Xmartlabs

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of CellarEye. We built an inventory management system for private and commercial wine cellars.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xmartlabs?

I used machine learning models on an edge device that offered limited computational power. I wanted to improve the models' performance and increase their run-time speed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team tried different approaches, models, and schemes to make the models run faster. They tried different models in PyTorch. Their team also tried different libraries.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three team members from Xmartlabs including a project manager, a senior engineer, and one junior engineer.

How did you come to work with Xmartlabs?

A colleague who owns a startup recommended Xmartlabs. They developed my colleague's mobile app, which required computer-vision machine learning modeling. Their team knew what they were doing, so I went with them.

How much have you invested with them?

(Confidential)

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in April 2020 and completed it in six weeks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was happy with the outcome, so it was a successful collaboration. Their team was knowledgeable. The price was steep compared to other outsourced teams, but they delivered high-quality results. I would give them a 9/10.

How did Xmartlabs perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via Google Hangouts. Depending on the project's stage, we had either bi-weekly or weekly meetings. Their team used a project management tool with a panel that we used to track their progress. I knew all of the details. They also sent a report halfway through the project and another report at the end.

Their project manager was on top of the engagement, so it was a smooth process. They managed to complete the project in a short amount of time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It was a good experience, so I’m happy. Xmartlabs delivered what we expected.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I only have such minor comments that they’re not worth listing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO. We provide our customers with the ability to import photos through their mobile device’s camera roll or any of their social media platforms, such as Facebook or Instagram. Through the convenience of using our mobile app, customers can edit and design their photobook albums. Once the customer pays, we fulfill and deliver the order.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xmartlabs?

We already had a mobile app that was developed by a different vendor. As the business continued to grow, we wanted a better and stronger technology provider that could help take us to the next level, so that we could compete with the other big players in this space. We’d like to expand both locally and globally as part of our business growth.

We have our app available on iOS and Android, so it was important that whoever we engaged was capable of working in native languages for these platforms. At the same time, we needed someone who could work with Amazon services and databases. We also needed help building our PHP back office, which supports our frontend.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a total revamp and redesign of our app’s UI/UX, which took about 3–4 months. Followed by that was the development and testing life cycle. We built the whole app from the bottom up. At the same time, we asked them to help us out with website development. They were up for the task and executed all of that.

What is the team composition?

At this point, we’ve had almost 15 Xmartlabs team members work on this project.

How did you come to work with Xmartlabs?

We started looking on Clutch for companies that were very specialized and had good reviews in UI/UX design as well as mobile development. Xmartlabs popped up, as did other vendors from Hungary, the US, and Belgium. We looked at a lot of criteria: the company’s hourly rate, execution, and previous portfolio. 

Our project is very focused on a lot of photo enhancements and artistic, creative style, so we needed to make sure that whoever we chose was very good when it came to the English language; we needed them to take the scope of work provided by us and understand it. We wanted them to work autonomously during the process while asking important questions along the way, without charging too much. We did our due diligence and landed on Xmartlabs; their portfolio was relevant enough to our space, and they ticked all of the other boxes.

How much have you invested with them?

Confidential cost.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our collaboration began in March 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t released any of the production yet. We were hoping to release it by March 2020, but because of the pandemic, we’ve decided to hold off until things settle down. The rescheduled website and app launch date will likely be June 2020. At that point, I’ll probably have better metrics of how our user base has been able to receive what Xmartlabs has done. 

From my own perspective and experience of dealing with them, their graphics department is very talented. Their research and design team is also amazing; they’ve done their due diligence when it comes to market research. In terms of the big players we strive to compete against, Xmartlabs has helped us to learn from their mistakes. They’ve also adopted their successes and applied it to our design and development. The app is ready to be released and I’m very happy; I have nothing bad to say. I’m just excited to release it to the public. 

How did Xmartlabs perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve used a lot of project management tools, like Notion for documentation and Trello for sprint runs, tracking action items and who is working on what, and prioritization of feature sets. Another tool we used was Pivotal, which is mostly for the technical feature sets and making sure that cards are assigned to the right developer and part of the software development cycle.

From a resource perspective, they’ve been on top of it. They make sure that action items are assigned and documentation is posted and available for everyone to see for the different departments we have internally. They’ve communicated with us in a very prompt manner the dates that they anticipate something will be accomplished by, and they’ve met those dates with flying colors.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very good at multiple things, but one that comes to mind is autonomy; as a CTO, I have a lot of things going on internally, and the last thing I want is to be micromanaging people. It’s as simple as me providing Xmartlabs with a task that I want done and its prioritization, and they’re very capable of understanding the task and asking any questions if anything is unclear during the process. They work autonomously and deliver right to the point.

