NERDZ LAB

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of a group of wellness companies. We have fitness clubs, apps, and live sporting events. I lead the operations side for the Fitness, Nutrition, and Wellness division.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NERDZ LAB?

We inherited NERDZ LABZ when we took over a skeleton app that wasn’t really working. They had a lot of technology that we hadn’t managed before, so we’ve worked with them ever since.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

NERDZ LAB has built the app from scratch using React Native. We initially reinvented the platform when it came under our management. Now, we’re constantly developing and improving the video player, profile section, app’s feed, explore page, and more. They’ve added a step counter, and we’ve worked on big projects. For example, they’ve created a Huawei app with a code that they hadn’t worked with before.

What is the team composition?

We have eight people on the team, including a project manager, an assistant project manager, two QA people, an iOS developer, an Android developer, and two backend engineers.

How did you come to work with NERDZ LAB?

They built the app that we bought, so we decided to keep them and see how they did.

How much have you invested with them?

We have a retainer of £35,000 (approximately $44,000 USD) per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in September 2018, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen an increase in download numbers. Every time we release a feature or make an improvement, we see a slight increase in the usability and retention of our subscribers. For example, they did an integration with body scan technology, and we had an increase in memberships and downloads when the technology went live.

How did NERDZ LAB perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is excellent. The response time is immediate, and they bring in more people as it’s needed. We usually communicate through Slack; we have different teams for different topics. I think that’s why we have such a good response.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our previous tech team was more about the money than improving the service. Meanwhile, NERDZ LAB actually looks at the problem and doesn’t try to make the job more complicated. They understand what we’re trying to do, and the team creates the best product from that understanding.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there isn’t anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Use Slack and build a relationship with the project manager.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and Clinical director. We are a small healthcare startup in the field of Dermatology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire NERDZ LAB, and what were your goals?

We required a functional MVP in order to test the basis of the business model. We required NL to assist in design and development from start to finish, a Landing page, front end design, UX, backend system for clinicians and commencing SEO. This also included designing logos and creating UX.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I interviewed a few other software houses but decided on NerdzLab. The team came across as helpful, honest and interested in how to produce my solution in the most efficient and cost effective way.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had an initial discovery phase of how the project should look , then in deopth anaylsis into how each aspect of the MVP should be, from deisgn, UX, frontend to backend.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

6 - various positions, from developers, artists, project managers, then front end and back end team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The MVP works perfectly and exactly how I wanted it to work given cost restraints. The team were also very responsive to changes and amendments on the fly.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Communication done through Slack and weekly catchup meetings. Communication was always timely and without delay.

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

Communication, honesty, working to deadlines with reasonable delays.

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

No. Very happy with the whole process, would recommend them to anyone across the world who is looking for IT services.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO for a reviews platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NERDZ LAB?

We needed someone to build our mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

NERDZ LAB developed our mobile app for iOS using geolocation and created a dashboard for it. The app's primary goal is to have a social aspect to the different reviews we make to the public places. They also help with the DevOps strategy and releasing the app into the App Store. We launched the first version of the app, and now we’re just cleaning up and preparing for the public release.

What is the team composition?

I’ve met with 4–5 people from their team, including developers and their CTO.

How did you come to work with NERDZ LAB?

We found them online, and we liked what they were offering.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent $40,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve tested and used the app with beta testers, and the feedback and reviews have been a success. We distributed the app through specific testers, and the response has helped us clean up the product for the initial release — now we know that users are engaged.

How did NERDZ LAB perform from a project management standpoint?

The team is responsive, and we have a direct communication channel with them; whenever we encounter specific things, we let them know, and they’re very communicative with us. We can also hop in a meeting quickly and discuss the problem, get it fixed, or offer other solutions — it’s been a great experience. We like that they’re always discussing the issues with us, and if something's going to take more time or money, they provide justification and explanation — we can trust them. In terms of tools and communication, we use Jira, YouTrack to manage the bugs, Slack, Google Hangouts, and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication is impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They work agilely and do a good job communicating, and they could involve the other team members in more meetings. They invited them into a few sessions, but all release and bug discussions meetings should include the other developers or team members.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Co-Founder of Eatmap, a food discovery app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire NERDZ LAB, and what were your goals?

