Pontis Technology

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Co-Founder and Director of Finance with Emerald Straegy Group LLC, the creators of BusiCard.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Clover Studio?

We came to Clover Studio for UX Design for the BusiCard App.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal of the project was to design the BusiCard app to be as user-friendly as possible and to be visually pleasing to the user.

SOLUTION

How did you select Clover Studio?

Clover Studio offered fantastic services for a very competitive price. We ended up choosing to work with Clover Studios because they offered the best quality work for the best price.

Describe the project in detail.

We came to Clover Studio for UX Design for the BusiCard App. The goal of the project was to design the BusiCard app to be as user-friendly as possible and to be visually pleasing to the user. Igor was our Cover Studio designer and was the key to our project's success.

What was the team composition?

Our Clover Studio representative Siniša headed up our project development. Siniša did a great job organizing the project and walking us through the design process. Igor, our UX designer, presented the app and constantly updated us on designs. If there was ever any issue, Siniša and Igor we very quick to schedule meetings to find solutions. They even suggested additions to the app that our development team never foresaw.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app came out great, and we have already begun another design project with Clover.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The firm was also very approachable when catering project timelines and prices to our specific needs.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The project designs were very impressive, but their customer relations were the best thing offered.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a social network startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Clover Studio?

We’d been working on an iOS- and web-based app with another developer and needed support bringing the elements together into a complete a product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Clover Studio supports all of our frontend development in native iOS as well as on the web. They’ve implemented tools for video streaming and marketing efforts. The developers place an emphasis on creating a positive, friendly user-experience. 

The product is constantly evolving, and Clover Studio has been very hands-on throughout the project.

While we haven’t begun yet, we plan to work with the team to develop the app for Android as well in the coming weeks. 

What is the team composition?

There have been up to five people working on the project. Our main point of contact is Sinisa (COO, Clover Studio).

How did you come to work with Clover Studio?

I’d worked with Clover Studio previously on other projects. However, we still went through a full evaluation process, and they performed very well. 

Also, it was important to us that they’re located nearby.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $100,000-$250,000 with Clover Studio so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2019, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of the work they produce is great. The team has taken the project on very personally, and they go the extra mile to make it successful. They’re constantly working to find ways to improve and make our product better.

The team has been involved in supportive throughout every phase of the engagement, from concept to testing and refining.

Thanks to Clover Studio, our Net Promoter Score has increased exceptionally, and our app is almost ready for the market.

How did Clover Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Sinisa has performed very well. I’d actually had the opportunity to work with him specifically on previous projects, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with him again.

Throughout the engagement, our teams have had daily stand-up meetings and weekly check-ins on progress and updates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Clover Studio’s most outstanding feature is that they care about their client and the project. They want us to be successful, and they put a lot of effort into making it happen. 

The team is never afraid to share their opinion if they disagree with the direction we’re going, and they always ensure we’re moving towards the best possible outcome.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind. They’ve been extremely flexible and helpful at all stages, and we’re very happy with what we’ve achieved so far.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clover Studio is a great company to work with, and you won’t regret partnering with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Network Service digitises businesses and infrastructures with international connectivity, digital platforms and applications for all kinds of devices and services. We are located in five European and three Asian countries. I am the COO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Clover Studio?

NWS comes from telecom and and mobile network side and joined forces with Clover for implementing WebRTC to our services. Together we also developed a new breed of mobile applications for mobile phones as of iPhone and Google Android phones.

What were your goals for this project?

Developing total mobile media applications including mobile calls, VoIP, WebRTC and unified communication features.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our CTO knows them from former engagements and re-joined forces again.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The old version of the NUSCH.ZONE app included mobile calls, VoIP, SMS and a few more communication features. The chat module was another step to make the mobile app even more great. Clover customized and implemented WebRTC according to our requirements, helped to redesign the app in terms of usability and platform integration.

What was the team composition?

