We take on challenges for those who deserve better
We are a small group with decades of collective experience in software development. We have built software, led teams, and ran departments. We are now focused on doing interesting work and working with good people.
We have worked with hundreds of customers ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies. We know the challenges companies face when selecting a development partner; but we also understand the development side. We can help you navigate the unknown and guide you through the process. From ideation and agency selection, to development iterations and deployment, we can help you make the right decisions.
headquarters
Focus
Portfolio
It’s Your Birthday
Approach:
When re-designing the IYB product, it was important to focus on vibrant colors, appealing UX/UI, and sleek animations and user flow. The first step here was finding choke points in the existing flow, and focusing on improving them with the new design. Changing things like the video creation process to follow a non-linear process, and allowing guest user access, were pivotal in the re-imagining of the user flow. Twin Sun ended up writing a new back-end in Ruby on Rails, and developed the mobile app from scratch using Google’s Flutter framework.
Result:
The It’s Your Birthday app can be found in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. We are actively consulting and planning out an enterprise focused solution as the next step for the IYB product!
Artful Agenda
Problem:
After the successful release of the Artful Agenda Web Recovery Effort, Artful and Twin Sun began building the mobile application version of the Artful product to reach a broader audience.
Resolution:
Using Flutter to create the same user flow across both devices was paramount to the success of building the mobile applications. Flutter allowed pixel perfect control over all of the UI elements, which is especially important for an application meant to replicate the intricate customization of a paper calendar.
Result:
The mobile applications are live on iOS and on Android. After a successful launch, we are maintaining and adding to both the mobile and web applications as the user base grows!
TravelSOUL
Requirements:
TravelSOUL needed a minimal viable product to beta test their unique take on a friend finder and traveling experience. Being an early stage startup, with limited capital for this effort, it was critical that we provide an optimal approach given their desired features and budget.
Approach:
We decided to approach their mobile application using Flutter, the Google backed cross-platform development framework. This allowed us to save significantly on cost by not writing and maintaining two code bases for Android and iOS. Additionally, we took the time to pre-plan out our software architecture approach to ensure that we could provide a fixed price contract within TravelSOUL’s budget.
Result:
The private beta was successful. We helped TravelSOUL iterate on their app design and identify the next phase of development, then published public releases to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. We are looking forward to being a part of TravelSOUL’s future.
NitePlug
Approach:
In our initial meeting, we were able to hear the NitePlug story, make a genuine connection, and understand their goal of releasing to the app store. After reviewing the existing code and design, we unfortunately found very little to salvage. Instead, we recommended starting over and outlined a clear path to get NitePlug live. After investing a lot of time and money with previous efforts, this was certainly not the news Niteplug wanted to hear. However, after many real, honest conversations and after setting clear expectations, we decided to start fresh and build NitePlug the right way. They secured some investment dollars, so we designed an app based on their budget and outlined a fixed price proposal that achieved their goal of going live.
Result:
NitePlug is now live in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store! We created a custom app design, built out the backend, designed and developed niteplug.com, and developed iOS and Android apps. NitePlug is live on iOS and will be available on Android early 2019. We are supporting the app through its launch and will continue to help NitePlug as they gain feedback and plan for future releases.
Artful Agenda Web App Recovery
Problem:
Prior to our involvement, the Artful Agenda web app was seemingly stuck in an ever expanding timeline. After missing the initial launch window and becoming concerned about the ever increasing cost, Artful began to explore other agencies for help.
Resolution:
With our combined experience, we were quick to notice that the current agency relationship was far from ideal, and was not on track to improve. Artful desired a fixed set of remaining features, and wanted to have a firm understanding of the cost to get there. We took the necessary time to review the code, remaining issues, deployment set-up, and anything else we could. This allowed us to come up with a fixed price proposal that accomplished all of the remaining goals for a beta launch.
Result:
The web application is now in live! After a successful launch, we have continued maintaining and adding to the app in support of the strong user base. We also launched mobile apps in 2019!
US Framing Website
Requirements:
US Framing had an outdated website and was looking for a team to perform a full overhaul and re-make their website using current technology and design standards. After working with some independent WordPress developers, and being both underwhelmed and never receiving a full product; they began to worry about using a platform such as WordPress, and believed they needed to custom build their site.
