Yellow

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CTO of Racefully, a social activity-tracking platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yellow?

We wanted to bring the app to market as quickly as possible, but with multiple activity trackers on the market, it needed to be fully-featured. We decided to engage an external company to give us the development capacity to meet our launch target and respond quickly to market feedback after launch.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Yellow collaborated with our in-house developers and UX designer to develop an iPhone app. It was not a fully outsourced project, essentially we hired Yellow to help develop the app and implement the design. They incorporated our in-house team into theirs to build the front and backend of the app. Yellow's primary responsibilities also included quality assurance.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two developers and a QA person from Yellow. Two employees from my team managed the project and I worked with them when necessary.

How did you come to work with Yellow?

Our UX designer previously worked with the Yellow team and he introduced us. We met and talked to them about the design we had in progress.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $150,000 with them in a little over a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with their team at the end of 2015 and our app launched the following summer in 2016.

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

In the year after we completed the project, Yellow was instrumental in responding to user feedback and fixing any bugs that came up since the launch.

How did Yellow perform from a project management standpoint?

I was the overall project manager for both teams. They worked well within the parameters of the instructions we gave them. Their team took feedback well and responded to the testing process in the best way possible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team was very smart and knew the platforms are working with. They engaged with us as team members rather than an external company and we sensed that they were invested in the quality of the product. Additionally, their participation in code reviews was very positive and their team aimed at making sure that everybody's output was the best possible quality.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I found Yellow to be a very effective development partner. I would happily use them again if we needed developing services. We are pleased with the engagement and don't have any negative feedback for them.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If you are looking for a partner to collaborate with for the development process, I would consider hiring Yellow. I can't speak to how they perform on projects that are completely outsourced.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of SmartCenter, an intelligent practice management solution for small tax and accounting firms. I do everything I can to help our company grow.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yellow?

We needed an adept team to step in and work alongside us as our technical partner to develop a product.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They came in to replace a team we were working with previously on the product. This required them to work on a code base that they didn’t start, but they managed to jumped right in and take the product where it needed to go.

They’ve taken the mobile responsive Ruby on Rails application from a minimum viable product (MVP) stage to a fully functioning app. They’ve implemented some login and security features, as well as developed our client collaboration portal. It’s a unique document sharing portal that meets IRS requirements for our industry regarding personal data (e.g., social security numbers, year-end numbers). The portal is a leader in the industry because it integrates real-time chat features with secure document sharing.

They’ve also helped us integrate the app with Microsoft Outlook, 365 Exchange, Gmail, QuickBooks, and Zero.

What is the team composition?

My initial point of contact was one of their founders, but that moved over to the project manager once development started. There have also been two frontend and two backend developers.

How did you come to work with Yellow?

I’d heard about them through a personal connection in the Bay Area. We chose them because we felt really comfortable with their efficiency and ability to finish the work in the timeframe we needed. Their price model was also aligned with our objectives.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent approximately $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2016 and the relationship is ongoing as we continue to build out new features.

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

Users often comment on the app’s simplicity and seamless functionality. Many apps in the B2B sphere are outdated and inaccessible. They may have complex functionality, but they don’t feel good to use. Yellow worked with us to build an app that is both functional and easy for the user. A potential venture capitalist partner did a code review and said that it was the cleanest they’d ever seen.

How did Yellow perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Slack and Pivotal. I’m very pleased with the project manager. We’ve worked with four development teams over the life of our business, but Yellow is by far the best at helping us make decisions to push our company forward. They don’t just take requirements and start coding, but instead go to a much deeper level of understanding what we’re trying to do. They work with us to develop our vision in a unique way. They translate our goals into their project management on a daily basis, which is something they’ve done really well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There are a lot of development teams out there that can produce clean code, but the majority of them don’t really care. Yellow stands out because they’re invested in the results and clients. If the team doesn’t truly care about the product, then it will show in the end result. Every single person on Yellow’s team genuinely cares about what they’re doing. I really appreciate that about them and it’s the main reason we will continue our relationship for as long as possible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve had a great experience from day one. I couldn’t be happier with their team and we haven’t had any issues.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

There are certain things you have to take care of on your own before you bring in a team, but you don’t necessarily have to do that with Yellow. Their onboarding process and approach allow both parties to really figure out how to handle the project to end up with the best results. If you follow their process and trust that they want to help, then that’s a really good start.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a mobile app company focused on improving family communication. Established two years ago, we are a small company with fewer than five employees.

For what projects/services did your company hire Yellow?

We hired them to help develop our mobile app product. This included a project outline, project management, iOS and Android development, backend and database development, and UI design. Working in conjunction with ours, the team also needed daily and weekly accessibility via Slack and Skype.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to develop and launch the alpha version in less than one year, with a beta version available for public testing three months after. We wanted a fast, reliable, and scalable product that could integrate third party services.

How did you select this vendor?

We initially tried to hire direct staff in the San Francisco Bay Area but were frustrated by the talent level available at our salary. After finding Yellow on an Angel List posting, we conducted a phone call, follow-up technical questionnaire, and product thought exercise with them. We were impressed with their correct responses and clear, well-developed outline. Once we agreed on rates, we established a team composite, basic goals, communication needs, and a budget.

Describe the project in detail.

