Mandelbrot

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of technology for an independent communications group. I manage technology projects for various brands.

What challenge were you trying to address with Mandelbrot?

We were looking for a development partner to develop iOS and Android apps.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our main focus with them is iOS projects. They made an app that is a portfolio for the group of agencies. The design was done internally, and they took care of the development for iOS. It’s an extremely cool app. We went through a long process of refinements, but after developing it for nine months, it will be launched soon. The app contains our whole portfolio. It enables us to share our collection and has many features. The app is tailormade.

They developed two other projects for us previously. One was an internal project management tool that people use to provide status updates on a daily basis. We use this app with multiple companies. They also did an iOS interface for this status app. Internally, we use a communication tool similar to WhatsApp, and they also did the interface for that and integrated it with chatbots.

What is the team composition?

We work with three developers.

How did you come to work with Mandelbrot?

They were open to change, which is why we chose them for our projects. The quality they provide as well as the price were especially attractive.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $20,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in December 2017 and it is an ongoing relationship.

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

So far, everyone is happy with what they developed. There are no bugs and they’ve done extensive work from their side to develop excellent products, which we appreciate. When things got complicated, they always supported us. It’s been a good experience so far.

How did Mandelbrot perform from a project management standpoint?

They integrated into our team easily, and they're awesome at what they do. As they are a small shop, they’re accessible, reliable, and open to integrating into our team. They have good developers, and the development lead is a great mentor to the other developers. We use Slack, Workplace, and tools from Google and Trello to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They do installations exceedingly well. There is a lot of math, which is more complex to code, and they’re not just interfacing it, but they work with the installations, which are more difficult to produce. They are delivering exactly what we need.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the director of special projects at Webcore Games, a São Paulo- based digital game creator. I plan, manage, and fundraise for special projects related to art and culture.

For what projects/services did your company hire Mandelbrot?

We needed Mandelbrot to develop an app for tablets and smartphones that are available on iOS and Android devices. The app needed to have animations and interactive activities.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted an app that had several aspects of animation and interactivities that still had high performance across all devices. We needed developers capable of creating the app carefully, with attention to the technical and aesthetic aspects.

How did you select this vendor?

We had worked with Mandelbrot on previous projects.

Describe the project in detail.

The app is intended for children to use and has combined elements of motion design, poetry, and interactivity. The first contribution of Mandelbrot was to ensure these elements could be combined in a way that wouldn’t compromise the overall performance of the app. They developed the app itself and some of the interactive activities and animations.

What was the team composition?

The app was worked on by many different teams, but the Mandelbrot team provided app developers and graphic designers for the animations and activities. 

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

The app was selected to participate in the Brazilian Design Biennial and has had more than 12,000 downloads.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was very good; we expressed our expectations for the project from the beginning and they followed that outline. We tested the app throughout the development process and the result was what we expected.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their ability to always stay organized and find solutions for every challenge was impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I am very satisfied with their work.