ProArea

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of the agency, and we specialize in social media and marketing.

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

The ultimate goal was to facilitate the work processes in the company. Thanks to this project many of our business processes became easier for employees and stakeholders and, probably, in the future will optimize the work of other companies.

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

Our partners’ company worked with this agency last year and were satisfied with the quality of services. I asked for their contacts and its manager replied really quickly.

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

I suppose that I had a chance to meet the whole C-level management: the CEO, as well the Head of the Business Development Department. Guys was very nice. I saw that the project seemed fascinating for them. We discussed the details and on the next day they send me a list with step-by-step instructions how we can realize my idea. Then I met their Business analyst and a project manager. We made SRS together and description to the UI/UX.

Then I collaborated with the designer, Ira, and I was pleasantly impressed by the initiative, creativity and the work speed. She is a real professional. The next step was to introduce me to the development team and a product manager who, it seems to me, was in touch 24/7 until the last release of the project. So, at least 10 people were engaged in the project along with my in-house specialists.

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

The development and implementation period took us almost a year. In the process, the guys have further improved our corporate CMS, added new functions. We are currently working on an update and new features. And I think this process will continue for at least several months, and we will turn to the Proarea team again if we have another project to implement.

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

I am quite happy with the communication. My internal team and I were always in touch with the product manager and developers. We have regular work calls. I was worried about the significant time gap at first, but it wasn’t an issue after all, the guys found a compromise.

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

We used the Scrum method for project management. This means that we worked two weeks in iterations or sprints. This is the first time I have worked with such a management system. It turned out to be very convenient. I could track my progress in Jira. We also had weekly calls and constant communication in the Slack chat.

Timelines have always been respected. Twice it was that the deadlines for the completed tasks were postponed, but I was warned and this was justified. We also had a project manager. Charming girl with good English. She was always in touch. Even on weekends sometimes. The guys have a high level of customer service.

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

I was really impressed by the communication and management skills at all levels. These guys are real professionals. It is important for me to work on the agreed results within the stated time frame and the quality of the service - this team receives 10 out of 10 in my personal contractors’ list.

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

At the moment, everything suits me perfectly, and I think that the guys need to grow and develop further. I am sure that with this approach they will be able to achieve top positions in the field of technical services.

Please describe your company and your position there.

University, I am the head of a social project

For what projects/services did your company hire ProArea?

We are implementing a social project to support the elderly, which means that it has to be a convenient and intuitive application, with the help of which the elderly could receive help from those who are nearby. For example, going to a store or a pharmacy, paying bills in the bank, or any other help.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to create the most intuitive application with the ability to register users, track their geolocations, gathering feedback and stories as well as requests.

How did you select ProArea?

We found ProArea company through the open tenders for the IT market, since our project is social and was implemented with a grant from charitable foundations. We chose to work with this team 'cause they quickly made an estimation, their price was competitive, after the first call with the CEO and developers, we realized that the declared skills correspond to reality, and the guys really understand what they are talking about. It was a plus that we found a lot of positive reviews on various resources. This contributed to the choice.

Describe the project in detail.

The first meeting was conducted with the CEO and the СTO of the company. I liked the way they approached the project. On the second call, I met the team that was formed for me: a project manager and two developers. The guys are communicative and proactive. I should mention that they were always in touch. We were on the same page so to say at all stages, reports were done on time. They have quite a nice sense of humor. I wouldn’t say that there were no issues. We made edits during the project, so some tasks were delayed, but it's great that none of this became a problem 'cause we established cool communication and reached an agreement.

What was the team composition?

The first meeting was conducted with the CEO and the СTO of the company. I liked the way they approached the project. On the second call, I met the team that was formed for me: a project manager and two developers. The guys are communicative and proactive. I should mention that they were always in touch. We were on the same page so to say at all stages, reports were done on time. They have quite a nice sense of humor. I wouldn’t say that there were no issues. We made edits during the project, so some tasks were delayed, but it's great that none of this became a problem 'cause we established cool communication and reached an agreement.

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

The application works on IOS and Android, it’s being used by our volunteers. I consider this a successful collaboration.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I consider it to be quite effective. We had called once a week, we could quickly solve some small tasks online in chats, we had open access to the tasks in progress.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most impressive thing for me was the ability to easily explain technical details to people far from development and total transparency of workflow for the project stakeholders.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Just for me, I’ll do a more detailed statement of work, ‘cause it’s better to draw away at the beginning to avoid unnecessary movements during the work. As for ProArea, I wish you guys all the best, you’re cool!

Please describe your company and your position there.

This is a startup. I'm a founder there.

For what projects/services did your company hire ProArea?

