Product Design & Development
LookFar Labs is a product design and development company. We work with SMBs and funded startups to help them innovate and grow. Our six core services are- app development, product design, staff augmentation, brand development, user research, and solution architecture. While we’re headquartered in New Orleans, LA, our team is distributed throughout the U.S. We care deeply about making an impact in our clients’ businesses, so give us a call if you want a tech partner who you can rely on!
headquarters
Focus
Portfolio
LCI Worker's Comp, Camp Bow Wow, Westbank, also an Inc. 5000 company 3. Civic Source, a leading online marketplace for auctioning and purchasing tax-delinquent assets 4. Westbank, a publicly traded agriculture company managing a fishing operation responsible for one third of the annual U.S. Gulf Menhaden catch
LTBA | Horse breeder system
Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association (LTBA) is a non-profit that manages the distribution of award payments to owners and breeders in the state of Louisiana.
LTBA was relying upon proprietary software built in the 80s to manage their core operations. They approached LookFar Labs to rebuild their software in a modern tech stack in the Cloud, without overhauling their current processes or losing historical data.
Our product team met with LTBA employees to perform contextual inquiries to understand LTBA’s processes, data, and tools. The new system, currently in development, will significantly increase productivity across the organization, as sharing data will be more streamlined and accurate, and most of the manual processes will be automated.
View the project at https://www.lookfar.com/labs/work/ltba/
MobileQubes | Self-service phone charger app
Making sure that your phone or tablet never dies, MobileQubes provides self-service kiosks in convenient, public locations for you to rent or buy batteries on the go.
MobileQubes’ backend application acts as a central communication hub for all of their active kiosks. We built a native mobile frontend to send and receive calls from their backend application for both iOS and Android users. Key functionalities of the mobile app are kiosk mapping, account management, and payment processing.
Explore the project at https://www.lookfar.com/labs/work/mobilequbes/
LCI | Workers comp integrated products
We have worked with LCI for over ten years to develop in-house systems that run operations including claims, underwriting, policy, management, billing and more.
Through user interviews, process analyses, and systems evaluations, we have satisfied the needs of various user types within the LCI organization, while optimizing processes and tools.
Our web-based suite of integrated products manage LCI’s entire business. Sharing data between all of these users in a streamlined fashion has contributed greatly to LCI’s growth over the past decade.
See the project at https://www.lookfar.com/labs/work/lci/
Camp Bow Wow | Dog daycare facility system
A multi-franchise owner of Camp Bow Wows in Louisiana and Alabama was struggling to stay on top of Camper (dogs) details and events such as baths, feedings, and medication.
Through site visits and interviews with staff members at Camp Bow Wow Mid-City, we gained an intimate understanding of current processes and existing software solutions.
His facilities book between 100-200 dogs per day; our web-app and corresponding API backend pulls information from Camp Bow Wow Corporate’s Reservation system.
Our custom web app streamlined Camp Bow Wow’s operations by digitizing the company’s offline processes.
Explore the project at https://www.lookfar.com/labs/work/camp-bow-wow/
OSS | Mobile incident response app
On Scene Services (OSS) provides comprehensive auto accident investigation and management services to municipalities.
Agents needed to reduce traffic accident response times while adhering to Traffic Incident Management (TIM) standards and improving the richness of the data collected on scene. We helped them achieve this by architecting a flexible and performant web app.
We also built a dashboard for OSS’s insurance customers to quickly access crash reports involving their insureds.
View the project at https://www.lookfar.com/labs/work/on-scene-services/
YouthForce NOLA | student applicant tracking tool
YouthForce NOLA (YFN) prepares New Orleans public school students for high-wage, high-demand careers via internships and other professional development programs and resources.
The organization was in need of a better way to facilitate the student application process for multiple YFN programs, so we designed a web app to manage these efforts.
To avoid application abandonment, we allowed users to focus on one question at a time with a step-by-step UX and logically grouped questions. We provided an expected response length for open-ended questions to set students up for success and allowed them to save their responses, so they could complete the application at a later time. Finally, we included a video response step to give them an opportunity to showcase their communication strengths in another format. Once the application is complete, the responses are synced to the YFN Salesforce account for review and scoring.
Feels | Charity donation app
Feels is a platform that enables the gifting of charitable donations that recipients can direct to the charity of their choice.
