Yalantis

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO at an IT company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Unite your workplace Both employers and employees love Adligo. With our tools you will be able to simplify everyday tasks, keep talents motivated, and strengthen your team spirit. Let us help you become a great place to work.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Yalantis to accomplish?

• Finalize the MVP version of the our platform
• Finalize version 1 of the our platform

SOLUTION

How did you find Yalantis?

Clutch Site

Why did you select Yalantis over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

What was the size of Yalantis’s team?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The scope of work included in both the MVP and the version 1 deliverables of the our platform are:

• Design approaches
• Requiremental descision
• Software development
• Infrastructure setups
• QA deliverables

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Being able to deliver in time
• High delivery standards
• Solution oriented discussions
• Lucrative and dynamic team

What was your primary form of communication with Yalantis?

Virtual Meeting

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The project management never failed to deliver both material, reports, and deliveries in the form of demos in time. Response time is very low.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

• Knowledge base
• Language and communication skills
• Modern approach
• Structured way of working

Are there any areas for improvement or something Yalantis could have done differently?

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and CEO of an audiobook and podcast streaming app. We mainly have Amharic audiobooks, though we also have books in other African languages.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Yalantis?

I'm from Ethiopia, and when I was back there, I read many books in Amharic, but when I moved away, I couldn't keep up with recent book publications. Once immigrants leave their country, it can be hard to keep in touch with their country's literary works and the arts because the printed and distributed books don't make it to other countries. 

Additionally, books are printed in very limited numbers of 5,000–10,000 and usually sell out within cities. After analyzing all that, I decided to create a platform for Amharic books. We wanted to bridge the gap between the books and readers and listeners.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Yalantis designed our mobile app's UI/UX and developed it from scratch. First, we had a brainstorming phase with daily conversations about what we were looking for and wanted. Our requirements included the app having different sections, such as a portion for discovering audiobooks. 

From there, the UI/UX designer would send some samples of page layouts, and we approved them as we went. We gave them feedback if anything was missing in the page sequence, and Yalantis would work on the changes. Ultimately, we agreed on the templates, colors, and page sequence. They used Flutter for the designs. 

From there, they developed the app using Go for Android and Swift for iOS. The first version ran for a year, and then they added the podcast feature and other improvements; this version was up for a year and a half. Then, the team completed the third version. Yalantis created features that allow users to forward books as gifts and get reminders. They also built a recommendation system, a sleep timer, and a bookmark feature. The team also offered app store optimization (ASO) and marketing services.

The app has two main services: an audiobook section and a podcast section. Users can subscribe, share podcasts, and create playlists in the podcast section. In the audiobook section, users can see the books they've downloaded, started, and finished. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with developers, a business analyst, and a project manager, among other teammates from Yalantis. The project manager was our primary point of contact. 

How did you come to work with Yalantis?

When I first had the idea, I researched companies and contacted them based on their reviews and recommendations from friends who have apps in different fields. I got 10–15 proposals from various companies and spent about three months interviewing every option. Yalantis was in line with what we were looking for, so we proceeded with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent over $300,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January 2019–August 2022. We might reengage them for upgrades.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is stable and working, and it has over 20,000 downloads on Android alone. On iOS, we have about 5,000 downloads. Although we had a crash and a loading time issue during the first release, Yalantis fixed the app in two days, and it's now very solid. 

How did Yalantis perform from a project management standpoint?

We had issues with retention rates within the team; a number of developers came and went, likely due to the market. Project managers also changed, impacting the delivery times, which were extended. Accordingly, we also went over the budget due to changes from both ends. 

They worked in sprints, and we had end-of-sprint meetings every two weeks. We used Slack and Zoom for communication. As for project management, we used Jira. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was most impressed with Yalantis' superb attention to detail. They followed up with our requests and did their best to be on the same page as us. Their professionalism also stood out; every meeting and deliverable was good, and the documentation was outstanding. The way they managed the project and communication within the team was also great. 

Moreover, Yalantis listened to our requests and responded very well. They understood what we were looking for, so we shared a common objective. As a result, they suggested improvements after comparing our project to existing apps. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I advise knowing what you want. You should also be in a position to see the UI/UX design critically. Our first UI/UX designer from Yalantis was hardworking, and I could always reach them, and the second designer was equally competent and insightful.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Healthfully in software product company that specialized in the development of patient engagement solutions. I'm the COO

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Yalantis, and what were your goals?

iOS, Android, web front-end and back-end development services; testing, PM, and QA

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Based on recommendation and credentials of other customers

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Quarterly releases of software for iOS, Android, Web, Back-end based on an evolving product roadmap

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Team of 40: including Directors, Managers, BAs, as well as Snr, Middle, and Junior developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Always delivers according to quarterly releases. Very good and delivery collaborative design and software demonstration sessions

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

They are collaborative. Jira, Slack

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Quality, skill, culture, honesty

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

none