nomtek

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Technology of PONS Langenscheidt GmbH

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Langenscheidt is a provider of translations, publisher specializing in language learning materials, such as dictionaries and travel phrase-books.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Help us with online marketing tools for apps
• Help us with better mobile UX
• Help us with business analytics for convertions and revenue streams
• Create an innivative mobile App

SOLUTION

How did you find nomtek?

Referral

Why did you select nomtek over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from nomtek were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We engaged Nomtek to develop an MVP for our mobile application, specifically seeking frontend and backend developers to create a product that assists language learners in mastering vocabulary efficiently.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I chose to work with Nomtek based on our previous positive experiences together. We have collaborated on various projects for over a decade, establishing a strong and successful partnership. I required skilled mobile frontend developers and Ruby on Rails developers for the backend.

Prior to the project kickoff, we were uncertain about the frontend technology choice (as we considered native development). I consulted with Nomtek, and their delivery leader recommended using Flutter. Adopting Flutter allowed us to maintain a single codebase, which not only reduced development time but also ensured consistency across iOS and Android platforms.

My goal was to have the designs we created internally flawlessly implemented in both the iOS and Android versions of Vokabeltrainer. The collaboration involved a team consisting of two backend developers, two to four frontend developers (depending on the project stage), one quality assurance specialist, and a project manager who oversaw the entire process.

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

I worked with two backend developers and between two and four frontend developers depending on the stage of the project. There was also one quality assurance specialist and a project manager overseeing the work. We launched the MVP of Vokabeltrainer as an extension to our dictionaries for a select group of students.

The application received positive feedback, and we are currently working on implementing additional features to expand Vokabeltrainer's reach to a wider audience. Nomtek expertly assisted us in prioritizing project resources, enabling us to concentrate on features that delivered the highest business value. The number of developers assigned to the project was adjusted weekly, based on the scope and our available budget.

During the entire project, we efficiently conducted remote meetings. Additionally, access to Bitrise provided me with daily updates on app changes, significantly enhancing transparency. This allowed me to stay informed on whether we were progressing according to the scope.

What was your primary form of communication with nomtek?

Virtual Meeting

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

Nomtek boasts extensive domain expertise, particularly evident in the exceptional skills of our assigned delivery leader, who excelled in Flutter and cross-platform mobile app development. Their wealth of experience was instrumental in crafting a visually appealing and responsive MVP, featuring crisp graphics and smooth animations without compromising on performance.

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

We acknowledge the positive aspects of our collaboration and would recommend potential clients to consider partnering with them. I wish Nomtek success in their future endeavors and are grateful for the time we spent working together.

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

Ask Nomtek for help, they are creative, innovative, always find a solution and are very fair.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of AREA15

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Area15 is a Las Vegas experiential retail and entertainment complex offering live events, immersive activations, art installations, and more. I am the Chief Technology Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Build a beautiful and engaging, free roaming Augmented Reality Experience
• Help us conceptualize, design, build, and deploy the experience

SOLUTION

How did you find nomtek?

Online Search

Why did you select nomtek over others?

High ratings

How many teammates from nomtek were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Developing an experience like this, that is high throughput, engaging, fun, integrated with ticketing loyalty, and AV systems is challenging. But Nomtek rose to the challenge and their team was top notch. They helped us visualize it, guided us through the process, player experience, identify limitations of AR and find creative work arounds. They were extremely flexible, which is critical – the final result in this type of project is never exactly what’s included in the RFP, but their goal was to deliver an awesome experience.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The success of a project like this is immediately measurable when deployed as guests provide immediate feedback. We did learn quickly how it could be enhanced to improve the experience and Nomtek was always available and ready to make it the best experience it could be.

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

We worked with Nomtek in sprints via and agile methodology, which enabled us the flexibility to see progress and make minor adjustments without significantly impacting the delivery schedule. Communication was done with Slack channels and regular Zoom meetings

What was your primary form of communication with nomtek?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

nomtek is a clever team of designers, developers, and consultants and were able to apply their expertise in 3D art and AR development to help us achieve our desired result. They were also responsive, flexible, creative, and maintained a great attitude throughout a challenging R&D project.

