MindInventory

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a startup mobile application developer. We have developed a platform on which people can exchange favors. It works as a social network on which users can post requests. For example, if a user needs to use a lawnmower for a limited time, they can rent one from someone in their area, in exchange for money or for another favor like getting groceries and so on. Users can exchange favors, make friends, and have a mutually beneficial relationship. Money cannot be exchanged directly through the app but, once someone requests a favor, they can make an arrangement that can be set up through the app. Ratings and comments can also be posted on the platform, so that users can know if someone is reliable or not.

What is your position?

I am the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with MindInventory?

I had a pretty fleshed-out idea, but I also work full time, so I didn't have the means to implement it myself. This is where MindInventory came in. I wanted to use a development shop to help me build my prototype and then help me refine it and prepare it for launch. Experience and cost were big determining factors.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

MindInventory built my application for both iOS and Android based on my requirements. They also helped me refine my ideas. The whole process was very collaborative. I came to them with a clear idea in mind but the technical requirements still needed to be honed before they could begin building the prototypes, which were done in parallel.

A team of six developers was assigned to my project, but I mostly interacted with the project lead.

How did you come to work with MindInventory?

I did some online research in order to find developers who had worked on similar projects. I came across MindInventory, which had worked on a similar application for a different field. Based on that description, I realized that they could build what I was looking for.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The total development cost so far has been $16,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

MindInventory has completed the initial version of my app, which was published on both Google Play and Apple app stores two months ago. At this stage, I'm planning further development for the software.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Troubleshooting and quality assurance were handled by MindInventory before the app was published, so the final product did everything which was expected of it. They've done a very good job, and I don't have any issues with the app's features.

How did MindInventory perform from a project management standpoint?

The initial development timeline was for 12 weeks, but the total development ended up taking 16 weeks. We made some changes during implementation due to reasons, which were out of our control. For example, we used a certain service for push notifications, but we realized that that company would be shut down within a year's time.

At other times, we came up with plans that we thought to be good, but we figured out better approaches. MindInventory was flexible, but any changes will take a bit more time than initially planned. They did everything that was expected of them. Overall, MindInventory delivered the work within budget and in a reasonable amount of time.

We mainly communicated through Skype. Because MindInventory is based in India, and I am in the United States, our conversations took place around midnight. We exchanged a lot of material through email, like PowerPoint presentations, JPEGs, and so on. I requested changes based on MindInventory's Skype presentations, after which they would implement them and wait for my feedback.

What distinguishes MindInventory from other providers?

This was the first time I used a developer like MindInventory. I cannot make a comparison, but what they delivered stood up to my expectations. The whole project was a positive experience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Mindinventory has helped us develop a communication app aimed at schools and other communities like churches, sports clubs, and so on.

What is your position?

I am the technical director of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Mindinventory Technologies?

We needed resources for the app development portion of our project. We also have a web portal that is used for pushing information to the app, for which we didn't use their services.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Our UI [user interface] team was in charge of designing the app. Mindinventory developed our app for both iOS and Android based on our specs and graphic work.

How did you come to work with Mindinventory Technologies?

We found them on Elance and decided to give them a shot.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The total development cost has been $20,000 to $30,000. They bill us based on hourly rates.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work is ongoing. We've released version 3 of the app. We've been working with Mindinventory for a year and a half [since 2014].

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The work has been very good. We use Crashlytics for bug tracking. There have been a few, but Mindinventory are quite responsive in correcting them.

How did Mindinventory Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They're a good team to work with and are very responsive. Even though they juggle other projects, when we need them, Mindinventory finds the time for us.

What distinguishes Mindinventory Technologies from other providers?

Mindinventory offers strong quality relative to price and are more reliable than most offshore firms.

Is there anything Mindinventory Technologies could have improved or done differently?

They should focus more on internal testing before releasing work. This would have made the app more stable within previous releases.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Spordy is a social app that allows users to connect with peers in order to engage in any sport or fitness activity, based on their location. If I want to play in Geneva, I can look for people interested in tennis near my location. In a nutshell, it's sort of a Tinder for sports, without a focus on dating.

What is your position?

I am a co-founder of the app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Mindinventory?

