Sidekick Interactive

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a transportation and logistics company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Sidekick Interactive?

We needed help to develop a mobile app to enable customers to return items they bought through online retailers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sidekick Interactive did mobile app development for us from scratch using Swift. We started with a brief discovery process because we had already done the largest part of the research internally. After that, they documented our requirements and started with coding, testing, and developing the app and its UI/UX design.

Regarding the UI/UX, we asked them for a simple and effective design to make the platform quick, intuitive, straightforward, and easy to use for everyone.

In terms of features, the platform enables retail store clerks to process customer returns by scanning a label or a QR, which then notifies us when a return has been dropped off for pick up.

What was the team composition? 

We worked with 4–5 members of their team, including Gregory (Owner), a project manager, a UI/UX designer, and a tech lead.

How did you come to work with Sidekick Interactive?

I had worked with Sidekick Interactive on previous projects and was happy with the results, so I reached out to them for this task. I was sure they could give me what I needed at a good price and high quality.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $75,000–$90,000 CAD (approximately $55,600–$66,700 USD) with them on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June–November 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app that Sidekick Interactive created worked as intended, and they delivered it within a package that included the approval process of the app stores. Thanks to their ability to connect with our backend and our APIs to send information back and forth, it was a very functional app. In addition, their team had the capacity to create a simple and user-friendly interface because they had widely varying degrees of computer literacy. Overall, they delivered a world-class mobile app.

How did Sidekick Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was great. Sidekick Interactive met our deadlines and stayed on budget, and they were very transparent whenever something changed due to our requests. In addition, they communicated directly with our internal team in charge of this project via Zoom and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Sidekick Interactive had an extremely skilled development team

Are there any areas they could improve?

I didn’t think they could improve anything; they delivered everything according to our requirements, and I was very pleased with their services.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them bring their ideas and expertise to the table because they have good experience in their field and can provide interesting solutions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an IT manager at a government entity.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sidekick Interactive?

We awarded them the contract to supply a solution for iOS and Android to inform the population of snow removal operations.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sidekick Interactive developed a mobile application for us. They used native technologies to build the iOS and Android versions, such as Swift for iOS. They also provide annual maintenance and customer support. 

In our city, we have 5–6 snowstorms per year on average, and the operation of removing the snow from the streets is huge, with 5,000–6,000 people involved, so we need to inform the population what will happen. The app shows plans for removal operations for both citizens and participants. This way, users can select a street and see when the removal will occur so they can prepare. For example, users receive a notification the day before the snow is removed from their road so that they can move their cars. 

Annually, Sidekick Interactive builds new features at our request and integrates them into the application. Users who experience issues can call or email them to get support. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked directly with a project manager, a designer, and a tech lead who’s also a developer. 

How did you come to work with Sidekick Interactive?

We opened a contest for companies to submit prototypes of the solution. Sidekick Interactive saw the contest, submitted their participation, and theirs was the best of all the proposals, so we chose them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $100,000–$250,000 CAD (approximately $73,000–$182,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around June 2015, they delivered the app in November 2015, and our engagement is ongoing. Sidekick Interactive has been awarded the contract every year since 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sidekick Interactive’s work has met our expectations. As of April 2022, the iOS version of the app has over 200,000 downloads, and the Android version has 43,000 downloads. 

How did Sidekick Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

They deliver within the scope, the budget, and the timeframe. As for communication, when they first developed the app in 2015, we met in person. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been impressed by the app’s concept and design. Sidekick Interactive’s prototype presentation and product were far ahead of the other candidates’ proposals. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they need to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Sidekick Interactive is a very good company for application development. My advice is to have very specific design requirements and clear expectations for the app; this applies to working with any supplier.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of digital marketing at a publishing company. We own around 25 print newspapers in our area, and we also have an equivalent publishing business online. Our company is focused on local and hyperlocal news. I handle the operations of our website and everything related to strategic planning and product development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sidekick Interactive?