Approach:
We made careful note of all of their concerns, and determined that the technology (WordPress) was not the constraint. After a full review of their old site, and their attempts at new sites, we recommended to stick with WordPress. A custom written website was not needed for their goal and would end up with wasted cost for unnecessary work. We covered a few themes that were ideal for their goal, and then drafted a fixed price cost effective proposal that allowed us to have the level of creative freedom we needed to accomplish their goal, while also allowing US Framing revision cycles to change content and page layouts throughout the process.
Result:
The new website can be found at usframing.com. Additionally, we built their website in a highly maintainable way and provided a full step-by-step process manual for adding and editing the main areas of content so that they can perform their own updates in the future if desired.
Reviews
the project
Android, iOS & AWS Devs for Software Consulting Agency
"Twin Sun focuses on maximizing a long-term relationship for long-term returns."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the founder and owner of Unger Software Consulting. We’re a software development agency, providing software and design services. I offer mobile application and web development solutions that support the entire software lifecycle.
What challenge were you trying to address with Twin Sun?
They’re basically overflow resources for the company. They take on projects that I don’t have the capacity to do by myself.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We’ve partnered on several projects during which Twin Sun provided additional development and management resources. We completed several projects and have several active projects. Their team has worked on Android, iOS, and Java development projects. They also assisted with AWS work.
What is the team composition?
On a regular basis, I work with about 2–3 individuals at a time. Over the lifetime of our relationship, I’ve probably worked with 6–8 of their employees.
How did you come to work with Twin Sun?
I had a previous relationship with the founders of Twin Sun because we previously worked together at a company. After leaving the company, we maintained relationships with one another.
How much have you invested with them?
We just passed $220,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We began working together in July 2019, and our relationship’s ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We’ve partnered on projects that neither one of us could’ve managed on our own. They’re excellent technological generalists with many skills. Their team learns how to be successful on any given project, which the quality of their work reflects.
Twin Sun takes the time to figure out how to make our projects successful. Their team takes the time to be successful because they want to build a long-term relationship. The quality of what they produce is important to developing that relationship.
How did Twin Sun perform from a project management standpoint?
We mostly use Slack which is a convenient way for all of us to correspond because we’re computer oriented and distributed. They’re effective at talking about what’s happening with the project. Their team’s thoughtful with their feedback.
They respond to deadlines well too. Twin Sun won’t commit to a project that they can’t accomplish. Rather than scramble and do a poor job, their team would rather say that a timeline’s unrealistic.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Twin Sun’s intentional about how they conduct business. They’re honest about their strengths and areas for growth. We have a lot of trust.
In our relationship, I'm reaching outside of my organization for resources. Ultimately, the product has my name on it, so it’s my reputation at stake. I trust that they’ll help me to be successful with projects because they want to work on future projects. Twin Sun focuses on maximizing a long-term relationship for long-term returns.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I didn’t experience challenges specific to Twin Sun. The challenges we faced related to the nature of agency type development. By nature, they have multiple projects to schedule at a time. It would be lovely if they could drop everything and work exclusively on my projects.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
When hiring an agency, it’s important to have a clear understanding of what you want to accomplish. Twin Sun can help to refine your ideas too. However, if your goals are fuzzy, your criteria for success will also be fuzzy.
the project
Web-Enabled App Development for Mobile Tech Company
“Twin Sun did a terrific job in terms of quality.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the founder of a company that develops mobile technology to help people be more present during their day.
What challenge were you trying to address with Twin Sun?
Twin Sun built a web-enabled app.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They essentially developed a website that users can access on mobile devices. When a user turns their phone facedown, a timer starts counting down from two minutes. Once the timer goes off, they can turn their phones back over. It’s a way to help people get off of their screens.
How did you come to work with Twin Sun?
I knew one of the founders, Caleb (CFO & Mobile Developer).
How much have you invested with them?
It was about $5,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
The project was from June–July 2019.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Twin Sun did a terrific job in terms of quality. I needed a beta version, so nothing too fancy, but the app looked and worked great. I was super happy with that.
They also did a great job of working with all of the different types of browsers and phones. Only certain phones allow access to their accelerometer, since the phone needs to know where it’s positioned and whether the phone is turned over or not for the app to work.
How did Twin Sun perform from a project management standpoint?
They did terrifically. They kept me informed throughout the entire process, and they met their deadlines.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Brainstorming with them at the very beginning when we were outlining the project was enjoyable. It was also great to work with them through any hurdles I didn’t foresee; they were very flexible.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No.
