FLY CONCIERGE, NYC FOOD GUIDE

Never heard of another company approaching development in that way

The highly responsive team’s candid feedback and exceptional, market-focused process created a valuable entrepreneurial partnership. The app resulted in fast growth, without marketing, and mostly positive responses from users regarding design, UX, and UI.

What was the scope of the team involvement?

I reached out with a PowerPoint presentation of my ideas and my business plan. I had the concept of what I wanted but didn’t know how to bring it to fruition. They came back with constructive criticism of how to improve it and make sure that it had either a special niche or made a big impact on the market.

After that, we had a six-week collaborative effort of figuring out exactly how to proceed. I would send them images of other websites or apps that I liked, or features that I thought should be implemented, and they would provide direction and draw up wireframes.

For a few weeks after that back and forth development, we had a beta product. Now, we have a minimum viable product (MVP) available for iOS devices through the App Store. The app is, essentially, a chatbot that enables users to interact with each other and discover new locations for food, drink, or entertainment based on their location. That required molfar.io to develop chat features, a responsive GPS component, and a way for users to make and filter out suggestions.

How did you come to work with molfar.io?

I had been researching on Clutch and molfar.io was one of the development companies that I emailed. I knew that they would be a good fit based on their reviews and unique development approach.

They didn’t just develop to reach the final product. At each stage, they had a product that I could interact with, whether that was a beta product or MVP. We would gauge reactions to that product to decide whether to proceed, improve on what we had, and develop a new product. I had never heard of another company approaching development in that way, and it seemed that it would not only save money but would also produce the best response from the market.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There were downloads within the first 24 hours of uploading it to my website without any additional marketing. We’ve received extremely positive feedback from users, specifically regarding the design, UI, and UX. Other feedback from users has been focused on additional functionality, such as real-time GPS updates or search filters. But we had been expecting critique in that vein since we made the decision to release the MVP and let the market dictate how to improve it.

How did molfar.io perform from a project management standpoint?

The team as a whole was very responsive and would get back to me quickly. Our teams typically communicated through Asana and Slack, while the owner and I would have a Skype call once or twice a week. I have a separate day job, and the owner was very flexible in having conference calls with me during unusual hours, weekends, or the middle of a workday.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I have a partnership with them that I couldn’t find anywhere else. They didn’t just say yes to my ideas and collect a paycheck; they provided critical feedback because they wanted to see the product succeed. In one of my conversations with the owner, he asked me about my moneymaking strategy for the app and was very upfront about the fact that he didn’t think it would work. He wanted to see the app succeed, and didn’t want to see me go bankrupt, so he established an accurate download price based on market value. We had those difficult discussions and the team provided exceptional advice. They didn’t just give me what I wanted, they helped me develop something better and more successful than what I originally envisioned.

Additionally, they made suggestions that didn’t directly tie to the app but helped me, my development team, and my business. For example, the owner developed his own app, applied, and was accepted into the Y Combinator Startup School, which ultimately awarded him $10,000 for development. Based on that experience, he recommended that I apply for the school, which I did and I was also accepted. That was a beneficial suggestion that never would have crossed my mind.  

They also saw the project as an investment in reputation, both theirs and mine. One of their additional goals was to have my business added to a pipeline or community of successful startup companies. That demonstrated to me that they didn’t accept the project for the money, but for the opportunity.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m a firm believer that everything has room for improvement, but I really don’t have any criticisms of molfar.io. Our experience working together has been consistently fantastic, and I view them as entrepreneurial partners with a unique development approach.

Careviz, Support network for cancer patients

Responsive, clear, and proactive

We brought their team in during our prototype testing process, where we identified the most useful and desired functionalities for our iOS app. They confirmed our findings and helped us devise a development plan that first prioritized basic features, then allowed for the integration of more complex functionalities. We are working through the project in two-week sprints. The team builds a working and useful function, tests it, then uses our feedback to inform the updates for the next phase of the cycle. They use Amazon Web Services (AWS) as the hosting structure and ensure General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance in each element.

What is the team composition?

We mainly work with the project manager, a stack developer, frontend developer, backend developer, and their in-house QA expert.

How did you come to work with the company?

We explored about 40 different options in our interview process. In our preliminary product runs, they showed an exquisite understanding of the lean workflow and our desired minimum viable product (MVP) development cycle. We found that they had potential to be a very valuable contribution to our project at a competitive price.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work is high-quality and incredibly thorough. They identify all of our bugs, then make the necessary changes and add the proper details to facilitate continuous improvement of the app.

How did the team perform from a project management standpoint?

We use a Slack channel to discuss our daily issues, questions, and requests, with additional phone calls if necessary. We schedule weekly reviews and a Skype call within each sprint cycle. Their team is responsive, clear, and proactive in their approach to our partnership. molfar team pays great attention to detail in their work, proposes multiple alternative solutions or approaches, and is always open to questions from our side. They properly addressed all of our technical concerns, often they solve problems internally before reaching out to us for assistance.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team willingly gives very valuable input. They use their past expertise to try to fill any gaps in our user experience by adding additional features or design elements.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have no complaints on the development side, but they could be a little more adventurous in their designs. I would have liked an options-based approach that provided a variety of creative choices.