I have a degree in psychology and during my studies, I had the idea to create an interactive app for children, which will help them develop their soft skills.

What were your goals for this project?

The app was supposed to be educational. For users of different ages, from 3 to 16 years. It was important to make it understandable at the same time, for young children and interesting and dynamic, for older children.

It was necessary that the app automatically selects exercises for children of different ages, and the interface changes depending on age. For young children, something cartoons, for older children something more "adult".

How did you select ProArea?

One of my sponsors worked with ProArea earlier and said that this team has good experience and also a lot of ideas that they are happy to share. Since I know absolutely nothing about development, the vendor needed to be thoughtful and able to transfer to a "computer language" that I can explain only in ordinary words. After we talked several times with ProArea, I was happy to realize that they could do it.

Describe the project in detail.

They not only developed the app, but also made the design and tested it to make sure that everything works correctly, and there are not any bugs. We called up about twice a week on Skype. In the process, we added new features to improve the app and tested what has already been developed.

What was the team composition?

I was assigned a project manager, with whom I mostly talked. Plus, we also talked with Bogdan, CEO of ProArea. There were 4 developers, a couple of designers, QA, and maybe someone else who was considered necessary to attract work on the project.

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

Now the app developed by ProArea is used by more than 30,000 users in different countries. I can say that my 6-year-old niece uses this app and I see that she is really interested, and she improved her soft skills in terms of communicating with other people.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We worked with Scrum and called up on Skype at least twice a week. My project manager was very cool because he could easily explain, tell, and prompt everything not in a "technical language", but in a way that I would understand. So, I always knew what was happening on the project and how the team did it.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

First of all, we were impressed that they were able to talk about development and other technical things in my language. Another thing that pleasantly surprised was that several times the developers were ahead of schedule.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I have nothing to compare with, so I don’t know how honest my answer will be. Nevertheless, if you also don’t understand anything in development, just like me, and you need someone you can completely rely on, these guys are exactly what you need.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the managing director of the social platform.

For what projects/services did your company hire ProArea?

We had a website that we have created since the company was founded, but we were completely upset with it. It was not convenient from the user's point of view, so we lost a significant share of the profit. Thus, we decided to completely replace it, as well as create a mobile app.

What were your goals for this project?

We decided to completely reorganize the online activities of the service. First of all, this would allow us to reach the international level of sales and attract new customers, both in England and other countries. We also wanted to become more accessible to our regular customers.

How did you select ProArea?

We were looking for a vendor through freelance sites. Initially, we received more than 120 different proposals and selected about 20 of the most suitable candidates who were interviewed. As a result, we had eight candidates left and in the end, we chose ProArea, as they provided us with a complex solution and the final price of our project.

Although the price was not the lowest, this company was chosen because they "can see the forest for the trees" and as for us, it was the most important.

Describe the project in detail.

ProArea made the design and developed for us a native mobile app, website and CMS. At the very beginning, we discussed all the tasks that we set for the team and approved what our company wants to see in the end. The entire development of our project was divided into two-week sprints and after each sprint, ProArea tested the results and made improvements over the next two weeks.

Thanks to this, we know that we won't have problems using the products that ProArea provided us.

What was the team composition?

My main contact person with ProArea was the Project Manager, who was assigned to my project. I also know that a designer, QA, and four developers worked on my project.

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

At the moment, our client base has grown 4 times, thanks to the fact that the website and mobile application have simplified the work on the platform and allowed us to expand our target audience. Now we are at the stage of developing other services too.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team always coped with all the deadlines, and at meetings, we discussed everything very carefully. For communication, we used Skype for calls and Jira as a task management tool.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What struck us most was that for ProArea it was most important to make a good and functional product, and not to make more money. Some of our proposals that add hours to development were rejected because the team had more efficient and faster solutions.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There are no areas that we would like to improve in the ProArea team. At the moment, we have several ideas for development that are ripening, so we are sure we will turn to them again.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CMO of the medical writing support service. We provide a full range of services in the field of medical education and practice support.

For what projects/services did your company hire ProArea?

The main task for which I hired ProArea is branding. I needed to create an attractive and memorable logo for my company as well as a brand book.

What were your goals for this project?

I needed to create a brand that can show customers what service they will receive in our company. It was also important that the brand would inspire confidence and help form a long-term preference for our company among customers.

How did you select ProArea?