Any advice for potential customers?
I encourage them to hire Twin Sun and start a conversation.
the project
E-Commerce Development for Rent-to-Own Co
"Their commonsense approach is why we continue to work with them."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the e-commerce manager of a furniture and appliance rent-to-own company with 110 stores called Rent One.
What challenge were you trying to address with Twin Sun?
Rent One built their e-commerce platform on a program called October, which isn’t found in the majority of retail environments. As a rent-to-own transaction’s different than a retail transaction, we built a custom program and then lost our programmer of 14 years.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Twin Sun learned the program that we wanted to use, October. Once acclimated, their team began to work on many different projects in the funnel.
At one point, they worked with our SEO team. Their team solved issues with the movement of information and customer-facing issues. Currently, they’re working to solve employee issues.
They have full access to the front- and backend of our e-commerce platform. Their team’s cleaning up the product to make it better.
What is the team composition?
I primarily work with Chris (Business Development & UI/UX Design). Dave (Technology Development) dug into the program and figured out that he could help us.
How did you come to work with Twin Sun?
I found them through word of mouth because Knoxville, Tennessee isn’t a terribly large town. I initially reached out to a local company that had no interest in working with October but recommended Twin Sun. I called Chris and the rest is history.
When I first worked with Twin Sun, I was director of advertising for a company of 42 furniture and appliance rent-to-own stores. In that role, I worked with them for about a year. As I knew Twin Sun from this position, I tapped them to step in and help us.
How much have you invested with them?
On this project, we’ve spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $40,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
This engagement started in May 2020, and it’s ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Twin Sun was willing to acclimate themselves to our program, which was major. No other vendor wanted to do that.
When you’re dealing with an e-commerce platform, you measure a project's success by whether or not the product works. When you make a change to a website function, it has to be spot on. Twin Sun understands our ideas and puts them into a functional solution.
They’re willing to partner with us in our approach to projects. We’re able to combine our knowledge and work towards a profitable solution together.
How did Twin Sun perform from a project management standpoint?
We communicate via email, but they’re willing to accommodate their customers. Chris and I text and video chat. Their communication and ability to meet deadlines are fantastic. They’re so great that I asked my new company to believe in Twin Sun, and we keep going back. That’s a testament to their team.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I’m most impressed by their diligence. Their commonsense approach is why we continue to work with them.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, it’s oddly enough been perfect.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Know what you want. You can’t expect a company to give you what you want if you don’t know what that is. Do your homework and prepare for conversations. Good customers create good partnerships. It’s important to keep communication channels open.
the project
Web App Development for Customized Calendar Platform
“I trust that they always have my best interests in mind.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the founder and owner of Artful Agenda. It’s a web-based calendar application, and we’re currently developing corresponding iOS and Android mobile versions. Users can customize their calendars with stylish skins, covers, stickers, and fonts. Basically, we take the creative aspect of paper planners and implement them on a digital calendar.
What challenge were you trying to address with Twin Sun?
We’d invested a good sum with a developer, but their team started to miss deadlines and go over their estimates as we moved through the project. The relationship went downhill fast, so I took the code they’d finished and started looking for a new development agency.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We brought in Twin Sun to get us back on track after the negative experience with the previous vendor. They used the code we had to recreate the website as it was before we switched vendors and analyzed the work. After fixing all of the problems that arose, the Twin Sun team continued with the development, delivering an MVP for us to launch on the market. Their work included a lot of custom coding with JavaScript and PHP technology, setting up connections with iOS, Google, and Outlook APIs, and integrating various calendars and additional functionalities. After the website was finished, they modified the UI design to make it mobile friendly.
They helped us beta test the website and made any changes that we requested. Then, we started working on the iOS and Android mobile applications. Currently, there developing those versions and still providing support for the web-based platform.
What is the team composition?
I worked with the project manager, the main developer, and about three other resources.
How did you come to work with Twin Sun?
Our UI designer had been friends with the Twin Sun project manager for a while. As our relationship with our previous developer worsened, he encouraged me to get quotes from other vendors to finish the project. I spoke with three companies in total, one of which was Twin Sun. Their team was comfortable working with the code we had and showed genuine excitement about the project. Additionally, they offered a fixed rate for the project, which we appreciated.