We decided to build our solution as an app instead of a website, and needed a development team.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

They developed our app for both iOS and Android. Both versions were created simultaneously because we wanted to launch on both platforms at the same time. They were involved in our apps' designs as well.

Mindinventory started by consulting all of our requirements and put together separate teams for each operating system. Their planning and structuring were done very well. There is a lead developer within their company that is assigned to our project. Aside from him, I estimate that there are at least three other people involved in development: one designer and two coders.

The project was divided into several stages. The first one involved the planning process and lasted for about three months. There was a one week delay during this time due to a lot of back-and-forth on designs between us and them. This is quite normal and we were ultimately happy with their work despite this.

How did you come to work with Mindinventory?

I wanted to hire an Indian company, both because I'm Indian myself, so communication would be easier, and also because it would be a cheaper option. I did some research and found a few companies, ultimately choosing Mindinventory because they were competitively priced, and the timeframe they gave us for the completion of the project was shorter than the counteroffers.

After talking to one of their representatives, I received a good vibe of their company. They seemed to be enthusiastic, young, and hungry for some business within an innovative project.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The total development cost so far has been around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together at the beginning of 2015. The project is ongoing. For the time being, we're only focusing on mobile development. Later on, we want to expand their work to tablet versions of our app. Our main focus is on mobility. We're not really looking to build a web-based platform as a mobile one.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I don’t have any metrics or real data to share. We’re not sophisticated enough to be tracking anything like that, but they were always great at hitting their marks.

How did Mindinventory perform from a project management standpoint?

We've had a very good experience with their company. They're very responsive, quick, and have a good ability to understand their clients' needs. Mindinventory believes in establishing long-term relationships. There's always room for discussion in terms of pricing and other items.

We've never used specialized project management tools. I kept track of tasks using a spreadsheet and manually worked through it. We mostly communicated through email and Skype. We used Dropbox for file sharing, but our files weren't big enough to require using it constantly.

What distinguishes Mindinventory from other providers?

From a human point of view, I find them to be very enthusiastic in what they do. They show excitement, commitment, and confidence in their interactions with me. I think that this is important for any client. I've spoken to a few other companies whose tone was more machine-like. Mindinventory treats us as if our app was part of their business. They handle development seriously and took it one step further than other vendors might have.

Is there anything Mindinventory could have improved or done differently?

Sometimes, they don't think outside of the box. For example, if I want to include a certain feature on the platform, I will have to address each little detail involved in it before actually discussing it with Mindinventory. This can get frustrating. Otherwise, in terms of execution, they're quite good.

My only other issue with their company is that they're not very diligent in terms of testing. They do offer the service, but whenever they gave us a beta version, we'd find a lot of small errors which could be as simple as spelling mistakes, in some cases. Mindinventory isn’t very robust in this area and should improve their capabilities.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I am a software entrepreneur specializing in mobile app development. As a product designer, I come up with ideas and flesh them out as prototypes. I then consider user feedback and make reiterations on the product. My focus has been on iOS and Android development.

What is your position?

I'm the product owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Mindinventory Technologies?

Their team has served as a way of getting prototypes to market fast.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

I've used Mindinventory Technologies on three projects. One of them was an app developed for a fitness company. It was featured by Apple within their Best New App category. Another project was for a meditation app developed independently by me. It was also featured by Apple. Our third project was for a fitness-based app that didn't fare as well in the market.

I've collaborated with their developers directly. Product design is handled entirely by me. Quality assurance is done jointly.

Mindinventory Technologies provided me with a team of two developers. I've had a single point of contact and I could reach them at any time, either by phone or through Skype. Everything was addressed very fast and they were patient with me through the QA [quality assurance] process.

Through my work with them, I've come up with some top-class apps that Apple has recognized as being good products.

How did you come to work with Mindinventory Technologies?

