Waracle

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Apex Rides, we sell direct-to-consumer exercise bikes that use Bluetooth to connect with on-demand and live-streaming spin classes. It also records and tracks our user’s workout stats.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Waracle?

Waracle has worked on the software development side, developing our iOS app for iPads and iPhones.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed the UX and developed a bespoke app from scratch. They also had to work with our hardware developer to make sure their software worked with our bike.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Beth (Projects Team Lead), Laurie (Lead iOS Developer), Heather (Test Lead), Will (Senior Developer), and a UI/UX design team.

How did you come to work with Waracle?

We were working with a partner at another company, but he moved Waracle. We looked at their profile and saw that they had done a lot of work in the IoT space, healthcare apps, and have experience in AR/VR.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about £500,000 (approximately $695,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from January 2019–July 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app went live in the app store in November 2020 and works seamlessly. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from our customers.

We did face a few challenges regarding the Bluetooth connectivity, but Waracle resolved them quickly. We had very few crashes when we launched the app, and they’ve only decreased since we updated it.

How did Waracle perform from a project management standpoint?

Their customer service was very good. We had a weekly call and can communicate with them on Slack. They also did a daily morning call that we could join if we wanted to, but it wasn’t necessary. Once we launched the app, they fixed bugs very quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very professional. It was a difficult project, but Waracle was always up to the task.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve been a good partner.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get involved in the discovery phase and scope out what you want to do ahead of time. You should compile a list of features you want to include in your app and prioritize each one.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm Chief Tech and we Specialise in carbon reduction and cost efficiency consulting for major Industrial and Commercial customers, worldwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed it to be attractive, easy to use and structured in a way that would reduce complex strategic decisions to more manageable, self serve interactions with the GUI.

SOLUTION

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

We engaged Waracle on the back of a personal recommendation to develop an interactive tool for an existing protoype. i found them to be the right sort of unique. We didn't need a "me too" product. we needed someone who is comfortable looking at things in a different fashion and who is open to walking the development journey as it unfolds, rather than requiring 100% specification at the outset.

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

i'd rather not because it is still in development.

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

4 core and 2 or 3 peripheral players.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

the materials provided at the end of the engagement were just what i needed. they were open to changing their structure and content to suit.

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

The team was agile and that is really impressive.

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

See above

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

as this was an initial engagement, we could have spent less time on the really technical question set and more on overall structure and intent.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a translational charity, meaning we take early ideas in therapeutics and diagnostics and help translate them into real-world products. We have three sites across the UK, one of which is a diagnostics center where I work as the project manager. I oversee the whole portfolio of ongoing diagnostics projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Waracle?

One of the challenges that we face when we work in ‘limited resource,’ or LMIC, settings is that it’s difficult to get data back rapidly. We hired Waracle to develop a solution that would allow us to get faster time-to-result data across our field sites.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Waracle is developing a web app for us. It’s a cloud solution that will allow us to get quicker access to our diagnostics data from field evaluations.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with two project managers.

How did you come to work with Waracle?

We did a systematic evaluation of individual software vendors that might be able to provide this custom piece to us. We ultimately selected Waracle because they were one of the first vendors to approach us, but also because we had a very good rapport and potential strategic alliances with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

My company hasn’t spent more than £30,000 (approximately $38,600 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started discussions with them in November 2019, and the project kicked off in February 2020. The work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re still meeting the timeline, which is comforting. 

How did Waracle perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re really good and responsive. When you’re doing something for the first time as an organization, it can be difficult to ensure that you’re working with the right people; however, from the beginning, Waracle has moved at the right pace for us. They’ll go fast when we need them to, or they’ll break down what each part means and all of the options for us to proceed from both technical and real-world perspectives. Anytime we have a question, even if it’s very simple, they’re happy to provide reading points and broken-down examples.

The project manager who started the project off ended up moving to a different company, but the handover was so seamless. As a project manager myself, I know how challenging it can be to walk onto someone else’s project cold, but this wasn’t the case with Waracle. They were very smooth in the transition and kept us up to date on the transition from PM to PM. 