One of my friends worked with ProArea on some development and design and advised them when I said that I was looking for a branding vendor. I really liked their website and logo design and portfolio in general. I talked with the team, we discussed several ideas and I decided that I would not look for anyone else. Moreover, my friend praised ProArea very much.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

ProArea and I made a detailed brief, after which we signed a contract and I made a 50% prepayment. After that, the designer started to work and made several logo options to choose from. I asked to make some corrections, we discussed them and after that, I get exactly the result that I counted on. They also made for me 5 elements of corporate identity to choose from and brand book - a guide for using elements of corporate identity.

What was the team composition?

I can say with confidence that ProArea was able to realize all my ideas. Branding looks exactly as I imagined. All elements look very harmonious, the colors are perfectly matched and it fits perfectly into the style of my beauty salon. I communicated directly with the Project Manager and designer who was involved in my project.

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

I can say with confidence that ProArea was able to realize all my ideas. Branding looks exactly as I imagined. All elements look very harmonious, the colors are perfectly matched and it fits perfectly into the style of my beauty salon. I communicated directly with the Project Manager and designer who was involved in my project.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We regularly contacted Skype with the project manager. The designer always listened to my wishes and shared his ideas, thanks to which we were able to achieve the goal and create the perfect display of our service.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were very pleased that the team respected the project deadlines. In addition, they showed themselves as professionals in their field and it was nice that they are ready to share their experience and find an individual approach to each customer.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is always room for growth. I will be especially pleased to see how they become more popular. I’m sure that this will happen in the near future.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I`m the CEO of the UI/UX and web agency based in Kyiv, Ukraine. We make smart User Experiences and create outstanding User Interfaces for digital projects around the world.

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

We needed support in the development of the government B2B platform which is a complex CRM and ERP system. Our goal was to get a high-quality development for a complicated web system.

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

I’ve known the ProArea team for some years. We had decided to work after I had a meeting with their CEO, studied a website and a portfolio. I guess these guys do their best for all projects!

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

The task was to develop a huge CRM and ERP system for the government. ProArea started with simple tasks for the front-end but finally, they’ve been working on the most complicated front-end issues, implemented a project using mostly AngularJS, and even helped with the back-end development which wasn’t planned because the customer has their own team.

The result is a complex B2B platform with a huge database of people, their registration, cities, streets, apartments, etc. The goal of the project is to structure the work of election campaigns. The software developed by the guys has integrations with third-party APIs, for example, IT telephony. They started with simple tasks - to finalize the current system, but in the future, we turned not only to finalize the system but also to develop a new one.

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

There were four AngularJS developers, a PM, and a Middle Back-End developer.

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

The project was very difficult and time-consuming. It is still ongoing and we are getting great support from the ProArea team. Such cool projects are possible only with the right synergy of talented teams. And I think they helped us a lot with this.

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

We worked with a team on Scrum. We have been communicating for a very long time and in fact, they managed to find the right workflow right away.

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

They can quickly solve tasks, delve into business logic, help to deal with emerging errors, not only on the front-end side but also on the back-end. As a result, part of the team even got involved in the development of the back-end. We can recommend a team for the implementation of projects of any complexity.

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

My team didn`t mention any problems.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and founder of the design & web development agency based in Kharkiv, Ukraine. We create digital solutions in design and web from the year 2018.

For what projects/services did your company hire ProArea?

At the end of 2019, we got a request from the real estate company in Switzerland for mobile app development. It was a complicated system for both Android and IOS platforms for internal usage. As design experts, we closed the task of building the UI/UX but we didn’t have enough resources for the app development part. So we hired ProArea as a development partner for this project.

What were your goals for this project?

We expected to receive high-quality mobile development with clear code and accounting for all requirements.

How did you select this vendor?

Since we are located in Kharkiv, we learned about the ProArea company through our networking contacts here. We had a call with a CEO and CTO. After that, making sure of their skills and experience, we decided to enter into a partnership.

Describe the project in detail.

My task from the direct customer was to design and develop a complicated app for the company's internal team. We had to build a platform, where their real estate agents could manage all construction objects and apartments. We had already designed the UX with all wireframes and UI with all custom design elements. ProArea team implemented all the ideas for the great final product. They delivered full-cycle Android and IOS development which were built on Flutter as well as the detailed management and QA for this project.

What was the team composition?

The main contact person with the ProArea team was the project manager. He was very initiative and responsible. Also, there were 2 developers - the Senior Mobile Developer and the Middle one. I am highly impressed with their expertise and quick work.