How much have you invested with them?
So far, I’ve spent between $90,000–$100,000 on their services.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in February 2018, and the project is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Before working with Twin Sun, my platform’s interface wasn’t functional, and it didn’t reflect our envisioned design. There were multiple broken links and bugs—it was disastrous. The Twin Sun team came in and immediately got us back on track, then expertly built out the rest of the site. Any time we run into an issue, they quickly fix it. Our users praise the web platform. So far, the iOS and Android versions seem to be headed in the same positive direction in terms of their look, feel, and functionality.
How did Twin Sun perform from a project management standpoint?
Project management is one of their most notable strengths. The team is consistently professional and transparent. They go above and beyond to assure a smooth and stress-free experience on my end. The Twin Sun team is very timely, finishing their work before the estimated completion date. Whenever I come to them with questions or suggestions, they respond promptly.
When we were working exclusively on the web app, we used Jira to track our progress. I could log in and see what they were currently working on at any point. Now, we use Critic to share support tickets with their team. Otherwise, we communicate through email with occasional in-person meetings to discuss new contracts or plans.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They’re very respectful and consistently go out of their way to meet all of my needs and requirements. I trust that they always have my best interests in mind.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, it’s been a positive experience so far.
Any advice for potential customers?
Clients should know what they want before partnering with Twin Sun. Because I clearly communicated what I wanted from the start, their team was able to deliver exactly what I was looking for. It’s been a very smooth process.
the project
Development for a Nightlife App
“They did an outstanding job, and the final product is bug-free.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the owner of a nightlife mobile app called Niteplug.
What challenge were you trying to address with Twin Sun?
I reached out to Twin Sun to take my idea and bring it to life. They developed our app for iOS and Android and helped launch it to the App Store.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Twin Sun provided full-cycle development services, from the scope and business requirements to the design, development, and production. I gave them my functionality specs, and they built the app for iOS and Android using a cross-platform tool. We’ve just launched the iOS version to the App Store.
What is the team composition?
One of their partners served as my main point of contact, but there were about 4–6 team members total working on the project.
How did you come to work with Twin Sun?
Another development firm referred me to Twin Sun, so I reached out. After a few impromptu interviews and conversations, I decided to go with them because I liked the team’s personality.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent about $60,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
Their work lasted from January–December 2018.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
They did an outstanding job, and the final product is bug-free. If there were any issues, Twin Sun’s team found and fixed them during testing.
How did Twin Sun perform from a project management standpoint?
We primarily communicated via email, text, and biweekly phone conferences to ensure that everyone was up to date. They maintained a high level of transparency from the beginning, and I appreciated that they always kept me in the loop, regardless if we had good or bad news.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Besides being transparent, Twin Sun stayed within the budget without trying to upsell unnecessary add-ons. They promised they would complete the job, informed me of any changes, and delivered as expected.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I can’t think of anything, right now.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Often, a client has a vague idea of what they want to build but can’t quite put that to paper, which makes it extremely hard for the developers. A vendor can’t deliver something if you don’t tell them exactly how you want it. Being prepared to go into the engagement and providing detailed technical docs or wireframes will help save time and energy.
the project
Webpage Makeover for Subcontracting Company
“Twin Sun delivered a stellar website that brought our company into the 21st century.”
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
US Framing, one of the largest wood framing sub-contractors in the nation, specializes in multi-family housing and rough carpentry. As the company’s financial controller, I assist with financial operations and asset management.
What challenge were you trying to address with Twin Sun?
We wanted to refresh our outdated website, but we didn’t have the necessary resources to redesign the platform in-house.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Twin Sun revamped our antiquated website by integrating a modern web design on the frontend and refining the backend for seamless functionality. They also curated and developed original content for our site.
What is the team composition?
One contact assists us with design and development, which another helps us manage our content.
How did you come to work with Twin Sun?
We interviewed several developers, but Twin Sun was the only company whose vision aligned with our own.
How much have you invested with them?
The web design project cost us less than $10,000 to complete.
What is the status of this engagement?
They began working on the website in March 2017, and they concluded in March 2018.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Twin Sun delivered a stellar website that brought our company into the 21st century. We’ve received several compliments from our vendors and business partners.
How did Twin Sun perform from a project management standpoint?
They set realistic expectations, so their work pace was never a concern. Their punctual team managed to meet every deadline, despite our last-minute adjustments to the timeline.
