Yeti LLC

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

National Fitness Campaign’s mission is to empower healthy communities. We do that by building fitness courts, which are public outdoor gyms. It’s a great place to get a workout outside and it’s absolutely free for our users. Our goal is to spread them across the country. I’m the digital product manager. We’re based in San Francisco.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Yeti?

We were looking for opportunities to distinguish our platform and to be more than just a hardware company. Our app helps make sure that when people are on the fitness court, they learn how to use it. It helps demystify the court experience and it helps a community. When you download the app, you can post video content and learn from others who have done the same thing before. We needed a technology partner to help us bring our vision to life and build our mobile apps.

It’s easy for us to be in our bubble here in San Francisco where everyone seems to have an iPhone, but for deploying across the country, we wanted the fitness court to be a platform that allows anyone of any ability to work out. We wanted to make sure our digital tools reflect that as well.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with Yeti to build an iOS and Android mobile app to help activate our fitness courts and to make sure that the people who use our fitness courts get the best possible experience. We built everything with React Native. That allowed us to deploy to iOS and Android at the same time, which is really nice.

They did important server work for us using Amazon Web Services and CloudFront. There are a couple other server-side technologies as well. There was a lot of work that went into that. When we started, we thought they were going to rely on existing third-party tools and social networks to do a lot of our database for us. We thought we’d be running on a bunch of APIs that other people had built. That didn’t work out. Yeti ended up building our own server solution for us that allows us to manage everything we do and make sure that no one else can shut us down. That ended up being a huge deal. They did a really terrific job for us and we’re still working with them.

What is the team composition?

We had 1 of their developers, Kevin [Software Engineer, Yeti] and we had a lot of work from their CTO.

How did you come to work with Yeti?

We did a lot of online research looking up firms. We had a preference for people in San Francisco, but we looked across the country and at a few international firms. We talked to over 20 people. Yeti was the best in client service. It felt like they wanted the project. It was clear they were willing to move heaven and earth to get things to work for us. That accommodation and commitment went a long way. They were one of the first people we looked at, but they stood out throughout the whole process.

How much have you invested with them?

Although I need to keep the amount confidential, I do want to say that they gave us a considerable amount of work on a complimentary basis.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re beginning to roll out features and make updates. It’s a gradual launch. Early feedback has been really good. People like it and like using it. We’re starting to see an online library of content grow. The biggest thing is it showed us how much potential there is. As we scale and grow, we know that we can work with Yeti to get done what we need to have done.

We’re still trying to figure out how we can use technology to best deliver our business goals and to make sure we have the best user experience for the people who go to the fitness courts. That’s a learning process for us. It started initially with an MVP. We realized we needed more than that and Yeti was able to deliver that for us. Now we’re deciding how to get it to the point where we’re seeing a thriving user base. We know we can count on Yeti as we make that transition.

How did Yeti perform from a project management standpoint?

We used JIRA, Basecamp, and Slack. We had regular check-ins. We connected online several times a day. Whenever we needed to reach them, they were there. There was a lot of back and forth as we handled unexpected surprises that came up along the way. The experience was really good. We were able to handle all the punches that were coming our way and worked to actually release something.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They combine design, development, and project management all under one roof, which was really helpful for us. They also brought in expertise with dealing with frontend video mobile apps, which is what we initially thought we were getting into. They scaled with us since we needed to develop a whole network and server-side backend. It was really nice that we had as much expertise as we needed. As our needs changed, their team was able to deliver exactly what we needed. We know that going forward as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our relationship with them is really good. We love working with them. We’re happy to see this thing through to the next few stages. All thumbs up here.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As you’re working to scope your project, try to have a lot of conversations with them. Make sure that you’re getting their input. They have good ideas on how to make things that seem really big that can be small, quick, and easy to implement. Sometimes things that seem basic end up having technical challenges. Get everybody in the room early on. Approach things from the best value to the business and to the users, but also the technical constraints and challenges associated with different ideas. That can be really helpful especially if you’re a group that’s as lean as we are.

BACKGROUND

Could you provide a brief description of your organization and your role there?

We’re a nonprofit creative writing center, and I’m the program director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were trying to address when you approached Yeti?

