MAXIMUS

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a startup called Food Filter. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MAXIMUS?

We engaged MAXIMUS to build a software application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MAXIMUS developed a mobile application using Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android. They used Django and Python to build the backend. The app is available for iOS and Android users. 

The app enables users to log their food intolerances and allergies to their profiles. When they go shopping, they can use their smartphone camera to scan barcodes on items. Then, our app determines whether the product contains unwanted ingredients based on the user’s profile. If a user accepts the product, they can use the app to add it to their menu. Additionally, the app can help users with restricted diets because it features a counting tool that calculates and tracks calories, fat, protein, sugar, salt, and other macronutrients. 

The MAXIMUS team also built a website for us from scratch. Users can use the site to register for presale when the app goes live. They can also find information about the app, leave comments, or send us emails directly through the site. The site also features various categories of people who could benefit from the mobile app, such as those with religion-based dietary restrictions and new parents. 

MAXIMUS has finished their part of the project, but our team still needs to fill up the product database. We hope they’ll continue supporting us with frontend maintenance initiatives when we launch the app. 

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with the owner and a project manager, but there was also a frontend Kotlin developer, a Swift developer, a backend developer, 1–2 designers, and a website developer. 

How did you come to work with MAXIMUS?

I searched online for service providers in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. I found several companies on Clutch and other platforms and interviewed a few of them. MAXIMUS had the best portfolio and offer, so we moved forward.  

How much have you invested with them?

We invested €20,000–€25,000 (approximately $22,000–$27,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January 2020–January 2022; the engagement is on pause.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is flawless and works perfectly. The website has facilitated 100 comments and 500 emails expressing interest in the mobile application. 

We haven’t launched the mobile app yet because we still need to fill up the product database, but the test version of the app works well. Once we complete the database, we plan to launch the app locally and anticipate the process going smoothly. Then, we’ll work on expanding to other markets. 

How did MAXIMUS perform from a project management standpoint?

We provided MAXIMUS with a preliminary technical guide before moving to the production stage. Once we started production, we found the development process was more complicated than anticipated. As a result, the team took longer than expected to develop the app, but they didn’t raise our pricing, which was nice. We used Telegram and email to communicate and Trello to manage the project. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were a very dedicated team who did whatever it took to finish the project. They took full ownership and responsibility, which we appreciated. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would’ve been helpful to have direct contact and consistent stand-ups with the developers to review progress and plan for the future.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important for you to have a plan and understand how your application works. Make a logical schema before involving MAXIMUS, so you can have an overview of the app and avoid putting all the work on the developers.