Yellow

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CTO and head of digital engagement for a company involved in the events industry, specializing in audience engagement.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yellow?

We engaged with Yellow to develop an engagement platform for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked together to put together a UI/UX brief that laid out some of the fundamentals of the front- and backend of the platform. Their project manager then relayed that information to the rest of their team, and they handled the development on their own from there.

They created the wireframes and advised us on what they believed to be the best way to move forward. I’m not familiar with the exact technologies that went into the application, but I know that there are a lot of moving parts and different components that they had to take care of. The platform runs on a variety of platforms and can be used online or offline, and they chose technologies to meet those requirements based on best practices and future adaptability.

How did you come to work with Yellow?

Our CEO had a relationship with their company from a previous engagement, so we reached out to them, and after a few meetings, we realized that they had the trustworthiness and the technical ability to handle our project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in the middle of 2018 and are continuing to work together as we maintain and improve the application.

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

We have been very satisfied with the project so far because they always deliver on what they say they will do. If there are changes to project parameters or if we have given them an unrealistic workload, they will communicate that to us, but in the end, we have full confidence in their ability to deliver.

How did Yellow perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is incredibly smooth with their team. We use JIRA, Slack, Google docs, and a few other internal communication tools to make sure that the entire team stays updated and we consistently stay on top of the work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are incredibly good at creating products from inception to delivery. Rather than just being code monkeys like a lot of development agencies, they can really take a blank piece of paper and create something that fulfills your goals as a business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think there’s anything they could have improved. They’re very good at what they do.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We build forms for family law. I'm the founder.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yellow?

I needed to build an application that could automate the form building process.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created a customer interview for users, and they implemented functionality that could assemble forms automatically, based on user answers. They also created an admin dashboard.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a project manager, and the rest of the team included one or two developers.

How did you come to work with Yellow?

A colleague recommended them. This was very early in my role as the CEO of my company, so I relied on that recommendation.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000-$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I believe we started working together in 2014 or 2015, and the project ran for about two years.

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

We no longer use the platform they built, so I don't have any metrics to share. It was essentially a B2C prototype, and it worked well enough. Because of some layout issues and the marketing costs, we ultimately went with a different B2B model.

How did Yellow perform from a project management standpoint?

We had standups, and we used Pivotal Tracker. We always communicated through the project manager, and we became better product managers during the process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were easy to work with, and they provided good guidance. Because of my background, I needed to work with someone who wasn't too technical. They helped me articulate the features, and they walked me through how everything worked.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It's hard to estimate accurate completion dates with this kind of software development, but they could have been more conservative with their projections. They were very customer-centric, but they occasionally over-promised. There were some delays that slowed delivery.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We came to them with a very specific idea of what we wanted to build, which was helpful to our process.

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I’m the IT director for the National Association of Tax Professionals. We exist to be the most reliable resource for gaining and developing professional tax expertise for about 23,000 members.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yellow?

We needed to find a solution for some of our digital needs. In particular, this project was to create a blog. We struggled with knowing whether to go with a pre-existing system or to have a system built from scratch.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Yellow helped us come up with a blended solution. They selected Contentful to be used behind the scenes as our CMS. It’s a flexible, headless CMS. Then they built the frontend display for the content of our blog. It serves as a reusable content source that can be distributed to other channels. In the future, we'll be able to add a mobile app or other microsites and be able to distribute that content from the central source. 

What is the team composition?

We mainly spoke with the project manager, but I know there was a team of several others working on our project. 

How did you come to work with Yellow? 

They came to us through a direct reference. One of our partners at a tax software startup introduced us to Yellow last year. Together we scoped out a couple of projects. This was the first one to try and get to know each other. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

The project took place from April–September 2019.

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

We're launching the finished product tomorrow. So far through our testing, we're able to see it's highly browser compatible. It's mobile compatible and it even works with Internet Explorer 11, which is a big deal. That’s a great win on the technical side. 

Yellow was able to incorporate Microdata, Schema.org, and Google AMP functionality. That helps with readability and makes it more distributable across the Internet. We also worked closely with our marketing team internally to achieve brand consistency. 