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

Darn Covid made travel for their team impossible which made the deployment to our production venue challenging, but they were supportive throughout the process with our onsite staff and we made it work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the owners of Londubh Studio in Los Angeles. We work with high-end architects and designers to create custom art and surface designs for high-end residential and commercial spaces. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with nomtek?

We had an opportunity to showcase our designs at an art and tech festival in Los Angeles but had a tight turnaround target to get our submissions to the festival. Our team engaged nomtek for this. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The nomtek team has taken one of our patterns and deconstructed it into a fully immersive AR art experience. They’ve used Unity to build the experience, and users can try it using Quest and Quest Pro headsets. 

Their members have been involved in design, development, and testing. Moreover, their resources have come to Los Angeles all the way from Poland to support the delivery of the project on the spot and see the installation. 

At present, we continue to search for more opportunities to work with nomtek. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve communicated with a few people depending on whether we’re discussing marketing or project details. In total, we’ve talked to 6–7 people; around five people have gone here from Poland for the AR experience. 

How did you come to work with nomtek?

We were highly recommended to work with nomtek after trying out several other companies with similar capacities. Our team couldn’t connect with those companies for one reason or another. Meanwhile, we were already talking to nomtek about another project, which fell through. When this festival project came up, we engaged them. 

How much have you invested with them?

Our investment has been around $60,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We were introduced to them in March 2022 and worked on the art festival in September 2022. Our engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The festival has been attended by high-end tech executives from Silicon Valley and Southern California, so we’ve showcased our work to hundreds of people. As a result, other opportunities have come our way — this has been a success. 

How did nomtek perform from a project management standpoint?

nomtek has worked 100% on time and within budget. If there’s one thing I know about them, it’s that their communication is perfect. They’re also reliable.

For comparison, other companies know that we’re not as familiar with tech as are, so they aren’t clear in communicating and are always trying to upsell us. By contrast, the nomtek team has been truly clear in their communication and explanations. They even bring visuals to the table to make it easier for us to learn and work with them at the same time. 

To communicate, we mainly use Slack and Google Meet; we have a WhatsApp group chat, too. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

nomtek delivers. They’re always present and knowledgeable. The team is good at taking their time to teach us about the depth and technicalities of the project. Their members have been extremely patient in educating us so that we can all do our best work together. They’re highly professional — they’ll do anything necessary to make their customers happy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. They’re so shockingly incredible to work with that I wish they lived closer to us. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understand that nomtek is incredibly talented and at the forefront of what’s happening in technology companies. Even if you don’t know a lot about technology, be willing to talk to them because they’ll be willing to walk you through possibilities. Additionally, they won’t take advantage of your lack of technical knowledge. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO of FUEL, an NFT startup based in Berlin, building the Shopify for NFTs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Nomtek to help us with backend development with Ruby on Rails and QA testing. The reason we reached out is to be able to start the product development quickly while we were hiring, plus also make sure that the quality of our software will be high from the beginning.

SOLUTION

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

We found Nomtek through referral from one of our investors and they had a strong reputation from working with other startups.

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

Nomtek developed our backend systems in Ruby on Rails that was responsible for orchestrating the business logic and to be the interface between the end user application and the blockchain. The team members from Nomtek worked very closely with us, being fully embedded into our team, hence this ensured a fast iteration process.

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

There were 2 people, one senior backend engineer and one QA engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The result from working with Nomtek was very good, they've executed on all requirements on a timely manner, plus also the level of professionalism and customer service was top notch. We never had to worry for a second that what they are building is not high quality, especially the senior backend engineer was always pushing us to strive towards better quality.

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

We worked through team augmentation, so the Nomtek team members were actually following our management style. This is great and they were very flexible, all team members joined our Slack and all our team meetings, making them feel part of our team.

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

They have an awesome company culture and what fascinates me most is that a lot of the people have been with the company for years, they barely have churn.

