Omega

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner at a consumer goods company that creates consumer products. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Omega?

We needed a mobile application for a physical game of ours that already exists. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with Omega to create a mobile app for both Android and iOS. It is a puzzle-flash word game that involves multiple decks, different types of content, timed participation, and video playback of the gaming experience. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with four people directly. Then, they added 3–4 other people that we didn’t speak with directly but managed on our behalf.  

How did you come to work with Omega?

We found them through Upwork. We chose them because they were timely in their initial communication and thorough explaining how the project would work through each step. They were also cost-competitive. 

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost was just under $70,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked from February–July 2020. We finished the project with them after a few months, and then we kept them on a consulting basis for maintaining the application. 

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

With our engagement, we measured success by checking whether they delivered according to specifications and to the timeline that was mutually agreed upon. We were happy with the end product. 

How did Omega perform from a project management standpoint?

It was very good. When we first engaged with them, we went back and forth to define the project's specs. They gave us several approaches, such as building the app natively versus cross-platform with cost and timeline comparisons.  

Over the course of six months, we broke the project up into different sprints. Omega had QAs, analysts, and multiple engineers working on the project. A project manager was assigned to it to ensure that all the teams were aligned in terms of outcomes that were promised, give everyone updates, and make sure all necessary assets were collected and delivered on time. 

They assigned multiple team members to ensure every person was well-equipped with the information and assets needed to ensure the project was delivered on time and to specification. We communicated primarily via email and WhatsApp. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re awesome. If anyone’s considering building a mobile or web application on their own, they should look no further than Omega.  

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a social media company targeting car enthusiasts.

What challenge were you trying to address with Omega-R?

We worked with Omega-R to provide updates to our existing mobile application on iOS.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They have helped us with a variety of upgrades and tweaks to our product, including the messaging platform, custom emojis, and other adjustments to the cosmetics of the app. The majority of their work was done in the backend, implementing the changes through the physical code of the product. The designs were already in place, and they just made changes to those.

For the most part, they worked in Swift for the application updates, as well as Xcode for some other aspects.

What was the team composition?

I have only worked with their owner directly for all of the work.

How did you come to work with Omega-R?

They were on Upwork, and we had a brief interview and code test to make sure they had the capabilities for the job. Everything went smoothly from the beginning, so I decided to move forward with them from there.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost of the work so far has been a little over $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2019 and are continuing to partner together.

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

The best way we have to measure their success is through the application on the app store. We’ve been very pleased with the features that they’ve delivered so far, and our clients have given us great feedback so far.

The main impact they’ve had has been in our message filters, which they fixed and helped to narrow down the accuracy of. They also helped to create hyperlinking for emojis, which we really appreciated. They are also working on a chat room feature for us at the moment which we are pretty excited about.

How did Omega-R perform from a project management standpoint?

Their work with us has been phenomenal. The communication on all details of the project is excellent, and if there is ever a misunderstanding, we are able to quickly rectify the situation. They are proactive about clarifying any questions they have over Upwork, where we keep all of our communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their management’s ability to take our ideas and bring them to life has been truly critical to our work. That level of professionalism, combined with the communication, has made the engagement incredibly easy for us to manage.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind that they could be doing better for me.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just be as clear and concise with your project and requirements so that they understand what your goals are, and you don’t have to lose any time in deciphering your ideas into something that they can deliver.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a mobile app and social media platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with Omega-R?

We needed some modifications to our project.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app was basically finished, but Omega-R came in to handle some needed modifications. They worked on iOS development, doing the platform's coding.

What is the team composition?

There are three people we work with.

How did you come to work with Omega-R?

I found them on Upwork. They have good reviews, are located nearby, and have reasonable pricing. We did a small job with them and were satisfied, so we’ve continued to work with them on more projects.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $6,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around November 2019, and the work is ongoing.

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

They exceeded our expectations, wrote quality code, and did exactly what was needed. One feature we wanted to implement was Apple Push Notifications (APN) so people are notified when they get a message. There was some verbiage that didn’t make sense but they fixed it immediately.

How did Omega-R perform from a project management standpoint?

I communicated directly with the CEO who relayed everything to his offshore team. Communication was very good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They went above and beyond what we asked of them, and that really impressed us. Their team takes pride in providing what the client wants. They’re better than companies I’ve worked with in the past.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have any criticisms.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend them for modifications, but I know they could also do a project from the start. They do quality work, so it can get pricey for full projects. Be flexible and understand that you may need to be available at odd hours since they have offshore resources.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a technical adviser with national government in small Pacific Islands nations. I provide technical advise, project management and training aimed at improving data management at the national, district and school levels.