The idea-stage founders wanted a product development partner who would share their vision every step of the way. Our Strategize Phase helped them translate their idea into a mobile app, while our brand development services provided a foundation from which to build. We are currently in development.
Explore the project further at https://www.lookfar.com/labs/work/feels/
Reviews
the project
Software Development for Music Technology Company
“LookFar Labs has always performed perfectly.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the founder and CEO of Myxstem, a music technology company.
What challenge were you trying to address with LookFar Labs?
I’ve worked with LookFar Labs for over ten years. Originally, we started working on a music technology platform that eventually became my current company. Now, we work on interactive educational media for music education.
What was the scope of their involvement?
LookFar Labs helped us create a platform for delivering music in an interactive format. In this platform, our users are able to isolate the stems of a particular song and listen to the individual instruments separately from one another.
Initially, they developed one of our first platform versions for iPad, and we’ve had a great working relationship ever since.
What is the team composition?
On this particular revision, we’ve worked with 3–4 people from LookFar Labs, including Jeff (Partner & Software Engineer), Johnny (Senior Developer), and two other people that were brought in on short-term contracts to work on specific parts of the engineering. Johnny is the original engineer of our software’s first version. Additionally, we’ve had contact with Chris (CEO & Founder).
How did you come to work with LookFar Labs?
Chris was my mentor when I started developing software, and later, we became partners. Working with Chris and his team was a natural fit from the beginning, so our mentor-mentee relationship grew into a professional partnership.
What is the status of this engagement?
I’ve been working with the same group of professionals for over 10 years. We started working together around September 2010, and our relationship is ongoing. However, their current name, LookFar Labs, was established a few years after we initially engaged as part of their rebranding.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
LookFar Labs’ team is very fast and efficient, and they’ve saved me 2–3 times more time and money than other developers that I’ve worked with.
How did LookFar Labs perform from a project management standpoint?
LookFar Labs has always performed perfectly. They educate me on things that I don’t fully understand, and we work together very fluidly. Additionally, they always get back to me with the answers that I need.
Overall, we have a very smooth working relationship, and we communicate via email, Slack, and Zoom.
What did you find most impressive about them?
LookFar Labs doesn’t sugarcoat anything in any way, and neither do they try to dodge getting tasks accomplished. A lot of other companies tend not to provide a straight answer. However, that’s not the case with LookFar Labs. I never have to question where I am with them, and I always feel that I’m in good hands.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I’ve known them for so long that I don’t have any constructive feedback.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Be mindful about the hours because, every time you have an additional requirement, they have to spend time working on it. LookFar Labs’ team is always working hard, and because they’re good at their work, you might think that they can get the job done quickly. However, some things take time, so be disciplined with the tasks you ask them to do. They’re always honest and fill their hours with integrity.
the project
Mobile App Dev for For-Profit Consumer Goods Company
“They go above and beyond their scope.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the co-founder of Feels. We’re a for-profit consumer goods company. We have technology through QR codes that attach to any product out there. Our consumers can send a present and also attach a QR code to the gift. It’s basically money that goes to our platform that can only be given to charity. The recipient of the present chooses what charity the money goes to.
What challenge were you trying to address with LookFar Labs?
We brought them on to build our mobile app. Overall, the objective is to bring charitable giving to the front of retail.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They’re developing our platform for iOS and Android. We started out with an MVP model. As we went along, we put more money into it to make it a fairly robust app. The search functionality is one of the app’s key features. Our backend has 1.5 million charities that consumers can choose from. Users also have the ability to share their activity with their friends.
What is the team composition?
We work with Lindsay (VP Sales & Brand Strategy), Chris (CEO & Founder), and M’Elena (Product Strategist).
How did you come to work with LookFar Labs?
I found them online on a platform similar to Clutch. I spoke to Lindsay on the phone and had an in-person meeting at their office.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve invested around $150,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
Our ongoing engagement started in January 2020.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Their ability to help stretch every dollar and value engineer here and there to help us give the best scope that we can is excellent. But they also take into consideration that we’re a startup with limited funding. We’ve shown the app to some family and friends and they understand it and are excited about its potential. Our first beta test is in a few weeks, and we’re hoping to launch in June 2020.
How did LookFar Labs perform from a project management standpoint?
M’Elena is very diligent. She meets deadlines and is flexible with call times. LookFar Labs’ communication skills are very strong, especially M’Elena’s. We utilize Slack.
