Mobomo

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Webmaster of FERC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

FERC ensures reliable, safe, secure & economically efficient energy for consumers at a reasonable cost.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Mobomo to accomplish?

• Website redesign
• Website enhancements
• continued support

SOLUTION

How did you find Mobomo?

Bid process

Why did you select Mobomo over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Actual knowledge of expectations

How many teammates from Mobomo were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The vendor shall become familiar with existing FERC users (Stakeholders, media, and the public), understand FERC's mission and activities, and all information that is required to implement the FERC.gov modernization. - The vendor shall deliver a modern FERC.gov website that uses the information required and gathered. The vendor shall develop and deliver a detailed work plan, other planning documents, and regular detailed status reports. 

The vendor shall review FERC's content, web analytics, usability, accessibility, and new work processes related to web content and data production. The vendor shall develop a detailed work plan, requirements document, migration plan, and timelines for the FERC.gov modernization implementation project as outlined in this document and in Appendix A: FERC.gov Modernization Requirements Report. 

The vendor shall provide a detailed weekly project schedule in MS Project for the purpose of keeping staff informed of progress, and a task status report at least weekly in a format that can be shared with a variety of FERC staff. Compliance with Federal Websites and Digital Services Policies and Mandates 

The vendor shall develop the site so it complies with all federal website and digital services laws, policies and government-wide mandates prescribed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to include the following: 

• Digital Government Strategy (May 2012) 
• OMB M-17-06, Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites and Digital Services (November 8, 2016) 
• OMB M-05-04, Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites (December 2004) 
• MB Circular A-130, Appendix III, Management of Federal Information Resources 
• E-Government Act of 2002, Section 207 
• Section 508 Standards for Electronic and Information Technology (29 USC § 794d) 
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) – W3C h
• Plain Writing Act of 2010 Further guidance can be found on our website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Delivery of Website, continued work on enhancements.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

We worked in an agile environment where we had deliverable schedules set up from FERC and Mobomo, which helped to create a website that migrated from an outdated system. Mobomo kept all timeline devilarbles and was also quite adapt at understanding our needs. We continue to write contracts based on our positive experiences with them and also make sure the standards that they applied to us are what to be expected from other contractors.

What was your primary form of communication with Mobomo?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They were highly flexible and innovative! Always looking forward to tackling a new project while juggling backend support.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Mobomo could have done differently?

Issues we had with our website development stemmed from FERC internal holdups. The team understood these pitfalls and really helped navigate around them while staying on track.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I worked at the EU delegation in the United States any my position was digital communications director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mobomo?

We revamped an existing a website to create a system that was very flexible, allowing us to implement design changes ourselves. We can create appealing event pages, and they set up a template for us that would enable us to create the products my organization required.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The system lets us drag and drop different elements to let us build custom landing pages for event series we organized. So for any particular festival, all the events are housed on a nice landing page, and users can filter by audience, event type, day, and region.

In a cost-efficient way, they set up a system that gave us a lot of flexibility to adjust the site without too much intervention from a development company. It was all built in WordPress. They also designed the frontend. They’re very strong when it comes to design, they approach it from a user perspective. They’re good at identifying the overall brand and implementing that into the design so it translates well and is cohesive.

What is the team composition?

We had one project manager and he liaised with the rest of the team. We had direct contact with the designer as well as some of the developers. We probably were in contact with four people in total.

How did you come to work with Mobomo?

I found them through a search and I just Googled companies in Washington, DC. We found a list of top-notch in developing apps.  Mobomo was among the top, and I talked to a few references who were satisfied with their work.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $50,000 annually (approximately $250,000 in total). They provide a good value and are willing to work with any company within their budget.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2015 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Through their work, we lowered our site’s bounce rate by about 20%. We increased search traffic by making sure the site was set up for easy indexing by a search engine.

The site became user-friendly, which allowed us to let others on the team help update the site model, and that reduced time spent updating the platform.

How did Mobomo perform from a project management standpoint?

They were on top of the project. At some point, we had a retainer contract, and they pushed us to get the most out of that contract. They generated their own ideas on how we could optimize the site. The proposed new templates and were very proactive. Whenever there was a problem, they were able to resolve it within 24 hours. They were very reachable and very approachable.

Our project manager was really good at monitoring and making sure that we were happy that we were meeting our deadlines, communicating about the different options, and also providing valuable input into how to better optimize the whole site.

