Wonderkid Studio

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own a photo editing website that allows customers to manipulate uploaded photos to add effects and purchase them in various media styles.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wonderkid Studio?

I needed the website built from scratch.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built my site. I had an idea of how to do it—which I outlined in an extensive flow chart I provide to them—and they were able to program it the way I wanted it to be done. They contributed a few ideas on the design elements but were primarily responsible for implementing my ideas with some improvements.

What is the team dynamic?

I worked directly with the CEO, who had some programmers working with him. He was my primary contact and I only worked with them sporadically.

How did you come to work with Wonderkid Studio?

I found them through a colleague’s review of them on a hiring site. I put out a post for a specific part of my project and, of all the responses I received, they were able to provide me with a sample of something they had done that was very similar. I was comfortable choosing them knowing that they knew how to do what I required.

How much have you invested with them?

Approximately $20,000 to $25,000

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together in 2003 or 2004. They have done some periodic updates since then.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site works. There were a lot of bugs that they fixed. The business has done well over the years. Any time that I had an issue, it was taken care of. I needed some additional help on that project a couple of years ago. He completed it and didn’t even charge me. I paid him anyway; he’s a good guy.

How did Wonderkid Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

There was a lot of back and forth between us. Overall the project went smoothly: I have a programming background so we were able to work well together. My relevant knowledge was critical to the project running well.

We communicated solely through email and chat, and never spoke on the phone. They're based in Eastern Europe. Given that we never spoke, I’m not sure how their English skills are but we had no communication issues. Sometimes responses were a bit delayed but they always got back to me.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re competent—better than most—and they did a good job.

Are there any areas they could improve?

You can always improve on speed. He was relying on his staff and was balancing multiple clients.

Advice for potential customers?

Definitely have a flowchart and write everything down. If you don't do that, you're leaving a lot of things up in the air.