For what projects/services did your company hire Omega-R?

The national governments for which I worked as technical adviser have hired the services of Omega-R to develop 2 mobile device apps. One is our primary education survey data collection tool and the other a public data dissemination and analytics app.

What were your goals for this project?

The ultimate goal of this project is to improve the overall data management within the education sector. We work on the implementation of a education management information system. Some of the important components of this system are mobile apps developed by Omega-R.

How did you select this vendor?

The selection of the vendor is the same for all our contracting. The role is advertised, a number of potential vendors are selected, they are compared using a criteria grid, a final vendor is chosen.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Omega-R did all the design, development, configuration and testing of important mobile apps based on our detailed software requirements specifications. The software requirements specifications were written for 2 important components of our education management information systems: 1) an education survey tool app designed to collect a wealth of data from schools in a consistent and streamlined manner with ability to work offline in remote locations and automatically sync to the central information system when returning back home. 2) a public data dissemination and analytics app made for the public (e.g. researchers, decision makers, teachers, etc.) to help bring data and information to the right people.

What was the team composition?

The project team was made of at least the project manager, a technical lead and software developers and testers.

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

Our solution, which Omega-R helped bring to life, has impressed a lot of people. They are central components in our undeniably improved data management practices over the last couple of years.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They manage their time very effectively not only staying on scheduled but able to take in changing requirements without affecting the overall timeline. They shared their progress well and clearly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their ability to deliver exactly what we had as a vision and better. While we can take credit developing throughout software requirements specifications something even with this vendor diverge and offer different solutions more inline with their experience. Omega-R delivers what the clients wants and needs as long as this is of course well communicated.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of anything really. The language barrier was sometimes an issue but not enough to cause really problem.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a nonprofit organization that represents the tech industry. We have 265 employees based in the Chicago area and have operations around the world. Our goal is to develop tools to help people get their first jobs in technology. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Omega-R?

We’re best known for producing exams that people take to prove that they have the knowledge needed to do the jobs they’re trying to get. Whether its tech support, cybersecurity, or network administration, we have an exam.

Many of which were delivered in high-stakes testing centers to ensure honesty from the test taker. However, not all centers are accessible to people. We wanted to develop an online testing platform to allow people to take the tests however and wherever they need.

What was the scope of their involvement?

From scratch using cutting-edge technologies, it was their job to deploy an enterprise-grade, cloud-enabled secure platform to administer these tests. We deliver about 30,000 tests each year, so it was important for us to have something that provided our users with a good experience.

The development involved all skins of UI/UX design. Everything from user identity verification to registration had to be handled logically on different interfaces. The app also had to be integrated with cameras and audio recording devices. Those features helped us make sure that users weren’t using aids while testing. They also created an admin interface that allows us to create questions and tests. 

It was required that the solution was 100% secure from the start. It also had to scale easily and be cloud-enabled to properly handle large amounts of traffic at once. As new technologies come to the forefront, we’re going to want to make upgrades. It was important that was possible. So, it was critical that the solution was well-documented and had solid modular interchangeability.  

What is the team composition?

At any given point in time, they had 7–10 individuals working on our account. 

How did you come to work with Omega-R?

During a side project in which a colleague and I developed a memory-sharing platform, we came across them. I found them after looking at the App Store and doing some Google searches. Because of the positive experience and success I had with them during that development, I introduced them to my organization. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested in excess of $1,000,000 working on the project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started around March 2018. We hope to deploy the solution by the end of 2020.

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

This was a very large-scale project. We made two trips to Russia to visit their team, and we’re always impressed with the quality of their work and overall experience. They’re upfront with us when our ideas don’t work. That’s pretty rare for programmers in my experience. When they’re giving input, they also provide very good alternatives for our ideas. 

Even for something as simple as a logo design, they were able to identify possible issues with scaling that we may run into in some environments. In response, they built a different logo for us that functioned in all environments. We were impressed with that solution and initiative. They want everything to be just right for us.    

How did Omega-R perform from a project management standpoint?

They operate in sprints, sending us very detailed weekly reports on their work and progress. Their payment process is simple and easy. We’ve never run into a language barrier or any major problems with communication. It’s easy to deal with them effectively.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their willingness to innovate without being asked is so rare in the industry. They think about and suggest innovations with a complete understanding of what we’re trying to achieve. Some groups stick exclusively to requirements, even if it means they come up with something that’s incorrect. Their suggestions really distinguish them. They always provide great specialists with impressive skillsets as well. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. They’ve been welcoming and impressive each time we’ve visited them. It may be helpful for them to build a presence in the United States.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Use them as much as possible in your ideation process because they have great ideas and diverse backgrounds. You’ll end up with better ideas sooner into your process. Avoid just handing them requirements if you want to get the best from them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Seekmed, a telemedicine company. It’s a global platform, but we focus on India and developing countries. It connects patients from anywhere in the world with award-winning doctors from India.