We were creating a new website and a new internal database. We already had a website and a database. We were looking to replace them with a large number of new improvements. To put it most broadly, we were looking to have an e-commerce system that spoke directly with our internal database that tracks all that information as well as many more streamlined workflow processes developed from that fusion. Additionally, we wanted an improved look and feel and an improved user experience.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of the project?

They only did the development and training. We worked with an outside firm for the design.

How did you select Yeti as your solution partner?

Lots of research, interviews, and getting quotes, and simultaneous assessment of what we needed in a solution.

What set them apart from the other candidates?

Probably price, energy, and speed at which they worked.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in a cost range or personnel work hour figure?

It was very big. Overall, it was a two-year project beginning to end, and is ongoing in many ways.

When did the project take place?

The work started at the beginning of 2012 and was launched in January of 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they’ve delivered?

It was very effective in a lot of ways. It certainly has cut out much of the staff time that we needed for tracking our data, etc. It’s been really effective. There are certainly problems, too, that we’re still working out. As with any website build, especially a really complex one like ours, there are all sorts of new problems that you discover along the way. Many were discovered and many solutions that we were hoping for didn’t quite pan out, and so we’re still working to improve those now.

Was this a completely new content management system that they built out for you?

Yes, it was a custom built CMS.

How would you describe Yeti’s performance?

It was excellent. Their output is really good. I felt their organization wasn’t great, but overall, we’re really satisfied.

When working with Yeti, is there anything you’d consider unique or special about them that distinguishes them from other companies?

They were young and they were hungry. They had a very can-do attitude about a lot of our requests, which definitely stood out when we were comparing their offerings to those of other developers.

In retrospect, are there areas that you think they could improve on or that you would do differently?

Yes, definitely project management. We felt that they were pretty unclear with us and unclear, it seems, with themselves about the timeline in which it should be done and what was possible and what wasn’t. Translating their needs and vision in a way that we could understand could definitely use improvement.

BACKGROUND

Could you describe your company and your role?

We provide interim in-house counsel to tech companies in the Bay Area. I’m head of marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed a complete redesign of our site. Our website was pretty simple. It was designed circa 1990, where there was not a whole lot of dynamic content. We didn’t really have a modern Web presence. We were seeking to redesign our site.

Is the website’s primary focus for marketing and information?

Yes. There are two target audiences we have. We have potential clients and potential attorneys because we’re always hiring. The challenge was to have a site that addresses both audiences. Initially, we came up with a concept that would bring you to a home page that would describe at a high level what we do, but then also segment out the audience, whether they’re a potential client or a potential attorney for us, and then give them specific content to the audiences. We call it a two door. 

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of the work that they did? Were they providing the complete solution of design, development, training, and support?

Yes, all of the above. One of the goals that we had was that we would be able to maintain the site going forward because our current site had to go through our hosting and development people anytime we wanted to make any change. We also wanted to modernize the site by making sure it was built with [responsive] design, so that it would be able to be seen on mobile phones, iPads, and other mobile devices. They helped with that. It was a complete redesign. We rewrote everything. They helped us find a writer. They introduced us to a videographer and he did the testimonial videos that we put on the site. They did a lot.

We have an ongoing maintenance agreement with them for the rest of the year. Also, as projects come up, we ask for their help. That’s more on a project basis.

Why did you select Yeti with which to work?

We looked at a couple of different agencies. I did an RFP [request for proposal], did some research into local agencies. Personally, I wanted to have someone local. We’re in San Francisco, and I wanted to be able to go to their offices, just in case. I knew the redesign was going to be a really large project. That was a very important criteria to me. Also, we are a relatively small business and had resource constraints including budget, so we didn’t want to go to a huge agency that was going to take a million dollars to redo our site. That was not our budget. We wanted a relatively small shop.

I was really intrigued by them because they were primarily comprised of younger folks, but they’re very technology savvy. While they didn’t have experience in our industry space, we felt that we could give them guidance on our industry and what might be appealing to our target audiences and allow them to add their technological expertise. They’re small and scrappy, so they’re able to do a lot with not a whole lot of resources. They were enthusiastic, too. They had really good energy.

Can you give a sense of the size of the project, either in a cost figure or a personnel work-hour figure?