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

Nothing comes to mind at the moment. They did an exceptional job.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a department head for a small US-based company working in the healthcare technology sector. We implement a tech-enabled grassroots solution with Medicare and Medicaid enrollees focused on community building and health promotion.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with nomtek?

We build communities on the ground for health promotion and were looking to create solutions for our communities to stay engaged when we weren't present. The goal was to provide longevity to the better health movements we've started for our users. Our company decided that an app where members could stay connected with us and with each other was a good solution, and we identified nomtek as the partner to help build it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

nomtek provides mobile app development and UI/UX design for us. We do all of the backend work, and they do all of the mobile frontend development. They've developed our mobile app's frontend for both Android and iOS. Our focus has been on building out the app's core functionality. We're currently looking at understanding the early user persona before we start to scale the product. 

What is the team composition?

We work with one product manager, one UX designer, two mobile app developers, and two QA engineers. 

How did you come to work with nomtek?

I started with the company in January 2022 and inherited the nomtek relationship. My predecessor was really instrumental in bringing them in. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent a bit less than $500,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

My company started working with them in September 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our users’ feedback on nomtek’s work has been quite positive; it’s a well-liked and well-designed app. Since the app is only available for our members, we don’t have many users.

How did nomtek perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is generally very good, especially in planning and delivering work. The first quarter we worked together, we had delays and went over budget. However, we shared our concerns with them, and from then on, things have been much smoother. 

The team is quite good at collaborating with our team. Since we do the backend and they work on the frontend, our project requires quite a bit of coordination, and they’ve been good at helping us manage this process. When we started working with them, we used spreadsheets and Google Docs. Then, we jointly decided to move our project management to Jira. As for communication, we mainly use Google Meet, though we sometimes use Zoom. They’re also integrated into our Slack channels, where we have good communication. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with the quality of nomtek’s people. They take good care to train and coach their teammates. The folks at nomtek have taken ownership of the project and come across as true partners with our organization. They’ve taken the pains to understand our goals and advise us on how to achieve them, which is hard to find in a vendor. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the initial phase, we went over budget and had delays that could have been avoided by better communication and transparency. Although our relationship has gotten so much better, and we’ve built good communication and trust, our CEO still has a tinge of mistrust due to that situation.

I’ve also had to connect with them to assess priorities. Before investing in a feature, we like to build an MVP and test it first. Although they’ve been very supportive and have agreed with me most of the time, it’s something I’ve had to bring up with them. They’ve seen this as a theme in my conversations with them, and now I’m starting to see changes in them bringing up the idea of building things iteratively. However, it took several reminders to get to this point. 

Our user base is quite small, so we want to focus on building it and doing some experimentation before investing in more development. Therefore, it would be good to have more flexibility around staffing. The team setup is fixed, and I wonder if there’s an opportunity to scale it up and down on demand so that we’re not burning through money while still figuring out what to do. For example, we may not need their QA team much when we’re doing experimentation.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m an engineering delivery leader at Ably. Ably provides a PaaS to offload the engineering complexity and DevOps burden of powering live and collaborative applications at a global scale.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

To respond to our rapid growth, we wanted to tap into a new use case for realtime experiences. We needed a reliable software agency to help us develop a full version of a proof of concept SDK for asset tracking. Our goal was to release the SDK written natively for iOS and Android. This was our initial project with nomtek. https://ably.com/solutions/asset-tracking

SOLUTION

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

We selected nomtek because they had experience in developing SDKs that shared some similarities with our solution. We knew we needed someone that had enough expertise and knowledge to be able to jump into the project without much onboarding and briefing.

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

Once we validated the proof of concept internally, nomtek stepped in to help us write the full version of it. The SDK would operate in a demanding environment and it had to consume as little energy as possible to still deliver the core functionality with high uptime and reliability. There were a lot of variables to consider for an optimal balance between position accuracy and battery consumption. Working in Kotlin (native Android), nomtek developers built an SDK that maintained low-energy consumption while retaining high service availability and accuracy even with a poor GPS signal.