We track their work with regular meetings and by looking at their prototypes. They provide us with wireframes to show us what the solution looks like, and they walk us through the system architecture. They’ve kept us up to date at each major development milestone. They’ve really simplified a lot of the standard terminology in software development, which is helpful to us.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve been impressed by how easy it is to work with Waracle, from start to finish.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Being a project manager outside of IT, I do love Scrum and Agile, but it is nice to see a high-level timeline from the start. They did provide one once we asked for it and made it clear that we worked in Waterfall.

Any advice for potential customers?

We’re getting the most out of and putting very little effort into maintaining the relationship; it’s all being handed to us on a plate. I’d just say to trust their expertise.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're a provider of high-value digital products and services that deliver asset information via the identification, integration and interrogation of collected data. We develop asset information in order to improve its clients’ ability to make operational decisions, thereby improving their operational efficiency and improving their bottom line.

We deploy a significant number of value-creating digital technologies and services across the oil and gas, defence, nuclear, offshore renewables, marine, construction, and infrastructure sectors in addition to maintaining significant technology partnerships with leading global technology and digital infrastructure leaders.

As well as providing products that can meet our client needs, we also provide design consultancy that help our clients review work processes and identify what these needs are. I am Technical Director responsible for all digital products in the organisation

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Waracle?

We were looking to develop an augmented reality (AR) application as an addition to our existing and well established desktop based digital twin platform. AR was something that we wanted on our development roadmap and identified a potential use case for the technology in the construction market.

The requirement was to be able to visualise virtual barriers on real world construction sites. These barriers are required to restrict movement of construction machinery and reduce risk associated with them working in hazardous areas. An iPad application was chosen as the most appropriate route due the fact these devices were already in use on site

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to build a fully functioning prototype that would take data from our existing desktop application and be able to convert it into AR content, anchored in the correct real world location. Ultimately we wanted something that we could use to introduce people to the concept of AR as a practical and valuable tool for industrial applications

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

At the time, AR applications for enterprise were a relatively new concept, and therefore finding a development partner was difficult. Our paths crossed with Waracle through a mutual contact and, after multiple meetings and discussions we were happy they were the right vendor to support us in this development

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The initial stage of the project was used to fully scope the requirements, and assess potential solutions. Effort was made to establish a connection between the existing desktop application and the AR application. Waracle developed an AR prototype, using Apple ARKit, and provided a number of iterations of the prototype.

What was the team composition?

The project team was predominantly the project manager and the technical lead. There was also involvement from additional development resource and an UI/UX resource as required.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This project, and the development of AR capability generated a lot of interest from our current and prospective clients, enhancing our reputation as an innovative technology solution provider. There was a further project which added significantly more functionality to the application, expanding the potential user base

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project was managed using Agile methodologies, which daily stand up calls and sprint planning and review sessions. Tools used included Jira, Google Docs and Google Hangouts. Throughout the project management was excellent, and we were able to work towards a clear timeline, while having the flexibility to adapt the scope as required.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

As well as their impressive technical capability, they had a clear understanding of the need to develop applications that provide real value for enterprise clients.

Are there any areas for improvement?

At the time of the project, the technical team was very small which limited our ability to accelerate the development, however this wasn't an issue. Since the project, they have expanded the technical team

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the development manager for digital learning at a nondepartmental public body responsible for regulating social service work.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Waracle?

He hired then to create an AR version of an existing mobile app we had.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Waracle developed the new version of the iOS app for us, integrating AR technology. Their team tweaked some designs on the existing app and redesigned the UI. Their team delivered the final binary for us to submit to the Apple Store

What is the team composition?

We worked with an account manager, a developer, and a graphic designer from Waracle.

How did you come to work with Waracle?

We use a public sector procurement portal so we entered information on the offering and the bid.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Waracle ran form September 2018–March 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team measures downloads form the app store, so we know it’s very widely used. The app that they built for us is one of our core offerings. It was very popular before we added the AR component and it remains popular. We’ve received positive feedback from our stakeholders.

How did Waracle perform from a project management standpoint?

