Riseapps

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there. 

I’m a co-owner of Fitness Groupie and oversee all functions of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Riseapps?

We had worked with a prior development company to create an iOS fitness app called BootCamp Groupie. However, we were experiencing a lot of technical issues, so we hired Riseapps to resolve the bugs and create new features.

What were your goals for this project? 

We had a long list of fixes for Riseapps to tackle, from fixing bugs and creating new features to making the app more user-friendly. Our goal was to complete the tasks within a short timeframe while remaining on budget.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor? 

We placed an ad in Upwork and received hundreds of responses. After reviewing all of the applicants, we shortlisted a few vendors and interviewed them. The decision was easy; Riseapps was very easy to communicate with, and they were the right price for our small company. On top of that, they informed us of how they would ultimately fix our issues while sticking to the schedule.

Describe the project in detail. 

Within the first week, we sent a list of fixes that we needed done immediately to see how their team worked. They proved themselves capable of taking on our project. Since then, they’ve done a multitude of tasks, including designing wireframes, creating content, and providing ongoing support.

What was the team composition? 

They’ve assigned a project manager to serve as our main point of contact. They’re knowledgeable, helpful, and quick to respond to our questions/concerns.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s been an all-around success. I’ve received great feedback from users on the features that Riseapps designed and implemented. They’ve made the app much more user-friendly and engaging. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs? 

The project manager is easy to work with and provides us with timely updates. We communicate through Upwork on almost a daily basis. 

What did you find most impressive about this company? 

I’m very impressed with Riseapps’ ability to create a quality product in such a timely manner. Their work is by far more superior than anything I’ve seen from previous vendors, and they’re much more affordable than onshore companies. 

Are there any areas for improvement? 

At this point, they have no areas for improvement. They’re a joy to work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of The Jared Company, a mobile app development firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Riseapps?

We were not satisfied with the quality of the original version of our iOS application for food enthusiasts, Favocity, which was built by another software developer. We hired Riseapps to overhaul the development.

What were your goals for this project?

Our app is meant to help users find places to eat and share them with friends. However, the app looked and felt outdated, and the capabilities were very limited. We wanted the app to be more engaging for our users.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We held discussions with several companies, but Riseapps was the most communicative among them. We appreciated Vlad’s (CEO, Riseapps) easygoing yet straightforward demeanor. He almost immediately offered several solutions.

Describe the project in detail.

Riseapps gave new life to the application, which enables users to save and share restaurants they have visited and also receive recommendations from their network. The original version was riddled with bugs, so Riseapps rewrote the app using Swift. They delivered a newer and more modern design. They also added several new features, including an integrated map which took the place of a list function. We discussed every phase of development in scheduled meetings. Their project manager is quite rigorous when it comes to specifications, so we rarely had to redo something.

What was the team composition?

We worked with an iOS developer, a designer, a project manager, and a QA engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app finally meets our original requirements. We are very satisfied with the final build and are ready to release it.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We communicated primarily through texts. They were responsive and answered all questions within an hour. We received a working build at the end of every week, and Riseapps was always quick to implement our feedback.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We began wanting to fix an app, but we instead received a completely new and better version of it. They understand user needs and how to address them within the product. Their project manager was a pleasure to work with. He didn’t blindly agree to everything we wanted. Instead, he tried to understand our vision, assess our needs, and offer his own suggestions.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, it was a great experience. We are already planning to work with Riseapps on another project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of InkLnk, a platform that connects tattoo clients to tattoo artists.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Riseapps?

We hired Riseapps to complete a mobile app. The work primarily consisted of building a custom algorithm, then developing it end-to-end for iOS and Android. 

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to see if our previous research would work within a mobile technology.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

This was a complex mobile app and we spent a long time searching for a team that could handle building our core feature. Many of the over one hundred candidates we interviewed claimed they could complete the project without issue, but we hired and fired two teams before finding Riseapps. After several unsuccessful iterations of the project—equating to lost time and money—we were skeptical, but Riseapps presented a powerful pitch. We contracted with them and are excited to see the results.  

Describe the project in detail.

We provided Riseapps with a full set of app specs and a completed UX. They navigated our designed screens and filtered out what was necessary for an initial launch that was tailored to our budget. They mixed and matched the screens, occasionally requesting additional screens, to create the product that met our vision. 

What was the team composition?

