We Make Waves

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and CEO of MorelandConnect and we’re a custom software agency based in Cleveland, Ohio.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with We Make Waves?

We were leading a project and our firm was writing all of the backend code, so we hired We Make Waves to do software development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were introduced to We Make Waves as a firm that does mobile app development and integrations, and they also had experience working with data privacy and security providers in the UK.

They were in charge of UX design, management, development, testing, and deployment of a mobile app. Midway through the project, the client requested more features to the app that we didn’t envision when we started. Those other features were basically facial recognition scanning and vitals scanning — We Make Waves didn’t have experience with any of that so part of our challenge was how to implement these features without disrupting all of the good work we had already done.

What the app basically did is use three components; two we provided, and one was integrated with a covid tracking and testing app. The first part is where users answer a set of questions related to their temperature and the people they’ve been with. The second part is for contact tracing, where the app can send coordinates to our backend system, where it would figure out who’s close to each other in an anonymous way.

The final part is facial scanning for biometrics. We take all the data and push it to a private secure storage location, which will ultimately lead to the creation of a dashboard to allow individuals to check into a location. We used JavaScript, React, C#, .NET framework, .NET Core, and SQL server.

What is the team composition?

I primarily worked with four people. There was one who was strictly on the design part, two did the testing and coding, and Kirsten (Co-Founder). He did some coding, but he was mostly the lead who managed the relationships and activities that were going on.

How did you come to work with We Make Waves?

I wasn’t in the position to decide since we were brought on to manage and build the backend of the project, after they’d already been hired. They were selected primarily because of their experience working with this platform, and because they were a good mobile design and development firm.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent somewhere between $50,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work that we did with them was accomplished in 3–4 different parts and because of client demands, they spent more time than they had anticipated and just worked through it with us. We Make Waves was very flexible and client-centered and they did really good work even though they were at a point in the project where the client kept asking for more.

They kept at it because they believed in us and the team — their dedication to client service was just top-notch.

How did We Make Waves perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. They established deadlines and they hit them in almost all cases, with only a couple of occasions that they didn’t. They were very forthright in describing the challenges that they saw, whether they were external or internal — this made it really easy for me to communicate with the paying client.

They had a set of tools that they used internally, but I can’t remember what they were — although we had a JIRA board that we used and they did a nice job working with us. They also used Figma for some of the design work and because we were in different timezones, we mostly communicated through Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with their tenacity in following their methodology for design and development. There were times when the client would come in and ask for a quick and cheap update, but We Make Waves wouldn't compromise because they believed they can deliver great designs following their own process. I admired that they held true to their beliefs in the way that they go about their work — in our experience, the results were top-notch.

Another thing I liked about them was their developers were patient and intelligent. I was proud to have on every call with the client because they explained the project clearly. When the client got upset about some things, they kept their feet on the ground and explained the situation until they understood it — they didn’t lose their temper or got upset, they were excellent when it came to interpersonal communication.

Are there any areas they could improve?

For our taste here in the Midwest, US, they were a bit on the expensive side. I almost feel bad for saying it because they’re based in London, and we’re based in Ohio, so there are different exchanges and costs of living. However, I would imagine that they would be really inexpensive compared to the shops in London, so it’s almost unfair for me to say — that’s the only thing I can really think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend that you allow We Make Waves’ expertise to just flow through — don’t try to throttle them or change the way they go about doing their work. Their methods, their process, and how they built their team are really good, so there’s no reason to get in the way of how they do things — let them do their thing, and you’ll be thrilled with the results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing for Dataswift. We sell personal data management solutions, which are backend technologies. Our primary customers are people who build apps and websites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with We Make Waves?

We Make Waves is a development agency in London. They specialize in creating apps and websites like the ones our target customers look at as their main product. We wanted to build a partnership with them to help some of those companies build better quality products and get off the ground quicker.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We don’t offer any of the services that We Make Waves do, so they were the third piece of the puzzle. We provided a tool that developers could use, and our clients came to us without developers or as developers themselves to build the first version of their product. We Make Waves delivered, and sometimes they acted like staff augmentation, depending on the case. If the client had development capabilities, they relied on them to do a lot more, so they stepped in as the whole back-to-back team.

We engaged with We Make Waves in a large-scale project to build a new application with one of our existing clients. The application was a new kind of contact tracer that used privacy management solutions and our technology to protect the data of its users.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with the three co-founders, all from a software engineering background. Kirsten (Co-Founder) was the director, and he led the project. The team also consisted of a product designer as well as native iOS and Android developers.

How did you come to work with We Make Waves?

We went through a pretty rigorous process. First, we got to know several development agencies in London and across Europe, and we worked with them in a trial capacity to see how good they were for the project. We Make Waves was one of these.

