Iron Forge Development

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and founder of a connected fitness platform that bridges the gap between physical therapy and home fitness. We have a connected fitness tool called AXIUS Core, which improves our users' core strength, balance, and mobility. It guides people through a data-driven journey with a connected IoT application.

What challenge were you trying to address with Iron Forge Development?

We needed a proof of concept for a prototype IoT mobile app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we had a discovery phase in terms of wireframing and mapping out what we wanted to build. We first provided an initial project scope document for Iron Forge to go through. After a few discovery calls to relay our needs and discuss the scope, they produced a comprehensive and detailed project scope and wireframe for the project.

Then came the implementation phase where they actually built it, which went through several different iterations. They ended up building several versions of this prototype app before we finally landed on the final version. Finally, we created a go-to-market (GTM) strategy, which they also helped design and implement. They continue to work with us on refining their work.

What is the team composition?

There are two people assigned to the project.

How did you come to work with Iron Forge Development?

They were recommended to us through a business networking group. I decided to work with them once I had a chance to speak with their development team because they were flexible, customizable, and had lots of experience in bringing apps to the market in this particular space. 

How much have you invested with them?

The total spend for this project is $75,000 so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in March 2020, and we’re still working together.

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

Thanks to their work, we’ve been able to acquire nearly half a million dollars in investment so far. 

How did Iron Forge Development perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great at project management and communication. They have a detailed scope of work and agreed-upon milestones that they're able to follow and reference. The team always keeps me up to speed on their progress in terms of deliverables — they consistently give me real-time updates on a weekly, sometimes even daily, basis. For operational communication, we mainly use Slack, but we also have occasional Zoom meetings and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have the expertise and vision that you'd want from a big company, but they have the dedication, flexibility, and attention of a small team. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have any suggestions for them to improve; we’re satisfied with the results of their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear understanding of what you want to build prior to engaging with any development and design group like Iron Forge. My advice isn’t specific to them, though; I'd say that's for any time you're outsourcing your UI/UX.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of a mental health technology company.

What challenges were you trying to address with Iron Forge Development?

We hired them to help with development.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed two native iOS apps for us, working collaboratively with our internal team. They also developed an ERP web application. This project was more complex and included intricate design work and backend development. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with 7–8 people. There was one iOS developer, four web application developers, a lead designer, a project manager, and two additional designers. 

How did you come to work with Iron Forge Development?

They were recommended to us. 

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve invested a bit over $200,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2020, and our relationship is ongoing.

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

They consistently executed our ideas. They’re effective, but their work is also affordable. They’ve taken on some complex challenges. 

How did Iron Forge Development perform from a project management standpoint?

They hit all of our deadlines. Our iOS developer is very responsive and works well with our team. The rest of the team’s project management is good, but not great. Communication is frequent, and they keep me informed of any major obstacles or issues. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re reliable and get stuff done. I can count on them. They know how to solve problems. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are times that they could’ve communicated a little better and been more organized in tracking the project. However, I would still give them high marks overall. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you want a US-based development team, they’re a great option, especially if your company is smaller. Define the project well upfront. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a technology startup.

For what projects/services did your company hire Iron Forge Development, and what were your goals?

We worked with Iron Forge to create a clickable prototype so we could validate our startup concept. We then had Iron Forge build out our MVP so we could further test and validate.

How did you select Iron Forge Development and what were the deciding factors?

I felt strongly that Iron Forge was a partner. They provided a lot of value outside of just the technology aspect. Members of their team helped me with fundraising and digital marketing advice. They also weren't just trying to build what I asked them. They provided pushback in areas that they thought the concept could be improved.

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

Iron Forge first created a clickable prototype of the app in InVision that we used to validate our concept. After validation, they also built our iOS MVP in Swift. The app involved integration of several APIs, dashboards, and scheduling functionality.

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

We worked primarily with Ian from Iron Forge on the development of our app.

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

The project was delivered in a timely manner, and they worked quickly and diligently to fix any bugs that we found during testing.

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

They had a very clear process and communication process throughout the life of the project.

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

Again, I thought their approach of forming a true partnership with us as the client was what was most impressive. They were more than just a development company, they helped with fundraising and marketing strategy as well.

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

There is nothing that jumps out at me that they could have done better.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a tech startup called Last Minute Hair. We provide an on-demand delivery service for beauty products making it easy for local beauty supplies stores to market and sell their inventory to consumers and then deliver it within an hour.

What challenge were you trying to address with Iron Forge Development?