Chris is great as well, and Lindsay always checks in. Lindsay has approached us with ideas and people we can partner or work with locally after the app’s launch. They go above and beyond their scope.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They understand the risk that we’re taking and will do anything to help us succeed. That can range from helping to identify a photographer or designer as well as finding some help with content. LookFar Labs goes the extra mile and doesn’t nickel and dime everything. They sincerely try to be as helpful as possible
Are there any areas they could improve?
There was a little bit of change at their company at the very beginning of the pandemic so a lot of challenges were rooted in not being able to get in a room together. We wanted someone local for this very reason. They’ve had some organizational and structural things that weren’t as refined as they needed to be.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Company culture is huge. Make sure that whoever you choose fits with your cultural beliefs and how they live their life. We got to know LookFar Labs before the project started and were happy that they were a great fit.
the project
Custom Software Development for Energy Company
"The LookFar team is knowledgeable."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the owner of KTM Management.
What challenge were you trying to address with LookFar Labs?
We did volumetric accounting for crude oil barrels in a pipeline system. We used a third-party to achieve this goal. Unfortunately, we found errors in their processing of our invoices to our customers. We decided to contact LookFar to write a program that would properly process invoices.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We had an initial meeting with Jeff (Partner), and then he understood what we wanted to achieve. LookFar then developed software for us, which is web-based. Their team used a database system to build the software. They still upgrade our two systems. Now, we’re looking into two major upgrades.
What is the team composition?
We initially met with Jeff and Lindsay (VP of Sales & Brand Strategy). We then mostly communicated with Jeff. A programmer named Chester (Full Stack Software Developer) actually built the software.
How did you come to work with LookFar Labs?
I previously used LookFar to create proprietary software. As I was familiar with their abilities, it was a simple choice to call them for this project.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent between $100,000–$200,000 on their services. The last major project cost $86,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
I started working with them around November 2016, and our partnership’s ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
I had software for about 10–12 years and knew absolutely nothing about the product. I went and met with LookFar. Within 15 minutes, their team understood the software, which was tremendous. It normally takes people time to learn what we want to achieve, but Jeff understood it after one meeting with us. Anything that I ask of them, their team makes it happen. They’re phenomenal.
How did LookFar Labs perform from a project management standpoint?
We never have issues with LookFar Labs. Their team lays out project phases and cost estimates for each phase. If they think there will be a cost increase, they contact us and let us know in advance. Overall, it’s a great experience.
What did you find most impressive about them?
The LookFar team is knowledgeable. They pick up what we’re trying to do. That’s their number one quality.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I’m satisfied with everything they’ve done.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Let them know what you want to accomplish. Give them all of the information possible and then it will be successful.
the project
Internship Application Product Dev for Educational Nonprofit
"They’re very communicative."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the program manager for the internship program at an educational nonprofit.
What challenge were you trying to address with LookFar Labs?
We were given an application software for our itnerns to apply for our prgram, but no one on our staff knew how to develop the software. We brought LookFar Labs on to do the development.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Each program cycle, we have different questions we want to ask and different types of information to get from the cycle.
LookFar Labs implemented basic demographic data questions, short answer questions, and a video component for the intern to do a video interview within the software. They also made it such that all that information lives in our Salesforce.
What is the team composition?
I regularly work with two teammates. Recently, I also met a third teammate who does customer experience work.
How did you come to work with LookFar Labs?
They started working with my organization before I came on. They were local to New Orleans, and I assume that their vision and goals for their application aligned with ours.
How much have you invested with them?
Our program spends over $5,000 a year with them, so we’ve probably spent about $25,000 in total.
What is the status of this engagement?
I’ve been with the organization for two years, and LookFar Labs came on at least a year before that. I began working with them in February 2019, and our engagement is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We initially had to rely on Google Forms, which has its own limitations. So, this application has given us another level of data collection and organization, and it has cut down on a lot of the time it would’ve taken to dig through Google Form applications.
We work with students who could be doing an application for the first time, and to give them something more similar to a job or scholarship application has been great. It’s helped us to take our application process up a notch and to make it more professional.
How did LookFar Labs perform from a project management standpoint?
Our project planning doesn’t really overlap. We set the agenda and tap them whenever a new program cycle comes up, and they respond quickly.
In terms of collaboration, LookFar Labs sets us up with spreadsheets to work from. We work within Slack, which works well for us, and we also occasionally hop on a Zoom call or email. They’re very quick to communicate.