Another key strength of theirs is that nothing seems to faze them. If I ask for something, they’re capable of having ideation sessions and problem-solving, and then they come back with multiple solutions to address any problems or feature sets. When I’ve presented things to previous vendors, they’d do nothing but complain about it taking too long or something not being feasible or clear. Xmartlabs takes whatever I give them, asks the right questions, and acts upon it.

When it comes to quality, they’re amazing; they don’t compromise or take shortcuts, which I’ve also experienced with previous vendors. Xmartlabs learned very quickly that I’m a perfectionist who pays attention to very small details, and they’ve made sure to apply this across the whole experience and application.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The one thing that I struggled with a few times was the availability of resources. When we needed extra developers for iOS, Android, or PHP, it did take them quite some time, around 1–2 months, to find that resource. My only criticism is that they didn’t always have someone available, but not every vendor is expected to have a developer there to dispense. They did eventually find the right person, and sometimes the new person was even better than the previous person.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is a B2B medication-related data provider; part of a broader healthcare portfolio of one of the largest media companies in the world. I am a Product Manager overseeing a medication management/adherence-related product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Xmartlabs?

We needed to build a mobile app demo of our content for sales purposes.

What were your goals for this project?

Create a simple mobile app that shows medication information in a mobile-friendly, interactive way (vs. as digital PDFs).

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Xmart was referred to us internally.

Describe the project in detail.

The goal of this project was to build a simple demo iOS app. A user could import and ID and add meds as needed. Within the app a user could click into each med to see schedule and clinical details (cautions, key instructions, side effects). We provided high fidelity wireframes and they adapted the design for the MVP. Overall the project took about 5 weeks from kickoff to handoff.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, lead developer, and UX designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Too early to tell.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team was extremely responsive and friendly. Very quick to address feedback. Overall there were little to no communication barriers.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Responsiveness and friendliness.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Asset management throughout the process was mostly via email.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder and COO of DiveIn, a platform that makes local impact easy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xmartlabs?

We created a previous version of our app in 2017 that we just weren’t happy with. We didn’t have the sort of traction we were hoping for, so we wanted to rebuild our product to better reflect our vision.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Xmartlabs rebuilt our apps form scratch. They built both an iOS and Android version of the app. The team worked in React Native on the frontend.

What is the team composition?

We worked with five members of the Xmartlabs team, including a project manager, two frontend developers, and two backend developers. They would also pull in folks for part-time work and special tasks, so approximately 10 in total.

How did you come to work with Xmartlabs?

My co-founder and I found Xmartlabs on Clutch. We found about 15 different firms and personally interviewed them. After that, we narrowed it down to seven and held another round of interviews. Once we got it down to three companies we had our technical advisor do the final interview to help us make our final decision.

Ultimately, what did it for us was how much we enjoyed chatting with the co-founders of Xmartlabs. Agustin and Enrique were a joy to talk to and really seemed excited about the potential to build our project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We initially reached out to them in September 2018 and kicked off development in February 2019. The project wrapped up in September 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a finished app that is much closer to what we initially envisioned. Our team leaned on Xmartlabs for design help throughout the development process. We ended up with two very clean apps that look great and work well.

My co-founder and I were first-time entrepreneurs so we also learned a ton about the development process. I was able to function as the product manager and be the point of contact for our team. From Xmartlabs, I learned a ton about scrum and agile project management processes, which was a fun learning experience.

We gained a team of friends and everyone who touched the project was great to work with. My co-founder and I have nothing bad to say about them because they worked so hard to get us a product that we wanted.

How did Xmartlabs perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Jira and Slack to communicate with Xmartlabs. Slack was specifically helpful in our situation because if a developer had a question, they could hop on a channel so we could give them an answer and keep things moving. We also worked in different time zones so it kept our everyone informed at any moment in town. They were very good at not allowing blockers to creep in and slow down the project.

Our project manager was great at being on top of it and super organized. She made sure things didn’t fall through the cracks. They kept the conversation flowing and made sure everybody had the answers they needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team did a great job of being more communicative, setting expectations, and helping us meet our goals. More than anything, we felt like they believed in the product they were building. It didn’t feel like work to them.

They would come in every day with smiles on their faces. At the end of the project, it felt like the end of summer camp and all of my new friends were going back to their respective schools. We had a really good time working together and I’d recommend them to anyone. They are a passionate team that’s going to do a really good job and enjoy the process along the way.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of engineering at an addiction recovery platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xmartlabs?

We hired Xmartlabs for their software development expertise through building a mobile application we wanted to get to market. There were challenges with the complexity of the technology as well as recruiting in our local market.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For the mobile app, the team used TypeScript and React Native for development. The platform is available for both Android and iOS.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two developers throughout our collaboration.