We hired NerdzLab to bring the concept Eatmap to life. We came to them with ideas and throughly their excellent services helped us bring them to life. Our goals were to create an MVP which we could take to market.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

After endless searches we came across NerdzLabz, after a video call interview we knew they were the team for us. Their transparency and quality of work in their portfolio won us over.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had a few meetings discussing the features and functions we required for the MVP. Soon after we had wireframes prepared and first version followed by updated versions implemented according to our feedback.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

A project manager was assigned as a main point of contact. Additionally we communicated with a front and back end developer thorough-out.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The app is yet to be released, however we have been obtaining feedback throughout the entire process from specific focus groups (target market) and it’s been extremely positive. We also have 400 people signed up on our Eatmap newsletter.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The project manager had very smooth and easy communication with us. We spoke over video and phone calls. The majority of feedback and communication was conducted on slack with reports regularly provided to keep us up to date.

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

Their mobile app development skills were second to none. They’re extremely transparent and want the best for you as if it’s their own. Also the enthusiasm for its generating new ideas and solutions blew us away.

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

I can’t fault the process, they were immaculate with their services.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of a digital marketing and development consultancy in the UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NERDZ LAB?

We had challenges expanding our development team during the pandemic. I wanted to find a more flexible way of scaling our team, and we started looking for partners that could function as outsourced members of my team. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve worked with them on two platforms. On one project, we did the UI/UX design, and NERDZ LAB did the front-and backend technical development.

On the second project, we did the design and frontend development, and NERDZ LAB built the backend. They were completely integrated into our team.

What is the team composition?

We’ve had two people from NERDZ LAB on each project, and I’m working with three of them daily, including a project manager.

How did you come to work with NERDZ LAB?

I found them through LinkedIn, and I had a really good conversation with NERDZ LAB’s founder and one of their senior developers. We had some initial tests and conversations, and I got them involved in a project once I was comfortable. It went really well, so we continued from there.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent several tens of thousands of dollars.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with NERDZ LAB in June 2020, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The products wouldn’t have gone live without NERDZ LAB’s work. I’m very happy with the output, and my team is very happy with the working relationship, which is the most important thing. They’re extremely open and collaborative. I can’t fault them. They’re a fantastic team, and I’m absolutely blessed to have found NERDZ LAB.

How did NERDZ LAB perform from a project management standpoint?

I’d like to bring them to the UK and work with them full time, but there’s no need, obviously. This has been a pandemic-friendly relationship, where everything’s been remote. Most of my team is working remotely in this current environment. So, in effect, it’s the same with NERDZ LAB as with the rest of the team.

They deliver on time and on budget, within the realms of what’s sensible. Projects change and budgets change, but NERDZ LAB is a very good resource from a financial point of view.

We talk to them every day, via either WhatsApp calls, Google Meet, or Slack. We use Trello boards collaboratively for activity management and scheduling.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their willingness to let their team effectively become part of our team stands out. Their openness to collaborate and communicate quickly and freely is also great.  They’re always willing to go beyond the call of duty; if we need NERDZ LAB to work long hours to get something done, they’ll get it done.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m very pleased with NERDZ LAB . 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Be as open with them as possible. NERDZ LAB understands the pressures and motivations that drive customer decisions, so they can actually add value and not just do what they’re asked.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a Dutch company based in Rijswijk, which provides tax advisory mainly to Eastern-European expats that reside in The Netherlands. Currently, we are a team of ten people. Myself, I am a Project Manager, who is responsible for planning, execution and managing the resources of any project ongoing within our company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire NERDZ LAB?

We hired NERDZ LAB to create a mobile app, which would allow our clients to complete their tax statements entirely from their mobile devices. So far, there is no such product available on the market within our niche. The main challenge of the project was to make a rather complicated task (filling the tax return) as simple as possible for our customers.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal was to create a product, which would make the administrative lives of our customers much easier. Furthermore, as a company that has been active on the market for more than 10 years, we were willing to launch a product, which would stand out on the market. As a result, we are willing to ensure a future growth of our customer base thanks to innovative approach that we enhance.

SOLUTION

How did you select NERDZ LAB?

First, a year before the project was actually started, I posted a project offer on upwork.com. A person from NERDZ LAB reached out. In the end, due to some practical issues on our side, we were not able to proceed with the project for the time being. However, the portfolio presented by NERDZ LAB stayed on my mind.

Once we were finally ready to start the project, the first thing I did was reaching out directly to NERDZ LAB to ask if they could help us with app development. The answer was positive, so we were ready to start.

Describe the project in detail.

After presenting an example of an online form, which our app was supposed to based on, we have received the pricing. After that, we adjusted the project to the budget that we had. Already here, I really appreciated the openness of NERDZ LAB to adjust the product to our needs and the resources that we had.

