Zudu

Please describe your company and your position there.

MaiWai is a tenant engagement app for multi-let office landlords and co-working operators. I am the project manager so I was responsible with liaising with Zudu.

For what projects/services did your company hire Zudu?

Zudu was instructed to build a new app from scratch accompanied by a web app.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create an app that was engaging and easy to use for employees. It had to be fully capable of working within a real life building!

How did you select Zudu?

We undertook a comprehensive online search and interviewed 3 companies, including Zudu.

Describe the project in detail.

We had a number of concept meeting with Zudu to think about the development of the app together. They created mock-ups etc that gave us an idea of how the app might work. We then instructed them to deliver these designs and had regular check ins to ensure the project was on track.

What was the team composition?

James acted as the main point of contact, which was helpful so we didn’t have to relay everything to multiple people. This clear communication channel was very useful.

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

We now have a fully functional app and getting ready to win our first customer!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Yes very smooth on Basecamp, so less emails. It was all well organised.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The ability to push through problems and find solutions was impressive. Also loved how they were able to fully understand our vision and deliver it.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Of course we would have liked the project to move faster at certain times but we are confident we have a product which is well produced!

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the marketing manager at Cellexus. We research and manufacture the revolutionary CellMaker range of airlift, single-use bioreactor systems and technology.

For what projects/services did your company hire Zudu?

Cellexus had recently undergone a full rebrand—changing everything except the name of the company. Once the rebrand was in place, we wanted a new website to complement the new visuals. Our existing site was outdated and not responsive, and we had minimal control over the content. We engaged Zudu to design and build a new website.

What were your goals for this project?

We hoped to create a website that improved our online visibility and SEO rankings. We also intend for the site to be used as a sales tool that will provide all of the information that potential customers need to buy our products. Further, we anticipate that current leads will find more information about the company and products, which would encourage them to progress through the sales funnel. 

How did you select this vendor?

We had a successful existing relationship with Zudu, so we met with them to discuss our requirements. They demonstrated a firm grasp of the project, and their quote was within our budget, so we selected them for the work.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

At our kickoff meeting, we explained our expectations and discussed a variety of options. We decided to use a WordPress website so that we would have more control over the visuals and content. We completed a survey to fill in any gaps in their knowledge before the project started. Zudu’s team created a sitemap to explain the user journey. Once we approved that work, our team took responsibility for the content and images, and Zudu designed the site’s pages.

What was the team composition?

We work primarily with Karen (Director, Zudu) and David (Frontend Developer, Zudu).

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Our website is still in the development phase, so I have no precise data to confirm the impact yet. However, internal and external stakeholders who have had a preview of the website are impressed and excited by the progress so far.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I have regular telephone, email, and in-person communication with Karen and David to discuss the website’s details and progress. They provided access to Basecamp for all contributors to access designs and upload assets. Zudu has not been the cause of any delays. Their team is knowledgeable and trustworthy, and communication is always swift.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Zudu listened to our requirements and produced a website that is fit for purpose, attractive, and hopefully effective. The depth of thought and attention Zudu has put toward our project is obvious from the results.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we are very happy with Zudu’s team and their work. I am currently in discussions with them to take on a large project with another company I am involved with.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a photography and event management company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Zudu?

I hired Zudu to design and develop all of the elements of my company’s website.

What were your goals for this project?

We hoped to have a high-quality website that allowed our clients to find our services easily. We wanted the site to be SEO-friendly and display our brand identity.

How did you select this vendor?

Zudu stood out from similar companies we researched. After our initial conversation, we were confident that they were the right option for us.  

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Zudu took the time to learn about my company and devise a reasonable project plan. They designed and developed all aspects of the website to make it modern and intuitive. The site also reflects my values—namely, creativity. Zudu has delivered my website and will continue to maintain it and manage my SEO efforts.

What was the team composition?

