Posse

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the senior account manager for a social media marketing agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Posse?

We work on a current musical and we were looking for a way to engage with fans and keep them within our ecosystem. In an effort to do that, we decided to create a dedicated app, which required hiring a developer.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We knew going in that we wanted the design to reflect the show's overall brand aesthetic, and we also had a couple of functionality concepts that we wanted to prioritize. Our primary requirement was way to offer a lottery where fans could register to win $10 tickets. The show now plays in multiple theaters, so we had to ensure that the lottery registration system would work across multiple locations. We also wanted to host original content that our fans would enjoy, such as custom stickers for messaging.

They developed our app from scratch using Flutter, which is a relatively new software design kit produced by Google that allows you to develop for iOS and Android simultaneously.

What is the team composition?

We have an account manager and a development team that works with us, and we also frequently worked with the owner of the company.

How did you come to work with Posse?

We wanted a local vendor so we could meet in person if we had to, so we researched a few development agencies nearby and ultimately settled on them. We're something of a small, scrappy team and we really felt like they were similar to us in that sense.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2017 and we're still collaborating on new features.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've received a lot of positive reviews, not just from users, but also from entertainment and tech sites. This was one of the first apps developed on Flutter, so it's also received acknowledgment for the technological achievements.

In terms of the app's development and stability, they did a great job hitting every deadline and delivering a quality product. We had a bug on the first day after the initial launch and they worked with us and the Flutter team to resolve it within only a couple of hours. They're extremely on top of anything that goes wrong.

How did Posse perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly calls where we exchange updates on our roadmap for new rollouts and share feedback on general improvements or suggestions. They're well-organized and they also give us a reasonable amount of time for us to provide the assets they need from our side.

Earlier on in the process, we met in person a number of times. They'd asked us to fill out a highly detailed creative brief that forced us to break down the brand in detail before we spoke, which helped us articulate our requirements more clearly when we discussed them face to face.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by their accessibility and how quickly they responded to our needs. Anytime we need assistance, they'll test the app thoroughly and they're great about resolving issues before they become a problem. I also like how I can trust that everyone who's working on our project is up to speed with our goals. They've been great to work with and we look forward to continuing that relationship.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work with someone you find it easy to communicate with. That's not always easy, especially if you don't have a tech background, but we've had very few cases of miscommunication or misunderstanding. Good communication is critical, both on our side in terms of conveying our needs and expectations, and on their side in terms of explaining the technical details in a way we can understand.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the technology manager at a brewery. We manufacture beer, but we also are invested in technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Posse?

We wanted to enable our consumers to find and purchase our beer via an app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

As a brewery, we don't know a lot about app development, so they gave us a rundown of the assets and focus we'd need. They taught us what it takes to make a business out of an app, rather than just using it as a piece of software. Secondly, they pinpointed which resources would be involved, including development hours, graphic design, and UI design. They always make sure the app fits both development trends and our marketing and branding strategy. Some things that make sense for our beer packaging require translation to work with tech packaging.

Posse built the app for both the iOS and Android platforms as native applications. They developed the frontend, backend, and UI/UX, and did all the work related to the server. We did some of the reports in-house based on their suggestions.

We're one of the first breweries with the proprietary ability to sell beer through our app for pickup at our locations. After creating an account, customers select the quantities they want to buy, and then we have a party the day of pickup. It collects user information like types of products and quantity purchased, repeat customers, and events attended. Gathering this data helps us better serve customers in the future.

What is the team composition?

Recently, we've worked with five members of their team. Two of those were the owners and founders of the company, two were developers, and one was a project manager.

How did you come to work with Posse?

We actually met Posse out in the field, at one of our work events. We honestly just overheard them having a conversation about apps, and noticed they were drinking our beer. They said they loved our brand, and immediately started coming up with pitches and ideas. After a few email exchanges, we had a complete app built three or four months later.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first started working together in 2013, and they’re continuing development at this time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The number of transactions and sales is our key metric, and it's increased every time. Anecdotally, we do beer releases and sell a certain quantity through the app. We recently added new features to make it more user-friendly. During the first release, it took us five days to sell out. The second took three or four days, and so forth. Today, we sold out within about three hours. The app is really catching on, and they've helped us build a great support network. They've definitely been there for us, and were even online during the latest release.

I have to give them a lot of props, because they do world-class work. Compared to the work of other developers I've ever experienced, they’re really great at design. Anytime there's an issue or a bug, they're very quick to resolve it. They efficiently pinpoint what's causing a problem, and how to prevent it in the future. They made a good game plan to mitigate any possible security threat.

How did Posse perform from a project management standpoint?