Ideally, we wanted to redesign the site within three months. We had a budget of $50,000.

When was the project completed?

I did the RFP at the end of 2012, and we chose Yeti in February. We launched the site in early June [of 2013]. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, do you have any statistics, metrics, or feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of their work?

We didn’t have great analytics before, but [in terms of] the feedback that we had gotten from attorneys and from clients, and how we feel about our site, it was very successful. We’ve achieved all of our goals.

How would you describe their performance?

Because they’re made up of younger folks, I worked very closely with them to project manage things. There were some hiccups along the way, but I feel like it made our relationship stronger. They’re really fun to work with, so that helped.

Is there anything unique or special about them compared to other companies?

I think their energy and their sense of humor. It’s always nice to work with people that you actually like as human beings. They were just really fun to work with. They did a lot of 'above and beyond' things. Garrett was our designer, and he would go anywhere we needed him to go to take pictures because we didn’t have any art that we owned. They did all of that. I don’t think we would have gotten that level of service from any other agency. We’d certainly have to pay extra for it.

Is there anything that you think that they can improve on or that you would do differently?

What I learned from working with them is that it helps to be really clear on expectations and deadlines. Ultimately, it worked out well and we learned from each other on what we need on those fronts. There was some learning there. I think that just happens no matter what. That’s probably not just my working with Yeti.

BACKGROUND

Could you describe your company and what you do?

We’re a metering company. We design and sell metering systems for electricity, water, and gas. Yeti has helped us advance our communication system designed for our meters that pushes meter data to the cloud. What Yeti created for us was essentially a Web dashboard to display the data for users.

What is your role at the company?

I’m a co-owner. I do marketing, design, and sales. We’re a small business, so everybody here wears a lot of hats. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

When you approached Yeti, what business challenge that you were trying to address?

We definitely had a vision in mind of what we wanted. It’s since matured into something different. Essentially, we wanted them to create a way for our users to be able to see their data. The challenge was to turn what was essentially invisible into something that’s visible. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of the work from their end?

They did most of the development themselves, with input from me. We already had an API [application programming interface] set up for our data. They just plugged into the API and, through a process of iteration, eventually came up with what we have now, which is just a beta release of the design.

Why did you select Yeti with which to work?

I found them on Yelp. I really liked their website, and then through initial contact, and communication back and forth, I liked them. I went to visit them. They seemed like they were enthusiastic about what we were doing. That’s really what I was looking for. I wanted to find a developer that was enthusiastic and would bring some of their own ideas. They struck me as a group of guys that would do that, and that’s borne out.

When was the relationship first initiated?

Towards the beginning of last year [2013]. The project started more than a year ago.

Is this project completed or is it ongoing?

It’s an ongoing project. The scope of the initial project was completed a few months ago, but we’re continuing with additional development.

Can you give a sense of the size of the project either in a cost figure or a personnel work-hour figure?

I can’t give you a sense of hours. The cost is close to $70,000 at this point. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, do you have any statistics, metrics, or feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of their work?

Right now, no, because we haven’t released yet to our users. There were a few issues that needed to be addressed before we were comfortable doing that. We’re a couple of months away from releasing to our existing users. It will be a bit longer before we release to a broader audience. We don’t really want to use it as a marketing tool yet before we’re comfortable that it’s a good representation of what we want to do.

In terms of the initial product that they’ve delivered, are you happy with the results?

Yes, I am. It has become better than what I anticipated it would be, but that’s my personal sense. It’s hard to be objective. From the few people that we’ve shown it to, feedback has been pretty positive. It’s hard to know what people are going to think, but I think people are going to like it because, right now, we don’t offer anything like it and the service is going to be free.

How would you describe their performance?

Great. It’s been a positive experience.

Is there anything unique or special about them compared to other companies with which you may have worked?

I haven’t really worked with other companies like them before. All I can say is that I’ve had a positive experience, and I would recommend them.

Is there anything that you think that they can improve on or that you would do differently?

Not really. They’re a small company that’s fairly new. All of them are fairly young. They’re finding their way just as we are as a new start up. It’s gotten better since we started working with them. They want it to work. They take pride in their work. They ask us periodically if we’re happy with them and we’re honest, and they appreciate the feedback. They seem to take feedback well and improve.