Riseapps provided us with a project manager as well as access to the lead developer. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

InkLnk is still in testing at the time of this post, but we will submit an update in a few weeks.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project manager has handled the process seamlessly. She not only strives to meet all of our needs but can also identify future potential pitfalls. Everyone involved responded quickly to emails and remained available via Skype whenever necessary.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Riseapps was able to do what two other teams could not. Capable and agile, they take a global approach to projects, and we highly recommend them. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

Riseapps should hire and train more exceptionally skilled developers, if only to shorten the development time. You won't find a better team to manage your project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Weber-Stephen Nordic is a digital event aggregator platform that seeks to offer the ultimate experience for users and organizers alike. With our platform, organizers can profile their events for users to find. In my role, I serve as the head of business and a sales analyst.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Riseapps?

Our previous developers had built a preliminary mobile app version of our platform in React Native, but we needed resources who could take over and finish the project. Riseapps executed our preliminary requests before expanding their role into further development.

What were your goals for this project?

We initially tasked Riseapp with making some development changes for our mobile app, however, we continued to use them for further development after seeing their strong performance.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Since our mobile app was written in React Native, we needed a high-quality provider with relevant expertise. We posted a job listing on Upwork and interviewed five potential vendors before choosing Riseapps.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

In the beginning, Riseapps developed the basic functionalities for our mobile app, including the interactive program and map features. Because we had strict criteria for design and responsive interaction, Riseapps made sure to meet our guidelines. They also built a new backend as well as a web app for our service.

What was the team composition?

Riseapps has a large team with a diverse range of expertise. They assigned a team of five, including a Python expert on the backend, a React Native developer on frontend, a React developer for the web app, a UX designer, and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The mobile app is now available on the App Store and Google Play, and the web app is also live.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They had an effective workflow and were responsive, replying to our Slack messages within the hour.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Riseapps is a serious, professionally-driven company, and I was impressed with their management structure. Not only were they able to draft detailed technical plans, but they also discovered edge cases that we hadn’t considered ourselves. The team boasted clean, responsive designs, which ensured a comfortable user experience.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Since the project became more complicated than we initially anticipated, we ended up going a bit over budget. However, this is normal for development projects, especially since we paid them hourly instead of using a fixed price. Nevertheless, our experience was near perfect, and I would highly recommend Riseapps to anyone. I definitely plan to use them again in the future.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the head of business development for a digital marketing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Riseapps?

We hired Riseapps to resolve issues with our existing iOS utility app.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted all the issues and bugs to be fixed so we could submit the product to the App Store.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed several app development companies.

Describe the project in detail.

To begin the project, we provided their team with the source code, screenshots, and a write up of all the changes we needed. We had several rounds of revisions and they resolved the app’s issues.

What was the team composition?

We had a dedicated project manager and one developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The final version Riseapps produced functions exactly the way we desired.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our project manager was available to answer our questions and we had direct contact with our developer.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They had a strong ability to fulfill our needs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There was nothing they could do better.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Yeti, an on-demand snow removal service app. We connect users with snow shovelers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Riseapps?

We needed Riseapps to add features to our app, as we didn’t have the in-house resources or technical skill sets. We needed their team to add the new element that doubles our services and implement a new workflow to the app.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted the new feature to double the number of services we could supply. Additionally, we wanted the app to offer a better user experience and be easier to manage from an admin perspective.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

For a previous project, I used Upwork to find Riseapps. We interviewed several candidates and reviewing their estimates. Though they weren’t the most inexpensive option, they were highly professional and we felt confident in their abilities. Riseapps quickly demonstrated that they had a solid understanding of the work we needed done, and gave us strict estimates for efforts and cost.

Describe the project in detail.

We had several initial meetings to review our design specifications, and the Riseapps team came prepared for the discussions. Once the requirements were clear, we established a timeframe and began working on the project. After development was complete, we had multiple rounds of tests and fixes. We had new requirements after testing the product, and their team made all the necessary improvements.

What was the team composition?

Riseapps assigned a dedicated project manager, but as development began, I primarily interacted with the lead developer. They also provided a QA team, but I didn’t work directly with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Though we’re still fine-tuning the design, the new feature delivered by Riseapps has increased our revenue by around 50%. We’re now able to offer an entirely new service in a user-friendly way, and we anticipate our sales to dramatically increase in the winter season.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was well organized and very transparent. Riseapps used Trello to manage the workload, so we were able to see their progress at all times. Whenever the requirements were complex, their priority was always to understand exactly what we envisioned.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were highly flexible and accommodating to our needs. Before their help, our app was poorly organized and too complicated. They were quickly able to give us a great solution that was compatible with our changing requirements.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We would have liked if the QA process were more transparent so we could gain a better understanding of their approach. However, the process is effective because everything they deliver is generally free from bugs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of TRIAVE, LLC. We build software for clients leveraging weather data.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Riseapps?