What challenge were you trying to address with Omega-R?

I was looking for a mobile app development company.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed an Android mobile app for me. I had the initial UI/UX done through a freelancer. I did the wireframing myself. I brought Omega-R in for the web development part, the backend, and all the database.

The key features include the GPS-based search of doctors, along with search options based on specialties, and appointment management, online payment, video consultation, and chat features. The chat includes messaging, attachments, and location messaging. Our solution has a feature for e-prescription and doctor support. It also has an emergency SOS signal feature that sends SOS signal to whomever the patient has identified as the emergency contact.

They started with developing our MVP, which I took to my stakeholders. Following MVP launch, I started gathering requirements for the next phase, which was the telemedicine component. That’s since launched as well. Both phases involved multiple sprints. They’re now providing support as well as various enhancements and improvements.

They’ve also advised me on branding. When I contacted them, I already had a logo in place, but it had some drawbacks. They presented a case on why I should look at a new logo and came up with a new logo.

What is the team composition?

I regularly work with their project manager, who works as a liaison between me and the developers and designers. I haven’t interacted with anyone on the development side in the last two years of my engagement. I have had some contact with the CTO.

How did you come to work with Omega-R?

I considered different entities and freelancers. I found a list of Russian companies on Clutch. I looked at Omega-R’s profile, connected with them, and everything looked good to me, so I moved forward with them.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2017 and the work is ongoing.

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

I’ve always received good feedback from our doctors’ community and stakeholders about the app’s user-friendly UI. I receive the same feedback from patients as well. They compared our app with other apps they’ve used in the same area, and they found a significant difference in the usability of our app. The new logo has also been widely appreciated by stakeholders.

We recently launched a campaign in Nigeria. We’re seeing a lot of good responses from that side. Patients are able to navigate the app properly. I’ve not received any complaints about the usability nor any crash reports.

How did Omega-R perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is among their strong points. There have been three changes on their side with the project manager, but that’s been very smoothly executed. I never had to worry about knowledge transition. They took care of it very well.

We worked in an agile methodology and identified various sprints beforehand. That plan was very nicely communicated. The sprints were every two to three weeks, which worked out really well for me. We use Skype or email. Over the last years, I’ve spoken with them five or six times, which means they’re good at understanding what our needs and requirements are and translating them into actionable development.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a positive attitude when presented with a challenging situation. They do their due diligence and come up with options and present the pros and cons, both short- and long-term benefits, which is what I really liked. That made my life really easy throughout the years.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

When I started working with them, they were like a hidden gem. I had to navigate to multiple web links to come across them while exploring potential app development companies. My only suggestion to them would be to make their presence more readily known. Recently, they opened an office in Texas and are expanding in the U.S. Perhaps now they’re more visible.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do your homework and the interactions will be very minimal. Whenever they presented options, I was very clear on which way to go, and that made things move along quickly. Not everyone on their team is proficient in English, but the project manager is and a few of the leaders. Communicating expectations clearly will help alleviate any barriers in understanding.

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I’m the founder and CEO of Instructrr, an app for fitness instructors. It enables them to create, curate, and deliver their fitness classes faster, better, and more creatively.

What challenge were you trying to address with Omega-R? 

Fitness instructors don't get paid to create their classes. However, they often spend a lot of time finding music and putting it together with a workout routine. We want to try and speed the process of creation. I hired Omega-R to help create the UX/UI for a product that I can make commercially available to instructors across the U.S. and throughout the world. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

I first worked with another vendor on the design and UX/UI for the app. I then shared that with Omega-R. We collaborated and worked together to build the first MVP to go test with users. It was essential that they were able to work with Spotify and Apple Music APIs because most fitness instructors use one or both platforms. Omega-R took playlists, which are just music, and enabled instructors to curate them in a way that lets them put a class together. Instructors can add notes and cues by pinning information to certain songs so that they can use those songs over and over again to create classes. 

We created personas based on research with our user base. What we saw from the data informed our decision to have Omega-R build the MVP as an iOS app that uses Spotify. Since we're trying to speed the process of creation, the app has to be simple and intuitive to use. If an instructor knows how to use Spotify, it should be an easy transition due to its usable format. 