We were very happy with Waracle’s project management. They were very diligent about keeping us in the loop as the project developed. We had weekly check-ins with them to gauge progress and make sure that we were able to keep the project on time and within budget. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Waracle was very responsive to our vision. They were able to immediately grasp what we were trying to achieve. The skillset that they used to deliver our final project is not very common. They were able to meet all of our expectations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we were very happy overall. I was quite content with how they went about their business.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very detailed in your specifications for the deliverables. Be clear about what you’re trying to achieve and about the technologies you want to employ to get there. Vague statements don’t help anybody, least of all the developers. They need precision so they can gauge whether or not they can deliver. Preparation is everything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm CEO of Wallet.Services. Our SICCAR software as a service helps organisations seamlessly connect their business processes with minimal disclosure of their sensitive data - Maximising B2B efficiency whilst minimising risk.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Waracle?

We needed a tool which added value to our core product - a mobile client for to render forms and reporting for end-user interaction with our cross-organisational workflow platform.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to meet the customer expectations of positive user front end experience for our data platform. We anticipated the provider would bring best practice and productivity across a all project stages.

In implementation the provider would be required to leveraging our platform APIs working closely with our development team. Acheiving a positive and performant white-labelled front end flexible enough to meet specific requirements of each customer.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We undertook a robust procurement where we developed an outline requirements specification and interviewed several potential providers from across the UK. The selection panel included CEO, Product manager and our Customer Success lead.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Waracle worked with the Wallet Services product development team to implement a specific feature through every stage of the project lifecycle, from discovery, conception, planning and design, to development, QA, testing, deployment and ongoing support and optimisation.

Process involved face to face meetings with design/UX team and the production of early stage clickable prototypes and wireframes. Also worth noting that we baked in analytics so the WS management team could monitor user behaviour and interactions and inform future plans for ongoing development of the feature.

What was the team composition?

The Waracle team was composed of a project manager, UX/UI designers, two backend developers and a Senior QA specialist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The added value of this project contributed to the 100% customer retention of our enterprise customer software subscriptions last FY.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The team delivered to scope and budget, and drove a great experience through careful management of stakeholders in our team. They were flexible enough to work within the milestones of our sprints and were a great cultural fit with our own software development team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Waracle's strong suit is in having an approach that's flexible enough to fit into their customers' processes. They do so the rigour and planning needed to deliver to time and budget. And the management team are great guys.

Are there any areas for improvement?

At this stage I can't think of anything that would not be nit-picking. We'll work with them again.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a digital product director at a global sporting event company that runs events throughout Europe and the US. I manage various digital platforms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Waracle?

We hired Waracle to build fan experience features for our 2018 event. With each one, it alternates locations between the US and Europe. Those teams handled the spectator features depending on that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our US partner built the core functionality in 2016. When it was our turn to update the spectator features and deliver an on-site fan experience, we hired Waracle to take the existing functionality and build additional features.

Their team tackled the project from end-to-end. Along with the scoping and briefing, they were involved in the design process before developing the iOS and Android functionalities. We had onsite support and analytics help as well.

What is the team composition?

We had an experienced project manager. Niki (Project Manager, Waracle) was also involved in the process.

How did you come to work with Waracle?

We had worked with them at a previous event. Since we had a positive experience working with Waracle in 2014, we reached out to them as well as a few other companies. Waracle was chosen because of our past experience and the fact that they were the best fit.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in early 2018 and wrapped in October 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After the event wrapped up, there was no need to continue the engagement. With sporting events, there is a fixed deadline that can’t change. It was quite an intense design-build and delivery process.

It was all very experiential. There were no sales aspects; it was all about focusing on the fan experience. This allowed us to do some cool research into what works. Generally, my experience was extremely positive.

How did Waracle perform from a project management standpoint?

They were extremely consistent, which is crucial for project management. Our experienced project manager provided on-site support as well. We didn’t think that was necessary, but he was flexible. He also came to the event to manage any issues, which thankfully, didn’t occur.