We generally communicate via email and phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with many web companies, and Mobomo is one of the best. Three things stood out the most:

1. Their eagerness to create the best product for the clients.
2. Their flexibility
3. Their response times

They worked with us and brought a lot of insight to the project. They ensured that we created a product that would be useful once the project was over.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There isn’t anything I can think of. They do an outstanding job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would highly recommend Mobomo. Give them some flexibility and be open to their suggestions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the IT director of Brenco Solutions. We provide nationwide general contracting services. Our primary clients are in the commercial property management, retail, restaurant, and residential industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mobomo?

We wanted to develop a custom mobile app to provide real-time service updates to our clients and handle our workflow and data management processes seamlessly.

What were your goals for this project?

The main aim was to provide our clients with photographic documentation of the service processes from start to completion without delays and technical drawbacks of email. Internally, we wanted to create a standard for recording job-related information and increase our ability to collect and analyze data.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We have a personal connection with one of Mobomo’s employees. We ultimately chose to hire them over other options because their presentation and standard development plan aligned with our interests.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We decided to go the custom development route because the majority of existing solutions were either lacking in ability or intuitive design. Mobomo provides design, development, testing, and troubleshooting for a CMS web portal and iOS and Android mobile app. App users are able to upload various types of data including average service completion time, profit margin, employee response time, and communication effectiveness.

After initial conference calls where we described what we wanted and provided basic wireframes, Mobomo designed the initial prototype with an accompanying logo. They delivered a functional version for testing six weeks later and proceeded to deliver expanded features. Our team conducted tests throughout this process.

What was the team composition?

We’ve had a consistent project director and multiple project managers depending on the development stage.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Both our employees and customers are happy with the app and web portal. Our employees used to have to communicate all project updates with our clients over emails. This entailed responding to a burdensome number of messages every day and sacrificing time that could be spent more efficiently. Now, clients can log into the web portal to check the status of any service and view photographic documentation. This reduces unnecessary communication and improves internal productivity.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It’s been sound and consistent despite changing project managers. Meetings are documented through email and GitHub, and they respond to our questions timely through email and phone calls. Everything we need is communicated to their development team.

We meet in person or through video conferencing ever 1–2 weeks, and Mobomo has met the majority of our benchmarks. Their agile development empowers us to have a working model while continuing to develop features.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their speed in turning out the first version of the app was outstanding. Despite needing to restructure nearly the entire app—design and database—we’ve always had a working model.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Mobomo was a bit too quick to meet our deadlines. I would have appreciated if they’d explained the entire process more in-depth. While the results were impressive, it was disheartening receiving an initial product with more potential than functionality.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a technology and consulting company that builds ventures and launches products. We're based in Washington, D.C. and serve clients across the U.S. and the globe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mobomo?

Our mobile developer couldn't meet our deadlines. We decided to find a reliable company that could take over the project and get us back on track.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to meet our deadline and launch a product in the App Store. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched online and among local developers for companies with a successful track record. The project management team needed to understand our project and add value to our product. Most importantly, we wanted to work with a company that we could trust to become part of our team. 

After our initial meeting with Mobomo, we were so impressed with their preparation and attention to detail that we decided to request a proposal and work with them.

Describe the project in detail.

We had a discovery call with the development and project management team to clearly establish our goals and milestones. They completed an app review, tested existing code, and implemented fixes and new features.

What was the team composition?

I worked directly with the project manager and received regular updates through video conferenced with the development team. I had direct access to project managers and developers, who kept me up-to-date on the status of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We immediately saw a marked increase in user acquisition and 5-star ratings. The app also became extremely stable, with a great reduction in app crashes and bug instances. The fact that app didn't have any bugs, even minor ones, showed us that they performed adequate testing before releasing the product.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I'm most happy about our communication with the team. The developer understood our goals and stayed available through email, phone, and messaging. We used G Suite and GitHub to manage the product. They documented and communicated everything clearly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We've built apps with various vendors, and two things about Mobomo stood out. Their communication about workflow and timelines was excellent. When they identified potential roadblocks, they informed us early and provided solutions. 

Rather than blindly executing what we told them, they suggested useful and meaningful improvements. We didn't receive the product we wanted–we got an even better one!  I'm happy with the experience. If they sustain this level of service, we'll use them again and again.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the internal website project manager for an education nonprofit. We currently offer math and English curricula across the country.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mobomo?

We had an outdated website that didn’t capture any user information. People would just go onto our website, download free PDFs, and leave. We wanted to recreate the site and enhance the marketing experience by hiring a company to create a customized CMS.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We told Mobomo what we wanted, and they used Ruby on Rails to build a custom CMS. They walked us through the different aspects and requirements and let us choose the different features. Their design team created the pages and templates for the site. We had numerous iterations on the designs of the shop, central dashboard, and main hub.

