Yalantis

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a software and consulting company that offers services on a B2B2C model. Basically, we build white-label software, specifically in the telecom segment. We offer 2 main products to our clients and brand the products through our clients’ requirements, and they offer them to their end users. We manage the end-to-end technology and administer the solution. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Yalantis?

Our solution involves multiple parts, and we use different technologies. Some of these technologies were developed in-house, but it made sense to outsource others to a separate company. We’d used several external companies before hiring Yalantis. The main challenge was balancing both quality and cost.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We outsourced to Yalantis the application development for a solution of ours. We gave them the requirements, and they used their experience for handling the UI designs and the development of 2 native applications for iOS and Android. The first app involves voice-over IP calling services. Our backend and networks support this kind of functionality. We also have an old application that was connected to our network and making calls, but it was badly designed. Yalantis helped us revamp the UX and application design and development. They didn’t do marketing for us.

For the other app, which involves Wi-Fi access, they’ve pitched some good ideas around the marketing and the USPs [unique selling propositions] of the product and how we could present it to users.

How did you come to work with Yalantis?

I can't recall how we came to work with Yalantis, but we first partnered with them 4 or 5 years ago on a small web design task. We were impressed with the quality of their work, the process they followed, and their general development. When we needed more app development and app design, we asked for proposals from different development houses, and Yalantis had the best offer in terms of quality and cost.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably invested more than £100,000 [$130,000].

What is the status of this engagement? 

The application development took place in October or September 2016. Our first task happened probably 2 or 3 years ago. We do have support and new development activities ongoing with Yalantis. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our products are B2B2C. We launched our first service last week, so we’re still ramping up the numbers. We don’t have many users at this time. We’re quite happy with the response we’ve received internally as well as externally from friendly testers, users, partners, and clients to whom we pitched our services. The feedback, in general, has been quite positive, specifically on the app and its branding.

How did Yalantis perform from a project management standpoint?

One of Yalantis’ greatest strengths is their project management processes. We used Slack to communicate, and we usually had about 4 or 5 active people involved in our projects at Yalantis.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In general, Yalantis’ UI design stands out. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be more nimble. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I'm the founder of a consumer app where we allowed people to share articles in a new way on mobile.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Yalantis?

My business wanted to go through a complete scrum period with Yalantis where we created a wireframe, and then designed it. I wanted to take my idea from out of my head and get it to something that is real and that I could take to investors and raise money for it.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

I did my own mockups and gave Yalantis specific instructions. I explained to them all the features and they were able to understand it at a high level and give me what I wanted. I was pleased with the designers. I had an idea of what I wanted it to look like, but I'm not a designer and gave them creative license. They gave me some key design points that I liked for the app. Once I was able to describe the feature sets specifically we put together a wireframe and then we designed it. It was important to take into account how users would be using it and best practice user interface for today's user. They were able to suggest many different things.

How did you come to work with Yalantis?

I extensively searched for a partner to help me build my prototype. I was looking at Behance and Dribbble, and they both have many designs. I came across two people's designs that I liked, and it turned out both of these people worked at Yalantis. I decided that's who I would use for the prototype. I hire a lot of work from Upwork and across the world. I've learned a nice website doesn't always mean good, quality work. Yalantis had a nice website, and they had a nice blog they updated regularly. They had some high-level blogs. That partnered with me coming across two different designers organically that worked for them – I was impressed with them overall. Their blog pushed good content about the state of the app industry. It proved that they knew what they were talking about.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

My project cost between $10,000 and $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We're still raising money. I'm able to give my pitch to investors and show the prototype. It has been an ongoing project. After I raise funds, I'll be going to Yalantis for development. I had a six-month ongoing conversation with them because of the time it took to raise funds. They worked fast. When you put a deposit down, they allocate resources to you and give you a designer, a back-end guy, someone to answer your questions, and one or two project managers. The project was completed in two months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The prototype created by Yalantis has helped influence investors. The design is very exciting and new. It touches on a lot of stuff that people can see as something being very successful.

How did Yalantis perform from a project management standpoint?

They were top-notch. I don't know how other firms work because this is the first firm that I've hired. Part of the reason I used them is they had a very affordable hourly rate for the work that I saw they had online. Another deciding factor for me was they had done the StreetEasy app that Zillow purchased. Also, if I had gotten this done in the United States, it would have been $40,000.

