Sigmoidal

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a founder and CEO at Jutro Medical - primary care clinics powered by technology.

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

Our goal was to build a mobile app in React Native for our clinic - both Android and iOS.

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

I stumbled upon their website, while looking for advice on AI implementation in another project. It turned out that they provide a much wider range of services, including full-stack and mobile app development. We had three exploratory calls, then they prepared a detailed roadmap and proposal. I was really impressed with their professionalism and how they managed to explain everything in a simple manner. They used InVision for some design sessions, which was really helpful. These factors sealed the deal for me.

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

Sigmoidal prepared a detailed roadmap and outline of the project, which we accepted. We started with a few brainstorming sessions on Google Meet, where we discussed how we envision the app to look like. They suggested using InVision, which helped a lot, as we could see the design progress in real-time. The next phase was the development. They were concurrently working on Android and iOS versions. After each milestone of development, they invited us to a longer feedback session, where we could both share our thoughts. They finished the development ahead of schedule and left the last 2 weeks for minor changes. I really liked this approach.

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

Four employees from Sigmoidal worked with us. 1 Senior PM, 2 React developers, 1 UX designer.

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

We launched the updated version of the app a few weeks ago and have been collecting positive user feedback since then. So far, we have managed to get a 4.8 rating on the App Store.

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

We had two weekly meetings and received a detailed report every four weeks (with deliverables). In the last couple of weeks we managed to finally meet in person as the pandemic situation has gotten much better. The overall workflow was great.

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

The design is top-notch. Their resourcefulness, ability to meet deadlines, and communication were impressive.

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

The app looks and works great. I hope to work with Sigmoidal in the future.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a Managing Partner & Founder at stwear.pl - a streetwear fashion marketplace startup, operating on the CEE market.

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

We wanted to build a solid website for our marketplace, putting a strong focus on intelligent analytics. The main goal was to design the backend of the website in such a way that it could efficiently track the behavior of visitors, aggregating the data. We wanted to develop the backend of the website in such a way that it could easily work together with Ahrefs and Google Analytics later down the road.

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

Sigmoidal is a brand I've known previously as it's pretty well known in the AI communities. I scheduled a call on Zoom, which went really well. I liked the estimates and business-focused approach.

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

Their team was responsible for both designing the website and the analytics engine, as well as the development. We started with a few days of workshops remotely on Zoom due to the pandemic. We established that the best way to move forward will be to work in 1-week sprints. After each sprint, we received a detailed report on the progress, suggestions for improvements. Apart from that, we had weekly calls on Mondays.

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

We hired a team of 3 people in total (2 FTE). Full-Stack developer full-time, Senior AI engineer half-time, Project Manager half-time.

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

The project has just launched, yet we already acquired our first customers. With the custom-built analytics engine, we can easily get to know which products we should focus on more. As for the graphic design part - we wanted to go for an early 2000s’ style of the website and it was accomplished wonderfully.

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

The workflow was great. We had weekly calls on Mondays. We started the project from a few days of workshops, which helped a lot. We had a few ad-hoc sessions in the meantime. The availability of their team was great. They were responsive even in late evening hours.

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

The business-focused approach was impressive. Instead of asking “which CSS version should we use” and similar technical things, they started with “Ok, but why do you want to do this in the first place? What are your goals? Who will be your customers?”. We really liked it.

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

In hindsight, I think a few of our meetings were unnecessary - they could just send a few emails. Apart from that, they really did their job well.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a software development company, headquartered in Warsaw, Poland. We develop custom web and mobile apps. I am responsible for managing the team and handling the most important business relationships.

For what projects/services did your company hire Sigmoidal?

We had been developing a web application for one of our clients in the retail industry, who asked if we could add a recommendation system. As ML is not our main line of work, we hired Sigmoidal to help us with that challenge.

How did you select Sigmoidal and what were the deciding factors?

We wanted to hire somebody from our area and searched online for experienced ML engineers in Warsaw. I found the Sigmoidal profile and was happy to find out that it's run by people from Warsaw's University MIM faculty which guarantees great scientific skills. I scheduled a call thourgh their website through Calendly.

The call went well, so two of my engineers visited their office to discuss the details of the project.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

After we signed the contract, we had a 3-day workshop to align on the priorities and discuss how we envision the recommendation system to look like. Sigmoidal showed an excellent understanding of the business side of the project. After the workshop, we had a few two-week sprints with different iterations of the solution. We've seen promising results soon after the project start.

The final accuracy of the recommendation system was around 85%, which we found great, considering the relatively short time of the project

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

Two machine learning engineers. One senior and one mid-level.

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

Very good accuracy of the system (85%). Our client was very satisfied as well. They achieved a significant increase in sales after introducing the new web app.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was great. We had daily standups and a demo after each sprint (every two weeks). We used emails and slack for communication and JIRA as an issue tracking system.

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

Their outstanding technical skills and a good understanding of our business goals were impressive. They had Impressive ML skills as well.

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

The project went really smooth, no major concerns.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of Redbrick Partners. We build websites and apps for other companies.

What challenge were you trying to address with Sigmoidal?

We needed help building an app for iOS.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sigmoidal built an iOS app that allows users to find unclaimed property throughout the U.S. The project was complex, requiring a backend built on Amazon Web Services (AWS). We provided designs of the frontend, but their team built it out and provided additional suggestions.

What is the team composition?

I worked with two to five people, depending on where we were with the project.

How did you come to work with Sigmoidal?

We posted our project online and Sigmoidal reached out to us. I was impressed by their team. They understood our problem well and presented candidates on their team I could choose from for the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them for about 16 months and they're working on a second project with us now.

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

Sigmoidal built out a modern, user-friendly app that includes a complex backend and beautifully designed frontend. In addition to meeting our specs, they provided invaluable suggestions to help improve the end product.

How did Sigmoidal perform from a project management standpoint?

In addition to delivering the app on time and within budget, their team is consistently easy to work with. Responsive in communication, they're available to us both on Slack as well as through some shared agile project management tools.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They communicate well and are very honest. Even if they don't have the best news or they run into a challenge, they don't try to hide. They're real team members in that way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I'd love to see their business grow, so they could provide additional resources for other projects that we might want to work with them on in the future.