Webicules Technology

BACKGROUND

What challenge were you trying to address with Webicules?

We wanted to develop a mobile application for our service, which would allow doctors to see appointments, go to locations, look at feedback from pet owners, and look at animal histories.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Webicules was initially approached for website development. After the e-commerce platform was delivered, we discussed building a mobile application and backend database for medical records. I put together some rough sketches on my notepad and had eight to ten sessions with Webicules, during which they elaborated UI/UX design strategies. I was happy with the approach and decided to build the Android and iOS application with them.

What is the team dynamic?

 I communicated with a project coordinator. After three and a half months, there was an additional project manager assigned to us. I have been in touch with four or five developers.

How did you come to work with Webicules?

I had a couple of options, but Webicules was the economical choice.

How much have you invested with them?

The total was around $15,000, including support work.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Webicules in June 2016. The project finished in April 2017, after a 10-month period.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When the system was launched, there were 6-10 users on it. The number has increased to 1,200-1,500 in just three months. There’s been a tremendous growth, and it’s why I wanted to create the solution. An investor has been interested in the platform, and I will be getting around $2 million in funds over the next period.

How did Webicules perform from a project management standpoint?

They initially had a more technical discourse, but, once it was realized that I wasn’t a technical person, Webicules started talking to me in my language. I was quite happy after that. Our meetings went smoothly. We primarily communicated through email and Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

When they described the flow of the app, and what would be required of my system, I wasn’t sure about user reactions, but the UI and UX created by Webicules have worked in the last three months.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could work on improving the site’s performance. Internet speed in India is not very high, so there are optimizations to be made.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide an educational mobile app catering to kids aged 6–11 who are in grades 1–5. It’s a successful app with thousands of users.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Webicules Technology?

Initially, we were only serving B2C clients—the students themselves. During the last 4–5 months, we’ve felt the need to provide services for B2B clients since we had no downloads in this area.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Webicules helped us create a solution through which we can give our app directly to schools. They created the whole backend, including an admin module. The whole system is fully integrated—we can generate reports and send them to schools directly. In turn, schools can share these reports with students to point out areas for improvement. Schools can conduct tests on their premises while teachers can create questions on the backend.

Our mobile app was already complete, so Webicules only worked on an enterprise version of it using.NET. They also created some web services that support the mobile app. We also have a desktop version, and teachers use a web interface.

What is the team dynamic?

I have generally talked to the project manager from Webicules. In our case, this was the founder himself, Brijesh. He has been my single point of contact; I haven’t talked to any of the developers.

How did you come to work with Webicules Technology?

I came to know about them through a friend. I then met the founder of the company locally.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work was a bit above $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Webicules in June 2017, and the project was finished in August.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, three schools have enrolled in the enterprise level, which I think is a good start. It’s not a great number, but we haven’t been marketing the platform for very long. This is our responsibility, not theirs.

How did Webicules Technology perform from a project management standpoint?

We expected a delivery by the end of June, or in July, but we both experienced issues. Despite the delay, we were fine with the timeline.

They were always available whenever we needed help, even if it was late at night or early in the morning. We used multiple communication tools, including Slack, Skype, and phone. We also used WhatsApp for sending screenshots late at night.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were quite agile and could pivot to a different direction during development. When doing any product development, it’s critical to know everything in advance. Since market dynamics were constantly changing, we sometimes had to change requirements midway. There were obviously cost implications, but I’m happy that these were minimal.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could work more on cloud platforms like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.