We work with a project manager and team of website designers and developers.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Zudu’s efforts have had a significant impact on my business. Since my site’s launch, I’ve been able to generate more leads and sign more contracts with new clients. I now have a well-defined and recognizable brand, making it easier to build a following.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Zudu is mindful of all deadlines, and they are flexible to any changes that are required. They work well as a team and remain focused on completing projects promptly and to the highest standard.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I have been impressed by how quickly they work while also displaying a strong team bond.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, Zudu has gone above and beyond what I expected.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Thorntons Investments is a financial services company. I’m marketing and communications manager.

What challenge were you trying to address with Zudu?

All our marketing communications had been done by a sister company, Thorntons Law. Since we’re a company in our own right, we wanted to develop a unique website and brand experience that reflected our financial services rather than publicizing us as part of the law firm.

Our previous website was created by another agency and built on a MODX platform. I didn’t like the elements of the CMS that were clunky to operate. It didn’t quite work for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started off with an ideation session to discuss where we were and where we wanted to go. That was helpful because it helped the whole team engage with our goals. Zudu’s technical ability offered us options we hadn’t considered before. We used a WordPress site because it was important for the admin and other members of the team to be able to make changes.

They’ve given us a proposal for search engine optimization (SEO), which we're about to launch now. They followed a very detailed 12-step plan and gave us an outline of how it might look. Some of it is visual, but they also understand the individual elements, like backlinking, that affect SEO. Their expertise is already helpful, even though we haven’t started that process yet.

What is the team composition?

James (Managing Director, Zudu) and Richard (Co-Founder, Zudu) initially attended all the meetings. When we entered the building and technical stage, David (Frontend Developer, Zudu) got into the loop.

At the other end of the process, their frontend designer managed small tweaks and minor adjustments. That worked well because they understood the project from the start.

That's what I like best about them, and why I didn’t want to hire a large agency. It's important for me to know that the person I’m speaking to on the phone will complete the work.

How did you come to work with Zudu?

Somebody referred them to me, and we kept in touch. When I had a web project ready, I knew who I wanted to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000-$60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2017. We’re still tweaking the content and navigation.

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

The impact on the business has been well received. The site gets good feedback from people within the business and from a few clients and customers. We'll start pushing it out and linking it to our social media over the summer. Our objective was to make it look and feel different than our sister law firm, which it certainly does. We accomplished that mission.

How did Zudu perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a nine-month project plan, and they delivered on their deadlines every single time. They did a great job of keeping us on track. I called James quite often on my way home to chat through things. He was readily available, and he and David were more than happy to visit our offices.

Sometimes emails get too technical and you can’t visualize their meaning. As soon as they put it on the screen or drew a picture, it all made sense. They're great at that. They understand that not everyone is a technical user. They don’t make you feel foolish.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ll do whatever it takes to get it right. It feels like this website is as important to them as it is to us. As a marketing manager, I rely on that support and trust. The relationship is important to me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When they get bigger, they shouldn’t lose that personal service. We haven’t experienced that, though, which is what makes them great. That’s what larger agencies often lack. You speak to a person, but you know they aren’t the one doing the work.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a developer at a mobile app company called Lawn Lush.

What challenge were you trying to address with Zudu?

I needed someone to build a mobile app prototype.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I gave them my initial idea and they built my iOS and Android app prototype from scratch. It’s a mobile app that allows users to connect with lawn care industry vendors. The user interface is really good. Users will experience lawn care in a completely different way than what currently exists. It’s new, exciting, and innovative.

Now I’m trying to raise money to build the app. I will use Zudu for development.

What is the team composition?

I spoke to James (Managing Director, Zudu) and Richard (Co-Founder, Zudu). James built a lot of the app, but they were both instrumental.

How did you come to work with Zudu?

I looked at a few companies and did a test of one idea. They were my first choice in terms of budget, efficiency, and product quality.