We use a combination of Trello and Slack to communicate, and they're very well organized. A dedicated staff member leads the project management. We've done some very rapid development, which we try to work in as much as possible to meet timelines. Now that we're working together more long term, we've started using a scrum model that's very iterative and agile.

What did you find most impressive about them?

As a company, they're not just focused on creating an app; they also want to help you develop and grow your brand. As a close partner, they're just as invested and interested in our products as we are. They took the time to educate themselves about our industry. I don't often see that level of effort. Usually, it's more like "here's your thing, have fun with it, and when it breaks, let us know." They take an active role in making sure we're not only building an app but also starting a new wing of our business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This could be due to our rapid schedules, but they could improve the project management side, in terms of budgetary and time constraints. Sometimes, that got pushed back a bit, but it's been nothing critical.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Look for a company that's invested in your idea and really wants to help you grow. Posse's mantra is "scalability." Always consider if the choices you make early on will be able to grow when you have 100, 1,000, 10,000 or a million users. That's really the key insight; don't just think of the quick fixes. Consider how things are going to scale in the long term. If you can't conceptualize that, perhaps you need to rethink your idea.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

The company is a retail pharmacy.

What is your position?

I am the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Posse?

We wanted to introduce new technology to support patient deliveries and other services.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

This was the second app they’ve worked on for us. They designed the entire iOS app from our ideas. They designed the pharmacy side and patient side which are very well integrated. Through the app the patient can coordinate deliveries with the pharmacy and the pharmacy could fulfill those and notify the patient about any issues. The app provides basic pharmacy services through the app. We will be developing an Android app sometime later this year. All the branding is done by Posse and they made some of the marketing materials. We haven’t launched on the App Store yet but they will be the ones doing that.

How did you come to work with Posse?

We found them through Google. This was the first company we contacted and we talked to David and hit it off so well that we continued working with them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We’ve spent more than $200,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve spent 8 months working on the project and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We use some of the marketing material and people really like the branding aspects and websites they’ve created.

How did Posse perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was good. They were communicative and met deadlines.

What distinguishes Posse from other providers?

They really understand what they’re doing from the client’s perspective. They’re able to make the client’s vision materialize into something substantial.

Is there anything Posse could have improved or done differently?

They could have brought the cost down. They have a great design time and when they make an app it works. They’re good at what they do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

National Systems Corporation is a supplier of technology to the restaurant industry. I take care of special projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Posse?

National Systems has a branded operating company called QuikOrder which handles digital ordering for large restaurant chains. We wanted to create a new system that was highly synergistic with our current products at a price point that would be very attractive to our customers. We wanted Posse to help us build an MVP to explore that market.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I contracted Posse when I had a design for the Android development system. We also began working with Posse to evolve our design, and we’re starting to give them project management and requirements work as well. We wanted Posse to test out a new way of architecting the data and the networking between nodes. The notable feature is that it’s able to work in offline mode with the peer-to-peer architecture. We were building a system for transactional use in restaurants, and it had to work in a peer-to-peer mode without using a server backend. That is a very different feature from your typical mobile app.

How did you come to work with Posse?

I met one of Posse's senior engineers at an Android developers meet-up. I was impressed by him as a capable engineer, and I felt he was someone I would enjoy working with.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project cost is over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project July 2016, and we continue to work with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have demonstrated and socialized the first few iterations of what Posse has produced with our clients who are very interested. They are cooperating with us on the build out of something that could go live in their restaurants. We continue to work with Posse to build this out into a product.

How did Posse perform from a project management standpoint?

I just recently started using them for project management. Posse has always been motivated to define goals for their work and separate them into phases. The bills that I get from them are the best that I get from any vendor because they are tied to the proposals that we’ve signed. There’s a link where I can see all the details by day.

What did you find most impressive about Posse?

The main contact I have is Henry who is a partner in their firm. I’ve been impressed by the way he collaborates and the capable engineer he is. What we’re doing requires real engineering, and Henry is a real engineer.

Are there any areas Posse could improve?

Posse has adapted well to my changing needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Smart Design is a product design innovation company that’s been around for about 30 years. Primarily, in the beginning, the focus was industrial design. We also added OXO products. During this project, I was responsible for building and leading the digital scene, and doing work on purely digital products or concepts. We also did crossover convergent products, like our IoT [Internet of Things] projects, and one of those was the program I did with Posse.

I’m no longer with this company. I was with them in New York and have since moved out to Portland.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Posse?

This was a very long project at a crucial time. We were working with Gatorade to build a bottle for tracking hydration and changing the delivery of the product itself. The bottle itself had a hydrometer that would allow us to track the liquid coming out, and we worked on an app that had been partially designed by another company, but we took it over.