What distinguishes Yalantis from other providers?

Yalantis was very affordable and always available. Even though they were across the world, we had set up times to schedule conversations. They would send me lists of questions that I would answer prior to our meetings, and it worked out very well. I had a positive experience with Yalantis. I think my project has the potential to be something special that people will use on a large scale.

Is there anything Yalantis could have improved or done differently?

Nothing comes to mind. In the beginning, they assigned me a designer but, then, they changed, which was not a big deal because nothing was done yet. I was trying to get to know the designer, and then they switched him. That was the only negative, but it turned out to be positive because the woman I worked with was amazing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Our organization is a mobile application that serves as a social business training marketplace.

What is your position?

I am the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Yalantis?

They built the application on iOS that we intend to use as the core of our business.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We defined how we envisioned the platform, and then collaborated with Yalantis to have them design and build the application.

How did you come to work with Yalantis?

We were impressed by the prior projects they had as samples and how they were able to talk through them. Everything on Yalantis's website was extremely user-friendly. Most importantly, they addressed all of my questions. Deciding to build a piece of technology with a third party is a very risky project. You have to rely on them very heavily in your future business. The way they addressed all of my questions, regardless of what they were, was very reassuring. That was ultimately the deciding factor, given the time and effort, Yalantis showed they were willing to invest.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The project cost between $50,000 and $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The status of the project is ongoing. We built the application in stages and started work in March 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Unfortunately, it is too early to share any statistics or metrics. We worked with Yalantis to build the application, and I think that it was done beautifully. We're working with a small group of people, but the application has not gone to market. As far as their performance, it was first rate and a 100 percent fit to what we believe clients look for. People that we have had use the application are definitely pleased with its functionality and the way it looks and what it does. However, there are always things to improve. This is not only my opinion, but the opinion of people we recruited to test out the application.

What distinguishes Yalantis from other providers?

Yalantis worked with our company as partners instead of just simply being an outsourced vendor. There are many companies that are concerned about their billable hours and the segments of project that they complete. These guys are far more involved in the overall. They give the user insight into how things could be done better. I'm pretty sure there are third-party developers out there who would just follow along with the client's initial specifications without any suggestion on how the process could have been better.

Is there anything Yalantis could have improved or done differently?

Some things are an inevitable part of the process. When you're building an application, you run into many unexpected issues in the sense that you build things that end up not being used. This is not because it is not needed, but because the market shows that some features are unnecessary. At the same time, I felt the delays that we experienced or the wrinkles in the process sometimes could have been handled more quickly on their end. That being said, I think many of the delays were caused on my end. Overall, communication with small details could be improved.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I am the founder of BroTech LLC. The application we had developed is called the Bro App. We're a mobile development company and currently our only application is the Bro App. It is a social app for men for friendship or dating.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Yalantis?

I came to Yalantis with a prototype and design for my application. Despite looking locally, I could not find a company in D.C. that could develop it. They helped finish the design and developed it into an iOS and Android product.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

I was trying to have the Bro App come out from prototype to development so that it would appear in the App Store.

How did you come to work with Yalantis?

I looked in the United States and abroad on Elance [now Upwork]. I found them via a blog that I think was called Entourage, and they had information about creating a dating app. I saw they had experience with that. Much of the work that they did was very professional. I found many of the companies locally weren't willing to help with the development of the application unless I was willing to pay upward of $500,000 or more. They weren't small business-friendly. I came to Yalantis with an $80,000 to $100,000 proposal. I think the total cost has surpassed that now, but that's what the original proposal was.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

I have spent between $150,000 and $200,000 on this project with Yalantis.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in October 2015 and we launched in January [2016]. I am still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We currently have a version of the application on the iTunes App Store as well on Google Play. We've had 150,000 downloads as of today [August 2016] on both stores. We have 45,000 to 50,000 monthly active users.

What distinguishes Yalantis from other providers?

They were willing to help every step of the way. I'm a one-man team and they went above and beyond. They helped with marketing and offered support in things I may not have known. This is the first app I developed. They were able to help in other ways besides just development. They've been very flexible with payments. Everyone has been professional.

Is there anything Yalantis could have improved or done differently?