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

I am sure that without ProArea developers’ help we would have been doing this project for a very long time because mobile development is not our service. They helped us close an important missing part. If we talk about the final customer - the real estate company, they automated most of the business processes using this app. Employees save up to half the working time on managing their objects and deals, which allows them to grow faster and close more deals.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project management was awesome. Our teams worked as real partners, my designers said it had been easy to work with ProArea developers. We coped with all the deadlines, which was very important for me.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

When such a big project appeared among the rest of the tasks, I immediately realized how important it would be to act consistently and thoughtfully. These qualities I can highlight on ProArea work as well as a deep understanding of my needs and, of course, great experience in Android development.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I didn't mention any. I really want to keep this great partner relationship for longer in future projects.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and director of Venture Technologies LTD. We create mobile apps and run websites.

What challenge were you trying to address with ProArea?

I needed help with some Android app development.

What was the scope of their involvement?

One of their first tasks was to sort out some technical issues with our code. They determined that what we’d done in-house wasn’t going to work for further development, so they ended up building our universal Android content app from scratch. We stayed largely hands-off concerning the coding and the design, though we gave them feedback on how we ultimately wanted the app to look. They also helped us understand what we’d need to code in order to further customize the app in-house in the future.

In terms of the app itself, they handled the UI design, created contact forms, and inserted all of our app content. This included all of our text and images, as well as space for banner and interstitial ads. Now that the app is complete, they continue to update and debug it when necessary.

What is the team composition?

We mainly work with their CEO.

How did you come to work with ProArea?

I came across them via online search and saw that they had positive reviews. They were the most responsive via email from the companies I contacted, so I decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s probably less than $1,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2016, and the partnership is ongoing.

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

The strongest evidence we get comes from user feedback on the app, and so far it’s been excellent. One of our other metrics is our crash reports, and I’m happy to say that the app has run very smoothly so far. The coding is first-rate.

How did ProArea perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re good about keeping us up to date and they stick to their deadlines. If there’s ever going to be a delay, they let me know in advance. Communication is strong overall and is well-managed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really stand out for their technical abilities and their communication skills. Their team’s English-speaking ability is nearly perfect.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s hard to think of anything they could’ve done differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You can employ them with absolute confidence in their skills.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of FlowerShop, an online flower store.

What challenge were you trying to address with ProArea?

I hired ProArea because I needed a team of specialists to build my website and mobile application.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I didn’t have many specifications in place, so Bogdan (CEO/Founder, ProArea) worked with me to refine my goals. We elected to build an Android app and a WordPress website, which features a WooCommerce installation and custom PHP and JavaScript code. I relied on ProArea for all design and development tasks.

What is the team composition?

Bogdan worked with support from a project manager, a UI/UX designer, and a developer.

How did you come to work with ProArea?

I found them during my search for Ukraine-based developers. I preferred a local developer with whom I could easily communicate.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent $5,000 with ProArea.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May–July 2018.

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

ProArea delivered platforms that make it much easier for customers to connect with my business. I appreciate that the products are simple yet stylish and that they are integrated with my Facebook and Instagram to promote greater interaction.  

How did ProArea perform from a project management standpoint?

They used an effective scrum process and set up tasks based on my conversations with Bogdan. Their team asked a lot of questions to learn more about my business and what I wanted, and they stuck to the plan they put in place. I contacted Bogdan and his team every week to learn more about their progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ProArea strives to understand their client’s business, and they do their best to meet all requirements. They are unafraid to ask about what they don’t know, and they worked to determine the fastest approach to meet my needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there is anything that needs improvement.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I would encourage clients to have ProArea help them determine the scope of their project. If you don’t fully know what you want or need, ProArea can help fill in the gaps.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of a promo code service for retail and e-commerce. It's my startup from the year 2019.

For what projects/services did your company hire ProArea?

Since I developed the platform, I have not updated the UX and all design elements. One of the tasks for 2019 was to make MVP, and for 2020 I really wanted to make the product better. I hired ProArea for UI/UX design development.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to make the modern design of my site to fit the business field. The goal was to make the website understandable, easy to use, and good-looking.

How did you select ProArea?

We met with Bogdan, the founder of ProArea at one of the design conferences before the pandemic. After the conference, I looked through all the possible vendors whose contacts we received at the conference.

ProArea was chosen because I was impressed with their website and social media. Such a harmonious combination of ancient art and modern technology is commendable.

Describe the project in detail.

With the help of ProArea, we created a project brief with a description of how each page of the website should look. In the next step, the team made a prototype for me, which I approved, and then they proceeded to design.

What was the team composition?

I communicated directly with Bogdan and the project manager who was assigned for us. Two designers worked on the UX and UI design.

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

The activity of my website has increased significantly, as it has become more attractive and easy to use. The ProArea team has made website design better than I expected.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project manager assigned to us was a very competent and pleasant person. The work was divided into 2-week sprints.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

ProArea has provided me with very high quality at a very affordable price.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I'm not sure that there is something.