Virtualspirit

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're an EdTech company building an online platform to equip students with non-academic skills like critical thinking and creativity in order to adapt and succeed in the ever-changing future. I'm the founder and CEO of the company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Virtualspirit?

We had a clear idea of the type of platform we wanted to build. However, we didn't have a team to build the PWA platform. As such after speaking to a few different teams, we decided to hire Virtualspirit.

What were your goals for this project?

This platform was our flagship product. We needed it to be built well so that we could build on top of this robust core product and introduce new features in the future. We have since launched the Beta version of the platform and have seen a very good sign up rate. The feedback has also been generally positive.

How did you select this vendor?

We spoke to 5 different companies before selecting Virtualspirit. We went through all of their creds decks and past projects to get a feel of their capability to deliver the platform to spec.

We finally decided to go with Virtualspirit because of the following factors:

1. Although they weren't the cheapest, they priced their offering competitively
2. Our contact person, Nicholas, showed a lot of eagerness and was the most responsive when compared to the PIC's from the other companies.
3. They had also worked on another Learning Management System in the past, so they understood what we were looking for. As we're a startup, the decision was made by my co-founder at the time and me.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed, developed, configured, and launched both our front-end and back-end systems. The project was paced out and the first step is understanding our requirements and developing the design mocks and wireframes.

Once we provided our feedback, they refined the designs and finalised it before moving on to the development phase. Once development and UAT were completed, they help set up our server environment in AWS.

What was the team composition?

The project manager had a team of about 5 or 6 people. The teams were divided between designers (2), front-end (1/2), and back-end (2) persons. They were involved at different stages of the design and development process.

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

Our whole startup's existence depended on the launching of this platform. After a couple of minor delays, we launched the platform in June. I received validation from a 3rd party developer that the platform that Virtualspirit built was done very well. This gave me great comfort.

Since launch, they had also been very responsive in solving user journey issues that cropped up when we launched our beta platform.

One example was that they were very quick to modify the sign-up process which we hadn't thought through based on feedback from our users. This helped users complete the sign-up journey much more seamlessly. We have signed them on to maintain our platform for the next 12 months.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was one area that could have been improved. We had some initial issues in getting updated on the progress. However, after meeting them and discussing the matter in person, we were able to resolve the issues.

The PM was more responsive after the said meeting. We used Flock for all our communications and Trello to track the development as well as manage bug reporting and the UAT. When we had to jump on a call, we used Google Hangouts or Zoom to good effect.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We had direct access to the developers and designers via Flock which helped ensure nothing was lost in translation. The other very impressive part about Virtualspirit was how fast they fixed most issues especially after we launched the beta version.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The main area that could be improved is on the project management side of the business. The design and development team was generally very good. We had some communication issues with one of the backend developers. But this matter was sorted out with the help of the other team members.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO of a startup focusing on actionable apps for users to achieve set goals in their daily lives.

For what projects/services did your company hire Virtualspirit?

Mobile app and backend development for iOS and Android

What were your goals for this project?

Create a streamlined app with a lot of functionality while also being user friendly

How did you select this vendor?

Based on clutch.co and other online reviews

Describe the project in detail.

We provided concept storyboards and ideas, vendor came back with wire frames and sample flows. Developing in React Native meant design and coding could proceed almost simultaneously once UI and UX were agreed upon.

What was the team composition?

2 designers, one app developer, one backend developer handling Ruby and Nginx etc. One project manager.

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

App still in development, awaiting final build and app store release.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Frequent updates on Flock. Shared issues board and tracking using Trello. Video calls during initial project phases to clarify concepts and designs.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are fast and responsive, providing excellent value to our company.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Better project management to keep track of build issues and fixes

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a director of an EV infrastructure service provider in Malaysia.

What challenge were you trying to address with Virtualspirit?

We needed a partner to build an app integrated with our EV charging stations.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Virtualspirit is developing our iOS and Android app to locate EV charging stations. We provided an initial flowchart as well as requirements for the product to guide their work. They built features using React Native, which enabled the app to show the location of charging stations and their availability in Malaysia and Singapore. For example, users can see whether or not chargers are occupied. Their team also integrated capabilities to show charging rates and support initialization with a QR code into the product. Virtualspirit delivered the first phase of the app and continues to work on the platform.

What is the team composition?

We work with three different teammates: a designer, a coder, and a person who maintains the app.