They used Spree to build our online shop and incorporate analytics. The custom CMS is overlaid on top of that. The analytics track new users logging into the site, online orders, and the number of contacts that submit forms through the site. They also did SEO work for about two months, helping us identify keywords and adjusting our site as needed. They conducted QA testing and now provide continued maintenance.

What is the team composition?

I work with 3–4 people: a project manager, quality client manager, and one main developer. There’s sometimes an SEO person or frontend developer, depending on what phase we’re in.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $7,700 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in January 2016, and the new site officially launched in August 2016. They now do maintenance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve allowed us to capture a huge amount of insight into our customer base that we track in Salesforce. We’ve had over 226,000 new contacts, 300,000 orders on our online shop, and 13,000 people submit forms in the website. Just based on sheer numbers, the partnership has been a huge success. We know more about our customers and are able to contact them. Schools can access our products easier, and teachers and administrators don’t have to search hard to find our free resources.

Internally, the new CMS allows me to share our resources and create any page without a developer having to step in. Because of Mobomo, things run much smoother and more efficiently now.

How did Mobomo perform from a project management standpoint?

I communicate with their team on a daily basis through Slack. At the beginning of the week, we talk about plans, unresolved past tickets, and any big, upcoming projects. Then, at the end of the week, we’ll discuss what was accomplished and address any questions. Their main developer is in China, so it can be hard to contact him, but the other team members get the message across and take care of the project.

We’ve had a lot of turnover in our company, and Mobomo has handled it well. They’ve been patient and flexible as they’ve worked through different phases of our company. They give advice and educate us on best practices without being too pushy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their daily communication is highly impressive. They answer me at any hour, even after the workday is over. They rearrange resources and work on big projects without overcharging us—that flexibility is extremely appreciated.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could probably stand up for their ideas a bit more. If they think something doesn’t make sense, they should be more vocal about it.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Be clear on what you want and listen to their advice. The only problems we had with them were when we didn’t follow their suggestions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an analyst for a non-profit organization based in D.C. We conduct high-level strategic and budgetary analysis related to Department of Defense issues for a variety of organizations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mobomo?

We had an application that evolved from an access database to an online version that organizations used to make asset tradeoffs under budget constraints over a 10-year period. The tool suffered from deficiencies on the administrator (data-input) and user side of the application.

Each exercise we ran in the application required a new database to be built by our staff. The tool did not provide any "smart" calculations, such as unit and currency conversions. All of the data had to be manually calculated in multiple excel spreadsheets and manually input to the administrator side of the tool for each exercise. Each exercise consists of around 1,000+ options, so each major modification required a significant amount of labor. The first goal of the new tool was to enable formula models to calculate costs of assets in the tool, to reduce the amount of time needed to build a unique database.

The second issue, on the user side, focused on the user experience. The old tool did not have assets logically grouped, but rather displayed in an alphabetized list. It also did not offer easy navigation between different groups of assets or any data analytics to illustrate the user’s selections.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The tool was developed by another company originally, and Mobomo inherited that technology. Given the scope of the changes, we did not use any of the old code and embarked on a complete rewrite of the application. Mobomo was in charge of the entire development process, from the user side, the administrator side, the database architecture, and application security testing. The work involved over 200 requirements over an 8-month timeframe to build a custom application.

The project was divided into three releases. Mobomo completed release 1, and we successfully used the new version in a live exercise. Version 1 features basic functionality with a new database and significantly updated user and administration front ends.

The tool has a user side and an administrator side. The user side featured significant improvements in logical grouping of assets, dynamic charts, and asset tracking. The administrator side is the most complex because of the formula models, calculations, and business rules that are needed to price and create relationships between assets on the user side. One of the most complexfeatures of the new tool is the implantation of formula models. We need these models to estimatethe cost of assets in the tool over a 10-year period. Before, we had been doing that in Excel andmanually typing it into our old tool, which took significant labor hours to complete. The new toolallows for the selection of multiple formula models to satisfy a particular use case, which willautomatically calculate the assets costs.

What is the team dynamic?

The team is very responsive to all inquiries, questions, and concerns. Mobomo has a full interdisciplinary team. The team consists of 4 developers, a technical architect, a program manager, and 2 frontend UX designers.

I have weekly meetings with the team to receive status updates on the project. I speak almost daily with the Mobomo project manager to relay any questions, comments, or testing feedback. Initially, Mobomo underestimated the complexity of the work. About 4-6 weeks into the project, I voiced my concern to Mobomo about exceeding the original cost and schedule estimates. They added another pair of developers to the effort within a week, in order to get the project back on track at no additional cost to us.