We needed assistance with AR software development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We are building a completely different way to showcase weather predictions using an easy-to-use tool. In the beginning, Riseapps had trouble conceptualizing the platform, but in the end, knew that their team could get the job done. I interacted with the designer to develop the concept for the programmer.

They built two prototypes. We have three other projects we’re working on with them.

What is the team composition?

I work with Lucy (Project Manager/Business Development Manager, Riseapps), Vlad (CEO, Riseapps), and a programmer.

How did you come to work with Riseapps?

We did a three-month extensive search that was longer than our team anticipated. We were deciding between Riseapps and another company. The other company was all smoke and mirrors, and Vlad was the only person that was extremely honest and refreshing. Everyone else gave our team cookie cutter examples, but Riseapps understood what we wanted in a tool.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2018, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app isn’t live in the App Store, but people have seen versions and are blown away at the visuals. The prototypes are amazing. It has been an enjoyable process working with Riseapps. The programmer felt challenged, working on something unique. We’re building a whole new interface and experience. Riseapps’ team brings excitement to the project and have been a joy to work with.

How did Riseapps perform from a project management standpoint?

Riseapps is an incredibly tolerant company. Whenever they felt micromanaged, they let me know in a way that made me feel confident in their work. Vlad has everything handled, and Lucy is incredibly well-versed. A lot of faith has built up in a short amount of time. It’s refreshing to have programmers that go above and beyond and bring the best possible product.

I easily can communicate with their team despite the time difference. We also have face-to-face meetings. In one week, we’ve gotten around three months of work done. The programmer came in early one day because he dreamt of the project. Their work continues to be incredible, and this is unlike any process I’ve experienced. The entire process is collaborative.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Compared to other companies, Riseapps and their team are exceptional when it comes to AR. Their team is excellent at keeping our team on task and facilitating our excitement about the project. They provide quotes that were less than I expected them to be.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing so far during this engagement. They’ve been a great team to work with on this project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When a client knows what they want in an AR related project, Riseapps is the best. Be clear on what your company wants and don’t be discouraged that the process takes times. Their method is one of the strongest out there, and I’ve been thrilled.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of Ruggengraat.com, an online nutrition and personal training coach service that helps clients lose weight.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RiseApps?

Our service is all online. We needed an application to support that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first thing that RiseApps did for us was to design and develop a web application. The web app has both an admin portal and a coaching portal, as well as a registration form with payment processing. Clients register on our website via the web app and then we can assign them to a coach.

The web application includes a nutrition database and a training database that allows us to make training templates. Coaches can log in to see their clients, view specific clients’ nutrition and training plans, and see their progression. They also built a mobile application for iOS and Android that is for the clients. Everything from the web app is linked with the mobile app.

They really helped us think about the best solution. They thought about the process and how to make it easy and simple for us and for the coaches. They’ve continued to manage updates for us and, most recently, they completed the translation of the application into English from the original Dutch version.

What is the team composition?

We had a main contact with the team, but also worked with other team members on occasion.

How did you come to work with RiseApps?

We posted the assignment on Upwork. We received a lot of applications and had calls with the applicants. RiseApps asked us a lot of good questions about what we wanted and what the solution needed to do. From the start, they were already thinking with us about how to develop the best possible application and make it easy to use.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent somewhere between $80,000–$90,000 total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June or July 2016. They finished the first version of the app within three months so around October of that year. We continue to work with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We couldn’t have scaled the company without them. When we started the company, we were two coaches—now we have 11 coaches working for us. In 2016 we had 20–30 clients each month. Now we have 100–150. It’s huge growth. They made that possible.

The web application is specifically built for coaches. With the updates to the web app, they continue to think about smarter ways in which the coaches can work more quickly and efficiently. It’s like building a partnership.

How did RiseApps perform from a project management standpoint?

We have lots of contact with them. During the busiest periods, we would speak every day via Skype. Other times it was two or three times per week to keep me updated on the status.

They are very responsive. When I have a question, they’re very quick to answer it. I know that our project manager has even responded to me during his vacation because he wanted to share information for the coming week.

They’re also responsible. They understand their deadlines and want to achieve them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really know what they’re doing but they also think about all the factors involved. It’s not just building the application, they also think about how to design the best user experience. They’re great on design.

