Liki

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an international IT service and support provider, with focus on service desk offers around the clock, managed services for IT infrastructures, large client rollouts and datacenter operations. Most of our customers are industrial companies, many times we act for them as an integrator of complex IT solutions. As a CIO of the Company I was Project Leder in this project.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

One of our customers from the utilities sector had a mission-critical SCADA application with a custom GUI panel developed in the nineties for win32. However, while the backend of the system has seen a lot of changes in recent years, the visualization system has remained the same.

Additionally, the problem was the inability to run the system on non windows devices, while many engineers were using Android devices. Our client decided it was time to create a modern web-based visualization system for their system that would work on any device and be easy to develop to keep up with the evolution of the backend logic.

SOLUTION

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

It was a referral from one of our partners who used their services and was very satisfied. The offering contained full description of the project phases and roles, programing methods and apporval stages. The priceing was acceptable.

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

t is a modern, React-based SCADA visualization platform for elaborate process control and system monitoring, enabling definitions of dynamic behavior and attachment of real-time data sources. All widgets have to be done as vector graphics, to be resolution independent. There was also some work on extending the API of the system, to help with dynamic data and handling realtime user interactions.

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

We hired from Liki three senior React developers and one senior Java developer. These guys were working as part of our team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After two months of intense work, our customer had a production-ready MVP of a new visualization platform for the web, working equally well on PC’s and touch-based tablet screens. Currently we are preparing for the next stage, which should bring more customization features.

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

The developers hired from Liki were part of our team, participating in daily and all other parts of the software development process. Project management was based on SCRUM method. We hired from Liki three senior React developers and one senior Java developer. These guys were working as part of our team.

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

They are good professionals and have a good work culture.

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

nothing

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a software development agency that specializes in building apps for people with disabilities. We’re based in New Zealand, and we build mobile, web, and voice apps.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Liki Mobile Solutions?

 One of our clients is one of the largest health providers in New Zealand. Their veterinary branch wanted vets to be able to contact oncologists while operating with animals with skin problems in the field.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

 Liki Mobile Solutions designed and helped us build an Android and iOS app that links vets and oncologists even when they’re located outside the mobile coverage of the city. Vets can take a picture of an animal’s skin change and upload it to the app for the oncologists to examine using a swiping-based UI.

The team also built several prototypes for the third party client, providing us with visual design ideas and proposals along the way. They constructed visual icons, buttons, logos, and the general layout of the app. Liki Mobile Solutions was very much involved in both the app development and design ends of the work.

What is the team composition?

We worked with at least 3–4 of their team members, including a project manager.

How did you come to work with Liki Mobile Solutions?

I’m originally from Poland and know that services like this typically cost less there. One of my coworkers at a previous job recommended them to me, and we did three short projects with them. I was satisfied with their work, so I hired them again. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent approximately $25,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from around May 2016–January 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While the app was not published for public use, and we haven’t received direct feedback from the third part client in New Zealand, we got great feedback on the app during our feasibility study. The vets testing the product thought it was easy to find information, manage cases, and save time in the field. They found it useful.

How did Liki Mobile Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated mostly through Skype, making the most of our 12-hour time zone difference. Our meetings were occasionally at strange times, but some clients were still amazed at how quickly we were able to work and complete tasks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their graphic designer was able to take our concept and quickly visualize it accurately. Sometimes, her work was so good that we kept the first iteration. We never had to make too many changes. I was also very impressed by the quality of the work given the price. It can be up to three times more expensive to hire developers in New Zealand compared to what we spent with Liki Mobile Solutions. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Communication and the time zone may be a challenge to some, but we didn’t struggle with it. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

 Meet their team in person if the opportunity presents itself. I visited them in Poland and it helped a lot. Plus, it's nice to be familiar with the people you work with. For people unable to go to Poland, I’d recommend an introductory video conference, just so you know their team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO at Veygo. We provide software technology for live and video-on-demand streaming services to operators and media providers worldwide, helping them distribute their content. In short, I deal with all of our customer programs and make sure our clients are happy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Liki Mobile Solutions?

Given the nature of our industry, we encounter some pretty challenging demands from our customers. Sometimes they want end-to-end solutions that exceed our skillset or our team availability. We needed to extend our services to include frontend applications development, so we looked for a third-party vendor to augment our internal capabilities.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our initial collaboration involved developing a mobile application for iOS and Android devices. They integrated our core product software development's kit (SDK) and built the user interface. It’s a video-on-demand and live streaming app that allows users to watch recorded or live TV content.

Following the core development, we’ve added more features. Additionally, Liki Mobile Solutions built a medical photography app for Android and iOS, using HTML, JavaScript, and Cordova technologies. We continue to work with them for mobile development and testing, video streaming projects, and web app development for our personal website.

Liki Mobile Solutions developers are integrated into our team and we exchange with them every day on the requirements, specifications, development process and tests. Just as if they were part of our own team.

What is the team composition?

It varies case by case. They’re flexible in organizing a team that reflects our requirements. We’ve worked with anywhere from 1–10 people. For some projects, we just worked with a few developers. For our latest project, we worked with a team of project managers, web designers, and web front- and backend developers.