Yalantis can't help it, but they're in Ukraine, so the time they work - they start at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. D.C. time where I am. It's hard to communicate sometimes. When things go wrong they're available. But, it makes it difficult to help with the morning meetings. I think that they could schedule the meetings we have later in the day. The chat integration we used was called Layer. They're based out of California, so they're nine hours ahead of Yalantis. It is hard to find a time that works for both companies, I think to compensate Yalantis had someone stay late.

BACKGROUND

Please briefly describe what your company does and the role that you play there?

The Big Gob Squad is a company of voice and accent coaches for theatre, film and TV. There are three of us coaches and we are all involved as Directors of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address when you approached Yalantis?

We created an app for iOS and needed an Android version. The London-based company we were working with prior to Yalantis was very busy and unable to develop the next platform for us. We found Yalantis after a lot of research.

SOLUTION

Can you tell me about the scope of the project, what were the exact services or methodologies Yalantis provided/implemented?

We brought on Yalantis to develop the Android version of a product we had already created. Their objective was to copy the original for android.

Can you give us a sense of the size of the project in dollar terms?

We had all our payments made in British Pound [GBP]. The cost for developing the Android version plus the first uploads of in-app purchases for both Android and iOS were just under £10,000 (approximately $15,000). We are continuing to spend more with Yalantis as this is an ongoing project for the Acting community. We will continue to upload files regularly to our app and we are happy to have Yalantis on board to continue to help us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

When working with them, was there anything unique or special about them compared to other companies that you may have worked with?

Yalantis was very quick to respond to any questions we had. They treated us with respect and emails were properly addressed. Responsive communication was the thing that they did brilliantly on top of the actual development work, of course.

Looking back on the project, is there any area that they could improve upon or that you would have them do differently?

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I have a very small company. It’s a limited liability company [LLC] that develops tools to help the timber industry in various ways.

What is your position?

It’s basically just me. I am the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Yalantis?

I wanted a tool that would bring the timber industry into the 21st century

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

In this instance, I needed to create an app that could use a photogrammetric algorithm to measure the volume of stacked logs. With the app you would be able to basically walk around take pictures and analyze photos to turn it into a measured volume. That measurement would then be uploaded to a server to speed up the process of measuring the wood. This app is only available for iPad.

 How did you come to work with Yalantis?

I interviewed maybe half a dozen places. It came down to Yalantis and one other company. A big part of the decision was cost. Yalantis had a lower cost than most everyone else but they were also very willing to accommodate my budget. A big part of it was the rapport as well. They were eager and friendly and they were very up front in communicating that what I wanted was not something they had done before. They were willing to do some exploratory work to get up to speed without charging me so that they could have the skills ready to go for the project itself. I think a combination of those things was what caused me to choose them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

This project was worth between $10,000 to $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have developed a prototype that we could share with people in the industry and get their feedback. The prototype is pretty robust and it demonstrated the full workflow. There are a number of buttons that don’t have functionality yet, but that is only a question of money to have them implemented. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The industry feedback so far has been very positive. It will be a slow process to increase adapters. The industry has been measuring the volume of wood with a tape measure and archaic calculations for decades. 

What distinguishes Yalantis from other providers?

Yalantis is very easy to work with. They never gave me any reason not to like them. They always had a certain eagerness in wanting to do a good job and continue the relationship. We had a couple of stumbling points, but we were able to move through those without any problems and found solutions that worked for both of us. 

Is there anything Yalantis could have improved or done differently?

The only slight complication was that they’re located in the Ukraine and I am in Alaska. We have almost a 12 hour time difference. For communication, one of us had to be up at midnight to talk. There were times when things could have moved a little more quickly, but that’s not their fault. They were very accommodating. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

My company, Brilliant Move, is developing a logistics based app meant to help ease the moving process. 

What is your position?

I’m the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Yalantis?

The first time I contacted Yalantis, it was to get a scope of whether the project was feasible or not. Their honest opinion was the first thing I wanted to get from them. Once we got past feasibility, we approached how to go about accomplishing the project. Yalantis was more than capable of providing the guidance and leadership we needed to have someone take over the project management of the application.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Yalantis provided mainly app development and not so much on strategy. The strategy, I feel is something we came up with on our own. 

How did you come to work with Yalantis?