What is the team composition?

I had a project manager who managed the day-to-day aspects of the project. I also consistently worked with the head of client services. They would also pull in the CTO or head of design as needed.

How did you come to work with Omega-R? 

I went through a laborious process of finding an overseas developer. First I identified those that had a product I liked and were able to work well with U.S. startups. I selected Omega-R because they understood the project and would be able to execute it on time and within my budget. 

How much have you invested with them?

I spent between $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

The project took place between April–July 2018.

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

It took Omega-R approximately three months from the time that they started developing to deliver an MVP. We did user testing to make sure the functionality worked and that the core concept was resonant. Then they optimized the app and connected it to the Spotify API. That enables instructors to use their own music playlists. We launched the first beta version of the app in January 2019, and we currently have instructors using it. 

How did Omega-R perform from a project management standpoint? 

I was happy with their project management and budget, especially in terms of how close they were to the estimate. They ran sprint plans, and we had regular Skype calls. I'm a non-technical founder, so I had local engineers do a code review. They consistently were impressed with the quality of the work done by Omega-R. It wasn’t flawless or without its issues, but overall they were quite impressed with the product that was delivered. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Omega-R was really invested in the project. They're not a huge firm, so I got a lot of time and attention for the size of my project and budget. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

The frustrating part for me is that I still don't have a finished product. I've been at it for about a year, and there's still work to be done. I ended up deciding to hire some local front- and backend developers as well as UX/UI developers because I need to go faster. 

Also, they're good English speakers, but there's a difference between hearing and understanding. Sometimes there wasn't a clear understanding of what I was asking for. For me as a non-developer, there were obvious flow issues that are still aren’t right. I'm not sure what the disconnect was or if it got lost in translation. The basic conventions of how an iOS app should run are somewhat intuitive for me. The current design of the app is not as straightforward as I'd like. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Having someone technical on your team to help guide the process will be a more fruitful and productive experience. I’ve learned a lot along the way, but I still don't read or write code. I probably would have gotten to this point faster—and without as many hiccups—if I had a technical co-founder to manage them and the process.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m President of a nonprofit public policy educational organization. Specifically, we educate the public on what their individual state senator and state representative are doing. To that end, we publish a “vote scorecard” that details the one-hundred most important bills of the session and how each representative voted, and we give them scores based on that. We provide that information to the public via our website, in paper, and a mobile app.

What challenge were you trying to address with Omega-R?

We need to update our iOS app every two years alongside the new voting session. This is a daunting task as it requires large amounts of data added. It came time to update and we wanted to add push notifications to the app as well. Our previous developer had difficulty with these tasks.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They essentially replaced one year's worth of data with another year's worth of data. I would send out detailed sets of memos and Excel spreadsheets regarding information that would need to be implemented. They interpreted complex state legislature and integrated it into the app. This included 100 bills up for a vote, who voted, all the district maps, and new legislator photos. Legislator contact information, vote scores, and sub-scores were integrated and accessible via links. Due to this significant update, they also redesigned some of the app’s architecture and made aesthetic improvements.

How did you come to work with Omega-R?

We found them through Elance.com, which is now Upwork. We considered their rating and comparative cost. It seemed like they would do well on the project so we contracted them.

How much have you invested with them?

Around $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It started in April 2014, and the partnership is ongoing.

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

I specified many tasks and they interpreted them correctly. Not everyone can understand copious amounts of state legislature. It was a complex task and they did extremely well.

How did Omega-R perform from a project management standpoint?

In terms of communication, meeting deadlines, and accomplishing tasks, they performed excellently.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their accuracy and rapidity of service stood out the most.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t speak to any of significance. I thought they were great.

Do you have any advice for potential clients?

Keep in mind that, for some of their staff, English is not their first language. It’s helpful for the customer to make requests as clearly as possible. However, that’s true for any project no matter what language you speak. To clarify, I'm not a multilingual person and they're clearly capable of doing a great job.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company is in the promotional market. We provide different types of promotional textiles and decorations, so T-shirts, jackets and that sort of thing. We have clients all over Europe and Eastern Asia. I’m responsible for the marketing department.

What challenge were you trying to address with Omega-R?

We built our new website with them. The whole project was pretty big. In fact, it was more like five websites, one for each different department. The biggest challenge was just to build the site, and then after that, we needed to keep updating and improving it.

What was the scope of their involvement?