Over time, we got to know them and developed a rapport. We became pretty comfortable working with them, so we signed for our long-term partnership.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between £50,000–£150,000 (approximately $69,000–$207,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our partnership in May 2019, and it ran until August 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Out of the many developing agencies that we worked with over that period, We Make Waves was the most senior and professional of the group by far. We were assigning different projects to different developers, and whenever we needed a partner with extremely high capability and confidence, they were always our first choice. We came to a point where we would always choose to work with We Make Waves if we had the opportunity to personally choose them, so they were a high-fidelity choice for us.

Overall, we appreciated their work and found them very good at scoping the expectations management side of the delivery process, which can be quite tricky. Their work was always ready to be delivered to an end customer and to the various intermediaries that we have to deal with in the web development world. In that sense, the quality of their work was extraordinarily high value.

Also, we could work with them on several different price points. Moreover, they were reliable — we could always turn to them and have a high degree of confidence and trust whenever we needed a job done.

How did We Make Waves perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. We Make Waves was good at setting our expectations and managed us quite well, which can be a challenging part of service delivery. They were professional and flexible in setting up the appropriate billing mechanisms for our partnership.

Additionally, they did a great job managing the delivery process. With many projects, we inevitably ran over budget and struggled with some of the requirements on our side. However, they were very accommodating and managed service and product delivery exceptionally well, which is always tricky.

We communicated over email, phone, and in person. For project management tools, I believe we used Asana on our side, and they would’ve gotten access to it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

For such a small team, they had an extremely high capability in design and scope, as well as a high degree of reliability and code function. Also, they knew how to navigate through some thorny aspects of app development; some things that I would expect other agencies to either get costs to explode or just be unable to deliver at all.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come in with an open mind about the scope. Many clients don’t have a full appreciation for what’s involved in app development, so if you want to make the best out of their capability, go in with a full spec and understand what you’re looking for. Then, listen to them and talk about the process to determine the best outcome.

Finally, trust the expertise that Kirsten and his team bring to the table. They were better than us at the stuff that we needed to be good at, and that made a huge difference in the quality of the products we delivered to our clients.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Kunye Financial. We are a fintech company that seeks to secure the financial well-being of geographically displaced families.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with We Make Waves?

We worked with We Make Waves in early 2020 and, at that time, we were trying to validate aspects of our market and create a proof of concept (POC) that would help us do that. I needed a prototype that I could use to communicate to potential investors and end-users.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We reviewed the main business canvas together. After that, we got an initial understanding of the business, and We Make Waves helped me identify any gaps that I had missed in how I thought about the problem from a technology perspective.

I was the sole founder at that point, and since I don’t come from a technological background, I needed We Make Waves to help me with all the technological pieces that I couldn’t do. Part of that support involved doing a risk assessment. 

The project was being released from a technological piece. We Make Waves’ team came up with a mitigation plan for the specifics they saw in the business from a technical perspective and a POC piece.

To do the prototyping, we did story mapping, which I had never done before. They walked me through the story mapping process together step by step, and we did it in a series of meetings, which was really nice. 

We Make Waves helped me visualize what I wanted my product to look like and the project’s scope. They helped me think about what I could conceivably provide in that MVP stage, and create a development roadmap and determine the costs associated with developing the product.

The last thing that We Make Waves helped me with was to have a clickable prototype, which is what I ultimately wanted. I could show other people what the product would look and feel like, and they provided that prototype.

What is the team composition?

I worked with the three co-founders of We Make Waves.

How did you come to work with We Make Waves?

The work that We Make Waves did for me was facilitated by a grant through another organization. The organization worked with specific partners and had some organizations that they suggested. I took a look at the different ones they had suggested, and I liked We Make Waves because they had experience in building financial technology platforms.

They looked like they had a wealth of experience just in general from a product development aspect and working with startups, which was vital. I needed someone who would understand the part of the journey that I was on, and they had that specific experience, which was crucial for me.

How much have you invested in them?

The cost of the project was £15,000 (approximately $21,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started in February 2020, and the project was completed in September 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I used their work to help me win a pitch competition. I was able to pitch using the prototype and shared it with potential users to do testing and understand their needs. Not only that, but I used the POC for two rounds and, based on the results, I did a survey and conducted interviews with 60 customers.

How did We Make Waves perform from a project management standpoint?

We Make Waves did amazing work, and they were fantastic at managing the project. From the beginning, they were very clear about determining the outcomes and timelines. They set meetings in advance to keep things on time — they were brilliant. We communicated through email, Zoom, and in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What made them different from other providers is that their clients were working directly with the company’s owners. They had an interest in the outcome that they put on the table. Clients received their full attention and the full experience of the whole team instead of just part of the team.

Their dedication to their work was much higher than other teams. They were also entrepreneurs, so they truly understood the entrepreneurial journey, and they wanted to help as best as they could.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You need to know what you want out of the relationship. Be clear about your business model because that will help them better understand your business needs, especially if you already have research to support what you are doing.

