Tack Mobile

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of R&D at a company that produces, manufactures, and sells window shading. I’m responsible for new product development and then sustaining engineering for our products.

What challenge were you trying to address with Tack Mobile?

We were in the process of developing a platform of motorized products, which is not our key area of expertise. We utilized Tack Mobile for their capabilities in mobile app development. 

Our motorized products have a remote control that consumers can use to provide commands to the shades, such as up or down. We wanted to expand that capability by creating a mobile app that would allow consumers to use their phone to control the shades. We also wanted consumers to be able to use the app to schedule events, such as if they wanted to open or close their shades at certain times of the day. The app needed to be able to group different rooms together and also integrate with other smartphone technologies, such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, or Apple HomeKit.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tack Mobile assisted us with the development of the app and mobile products that we were planning to launch in 2021. They developed the app for iOS and Android.

One of our partner internal companies had been handling our motor firmware development, but they ran into a resource constraint. Tack had some capability in that area as well, so we expanded our work with them to include firmware assessment and development. That project ended before it could be completed.

In addition to the new mobile app development, we had an existing app that was available on iOS and Android platforms. Tack Mobile was able to take ownership of this app that another company had developed and complete maintenance. As we launched new product categories, they added those categories, updated them, and resubmitted them to iOS and Android. They did two different rounds of updates.

What is the team composition?

We mostly worked with three people. We worked with a total of five people; developers came in and out, depending on where we were within the project.

How did you come to work with Tack Mobile?

Tack Mobile had done some work for our partner internal company. They were introduced to us as a company that was very capable in the mobile app development space. Also, we were planning to use proprietary internal protocols that our partner internal company had developed, and Tack Mobile was familiar with them. We set up an introductory discussion and decided to move forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

It was a total of $434,750.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our discussions in October 2019, and we kicked off that December. We ended our last activity in December 2020.

We stopped working with them because a larger company decision was made that we’d be moving away from this platform, so there was no longer a need to develop this app. The platform that we’re moving to has an existing app. We had been planning to continue working with Tack Mobile through 2021, but unfortunately, the business need is no longer there.

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

Tack Mobile was able to successfully complete the updates of our existing app on time and without any quality issues. They also implemented app analytics to capture information on who was using our app, how many products they were attaching it to, etc. This usage information was very useful to our marketing team, and we used it to actively update our organization on app adoption and usage.

For the mobile app development work, we set milestones in which we wanted to conduct testing, have a first version, provide feedback, implement that feedback, and then provide updated versions. They were consistently on schedule and provided the updates that were requested. We had very good success with them in terms of understanding the requirements and keeping to the timeline. Finally, the quality of the work developed met our expectations.

How did Tack Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

Doug (Engagement Manager) was our main contact for project management. He interacted with me and our project manager. They did a good job of communicating directly. The team was easy to work with and always very responsive.

Since mobile app development isn’t our core competency, we occasionally needed guidance as far as how these projects normally run, steps we should be taking, or things we should be watching out for.  They were able to add that value to our team by having past experience in these areas. They didn’t necessarily just take our direction and do exactly what we asked; rather, they also provided us with valuable input, such as alternative ways of doing things or other activities we should be considering. They performed very well.

The only project management tool that we used was Microsoft Project. We also had a normal cadence of weekly meetings and discussions, during which we talked through timelines, next steps, and deliverables. My team then agreed on those things, and we checked back in the following week.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tack Mobile was very easy to work with. We had experience working with another mobile app company that developed the first version of our app. Our experience with Tack Mobile was a lot easier. They were candid, open to our suggestions, and felt comfortable providing their own recommendations or updates. They were good at communicating and letting us know of potential risks upfront. It was a really good working experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there isn’t anything that I can think of offhand that would need improvement. They gave us some statement of work (SOW) estimates upfront, which spanned almost a year of activity, and they were pretty spot-on. As far as forecasting what the budgeting and spend would be, I was very happy that we did not have any big swings. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Be very specific about what your needs are upfront. If there are any areas that you’re unsure of, have discussions with them and utilize their expertise in mobile app development to your advantage. You don’t have to have all of the answers to exactly what you want. They can help you frame your strategy if there is more work needed there.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder & CEO of Towwn Media, a start-up offering a mobile app that helps consumers discover their city's cultural events, invite friends and coordinate event attendance through a set of in-app features.