What really struck us a lot, was the fact, that the NERDZ LAB team had run countless tests on the form available on our website, to understand the logic themselves, instead of waiting for a ready scratch received from us. This is the type of initiative that you rarely come across.

Once we started the project, we had weekly calls to discuss the progress and adjust the very last details. In the end, we developed first an Android app only, since that was the most rational solution looking at our website's statistics. Also, there were relatively very few deliverables that I was responsible for (absolutely many less than I expected).

What was the team composition?

I was assigned to a dedicated Slack channel, where I mainly communicated with our Project Manager and a person responsible for Customer Relationship. Sometimes, yet very rarely, I had to contact someone else directly (e.g. a developer). However, my main contact person was our Project Manager, who was just a great bridge between our organisation and NERDZ LAB. He was always there for me and willing to help with any issue that we came across.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to NERDZ LAB, we have launched a product that no one else has to offer within our market. So far, we have collected a thousand of users (even though we are already past the peak period in our branch). So far, we have heard only positive feedback from clients who have used the app. Everyone loves the simplicity of the design and the intuitiveness of the app.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was so efficient and effective that I couldn't believe that working with anyone can be this easy. Since the very beginning, everyone at NERDZ LAB was open for ideas, feedback and negotiations. Since day one, I felt like every single detail was tailored just for our organisation.

We had weekly update calls and communicated through a Slack channel, what made the entire flow clear and easy to come back through. Since I am not a developer myself, what I valued the most, was the simplicity of our communication and the open-mindedness of our Project Manager.

Although the technical side of things might be tricky for a newbie like me, at NERDZ LAB you are assigned a Project Manager, who makes every detail clear and understandable even to a person with no technical knowledge.

Above all, our Project Manager was just a very nice and helpful individual, just like the rest of the NERDZ LAB team. It was a pure pleasure to work with these people.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

• Efficiency & effectiveness of communication
• Very organised way of taking on the project, moving forward with it to eventually wrap it up
• Making a seemingly difficult project feel achievable for a person that has no technical know-how
• Personal approach and willingness to provide tailored solutions
• Enormous initiative and always thinking a step ahead
• Kindness. After all, we spent a couple of months working together, and the kindness made it all easy and pleasant.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Believe it or not, but I cannot think of anything that could have been done any better. There was no waiting time, communication was unbelievably smooth, a lot of initiative on the NERDZ LAB's side, customisation, personal approach and just a wonderful working atmosphere. I have no areas for improvement, and I truly hope to come across more of such professional teams in my career (and not only).

Seriously, I think that NERDZ LAB should start a side business and just teach other companies on how to run projects and communicate with the client.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of operations at the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NERDZ LAB?

Our client needed a web and native mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

NERDZ LAB provided development services for native iOS and Android apps as well as a web app.

NERDZ built the Android version in Kotlin and the iOS version in Swift. The team built the web app’s backend in PHP and the frontend in Vue.js. The client provided the wireframes and designs, and NERDZ did the build from scratch. The app is for a large sports association, and it displays video and other types of content.

We’ve worked with NERDZ on other projects, both big and small.

What is the team composition?

There have been seven people involved in total. NERDZ LAB provided developers, QA testers, and a project manager. On the mobile team, we had one iOS, one Android, and one backend developer, as well as a QA tester and a project manager. On the web side, there was a backend developer, a frontend developer, and the same project manager and QA tester. 

How did you come to work with NERDZ LAB?

We were looking for a development team based in Ukraine. NERDZ was a partner of ours before I joined, so I don’t know the full details. We trialed them on a couple of projects, and this was probably one of the largest we’ve worked with them on.

How much have you invested with them?

The mobile app cost around $23,000, and the web app cost $10,000. Including some of the changes, the total will be around $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I would suspect that the collaboration with NERDZ started in early-2020, if not a bit earlier. This project started in July 2020, and it’s ongoing. The work is nearly finished, but the end client hasn’t provided us with the API data yet. We have everything in place, and we’ve built a mock API.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The clients that NERDZ has worked for have always been happy. We do reviews and retrospectives with clients, and no one has complained about the quality of NERDZ’s development. They’re one of our go-to teams.

How did NERDZ LAB perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project managers are transparent in working with us and conveying any issues that come up. They work with other members of the team to get things resolved.

We required certain data from the client in order to finish the project, and NERDZ came up with proposals to get around that issue. They kept the team on hand, waiting for the data. They finished their bit in November 2020, and we’ve been waiting on the client since then.