I found them through Elance. I considered 50 other companies that responded to my proposal before choosing Mindinventory Technologies. They came off as one of the best options, based on their portfolio. Their policies were also attractive. For example, they offered free bug fixes for up to a year from each update. This is an important consideration when working on mobile apps. They always guaranteed their work.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

Our meditation app was a simple project. Its cost was $1,000. The cost for the fitness app was $10,000. The third project cost $2,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I continue to use their services whenever I need to make an update for our projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The fitness app we worked on was gradually lifted from a two-star to a five-star app throughout the development. We received raved reviews and it was ranked within the top 200 apps in the fitness category. The business we developed it for has a consistent user base, which reflected on the apps statistics. The meditation app was a paid one. It had around 2,000 downloads. I haven't put much more effort into it since its release.

How did Mindinventory Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been able to deliver within budget. They're on time most of the time. Our approach involved creating an entire specification from the start. Mindinventory Technologies were flexible enough to allow me a more agile-oriented approach when we received feedback from the market. We weren't concerned with strict deadlines as much as we were with launching the right product. They were certainly able to deliver in terms of quality.

We mainly used Trello for a simple overview of our backlog. I like this tool, and they accommodated my preference. Mindinventory Technologies were reachable either through Skype or by phone easily.

What distinguishes Mindinventory Technologies from other providers?

They're very customer-focused and attentive to my needs. They make sure that I'm happy with their work. They're completely fluent in English, so communication is easy.

They have an understanding of strategic business decisions. I'd often discuss the best course of action for any given idea, and we came to conclusions together. I use them as a technical advisor for assessing the cost for certain features and how we can move faster. I've used many offshore providers in the past, and never saw this level of collaboration. Usually, they do anything I ask, without questioning my decisions. The key feature for Mindinventory Technologies is that they question things.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a Business-to-Business company focused on the consumer packaged food industry. We qualify and measure service for distributors, manufacturers and retailers. Each retailer has thousands of vendors that collaborate with their store. We also work within the pharmaceutical industry, evaluating services by how often sales people visit their clients, and how much time they spend on each visit.

What is your position?

I am the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Mindinventory Technologies?

We needed development talent for our core app.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

Mindinventory Technologies worked throughout the strategy and conceptualization of our product, and have also done the development work. Our application was made for both iOS and Android, with a robust backend system for predictive data analysis. We regularly communicated with two of their managers.

We initially started development for only the iOS version of our app, and extended Mindinventory Technologies' involvement to Android, once they had a good understanding of our product. We are within the early versions of our product.

How did you come to work with Mindinventory Technologies?

I researched a couple of companies online and interviewed them. Mindinventory Technologies were willing to work within our timeline and budget, so we chose to work with them.

They were the ideal fit for our company, understanding the core concept of what we were trying to accomplish. It was easy for us to give them the details of our project and start our work.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

I would like to keep this confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project was delayed due to some back-and-forth between us. The iOS version took 6-8 months to build.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We've had feedback from early adopters that reported a few glitches in the system. On any new product, when reaching the stage where it's actually used, features that hadn't been considered become apparent. Mindinventory Technologies made the necessary changes to our requests.

How did Mindinventory Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They are dedicated to working with us as a client and want our product to be successful.

We don't use any specific project management tools. It's something they should consider implementing. Currently, the project manager is fully in charge of handing the work to their development and design teams.

What distinguishes Mindinventory Technologies from other providers?

They're very responsive and willing to quickly make any changes we request. We've appreciated their flexibility. 

Is there anything Mindinventory Technologies could have improved or done differently?

They need to have an extended strategy for their work. Putting an application on the market takes time and is an extended effort. If their team moves to a new project right after the work is done, extended development for previous work will most likely be given to a new team member who won't understand the product.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're an online customer acquisition and marketing company. We design, develop, and produce products that target the apparel market through different brands and divisions. JustFab and ShoeDazzle primarily produce women's shoes, while Fabletics is focused on athletics-wear. We have another division called FabKids, which produces apparel and shoes for kids. We design and manufacture all of our products in-house, and we handle all of our customer acquisition marketing.

What is your position?

I am the vice president of engineering.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Mindinventory Technologies?

We have many different technology teams within the company. Our retail division, warehouse management, and global operations teams use AngularJS and Node.js for their platforms. We needed to leverage additional development resources. Some of the technologies that we work with are still relatively new. Finding people with skills within them was a challenge.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

Mindinventory Technologies has supplemented our development plans and provided continuous work on these projects.