I had a white paper and some customer research that I shared to help them better understand my business model. In a sense, they aren’t a separate part of your business; their work is critical to your ability to move forward, so it is good to see them as partners rather than consultants.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the vice president for the research innovation partnership at Dataswift, an infrastructure provider for the ethical management of personal data exchange and storage. I cover a variety of briefs connected to researching new applications and developing new tools for the ecosystem.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with We Make Waves?

We needed a team to develop a mobile application that could serve as a COVID-19 risk assessment tool.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It all began with our hackathon with university partners that gave us the initial idea for an application that doubles as a contact tracing and COVID-19 assessment tool. Once we merged that with our own concepts, we decided to work on a mobile app that utilizes our own infrastructure as its backend. Our university partners and other stakeholders then designed the high-level architectural concepts to maximize the use of our infrastructure. We Make Waves was already familiar with our infrastructure from the previous work they did for us, so tasked them with building the frontend consumer-facing application that this system would require.

We worked with We Make Waves extensively for this development project, which included the initial scoping, UI and system design, managing submissions to the App Store and Playstore, and other development-related assignments. We provided them with an abstract view of the overall system we wanted to build, and they heavily referred to that as the project progressed.

Our mobile app’s main feature is a privacy-preserving tool that allows users to input their daily symptoms along with other related data. The information is then sent to our backend, and we process it to come up with a propagation analysis of each user's risks before we present them with two scores based on their reported symptoms and the people they've mingled with. 

Additionally, We Make Waves conducted extensive research on location pickup efficacy and contact tracing tools. This needed to be done as privately as possible, so there was a large divide between Bluetooth data and GPS data. While Bluetooth was more anonymous than the latter, it wasn't proven to be as accurate. We decided to go with a GPS-based solution, and We Make Waves examined how to maximize the said method's efficacy alongside our university partners. 

What is the team composition?

We work closely with two of their co-founders and one developer.

How did you come to work with We Make Waves?

They had done previous work on other applications developed on our platform, some of which we’ve been continuously supporting and incubating. Knowing their team as a reliable partner, we decided to renew our partnership with We Make Waves to work on this development project.

How much have you invested with them?

For this particular project, we spent about $75,000. Overall, we’ve spent over $200,000 on several projects with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began collaborating with them in November 2019. We worked together on this project for about six or seven months but our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We Make Waves is a team of creative, skilled, and patient resources that continuously provides us with commendable results. For this project alone, they took the initiative to present new architecture and infrastructure ideas that our own team hasn't considered, and those changes positively affected our platform. Overall, they're a great partner that considers our needs and expectations.

How did We Make Waves perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicate via Slack, Zoom, and phone calls, while we use Figma to go over their design work and concepts. We Make Waves has been impressively disciplined — they're always committed to meeting our deadlines, and they communicate effectively with our team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We're always impressed with their familiarity with our architecture, which leads them to create on-point tech solutions every time. Additionally, they're a very involved team that shares the same ideals as us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We Make Waves is an experienced group that's worth your while. Don't hesitate to give their services a shot.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project coordinator for a property management firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with We Make Waves?

A customer had a problem with managing their property portfolio. They wanted a custom-made software built, so we needed a company to develop it for us and we wanted it done in London as quickly as possible.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did custom software development for our client, they built all the features and needs of our client as they wanted very specific features. The first iteration was for the family, which they liked so much that they wanted to resell it. We found another two clients and the service was redone a few times — it was still very similar, but it was still tailor-made for each client. At the moment, we’re not doing development with them, but they do the maintenance work for our software.

What is the team composition?

We work with the owner and founder, a frontend developer, a backend developer, and a designer.

How did you come to work with We Make Waves?

My boss recommended them. They somehow stood out with the website and projects they’d done. We did an interview with them and it was their general experience with past projects that attracted my boss to them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about £250,000 GBP (approximately $340, 800 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017, and our partnership is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They improved the portfolio management and we have more visibility now — we’ve also saved a lot in terms of time. Before, if we had a question, it took several days to find a person responsible for the property. The person would need to be reached and the information would need to be provided. There’s now improved visibility of the portfolio, and you can find properties that weren’t managed well or overlooked and forgotten — there were definitely significant improvements.

How did We Make Waves perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re very pleased. We get great visibility and they have an impressive approach to project management — they used Trello to manage everything, and they would hold our hand through it. We always know what’s coming, what’s needed, what the next phase will be, and what’s going to be delivered. It was the most impressive agile project management style. We mainly use Slack to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their agile project management is impressive. They’re a great team and we got the full package. They give really professional advice, and there’s clear communication and visibility.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything for them to improve. We gave them our specific needs and it was all delivered on time. If something was going to run late, we were informed in advance. The price was as we were told in the beginning and there were no surprises.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Some clients might be resistant because they organized a workshop at the beginning. They do this to form a structure and some clients might think it would take too much time. I advise them to go through it because it will introduce a lot of visibility and clear structure — I recommend you take full advantage of this.