How did you come to work with Mobomo?

We did basic web research to find IT companies in the area. We sent the initial request for proposals to five companies, and three submitted proposals. We asked for written proposals that would be followed up with interviews, if needed.

Based on the written proposal alone, Mobomo stood out. We had an in-person interview to gain additional clarification on the proposal and then we made the selection. We wanted to use an Agile methodology for the project. The RFP contained over 200 requirements written as user stories and additional documentation to allow for the companies to estimate the scale of the project. The Mobomo proposal estimated the time associated with completing each requirement. Although their initial estimates were incorrect, their responsiveness to completing the work has led to a positive experience. They offered a full interdisciplinary team with security testing included, which also made their proposal stand out.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together February 2017 and the work is ongoing. We expect to complete theproject by January of 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall, the new tool is making a very positive impact for both our organization and the groups that will be using the application. On the admin side, the capabilities deployed thus far reduce the labor hours needed to build a new data set by at least 50%. The reduced time to develop a database opens the possibility of conducting more exercises in the future.

Currently, we are considering building five databases over a three-month time frame, which would have not been possible with the old tool. The feedback on the user front end, from the one exercise we have conducted, was very positive.

How did Mobomo perform from a project management standpoint?

The management of the project has been executed very well. The team is using different apps and communication methods, including JIRA, Slack, and Basecamp, to keep everyone informed. JIRA, the requirements tracking tool, is updated frequently and I often use it to reprioritize the requirements. The team is very responsive to any of my questions, which are typically answered within the hour. We agreed upon a process for testing and closing out requirements, which has led to a very smooth process. As mentioned previously, the team was very responsive to my early cost and schedule concern.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The one area they can improve upon is schedule estimation, which was significantly underestimated for our effort. Estimating an IT project, especially one with 200 requirements, is very difficult, so I understand the difficulty involved.

Any recommendations you could recommend to someone less experienced if they want to hire a company like Mobomo?

The main priority should be having a firm understanding of the requirements for the system/application. We had over 200 pages of requirements, including test criteria and other documentation to provide a clear picture of our current and future system. This helps both sides understand the full scope of the effort.

After hiring an IT development company, early testing and frequent communication is vital. I am testing every day to ensure that I have not missed any bugs and that new functionality is working correctly. Typically, I provide feedback on all requirements within 24 hours of testing. You really need a product expert empowered to make decisions during the development process.When we started the project, my organization decided that I would be that person and that has resulted in quick feedback.

Having a constant communication line open is very important, because in IT, one problem can cause a massive ripple effect. Delay in feedback on one problem could delay the team by weeks, potentially, if it’s a large problem. I speak with the technical architect and/or the Mobomo project manager multiple times a week to explain the requirements, offer feedback, or ask questions. We all make ourselves available so that we can work together to produce a high-quality product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of my financial advisory firm. I used to work for Mobomo years ago, and I’m one of their shareholders. I stopped working day to day for Mobomo about 6-7 years ago, and worked at our sister company, Altum, for the last 20 years. Eventually, I founded my firm in January 2017 as a way to use my small business experience at Mobomo and Altum, along with my own public accounting firm priorly.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mobomo?

I needed to get a website going for my fledgling firm but couldn't do it myself. My unique background in this scenario meant I was already aware of Mobomo's relevant offerings. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mobomo is currently drafting my website, and they also did my logo. I tried to do the logo myself, and I liked it, but after I showed it to Brian [CEO, Mobomo], he sent it to their Buenos Aires design team and they came back with a better one.

They’ve got a lot of great contracts with NASA, Navy, Gallup, and Mars, which are all well-known companies or government entities. Customer service is on the forefront for them, which will make them even more competitive as they grow, because I don’t often experience that.

They scrapped the Weebly website I had, which was only one page with a couple photos. When they come up with a plan, they show you different sites with content, artwork, and even icons, which are especially appealing right now. The previous didn’t have people sitting around and poring over it.

Unlike the older site, which had limited content, if someone wants to research my background using the newer website, they’ll have access to detailed bio and reference information. There will also be new case studies and client testimonials. I only had one quote on the old site from one of my former partners but on the newer one, it’ll have a whole slew of new customers listed.

They went so far as having a photographer take new professional headshots, which turned out terrific. The new website will be launched in the next two weeks, but it’s not quite ready yet. They’ve done most of the preparation work already, but it’s delayed on my part because I have to write the case studies myself and I haven’t had time yet.

What was the team dynamic?

