Orangesoft

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of IntoPeople. We’re a software development company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Orangesoft?

We were looking for native mobile application development services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve worked on several projects for us regarding native iOS and Android app development. Generally, we provide them with the requirements and wireframes and do the project management ourselves; they act in a purely developmental capacity. They’ve also contributed their unique development perspective to our estimation process. We used to engage other agencies as well, but Orangesoft has been our sole development vendor for the past year.

What is the team composition?

On average, we use 3–4 developers. I do have a primary point of contact, but we always have direct access to their developers.

How did you come to work with Orangesoft?

I’ve known the owner of Orangesoft for quite some time. We already had a personal relationship when he started the company.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since 2015.

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

Our customers are usually quite happy with the quality of work performed and I would say that is the best measurable result. We have gotten good feedback about their work.

How did Orangesoft perform from a project management standpoint? 

They fulfill the scope’s requirements and deliver on time. We communicate over Skype and messenger and have had no problems so far.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re professional and have particularly strong mobile developers. They’re also quite flexible regarding team and workforce size, which is advantageous in mobile development because it can be quite an unstable industry.

Are there any areas they could improve?

While they’re great technically, some of the developers only possess average English language skills. Improving that situation would make things a bit easier for my customers. However, this is only a minor issue.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You have to be clear with what you want to achieve. It’s best to go to them with a clear and well-defined scope of work instead of a vague description.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work on the creative team for Meal Monsters, an interactive app that helps teach children how to cook.

What challenge were you trying to address with Orangesoft?

We needed help developing our app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided Orangesoft with some basic designs and initial coding we'd done for some of our recipes, but they helped take our designs a step further and built the app using Unity. They've provided technical advice throughout the process that has helped guide the way we designed the illustrations for the app.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Alex (Co-founder and COO, Orangesoft) and a few other members on their team.

How did you come to work with Orangesoft?

Orangesoft found us through our Kickstarter campaign. They approached us and suggested we recode the app using Unity, which turned out to be great advice. In addition to their attractive rates, we were blown away by their knowledge and willingness to help us improve our product.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2017 and the app just went live in June 2018. They continue to fix any glitches and provide support as needed. 

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

The feedback thus far from our users has been fantastic—we're confident in the final product. We wouldn't have been able to achieve the same level of quality without them.

How did Orangesoft perform from a project management standpoint?

They managed workflows very well, especially considering our hectic schedules. They've been flexible around our needs, while ensuring all tasks are moving along in a timely manner. They're also proactive in offering solutions before anything turns into a problem.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their kindness and attention to detail sets them apart. They've also been willing to make small changes at no additional charge. If we're able to develop the second stage of our app, we'll definitely work with them again.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company developed Sportchat, an iOS app for sports fans. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Orangesoft?

We hired Orangesoft to develop our app from scratch. At that time, I didn’t have a clear idea of how the app should look. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

We supplied Orangesoft with wireframes and documentation. They provided iOS development, QA testing, and consultancy tools such as issue tracking, crash reports, and distributing test apps. They also helped us to develop iOS documentation regarding methods, project architecture, infrastructure, etc. One of the functionality hurdles for the project was getting real-time sports data delivered to the app through our server. The second hurdle was developing an in-app real-time messaging service that allows users to discuss live sporting events. We also have the standard social media features, such as “likes” and polls.

How did you come to work with Orangesoft?

One of Orangesoft’s developers actually recruited me while I was looking for independent iOS developers. We had a 1-hour Skype call and I could see that they were flexible and had a good portfolio. We set up a few sprints at first. I was satisfied with their project delivery and flexibility so we continued working together.

How much have you invested with Orangesoft?

We have invested around $70,000 to $100,000 with Orangesoft.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working full-time with Orangesoft in January 2016. We’re continuing to work together even though the business is more of a side project for me at the moment.

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

The project has been great from the app development side as well as from the technical and user experience view. The product development was great. Every project has some bugs in the code, and I think we had some issues regarding web circuits and real-time communication, but we overcame most of the challenges. It’s clear that the developers are experienced and do a great job. All the challenges we had were resolved in some way. From the business side, the project was far from the result I was looking for; it was not as successful as I expected it to be.

How did Orangesoft perform from a project management standpoint?

I was the project manager on our end. We had UI/UX designers and a backend developer from Orangesoft. They also provided 2 iOS developers with mostly part-time team leads who reviewed code and resolved any critical issues the developers couldn’t fix. I broke up the project into 2-week sprints. We never had any issues with communicating, which is impressive considering I’m in Moscow and the developers are in other cities. We had a 15-minute status call every morning and we could easily communicate on an hourly basis using Slack and Trello. For real-time building, we used Trello and Flux. We met all of our deadlines, give or take a little bit.

What did you find most impressive about Orangesoft?

Orangesoft has a strong and friendly team. I value their flexibility and hands-on approach. I can tell that they’re developing every day. I’m still working with them and I’ll continue to work with them.

Are there any areas Orangesoft could improve?

As a product manager, I always want developers to perform tasks the exact day they are assigned. I also think the quality of development always can be improved; there are no limits. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Itransition is a software development outsourcing company. Its main development center is in Minsk with more than 1,000 employees and offices in the US and London. We use Java, .Net, etc. At the time, I was the project coordinator. I supervised multiple development projects and was responsible for overall delivery of the projects.