How did you come to work with Xmartlabs?

We reached out to Xmartlabs based on a referral from someone in our professional network. Our team felt that they were a good fit because of their experience working with companies of a similar profile with similar needs. Their technical expertise was also noteworthy.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began sometime in the middle of 2018, and we released the app into the market in December 2018. We’ve also carried the engagement forward, making our relationship ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Xmartlabs produced a portion of our software product that many other developers tried and failed. Their expertise, particularly at the early stages of research and proposing possible solutions, was quite detailed and balanced. They look for the best overall solution, not necessarily trying to extend the collaboration. Xmartlabs is fully embedded, working alongside us as if they’re part of our operation.

How did Xmartlabs perform from a project management standpoint?

Xmartlabs integrated into our own project management processes. They were given our system accounts and then operated alongside the employees.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team is proactive. They don’t sit back and wait for direction, but propose solutions and look ahead. Xmartlabs is an active part of our team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
 
I’m the founder of Gush, a consumer internet company.
 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xmartlabs?
 
We were trying to get a web app to market as quickly as possible, so we used Xmartlabs to support our in-house engineering team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?
 
They performed frontend engineering on the web app using JavaScript, HTML, React, and Node.js. 

What is the team composition?
 
They assigned one junior developer and a midlevel to a senior developer who helped the junior developer. They also had a project manager who ensured the team adhered to timelines. 

How did you come to work with Xmartlabs?
 
I met the founder a couple of years ago, so I thought of them when we were hiring. We spoke with several development agencies, asked for pricing quotes, and met team members. After this process, we realized Xmart offered the best combination of a good development process and strong operations. They also offered the best value to cost ratio. 

How much have you invested with them?
 
We have invested about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?
 
We started in mid-September or early October 2018, and we stopped working with them in February 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team produced high-quality code within a reliable timeframe. They started generating value beyond their assignments, suggesting helpful code enhancements and suggested tweaks that would result in long-term success.  

How did Xmartlabs perform from a project management standpoint?
 
They dipped into our stack of management tools, including Jira and Slack. For design work, they introduced us to Abstract, which was quite helpful. 

They had a strong communication style, offering daily check-ins. We connected just enough to remain updated on their progress without feeling burdened with too much information. Xmartlabs also paid close attention to the schedule, making sure they caught up after any delays.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We appreciated how they provided both a senior engineer and the project manager to ensure high-quality support for the junior developer. When the junior developer had trouble accomplishing tasks on time, they allocated more work to a more experienced developer mostly free of cost. 

The team was very friendly, and working with them was a pleasure. We had a great cultural fit, and they maintained a positive attitude throughout the process. If anything negative happened, they ensured it didn’t affect the deadlines or the quality of their work.
 
Are there any areas they could improve?
 
There was a miscalculation on both of our parts considering the ability of the junior engineer to complete the project without support. However, they were happy to tweak their resource package to ensure they could meet the initial scope we described. Out of vendors we’ve worked with so far, working with Xmart has been the most positive experience. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a health technology startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xmartlabs?

We needed mobile application development help. At the time, we weren't capable of developing an Android app in-house.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed an Android application for us in the health technology space. We’d developed an iOS app internally, and Xmartlabs used that to build an equivalent Android solution. The application enables users (asthma patients) to track and monitor their health. They can log asthma attacks, complete a quality of life survey, and receive advice on managing their lifestyle based on several variables: fitness levels, attacks, medication, and environmental factors such as pollen count, temperature, wind speed, and pollution levels. They developed the app using Java for Android. They’ve also done work on other projects using Objective-C for iOS.

What is the team composition?

We work with a project manager and several developers. We’ve also been in touch with the CEO and CTO.

How did you come to work with Xmartlabs?

We posted the job on Upwork and they came to us with a competitive quote and examples of their previous work. They provided an overview of their development process, and we were able to speak to both their CEO and CTO to get to know their business. They spoke fluent English, and seeing how there was only a few hours’ time difference, we signed with them. They came across as incredibly professional and competent.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since May 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our client is extremely fond of the solution. The Android solution Xmartlabs developed won several awards in the pharmaceutical industry in the UK, as did our internally developed iOS app.

How did Xmartlabs perform from a project management standpoint?

They use Slack, which we already used internally, and we communicate with the project manager and developers daily. Weekly calls on Google Hangouts allow us to share screens and see what they’re working on. They’re also available for ad hoc calls when required.