I’ve worked with a variety of different people on Mobomo’s design team, including Emily [Director of Marketing and Communication, Mobomo] and Brian [CEO, Mobomo]. There were two designers, including Gerardo [Creative Director, Mobomo] and Nila [Designer, Mobomo]. Interactions were mostly based on the skill set required. 

How did you come to work with Mobomo?

I contacted them pretty casually about getting a website going. When they estimated the project, I was hesitant because launching the business was still in its early days and I didn’t know if it would generate any revenue. The Weebly site was already in place by the time I began working with Mobomo and they gradually worked with me to build the newer one. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in April 2017, and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Every few days they update me on the status of assigned tasks. They’ll get my opinion on drafts of new pictures they’ve pooled and color scheme changes. I’m fairly selective when it comes to visual design.

At Altum, we had a similar situation wherein we needed someone to redo the website. Mobomo is definitely more customer focused than the one we used in that former scenario. Instead of having one meeting wherein everything that was already done was presented in one extravagantly, Mobomo chose to work with us directly and iterate.

The process is far more collaborative and based on back-and-forth dialog. It's completely different from the process used with Altum. The designer responsible for Altum's site would bring the deliverables and leave us stuck with what she came up with; there was no room for adjustment. Mobomo's designers instead brainstormed with us and came to the table with different options. We'd discuss them and agree to move in one direction or another. My input really mattered with Mobomo.

How did Mobomo perform from a project management standpoint?

The process was pretty smooth, and it was great working with them because they have specialists readily available. We communicate in person, through the phone, Skype, and by email. Most of their design team is based in Buenos Aires. Those guys use Hangouts, Slack, etc., to communicate with us. They've done a fantastic job, and always got work done on time and met their targets.

What did you find most impressive about Mobomo?

They're cutting edge. I network a lot, and when someone tells me they need a website or they’re trying to look at some cloud stuff, I always mention Mobomo. They’re always staying on top of current trends and experimenting with new things.They have especially talented people working for them and many are tech oriented.

Are there any areas Mobomo could improve?

I don’t have any constructive criticism to share. The only thing to possibly say is that would be cool is if the Buenos Aires team were more local so we could all sit in the room and look at the white board together. Then, we could look at different examples together even more seamlessly, but that’s not feasible in this world with the global economy we have.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a non-profit organization serving the U.S. military and their families. We provide service members with connections back to their family, home, and country throughout the processes of joining, deployment, assignments, and returning. I was the director of technology innovation when we worked with Mobomo.

We were building a mobile app to provide service members the ability to check into our centers which we have around the world. The app would also help find those centers, provide feedback to them, and then encourage service members to explore and consume the different types of programs that we offer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mobomo?

Mobomo was brought in to help build this app for us. The app didn’t exist before starting our relationship with them, apart from screens. I had made some sort of clickable wireframes using different prototyping tools, but no actual code was written. Throughout 2016, I spent a number of months doing discovery sessions with our staff and visiting centers, speaking with some of our constituents just to get an idea of initial requirements. But, I would say that we were largely starting from zero.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I worked very closely with them. I was essentially the product owner, and I was very clear and upfront with Mobomo that I wanted to be very involved. This was not something where we just wanted them to go off, spend a couple of months, build an app, and come back. I was actually asking them to be transparent to the point where it might be uncomfortable, because often in those relationships, you want to put a little bit of a wall between you and your client just to make sure that they don’t see all the internal machinations. I really pressured Mobomo to open things up and allow me to be part of it, because this was a very important initiative for the organization. They were really great about that.

As much as that might have made them uncomfortable—and I think in their shoes I would’ve felt that way as well—they were incredibly collaborative. They worked with me to set up access to all the different tools that they were using to track development, as well as different collaboration portals so that we could have real-time communication. We also had various meetings each week, whether it was sprint planning, briefing the weekly test cases, or the general check-in and progress update.

They also facilitated all of the different design meetings that we had. We did some customer interviews, focus groups, and surveys, and then built out a whole persona and user journey, including user flows and all of these different pieces. They facilitated every piece of that, and then through mockups and wireframes, we were able to do different design reviews. I think what we got out of that was a really great design and a very clear understanding of what the specific user stories were. We could then move forward in trying to address those user stories through the app and know what key pieces needed to be there.

What were critical features in the app?

We questioned whether we needed an app or a mobile responsive website, but we already have a mobile responsive website. We have 200 locations around the world. Historically, the way it would work is you would walk into a center, be greeted by a volunteer, and you would come and sign your name and give your biographical data and the reason you’re there.