What challenge were you trying to address with Orangesoft?

We had a client for which we were building a software-as-a-service system for viewing invoices. We had an in-house team of six developers working on the project. The client wanted a mobile version that had some of the same features as the web-based service. At the time, we didn’t have enough mobile developers to start that project quickly, so I contacted Orangesoft to help us with that project.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The client’s system existed before in web base form, so he created a brief document describing which of the web-based features needed to be in the mobile app. As the project coordinator, I put Orangesoft in direct contact with my client. They were able to clarify any further questions with the client. They provided 1 lead developer and 1 other developer. The project was built for iOS.

How did you come to work with Orangesoft?

I heard from a friend that Orangesoft offered mobile development. I also knew some of the team and contacted their CEO.

I needed a team that could start immediately and would be willing to work directly with the client. The other option I had was doing the project in-house, but Orangesoft was able to start quickly, and they gave a good price.

How much have you invested with Orangesoft?

This information is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our relationship in March of 2014, and the project was completed in August of the same year.

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

The most important thing for me was that they were able to work on their own without much involvement from me. Orangesoft contacted me on some issues, but there were only three or four during the project.

The application was not for the app store. It was a business application for specific services, so the metrics are not published. However, I had a contact inspect the code, and I know that it was well-written and functional.

How did Orangesoft perform from a project management standpoint?

Orangesoft was directly in contact with my client to clarify any points and to provide status updates. I was participating on all calls in the beginning to confirm they understood each other and could speak directly. In the later stages, I was only present on demos and some of the status meetings. Overall, though, they were able to communicate independently.

In general, the project management was easy. We didn’t build a huge structure for project management because of the simplicity of the project. In the beginning, we agreed on Google Sheets as a tool to use for the project. They gave us a quote and hours estimate, and we agreed on milestones and gave us weekly updates on the progress of the project.

The deadline may have slipped by a month or so, but we dismissed it. In this case, they managed the deadline with my client.

What did you find most impressive about Orangesoft?

They were convenient for me while I was working on a small scale. If I were to contact a bigger company, the project would have taken more time. They were able to start very quickly.

Are there any areas Orangesoft could improve?

In regards to the missed deadlines, they could have been more proactive in communicating that issue.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is a chain of stores which sells food and non-food products. My position is a head of commercial development.

For what projects/services did your company hire Orangesoft?

To prepare a technical description of the application and design.

What were your goals for this project?

Get a modern application design and a detailed description of the functionality.

How did you select this vendor?

We negotiated with several developers of mobile applications and made a tender for the implementation of the project.

Describe the project in detail.

After finishing the project we got the design of each page of mobile application with full description of mobile applications

What was the team composition?

Commercial director Head of the information technology Department Head of marketing department Head of commercial development

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

Based on the prepared materials, a tender was made for the development of a mobile app with several implementators. The materials for the tender were prepared maximally detailed and realized.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was as efficient as it possible, the work was completed on time.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They had a precise execution of tasks and a creative approach to design development. Also, execution of the project implementation deadlines

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nonexistent

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are Russian based online marketplace for freelancers. I am an owner of the business.

For what projects/services did your company hire Orangesoft?

We engaged Orangesoft for development of our Web site and mobile app. The scope of work includes technical (front end back end) and design work.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to develop an online platform to connect businesses and freelancers in Russia and CIS. Key part include landing page and chat with settings.

How did you select this vendor?

Orangesoft has wide-ranging experiences and a team with significant expertise. Moreover, they were able to offer different options of scope of work, which was critical point for us due to limited source of financing. Great support from the managing partner was highly appreciated. Thanx for Tatiana.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Design Development Testing And 6 month of support during transition period, when our cto was entering the process

What was the team composition?

There were 2 back end and one front end developers, one designer, one Testing guy, one product lead and the CEO was supervising the Project on a regular basis

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

Orangesoft was able to find a proper combibation of granurality of the technical content and the Project cost.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was proactive and showed profissional attitude during the engagement, even when we were asking the team to help us during weekends

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Very clear communication, all deadlines were met

Are there any areas for improvement?

I do not know)

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the General Manager of the Research Institute. The projects spearheaded and supported by the Research Institute are focused on the issues currently hindering the commercialization and wide-scale deployment of new technologies. Alongside its own research agenda and projects, the Research Institute is also concerned with digital infrastructure projects in the business space. To this end, it operates as a systems integrator—developing, implementing, and coordinating complex systems and solutions.

For what projects/services did your company hire Orangesoft?

Orangesoft was hired to develop the Genesis Moscow conference application. This product allows conference participants to unite as a professional community.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to attract as many conference participants as possible for the exchange of contact information and to combine them according to scientific ideas.

How did you select this vendor?

We had worked with this team on other projects.

Describe the project in detail.

The project was a mobile application in which users log in, fill out their profile, exchange contact information, and participate in the discussion of conference reports.

What was the team composition?

There was a product owner, a project manager, several iOS developers, a few Android developers, and at least one backend developer.

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

The quality of the application was at a high level.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The work of the team was evident and coordinated, and all deadlines were met.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re a group of highly qualified specialists.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is some room for improvement in the area of design. They should create guidelines for mobile operating systems.