Zudu is great because they can get stuff together for a really competitive price. I spoke to them before I actually got a grant to build the prototype. They had already given me a price to submit for the grant. Once the grant was approved, I gave them the go-ahead.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent £5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2017 until January 2018.

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

The vendors like the concept, and there are no bugs or technical issues. It’s just a link that someone can open on a phone or desktop, which is really convenient.

How did Zudu perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very responsive and welcoming. I visit them face to face. They have not only helped me with the development of the prototype, but have also given me a lot of advice about how to raise further funding for the project. They’ve always given me extra help, and I’m learning from them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Richard was very upbeat and positive about the idea. He loved the concept from the beginning. Their response was encouraging.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re looking to develop an app, use Zudu. I was fortunate to have the development costs covered by a generous grant and price. If you can get those working together, that’s really good.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of W2 Training. We deliver business skills training around the world. We design and deliver training for leaders and teams and for improving teams and cultures.

What challenge were you trying to address with Zudu?

We were on our fifth website. The last website we had couldn’t be found from an SEO point of view due to its construction, design, and a difficult CMS. We wanted a fresh approach that was more customer-friendly with an easier UI. It’s our 25th birthday this year, so it’s important that our website reflects our journey and maximizes our opportunity to get that message across, hopefully resulting in more work.

What was the scope of their involvement?

There were several aspects we wanted to add to the website. From a functionality point of view, we wanted to include our huge library of resources about leadership and team development. We also wanted to have a much more interactive blog feature. Additionally, we wanted to include our case studies and history. They helped us with all of that. The website was developed on WordPress.

As part of the SEO work, they did a lot of research on our competitors, keywords, and backlinks, and that created the silo structure for the website.

What is the team composition?

We had a team of three people. We initially worked with Rick (Co-founder and Client Director, Zudu) who set things up. He listened to and understood our needs, which manifested into a good action plan and scope of work. We also worked with a frontend developer who is the creative one who took care of the look-and-feel of the site, and we worked with the other co-founder and ops director who is on the technical side and took care of the SEO.

How did you come to work with Zudu?

Someone recommended them. I had never come across their name before, and it was social media that highlighted them for us. We had about five other companies we looked at.

They have educated us along the way starting from that very first meeting. We have learned so much about SEO from them and different ways of constructing the website as well.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent around $25,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from November 2017–February 2018.

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

Right from the onset, Zudu’s enthusiasm, motivation, and passion for what they do was evident. There was a lot of questioning, listening, and needs analysis, and we felt that they really understood what we were trying to do. They understood how we wanted to come across a bit differently from traditional corporate training organizations.

We love it. Our team thinks it is lovely and fresh and that it represents us well. Our customers and suppliers have said that they really like it as well. Zudu has been active in promoting it and has blogged about it.

How did Zudu perform from a project management standpoint?

The migration was more of a challenge than we realized as we had to get all the information from the previous host and company who had it on their own CMS system.

We used Basecamp, which we found extremely helpful. We had an open platform for everyone involved in the project from both sides. All the documents were uploaded there, we could message people, and it recorded everything. We also had a lot of face-to-face meetings, which were helpful. Their project management was excellent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I found they were quite good at translating. We aren’t very tech savvy, and when we did the SEO research, in particular, they translated that into helpful information for us. Their SEO and keyword research was particularly strong.

One of the highlights was the coaching and handover at the end. They gave us a lot of resources to help us out. They are trying to get us to be independent and not dependent which is something we like about them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Collaborate closely. Ours was a back and forth process which made it successful. Don’t expect to get an awesome website and not be part of the journey. The more you collaborate, the better the output will be. Zudu can’t do their job if the client doesn’t do theirs; deliver on your tasks and targets.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My name is Paul Crichton, and I am a managing partner of MMG Archbold Chartered Accountants. We’re based in Dundee, Scotland, and provide accountancy services to the private and Third sectors.

What challenge were you trying to address with Zudu?