We plan to engage a full team of 15 developers from Mindinventory. They're flexible in terms of communication. If we want to engage solely with a project manager, we can, but we can also interface directly with developers. We have a project management team in-house and decided to approach their engineers directly.

How did you come to work with Mindinventory Technologies?

We found them through Google searches. We were already working with other offshore development teams in India, but they did not have the skillsets that we required. We had a relative level of comfort in hiring another team in the same location. Mindinventory was the first and only company that responded to our request for proposal.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have an ongoing relationship. We started working with Mindinventory Technologies three months ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We operate an agile environment and have weekly sprints. So far, Mindinventory Technologies has been excellent in meeting their deadlines. They've stayed within schedule 100% of the time.

We haven't encountered any defects that would be outside the norm. The engineering process is complicated and there will always be issues, but their defect rate is far from alarming.

How did Mindinventory Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Jira for project management and HipChat for communication. When we need to have video conferences, we use Skype.

What distinguishes Mindinventory Technologies from other providers?

They have a startup mentality by which they're willing to do whatever it takes to help their partners get their tasks done. A lot of the red tape that I've encountered with other Indian firms is not present within Mindinventory Technologies. They're willing to dive in and work alongside us in order to complete the work. We don't need to spend weeks or even months in order to sketch out a full-blown plan. We can give our initial vision and they'll start the work, which is a big win for many of our projects.

Is there anything Mindinventory Technologies could have improved or done differently?

Our relationship is fairly new. There haven't yet been any significant issues to address. Their team is very responsive to the feedback we give regarding minor items like communication and reports. As an example, we asked them to send us a daily email containing what was accomplished within the team. They were open to that kind of request.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for an Australian-based company, and our main purpose is to develop mobile applications. Our first app is focused on the Nepalese market. I am originally from Nepal, as is my partner.

What is your position?

I am the founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Mindinventory Technologies?

We needed to develop our first mobile app. We had the idea but didn't have the technical expertise to build it. We decided we would find a partner but, because we were sensitive to cost, we went ahead and looked for an outsourced option.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

We already had a website, but we contacted Mindinventory because we had to build a mobile application. It's for both Android and iOS devices. For the work they did, I had a dedicated project manager, then there was a UI/UX [user interface/user experience] designer, one dedicated Android developer, one dedicated iOS developer, a couple of QA [quality assurance] specialists, and an account manager.

How did you come to work with Mindinventory Technologies?

We identified them online. We only approached a handful of different companies to bid on the project. Once we began to interact with each of them, it became clear that Mindinventory was the most experienced and the most responsive.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We invested close to $7,000 or $8,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted one and a half to two months. It's over now, but we'll probably be using them again soon for some enhancements.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We just went live. We did a public launch of the app last week, and we're getting a good response. In a week's time, including both Android and iOS, we've got close to 800 downloads. We didn't have any benchmarks, but that's a good start for us. It's more than what we expected, so we're getting a good response from the market.

We've got some good ratings and reviews on Google Play as well, and a couple in the App Store. Some people have also contacted us directly through the Contact Us section of the mobile app as well. The holidays are starting in Nepal right now, so we expect a slower period for a couple of weeks, but the launch has definitely been better than we expected.

When dealing with other developers in India, I've noticed that the designer may not be that good. However, the designer that Mindinventory assigned to us was good. I'm happy with the overall design of the app.

How did Mindinventory Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

I was happy with the project manager who was assigned. He was very responsive and accessible via Skype, phone call, WhatsApp, or message, or whatever. We didn't use any specific project management tools. The project manager understood our requirements, and he responded well. If he had questions, he asked them rather than making assumptions.

The project was completed within the specified budget. We obviously had to increase our budget, but that was purely because we had to increase the scope of work. It was completed within the timeframe, and the changes we had to make were done within that deadline. Overall, we're happy with how the project was managed.

The contract we signed before beginning the project had the scope of work and specifications outlined, and that was our main reference point. Any change request was discussed with the account manager, to determine if it was a deviation from the scope of work. We would arrive at a mutual understanding on whether we needed to pay extra for changes.

What distinguishes Mindinventory Technologies from other providers?