After the SDK validation, we decided to extend our cooperation. We hired a new team from nomtek to work on native demo apps for Android and iOS that uses the SDK. The demo apps would check how the SDK behaves in a production environment. Other projects we work on together are Cocoa SDK, Java SDK, and Flutter SDK. Currently, four nomtek developers with varying specializations (Flutter, iOS, and Android) are working with us on different projects. We also have a QA specialist from nomtek. Technology-wise, nomtek is highly flexible, switching between technologies per project needs.

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

Our cooperation started with hiring two developers (for native iOS and Android development). The cooperation was later extended to four nomtek developers and a QA specialist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Nomtek’s help in developing the asset tracking SDK that brings us closer to powering real-time experiences for one billion devices by 2024.

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

We worked with nomtek in an agile approach by sprinting with daily stand ups, planning and retros. We held additional backlog refinement meetings to talk over tasks and assign them a story point measurement.

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

Nomtek’s expertise in native mobile development let them iterate quickly, which helped us release the SDK faster. Such a prompt release wouldn’t have been possible for us without their support. Their communication skills are commendable. We never ran into any issues with them. The team is highly flexible and engaged. We can count on them — they’re invested in the projects and their wellbeing.

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

None come to mind!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of echt praktisch— a company organizing workshops for people who want to express their ideas through drawing to increase understanding.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We contracted Nomtek to design and develop a mobile application for learning how to draw. My main goal was to translate the curriculum from my on-site workshops into a convenient mobile application.

SOLUTION

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

I contacted Nomtek and from the first call, I was very impressed how Nomtek understood the idea from a technical and moreover from a business point of view. Nomtek also offered me a very agile approach that really fitted with the experimental stage of the project. Nomteks dedication, skill and flexibility were the deciding factors.

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

I had a general idea of what the app should do, and Nomtek’s team helped immensely in transforming that idea into an MVP. The project started with idea validation workshops where the team checked if Flutter was a good choice to build the drawing application in a reasonable timeframe and whether a smartphone was a good device for drawing.

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

Nomtek gave us a team of two developers, one quality and assurance specialist, one project manager, and a designer. The whole process was looked after by Maciek, nomtek’s account manager, who made it easier to bring the product to life.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In little time, we had an MVP that allows me to probe the market and also gather feedback from users. With little investment I am now present in the App store and on Google Play.

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

Nomtek used the SCRUM framework for communication and PM style — there was a product demo every two weeks. The team also held weekly status calls.

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

Initially, my idea was to include a breadth of features into the app to make it a comprehensive product from the get-go. However, nomtek’s team convinced me to cut the scope and release an MVP to validate my main business assumption and gauge the demand. The scope cuts were a great idea, and the MVP let me test the waters with my clients.

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

The project went perfectly fine. And I also appreciated their patience and their understanding as this was my first development project. I am really looking forward to take on the next steps in the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CTO of Autovio, an online platform. In Germany, it’s quite complicated to get a driving license; we aim to make the process easier. Since the process hasn’t changed in the past, we’re digitalizing it.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with nomtek?

We had internal developers working on our app, but we needed additional support and guidance to build it well, maintainable, and reliable.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve mainly worked with nomtek doing the research, interviews, and design components of the app. We’ve tested them with real users to get early feedback before we start building. They’re basically co-architecting this application using a Flutter framework, which is one of their specialties. In the beginning, they were also designing a bit.

We have features like booking the mandatory training. Also, the driving teacher can pick up and drop off the student wherever they’d like. All of the theory and practical progress is documented within the app so that the instructor can see how the student is progressing.

What is the team composition?

I’ve personally worked with three people, but the company has worked with 5–6 team members. We have a product designer and user researcher, a QA engineer, two developers, and a business contact.

How did you come to work with nomtek?

My colleague and CTO found them, but I’m not sure how. I just joined the company in January, and the application has been in development since last year.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent over €150,000 (approximately $163,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

They came on board in September 2021, and we’re still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although we have an internal designer, the feedback we received about their design work was great. So far, we’ve been looking at how many changes we’ve done, and we’re doing quite a few every day. Also, we look at how many new errors there are. The engineers have introduced many changes and new features, but it hasn’t broken.