What did you find most impressive about them?
In addition to being honest and hard-working, they are highly collaborative. They made brilliant suggestions to enhance our website, but they also stayed true to our original concept.
Are there any areas they could improve?
We didn’t notice any red flags while working with Twin Sun.
the project
App Redevelopment for Small Business
“Their help has been miraculous—where other companies see a wall, they see an opportunity to find a solution.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the CMO and president of It’s Your Birthday!, based in Nashville. We’ve created a mobile app for sending video birthday cards to loved ones.
What challenge were you trying to address with Twin Sun?
After working with an inadequate company for over a year, we were short on our budget, timeline, and overall morale. When we decided to find a new agency, the app was about halfway through development. We were hoping for a company to pick up where our previous developer left off, so our time and money wouldn’t be wasted. Ultimately, we wanted an agency to finish development, launch the app, and build an Android version later in the process.
What was the scope of their involvement?
When Twin Sun came on board, they began by reviewing the code our previous agency had implemented. Once they decided the existing code was usable, we had a deep-dive session. We identified the areas where the other developer fell short, and the steps Twin Sun could take to fix the issues. They produced an MVP for us within six months, and we launched it to the App Store. Once we were comfortable with how the app functioned outside of beta testing, we re-engaged them for several tasks. We wanted them to update the iOS app while creating an Android version. To save time and money, they decided to use Google’s cross-platform framework, Flutter. They’ve also been reformatting the backend and performing an overhaul of the API our previous agency developed.
What is the team composition?
Chris (Sales Representative, Twin Sun) is our project manager and my main point of contact. We work closely with their lead developer, as well.
How did you come to work with Twin Sun?
Twin Sun are local to Nashville, so I had heard of them before. Once we parted ways with our previous developer, I reached out to Chris and explained our situation. After hearing they could salvage the app, we chose them for the project.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent around $250,000, so far.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in August 2017 and we’re continuing to update and develop our app with them.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Our biggest measure of success is that Twin Sun was capable of launching a functional product into the App Store. Our overall company morale, confidence, and trust are immensely higher.
How did Twin Sun perform from a project management standpoint?
Twin Sun have been excellent communicators—they ensure we follow their process and all of our options. Because they’re local, I’m able to meet with the entire team and we email frequently. To make sure we have an equal understanding of the project, they simplify complex industry terms and keep us informed.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their extensive knowledge of failures in the development industry gives them the motivation to be a fix for anyone’s issue. Their help has been miraculous—where other companies see a wall, they see an opportunity to find a solution. They are focused on providing a better experience and ensuring they have a healthy relationship with their customers. They validated that we had a bad previous engagement, and made it their goal to treat us differently than our last vendor did. Additionally, they are groundbreaking communicators— I’ve worked in customer service for 20 years and have rarely encountered companies as patient and thorough as Twin Sun.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I haven’t had a single unsatisfying experience with them.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
The best thing for anyone to do is to be honest about your fears, failures, and expectations. Twin Sun wants to meet you where you’re at in the process and help you find success.
the project
App Development for Travel Company
“It was clear that they were invested in our success.”
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I’m the co-founder of a mobile matchmaking app. We aim to connect our users with compatible travel companions.
For what projects/services did your company hire Twin Sun?
We needed a vendor to develop our app.
What were your goals for this project?
We wanted an app that fully aligned with our vision.
How did you select this vendor?
We researched a series of developers and ultimately landed on Twin Sun.
Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?
Twin Sun is responsible for the full development process. They implemented all of our requested functionalities, and we’re currently finishing up the beta testing phase.
Once we launch, users can create a profile with details about themselves. There’s a function that allows travelers to search the platform using a variety of filters. We also offer in-app messaging. Our users can create trips and fund other travelers that plan to be in the same location at the same time.
Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?
With Twin Sun’s help, we’ve been able to get our business off the ground.
How was project management arranged and how effective was it?
The process was extremely effective. They met all of our deadlines.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
I appreciated their availability. It was clear that they were invested in our success.
Are there any areas where they can improve?
No, they're awesome.
As a result of their collaboration with Twin Sun, the client secures and accomplishes a greater range of projects. The Twin Sun team invests time to acquire the skills necessary to produce high-quality deliverables and ensure successful engagements. They’re not only dependable but also transparent.