For what projects/services did your company hire Tack Mobile?

We hired Tack Mobile to build Towwn's front and back end including a CMS that incorporates a custom interface that allow Towwn employees and arts organizations to enter event data. In addition, Tack built the Towwnapp.com including a full integration with the app CMS. Tack developers used AWS Lambda as the backend platform for the app, React JS for the CMS and Ruby On Rails for the website.

What were your goals for this project?

Build the Towwn mobile app within budget and meet our timeline goals.

How did you select this vendor?

We researched a number of boutique dev shops in the Denver-Boulder area. After meeting with Tack Mobile, reviewing their proposal, Clutch.io references and meeting the team, it was clear that Tack Mobile is a best-in-class development agency. A solid track record of building complex mobile apps for successful consumer brands, an expert team of developers and a collaborative culture.

Describe the project in detail.

Tack provided a full range of technical project management, app development and QA services. They used AWS Lambda as the backend platform for the app, React JS for the CMS and Ruby On Rails to build our site.

What was the team composition?

Technical Project Manager, Front End Developer, Backend Developer and UX/UI Designer

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

We launched Towwn on the App Store on time and within our agreed upon budget. The Towwn iOS launch as planned as a beta for early Q1 2020. Market launch was planned for March 2020, but, due to COVID-19, all cultural events were cancelled in Colorado. The formal market launch is currently planned for July 2020.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent communication, project management and streamlined decision making kept our workflow smooth. Weekly meetings, frequent and prompt response to inquiries and web-based tools (Figma, Slack, etc) ensured a highly collaborative and positive environment.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Just a solid, smart and nice group of professionals - across the board. I really appreciated their confidence and belief in our vision for Towwn and the app UX/UI which was designed by a different agency. I know they went the extra mile to ensure a superior app experience for our target audience.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Mid-way through the project, we decided to apply more rigor to project documentation - primarily decisions we were making on a daily basis.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Respondent 1: I am the engineering manager in charge of the development team for an interior design company that makes and sells window fashions.

Respondent 2: I am the UX manager for our group. Much of my role consists of defining the user experience for our app. For this engagement, I act as a liaison between our development team and our associated groups, which have products within our app.

What challenge were you trying to address with Tack Mobile?

R1: Tack Mobile serves as our mobile app vendor. We’re working in the smart-homes space, and we needed an application to handle automated processes and integrate with third-party vendors. The app provides smart-home capabilities that control window coverings.

What was the scope of their involvement?

R1: Tack Mobile developed our app for the iOS and Android platforms. Neither of us was involved at the beginning of this collaboration, but Tack Mobile was foundational in determining how the app should work and collaborating with the engineers and product managers from our side. They have helped us evolve to provide more features, capabilities, stability, and cross-platform parity. Since the beginning, they’ve worked hand-in-hand with us to address current market trends.

R2: Early in the engagement, we relied on them to create and visualize the UX and certain UI elements. As we’ve grown, our company has brought them more UI/UX proposals so that the design and UX definition is more of a collaborative effort split between us.

What is the team composition?

R1: We work with an engagement manager, a test engineer, separate developers for Android and iOS, and a UI designer.

How did you come to work with Tack Mobile?

R1: Someone on our stakeholder team was familiar with Tack Mobile’s work, which led us in their direction.

What is the status of this engagement?

R2: Our engagement began in 2013 and remains ongoing.

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

R1: The adoption of the product has continued to increase. We’ve seen the adoption rate grow from 15% after our first version to more than 20% now. The app exists strictly as an add-on for our window treatment orders, but it cannot be found in app stores. We’re seeing a fair amount of Android users, and, as a result, we see a lot of adoption with Google Assistant, which is also helping drive sales.

R2: In conjunction with the significant updates we’ve done, our reviews have increased by at least a star on average, which we attribute to Tack Mobile’s UI/UX input. The feedback we’ve received has been overwhelmingly positive. The constructive feedback we’ve received is thoughtful and has helped us drive development forward. Tack Mobile has been receptive to all feedback, and they’re willing to work with us to create the best solution.