We needed to build this application that would take data from the bottles that the team was using, relay it through a local Bluetooth Hub, and transfer it to an iOS platform, which was specifically, in this case, the iPad. Smart Design has very good designers, but it had no internal design capabilities. I got in touch with Posse about our short timeline for the project in order to meet the Brazilian World Cup.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Posse had to understand this program from the hardware ecosystem point of view, as well as understand the code that was already there from the previous company. They tore that down and built it back up. Then, they had to build the app that we designed on this short timeline.

In many ways, this wasn’t necessarily a polished solution. It was a short timeline for a fairly complex project. It originally came in with bad code. It was an IoT solution where they took a preexisting half-complete code base, stripped it down, built it up, and built a prototype in conjunction with us in a span of nine weeks. It was very fast.

How did you come to work with Posse?

I used to work at a company called Frog Design with some members of the Posse team. I have a lot of faith in the people that work at Frog. Luke Williams, one of the principals, left much before I did. 

How much have you invested with Posse?

It cost under $50,000. Posse operates in a very lean way. They don’t have a lot of overhead and project management, strategy consultants, or anything like that. The people that are writing the code are working with you directly, so they keep their prices down.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted between late April and June of 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Posse created a prototype that served its purpose before we went on to work with more teams like PepsiCo, which owns Gatorade. Our team decided to move to a much larger company because it was going to be a multi-year engagement, which is not the model that Posse works in. The results for us were having a prototype built that created a lot of confidence in the product and the process and allowed us to continue to do work with them.

How did Posse perform from a project management standpoint?

Posse was very lean. I worked with primarily Luke and David as the project became a product. We were talking with the person that was doing the work, so the project management was very adaptive. They operate rapidly in a lean manner.

What did you find most impressive about Posse?

When we were looking, we were actually talking to a lot of other organizations in the New York area. Although the Posse team is very small, these guys are very sophisticated and have a lot of experience to the highest level of consulting. That includes strategy and product development. They’re able to package that up in a much smaller and effective way of working, and that allows them to operate at much lower cost than many other companies we talked to.

Are there any areas Posse could improve?

Sometimes a project manager would’ve been nice. Some members of the team like to have more evidence of the work being done and tracking hours. The way we worked was very different. They would come in, and they would spend time in the office with us. We had frequent calls, and we actually had a trip to one of the engineering firms out in Cambridge, UK. Posse came with us to provide some consulting. It’s a tradeoff: if you’re going to operate very lean, you’re going to minimize the project management layer. If people require that, then that could be considered a drawback. In a short program like ours, it would’ve been a waste of time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We help people find rental homes. Our claim to fame is we have far more listings than anyone else in any market that we’ll launch in. We launch in January. I’m the chief executive officer and co-founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Posse?

They helped us do a major redesign of our prototype app to get ready for launch and the development for both Android and iOS.|

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We talked a lot about the business and about the product and what we’ve learned from our customers. Based on that information, we set out to create a design for Android, make adjustments and do a complete 180 redesign with Posse. Once we finished the process of the design work, Posse developed our Android and iOS app.

How did you come to work with Posse?

I found Posse on Google a few times because they’re based here in New York City and they had done a lot of work for some big names like Jet.com. We vibed very well. They share our vision and our idea, and their communication process is similar to ours, which is what we like to call radical transparency. We started with the design, they did a fantastic job, and we then decided to give them the development.

How much have you invested with Posse?

It was in the hundreds of thousands.

What is the status of this engagement?

I’ve been working with Posse for about six or seven months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

First of all, Posse’s design is second to none. This isn’t my first rodeo; I started and sold off my last tech company. I’ve worked with and seen a range of development and design. Posse is one of those companies that I just met at the best time and when they are the perfect size. The quality of their work is what price-wise you would pay for a premium firm, but they are better.

How did Posse perform from a project management standpoint?

Posse is self-directed and doesn’t require a ton of input. The input they require, they get from you in a very concise, organized and timely fashion. They don’t waste time, and you can tell they spend a lot of time even before discussing something with you trying to problem-solve it themselves so that they end up understanding it. These are the kind of guys you want working for you.

What did you find most impressive about Posse?

Posse delivers quickly, delivers early, delivers under budget, and is extremely professional. There is never a lack of professionalism, and that’s very unique. I was looking to essentially buy out their entire firm to have them all work for me full time. That’s how good they are. These guys are truly good.

There are two guys there; one is with their design team, Coy, and then David who I deal with at Posse. I can name the team by heart because they are fantastic. David is the kind of guy that would be a no-brainer for me to hire. If he were starting any company, I would bet money on him because he’s so good.