The team at Waracle was amendable, working with our US partners. There was a challenge with the time difference, but they addressed everything with great professionalism.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team at Waracle understood our event. A lot of companies underestimate the sports space because it is unique. The impact of having a global sporting event with a significant amount of money flowing over a few days is different. It’s a short hit that has a big spike in global traffic. It was important to work with a team that understood how our business was different than retail.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This wasn’t on them, but as a customer, we pushed them from a timeline perspective. Adding more time for UAT at the end and trying to give as much breathing room as possible for detail before the event starts would be helpful. That is a challenge with any short project. The team at Waracle didn’t do anything wrong; they were impressive overall.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Keep communications going. Strive to keep the relationship positive, but also push them when necessary. Their team responds well to the pressure. Don’t be afraid to work with them and try to stretch the brief reasonably. Waracle is receptive to new ideas. They work hard to deliver the best final product they can.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of student services at the University of Dundee.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Waracle?

Our campus is difficult to navigate, and online maps weren’t helping people find specific buildings. We thought an AR solution would work better for our needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Waracle created an AR app for iOS devices. Our IT department gave their team a framework, a route between two points, and then twelve waypoints along the way. They then built a prototype.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people, including a marketing person and a technical person.

How did you come to work with Waracle?

I came across Waracle at a presentation. We’d considered doing the project in-house or with another company that we were in touch with. However, in our initial meeting, Waracle seemed to understand our concept better than our other options. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted form August until December 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The prototype Waracle created proved the concept. It’s been useful for students with vision impairment or who were anxious about navigating campus. The tool has also paved the way for other online resources that we now use. We were impressed with the app’s ability to navigate complicated routes and directions.

How did Waracle perform from a project management standpoint?

Waracle’s project management was absolutely excellent. Our IT department handled communications with their team. We had weekly calls, regular meetings, and email correspondence that summarized where we were at a given point.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Waracle understood what we were trying to accomplish. They were quick, professional, and efficient.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. What we wanted, Waracle delivered. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Be clear and straightforward about your wants and needs. Provide parameters when necessary.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of digital at Royal London Group, the largest mutual insurance and pensions company in the UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Waracle?

We were looking to introduce our first mobile app to help us close our engagement gap. We wanted to engage digitally to encourage this behavior and move people away from paper-based communications. We also wanted to encourage customers to proactively manage their retirement savings.

The app would be a self-service mechanism for our customers to get key information about their plans digitally, in order to reduce our paper usage. Customers would be able to see the different things that are happening to their savings.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started by developing our MVP. This was very much a test run for us. We wanted to start small and understand how our customers interacted with the app and see whether it added value to their experience and relationship with us as a business.

The key features were to let people understand what their plan value was in their savings and to be able to look at contributions over the past year, as well as what the growth was on the plan since commencement and the profit share we were awarding to them. We also wanted to increase the future projection and what the customer’s plan was for retirement.

They built native Android and iOS apps from scratch. They integrated the frontend with our Royal London backend services. We did all the marketing efforts ourselves.

What is the team composition?

We worked with an engagement lead, a technical lead (who was also the Android lead developer), a second Android developer, a lead iOS developer, a second iOS developer, and a senior QA and mobile subject matter expert (SME).

How did you come to work with Waracle?

We spoke to a number of people during the discovery phase to understand what it would take to build a mobile app. We issued a tender and sought people to bid for the work.

We picked Waracle because they were very energetic. They were really a quite appealing company. They’re very personable and were a good fit for our culture. They were not one of the largest companies we spoke to, but we liked the idea of working with someone who was really going to go the extra mile for us. They also have a really good background in mobile web, hybrid native apps, IoT, voice, AR, blockchain, and the health tech industry.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $200,000–$999,999.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2018 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We now have 14,000 customers on the mobile app. We have average ratings of 4.5 on the Apple Store and 4.2 on Google Play.

How did Waracle perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re fantastic. We knew from the start that Waracle was going to work in an agile way. We knew they’d be quicker than we are. They were very patient with us and flexible enough to ensure that we weren’t spending too much money too far ahead of time.

They managed the project very well, using Jira, Slack, email, and phone calls. Since we have their SME on-premise, we have face-to-face meetings, commercial meetings, and agile standups.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility and patience are impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’ve been really impressed with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

A lot of people will go speak to some of the big, well-established organizations. Waracle might not seem as large as some of them, but the level of service they deliver is worth giving them a chance.