How did Tack Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

R1: In the last year, Tack Mobile added a QA engineer and added more automation to their processes. We’ve established a valuable rapport with their engagement manager. We have regular meetings and planning sessions. There is a productive workflow that has enabled us to make one major revision around this time last year and seven updates since then.

What did you find most impressive about them?

R1: Their consistency has been impressive. We’ve tasked them with a lot, but they’ve been thoroughly engaged, and they’re producing. We greatly appreciate their ability to adapt to all of our internal changes.

R2: I’ll add that their efforts to collaborate and be transparent have been valuable. My role didn’t exist in an official capacity until last year, but as it’s become more defined, my involvement grew significantly. Tack Mobile exhibited a great willingness to include me and my team while continuing to deliver strong work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

R1: We’ve addressed this with them to a certain extent already, but we’re working to keep the workflow consistent and ensure that we don’t introduce regressions into our processes.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

R1: Adding a UX manager helped us refine our ideas and present them to Tack Mobile in a more concrete way. It enabled us to have more back-and-forth on the UX and visual design. Further, prospective clients should have their own project management, design, and QA arms to help them onboard and deploy the work that Tack Mobile develops.

R2: It’s critical to have an understanding of your product, your strategy, and the goals of your users.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Pearson Education provides online learning platforms used by millions of students around the world, especially within the US higher education segment. The platforms are aimed at people working full time, adult learners, stay-at-home moms, and so on, looking to earn a university degree online.

I was a mobile development project manager for the company, working on higher education platforms.

What challenge were you trying to address with Tack Mobile?

We created mobile apps for serving learners, at a time when mobile was kicking off and providing great opportunities for adults and remote students to learn on their own time. The challenge was to create the best learning experience possible for mobile devices, exploring the opportunities for the area, without simply converting what we already had available for the web. We considered how learners could take the most advantage out of their devices, in ways which couldn't be achieved on the web versions. We engaged with students and educators in order to really understand their lives, problems, and goals.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We engaged with Tack Mobile in an exploration phase, determining what the mobile segment could do for learners and what problems there were to solve. Along with this, we also considered which features should be built, as well as what brand look-and-feel we wanted to get across. Tack Mobile introduced a new type of relationship with the end-user. Our company had worked with universities, and we had been a white label brand for them in the past, but things changed when it came to mobile since we couldn't build an app for every school. There was a new type of relationship that the service needed to have with our students. Trust in our brand would be key for learners getting the best possible experience.

Working with Tack Mobile, we created a completely new brand and style guide which started with the mobile development but ended up carrying back to the web, changing the entire relationship with our learners, over the course of a 2-year period of app development.

The collaboration started small, with only 2-3 people. At one point, we were working with 7 or more full-time people from Tack Mobile. This lasted for around a year and a half, so it was definitely a large engagement. We had a very close relationship, given that our company did not have a mobile team at all when we started working with Tack Mobile. We didn't believe that we could attract the talent and skill necessary for delivering the best quality product for our customers.

How did you come to work with Tack Mobile?

I already knew Tack Mobile's founders, as well as their heads of design and development, through engaging with them at a different company. We were the first customers of Tack Mobile, just as the company got started. I knew their capabilities and how hard they could work, and we worked with Tack Mobile as the team was grown to a much larger size. I picked Tack Mobile because I knew they'd provide a fresh approach, and they understood the complex nature of our problems. We wanted a long-term engagement, not a short project. I'd worked with other companies in the past, all of them had a short-term focus.

How much have you invested with Tack Mobile?

The total cost of our work with Tack Mobile was over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Tack Mobile in 2012 and had a full 2-year collaboration. As we continued to work with them, we slowly built up our own team, pairing them with Tack Mobile.

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

Tack Mobile was instrumental in building out our full mobile suite of apps across iOS and Android phones and tablets. We went through generations of app development, which involved many updates. The apps were extremely well received by our end-users, learner instructors, and institution customers. The average rating was 4.5 in app stores, which is not only high in general, but also relative to our competition in the marketplace. The apps had high results from usability and accessibility tests.

We had over a dozen supported languages from around the world, and the apps were used in 100+ countries. Around one million people used the apps every month.

What did you find most impressive about Tack Mobile?