How did Yellow perform from a project management standpoint? 

Their team was very good and very fast. In fact, they were mostly waiting on us to get items to them. They took smart advantage of the time difference. If we sent over a question or an issue, we frequently would hear back the same day or the next day. We didn’t spend much time having to go back and forth on bugs or iterations. Yellow typically understood exactly what the issue was and came back with a fix right away. We were really pleased with their speed. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Their speed was much faster than we'd previously experienced. We're used to scoping everything out upfront and approving cost estimates before getting mockups and screenshots. Yellow starts by talking through conceptual design ideas and what we’re looking to accomplish for our business. We saw deliverables from them right away. What’s more is that, historically, other projects haven't been able to meet internal satisfaction here but this one did. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

They could communicate the rapid development process better to new customers. There were times where we didn’t know how to flag problems. We weren’t sure if we should aggregate all bugs in one report or send them as they came up. Now that we know each other better, we’re more comfortable with their process. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared to move quickly. Have the resources and capacity on your side allocated and ready to go.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We connect car buyers with dealerships. We are in the early stages of an startup and needed a proof of concept. I am the CTO.

For what projects/services did your company hire Yellow?

We hired Yellow to help take our demo to a MVP. Prior we already had the UI/UX prepared. They worked off our designs and surpass our expectations.

What were your goals for this project?

To develop a proof of concept. We had a MERN stack demo that was built out with functionality.

How did you select this vendor?

Was reaching out to a bunch of developing companies that were attending Collision 2019. I met Dasha and Dmitry there and they liked our concept, were in our budget as well as weren't focused on selling but rather asking about the platform we were wanting to build. I met with a lot of dev companies and they tend to be very pushy, while Yellow understood we were shopping around and was patient in that process.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The platform itself had to filter through dealerships to connect using a bunch of parameters as well as using web sockets to display them. They gave us a schedule of what would be built out, daily updates as well as fixed any issues quickly I or my team had.

What was the team composition?

We had the pleasure of working with Dasha, the head project manager, Dmitry, the lead developer as well as Alex the other developer. During the build process I spent most of my time communicating with Dasha about scheduling and with Dmitry about specifics regarding the tech development.

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

My team has showed the MVP off to close family and friends but we are in the process of getting market feedback soon. So far, feedback about the product has been excellent.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Yellow uses Agile, but prepared a schedule as well as daily updates regarding the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were very accessible regardless of the time difference as well as communication was good. We had a couple bumps here and there regarding designs that were not originally discussed in our UX/UI designs but they were quick to find solutions as well as any needed changes we requested.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I would recommend updating the dev schedules weekly. The original schedule we were provided was an estimate, which is fine, but was only updated for the invoices. Dmitry supplied his own per week near the end of the project which I liked but did not have the whole schedule for the project estimated, only the sprints. I would recommend a mixer of both or some routinely updated schedule to help my team understand the timelines better.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a design and creative agency. We provide design and user experience as well as campaign creative to a wide variety of clients.

For what projects/services did your company hire Yellow?

Yellow acts as our web development team, handling updates and new web functionality for our clients.

What were your goals for this project?

We were looking for a reliable and highly skilled partner that we could trust with the development side of the business.

How did you select this vendor?

I looked at several vendors both local and abroad and found the Yellow was the most responsive and highly skilled. They were able to work in a number of different technologies and they are able to respond during our working hours even with the time difference.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Yellow has been able to tackle all of the projects I have given them. This has included speed optimization (increasing Google site speed by 10x), site updates and bug fixes, as well as new page development.

What was the team composition?

I work with a project manager and 2-3 developers depending on the project.

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

The updates that Yellow has made have made the site more stable and efficient and in the case of the Google speed optimization, have increased site speed 10x, which will have a massive impact on user experience as well as SEO performance. They have greatly exceeded all expectations.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management has been very efficient. Language has never been an issue and communication has been smooth, using Skype and email for project requests and continuous communication.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I continue to be impressed with their technical skills and responsiveness. They are able to solve problems quickly and they communicate extremely well. I can also tell that they really care about our partnership.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of anything they need to improve.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of operations at a security company in the identity and access management space that provides solutions for securely storing and transmitting data.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yellow?