In 2019, we started the digital transformation of our legacy print business. We realized in 2020 that a great portion of our online readers was accessing information and our content on mobile devices. As a result, we figured that a mobile app presenting all of our content would be the way to go in terms of digital transformation. We reached out to Sidekick to fulfill this mandate. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sidekick developed our mobile app for both iOS and Android. So far, they’ve delivered the app on both Google Play Store and App Store. 

At present, they’re providing maintenance services for the app. In terms of features and functionality, the app’s content mirrors our website content. Since we manage news headlines and news changes every minute, the app has to be as accurate as the website; data synchronization is important. 

Since we feature hyperlocal news, the app also has a localization function that shows the users’ location in the city. The app then pushes news from that location first. Moreover, for breaking news, the app sends alerts to all users that have subscribed to our push notification feature. 

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with a project manager and a couple of developers. Meanwhile, at least a dozen of their resources have worked on the project since we’ve developed both the iOS and Android versions of the app at the same time. 

For the development phase, my main point of contact was Afnen (Project Manager). Now, I mainly communicate with Liam (Co-Founder & Software Architect). 

How did you come to work with Sidekick Interactive?

I met them through word of mouth. I was searching for a Montreal-based mobile app developer when a couple of people in my network recommended Sidekick. As a result, I called them and introduced myself. It seemed that they had the experience that I wanted and that they could deliver within the timeframe we set, so we hired them. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. We launched the app on the app stores in September 2021, but we have a maintenance contract with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app has been accepted by the app stores within 24 hours of submission. Within 36 hours, the app has entered the market. In other words, we’ve had a smooth landing in terms of app launch. We also haven’t had any major errors, and the app has generated great engagement among the users that have downloaded it. In fact, they’re far more engaged with the app than the website. 

How did Sidekick Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

Sidekick knows what they’re doing. The team handles every situation promptly, and they always look for the right answers. Moreover, their resources have much expertise in terms of app development — that’s their specialty. On top of that, we don’t have any major hiccups, which is quite amazing when developing from scratch. Overall, they make the process look like a smooth ride. To communicate, we use Teams, Slack, and emails. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The whole team — from the project manager to the iOS and Android developers — is highly knowledgeable. If I ask them a question, they’ll go and find the right answer. If they don’t have the answer, they don’t make excuses; there’s plenty of transparency in their communication. I truly appreciate that they’re not trying to hide anything. 

Moreover, they’re highly engaged and willing to work with us since day one. I’ve never had to chase them, and they always manage the relationship quite well. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’re a media company, while Sidekick’s expertise isn’t 100% related to the media industry. As a result, they’re not aware of all our business models. To be specific, they can improve their services in relation to advertising for media companies.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust Sidekick, and give them clear guidelines of what you want and expect. They’ll do a great job. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the head of digital marketing and products at a private network of education institutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sidekick Interactive?

We wanted to build an app to help staff and students with stress levels and any problems they may encounter due to the switch to remote education and work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sidekick Interactive helped us through the ideation and early design phases of building our app. We did three ideation sessions with a broad group of stakeholders within the business. Based on those sessions, we established what we thought would be the best path to an MVP. Then, I had a number of meetings with the Sidekick team to look at mockup creation and review.
  
Sidekick built an initial feature roadmap and a series of mid–high-fidelity design prototypes. The team came up with a plan on cost and deadlines to actually code the app and make it happen.

I just left the company, but we were almost at the point of presenting to executives how much the development would cost and what the roadmap would be. The plan was to build the app for iOS first and then Android.

My understanding is that my former company will continue working with Sidekick. I don’t know what the future of the project will look like. 

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact was Greg (Co-Founder & President). 

How did you come to work with Sidekick Interactive?

An acquaintance of our CEO had worked with Sidekick in the past and referred them. I put them through the RFP process with a couple of other companies.