You would have this whole line of people behind you, and at the end of the day, some volunteer is going in and typing that information into an Excel spreadsheet. Then they’re sending that Excel spreadsheet to a regional level to be combined with 40 other spreadsheets before combing at the national level. Our app would eliminate this, making it really easy for people to check in. Through the app, they wouldn’t have to tell us who they are every time. Then all of this data can be pulled together on a backend in real time. Before, this had been done quarterly at best.

That was the key thing: having a user create a profile, knowing what center they’re at, and allowing them to select the services they’re there for. Easing this process for service members and then automating all of the data aggregation—that was the key functionality.

Were there any features built afterwards?

There are a couple other pieces of the app itself that they built as well. In addition to being able to check in, you’re able to use your position in the world to find locations of centers near you. That way, you could explore them, understand what events are occurring there, what programs they offer, where they are, and then email that info, find their Facebook page, call them, and use your phone to navigate to it. You can actually just open up the app and use whatever native maps application you have on your phone and add the center as a favorite, so you can always track and know the latest info about what’s being offered at that location. Then, more broadly, you could explore programs around the world. Not every program that we offer to service members and their families are provided at every center, but they’re provided at different locations and some are even provided virtually.

How many resources were assigned to your project?

There were 6 people, including 2 developers, a designer, a tester, infrastructure, and a project manager. There were a couple moments close to launch when they brought in a few other players to help with the infrastructure tuning and optimizing. There were also times where we were sprinting to the finish line, and they were able to leverage developers in different locations in order to be developing 24 hours a day. That was really cool because they have some developers in India, some in Argentina, and then some here in D.C.

Did you ever have a situation where you didn’t have access to the resources you needed?

That was never an issue at all. We had to be respectful of different time zones of course, so I can’t ask the developer in India a question at 11 a.m. my time. But apart from that, we always had the right people on the team.

At one point, one of their team members left the company for reasons unrelated to my project. Momobo was immediately able to bring in someone else who was very capable and picked things up without any issues.

We did have an infrastructure issue during late testing stages, and they pulled some people in and worked weekends for a bit. They were even willing to give some of that to us for free, because they realized that there were things they could’ve done differently. They wanted to make sure we had a good outcome and that we were happy. They were equal partners in success of this app.

What are the data integrations for the app?

We challenged them with creating an app that was very lightweight and that relied on data to be resident elsewhere. We had 2 locations that are the respective primary sources of truth. We actually have a custom Ruby on Rails CMS built and managed by a group called Threespot, a D.C. agency. It’s actually multiple CMS instances, 60 of them in total, and each of them have specific biographical data about our locations, like the address, the type of location, the hours of operation, Facebook, email, phone number, etc.

That information is all resident there, and it was important that Mobomo was able to pull that into the app so that users could see the location, understand the location information, and ultimately be able to find that location and check into it. Then, the app also serves as a bridge between our custom CMS and our Salesforce instance, which stores each user’s data, like biographical information, consumption habits, and which services or programs they’re checking into. The app is pulling and pushing info from both data aggregations.

They worked with 2 different vendors, which I think is really great, that all 3 of them have these working relationships, as opposed to competing. Mobomo navigated that very well, as did the other 2 groups.

How did you come to work with Mobomo?

I’m pretty sure that I found them through Clutch. We had some recommendations from our board as well as some vendors that we have on contract that would’ve loved to help us with app development. Then I just started searching on Google. I was looking for digital agencies in the D.C. area that were very design-forward. Knowing what I know about the mobile app space and how competitive it is, it’s really hard to rise above the noise. I wanted people who were going to be thoughtful about user experience, design, and just the overall experience of what that app is going to be. After looking around, I think I happened upon Clutch and found them. That’s what actually got me to their website.

We did send out RFPs. Since this would be our organization’s first time building a mobile app, we wanted to actually get some input from out there in the world and see what people were thinking about. We had 12 different groups that we invited to respond, and we narrowed that down to 6 and asked them to send us a quote. Mobomo was the winner there.

Price is always a factor, but we didn’t just go for the lowest price; we were looking for the best value. That said, Mobomo was very competitive.

What really made them stick out to us was their experience with groups that we thought were really relevant to us. They built an app for the U.S. Navy and we really liked that they were tied into government and military. They also had a great process for how they approach app development. They spent a lot of time talking about how they were going to approach this from the user experience and the design first. Some of the other groups that we spoke with were more about system engineering or data integration. I really appreciated that they were focused on this more holistically as a beautiful product. We didn’t want to gold-plate or over-engineer a solution just for the sake of creating something massive that would require work year after year.

How much have you invested with Mobomo?