We bring on Yellow when we’re short on resources, or if we have an urgent project we need to complete quickly. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

They've been helping us with our internal projects for over three years. These services have included web development and design. For example, we hired Yellow to redesign our website with a focus on the UX, and that work has included frontend programming. They also created a portal for us in the past.

The workflow has consisted of giving Yellow our tasks and then receiving a developed solution in return, which we test and put into production. They can also implement the code themselves if needed.

What is the team composition?

Our main contact point with Yellow is a project manager. I coordinate the projects, and Yellow works with our development team.

How did you come to work with Yellow?

I met their CEO at a tech event in Boston. He described their services, and we discussed about a unique project they were working on. 

Later, we contacted them when we were experiencing a resource shortage while changing the overall look and flow of our website. Out of all the quotes and project timelines we received, their services were the best combination of price and quality. It appeared they could meet our requirements.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $50,000 and $200,000 with the team during the time we worked together.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our first project together in 2016 and the partnership is ongoing.

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

The most precious resource we have is time, and help us achieve better results faster. When they helped us redesign our website with a focus on the UX, our customers' database started growing much faster. Customer retention rate also increased.

How did Yellow perform from a project management standpoint?

Our communication with the team has been extremely efficient and reliable. We give them straightforward tasks, and they come back with solutions that require only a few reviews. If they have questions, they always ask. Yellow is flexible to our needs and has a proactive planning method. We always have realistic estimates of the number of resources required before a project begins.

Sometimes we’re jealous that we can’t organize ourselves as well as they do. They have never failed to deliver results on time and on budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are a personable, professional team that’s invested in satisfying client needs. Team members are extremely accessible and responsive. Their work is always a success, and that’s why we keep coming back to them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m happy with the team’s work, and I can’t think of anything I would want them to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No, I don’t have any advice.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of OppSites. We’re an online app with a project marketplace for investment opportunities in business and real estate. The application also has a member network with thousands of users where they can discover real estate opportunities and connect with each other. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Yellow?

We wanted to enhance a legacy web application. Our contracted engineer recommended that we get additional support to accomplish our goals on schedule. Since he was departing the company soon, he wanted to ensure there would be a development team in place.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Yellow has been renewing an existing web application by improving existing features and adding new functionalities. They also fix bugs and optimize platform performance. Currently, the team is building an administrative feature for our management team so we can analyze platform activity.

They’ve helped design frontend features, but most of their work has been optimizing our app through backend development. Technologies used include Ruby on Rails, React, and a PostScript database. 

What is the team composition?

Their team consists of a manager, one coder, and a developer.

How did you come to work with Yellow?

Our engineer knew Mitya (Founder, Yellow) and recommended the team to us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $50,000 and $100,000 with the team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2018 and the project is ongoing.

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

New features they built are being utilized and positively received by users. For example, they built an online forum and email notification tools, and these features have been successful. 

How did Yellow perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a lot of legacy technology that wasn’t optimized—it wasn’t an easy project. Yellow has done an exceptional job at figuring out the jobs we’ve presented them with. They’re great at collaborating with us to understand project goals.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The management at Yellow has been very attentive. They respond immediately, and communications are structured according to our schedule and time zone. If we have an urgent issue, someone always addresses the issue in a timely matter.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind that they could do better. We presented a complicated tech stack, and they’ve been doing a great job. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Future clients should leverage Yellow’s technological expertise by letting them propose a solution instead of prescribing what the team should build. Empowering Yellow with a detailed understanding of business development goals will allow them to ideate the optimal solution.

Introduce your business and what you do there.          

I founded a company that makes Christian-inspired applications.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yellow?

We hired Yellow to build a mobile application efficiently and in a cost-effective manner. They needed to understand our goals and specifications.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Yellow developed and launched a mobile app for iOS and Android. They provided front- and backend development services, but not design. The app is now launched and we continue to do new releases every 2–3 weeks as we focus on enhancements.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a backend developer, a project manager, and separate iOS and Android development resources.

How did you come to work with Yellow?