I've used developers in the past, but I wasn't too happy with them for two main reasons. It comes back to how reasonable you are in your change request. Once you've got the scoping document, it becomes a huge problem when you've got a small deviation, but they charge you for that as well. In that sense, Mindinventory was accommodating.

Also, the project manager was very responsive, so there weren't any delays when I asked for something to be fixed or changed. Also, just the professional behavior around how to manage the scope of the project. I think these two things were commendable, which I didn't find very easy with the other developers.

The initial wireframe they came up with was a good starting point for us. It was already in a very good stage, and we just had to build it out from there. I didn't find that skill in the other developers I've worked with.

Is there anything Mindinventory Technologies could have improved or done differently?

One thing, which is a very general comment and is true for any developers based out of India, is more on the grammar side of things. We have to spend a lot of time writing the content because we know that, with Indian developers, the grammar may not be correct. That's the only area of improvement, and that's true for any developer in India. It's about making sure that the content is exactly what you want it to be in the app.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I'm a self-employed electronics engineer in the Caribbean.

What is your position?

I am the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Mindinventory Technologies?

I wanted to create an app for advertising. Here in the islands, most people just publish on flyers. I wanted to develop a more environmentally friendly way of doing it. Also, by having the ads on an app, the information would always be current.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

The development was for iOS and Android. I just went to them with a partial idea, and they took care of everything. They helped me figure out the scope and requirements. They supplied a project manager to help coordinate things. I participated in a Skype call with three or four of their people. As I explained what I wanted, they were giving their input. For each suggestion they had, they gave two or three options I could choose from and provided examples. They worked in a collaborative way, which was good for me. I had an idea of what I wanted, but I didn't know the specifics. It was a situation where you don't know what you want until you see it.

I was in correspondence with about four or five members of their team the whole time. The developer who was responsible for the Android version would send me his work to get my approval, and we would discuss back and forth how it was working, and whether I had any questions. Whenever I sent a message or had a question, they replied right away. Their time is nine and a half hours different from me, but we didn't have any communication problems. Even if I sent a question at 12 o'clock my time, which would be 9:30 their time, they replied within five or 10 minutes.

I had another project that I put out for tender, and I had about 40 companies trying to do it. However, they didn't get the whole scope of what I wanted to accomplish. When I went back to Mindinventory, they just came right out and gave me four or five designs. There were a few things that I didn't know were needed, and they put it all together for me.

How did you come to work with Mindinventory Technologies?

I posted a job on Elance, and I selected 15 companies based on their profiles. I spoke with several of the agencies that submitted bids, but most of them just didn't understand what I wanted. Mindinventory just started giving me information on what they could do with my idea as I talk to them, so that's why I selected them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

I've invested about $10,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

They're actually doing another project for me right now, as we speak. We just started this one about a week ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Because of where I live in the Caribbean, everything I do is only for local use, not globally. My country is small, and I can find out from statistics here in the business community. I've not yet gathered any statistics at this time.

How did Mindinventory Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They laid out about five or six steps, target points that they would meet. They were ahead of schedule on every task I assigned to them by a day or two. We communicated using Skype, email, and telephone and it seemed to work very well.

What distinguishes Mindinventory Technologies from other providers?

I can't say what is special as I've never used any other company like them. What I like is that Mindinventory talks to me like family, other than the fact that they call me "Sir." They don't treat me like a client. They just treat me as if I'm one of them. Anytime I pick up the phone and call someone, they are there. I can send a message to the owner [Mehul Rajput] at any hour, day or night, and he replies very quickly. One time, I wanted something changed, so I sent them a message. They got it changed in the App Store and Google Play Store, and they didn't charge anything for it. That's the level of customer service that they bring to the table.

Is there anything Mindinventory Technologies could have improved or done differently?

To me, they are on top of their game. I don't see any faults. They deliver on time, and they give me a fair price. Even if I'm a little late making a payment to them, they continue with the project and wait for the funds. The project never was stopped at any time, not even for payment.

BACKGROUND

Please give me a brief description of your company.

We’re a location-based services apps that allows shoppers to search for nearby deals, discounts, voucher codes and special offers in real-time and on location. The app combines both online deals as well as offline deals to ensure no stone is left unturned.