There were a few reasons why we contacted them, one of which was that they had experience building apps related to stress management and help requests. They had done work with another higher education institution, so they had relevant experience. They were also a bit more of a smaller, boutique company. Finally, I had a good personal contact with Greg. We got along well early on, and I liked his approach and how pragmatic he was about things.

How much have you invested with them?

The total mandate was $30,000. I believe about $20,000¬–$25,000 was built.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in June or July 2020. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I really enjoyed how straightforward and unassuming the process was. I have done a lot of these design-thinking workshops, and Sidekick Interactive was very good at stimulating discussion and getting ideas from people without making them feel like they didn’t know anything. A lot of people in education aren’t very tech-savvy.

The process was very collaborative and pragmatic in all of the right ways; it focused on what needed to be done. They made it very easy for people to interact and participate, even though we were remote. 

How did Sidekick Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

Sidekick delivered everything on time. They were very diligent and respected their deadlines well. The deliverables were also very high-quality. When I got user-testing reports, the feedback was concise, precise, and well-documented. All in all, I was satisfied with them.

We mostly communicated through email, which was my preferred method. We also used a virtual whiteboard tool, and that was well-suited to what we were doing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I liked their simple, pragmatic approach. Sidekick interacted well with our teams, even when we didn’t make their lives easy. Also, the deliverables — from the prototypes to the interview summaries — were very high-quality and good for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I knew that they were a small agency. Resourcing was not an issue for us, since we were just in the ideation phase, but it may have become an issue when we got to development. My understanding is that their developers are very busy. Overall, though, I was very satisfied.

Any advice for potential customers?

If you want to work with a hands-on agency and be able to build a relationship with one of their founders, go for it. If you’re looking to work with a big company, keep in mind that Sidekick is smaller, which has its advantages and disadvantages. 

Because they’re smaller, they require a higher degree of client involvement. I didn’t mind being involved. If you want a partner with whom you can collaborate very closely and have a relationship of equals, then I’d highly recommend Sidekick.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Allevio Clinic, a healthcare clinic that deals with chronic pain management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sidekick Interactive?

We needed someone to develop our mobile app and the middleware that helps to run it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re developing our iOS mobile app, which will facilitate interaction with our patients. The first iteration of the app is focused on appointment management, a very hands-on function that currently requires a lot of our organization’s time and resources. The app will allow patients to more easily manage their appointments.

The first phase of the project is wrapped up; we just need to do testing and bug fixes before it goes live. We have additional phases of the project planned. 

What is the team composition?

We work with 5–6 people directly. Our main points of contact are Liam and Greg (Co-Founders). Liam is more involved with design and part of the development team. Greg does project management and manages the whole development team.

How did you come to work with Sidekick Interactive?

I wasn’t involved in the initial contact with them. Our CEO was introduced to them about a year ago.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent $115,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There were five distinct sprints to complete phase one of the project, and they were all completed on time. The deliverables came through as promised.

How did Sidekick Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very clear as to what they were going to do, and they stuck with it. We meet almost weekly as a whole a team to get feedback via Microsoft Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They delivered what they said they would on time. There was no slippage in the process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It wasn’t an ongoing issue, but at the beginning, we didn’t have an understanding of some of the key barriers that might delay components of the project. That was quickly ironed out, and the communication gap was fixed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communication is always the key. Give them as much information as you can to make the process clearer.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a research team affiliated to a university and a public health network. We investigate how early adversity and victimization increase risks for mental health and behavioural problems and how to best support youth facing these experiences by using new technologies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sidekick Interactive?

We wanted to freshen up an already existing application developed to support teenagers who are victims of bullying through strategies and information provided within the application.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to improve the engagement, user experience and overall professional appearance of the application for the intended user group, i.e. teenagers ranging between 12 to 16 years of age. Existing features were streamlined and complementary ones were envisioned, such as the introduction of a gamification component to the app. New designs were included.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

As per public regulations, we have issued a call for tenders. Sidekick Interactive was selected for their competitive rates and sheer interest in our project.

Describe the project in detail.