I found Yalantis online and it was through a blog of theirs that I read that persuaded me to contact them. They were familiar with apps similar to Uber and that prompted me to contact them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The complete project cost between $50,000 and $200,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I will say that a development partnership is very successful when the majority of the delays are because of the owner and not because of the development shop. The majority of the times, they had to wait a lot for me to respond back to inquiries they had.

What distinguishes Yalantis from other providers?

Yalantis works with minimal guidance and once I gave them the objective, it was very easy for them to move forward without needing additional assistance or guidance.

Is there anything Yalantis could have improved or done differently?

I can’t say that anything in particular stood out to me that I would like to see them do differently.  I think it was a great partnership with a great outcome. I do look forward to continuing to work with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

My company provides graphic design services. During the last five years, I have been working on a side project called "Keep It Forever." Originally, it was an Internet service to keep valuable SMS [short message service] and MMS [multimedia message service] forever. Lately, the service has evolved into an iOS app to keep photos and digital keepsakes forever.

What role do you play there?

I am the owner of the company and the only employee.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Yalantis?

Yalantis was brought in to build the "Keep It Forever" app and to develop all aspects of the services we wanted to offer through the app.  

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Yalantis became a partner in developing the idea, interface design, and back-end and front-end development of the app. Yalantis was involved in the process of submitting the application to the app stores. 

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

Up to this point [October 2015], the app development has amounted to approximately $50,000-plus. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What distinguishes Yalantis from other providers?

Yalantis' friendliness and willingness to get involved in the idea development make them unique. They were good at finding ways to solve the challenges that showed up. Their work is outstanding and has been a great contribution. I went to visit Yalantis in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine, at the start of the project, and the two days of working together, face-to-face, had a very positive impact on the project. 

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve, or things you might do differently?

Looking back, there is room for improvement around project management, on my behalf as well as theirs. I could have better prepared the design and the desired functionalities before we started the project. Then again, this became a dynamic process that, in my opinion, led to a better product. The project has been handled by two different project managers and briefly a third one in between the two. A big improvement would have been to work with the same person all the way through. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization. What is your role and responsibilities?

I work for Zillow. I lead mobile product management for the team. I work on our StreetEasy.com brand in New York City. We do what Zillow does, but specifically for the New York City market. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Yalantis?

We needed additional mobile application development support. 

Please describe the scope of their work.

The scope of Yalantis’s work was strictly mobile app development.

SOLUTION

What was your process for selecting Yalantis with which to work?

I was not here for Yalantis’s onboarding, but the selection of Yalantis was due to our general manager's relationship with Yalantis in his role at his previous company. 

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative in dollar terms or a personnel work-hour figure?

I’m unsure of the specific amount, but believe it to be a significant figure. The relationship has continued since our general manager’s company was acquired by Zillow.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Is there anything unique or special about Yalantis that really makes them stand out compared to other business partners?

I will say I appreciated Yalantis’s account management and their willingness to work with us and make sure that we’re happy.

What advice would you give to future clients of theirs?

I recommend all future clients to set expectations up front.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

I think Yalantis can continue to help their teams become more fluent in English. I recognize that’s a tough challenge, but I think that would help improve an already good relationship.

BACKGROUND

Please briefly describe what your company does and the role that you play there?

I am the executive director at the Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc. We use our company’s website to remember recently fallen law enforcement heroes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Can you tell me about the scope of the iOS and Android development, what were the key features you were looking for Yalantis to provide?

The scope of this project was to make a mobile app version of our website, which provides information on more than 22,000 law enforcement officers who have been killed in the line of duty. Key features included push notifications, in-app purchases, location services, such as showing nearby deaths based on where the user is located, real-time graphs, and charts. We also wanted the capability to search and display memorials on all 22,000-plus officers.

SOLUTION

Can you give us a sense of the size of the project in dollar terms or personnel work hours?

Our total budget for both versions – Android and iOS – of the app was $35,000. Yalantis came in just under budget on the initial release.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

When working with them, was there anything unique or special about them compared to other companies with which you may have worked?

Our primary reason with working with Yalantis was their performance history. They weren't the cheapest we evaluated, but their pricing was extremely competitive with just about everyone we interviewed. However, we felt Yalantis had a far more superior portfolio than any of the other companies we looked at.

Looking back on the project, is there any area that they could improve upon or that you would do differently?

Not on their end. Their pace of development was faster than we anticipated, so we often fell behind on our side making changes to our API [application programming interface].