Like most accountancy businesses at the moment, our biggest challenge was the digitization of a great amount of the work we do. We considered what our digital presence looked like, and what we wanted it to look like. Determining and making improvements in this area was the remit we sent out to Zudu.

The previous website we had was a platform site provided by a group which specialized in accountants. We wanted to move away from it, to a bespoke site on which we could manage and maintain content.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Zudu’s remit was a complete redesign of the website, giving it a fresher, more modern and progressive look and feel, aligned with what the firm was trying to be. It allowed us to help clients in the future, and also gave us the capability to upload and edit our own content, generally managing the easy bits, like staff changes. Our social media feeds are coming through and are pulled together on the website.

Since completing the website, we’ve engaged them on SEO and web development, expanding our web presence past what we originally envisaged. We’ve always been delighted with what Zudu has produced.

We currently have a monthly subscription for the SEO work, packaged to exactly what we want. This provides us with value for money, and Zudu has made sure that they’re giving us a good return on investment. We always make more money than we’re paying them. We’re accountants, so we don’t deal with digital and web to any great extent, so Zudu has showed us the value, and have delivered on it.

They also made sure that we weren’t infringing any copyright with the images on our site. For some of them, we contacted the originator and received the permission to place them on our site. These were not stock images.

I cannot comment on technical details, but I think that the site is predominantly WordPress. I do have access to a dashboard, and I’ve generally deferred to Zudu’s experience and knowledge in this area. They’ve been more than happy to help us achieve what we were trying to achieve.

What is the team dynamic?

Most of the interactions were done through Zudu’s 2 main directors, and the developers involved. The continuity of a key team like ours meant that we were always pushing forward, and the deliverables were met on the timelines we agreed to.

How did you come to work with Zudu?

We had a competitive tender situation, and they were the ones who actually understood what we were trying to achieve, and what challenges we faced. It was a combination of searching online, and extending the tender to 4 companies. Zudu was the only one which actually came back clearly understanding what our agreement and driver was. We went with them because of that. They weren’t the cheapest, but they were the best by quite a margin. The rest were simply regurgitating old content, and didn’t understand what we were trying to achieve. Zudu took the time to get it and deliver what we wanted, both at the presentations, and subsequently.

How much have you invested with them?

[Confidential]

What is the status of this engagement?

The process took around 6 months from start to finish. We started working together in September 2015, and the site went live on March 2016. We had a 2-month pre-work period before the start of the project.

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

We found Zudu to be very practical; they came up with many insightful and helpful ideas during the process.

In terms of SEO, the traffic to our website has increased by 114%, year-on-year. We’ve seen a 15% reduction in bounce rates, and a 118% increase in page views per session. People are coming on, staying, and looking at more than one thing, rather than just our name and address. We have seen a 121% increase in regular monthly users, year-on-year.

We’ve seen our rankings increase massively as well. Some pages were languishing in the 21st or 22nd position, but we’re now 1st or 2nd on just about any measurable keyword we wanted to track.

The work that Zudu has done with us has been fantastic, and they’ve also introduced us to other service providers which can help us further (for example, with making the most of communications, and understanding how we can improve all our digital presences from where they were). We’re accountants, and don’t look at these sorts of things, so Zudu has become invaluable.

No one’s given us direct feedback on the site, but the anecdotal comments from our intermediaries are that the site looks good, fresh, and professional. It’s easy to navigate, and they know what they’re getting. This is what we were trying to achieve: to have an accountancy site, but not have it consist of accountant lists, loads of data, and information. With Zudu’s help, we managed to strip out all of this superfluous stuff which no one really reads, and get down to the brass tacks of what our company is here for, and what we’re looking to achieve.

We’ve hired staff through the site, and there have been hot sales leads which converted through it. We have various digital logins to different resources which clients can access. The last bit is getting the blog working just like we want it, and, with Zudu’s help, we’re fixing it now.