They came in under budget. One of the challenges we gave them, because we realized that we were burning a little light as far as overall spend, was to see how low we could come in while still being on time. For us, I think the price is a bit higher than a traditional project going from zero to an app, because we had a range of data integrations that upped the complexity. We spent right around $300,000 for the app.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2016, and the iOS app launched in April 2017. This was the initial contract, and we had an option to extend for Android development as well as additional releases throughout the remainder of the year. We did extend the contract and they’re currently working on the Android development as well as additional features and functionality for both versions. We see them as somebody who’s going to be a continued partner for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Mobomo was a really great partner, especially in terms of being very collaborative and open. They understood that it was my job to make sure the end result met all expectations and represented us well as a brand.

We told them that it was very important to launch with metrics in place, so that we could track everything and tell those kinds of stories. This was a big project, but they handled it well. We had a couple of challenges, but, as a team, they were really good about helping work through it with us. We intentionally launched as a beta version in order to learn from it, and we haven’t done very aggressive marketing efforts yet.

But, in the 3 months that we’ve been live, we have a couple hundred daily active users and around 2,500 monthly active users. It’s being used actively for hundreds of check-ins a day at different centers, and we’re not even done rolling it out for certain locations. If we’re talking a year from now, we would say we’re on target to see probably 5 million check-ins happening in the app per year, once we’re done rolling everything out and going cross-platform.

How did Mobomo perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re using Slack, JIRA, and Basecamp. We also have codes checked in at GitHub. During the app development, they allowed me access to iTunes Connect in the test flight. So, I was seeing the daily builds, which is something that you wouldn’t necessarily put in front of a client. From the moment we began, they were willing to let me in and see anything that could be installed and clicked.

What did you find most impressive about Mobomo?

Anytime I’ve had feedback of any sort, they’ve always been really responsive. We’ve only had to have a discussion like that once, and they were great at integrating feedback and adjusting how they do things.

They would also align their goals to our success, just as we would. They held themselves accountable and were really invested. That was a cool thing to see. I haven’t seen other groups do that as actively. There is involvement from the CEO, Brian, and all the way down. Every person has been invested, active, engaged, and always available. We brought them into our Slack team, and every one of them is available whenever we need to talk. They’re a couple hundred people—to have that level of involvement from the top down, that’s definitely unique to them and has been very meaningful to us.

Are there any areas Mobomo could improve?

Some of it might have been me pushing for more transparency at the start, but I don’t know if that’s necessarily a fault. That level of transparency isn’t normally expected.

Then we faced the challenge of making sure our conversations in various channels translated into finished tasks. You can’t let important, productive back-and-forth in a Slack channel get left behind in chat history. That was something that both my team and Mobomo pointed out. It’s just a matter of making sure that everything ends up being tracked back to JIRA so that even the smallest things don’t get missed.

I don’t have a lot of negative things to say about them. I really enjoyed working with them on getting this launched and I’m looking forward to continuing to work with them as we progress.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Ultra Fitness, a mobile app that provides workout programs and meal plans for people who want to reach their fitness goals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mobomo?

When I first touched base with Mobomo, it was to fix a problem I had with my existing app, which had glitches and bugs from work done by past developers. I wanted to go with a higher quality, top-end development company, and that’s why I reached out to Mobomo. They did a good job of fixing the problems, so I decided to rehire them for a more in-depth project, which would involve adding a bunch of new things to my app. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

My project with Mobomo evolved from fixing bugs and glitches to changing the entire UI/UX, making the app more efficient on the backend, and implementing a new backend system that allows me to conveniently manage my content. They also enhanced the app's frontend, which now shows more relevant content to users, works smarter and has a more intuitive design.

How did you come to work with Mobomo?

I literally searched for “top app developers” on Google and found a website that listed lots of app development companies, including Mobomo. They seemed like the best fit for me based solely on the information available on their website. They posted a lot of content that let me understand how they operated. That’s why I decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with Mobomo?

Altogether, I’ve invested about $60,000 to $70,000 with Mobomo.

What is the status of this engagement?

I think we worked together for about 12–15 months. I stopped working with them in 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The overall engagement has been good. I’ve been transitioning the project to a developer I recently hired. When the app was first launched, Mobomo provided a lot of quality assurance support. They were very hands-on in terms of fixing bugs, glitches, and other issues. Even when I’m uncertain about something now, they will provide a little assistance.

How did Mobomo perform from a project management standpoint?

I believe I had two iOS developers and two Android developers working with me. In addition to those coders, I had two lead project managers: one who focused heavily on the UI and design, and another who basically worked hand-in-hand on the UI but also worked on the backend, on the overall concept, and on any other task that needed to be done. We interacted with the resources as needed instead of having just one point of contact, and we mainly communicated through email and Skype.