We use Jira across most of our projects, and we communicate through a mix of videoconferencing, Skype, and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their reliability and value for money relative to the output set them apart. Also, their willingness to solve the client problem — as opposed to not helping us when it doesn’t suit their team’s needs — is impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be really hypocritical if I called out something they could’ve done differently in this instance. Many of the challenges we had on the project were unrelated to NERDZ.

As with every team, there are areas to improve, but the end output was good quality, and the end-client was satisfied with their work. They’re always pragmatic about how they spend their time. If there’s a blocker, they’ll look at what they can do to get rid of it, or they’ll do something else and wait until the blocker’s removed.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If the client is open and honest with them, NERDZ will be open and honest with the client. It’s important to be transparent about where we are in getting the project ready for development, what budget we have to work with, and so on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Co-founder of a sports technology startup

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire NerdzLab?

For developing an Android application. We already had an iOS app, so we needed an extra developer to replicate our app into an Android application. Also, we required a QA engineer to test it.

What were your goals for this project?

The concept of our app is truly unique: it allows smooth online communication between coaches and athletes by handling all stages of the process from capturing and sharing videos to giving feedback.

SOLUTION

How did you select NerdzLab?

We were introduced to the Nerdzlab team, actually their CEO - Volodymyr, by a previous client we both worked with. It was quite a long conversation, but we managed to start the development in January.

Describe the project in detail.

It’s an iOS & Android project with the main idea to make communication between the trainer and his clients as easy as possible. One of the core features is an ability for clients to share video with his training and trainer to adjust his comments to it. A trainer can draw different elements on a video to make comments as accurate as possible for his clients. There is an advanced messaging system, as communication is a core part of the app. Lastly, the application has a custom video player to support features that default one cant.

What was the team composition?

We got on board one Android developer, one QA engineer and Delivery manager. Later on, we decided to assign an iOS developer as well, so that we can scale up our development efforts.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have done some excellent work so far. Our application was successfully published on PlayMarket. Our products have been well received by our audience of users. We are excited to continue our collaboration with NerdzLab.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The development process was set up very clearly. High-quality communication from the whole team successfully contributed to effective cooperation. Twice a week we had a call with the team, and that helped to streamline the development effort.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We have worked with several third-party development teams and Nerdzlab has been the best for us by far. They are highly competent. They don't shy away from deep technical challenges and offer alternative solutions when a prescribed path isn't possible. They are flexible in how they operate and their client-success-first approach has shined through in every interaction I have had with them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CTO of a startup developing apps to help people sleep.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NerdzLab?

One of our previous developers couldn’t commit as many hours as we needed for our projects, so we decided to look for additional development and QA help to further the product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided extra developers who handled some animations and other in-app features that we were working on at the time. The first project was fairly small and consisted primarily of adding an animation to our onboarding using Swift for iOS.

Since then, they have continued to provide ad hoc support on a variety of small feature additions and improvements to the core product. They wrote an entirely new web area for playing audio and integrated a couple of plugins including SnapKit.

What is the team composition?

We worked with about three members of their team, including a QA engineer, and a couple of developers.

How did you come to work with NerdzLab?

My co-founder came across them online, and we were impressed with their portfolio of previous projects. Our initial interviews went well, so we decided to move forward with them from there.

How much have you invested with them?

The project has cost around $4,000 a month, so around $35,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around December 2019 and are continuing to partner together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have specific metrics resulting from their work since they have been pretty much fully integrated with the development work of our in-house team. However, we track the bugs in all of the features that we develop, as well as how many revisions we have to go through to make sure that everything is working, and for the most part, they’ve been up to spec in all of those ways. The initial code is usually a little buggy, but their QA has always been able to fix that.

How did NerdzLab perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicate well around all of the different timeline and budget aspects of the project, and they are good about making sure they understand everything and ask questions anytime they don’t. Our teams used Trello, Slack, and GitHub for managing the project milestones.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What impressed us most from the start was the quality of their animations, which are really top-notch. Since then, too, we’ve really appreciated their responsiveness to all of our requests and the organization of their QA process, which makes it really easy for us to navigate in iterating back and forth with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The initial quality of their code could be improved a little bit, but they always do a good job of catching any bugs in their QA process and eliminating before we launch, so it’s never caused any major problems.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As long as you have clear specifications, regular meetings, and provide feedback in both directions, you’ll have a successful partnership with their team.