How did Zudu perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered everything when they said they would, and communicated when they said they would. We were informed about the progress at all points, and were never in the dark about invoices. If there was something to clarify, Zudu made sure to do it before moving forward. Everything in this regard has been fantastic.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their willingness to understand what we were trying to achieve, and to share their knowledge and experience as to how we could better achieve what we were trying to do. Google and other search platforms are always changing, so many websites are obsolete as soon as they’re built. We have to evolve them constantly, and actively work on getting the results we want. This direction, help, and willingness to introduce other advisors who could help us further, has helped. Zudu has helped introduce printed materials, and helped with our rebrand, sitting at the center point of all these things, other than just the website.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m struggling to find something. My feeling is that the project and the ongoing support have been exactly what we wanted. Zudu has always done what they said they’d do, when they said they’d do it.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the managing director of Interview People Online. We provide a remote, asynchronous interviewing platform which uses 3D humanlike avatars to ask questions on behalf of the host organization. If a business or a recruitment agency has a vacancy to fill, they can post an interview to their website, and candidates can access it 24/7 from anywhere in the world. We have a selection of 18 humanlike avatars which can ask questions on companies’ behalves, and also provide a 2,000-question databank. Users can also add bespoke questions which have a time limit for the answers, so that the candidates can’t phone a friend or google the perfect answer. The organization will thus get an honest and intuitive response. When the interview is finished, the answers are then buffered, uploaded and made ready to be reviewed by the organization, which can use its dashboard to review all video answers, score them and share outputs with colleagues.

We bring together different technologies with software which makes the whole thing work. Third-party providers are used for avatars and the initial video recordings, which are streamed on clients’ websites. It’s quite a complex piece of software, given that we have to make avatars ask the questions we want, as well as start and stop videos at the appropriate points.

The company is based in the northwest of England, near Liverpool, and we have a five-person team.

What challenge were you trying to address with Zudu?

Because the avatar technology did not support HTML, we have developed it solely for laptops and desktops. We have received requests from organizations to develop it for smartphones, since many of their candidates, particularly for call centers, use smartphones and tablets for the vast majority of their activity. We couldn’t really do this easily with our own capabilities, given the lack of HTML resources, and the complexity of actually trying to control the different elements of a simulated face-to-face interview environment.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Zudu has developed an app which allowed us to take our interviews to smartphones and tablets, on both the iOS and Android platforms. They were required to understand the complexity of our system. We need the ability to control video on our smartphones, starting and stopping it appropriately, based on candidate answers. We also needed to ensure that the avatar could indeed ask questions using HTML coding. Zudu did research and came back with some suggestions, although no single path was forced upon us in terms of technology, pricing, and timeframes. It was a consultative rather than prescriptive process. It was a new field for both of us, but we felt confident that we could do something together.

We have built a proof-of-concept in order to ensure that we could control video and get HTML to work. We are planning to start building a minimum viable product.

I predominantly work with Zudu’s two owners, given that I knew them from a different organization. Richard Messitt is the business developer, and acts as conjurer or translator from what I, as the user, want to the developers.

We have our own developer who has been a part of the conversation as well. He’s been liaising with Zudu’s team at different points.

How did you come to work with Zudu?

We knew about Zudu from another organization, and got in touch with them. That conversation and several Skype and phone meetings led to an agreement for them to develop an app for us.

How much have you invested with Zudu?

The cost of their work has been £12,000. [$15,500]

What is the status of this engagement?

We started talking with Zudu in September or October 2016, and commissioned the project in December.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The proof-of-concept is being validated by our developer, so we know that it works. This has given us the confidence to initiate the MVP. We’ve had further discussions on what the product should look like.

How did Zudu perform from a project management standpoint?

They haven’t overcommitted. We have needed to discuss what we felt would be a long period of time from one stage to the next, but, as was rightly pointed out, it would have required more resources and cost. It’s been a balance between shortening the lifespan of the project and its cost. We came to an agreement beforehand, which was key.