One of Tack Mobile's greatest strengths was that they had the balance of working with a number of clients from other industries, which kept their thinking fresh and enabled the group to bring in new approaches to problems coming from healthcare, energy, or other fields. Tack Mobile took the time to deeply understand the problems associated with education. A cursory approach can not only fail to solve problems but also make them much worse.

Early on, we thought that we needed to have features which mirrored the experiences from other apps, like social media. This proved to be more distracting than it was useful. Tack Mobile's team took the time to perform user discovery surveys, have workshops with learners and educators, looking at the data, and determining what issues they were having, and how they could be better solved. This commitment to deep thinking is something which I haven't seen as much with other companies. Our work took more focus and a better process.

Are there any areas Tack Mobile could improve?

There were some growing pains while Tack Mobile's team was being built, but I always felt that any issues with individual team members were dealt with quickly, and they made sure that we were happy with the talent working for us. Nothing comes to mind around big improvement issues.

I acted as the product manager, and we also had our own project managers for the engagement with Tack Mobile. Other companies might need those functions, and they were missing on Tack Mobile's side early on. When I worked with them, Tack Mobile was more of a talent agency than a full-service one. This may have changed since that time. We got exactly what we needed, and didn't pay more than was reasonable.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide a free online mapping service. I am a tech manager for the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Tack Mobile?

We needed to build a mobile application quickly and wanted to find developers who could work with us as a team.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tack Mobile developed our app for Android and iOS. It ties in with an API that was already present. We didn't use Tack Mobile for design, although I know they offer the service.

How did you come to work with Tack Mobile?

One of the selling points for Tack Mobile was that I knew some of the people there. I'm actually one of the founders of Tack Mobile, but I've moved on. The ability to integrate with the team and follow our company's Scrum process was more important to us than using Tack Mobile as a headhunter for resources.

How much have you invested with Tack Mobile?

The budget was handled by the finance team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Tack Mobile in December 2015. The app has gone through a number of pivots and iterations. We're continuing to work on it.

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

Tack Mobile understands well the platforms which we're working on, and they've been able to suggest solutions. I want to emphasize the team nature of the collaboration. When working with someone like Tack Mobile, I can rely on not only the individuals on my team but also on the other resources in their company, to whom they can pass questions. This has paid off and was the selling point for me.

How did Tack Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

We've blown through a couple of deadlines because of the amount of changes which occurred. Tack Mobile performed well overall. There were some instances of team members becoming sick. I can't fault them for that, and it's simply something we needed to work around. At one point, I've had to pull one developer back from a lower priority task. They wanted it to be done, and I find the desire to improve something to be great, but it wasn't a priority at the moment. Tack Mobile offers management, but their developers are also able to think for themselves.

What did you find most impressive about Tack Mobile?

I went to Tack Mobile for their expertise and understanding of mobile and front-end development. We're not using their UI [user interface] resources and capabilities, but I know that Tack Mobile wants to build apps which users care about. They have a certain UX sensibility.

Are there any areas Tack Mobile could improve?

Tack Mobile is not extremely well set up for sitting at the client's side on a long-term basis, doing whatever they're told. Tack Mobile is more of a turnkey developer. We've pushed them beyond this for the current project, and Tack Mobile has been happy to work with us even though this approach is not how they're set up for success. This isn't necessarily something that Tack Mobile needs to improve, but it is something to consider on their end when deciding which business to take on.

Tack Mobile wants its developers happy to be working for the company. When a customer like us asked Tack Mobile's team to work from our office full-time, putting them in a position of almost being our employee, it was different than what they'd signed up for.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the senior digital product manager at Aspen Skiing Company. I oversee our mobile app, e-commerce site, and various other customer-facing digital applications.

For what projects/services did your company hire Tack Mobile?

I needed a vendor to take over the mobile app development process.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to improve our guests’ experience through a mobile app.

How did you select this vendor?

We requested a proposal.

Describe the project in detail.

Tack Mobile is expanding on our current mobile app, increasing its relevance and use value for our guests.

What was the team composition?

They provided an engagement manager, an iOS development lead, an Android development lead, and a QA engineer.

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

The Tack Mobile team was extremely pragmatic. They effectively troubleshot issues as they arose. We collaborated seamlessly.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was incredibly effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re very knowledgeable about the mobile development space.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can’t think of anything.