We met Yellow at a trade show. The team was knowledgeable and understood our requirements. Yellow also talked us through everything we needed, which was helpful.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $100,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from August–December 2018.

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

It’s too early to have hard data, but the app is promising.

How did Yellow perform from a project management standpoint?

The team had a proactive approach to development and enhancements. We communicated via Jira, Slack, phone calls, and Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team’s communication skills and collaborative approach stood out. They were highly diligent, always looping in their senior leadership on pressing issues.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve gotten positive feedback from my internal team. Consequently, I would only have minor constructive feedback for them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clients should understand what the requirements need to be and what Yellow will execute those.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a B2B hotel reservation management company. We do description content distribution, meaning we make sure that the hotels’ descriptions of amenities and offerings are correctly displayed across all departments and third-party booking websites.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yellow?

We needed a full-tech solution for our software, which included frontend, backend, and connections to our other systems.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Yellow provided recommendations for how to set up our whole platform, acting as our outsourced CTO. They used Node.js for the frontend, Ruby on Rails for the backend, and Firebase and SQL for two of our databases. The platform is a senior page application (SPA) for desktop, and we currently don’t have any mobile versions of the web app yet. We launched the first version, and Yellow has been working on new iterations, updates, and enhancements.

What is the team composition? 

They provided three full-time developers and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Yellow?

I’d worked with them previously and had a good experience, so I hired them again.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in 2016, and we launched the first minimum viable product (MVP) in 2017. Since then, we’ve been working on expanding the app’s functionality.

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

They’ve taken the burden off our shoulders of having to develop these solutions by ourselves. They’ve had a positive impact on our company and project, providing valuable input and feedback.

How did Yellow perform from a project management standpoint?

They were responsive and available whenever we needed them. We mainly communicated with the project manager via Slack and Jira, but we could contact the developers directly if needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re responsive and have creative problem-solving skills. I’ve worked with other firms, and Yellow is much more proactive, taking the initiative to find the best solutions possible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

 No, we're happy with them. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Have clear communication and be as specific as possible with your requirements and feedback. Answer their questions and don’t leave any room for misinterpretations.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO for an app company. Our team is comprised of academics with a heavy focus on research. We have deployed several applications with large universities in the United States, Canada, and the MENA region.

For what projects/services did your company hire Yellow?

Following a previous developer’s shortcomings in upgrading one of our applications and adhering to deadlines, we were in search of a partner that better understood our problems and was more suited to guide us through the development of our next applications.

What were your goals for this project?

The app in question was broken and was not going to scale well. We needed to correct its issues and get the app to market as soon as possible. Additionally, we needed to plan for the next steps to create an Elastic web platform that will take us through the next few years of growth.

How did you select this vendor?

Their head of business development contacted me ahead of our attendance at a specific conference. After meeting at that conference, I was impressed with their ability to understand our problems. They also exhibited a strong desire to work with us. I was not familiar with Eastern Europe as a market for developers, but my concerns were addressed during that meeting.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They helped us with the .NET repairs and Objective-C fixes within the app. Once those were complete, we pushed the iOS app to the App Store.

The next task was to create an MVP of the web platform. They ensured that the AWS stack was appropriate and scalable. This stack included CloudFront, CloudFormation, Virtual Private Cloud, Elastic Compute Cloud, Simple Cloud Storage Service, Identity and Access Management, Lambda, DynamoDB, a custom API and various subnets. The project migrated from an SQL Server to Aurora MySQL, and they implemented Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery with a testing farm.

What was the team composition?

We ended up using a variable team for the different tasks, and we relied on different project managers for each.

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

We trusted them to use their team as needed, and they delivered products on time, under budget, and of a higher quality than we expected.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I can’t overstate how pleased I am with their project management. It was more effective than any other project I’ve worked on in the past decade. I can generally be a demanding client, but they easily exceeded my standards.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

As a startup, we operate differently and with a smaller budget than a Fortune 500 company. Still, they were able to work at our pace. Yellow’s methods can’t be replicated. They truly stand out.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

No, I sleep better with them on my team. They were comfortable using our tools and our stack. They needed no micromanagement.