I was looking for a trustworthy development company to help with building out my mobile app to take to the market. After trying to build it out myself, I realized that it would take so much time I wanted to find a tech company that I could trust.

I wanted to have a click-through prototype that I could leave to the audience and a visual for people to see exactly what I was speaking about. I wanted to find a software developer to help start the app process.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Iron Forge Development was very hands-on with educating me on the process that it would take to build my app. I knew exactly what I wanted my app to do and the features that it had, but decided that I needed a narrative created for my app.

The key feature that I had for my app was the ability to do a two-step authentication for the receiving and payment of the deliveries and they helped me work through that process. Iron Forge Development helped me integrate the POS software that I also created to the app and helped to make it easier for consumers to search for a product by brand name and user type.

I knew what I wanted to do and the feel that I wanted in the app when people use it, but I didn’t have necessarily a full look. Working on the project, we were able to go back and forth and told them what I wanted to say and the language and they give feedback on how we could potentially write it.

Initially, they didn’t know what they'd be able to complete, but they work on building key pages and important aspects.  Iron Forge Development was really helpful when we built the driver side that the consumers would use. While we had a consumer side to be more lighthearted with a lot of images, we want to keep it conservative when we’re dealing with the business side and keep the same emotions, but in a cleaner way.

They helped to make my app more user friendly and more sustainable for the future. The app is available for iOS and Android and they also helped me with the process of adding the app to Google Play and Apple App Store. In 4–5 weeks, they built a prototype for my app, which includes a lot of things because it's very intricate.

What is the team composition?

It is very intimate. I'm able to get in contact with everyone from one of the founding CEOs. I work with one of the CEOs, who developed the entire frontend design for the mobile app. I have access to them and they are really supportive.

How did you come to work with Iron Forge Development?

I found Iron Forge Development just in time for my very first pitch competition that I had last October 2019. Once I spoke to Chris (Chief Revenue Officer), I was definitely sold because of how genuine and invested they were to make sure that they would build a product that was best for their client. 

Iron Forge Development’s name popped up in a Google search and I started looking through their portfolio. I then searched for them in Google Play Store and Apple App Store. I started to look through the reviews and the consumer feedback of what their experience was using the platform for these apps that they built out. One of the apps that they built out had a 4.4 review.

Even the reviews that had a low rating were most likely due to human error where the person who was using the app didn’t use it well. It was mostly people who were excited or praising the app for these other companies that they built for.

With that, I felt confident that the people who were using my app would feel the same way just because of their detail; they have a very keen eye for detail and I really like that.

How much have you invested with them?

By the time the project is done, I will have invested $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with Iron Forge Development in November 2019 and I’m still working with them to finish the development of the app.

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

I’ve been able to acquire lifetime members of the app and people who are pre-registering to be a part of the platform. I have business owners who are really excited and impressed by the flow of the app and how their inventory will be presented to their customers, and how I built up the process in the app so that they are protected and their bottom line is protected.

They work from the back- to the frontend and they knocked it out. It looks really good and there weren't a lot of things that needed to be added afterward. I won my first pitch competition.

How did Iron Forge Development perform from a project management standpoint?

Iron Forge Development is always on point. The communication is awesome. Every time I reach out, they are very responsive. I have a direct cell phone number so I am able to text and call them.

If they can't answer right away because they are in a meeting, they will always get right back to me as soon as they have free time. It isn’t hard for me to get a hold of them. Project management wise, they’re always on time; they built out a full prototype within four weeks.

It was more of a collaboration, but I’ve been thinking about the work for two years before I met Iron Forge Development. I had my work together by the time I got to them, but they definitely helped bring me to full circle. They built up the prototype and that’s what I’ve been using to market.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I needed the job done right the first time and that’s what Iron Forge Development did. They are very personable and that’s why I have this true loyalty to them. They’re more than just a development company, they've almost become like family. They make sure that we are taken care of and we understand the process. If I need any help, they’re always there for me and I can call them up or text them.

Iron Forge Development’s theme and app design is very clean and polished. The users are always in front of Iron Forge Development’s mind when they develop an app. Their eye for detail is something that stands out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

With new team members coming in on the project, there should be a full understanding and consistency of what’s expected. That’s always something that is easy to work on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know what you want, have a clear idea of what you want your product, app, and website to do. Make sure everything is consistent throughout what identity your company has and align with that.

Once you have all of that, it makes the job easier because they’re able to pull the images together, speak the language you want, and implement features because they have a starting point of what exactly your company is about.