Mobi Lab

Please describe your organization.

In Estonia, a cluster is an organization that brings together different companies and R&D [research and development] institutions or local municipalities. In our case, we are a cluster focusing on smart city solutions. Our partners are mainly ICT [information and communications technology] companies like Mobi Lab, and infrastructure companies, R&D institutions like universities and science centers, and we have turned to city municipality as our main partner.

The role is to bring all the parties together and boost the cooperation between them because the main problem is that the cities don't know what the companies can offer, and companies often don't know what the cities actually need, so there is a big gap between those organizations. We are just like the middleman, trying to work out what are the needs of the cities and what the companies can actually offer to them and to support export activities. If the companies work out some great solutions, then we are boosting the internationalization.

What is your position?

I am the project manager.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Mobi Lab?

The idea was that the cities I talked to needed some kind of application that would work like those real-time bus timetables on the streets. They wanted to have some kind of application that offered the same information but on mobile, so you can have this big sign in your pocket, and it works the same way.

We needed to find someone who would be capable of doing something like this. This is where this project actually started, but the cooperation with Mobi Lab started much earlier actually – maybe six or more years ago. The company name was different, but the people are the same. This was when the cluster initiative was starting, and Mobi Lab was one of the companies in Estonia that was very interested in smart city teams and solutions. That's why they were onboard from the beginning.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

It was primarily the application development, and design. Actually, it's a little bit bigger than just developing an application. The process was a little bit more complicated because we started with ideation. Together with the city government, we needed to find out what their needs were. What they did as a first step was collecting user feedback. They asked the users what they would like to see in this kind of application. They didn't just think, like many of the developers do, that, "We are the smartest people in the world, let's develop a nice app," and then people just say, "Oh, it's not something I would use."

They gathered the feedback in the first place, then they did the first development, the first design, and then they tested it again. In my mind, it's very important that they showed this application that was not finished, and they asked for user feedback again in two ways: for the mobile application on the one side and, on the other side, how people find information about the application in the city and the bus stops. It was a little bit different. Then, they developed it further.

How did you come to work with Mobi Lab?

We had worked with them in the past before we started this project.

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

From our side it was around 35,000 euros [approximately $39,800]. It's a little bit complicated, because there is European Union money involved, and it's only supported to finish the project with some kind of prototype. They needed to put in another 30,000 euros [$34,000] to make it this real application and to develop it further.

What is the status of this engagement?

The relationship is still ongoing. Another three-year project is starting in January, and they are onboard again. We have different, smaller get-togethers, and they are part of the think tanks on this kind of meetings. We are still in cooperation, but with this specific bus time application project, they managed to finish it. I believe it's like a platform, so you can always develop it further, but the plain functionalities are ready today.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We would say that it's very successful because there wasn't anything like this before in this city, and the numbers behind it say that 99.4 percent of the users are returning users. There are very many returning users, which shows that this application has proven itself, and people are using it daily. If I remember correctly, there were more than 6,000 unique sessions a day.

How did Mobi Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

Very good – I couldn't complain there. The people we were talking to were very reasonable. Mobi Lab understood the timelines and, from the communication side, I found it very good. When they saw that some problem could possibly come up, they informed us in advance.

What distinguishes Mobi Lab from other providers?

What I believe they did differently from other developers was, as I said before, collecting user feedback. Usually, the developers are doing what they think is the best for end users, but it comes out as something different, and they didn't imagine the application the way that end users did. It was helpful for them as well.

Is there anything Mobi Lab could have improved or done differently?

Not really. As I said, we were not in contact with just the developers, but with different project managers who were able to communicate with the client and with the different parties that were involved.

Please describe your organization.

Most of my interactions with Mobi Lab was when I was employed by a large video messaging platform. I was there from 2007 until 2014.

What is your position and responsibilities?

I changed positions, but during the period I worked with Mobi Lab, I was project manager for different mobile development activities, where we built the video messaging applications for mobile operators, Android platforms, Blackberry platforms, tablet platforms, and some other ones.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Mobi Lab?

Our first business challenge was we wanted to get the application on mobile. During that time, it was still very common in the West that we had cheap, low-end Nokia series and Ericsson phones. Not many companies and not many engineers had experience designing and developing a mobile experience on these kinds of phones.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

It was primarily the mobile development for the application on different platforms.

How did you come to work with Mobi Lab?

The engineering headquarters at that time was in Tallinn, Estonia, and Mobi Lab is headquartered in Estonia. We found them by recommendation. Estonia is small, and people know each other. They were recommended as a company with expertise. We phoned them, and we started with an initial proof of concept. They showcased that they can deliver, that they understood the mobile concept and business needs, and that was the start of the engagement.

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

We engaged with them on time and materials, meaning that it was not necessarily a fixed price. Requirements also changed in the larger world, so it's hard to say exactly. Typically, each work stream, some mobile development and maintenance, was a couple hundred thousand dollars. There were smaller projects, like a couple of $10,000 but, altogether, it was definitely above $1 million, maybe close to $1.5 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2008, and our collaboration ended in 2012.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I think the main reason we kept on working with Mobi Lab was not only that they did pure development, but also they're also very actively engaged in business problems, and how to solve them. They were actively brainstorming together with us, understanding all the challenges, speaking like product owners and an extended team, to be able to design and develop the best mobile experience. That was quite cool because it's not what you expect from an external company.

How did Mobi Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

All in all, they were very good, I wouldn't say we had any major problems. As in any project, sometimes there are small issues, and the company changes its requirements all the time.

What distinguishes Mobi Lab from other providers?

Mobi Lab is proactive, and they understand the business problem that we're trying to solve. They're not only good at developing applications, they don't only have that core skill set, but they have a good understanding of the details of business and what problems need to be solved. Much value was added by them in that regard.

Another thing is their technical competence. They definitely match the technical competencies with the engineers, and that's what we needed. We could speak on the same page. They have very high technical competencies. Those are the key things.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Kingdom Technologies build robotic lawn mowers for large terrains. I'm the CEO & Founder of the company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Mobi Lab?

Mobi Lab developed the web platform which enables the clients to configure their robots. It includes defining the working zones using the satellite images, working times/frequency, mowing height etc. In addition, the platform displays the location of the charging station and the robot on the map.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to develop the design, front end code and back end code for the described platform. It also includes developing a suitable architecture, API and other features for integration with the robot's software.

How did you select this vendor?

It was referred to me by an acquaintance.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Mobi Lab developed the web platform which enables the clients to configure their robots. It includes defining the working zones using the satellite images, working times/frequency, mowing height etc. In addition, the platform displays the location of the charging station and the robot on the map.

What was the team composition?

The project team included a project manager, designer, front end and back end developer.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

It enabled to start the commercial paid pilots with our first customers and produce a product video.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was extremely professional and efficient. The following project management/communication tools were used: Jira, Jitsi, Figma, Hangouts.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Project management, managing deadlines and communication.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The project went slightly over budget. It would be great to have a discount for early stage start-ups.