How did you come to work with Virtualspirit?

Initially, we looked into a few different app developers but there aren’t many firms in our market that are able to customize or build this type of app. A colleague highly recommended Virtualspirit, stating that their team could develop the platform. We decided to give it a try.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent between $25,000–$50,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started this project in October 2017, and the work is ongoing.

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

Initially, the app wasn’t stable; there were some bugs and lagging. Virtualspirit rebuilt the platform to be secure and more robust. We’re quite happy with their efforts. There’s still a slight delay with the platform but it’s most important to have technical support, the bugs rectified, and our complaints resolved. 

How did Virtualspirit perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been in close communication with my technical team. We have a weekly meeting when our teams discuss platform updates. We’re satisfied with Virtualspirit’s project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Virtualspirit has a team of young, talented designers and developers. They’re willing to work on weekends to help complete tasks.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When Virtualspirit would send us updates, they would sometimes forget to name the version, which would confuse us. After we mentioned the issue, their team followed instructions and have since recorded product updates.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Discuss platform requirements and the expected timeline for delivery otherwise they might not succeed. If they’re not familiar with the hardware, it’s useful to have a flowchart for guidance.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a consultant for a healthcare nonprofit that provides community medical care.

What challenge were you trying to address with Virtualspirit?

The nonprofit has a team of medical specialists that make home visits to provide medical assessment, consultation, wound dressing, or dietary advice. However, they were scheduling volunteers and appointments manually. We wanted to streamline this process by building a customized application.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They used Ruby on Rails to develop an application that’s hosted in a private cloud. After consulting with other organizations with similar software, they customized our program and built most of it from scratch. The new platform has scheduling features and allows medical professionals to create case reports.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Nick (Founder & IT Consultant, Virtualspirit), a designer, and a developer. However, I know that they had a team of developers that I didn’t meet.

How did you come to work with Virtualspirit?

Unlike some large teams, the founder of Virtualspirit has a heart and wants to give back to society. He volunteered his time to design the product and make sure it met all of our requirements. Then he called several of his connections with medical-related software experience.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $25,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2017, and the project is ongoing.

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

Internal stakeholders are quite pleased with the results—the UX/UI is rather advanced. The product has met all of our requirements, and users really like it. Volunteers are particularly fond of how simple it is to log their case reports. During the user acceptance test (UAT), we found several issues, but Virtualspirit was able to iron them out quickly, and we were able to launch the product on time.

How did Virtualspirit perform from a project management standpoint?

Their technical skills are definitely their strength. They understood our business requirements and always responded quickly to our requests. However, I facilitated most of the communication and managed the timeline. I would initiate task actions, but then Nick would act accordingly to make sure that everything was done on time.

During this project, we were also working with about four other teams on various aspects of development, and Virtualspirit cooperated well with those alliances.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very flexible, and they’re starting to explore new technologies. They began a lot of research to meet our requirements and really made things happen. For the quality of the software they provided, their price is very reasonable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could strengthen their project management skills by communicating more and providing periodic updates for their customers. I also think they were managing a lot of projects concurrently, so they may need to scale up if they want to respond to requests in a timely manner.

Please describe your company and your position there.

WhatsDoc is the first of its kind mobile app with a 2-in-1 function where clinicians can use it for telehealth, and instant chat between colleagues, just like WhatsApp. I'm the director.

For what projects/services did your company hire Virtualspirit?

Mobile App Development

What were your goals for this project?

To work with VS on our release of MVP

How did you select Virtualspirit?

After speaking to a few companies in Malaysia, Singapore, India, Indonesia, we decided to proceed with VS as we felt the team has what it takes to reach our goal, and Nic from VS is very helpful, patient, and knowledgable.

Describe the project in detail.

Started with design and wireframing, development, testing, and launch to both IOS and Android. Core features are chat communication, and video communication. VS is still providing support over the next 6 months.

What was the team composition?

There was Nic project manager, Hasan backend, Visca frontend, Rahmat and Fajar for Mobile.

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

We have great feedback from users, consistent 5 stars rating.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was good. We arranged for 3x meeting a week consistently. We used Flock, MarvelApp, Trello.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The people. The team was always easy to reach, accommodating, and committed to solving whatever request we have.

Are there any areas for improvement?

More planning towards product requirement, and QA to help with testing prior to release.