Our CTO worked closely with Sinisa Brcina as the Clover project manager. On operational level our team worked together with Jurica and Peric. Our cooperation worked that well that we have met in Zagred at the HQ of Clover.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Clovers drive helped us to successfully deliver a mobile app consumer product for VAS industry and for larger international organizations on behalf of one of the largest telco providers in the UK. Their mindful support and teamwork really helped us in the build. We ended up with a social media platform with extended reach, which become the most complete one on the platform industry.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Sinisa Brcina was really into it and pushed forward and definitely a guy who is good for the extra mile.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Delivery what has been set. Feedback and changes were accepted without discussion and without extra costs or unexpected renegotiations. "On-time" was a great experience we enjoyed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not yet.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I’m the founder and CEO of a startup that's building a marketplace in the events ecosystem.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Clover Studio? 

We needed to hire an outsourced resource to help us get the MVP off the ground.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Clover Studio primarily provided full stack development plus some assistance on UX/UI. The web-based application is a local search directory for vendors in the event space. All the content is user generated. Businesses can create free profiles and upload their portfolio of work.

Clover Studio worked in React.js on the frontend. They also built a fairly complex database model that went through a couple of iterations. Vendors can tag one another to the products that they upload, which is handled by the database model. 

What is the team composition? 

My main point of contact was Siniša (COO, Clover Studio). He led project management for the whole project. I started with just one full-time engineer under Siniša. As my needs built, I scaled up to three engineers before scaling back down to one. 

How did you come to work with Clover Studio? 

I'm half Croatian. When I started the company, I knew Eastern Europe’s reputation for high-quality, inexpensive engineers. I used Google, and I might have even found them on Clutch. I talked to Siniša and learned about his team. I ended up meeting them in person and having quite a good relationship. 

How much have you invested with them?

My initial budget was $1,000 when I first spoke to Siniša. In total, I spent just under $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

I worked with them from May 2018–July 2019. The web app is mid-launch right now. I transitioned from Clover Studio to an in-house team in order to build out my company.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Clover Studio did a great job to get the MVP off the ground. They’re a good group to hire if you want to build an MVP product as a startup. The first full-time engineer we worked with was fantastic. My UX/UI engineers were bummed to lose him when he had to move on to other things, which says a lot about his abilities. 

How did Clover Studio perform from a project management standpoint? 

They were really strong on project management. Siniša got us set up in a way that we’re still using today in Asana. He immediately got us off the ground smoothly. Everything was broken into discrete tasks. Clover Studio generally kept to their due date with delivery. We used Slack and Zeplin, and we had weekly calls on Tuesdays to sync up as a team. They were also very flexible in scaling up and down on short notice.

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Clover Studio is the only offshore team I've ever worked with. I did talk to several other development shops that were much bigger. I think we got a lot more hands-on attention because they’re a small team. I was glad to not be working with a firm that had hundreds of engineers. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

I was the one to propose having weekly calls. It’s really helpful in order to keep a close eye on what’s going on and is something they should do proactively.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

I’d recommend anybody hiring a development shop to always interview the engineers individually. Have somebody technical who you trust do the technical interview before adding additional resources. There’s always a range with the skills of their engineers, and you want to find the ones who are super strong in your required areas.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am IT Director at a telecommunication company headquartered in Turkey. Our company has about 150 employees in total and serving all around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Clover Studio?

We started to work with Clover Studio back in October, 2017. First we agreed to buy a lifetime license of a turnkey solution. After a while, we decided to work with them for whole App Development that is mainly used for telecommunication, which supports text messaging, video and voice calls. While we provided all the hardware and functional requirements, Clover Studio took a major part in this project.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to have a competitive application that users can see as an alternative to other competitors. In addition to the basics, we wanted to make an application with many different features.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After long market research, we decided that Clover was the best company for us. We were able to advance much faster during the development phase as they had knowledge of the basic infrastructure.

Describe the project in detail.

The application was designed as a simple, secure and reliable communication application in real time. The application supports the sending and receiving of all multimedia messages, as well as sending and receiving text messages. It has all the features of Whatsapp as a messaging application. In addition, we will have different features that we are still continuing in the process; bot system, room system (different from group), in-app software etc.

What was the team composition?