We use Jira, and they were willing to adapt to that system. They log and update tasks and build their sprints in Jira. Feedback also comes through Jira, as do weekly builds that we pass off to our QA team. Their project manager is fantastic to work with because of their responsiveness.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their software development lifecycle is incredibly strong. They put a senior programmer in place to oversee everything and do code reviews, which they share with us. This provides us evidence as to the level of rigor they work with.

Everything goes through QA on their side before we see it, but they accept any bugs we find without resistance or hesitation. Additionally, they've shown initiative in modifying our iOS designs where they conflict with Android technology using their internal design team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. They’ve been open to feedback throughout the project, and their CTO checks-in weekly or bi-weekly to keep a pulse on how things are progressing. Our relationship is very strong now.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of Free & Willing, a freelance job platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xmartlabs?

Xmartlabs helped me develop, launch, and evolve the platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

While initially developing the website, I provided Xmartlabs with designs and content, and I relied on their team to build the backend. The website utilizes AWS and is coded with Ruby on Rails, JavaScript, and jQuery. Over time, I improved my own coding skills, but Xmartlabs cleaned up much of my work. Since the site was completed and launched, I have relied on Xmartlabs to provide updates as necessary.

What is the team composition?

The team usually consists of a project manager and a developer, but a technical lead is sometimes involved depending on how junior or senior the developer is.

How did you come to work with Xmartlabs?

I began working with Xmartlabs about six years ago when I approached them about a proof of concept. I appreciated their strong communication. Even though they are remote, we operate in the same time zone, and I preferred to work with them over a developer in Asia or Europe.

What is the status of this engagement?

I engaged them originally in 2012, but this current project began in 2014 and remains ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Throughout the development and post-launch, Xmartlabs has proven to be efficient and reliable. My website has experienced no major issues because Xmartlabs prioritizes both functionality and a strong UX.

How did Xmartlabs perform from a project management standpoint?

I can sleep well at night knowing that they’re on my team. We collaborate well through Slack for day-to-day tasks. We only use email when discussing financial terms.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They will execute on all specifications and do so fairly quickly—that’s what makes a developer special to me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their written English is strong, but their spoken English could be improved. Still, it’s nothing that prevents us from working together.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a B2B software provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xmartlabs?

We needed additional development resources that would become part of our development team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They've done a number of development projects for us using mainly Java. They've also used MySQL, Ebean, Framework, and React. We made them part of our development team, so I don't see our collaboration as outsourcing–even though they're based in Latin America.

What is the team composition?

We work with three of their developers.

How did you come to work with Xmartlabs?

They were recommended to me by a colleague who had worked with them previously.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2018 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They've met all of our expectations, and they've done all the work we assigned to them with rigor and diligence. We see them as part of our team, and they're acting that way. I can give them any kind of work at this point.

How did Xmartlabs perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been using our internal project management tools, such as Pivotal Tracker and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They've blended in with the rest of our team rather than being a separate team. Also, they go above and beyond to understand our product and the product evolution.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the VP of engineering for a digital identity platform. We worked to simplify how individuals could securely prove their identity online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xmartlabs?

We had built APIs and UIs, but didn’t have a mobile presence. We wanted a mobile application to introduce ourselves to that market, but didn’t have the in-house resources to build one.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Xmartlabs developed a mobile wallet app for iOS and Android with support from our in-house design team. The solution enabled users to redeem benefits and verify their identity at our partner websites. Users would create an account and then store and manage their various identifications—whether student or military—in the app. Xmartlabs built the solution on native platforms and released the iOS version into the App Store in late 2017.

What is the team composition?

Enrique (Co-Founder, Xmartlabs) served as the project manager. The team included a technical architect, and a full-time engineer for each mobile platform.

How did you come to work with Xmartlabs?

Another vendor that we knew and trusted recommended Xmartlabs. As a result, they were high on our list when we evaluated different firms.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2016. I left the company in September 2017 and the partnership ended a few months after that.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since this app was an unfulfilled goal, I consider seeing it in the App Store to be a marker of success. Overall, the team was insightful and provided intimate knowledge about native app development. We completely relied on them to finish the app.

How did Xmartlabs perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication was consistent. They did phone calls, daily stand-ups, and weekly sprints on a regular basis. The team excelled at backlog management and always kept us in the loop.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Some of our concepts were in the identity space and weren't common in typical app development projects. The team leveraged their expertise to learn new things quickly. They were also helpful with the overall process and sprint planning.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The language barrier caused some confusion. We communicated over Slack and asked for a few clarifications. While it was the only thing that came up, it wasn’t a real issue.

Any advice for potential customers?

Don’t treat technology vendors like another black box that will figure everything out. Be involved in the process to have a successful product at the end. Results require work on both sides.