Mendios Technologies

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of ISpark Innovations, a startup in the education space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mendios Technologies?

We were looking for a strong mobile app partner to develop a custom education app for Android. While we already had a couple of other product lines in the market, but we wanted to add a new exam preparation mobile app for class X [10] students in the local school system. Our goal was to develop a fully functional, robust, and scalable data push solution. The data would include text and images presented in a Q&A [question and answer] format. It would also involve some level of interaction such as “Tap twice on the question to get the answers” and so on. In terms of user management, we would also need easy user add/drop options. We wanted to release the product to market at least 4 months before the final exams.

SOLUTION

Describe the project in detail.

Mendios was hired to help build the entire software system, including the backend, the mobile app, and the PC web app pieces. They built everything from scratch. To ensure zero revenue leakage, they included an integrated payment gateway for secure transactions. Our solution is cloud-based, and data is pushed to the mobile and web apps so that students can use easily consumable formats.

How did you select this vendor?

This vendor was selected based on references given to us by local solution builders. Also, we knew about Mendios because of a project they had developed for an earlier client of theirs, whom we knew.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app has gone live, and it has been stable from day 1. The project was launched on time with most of the requirements in place, and there were extensive tests done beforehand. While some of the features were not ready, it was because we had feature creep midway through the project. So far, user feedback has been positive, and the app’s look and feel is a big plus.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a small startup in the social space. I am a co-founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mendios Technologies?

We were looking to develop an opportunity to connect friends with friends of friends via a social messaging app. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided Mendios Technologies with the PRD and mockups. They produced the wireframes, helped with design, and developed the Android and iOS apps. They were able to take an idea from conception to product in an organized and efficient way. They incorporated our feedback along the way. They used Java for Android and Objective C for iOS.

I worked with two people at Mendios : Sachin and Narender. Sachin was the business guy and Narender was the project manager. I interfaced with Narender on a weekly basis over email on progress of the apps. I found them over UpWork.

How did you come to work with Mendios Technologies? 

I haven't worked with any other development firms before, but I interviewed several other providers. I thought that Mendios was very organized and had a concrete plan of attack. Their proposal was very detailed with milestones and deliverables.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017. The project will complete in July 2017. I plan to continue working with them to update the app and will definitely consider them if I undertake a new endeavor.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don't have any concrete statistics because we haven't launched the app yet. They've been great about debugging the app at the testing stage.

How did Mendios Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We interface over email and share feedback via Google docs. It's clean and easy to use.

What did you find most impressive about Mendios Technologies?

Overall, I'm satisfied. I would recommend Mendios Technologies to anyone looking to develop an mobile app. They were organized, responsive and attentive to detail. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide an app enabling pharmacists in the United Kingdom to network and meet each other. I am the founder and CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mendios Technologies?

We needed help building our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mendios is creating an end-to-end system for our company, including Android and iOS apps for tablets and phones as well as a website. It enables pharmacists looking for work to create online profiles and enter a review system. Employers can assess the credibility of resources.

Mendios is handling everything from the backend system to the admin pages and front-end design. The app has a number of features, including calendars, notifications, registration, QR [quick response] codes, private messaging, and group chats. It allows users to save legal documents and other information on their profile in a secure manner.

How did you come to work with Mendios Technologies?

I spoke to a few companies, checked prices, and looked at previous work. I had a Skype conversation with Mendios in order to make sure that they understood our requirements and would be capable of delivering our project.

How much have you invested with Mendios Technologies?

The cost of the work was $14,000 initially, but we're looking to have a final cost of about $20,000 after requesting additional features.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Mendios in October 2015. The project was completed in March 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project with Mendios Technologies was completed at the end of March. Since its launch, we've had about 200+ users sign up for the app already and we've found 14 people jobs. We've gotten great feedback, although there were a few minor bugs in the app. Mendios Technologies resolved those issues quickly and we have a few more projects lined up with them now because of how good they are. They are adding additional features to the app and our maintenance contract with them is ongoing.

How did Mendios Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Mendios has been good at keeping me up to date with the work, giving me screenshots and allowing me to modify the work along the way.

What did you find most impressive about Mendios Technologies?

They have been on top of everything and got back to me within the hour whenever I messaged them.

Are there any areas Mendios Technologies could improve?

Not that I can think of.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was updated on June 26, 2018, by the client. New content is below.

What’s happened with Mendios Technologies since your first review was published?

They were supposed to build a cross-platform app for us, but it took far longer than originally promised, went over budget, and was riddled with bugs. We’d get complaints every time they released an update because the app was so unstable.

Not only that, they were supposed to send us the full code repository after the project was completed and they haven’t done it. They’ve only given us part of it, even though we’ve paid in full, and they refuse to do anything else. We’re taking them to court over it.

Did your project costs change at all?

Not much, but they tried to push the costs up as we went along. We’d explain project requirements and receive one price quote, then later when we’d remind them about one feature or another, they’d try to double or triple the price.

How long did the project ultimately take?

We started in October 2016 and didn’t end up finishing until April 2018, so it was well over a year later than they promised.

At what point did you realize your project had been impacted by any difficulties?

The issues were evident early on, but since the cost was low we continued working with them. But, as an example of when the problems became critical: I sent them a Sketch file of the full UI so they’d be able to see everything they needed to include. They’d send back results that looked nothing like what we’d asked for. The fonts, spacing, and sizing didn’t match, so I’d have to spend five or six hours every weekend going through their work and sending back notes on all the mistakes. It was a lot of extra work for us as the client because they weren’t checking their work even though we’d given them the resources to do it properly. We even paid for QA testing and they refused to do it, so I had to spend several hours a day testing the app myself and sending notes back to them on the errors.

My ultimate frustration with this process is that they tried to say the delay was entirely our fault without taking any responsibility for it.

In what specific areas can they improve?

They didn’t have enough resources. Developers were spread thin and working on two or three projects at a time, which contributed to major delays. On top of that, the coders they’d been employing were inexperienced, which led to low quality work. The code architecture was really poor and they didn’t follow best practices.

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

I ended up flying out to India to visit them because things took so long, and I will say that the developers I worked with in person tried their hardest to meet our demands. They were just very young and out of their depth, which wasn’t their fault.

They also gave us a really good price, which is why we carried on working with them until the end of the project.

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

I would avoid working with them. However, if you do choose to proceed, expect to commit a lot of extra time and resources to ensuring the quality of your project.