What did you find most impressive about Mobomo?

Their services were good. I'll probably end up hiring Mobomo again for slightly larger and more complicated projects because they were good at supplying content and at finding and resolving problems.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior director at a federal government contracting firm. We hold a lot of different contracts, but my familiarity with Mobomo is through the work we do with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] in Atlanta. My work is primarily on HIV prevention with the CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Capacity Building branch. We do education, training, evaluation, and monitoring. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mobomo?

The CDC developed a medication adherence mobile application that they branded as: Every Dose Every Day. It had been developed and launched, but major bug fixes were needed and they were considering a redesign. When we applied for the contract with the CDC, Mobomo was one of our partners via subcontract because they have considerable expertise in mobile applications.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mobomo was hired to work on the support and maintenance of an existing mobile app for medication adherence for people living with HIV. Mobomo’s involvement started as fixing bugs and adding new medications to a list in the app. Patients use it to track their meds, viral load, lab reports, and medical appointments. As new drugs are added to the market, photos and descriptions of the medications enter the app’s database so users can select them from a drop-down menu.

As the client’s comfort level with Mobomo grew, they found additional monies to add to the contract. Mobomo also did user acceptance testing with several folks living with HIV. The process lasted several weeks and involved having the patients use the mobile app, complete a survey every week, and do a phone interview. Mobomo did a report on their results and presented it to the CDC. The brief included Mobomo’s own ideas as well as changes that users wanted to see. That led to the CDC securing additional funds for our contract. So, in the last few months, Mobomo has been able to redesign the mobile app, including some of its functionality and look, and send that coding to the CDC.

How did you come to work with Mobomo?

The previous CEO of our company knew Mobomo. They probably came in and did a demo. When the contract opportunity came around, my CEO said, “Why don't you get in contact with Mobomo?” So I started working with them. I didn't get the marketing sales pitch per se, but other people in my company did and were familiar with them enough that they said, “We think this is a good group to work with.” I looked at their references and we went through a whole proposal process. It included the scope of their work and budget and so on, information that I could fold into my proposal to the government.

What is the status of this engagement?

The official contract started July 2015, so we’re going on 18 months. It’s a continuing project that has expanded because of Mobomo’s high-quality services and the CDC’s confidence in their ability.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The government hasn't yet submitted the app for acceptance in the App Store and Google Play, so we don't have the stats on the downloads and usage. In terms of measurements, I can talk about the client-customer satisfaction and the fact that they increased the scope of work and found additional funding to expand and support the project. They wouldn't have done that if they weren’t happy with Mobomo.

How did Mobomo perform from a project management standpoint?

I work with an account manager and account lead. Together, we hold twice monthly phone calls with the end-client. They brought in a specialist to work on the user acceptance testing, and they probably had 3–4 coders working on the redesign. I didn't interact with them directly. I interacted with the project manager, the account manager, and the user acceptance testing specialist. They have a pool of coders that they were using behind the scenes. 

I've had ups and downs with contractors over the course of 20-years, but it’s always been smooth with Mobomo. We’ve developed a trust and have open, transparent communication. They don’t try to skip over us to work with the client. When they say they’re going to get something done by a deadline, it’s done. We’ve been pleased with the work they’re doing, the product they’ve created, and the way they’re managing the project.

They use Basecamp to track approvals, prototypes, design, and communication. The CDC had used Basecamp before so that has worked out well from all sides. The CDC had to make approvals on certain design choices; using Basecamp helped us track that. They also had a way to demo the app through WebEx during phone calls, which was useful for the client.

I am not an expert in coding, but Mobomo was good at translating the technical aspect to action items and decisions that needed to be made. So if the client said, “We want XYZ,” Mobomo could explain, “We can do X, but you might want to consider this other option rather than going down that route.” They had a methodical, even-handed way of explaining options and demoing up alternatives. They recognize that we’re a lay audience when it comes to coding and requirements. Laura at Mobomo knew how to work between her developers and the client.

What did you find most impressive about Mobomo?

Mobomo was familiar with some of the regulations of working with the federal government. For instance, it was important that the data live on the user’s phone. No one is tracking the patient data except for the patients themselves; it’s not something we’re tracking in any way. More important with federal government work is Section 508 compliance as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It affects certain design efforts in terms of the colors you use, the functionality and so on. Mobomo had to meet those requirements and fill out that U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 508 checklist. They were familiar with that process. They also did a Spanish translation with the redesign.

Are there any areas Mobomo could improve?

Not necessarily. It’s been pretty smooth.