What did you find most impressive about them?
LookFar Labs’ ability to work with someone like me who has minimal knowledge of how software development works is impressive. The team is relatable, and they’re able to bring some of the technical terms down to a level that our team can understand.
Additionally, their responsiveness is probably one of the best things about working with them. They’re very communicative.
Are there any areas they could improve?
There may be some room for improvement in the project planning process. We have two program cycles a year, so we could have a more collaborative project plan or a more structured way to stay on top of each others’ timelines.
It would be helpful to know what projects they have going on outside of our partnership so that we’re not handing them a lot of work the same week that they have 2–3 other projects.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Be very clear on the purpose and intent of what you want their help developing. LookFar Labs is really good at executing, so come to the partnership very clear on the goals and outcomes, and they can help with the execution and getting it done.
the project
Web App Development for Gov't. & Business Services Firm
"Look Far Labs is a responsive and committed member of our product team."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
Founder & CEO of government & business services firm. We deploy a distributed field workforce to gather field data for our clients.
For what projects/services did your company hire LookFar Labs, and what were your goals?
We needed a system to thoroughly document and securely store data collected on scene by our service providers. Additionally we needed the ability to integrate with existing legacy systems. We also required a mechanism to track KPIs, and an event notification system for our clients.
How did you select LookFar Labs and what were the deciding factors?
LookFar Labs is well-known in the New Orleans tech scene, and is a highly competent software studio. After a referral by a mutual friend and meeting with their leadership, we felt confident in their ability to help us visualize and deliver the web app that would be so crucial to our company’s operations.
Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.
LookFar Labs helped us develop a product to improve upon the response times and richness of data. Getting involved from the ground floor, they approached product development with a great deal of flexibility.
We were creating the incident response procedures at the same time as they were developing the product and they were flexible, easily adjusting to our constantly shifting requirements.
They were also able to integrate the application with the client's existing data entry platform. Their ability to handle the legacy software is critical because it helps us stay in compliance with existing laws, guidelines and procedures and prevent our field agents from having to enter information twice.
LookFar Labs built our database in AWS, so that we own all of the data that we collect.
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
We worked with two software engineers, a product manager, and quality assurance engineer. They gave us the full depth of expertise we needed to complete our product.
Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?
The products developed allow us to collect and securely store and share our data products with the relevant parties. They also built us a scalable product so that we do not need to worry about shortcomings as we expand to new markets.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.
LookFar Labs partner, Jeff Hanby, led project management for our product development. He was an effective manager who continues to meet with me regularly to discuss product improvements.
LookFar Labs put us in a dedicated Slack channel so that we could have a clear line of communication. I had regular meetings with the product team and received deliverables in timely manner.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
LookFar Labs is a responsive and committed member of our product team. They continue to play an integral part in our company.
They have expert level knowledge in the technologies they use and leverage past experience to deliver an exceptional product. None that we can see.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
None that we can see.
the project
App Dev for Home Construction Collaboration Tool
"I’m highly impressed with their technical skills."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the founder and CEO of BuildLink. The company centers around a home customization platform. I’m also a homebuilder myself.
What challenge were you trying to address with LookFar Labs?
This platform helps contractors, interior designers, realtors, and potential homebuyers to customize their homes.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Currently, we are still in a development phase and haven’t launched the product. They’re building a web-based platform and a mobile app. We embarked on a strategy phase where I gave them a proof of concept and they built on top of it. There’s a “pros” section, which is for homebuilders and subcontractors. That’s still in the development phase. We also have a manufacturer phase, which connects with the companies we deal with and buy our products from.
We wanted to make it accessible for them to upload information to the platform to engage with clients, homeowners, and homebuilders.
The end product is a collaborative tool to work with my subcontractors. Homeowners can also look at products to customize their homes with the products and services the platform offers.
What is the team composition?
Chris (Partner, LookFar Labs) is the team lead and product manager, and he's been helpful since Day One. He’s the one I’ve had the most interaction with, since he acts as the liaison between me and the design and engineering teams at LookFar Labs. Johnny (Developer, LookFar Labs) is the lead software designer. There are software engineers, product managers, and designers involved. The front- and backend developers have had strategy meetings with us.
How did you come to work with LookFar Labs?
