CodeBright

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a sole proprietorship LLC, and I’m the only member and CEO of the organization. I had an idea to create an application that I felt was lacking in the market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CodeBright?

I was looking for a company to help me with the development of the app based on my concept.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I wrote up requirements for the system’s logic and design. They gave feedback on those requirements based on their experience and knowledge. So, in addition to development, they provided expertise and a second opinion.

What is the team composition?

I mostly communicated with one person who was a project manager. 

How did you come to work with CodeBright?

I really wanted a company I could trust with the development as this was my first application, and I wanted someone with knowledge of the industry. 

I ended up going with CodeBright because I was able to meet with the CEO face-to-face. They gave a brief background of their services and other companies they’d worked with. 

I thought they were the entire package, including their knowledge of advertisements, marketing, and how to launch the app within the iOS and Google Play Store.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed the contract in December of 2019, and they began work in January of 2020. We wrapped up the initial project in April of 2020, but we’re still communicating about future app enhancements and maintenance. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They flawlessly executed an app that’s free for download, subscription-based, and allows in-app purchases. The initial app has launched to the iOS and Android app stores, and it’s been functioning properly. 

It’s targeting a Hispanic demographic, and a lot of my users are in Latin America. They were able to create different price points based on the user location, which has been very helpful.

They were able to release a couple of weeks ahead of time, which has helped me substantially. That timing was beneficial as people are home without things to do during these times, and the app is a game for game nights.

How did CodeBright perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, they were great. They were easy to talk to. They have a business process in place that allows for collaboration and questions. They answer questions immediately and make themselves available to their clients. 

Since I had an outside designer, they needed to communicate a lot about updates and version controls with documents, designs, and content. They were able to manage that properly because their availability was so excellent. The project manager made himself accountable and did a great job of relaying my feedback or questions to the group.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re well-prepared. They had a proactive approach where they would let me know what was needed for the next phase of the project. That was helpful because it kept me accountable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At the beginning of the process, I submitted a draft of what I wanted. I was hoping it would be a placeholder for when I had the final versions of designs and content. There was one instance where they did a full release of an older version that I had submitted. I would have appreciated it if they would have said, “Hey, is this really what you want? We’re going to implement all of the designs, and this is what it will look like.”

This was just a minor miscommunication, and they were able to rectify it the next day. It didn’t halt the project or add to the labor costs or anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It depends on the person and the company. But, I would say to be sure about what you want. Make sure you have well thought out plans, but at the same time be able to adjust your requirements. 

Also, if you’re a beginner, don’t be afraid if you don’t have technical knowledge. CodeBright will be great at walking you through the process. They taught me how it was going to work, what would be expected of me, and what they would be able to provide.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of a fashion company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CodeBright?

We initially contacted Code Bright to help us produce a social media application for the iOS App Store.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our app is a social media photo-sharing platform, and the goal is to enable users to tag and interact with different clothing items in each photo. Any tagged item of clothing will provide details like size relative to the size of the person as well as purchasing options.

They built the application from the ground up based on project requirements that we provided, and we launched on the App Store but are currently working to extend it to the Google Play Store as well.

What is the team composition?

I spoke mainly with two people from their team, Alexander (Frontend Developer, CodeBright) and Andrey (CEO, CodeBright).

How did you come to work with CodeBright?

I found them online through a Google search for companies local to the Washington, D.C. area. They had great reviews, and after talking with them on the phone I was impressed with their knowledge and ability to explain various technical aspects, so we decided to engage with them.

How much have you invested with them?

I would say we’ve spent between $30,000–$40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in December 2018 and launched the first version of our app in August 2019 but are continuing to work together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As far as numbers, we don’t have a lot of information so far, but the users we’ve talked to really like the interface and the usability. All of the functions seem to be working well so far, and feedback has been really positive, so we are very satisfied with the quality of CodeBright’s work.

How did CodeBright perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is definitely one of their team’s strong suits, especially in the developmental phase. Once you’ve finished scoping and are putting things together, making everything functional, they do a great job with keeping you in the loop on what they’re currently testing.

If there are any issues, they get back to you very quickly and will do phone or video conferences readily depending on what is most convenient for you. It really makes for a very easy, seamless, and frustration-free process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think at a certain price point, everyone can code and create your product, so standing out really comes down to your personal touch and your ability to work with someone. In this particular experience, everything went so smoothly and was so enjoyable — whether it was ideation, scoping, or testing — that I can only credit it to their amazing customer service. You feel like you’re their only customer.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really, I don’t have a lot to compare them to, but I also don’t have anything in particular that I would complain about.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t be too rigid. It’s safe to be open in the brainstorming stage with them because they have a lot that they can bring to the table. Starting your cooperation with them early on will help you get the most out of the project in the long run.