What is your role at the company?

I am the founder and CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address when you approached Mind Inventory?

I was looking for developers to help me with my web and mobile app development projects. The challenge was to produce a high quality website and mobile app on a limited budget and timescale.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of the project, and can you describe the specific services provided by Mind Inventory?

Mind Inventory provided design, development & project management services. As I am not a tech savvy individual, so it was important that I could trust them with the project management aspect and they did not let me down!

What was your process for selecting them to work with? (How did you find them, and why did you pick them?)

I scanned the internet and several freelance web portals. I wanted to see examples of their work and hear testimonials from several past clients.

From there, the way they handled the initial contact and answered some of my questions was quite impressive and gave me the confidence in their abilities and professionalism.

Can you give us a general estimate of the size of the project in dollar terms or personnel work hours?

The project was between $10,000 and $50,000.

When did the project begin, and when was it completed?

The project began July 2014 and was completed in April 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did they perform in terms of the quality of their work? Are there any relevant stats or metrics you can share?

The quality of their work was excellent. Any issues or bugs were handled promptly.

When working with Mind Inventory, was there anything unique or special about them compared to other partners you may have worked with?

Mind Inventory had a full complement of skills and abilities. No problem we faced was too big or small for them to handle. Their level of communications was first class; they had very quick response times and were always available! Overall they were a very professional group of people.

Looking back on the project do you have any constructive criticism? Is there any area that they could improve or you would do differently?

Nothing worth mentioning. It was a very positive experience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

I run a counseling business, but it’s not limited to just that. I’m interested in connecting with people and supporting them. That often takes the form of therapy, but I’m kind of open to wherever is needed to help. I also post advice and answer questions on my web site: http://elanbenami.com/.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the owner and founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Mindinventory Technologies?

My goal was to make something that I wanted to use because I wanted it to exist. So, that was the goal, and then it was pretty cool to see that other people enjoyed it. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

I would mock up designs, but I’m not skilled with that. So, I could tell them what it needs to look like in my head, and they took my ideas and made it look clean.

What was your process for selecting Mindinventory Technologies with which to work?

I interviewed a bunch of app developers on Elance, and I posted the project and described what I needed. There were 40 different companies that I strained through. I initially weeded out the people that sent generic responses that they could have sent to anyone. That just annoys me. It’s a big project that’s going to take a lot of money and time, so I weeded out the ones that were generic.

For the companies that remained, I did a Skype interview, and some people didn’t really understand the concept. Some people understood it, but I didn’t feel any energy around it. I didn’t feel like they were excited about it, and so I weeded those out. Probably the reason I went with Mindinventory was, I talked with Pathik [Shah, project manager at Mindinventory Technologies] who I love working with. His English was great, so he understood what I was saying. Then, he also got where I was going, and not just with what I was saying.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

I don’t know how to measure their hours but, for me, I was working on the idea in my head for about three months. Then, it was seven months of collaborative work with them. So, all in all, it was probably 10 months of work.

When was the project completed?

The project is ongoing with updates to the app. I’m currently working on another project with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you talk about the results of the initial project?

Yes. I’m very satisfied with the product and app. I really like simplicity in design, and I’m really happy with where we came with that. I’m satisfied with the cost. I hired them again, so I think that’s probably the biggest testimonial.

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

I do Google Analytics, and right now I have 43,000 downloads. It’s free to download, but has an app premium option. There’s a way to get premium features without paying for it, which most users opt for. It’s not making a ton of money, but that’s not really the purpose of it. The purpose is more that it gives me a platform to teach something that I’m really passionate about, and connect with other people who like that. So, it’s successful in that regard. It’s more successful on iOS than on Android, but that doesn’t have anything to do with the programming.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

It’s really about the people, their team stands out for me. The strongest relationship I’ve built is with Pathik. People are what make a business, in my opinion. That really can’t be automated. I really like him as a person. I like working with him, I like the way he thinks professionally. That’s why I tell people about Mindinventory Technologies.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

If you can get really clear on your end goal before you start coding, that’s really helpful. It’s not always possible to do, but I could be better at that myself. With them, I can’t think of anything right now to improve upon.