First of all, they helped us build the website. Now they’re responsible for keeping it running and of course collecting metrics about its success. We’re also implementing a lot of SEM work and we just started to make the site more mobile- and tablet-friendly. The main goal is to increase our visibility and optimize our SEO strategy. For our European side, a very important factor is the visibility of our decorations and other products. Our pictures need to be really high quality and demonstrate what we can do.

How did you come to work with Omega-R?

I wasn’t responsible for bringing them on, but we solicited a few offers and decided that Omega-R was the best.

How much have you invested with Omega-R?

$50,000-$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in 2011. In 2012, we built the first website. We still have many different projects running at this point, including maintaining the website and implementing new features.

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

The general comments from our clients have been very positive. They can say that our website is clear and easy to operate.

How did Omega-R perform from a project management standpoint?

Generally, they’re quite good, but it depends on how much work we give them. Sometimes, because of the large size of our website, there are many things to fix on any given day. Sometimes we have to wait a bit longer than we’d like, but we totally understand that.

Our cooperation is quite good. They’re responsive and I’ve had very good contact with their manager, and that’s the most important thing for me. I can always get an answer quickly so we can come to a good solution to any problem that we have. We use a project management software called Mantis to communicate. It’s a really good tool for us; it’s really intuitive. We’re happy because it’s very clear and easy to find all our projects.

What did you find most impressive about Omega-R?

They did good work. Everything is running. I can say that we’re very happy. It’s been a good collaboration.

Are there any areas Omega-R could improve?

I don’t know. Their turnaround time is okay, but it could be better. But that’s an easy thing to say. I don’t really have any comments on that side.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an app startup with three primary principals, and I’m the president. We’re developing an app which helps people keep track of their day-to-day information in a natural and easy way. It’s sort of a simplified version of One Note.

What challenge were you trying to address with Omega-R?

We needed a firm to build the mobile app from a set of mockups we had developed based on the idea. We had put together a working, static prototype of the application, and we needed someone to turn it into a functioning app without going through a detailed requirements process.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started late July or early August with a kickoff meeting where we talked about the application and what we had done up to that point. We gave them all the materials we had, including the static demo and the graphics we had designed. They went to work very quickly, establishing a new visual identity and a new color palette and formulated ideas for the companion website we would have.

Our plan was to develop the app for iOS only, and they made recommendations and helped us find the technologies best suited for the app. They provided a fuller range of services than we had initially expected in terms of graphic design. Omega-R provided the full app design and development.

We had originally limited the project to just the app, but we were so impressed with their work that we asked them to develop a website as well. They provided another programmer who was capable of building us a responsive website using HTML5 and CSS, with some very light JavaScript.

How did you come to work with Omega-R?

I found them on Upwork and reviewed some of their previous work. They were very responsive from the beginning, and they spoke English very well. Russian programmers, in general, have very good reputations. They tend to be very engaged in their projects and make suggestions based on their understanding of a client’s needs, rather than just programming to requirements. I was leaning toward hiring a firm from Eastern Europe, and Omega-R had a good portfolio on Upwork. They were one of the top-rated groups on that site, with a lot of app experience.

How much have you invested with Omega-R?

We’ve spent almost $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’re just about done with the app. We’re adding a few tweaks here and there, but we had 80% of the work done by early December. We’ll be releasing the app for private beta testing soon.

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

We’ve had seven people use the app in the development stage. All of them have integrated the app into their day-to-day lives. It’s very stable, easy to use, and it hasn’t crashed at all. People like that they can load information into the app without performing organization tasks, and it’s all easily searchable.

How did Omega-R perform from a project management standpoint?

There was very good give and take throughout the process. They asked very good questions, and our primary liaison communicated well with us. We used Slack as our communications tool so everyone could follow along and see what was happening. Slack made it much easier to manage the project, as we had a record of everything that happened. It was a collaborative effort and it worked very effectively. The time zone difference worked to our advantage. When I started my day, I could see the work they had completed overnight.

They were honest and kept us informed of the challenges and successes they had throughout the process. The timelines they gave were generally spot-on. We had a very honest dialog, more straightforward than I’ve had with other programmers. They were very open to feedback and took corrective action when needed.

What did you find most impressive about Omega-R?

The scope of what they can bring to a project is impressive. They have a good graphic design eye. People really like the logo they created, and it’s something we would never have envisioned on our own. We thought we would need to hire multiple firms for the varying projects we had, but we found all that capability in Omega-R. That helped us a lot and probably saved us quite a bit of money.

Are there any areas Omega-R could improve?

I can’t think of any. Whenever we encountered an issue, it was resolved quickly. As they grow as a company, it’ll be important to ensure they have adequate staff to maintain momentum in all their projects.