What did you find most impressive about Zudu?

One of the good things about Zudu is that they’re not typical developers. They have a commercial awareness of what we’re trying to achieve. Rather than trying to upsell us, they talked to us in terms of what we needed on a step-by-step basis. This commercial awareness is different than most developers (app developers in particular), in my experience.

Are there any areas Zudu could improve?

They have to decide how fast they want to grow. The company is limited by the fact that the work needs to come through the two owners, but this is really an internal issue. From a user perspective, I don’t have any negative points to mention. Zudu delivered what they said they would.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a regional health agency in the UK. It's a board within the bigger body of the NHS. I’m a health promotion officer for sexual health and bloodborne viruses. I go into different workplaces and provide training on sexual health in a non-stigmatizing way. We look to develop new ways and interventions that are going to help people to take on sexual health and bloodborne virus status. We base those interventions on research from reading journals and systematic reviews and putting it in layman’s terms.

What challenge were you trying to address with Zudu?

We went to Zudu to see if there was a procurement process, so we put out that we were looking for somebody to develop a condom-themed app. Our editors have a network of distribution points—youth clubs, health centers, or pharmacies. We didn’t have a good way of the target audience finding that information. The website that we had was an Excel spreadsheet, and we had to go through and look for the main area and then see what the local things were available with a search function. We wanted a web company to develop that tool for us in a more developed form. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

The procurement process that we go through is very corporate. It’s a public service, so you have to justify a lot on what you’re spending, and the procurement process didn’t allow for innovation. It didn’t allow a company to see that you’re looking for the best app, but what you really need is best. That was what Zudu offered. We put out the idea of a condom-themed app, which was not new by any means. There is one in New York that came before. That one doesn’t copy ours, but it’s just a very similar idea. All of that was a map, and then they find stuff. What the guys were saying is this is a great idea, and you need to get that information out there, but how are you going to be engaged with people? We’ve read services about getting business out of your service or market; now, how do you get your service out there so that people understand who they’re going to be speaking to through the phone or the website?

The app was for Android and iOS. They suggested ways of getting people back and engaging them by using polls and making the app more interactive. It was a process. It wasn’t even so much like we had a big problem. The big problem was that our area has had, up until the past couple of years, the highest teen pregnancy rate in Western Europe. That was an issue. It wasn’t even half of it. It’s old stuff. It was a way of tackling it, and Zudu certainly offered the best solution for a person in a particular problem of getting information about condoms.

Not only was that a way of engaging people in the app, there’s also the chance for us to put out our attitude about condoms and sexual health. For the young people, that’s really important. It is aimed at 13- to 25-year-olds. Getting some connected to your market and some who are going to understand that you’re not doing anything wrong and we’re able to help you—that was really important.

Zudu suggested that we do polls, but then we also went to colleges to find out what types of questions should they be asking or would they like to see. The students expect humor. You need to have a sense of humor, so that took us down a path where we didn’t have to be a boring health promotion agency. Even if it’s not successful, there’s something in there for a health worker to start a conversation with.

We worked with three people in total: Richard, James, and David. The main contact was James. I suppose he was our representative. He was the person on the end of the phone if we had any questions. He was the person who was giving us updates on Basecamp. Richard was around at the beginning. He explained what the process was going be, and what Zudu was about. He gave us the best of their company and what they could offer. James then followed through and delivered all that. We didn’t speak to David much, only when he had questions about things that we had written. My impression was that David was the coder behind the scenes. He was the guy that was developing the content.

How did you come to work with Zudu?

We put it out to tender. There were four companies we were considering, shortlisted to three, and Zudu came back with the best tender not just on price but in their innovation of how the digital world works, how people interact with apps, and how we can get people to come back to our app. We were seeing if it was a good idea, so we got information. We know, from an evidence-based perspective, that if people have the information, they’ll use it. What they were saying was you’ve got a struggle to keep this app on somebody’s phone because it’s a new thing. 