How did you come to work with Liki Mobile Solutions?

I’d previously worked with their CEO on another project with a different company, so I was familiar with their capabilities. We checked their employees’ backgrounds to confirm that their skillset met our needs. Being based in Poland, they’re also able to handle some of our global needs. As such, we established a partnership.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2014, and they provide ongoing support and development services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work has had a significant impact on our company’s performance. They create the most visible part of our services—basically, the frontend of our company. Liki Mobile Solutions delivers on time, keeping us on schedule. Overall, they’re a pretty important partner.

How did Liki Mobile Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They deliver on whatever we ask of them. In terms of communication, they have a great response time, and they’re always available. We usually speak on a daily basis, which helps us stay on schedule. This partnership stands out among the past experiences we’ve had with other offshore development providers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate their flexibility in accommodating our workload and requests.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s always room for improvement. We could be more structured in defining the project’s scope. Unfortunately, we usually have to sacrifice those details because of time constraints.

Any advice for potential customers?

Clients should make sure they clearly describe their goals, then trust Liki Mobile Solutions’ development process. We’ve put all of our confidence in them, and so far, it’s been rewarding. It’s important to establish trust in the relationship and set expectations for both parties.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Orange is one of the four telecommunication companies in Poland. I’m the product manager for the Orange app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Liki Mobile Solutions?

We needed someone to develop My Orange app for iOS and Android.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our iOS and Android app which is for customers to manage their accounts and services, check their usage, and make payments. They are responsible for preparing code for new versions every two months. They started development for Windows, but we stopped it because the use of Windows phones is low.

What is the team composition?

There are 6–7 developers.

How did you come to work with Liki Mobile Solutions?

Their owner was a former employee of Orange. He knew the environment of Orange systems and knew the team responsible for development. It was easy to choose him and his company to do the job.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2015 and the work is ongoing. It took two months to complete the initial app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a larger volume of users. We have good satisfaction with the app. Customers even use the purchase option in the app.

It’s a great company. They do all the tasks and meet my business needs. They manage and prepare versions that include all my requirements. When there are bugs, they solve the issues quickly and prepare a new version with the bugs fixed. They get the new versions to market promptly.

How did Liki Mobile Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They do exceptionally well. There were no issues with missing deadlines. They’re always improving their work and project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very elastic. They find solutions for all the problems we give them to solve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re a company that you can trust. If there are technical limitations to completing your requirements, they will give you other options.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the sales director at one of the largest financial brokers in the country. We mainly sell insurance and loan and credit products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Matsuu?

Matsuu took over managed services when our previous provider failed to deliver the second sprint. They fixed the source code and created a new schedule with the exact sprint dates and acceptance criteria. Then they began developing our project.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a platform that would help our agents during their daily field work with clients. The application needed to be easy to use and technologically advanced. It was designed to help our resellers sell products, quickly enter client data into forms, and automatically send verification data.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found Matsuu on Google. I emailed them and got feedback after just a few minutes. After many conversations, negotiations, and workshops, we decided to cooperate with them. They had one of the highest prices, but they also had great ideas for our application and came to each meeting prepared.

Describe the project in detail.

They created the back- and frontend of our Android and iOS apps for smartphones and tablets. They also built an admin panel to process credit and loan applications that agents entered on mobile devices. 

Matsuu fixed and simplified our previous provider's UX design considerably. The UX of the apps was clever and intuitive, because many of our agents are learning to use smartphones. They prepared two versions of the UX design: one for Android, and one for iOS. The apps had many features, but could quickly send data to our verification department. 

What was the team composition?

We only contacted the project manager assigned to us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I felt confident in their level of expertise.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our project manager was effective and regularly reported on our project. Our opinions sometimes differed, but we always reached an agreement.  

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The biggest surprise was that Matsuu helped us with not only technical solutions, but also business analysis. I've worked with many software houses, but this was the first time I had encountered this approach. They had extensive knowledge in many business sectors.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a manufacturer of fitness equipment. I’m the founder and CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Liki?

We needed help maintaining our online services and were also considering building an app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provide us with a wide array of services. The first engagement was around our online services, but we ended up also contracting them for the development of a related app.

It was important for us to service both Android and iOS users, so we asked them to choose a technology that enabled that through one codebase. The app also has native components on both operating systems.

We outlined general requirements for the app’s design and color scheme, providing examples from other websites and apps. They took these items and transferred them into a real app design.

What is the team composition?

They assigned a project manager who handled the entire process. I used to be a developer so I was able to talk to their resources directly. It was still good to have someone on their side holding all the strings together, especially since we’re not based in the same location.

How did you come to work with Liki?

They approached me over email, saying that they would be visiting our location and would like to set up a meeting. We have constant IT needs around our website and the services we offer, so their inquiry came at the right the time.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in mid-2017. The app is close to completion—we will be attending a trade show in mid-April and plan to exhibit it there. We will release the first version in May or June 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They came up with a solution that fulfilled all my base requirements. The app is cross-platform but performs well. Those two aspects can sometimes contradict each other, so I appreciate their work.