They really love to help people. They give us their honest opinions about what they think would be best for the company, not just what would be best for achieving our own vision of the app. Everyone has their own vision of the application. But the vision isn’t always the best user experience for the client. They understand and keep user experience in mind while building. They’re helping us as business owners to build our vision while making it useful for the clients.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not now. They probably have things that they could improve but I'm not aware of them. I'm really satisfied with all the help that they’ve given me.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The best advice that I can give new prospects is to have a call with them. We were enthusiastic from our first call with them. We had a great conversation about our vision and how we could build it. They gave us a lot of feedback even before we had committed to working with them. I would say, give them a call and hear them out about how they can help you build your brand or business.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of ZGO DO, a social platform that brings people together around activities including various sports, going out for food/drinks, learning about a particular subject, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Riseapps?

We were looking for an app developer to help us execute our ideas for the platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Riseapps oversaw all aspects of development and built an app that went above and beyond my initial expectations. After building a preliminary version with them for iOS and Android, we decided to move forward on a second version, and the outcomes have been amazing. Features include a login portal, push notifications, interactive options for activities, and a menu bar with events that you’ve been invited to.

On my end, I can approve/reject activity subcategories and delete events as necessary. The app is hosted on Amazon Web Services. They’ve just integrated email services, and we’re planning to use Twilio to incorporate messaging as well.

What is the team composition?

I worked exclusively with Vladlen [CEO, Riseapps].

How did you come to work with Riseapps?

We were doing research on several freelancing sites and their costs were very reasonable compared to other options.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent $8,000 on the first version and $6,000 on the second for a total of $14,000. I plan to eventually do a third version with them as well.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2015 and launched the second version of the app in October 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app isn’t as successful as I was originally expecting, but that has nothing to with the work that Riseapps did for us. We’re hoping to see improvement when we add messaging and email integration.

How did Riseapps perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been perfect in this regard. They were very receptive to my ideas and brought their own ideas to the table as well. The team reliably met deadlines and created an outstanding app at the right price. Vladlen and I spoke about once a week, and we maintain contact after projects are done. It’s been a great relationship.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with every aspect of the engagement. They were extremely responsive, they got the app done quickly, and the costs were very affordable. Vladlen and I got along very well, and we found a great balance of formal and informal conversation.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If anything, I would have liked to see a bit more passion from them on understanding my vision, but Vladlen has an innate quality of vision that he brings to every project. Not everyone can picture your vision when you present an idea.

Advice for potential customers?

Set the terms of the engagement straight from the beginning, and make sure you understand what you’re paying for.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO and founder of a startup social commerce platform in the Muslim clothing market. Our goal is to empower the Muslim modest fashion community through our global platform and help them to find the best choices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Riseapps?

I was looking for a talented team that could build a complex project in the best way possible. Rather than creating a regular retail store, we were trying to combine social media features with e-commerce for the Muslim modest fashion audience, which is a very new market. This was something that no one has done before.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Riseapps provided backend API, mobile app development, and design. All the work was done from scratch.

We are in the testing stage at the moment. We’re uploading products into the database and have started campaigns on social media to attract as many visitors as possible.

What is the team composition?

They assigned a project manager who acted as our main contact. I can also contact their CEO if I need anything.

How did you come to work with Riseapps?

Upwork has a service for special projects in need of qualified development and they referred me to Riseapps based on the high score they’d received through test projects. I reviewed their past work and had a call with their CEO who proposed Android, API, and backend development. They had worked on a commerce platform similar to ours catering to another market. We liked the interface done by Riseapps although it didn’t have many of the innovative features we were looking to build. That app was doing well on the market. I presented our project and they started the development of our mobile apps. I didn’t review any other agencies.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $35,000. The original budget was $25,000, but we requested additional functionalities. This required stepping back and redeveloping part of the backend.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in October 2017. The final product will be delivered in one or two weeks. We plan to launch the app by the end of March 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Riseapps provided top-notch design and coding. All the new features they delivered were tested beforehand so we didn’t encounter any bugs.

How did Riseapps perform from a project management standpoint?

They update us on a weekly and daily basis. Vladlen [CEO, Riseapps] is a great person who provided everything I needed. Their project manager speaks perfect English and was available even during weekend evenings.

Everything was kept under control. They delivered on time and provided feedback and help when we needed it. We spent more than expected, but I’ve been happy to work with a team like theirs. It’s expected that this level of service will be a bit pricier than average.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Riseapps provided a top-notch design. The apps are minimalistic and easy to use.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have nothing to complain about.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s ideal to plan everything from the beginning and deliver a full list of specifications. In our case, we went back and forth with some features, which increased our timeframe and budget.