How much have you invested with Zudu?

It was a little over $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started about a year ago. Honestly, it was my end that held it up. We had to put together a database of all the different places across the area that were giving out condoms. It wasn’t the only thing we were working on at the time. I would say it came out in February of this year, the procurement process was April last year, and we started it in June. I have since worked with Zudu on another project, and they managed to get it done in two weeks. That was because we had the content ready to go. 

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

I’m really happy that anybody is downloading it. Zudu built in a thing where we can download statistics on who’s downloading—their way of living, age, and gender. We didn’t have too much because nobody likes tracking, especially 25-year-olds for condom use. But, looking at that, we’ve only had three unlocks. I’m pretty chuffed with that. I haven’t seen unlocks in two months going from zero, so that’s very good. It marketed us to health workers to promote it.

Compared to another app that we brought out for the sexual health department, the workers think this one is nicer looking. It doesn’t bounce around the screen. When you look at this app, it has simple colors. All the design was from Zudu, but it’s bold colors, and there’s a theme to it. We’ve now adopted the theme that they developed for us to go through the rest of the branding. On top of developing the app, they rebranded the service, but don’t tell them that because they’ll probably charge us for it. The old one was very corporate: a navy blue and green color. Now, it’s yellow and red with some navy blue. It looks a lot better.

We didn’t have to pay more money to promote it to teenagers and get through all the stuff teenagers were getting. But, what we could do was to help the kids who need that to go to teachers, youth workers, or someone they trust, and then they’ll know about it. That was the idea.

How did Zudu perform from a project management standpoint?

They were really good with managing their time and hitting deadlines we set out for them.

What did you find most impressive about Zudu?

It was just working with them. The department has had them develop things in the past, and I don’t know if it was this stage of developers and the people who were building apps back then, but it went to waste. Working with Zudu is like working with a proper company who actually knows what they’re doing. It’s not just something that they come across.

They know gamification and know how to describe it to you. They know a bit of security. Security was a big thing, so we had to have a way of unlocking phones so that a young person could speak to a youth or health worker to get condoms in the future so they could show the card on the phone for it to be unlocked. The next worker knows that for the chat, so they don’t need to have so much of a conversation, making it easier for the young person and the health worker gain trust in giving the young person more condoms.

So, it was a bit of using the name, gender, and postcode securely in getting that code. This is what they are telling me, so they basically have done the whole double-ended contraption. It was making sure that things were secure and letting me go through to tell the workers that I’m going to be scaling this up to and see it be completely secure. Zudu has shown and described it to me. That really reassured us.

Are there any areas Zudu could improve?

Because I’ve worked on another project, I know that they have improved in one area. I wouldn’t say that I thought it was a particularly bad thing in the first place, but what they’ve introduced now is a content document saying your mission plan, mission statement, and the ideal goal you want from this. In the new project, it’s really easy to get your head in it, but before, I didn’t have that for the content. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Quidfish, which effectively combines an online lottery with crowdfunding to raise money for charitable causes. The platform also will allow winners to re-donate their earnings or give them to other charities in order to spread the wealth and love with those organizations.

What challenge were you trying to address with Zudu?

There were a number of challenges, but the main one was bringing my business idea to life through the development of a good and simple web platform. It’s a difficult space for someone like myself. I’m MBA-trained, I have lots of good ideas, and I’ve worked in the tech market, but I don't necessarily have the skill sets to bring those ideas to life.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Zudu was able to offer a solution, be transparent about the way they work, and help me understand the process of building these platforms, from concept to testing. One of the key elements for this project was finding a company that could develop an algorithm to generate random numbers for the lottery tickets. A lot of providers weren’t able to do that. I’m more interested in the frontend of the product.

