Startup House

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide an internet platform which connects clients with service technicians in a format similar to Uber. Users can look up mobile device repairmen in their area, read their reviews, make a reservation, and so on. I am the CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Startup Development House?

I had an idea and an investor but didn't have resources who could write the code to create the product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I brought my idea to Startup Development House's team, who provided consultation and made a plan for developing it. The platform uses Ruby on Rails, and Startup Development House provided all of the coding work for it. The platform allows users to search for mobile phone technicians based on the type of device in need of repair, the issue that the device has, and the user’s geographic location. Service providers can be compared based on factors like time, price, and location.

How did you come to work with Startup Development House?

Startup Development House was found by my investor. I believe that he was friends with a member of Startup Development House.

How much have you invested with Startup Development House?

The cost of Startup Development House's services has been between $40,000 and $60,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Startup Development House in April 2016. We have an ongoing collaboration for additional development to the site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This was my first time working on a project like this one. For the money spent, Startup Development House's work has been very good. The platform is comparable to larger, international services.

We are using Mouseflow in order to track users' activity on the site. I can see how people are using it, where they're clicking, and so on. I've talked to around 60 people who used the site and heard a lot of positive feedback. There is still a lot to do in order to evolve the idea of the project and attract more clients.

How did Startup Development House perform from a project management standpoint?

I keep in touch with Startup Development House's team using Slack, email, and phone calls. We have a teleconference every Monday. They're also using an issue tracking software, but I've only interacted with it occasionally. If I identify an issue with the site, I can send Startup Development House an email and see instant responses. Out of around 50 deadlines, Startup Development House has only missed one.

What did you find most impressive about Startup Development House?

Other companies we considered were all much more expensive than Startup Development House. Their team is made up of good people, and I've had a good experience. Startup Development House listens to clients.

Are there any areas Startup Development House could improve?

I think that I need to improve aspects around my idea, but I can't think of anything for Startup Development House.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the head of innovation and quality team for a finance company in Poland. We provide financing products for small and large businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Startup Development House?

Our company wanted to expand the range of our products, so we decided to implement a new online sales channel connected with e-shops. The application is dedicated to small businesses, to connect to people who want to buy goods online and finance them through leasing. We needed a developer to create this sales channel and app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app is web-based. The key functionality of the app is implementing and connecting a sales channel to an e-shop where the client can choose leasing as a way of payment. We worked directly with two people, but other people worked on our project as well, such as a designer, content writer, and programmers.

How did you come to work with Startup Development House?

We chose them because of their expertise and professionalism. They also seemed to understand the e-commerce market.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started six months ago. It is ongoing, and we plan to continue collaborating with them as business partners.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Feedback on our tool has been very positive. Our experience working with Startup Development House has also been very positive. Their solution for us is relatively modern in terms of our market. They are one of the best IT companies we have worked with.

How did Startup Development House perform from a project management standpoint?

They respond very quickly, and they are reliable and trustworthy. They are not only developers but also consultants to us since their advice is very good. They use specific tools like Slack for project management. We also contacted them via email and phone. We had two schedules: one detailed schedule for parts for the project and then a general schedule. Sometimes, we had to postpone some dates, but overall, everything was on time.

From our side, we had a project manager responsible for performing and providing this project. From their side, the project manager is Alex Stasiak. The cooperation between our project manager and their project manager is very satisfying.

What did you most impressive about Startup Development House?

Since they are a relatively young, small company, it becomes an advantage that allows them to be flexible. Additionally, their responsiveness is as quick as possible.

Are there any areas Startup Development House could improve?

Prices can sometimes be a little lower, but my business opinion is that prices can always be lower. The app could be better tested before giving it to us to test. However, when it comes to their way of working or approach, they are great.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Technology of Avantpage

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Language services

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Startup Development House to accomplish?

• Discovery step for a new product

SOLUTION

How did you find Startup Development House?

Referral

Why did you select Startup Development House over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Startup Development House were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Understanding the Scope of MVP and further development
• Having first working prototype for tests and development 
• Having users first-hand feedback before the development starts 
• Getting really ready for the development. 

Outcome (deliverables): 

• definition of the scope
• estimation of the MVP scope
• low-fi wire-frames
• technical recommendations
• MVP user flow
• user testing findings

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The deliverables and the quality of the documents presented

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

Yes they deliver on time, they adapt to our needs in a short period of time, even when they couldn't understand fully the product

What was your primary form of communication with Startup Development House?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The process they came up with was very productive and the team was very eager to understand our needs and to give their best

Are there any areas for improvement or something Startup Development House could have done differently?

Understand better the product and the market. Better technical research, which is the weakest step from their process

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of a web application that lets you create travel itineraries and get inspired by other travellers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Startup Development House, and what were your goals?

I hired Startup Development House for a product discovery to pinpoint my idea from thought to paper.

SOLUTION

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

I talked to a few of their references and received very positive feedback.

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

Our work focused on defining the MVP vision and scope based on user feedback, competitor research, workshops and technical feasibility. Team conducted competitors research in a form of service safari, during problem definition and ideation workshops we created initial vision and scope for MVP, and then the Startup House team prepared a lo-fi prototype and tested its usability with users. Outcomes of the project were updated prototype according to user-testing, MVP vision, described scope and features to be included and technical documentation with comparison and recommendation regarding development possibilities.

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

Product discovery phase: 1 Product Manager 1 Product Designer 1 Project Manager 1 Mobile Developer / Tech Lead

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We counted on getting solid foundations for the future development phase and helping in clarifying the vision for the products MVP. We got (updated according to user tests) a prototype, described vision and features, as well as technical recommendations and analysis of pros and cons of various approaches and third-parties solutions we could implement to shorten time to market. All of these are useful not only as a starting point for the development phase but also for discussions about the product with stakeholders or investors.

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

Google Drive tools, Miro, Loom, Figma, Slack, Email

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

They all seemed super qualified and genuinely good hearted people.

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

I wouldn't say so.