We have private (2) and public testers (4177 actual user), 1 project manager and 1 system manager on our side. On Clover studio side, we also have 1 project manager and 1 iOS developer, 1 Android developer and 1 Backend/Frontend developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The first day after the application was released, it reached 5000 users and became news on various technology sites. It currently has over 40,000 users and has over 4.5 stars in both application markets. On the other hand, there are users who are constantly giving feedback and we continue to improve.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had regular discussions on implementation, and we constantly proceeded on pre-designed plans. In addition to this, we have regular teleconferences in addition to following the works to be done regularly through the project tracking system.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their enthusiasm for application development, knowledge, and experience impressed me the most. They also handled the application development procedures in a professional manner and did very well in application performance and design.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They're good at every part on this project, and I'm confident that they're gonna get better every day.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of a marketing startup. We are building a new type of online marketplace.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Clover Studio?

We hired Clover Studio to help develop our website. We also needed them to assist us on the design portion.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to quickly launch a minimum viable product to gather early data.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found Clover Studio online and read through their numerous positive reviews. We scheduled a Skype call, and they sent a portfolio of previous work to help us understand their capabilities. After looking at some alternative options, we felt that they were our best option.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They built a website with the following features: a Facebook login for users to make an account, user sign-up forms, and basic search capabilities. Their team also helped create a backend system to easily access administrative functions, such as changing text and images on the site.

What was the team composition?

I worked exclusively with Clover Studio's COO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have yet to launch the website and thus, we have no metrics.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We used Asana to track the project, it was incredibly helpful. We used email and Google Docs/Slides to communicate the goals and project details. Their COO was incredibly responsive, which was important to me.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I really appreciate our COO's response time and genuine interest in making the project. He aligned their work with our business goals.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

This was the first development team I ever worked with, so it's tough to compare. However, I was happy with the experience. We are planning to continue working with them for additional phases of the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a co-founder and the CEO of Zen Labs, which makes a screen time management app called ZenScreen.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Clover Studio?

We needed to develop our Android app quickly and add features and functionality.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app is designed for both for parents who want to monitor their kid's screen time, and for individuals. In addition to monitoring the use of mobile devises and laptops, the app allows the user to set time use limits in order to improve health and wellness. Users can do things like set a time when all the apps stop working or set a daily time limit.

The app is available on all platforms, but we hired Clover Studio to help specifically with the Android development because we have in-house expertise otherwise. Version one of the product shipped a couple of months ago and it's growing rapidly. We're currently working to add more features and greater functionality.

What is the team composition?

We engage with the engineers as needed, but my primary point of contact is their CTO, who manages and develops the project.

How did you come to work with Clover Studio?

A colleague recommended them.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested approximately $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started app development in the fall of 2017 and are still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Nearly 30% of our users are on a product they architected and build from scratch. They were able to meet most of our timelines quite well.

How did Clover Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They were responsive and available, despite the time zone difference. They use the same software development tools that we use in our own company, which the engineers appreciate. We give feedback throughout the project, so they address small problems immediately. Overall, project management coordination has been transparent, reliable, and meets our expectations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I value the involvement of senior level developers because it ensures that the project runs smoothly. They're committed to our deadlines and willing to do the extra work necessary to reach those goals.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work with them upfront to figure out a communication style and project delivery system that both parties find useful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was an independent consultant when I worked with Clover Studio.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Clover Studio? 

We were building an iOS mobile app for one of the largest festivals in Europe. This was the first app like this that was being launched.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

There were location services and interactions included in the app. We also had an AR application that we wanted to implement as well. That was seven years ago, so it was way ahead of Pokémon Go. There was navigation on the map for this app because it was a pretty huge festival. There were more than 20 stages at the time. It was easy to get lost so there was a map that would pinpoint your location.

We wanted a specific overlay on the map. As maps go, it was a pretty narrow area. We had to draw a pictorial map of the site and overlay that. The AR component was included so that users could see where things are on the layout. I can’t remember whether we implemented that in the final version. I think we did. At the time, nobody had a clue what AR was. It was pretty revolutionary for that time. The guys had the technology and were building an AR game where you could shoot down the planes. We had geolocation across the site and different stages. Users could orient themselves by looking at the phone. Phones were not as powerful then as they are today.

What is the team dynamic? 

We interfaced daily with them. Ken was the CEO and was involved in the project. We had a dedicated engineer who was doing all the coding, and we had another person in charge of the frontend part. The end client was also involved in the communication. It was a rather complex project. The client was in Novi Sad and we were based in Zagreb at the time. I was not based in their offices, so it was pretty challenging.