I had access to the source code, so I could see the actual work being done. Some items still need polishing, but we are still in the early stages. We’re working on refining the app and making it ready for app-store deployment.

How did Liki perform from a project management standpoint?

As someone with a technical background, it’s often been more efficient for me to talk to the developers directly. I don’t need help relaying technical requirements, and some of those requirements can be hard for a project manager to translate. Their project manager was valuable to me, mainly because he worked at their location. He could give feedback on what the developers were doing, and provide a supporting role. That was important to me.

Their developers asked a lot of questions during the development process, which confirmed that they were trying to understand what the app should actually do. They also made their own suggestions, which is always encouraged. Their suggestions usually proved to be the better alternatives, given their knowledge of the system. We had a lot of back-and-forths, which I count as a plus. In the end, it led to a better app. Most of the communication was done either through Skype or telephone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're always trying to be helpful and supportive. They remained responsive even when the project was held up by the developers working on the hardware part. This showed us that they care about the project, and not only about getting paid.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We needed a way of documenting our interaction process. We mainly communicated by email during the first stages, which got out of hand quickly. Sending back-and-forth documentation is an old-fashioned approach. It worked, but it was hard to track, especially when more than one developer was involved. The improvement we’ve made for the current iteration is to use a tool that enables better structuring. In this case, we used Trello, which is simple to use and provides a good way to track everything. That’s been working well so far.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

My general advice is for customers to demand a structured collaboration tool from the start, and not rely on email. Trello solved this well for us and the developers were quick to pick it up. I believe they've also started using it internally.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

dopreprogramy.pl (meaning good software in English) is the largest vertical portal in Poland dedicated to software, with a unique blogging platform for its users and a large, curated base of applications for most popular operating systems. We stand out amongst our competition not only with stats, but also with the deep relationship we have with the community of our readers.

I am editor-in-chief. My responsibilities include the management of our editorial office, cooperation with business partners, planning strategic goals with the Board, and of course, writing as an editor and maintaining relations with our community.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matsuu?

Sometimes we launch online contests for our readers, often lasting several days, with attractive prizes and special tasks. We were looking for a solution to reinforce our commitment to the community by elevating the challenges of the contest, improving their timing aspect and bringing even more immersive experiences to everyone involved.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted to create a mobile application for Android and iOS which could be used in our "Konkursy z dioda" ("Contests with the LED" in English). The application was used not only to push new questions in a given day as fast as possible, but also to track the time spent on each answer, facilitate the process of the giveaway of smaller prizes, and to track the daily rankings of contestants.

How did you come to work with Matsuu?

We were looking for a software house with a lot of experience in both Android and iOS development and with competitive prices. Matsuu proposed the best terms so we accepted their initial offer.

How much have you invested with Matsuu?

The estimated price for the "LED it be" project was $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Matsuu in autumn of 2016. In the beginning of February 2017 we had a working app (for both Android and iOS) and we used it in a contest done in partnership with AVAST, a leading antivirus software company.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Our community was very happy with this unexpected turn of events - developing a mobile app was new for us. The first contest was a success from the business side. Our partner is glad about the results because the increased competition brought more attention to his products.

What did you find most impressive about Matsuu?

They are flexible and easy to get along with. They have shown both a professional attitude and a good understanding of our needs.

Are there any areas Matsuu could improve?

They improved already during our cooperation. In the beginning, we had some problems in choosing methods of communication between developers. Both sides were using incompatible project management systems. We found a good solution.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a Polish beer manufacturer with a total of 27 brands and a 200-person team. I am the chairman of the organization. My role is dedicated to marketing activities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matsuu?

We were looking for new ways of connecting to customers using technology. Specifically, we needed development resources for our mobile customer channel.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Matsuu developed our app. Our marketing department received a lot of support from them. In the future, we plan to use Matsuu for the second version of our product.

How did you come to work with Matsuu?

We decided to hire a Polish studio. I found several companies through an online search and sent them requests. Good quality is something we are always looking for when building a unique product, and Matsuu made the best offer in terms of the price/quality ratio.

How much have you invested with Matsuu?

The cost of Matsuu's work was around $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Matsuu in August 2015. The project was completed in December. We are eager to renew the collaboration and plan to add new features to the app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

This was our first collaboration with a developer, and it was a good experience. Matsuu has a professional and creative team, and they are always providing new ideas. They kept us informed through step-by-step updates. The project was successful for our company. We have received positive media feedback and have good application statistics.

How did Matsuu perform from a project management standpoint?

Matsuu's project manager gave us many opportunities to discuss fresh ideas. We had weekly calls and were kept informed constantly. This was very important, especially when working with remote resources. It was a good user experience for us.

What did you find most impressive about Matsuu?

Matsuu's ability to discuss their decisions made them stand out. The quality of the work is extremely good and the development process was also great. Matsuu's team was helpful and willing to discuss the work with us. They provided high-level engagement in every step of the project, which was unexpected.

Are there any areas Matsuu could improve?

Matsuu could improve its design capabilities, but this is only a minor point.