I researched local software designers and web designers online. I did two Skype calls with two different companies. After I described my idea for the company to both of them, LookFar loved the idea. I thought it was more comfortable to go with them. I went through 2–3 different web design firms that were never close to what I wanted.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve invested close to $90,000 thus far.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started in July 2018 and the work is ongoing. The long timeline is to be expected.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
LookFar Labs is still fine-tuning it both phases of the project. We’ve bounced around and made changes, but everything seems to be looking good so far. It’s a detailed project, so there’s a lot that goes into it.
How did LookFar Labs perform from a project management standpoint?
They use Miro Whiteboard to go over wireframes. We mostly talk through email. I’ll also go to the office and meet them from time to time every few weeks.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They are a very knowledgeable company. I’m highly impressed with their technical skills. Previous companies weren’t capable of getting the project off the ground. They’ve helped the vision come alive more than any company I’ve worked with in the past.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Not really, I enjoy working with them. Nothing much I can criticize.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
I would say be prepared to spend. It takes a toll monetarily, but the money has led to a high-quality project. The quality is worth the cost.
the project
Custom Web Dev for Insurance Provider
"The fact that everyone could access our system simply from anywhere was huge advantage we had."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
We are a Louisiana based workers' compensation provider. We provide worker's comp coverage to 4,000 small and medium-sized Louisiana businesses. I am the Administrator.
For what projects/services did your company hire LookFar Labs?
Originally, we hired LookFar Labs’ predecessor company (before they re-branded) to develop an in-house system to handle the process of taking in applications/submissions for coverage, underwriting, billing, invoicing, collecting payments, issuing policies, doing premium audit functions, notes, etc. for us. For over 10 years now, they have continued to build us products to help our business run more efficiently and stay ahead of our competition.
What were your goals for this project?
To have a customized system that we could grow with over time, that could handle all of our current and future core functions.
How did you select this vendor?
I found them on the Internet.
Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.
A developer was basically at our office on a full time basis. This is what we wanted. That way the developer could work day to day with different departments and learn how the processed their work. From there the developer drew up work flow schedules and operations. The key was the project managers that LookFar has had during our relationships. All top notch. They all had the ability to translate what we wanted into tech terms. Without them the projects would have never gotten off the ground.
What was the team composition?
Everyone from our organization was involved. From the development side there were about four key individuals for each stage and for each project. Again, the project managers were the key to these successes. We’ve had a very collaborative relationship with LookFar Labs, so our team is equally involved.
Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?
The impact was huge because it allowed us to control our tech focus for a significant period of time and for our system to grow with us. And because we designed everything from the ground up, at the time, our systems were as good, if not better, than most of our much larger competitors. For example, our system was web based far before many of our competitors. The fact that everyone could access our system simply from anywhere was huge advantage we had.
How was project management arranged and how effective was it?
Very effective. We mostly dealt with a single project manager, who was our main point of contact. We are a small company and while we may be a small client for LookFar the project manager always made our project feel important. This was always appreciated.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
They seemed very eager to want to do this project and to do it well. I don't think any of us were really aware of how big of a project this would become over time. But the developers managed our expectations well and kept us focussed. Very impressed with project management and communications.
Are there any areas for improvement?
Turnover is always going to be an issue for technology companies. Developers are highly sought after and move easily from company to company. Considering this challenge LookFar has always managed well the natural turnover within its ranks.
the project
Web & Software Dev for Online Hunting & Outdoor Activities Marketplace
"We've always felt like they genuinely care about our success."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m a co-founder of a shared online marketplace that connects outdoor enthusiasts with private landowners. People can use the platform to book hunting excursions, family camping trips, and other outdoor activities. We’re based in New Orleans.
What challenge were you trying to address with LookFar Labs?
I needed help with developing a software I had envisioned for my company. Shared online marketplaces, like Airbnb, for example, were becoming a big thing, and I thought that people would be interested in a similar platform for hunting in particular. We were also planning to branch out to numerous other outdoor activities.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We reached out to them at the idea phase for the actual software development work. It was a matter of sitting down with them, telling them what we wanted, and having them put everything together.
LookFar created mockups and wireframes, and their developers have started on the backend. The frontend work is set to begin within the next month. This is going to be a web-only platform for now, with no mobile app, and it’s on an AWS server.
The site has user logins with a sort of hybrid user profile. Whether someone’s a landowner or a consumer, they’ll use the same profile. From within there, they can create a land listing later on, similar to Airbnb. There’s no need for two different logins.