The contract included the renewal of three existing apps by Sidekick Interactive, including +Fort. All three apps were intended to provide information and support in the face of adversities, as well as to promote well-being.

The project implied the assessment of the existing apps in their original forms, reconstruction of their architecture/UI, improvement of general UX and the addition and removal of a number of features, including elements of gamification. Quality control was carried out both internally and by members of our team.

What was the team composition?

Florian (Project Manager) was our main point of contact. Front and backend developers were associated with the project, along with a very gifted and generous graphic designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The application was published in the midst of unforeseen circumstances (COVID-19). More information regarding engagement will have to wait for the return to school and most likely a new academic year, as well as the formal unveilings of the app.

Colleagues from all around the world are however unanimous about the attractiveness and fluidity of the application, and more importantly, its great potential to help bullying victims.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

A bridge had to be crossed between the tech industry and the academic world. Throughout this process, the team, with Florian at its head, proved to be open-minded and willing to adapt to our realities and pace. Our team was dedicated to testing every iteration, which was facilitated by the use of an agile-inspired framework.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their dedication and creativity. The whole team took our project to their own hearts, and went well above and beyond to satisfy our requests. They provided us with an attractive and efficient app we are happy to offer to our users. We’ve enjoyed working with the PM, Florian, and the developers, who at all times have proven to be friendly, courteous and professional team players.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Communication is key to every collaborative project, and throughout our partnership, we found some efficient tools to avoid loopholes and misunderstandings. Suggestions were already made on both parts to improve those tools for future collaborations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company specializes in Product Lifecycle Management. We operate in 12 different industries, such as transport mobility and aerospace. I am the product manager in our Montreal office.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sidekick Interactive?

We were deploying tools for a project in Montreal, where they were building a new kind of railway going 66 kilometers across Canada to help combat congestion. Our company was providing the tools to perform 3D-modeling and document management but needed a solution to allow those products to be used in the field without being connected to a specific network.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sidekick Interactive developed code that created the ability for users to fill out forms that would later sync onto the platform once they were in range of a network. They tailored the solution to be used on mobile devices and to use a smaller amount of data in order to operate in areas without a significant amount of bandwidth.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Florian (Project Manager, Sidekick Interactive) and with 2–3 of the company’s founders in terms of setting up and starting the project. Two other people were more on the technical side of things and helped us translate business requirements into technical ones for their developers.

How did you come to work with Sidekick Interactive?

We got to know them through another company that we worked with who vouched for their abilities.

How much have you invested with them?

The contracted was established with our client who has acted as an intermediary between us and Sidekick. Even though the scope of the project increased over time, the total budget has remained at CAN $295,000 (approximately $222,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Sidekick Interactive in September 2018 and have mostly wrapped up our engagement but still have some ongoing involvement from time to time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were very satisfied with the work that was performed, and­—even though it was developed for a specific purpose—we believe we’ve found a way in which it could be used for other purposes. Their solution has proved to be versatile in both hardcoded forms or through templates in our own tools. Their application has the potential for reuse with other projects, which is why we’ve kept interacting with Sidekick Interactive.

How did Sidekick Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very willing to work closely with us to get things done, coming to our office once a week for half- or full-day workshops, which allowed us to tighten the loop between testing and bug fixing. Our developers were able to work hand in hand with them to really expedite the development.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Though the schedule was extremely tight and the specific project requirements kept changing, Sidekick Interactive was responsive in delivering an intermediate solution that satisfied our client and helped us get closer to a final product.

It was really refreshing to see how fast a company can respond to changing requirements. Their agility and willingness to work with just a rough outline of where we wanted to go was extremely beneficial to the project and helped us to make sure we were always progressing, even as we had to adapt our approach.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Most of the problems were from our side of the project, so there’s not much I can say in terms of concrete things they could have done differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Anyone who wants to work with them should look at the projects they’ve worked on and talk to them personally to see if they’d be a good match because if they are a good fit, things are going to go very well.