Any advice for potential customers?

I recommend clients read their website before hiring molfar.io to find informational resources and answer any initial questions. If, after that, they still need clarification, don’t hesitate to reach out to the team because they will happily respond.

Snore Report, Snore tracking mobile app

Expert coding & easy-to-use product

Thanks to molfar.io expert coding, users often express their appreciation for this easy-to-use product. The developers consistently meet all deadlines, even pushing out updates over weekends when needed.

What challenge were you trying to address with molfar.io?

The goal was to create an app that can create an accurate assessment of snoring in the comfort of your own home. The greatest challenge was trying to develop the app in a way that consumers find it easy to use while still creating a sophisticated resource to monitor snoring. Specifically, trying to make all of this data accessible to the user in an efficient manner.

I also have little iOS development experience, so I reached out to their team to determine if they could execute the vision.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had a few designs to start, but they fleshed everything out for me from start to finish. They did all the backend with AWS, and they did the complete frontend. They suggested a few updates to improve the user experience. I worked with three resources—a project manager and two developers.

How did you come to work with this company?

I began my search on Upwork, and I had about 15 development teams from which to choose. I talked to their project manager through Skype, and he was very thorough in his cost analysis and timelines. I thought they would be the most reliable team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have very few crash reports from users. I get a lot of emails thanking me for the app’s ease of use, which is reflective of good team’s work.

How did molfar.io perform from a project management standpoint?

They gave me weekly updates on their progress. When I had questions, they responded within an hour or so.

They’re absolutely perfect. They’re quick to follow up. They’re really invested in our success because if we succeed, they succeed. They hold my hand through the process. We use Slack as a project management tool.

What did you find most impressive about the company?

They’re very reliable, and I’m always able to get in touch with them. There were a few instances when I needed something pushed out immediately. They responded over the weekend and got to work to meet the deadlines. I don’t think I would get that with a lot of other agencies.

Weiput, Track your weight right from a wrist

One of those rare companies that go above and beyond what they say

The development team successfully translated the initial idea into a functioning health app. They demonstrated honesty and flexibility in proactively finding solutions to ensure a high-quality product. I had an idea for an app, but I'm not a developer, so I was looking to hire a development team that had some experience with the Apple Watch platform, which back then pretty much nobody did outside of Apple. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had the initial idea for the app. I knew how it should work, and I provided the funding. molfar did pretty much everything else, including all of the development and most of the design. I had some ideas about what I wanted the interface to look like, but they had better ideas regarding UI, so they filled in everything.

The whole point of the app was to allow the user to instantly record their weight through the Apple Watch and have it sync with the health app on their phone. The theory was that someone at the gym who wanted to measure their loss in water weight could easily do so without having to bring their phone with them.

How did you come to work with molfar.io?

I searched through Upwork trying to find an engineering team that was willing to take on the challenge. I interviewed a whole bunch of engineers, and I ended up choosing Ivan and his team at molfar. While I was interviewing engineers, a lot of them would tell me, “Oh, sure, I can do that. No problem.” I had a hard time believing them. At the time, it was a brand new SDK [software development kit] that few people had seen outside of Apple. When I narrowed down the contenders between Ivan and another company, I chose Ivan and his team because when I asked them questions they didn't know the answers to, they would say, “We’re not sure, but we’ll find out.” I liked that. They were honest. That said to me, “This is a team that doesn’t know everything because they can't, but they’re willing to find out the answers and learn.”

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app worked, which is pretty good evidence for me. I’m not sure about crash rates or anything. The fact that it worked was the best measure of how well the team worked on it. I didn't really promote the app that well, and once I was focused on my job at Google, the app became less of a priority for me.

How did molfar perform from a project management standpoint?

molfar did really well from a project management standpoint. They came up with the whole plan, including the project milestones and how much I would pay each week once the milestone for that week was hit. I would verify the work they were doing and release the weekly payments. I was happy with our progress and our work together. The majority of our work was done through Pivotal Tracker. They were always in contact with me. I think I worked with 3 or 4 people in my team.

molfar.io got the app done on time and on budget, maybe even slightly under budget. They didn't just give me the app and say, “Good luck.” They walked me through the whole process of getting it into the App Store. We had a couple of small issues, and they fixed them quickly and pushed out new updates. They were very responsive, which I liked because I was green at this. They definitely helped me out a lot.

What did you find most impressive about molfar.io?

Again, the one thing I really liked was that molfar.io didn't know everything. They didn't lie to me. They wouldn't promise me they could do something without making sure they could first. That level of honesty was super important to me, and it’s the main reason I chose them.

Are there any areas molfar could improve?

No. I can’t think of anything they could do better. Everything they did was great and top-notch.