The search function organizes locations by zip code and activity type, and there’s also a browsing feature. The search results will return a page with every piece of land that meets the criteria. Users can click on results from there, to see more details about the landowner’s listing. The owner can post photos, as well as other facts about the property. Listings typically show crucial information like the types of animals that are there, whether visitors are allowed overnight, and whether motorized vehicles are allowed.
LookFar Labs also created a friend invitation system. Upon placing a booking, if the person wanted to invite any of their friends, regardless of whether those were users or not, they could add their emails to the reservation. The invitees will receive a link, and, if they're already a user, they’ll be added to the booking. If they aren’t a user, it'll ask them to create a profile before adding them to the reservation.
What is the team composition?
We started with Jeff (Partner, Software Engineering, LookFar Labs), Lindsay (VP of Sales and Brand Strategy, LookFar Labs), and Chris (Partner, LookFar Labs). Lindsay helped orchestrate everything, and Chris was our primary business analyst. He gathered all the requirements and sat down with the developers to map out the project. Our backend developer was Elizabeth (Full-Stack Engineer, LookFar Labs).
How did you come to work with LookFar Labs?
I found them on Google.
How much have you invested with them?
The total investment in their services is expected to be between $50,000–$200,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
I reached out to LookFar Labs 6–7 months ago, in February 2019. We’re estimating that the project will be done within the next two months.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Everything’s gone well so far. They have a great team of developers, and they know what they’re doing. LookFar has supported us in other ways as well, not just software development. For example, Lindsay is connected to many different projects and groups in New Orleans, and she’s put us in contact with local players that can help us grow and scale our company, from mentors and business coaches to lawyers and investors.
She got us involved with a program offered by Tulane University that’s been very helpful. It’s a new-venture class for MBA students, and they bring in four startup companies that are preselected to attend the class. As a startup company, we’ll have a team of 9–10 MBA students assigned to us to help us out with whatever we want during those six weeks. It’s helped address some concerns we had, in terms of marketing, issues, pitches, and other elements of our business.
How did LookFar Labs perform from a project management standpoint?
They’ve been on time and within budget throughout the project. The past couple of months have been a bit harder because we don’t have any visual deliverables. It’s all been backend work, so all they can show us is code. Before that, they used a software called MIRO, which is an online whiteboard.
They’re using Jira for project tracking, and their team has been super flexible with us. My co-founder and I like to have all meetings in-person because it makes it easier to focus on the right features and confirm details. Our schedules aren’t that flexible, but LookFar Labs has been solid on communication. They’re very transparent and will tell us if any of the backend work is going to be slower than we expect. Even if they don’t require much from our side, they’ll still check in every 1–2 weeks to give us progress updates.
Chris has been phenomenal to work with. He tries to limit the number of times he contacts us, and only reaches out if something’s important. We appreciate that, given that we do work fulltime, and we’re also working fulltime on this startup. We have a lot going on, and he’s helped alleviate a lot of stress of our shoulders, at least on the building side of it.
What did you find most impressive about them?
LookFar Labs is focused on developing software for startups, which speaks volumes in itself. There aren’t many companies that do that, at least in New Orleans. As someone who’s worked for a tech company, I can appreciate the way their team orchestrates everything from beginning to end. We've always felt like they genuinely care about our success.
LookFar is there to help startups and entrepreneurs grow, and that stuck with us from the beginning. We had a monthlong period with them initially where we sat down every week or every other week, and they never charged us a dollar for their time. That resonated with us. They’re a good group of people, they know what they’re doing, and they care about their work.
Are there any areas they could improve?
We’re not done yet, so it’s hard to tell. We’re still on the backend phase, and we haven’t done what we consider to be the high impact work yet, the frontend. As of now, we have no complaints with them, and I highly doubt that will change.
Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?
I think people go to Lookfar wanting help with everything, from development to growing and scaling their company. They can turn a vision into reality, but clients should keep in mind that they will have to take it to the next level of execution. LookFar cares about what they’re doing, but they’re not there to accelerate companies. They build the best products they can and push them out to their clients, for them to go on and do great things with them.
the project
App Dev and Beacon Technology Integration for Dog Daycare Company
“I would give them a top mark for their project management skills.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I own three Camp Bow Wow franchises, a premier doggy boarding facility.
What challenge were you trying to address with LookFar Labs?