How did you come to work with Clover Studio? 

We met Ken, the CEO, and Marko, the CTO, at a conference. They were pitching their AR game. They’re brilliant guys that had this amazing game. We started working on various projects and did apps for this particular festival two consecutive years.

How much have you invested with them? 

We spent 10,000 Euros.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working with them in February 2010, and we did an app for 2010 and 2011 and ended the relationship in December 2011. After that, we gave them the code to manage themselves. The client didn’t have the budget to continue.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m not sure how many people used, it but we had really great reviews. The best indicator is that the festival guys kept the app for quite a few years after that. The festival is among the largest in Europe. We’re talking about tens of thousands of visitors each day. A lot of them downloaded it. It was internationally circulated.

How did Clover Studio perform from a project management standpoint? 

They were excellent. I’d definitely recommend them. We used email and phone to communicate. Back then they were just starting and were a relatively small team.

What did you find most impressive about them? 

They were dedicated and were involved in all aspects of the project.

Are there any areas they could improve? 

I don’t remember, but not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Japan's largest advertising agency called Dentsu. My role is the global innovation and business development director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Clover Studio?

I've known them for seven or eight years and I have several mobile projects after coming to Dentsu. We developed Japan's first national database of evacuation shelters and we wanted an app that would help app users find nearby evacuation shelters based on their location. This goes into effect whenever an alarm is triggered by the National Disaster Service.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They basically created anything other than design works because we are an advertising agency that does that in-house. Other than that, they provided app development for both Android and iOS for this program. We created the database of emergency shelters in Japan and they created an app from scratch that would ping the database and ring up nearby shelters based on GPS location.

The application relies on reliability, so a crisis management app like this one shouldn’t crash or stall. It needs to work flawlessly and be really easy to use. They did make some UX/UX design suggestions for things like button placement because the user experience is really important in these types of situations.

What is the team dynamic?

We have a weekly call and we have been engaging with the same team for close to four years now whenever we have a project going. A typical project has lasted about three to four months, then it goes through some experiments before it becomes live and in the app store. We work closely with the government on the app to make sure it works for evacuation exercises, where people download and test the app.

How did you come to work with Clover Studio?

I had my own strategy agency before coming to Dentsu in 2012 and I talk at a lot of tech conferences around the globe. I came across a representative from Clover Studio at one of these and we had several conversations. Another friend of mine had been engaged with them for a while and recommended that I meet up with them because they were doing a stellar job. Overall, their performance is also cost competitive, and that’s why we have been engaged with them for the past four years or so on a specific project.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our first app wasn’t successful, which was partially my fault because it wasn’t marketed very well. This food app was back around April 2012. We are currently engaged with them for our crisis management app and have been for about four years. We have to address periodic government requirements and updates that can come in every few months or randomly, so we don’t have a set timeline.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent around $75,000 to $100,000 in total on any given project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s a little bit difficult because our app is so specific and isn’t always live on the app store for complaints or comments from the public. But over the course of four years of engaging with them, we’ve never failed in delivering something that the government expects in terms of crisis management. We have done very well. We’ve won three government awards from three different ministries for the app itself.

We’ve also done about four or five government evacuation experiments with 500 or 600 people in total, in which we haven’t seen the app fail once. It’s a complex app with nuanced calculations in the back end. We have made some micro-enhancements on the Android and iPhone side, but we haven’t seen any major flaws due to upgrades, so we are extremely happy working with them.

How did Clover Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They basically respond 24/7. When we do government projects, normally these exercises are held on Saturdays and Sundays. The team would be up and running on Japan time for the weekends to be sure that we don’t fail, so in that respect, they're extremely reliable. I don’t see that kind of dedication coming from other small mobile app developers because it could be very cumbersome.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Aside from their professionalism, they are very cost competitive. If you look into Eastern and Central European, they are extremely competitive markets. They also do web development, so they understand multiple platforms and different kinds of OS services. They understand the balance between the server side and the other sides of the application.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We do most of our design work in-house and it would be nice if we could rely on them for that. But again, that is not their area of focus and they did help us from a UX/UI standpoint. If they could have done the design as well, that would have been the icing on the cake.