let us spread out the work and payments so we didn’t feel rushed. It’s been a positive experience. Our website will be live at the beginning of 2021. 

How did Imua perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication is good. We used email and Figma primarily.

We also had calls, sometimes weekly and sometimes every other week – depending on workload.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like their communication style.

They’re very collaborative. It felt like a true partnership.

 They listened to me and took direction. They challenged me at the right time, and in the right way, but also took feedback well. 

They also defaulted to action and results. Showing me updated work instead of talking about it. 

I also really liked that all elements of the work were in sprints. So there were great bursts of activity and results, that truly injected momentum as needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, it’s been great. I’ve enjoyed working with them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Listen to them and get the work done that they ask of you. Make sure you’re honest with them as well. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of an office interior design company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Imua?

We wanted to build a system that helped connect our clients to our designers through a portal. This way our designers and clients could interact about design choices and deliverables. Having a centralized location where we could track projects would make everything much easier.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We built the product using Bubble. It’s a no-code tool, so that makes it easier for us to edit the product as needed. They helped us with the user flow and design implementation.

We provided them with some mockups and explicit explanations of what we needed them to build. They built upon that by expanding our workflows and completing more technical drawings for us to look at.  

What is the team composition? 

I worked with the founders of the company, Eric and Alex. I also worked with a developer. 

How did you come to work with Imua?

I found them online. I was looking for a team that had experience using Bubble, and that’s what set them apart from other vendors. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $20,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–June 2020. 

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

Qualitatively, clients have been impressed with the product. We’re happy to have this new platform to work on. It’s made our work much more efficient. The platform works seamlessly. If there are issues or improvements we want to make, it’s easy to communicate that with Imua. 

How did Imua perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication was great. We had weekly touchpoints. They were super responsive. I felt like I could reach them at any time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team is very skilled. They respond to issues and questions right away. They’re capable and can tackle complicated challenges. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing that comes to mind. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Make sure you have all of your requirements outlined. I didn’t have enough of my scope laid out for them at the beginning. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder of construction tech co.

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

Wanted to quickly test out an app concept that would let users interact with and data, as well as order and pay for services.

How did you select Imua and what were the deciding factors?

We interviewed 4 Bubble developers. Eric and the Imua team understood that we wanted the lightest weight tool that made sense to build and were super responsive.

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

I had mapped out a prototype app and feature list in Figma, the team reviewed this, created a detailed updated feature list that would serve as a scoping doc. Then the designer created wireframes, which we reviewed, then a more detailed Figma drawing. We worked in 1 week sprints.

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

3: A project lead, a designer, and an implementer/ coder

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

We launched the app and subsequent updates to it over the course of a few months. Some features shipped up to 2 weeks later than expected, in part due to not clearly aligning on scope/ expectations and the consequences of these decisions early on

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

Team has their own project management and bug tracking tool. Most communication was via Slack

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

There aren't that many teams that build on Bubble yet -- we were able to turn out something that other designers quoted up to $300k and 3-6 mo in ~2-3 mo and for a fraction of the cost.

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

There were a few instances where better scoping and communication of consequences of decisions would have been very helpful. The team was appreciative of this feedback and took it well.  I assume if I worked with them again, this would be addressed

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner and executive chef of an independent restaurant based in Santa Barbara, California. The restaurant, called Barbareño, serves a creative interpretation of local food.

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

When we started our restaurant, we did not recognize the importance of a well-built website for a restaurant like ours. We built the original site, but its usability and visual style were not in line with the level of our restaurant. We hired Iuma to make a more professional website that was integrated with our reservation platform and was easy to keep updated with seasonal menus.

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

We found this company online and spoke with their founder personally. He understood our situation and gave us his full attention. That, in combination with a great price proposal pushed us to decide to work with Iuma.

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

We had an initial meeting to go over our vision for the website, and key features. We then supplied all content (menu, pictures, copy writing, etc). The development team created several rounds of mock-ups on WordPress, and we were able to fine tune the content of the site at each stage.

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

The company's owner served as the project manager, and was our point of contact. There were several developers involved behind the scenes as well.

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

After launching the website, reservations increased by 15%. We received many compliments from diners about the quality of our website.

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

Our project manager communicated with us via email, Zoom, and by phone. The project was delivered on time, and all concerns were addressed promptly.

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

The personal attention they gave us was exceptional. They were able to seamlessly execute our vision, capturing the essence of our restaurant on the website.

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

After launching, we had a few hiccups with updating content. But these problems were addressed and resolved quickly.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Consumer App / Founder

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

As a solo founder trying to quickly spin up an MVP for testing, I couldn't have found a better partner in IMUA. Working side by side with the team at IMUA we launched into a "Train + Build" program that was top notch. The goal was to building a working v1 by the end of 6 weeks and we accomplished that goal and much more.

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

I found IMUA via my professional network and the deciding factor in choosing them was the quality of their team.

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

This was a Bubble build that included various plugins. Key deliverables were the finished App and the completion of my hands on training program.

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

I worked directly with 3 team members at IMUA and they covered software development, design and business development.

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

By creating a solid working MVP, I was able to effectively test my idea in the wild. This allowed to me to continue to iterate and push forward on my project.

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

Very attentive, very hands-on and very organized.

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

The founders of this company are professional, high-quality, and meticulous.

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

Not really, they are a polished crew.