Are there any areas Posse could improve?

Normally I have something because I think it’s important to be honest, especially to maintain the integrity of your company. I have not one bad thing, not even remotely bad. That’s how good these people are. In a period of seven months when you’re designing and developing something, it’s normal that they’ve made mistakes. They might forget a piece of feedback that I gave them for a design, but It’s never anything major. If I mention it to them, the way they handle that mistake in resolving it and their attitude when discussing it is mature, professional, and shows emotional intelligence.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a design UX/UI consultancy. I'm the managing partner and head of product strategy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Posse?

We work on numerous mobile apps that have different challenges.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hire Posse to do development work for us on a lot of different projects. They provide some product strategy, technical strategy, and mobile development for iOS and Android. They've worked with us on a rental marketplace for college campuses. We’ve also worked together on an app that provides podcast discovery and streaming. Another app that Posse had worked on provides discovery of craft beverages in the marketplace.

How did you come to work with Posse?

Posse has an excellent reputation in the industry. They're very smart about working on version one products, which is what we specialize in.

How much have you invested with Posse?

It depends on the project, but it tends to be in the $10,000 to $50,000 and then in the $50,000 to $100,000 range.

What is the status of this engagement?

It started over 3 years ago and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We can’t do that directly because we're doing work for other companies. Those metrics aren't the right ones for us that top out.

How did Posse perform from a project management standpoint?

Posse did well in terms of project management and communication. Posse set clear expectations for the budget, features, and timeline. They are also very easy to work with.

What did you find most impressive about Posse?

The single biggest thing is they're very focused on building mobile experiences for marketplaces and commerce. Posse efficiently makes smart decisions about what features to prioritize and how to structure the work. They're really strong developers and have a great reputation for executing delivery on the work itself. For us, it's really important that they have a sensitivity and ability to execute great user experience. They're very design-friendly.

Are there any areas Posse could improve?

I don't think there's anything they could've done to make it more successful. We're always looking at the work that we do for more launch marketing. Posse has been very solid.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am an interactive producer for a full-service advertising agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Posse?

Our company was looking for developers to build a motivational alarm clock app for a celebrity. You can go in, set a goal that you want to achieve, and the date that you want to achieve it by. Then you schedule an alarm that helps you wake up every day to achieve that goal. There’s daily video integration in the app so that this celebrity has the ability to upload personalized videos through the backend. You get to wake up to a special message every day. That was the biggest feature of our app and we needed help to make it all happen.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Posse did the development and the build for both apps. Originally, their scope was to build the Android app. Due to some complications with our iOS developer, Posse ended up taking on the iOS development as well. They did that towards the last 50% of the project. It was mainly development, although they did suggest design tweaks. Posse helped us adhere to Android standards and iOS standards, making sure that we were following those rules accurately. That was nice because they have a little bit more insight into it than our creative team. They did help out there, but basically, we provided PSDs and they did the build.

How did you come to work with Posse?

I actually didn’t choose them. When I came onto the project, they had already been brought on by a previous producer some months before. So, I don’t know how we got involved with them.

How much have you invested with Posse?

In total, we’ve paid $50,000 to $100,000 for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in December 2015 and it is ongoing. The app launched in April. Currently, we are still working with them on and off, mostly for maintenance updates, but it’s still an ongoing partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

That’s a tough one. There have been over 3 million downloads of the app combined in Android and iOS. That number is phenomenal for an app. Most of that is due to the fact that the app is for a celebrity and he pushes it on his social media channels; I don’t know how much of that we can attribute to Posse. Either way, Posse helped us make a product that launched well and works well for a big-name celebrity. Plus, it didn’t run into any major issues.

How did Posse perform from a project management standpoint?

Pretty good. They’re a smaller shop. I talked with the founders directly every week. They made sure that they were always tracking on budget. If they were ever going over, there would be a conversation ahead of time about that, which is nice.

What did you find most impressive about Posse?

One thing I did appreciate about them is the fact that they do have the ability to build both iOS and Android apps. I know that there’s a lot of places that specialize in just one, so it was nice that they had developers that can do both, and work with each other and talk with each other. Even though they were, I believe, spread out—they weren’t even in the same office—they did a good job of making sure that they were simultaneously updating the same creative to both apps and making sure it worked.

Are there any areas Posse could improve?

I’m not sure. I had a pleasurable experience working with them. I don’t think there was any one thing that I ran up against or disliked. I think that the more projects they have, they’ll get better at the overall scoping of the project. We did have a couple of change orders because we made some updates, but I think that doing a larger scope upfront would probably benefit them in the long run.