The platform Zudu has built has three tiers. First, you have the end user side, which is someone who is donating with the hopes to win. Then you have the charity side for those who want to understand their customer base. That requires the building of quite a large database of information that looks at customer transactions and what the customers do. The charity also can set up their projects and programs. They also get access to the anonymized behavior of their customers, which is something other businesses we spoke to weren’t able to do as quickly or as efficiently as Zudu. So far, I've played the role of an end user as well as a charitable user. The third side is for users like you and me who want to raise funds for projects by setting up against the lottery and testing that. I have access to a kind of portal where I can go and muck around in their sandbox.

How did you come to work with Zudu?

I’ve worked with Zudu’s CEO previously. First and foremost, I wanted to have a working relationship with a partner who was trustworthy. I initially put out a request for proposal to quite a few businesses who could provide this type of service. What I tended to find was that a lot of the companies were focused on search engine optimization and optimizing our platform. They weren’t really focused on what I wanted to get out of the platform beforehand. That was one element that factored into choosing Zudu. The other was the price. I got a mixed bag, and Zudu wasn’t necessarily the cheapest, but what they were offering in terms of the end-to-end development and ongoing maintenance made sense to me. They also were flexible with me putting out the maintenance to a different company.

How much have you invested with Zudu?

I think I’ve spent about £65,000 ($83,500) on the project from end-to-end. It includes 6 months of work plus development testing, deployment, and tweaks as we went along. It also includes paying all of their team members, a dedicated project manager, and business analyst.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on the platform in August 2016, and the work is ongoing. The platform is in beta testing at the moment. It’s been a six-month project, which is what we set out to do in the beginning.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We’re running some mini user tests with a group of people from both of our businesses, and we’re looking to launch the project towards Q3 of this year. It’s rare in this day and age to have a business stay on track. I was pleased with that. I didn't want the project to run any further than that because I have a timeline with investors, and they’re looking to be paid back. It’s been great testing out the platform as Zudu has developed it. The platform is up and running now, and we’re just running through the testing of the outputs with a small user group. I think that Zudu is more interested in what we get out of the platforms, and I’ve quite enjoyed that. It’s a slightly different way of working.

How did Zudu perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly status calls and daily stand-ups.  Zudu uses Slack and Trello boards to keep me up-to-date and take me through every step of the process. They had a dedicated project manager for development of the site and a couple of business analysts to understand the business process. This helped Zudu understand how to translate the requirements into a user-friendly story. I also had contact with specific developers, and they had about four working on the project. My experience was quite good because I was working with quite a decent-sized team, probably about six people. The key thing for me was I wanted one contact point, and I got that in the project manager, Rick. He handled the day-to-day interactions with development and was well-versed on what was going on.

For the most part, Zudu did well from a project management standpoint. They used Agile, and they were quite clear with me from the beginning. I'd say, “Look, this is what my expectation is,” and they’d say, “Look, these are the things that we can do within a certain timeline.” For instance, I think there was a 4-week dev time with the algorithm, but it went a little bit over. I wasn't too fussed about that because there were other things going on in the background. At the beginning, they told me, “Look, we need to be kind of flexible because these are projections. We are aiming for this date, but if it takes longer, it can. In the end, we’ll still meet the deadline.” Everything kind of balanced out. During the project, some bits were slightly delayed and other instances went faster. All in all, it came out on time. I'd say the platform is about 95% complete. We’re just tying up the loose ends now. And even though the project is coming to a close now, they’re still putting in as much effort as they did at the beginning. I’m pleased with the way that they’ve dealt with me and the service they’ve given me. Because Zudu is fairly new, I think the number of platforms they can share in terms of development was a little bit limited. I took a bit of a risk on them. In the end, that risk paid off, and I was happy with the results.

Are there any areas Zudu could improve?

I would have liked to know more of what to expect, although they compensated for that by being upfront, above board, and on the front foot with me. They didn't hide away and leave me in the dark not knowing what was going on, which was good. Everything worked out well for me.