Moreover, nomtek knows what they’re doing, and they’re constantly delivering high-quality work. It’s very maintainable and fast. Overall, it looks great, and the customer feedback is highly positive.

How did nomtek perform from a project management standpoint?

They really shine in this area; project management has been exceptionally well. They’re proactive, and the team constantly reaches out to check for any issues. They also offer us help, which makes us happy. Although it’s a remote project, it has worked extremely well. We tell them we want a specific type of feature or how we imagine the design, and 1–2 days later, they have a proposal.

We have a virtual office in Graviton, do Zoom calls, and use Slack to communicate. We’re constantly in touch with the engineers, and they’ve basically joined us as team members. Additionally, we use Jira to manage the work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The engineers’ expertise in mobile app development is really high. They know what they’re doing, which is very important because we’re not experienced in app development. We need someone we can trust blindly.

On the other hand, the sales development representative has been proactive, and it feels like their team is an extension of our team. In the past, we’ve worked with a few software houses — nomtek is small, but they definitely play at the top level. They listen to the customer.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They ask this all the time, and there isn’t much that could do better for us. They do an outstanding job on all of our needs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make them feel like team members, tell them what you want to achieve, and let them build. They’ll work alongside you so you can see everything, but when you allow them to develop and contribute on all levels, that’s when you get the most out of them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a video games company. We're making a next generation AR walking game, like a better Pokemon Go, based on a giant Hollywood franchise.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Most AR applications are indoors, but in our game players walk outdoors. That's a special case and we wanted to fine tune the AR on iOS and Android phones, without needing to become AR experts ourselves.

Our goals included better ground detection, tracking, and handling interrupts, even if no straight lines (manmade objects) were visible.

SOLUTION

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

Through LinkedIn, we discovered 12 individuals and 10 consultancies with AR knowledge. We decided to go with a consultancy instead of an individual, because a consultancy will tend to have more resources, professionalism, experience, and stability. Consultancies have broader experience than individuals.

We decided to avoid AR agencies that are really game developers, who could become competitors, and to avoid AR consultancies used to big enterprise clients that can afford high rates. Nomtek wasn't initially a clear choice based on their website, but they wrote a more thorough and convincing proposal than anyone else, and which was delivered more quickly and warmly, and which seemed to better address our needs.

Even though they are slightly more expensive per hour, Nomtek by understanding our needs better ultimately was the least cost provider, too.

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

This was a research project. We wrote up our needs and asked Nomtek to explore solutions. We were astonished how well Nomtek understood our goals, including to smooth the player experience, that we were willing to change the game to accommodate AR workarounds, and that we didn't want to be led into expensive solutions with marginal benefits.

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

We worked with just one team member, Sebastian, Mobile & XR Developer at Nomtek.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Nomtek substantially improved the player's experience of being immersed in an AR world, while walking around in the real world. Throughout the project, they used metrics extensively and were very results oriented. Inexpensively, they made a dramatic difference to how players (and investors) perceive our game.

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

We communicated through Slack and Zoom calls. Sebastian gave us daily updates that were clear and extensive, bringing us inside the process and never leaving us wondering what he was working on. It was beyond professional, to a new level of professionalism. I believe in the power of "overcommunication", and Sebastian never missed a beat because of a miscommunication.

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

I was especially struck that Nomtek did not try to sell us services by playing up optimizations of little value.

Having worked with numerous consultants, I found Nomtek in the top 1% for having good communication, a metrics-based, results-based approach, and for knowing exactly what to do with little direction from us. Nomtek began the project with a mastery of the marketplace of AR developer tools and did not charge us to learn or "ramp up" on solutions.

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

I wish that we didn't sign an agreement that we can't hire Nomtek's staff away! I previously founded a division of Warner Bros. and have extensive experience working with consultants. Nomtek was absolutely the best experience, combining the lower cost of working in Poland with a stunning skill set.