We already had a corporate app, but we wanted to institute more features and streamline our back-of-house management. Each one of our camps could have between 100-200 dogs coming in each day, and often around the same time. We wanted to make sure that we are able to track each dog’s specific needs, whether it’s their medication, their favorite toy, or food schedule. We also wanted to have the ability to track any dog’s location throughout the facility and it’s activity levels.
What was the scope of their involvement?
LookFar Labs developed an API that would interact with our corporate app and a database that would help track data. Then, by placing beacons throughout the facility and then an echo-beacon on each dog’s collar, we are able to utilize low-energy Bluetooth technology to track each dog while they’re here.
What is the team composition?
I interact directly with a project manager and three of their developers. They have one developer who handles everything on the backend, and another who works on frontend development and marketing.
How did you come to work with LookFar Labs?
One of my partners used LookFar Labs to develop an airplane app. Early on, we knew that LookFar Labs had a high level of expertise and we would collaborate well together.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent about $180,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in May 2018 and the project is ongoing
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The app has streamlined our operations and allows us to focus on other aspects of our business, like customer service. Before, our front desk would record notes about each dog on several different boards for our staff to reference, which was inefficient, created frustration, and was subject to human error. This new system saves a lot of time.
How did LookFar Labs perform from a project management standpoint?
I would give them a top mark for their project management skills. Normally, I head to their office for a meeting, and I’ll tell them what I’m looking for. Then, the project manager creates a statement of work that outlines what needs to be done and when. We then negotiate and make some changes before settling on the project scope.
Not only have they never missed a deadline, they usually are ahead of the curve and finish the project early.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They are very responsive and are eager, which makes them easy to work with.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I can’t think of anything they need to improve. They’re doing a fantastic job.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Have a solid brainstorming session at the beginning of the project and be as detailed as possible about what you want.
the project
Web Dev for Business Service Technology Startup
"The application itself performs really well."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I'm the CEO and founder of Kitaro which is a web application that allows companies to find the best city for their expansion project. It does so by scoring each city based on their specific needs for their expansion project and connects the company with the economic development organizations (EDO) that represent those cities.
What challenge were you trying to address with LookFar?
We needed someone to build the application.
What was the scope of their involvement?
The app allows the user to select a couple of characteristics of their project, such as the type of industry and type of product they want to build. It allows them to see different cities or states and adjusts according to specific criteria. The scores for each criterion are adjusted accordingly. We built the application on Angular on top of AWS (Amazon Web Services) and AWS Elastic Beanstalk.
What is the team composition?
I worked with a project manager, a front- and backend developer, as well as a designer and a QA person. I interacted with all of them when necessary, but mostly with the project manager. They were flexible to meet whenever I wanted.
How did you come to work with LookFar?
I was referred to them through recommendations via my personal network in New Orleans. There are four or five firms who do that type of work in New Orleans. I reached out to all of them and LookFar came back with the best proposal in terms of the approach, detail, and understanding of the general concept.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked with them on this project from November 2016 to August 2017.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We released an MVP on time, which I have been testing ever since, looking at what features to add or remove and how to change the business model. The application itself performs really well. We haven’t had a bug or system failure since it launched which is pretty amazing. It's a well-built application.
How did LookFar perform from a project management standpoint?
We most often communicated through email, as well as a couple of phone calls. The advantage of being local is the opportunity to meet face to face as it makes it much easier—we met at least once every two weeks during the project development.
We used Jira as a project management tool to track the work and they performed brilliantly. The estimate in terms of cost and timing was right on target.
What did you find most impressive about them?
The biggest thing that stands out to me is that they were true partners. It wasn’t just about the product that we built, but it was also about sending me articles that we should read in terms of how we should improve the business as well as things we had not thought about. They educated me on the entire process, both in developing an online product and working with a development firm, as well as connecting me with investors, accelerators, and incubators. I call them my product champions because they really push me to do the right things when developing a web product.
Are there any areas they could improve?
We took a bit longer than expected to work on the design, but once we got started, we had a clear process for contributions and feedback.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Follow their processes because there is experience and thought behind them. In the end, going through the documents and exercises that they suggest is really beneficial and you end up with a better product at a better price.
LookFar Labs’ efficiency and development speed has saved the client 2–3 times more time and money than other developers. The team is responsive, helpful, knowledgeable, and straightforward. The client has experienced a smooth collaboration for over ten years, helping them build a solid relationship.