Within two or three weeks of selection, Yellow submitted a project outline and wireframes for both iOS and Android. After several iterations, development began with a focus on the minimum value properties necessary for launch. We developed most of the app features ourselves but also used multiple third-party programs like Amazon Web Services, Heroku, and QuickBlox. Progress updates were available daily and all completed quality-assured code was stored in our repository. Yellow helped deploy the app on TestFlight and manage both the Apple and Google Play stores.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of a designer, a backend architect, both iOS and Android developers, and a project manager, who was responsible for most of the communication. Additional developers and resources were also made available to us as needed. Discussing the project with us multiple times a month, Yellow’s CEO was very involved with input on product development. We had the support not only of a core team but of the entire company.

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

Within a year, a few family members were testing the alpha version launched in both stores and the results are great. The product is solid, unique, and fast on both platforms, and improvements are currently being made for public launch in one month. We are very happy and this has been a fantastic relationship. Engaged every step of the way, Yellow elevated our product’s outline and vision. I highly recommend them.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project manager was great, highly communicative, and easy to get along with. We would Skype on request and communicate primarily via Slack. Invested in improving the product, deep consideration was taken for our product, the users, and new technologies. He has also been very honest when confronted with an issue.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I've very impressed by their knowledge of the entire app process and user-focused approach. Yellow dispelled my concerns that an outsourced team would simply do as they were told. They are deeply invested in making our product successful and are unafraid to voice their opinions; they would often develop concepts into features that were better than the original idea. All in all, I am very impressed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Speed of delivery can always be improved, but not necessarily while maintaining a high quality of work. I wish they lived in my time zone!

Please describe your company and your position there.

Speed Digital builds cloud-based technology solutions for the collector and specialty car markets. Our core product is a dealer management software that helps dealers process inventory, create and organize leads, and automate the marketing of hundreds of online classifieds. The integration of our document management system (DMS) into our website platform allows us to build beautiful, modern websites that instantly update with inventory changes. As product manager, I'm responsible for product roadmapping, creating and defining new features, and coordinating website builds with our development and design teams.

For what projects/services did your company hire Yellow?

As a small, rapidly growing startup with an accelerating client base, we needed additional resources to help address our backlog of website builds and updates. We hired Yellow to build out new custom website designs for our DealerMarketing platform, which links to our DMS and provides additional development resources for clients’ existing queued updates. 

What were your goals for this project?

Our primary goal in supplementing our current frontend team was to increase our custom website build and maintenance bandwidth. We are fast-paced, and our developers’ industry experience allows them to build websites without mocking up or prototyping every detail of a build. We needed agile development resources with UI/UX skill sets that could immediately boost our output and keep up with growing demand.

How did you select this vendor?

Yellow responded to our Angel.co post detailing the type of resources we were looking for. After a call with their founder to discuss our needs, we decided to hire them for a single project. The great results of that first project led us to move forward with additional work and long-term support.

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

They were responsible for the homepage UI design and the wireframes of secondary pages used to build out websites on the DealerMarketing platform. Although this was frontend work, the platform’s connection with the DMS backend required knowledge in Ruby. Yellow also completed some requested updates to existing client websites.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of a project manager and two frontend developers. A development lead and I worked with Yellow to establish access and setup for the platform.

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

Despite a rapid onboarding from initial contact to actual work, Yellow completed all deliverables within their time estimates. They picked up on the nuances of our platform quickly, directing communication and questions to the appropriate members of our internal team. As a result, we have been able to reduce our work backlog with minimal additional management overhead.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management and process expectations were established during an introductory call with developers. Yellow joined our task and communication platforms (Asana/Slack) without the need for additional training or demonstrations.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Despite their location abroad, Yellow has been incredibly responsive to updates or questions sent during our workday. Their UI/UX improvement suggestions and ability to develop single-page mockups into full websites have been incredibly valuable to our team.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

There is not much for them to improve upon; any issues in communication or process were quickly resolved. We look forward to continuing our relationship!

Please describe your company and your position there.

We provide services to office and consumers following Covid-19. Allowing offices to reopen with proper safety mechanisms in place

For what projects/services did your company hire Yellow, and what were your goals?

We needed a consumer app built to run our hardware.

How did you select Yellow and what were the deciding factors?

They were extremely thoughtful, delivered everything they said they would and worked efficiently.

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

Consumer App development, integration with Apple hardware

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

5-10; architects and engineers mainly

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

Project was delivered on time, tested properly and they were very responsive to feedback or changes.

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

Communication was simple and straightforward. They were extremely accountable.

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

Their response time and willingness to put resources on a project quickly were impressive.

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

No.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Chief Applications Officer of the product company directly managing over 38 people in-house and outsource.

For what projects/services did your company hire Yellow?

We are currently developing a Fintech solution with iOS/Android native apps and needed a boost in feature delivery speed without compromising stability.

What were your goals for this project?

We had quite aggressive business terms and couldn't afford shortage of in-house resource to affect delivery on time.

How did you select Yellow?

We did a local research on the readily available resources, conducted tech and soft skills interviews with the proposed candidates. I have to admit we still had to wait 2-3 weeks for the quality engineers to join our team as they were finishing a different project but it was worth it.

Describe the project in detail.

It was both feature development with QA acceptance from our side and direct management of the engineers by the in-house leads.

What was the team composition?

We experimented with feature teams (iOS+Android+QA) and stand-alone engineers. Second option with full immersion into the project worked better for us.

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

We had no extra communication and overhead costs and experienced direct xFTE boost.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Yellow's engineers integrated seamlessly with the in-house team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We easily agreed on the terms and had no long negotiation hours. Tech-wise engineers are best across four different outsource teams we used for mobile development.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The team worked well so far. Remote work wasn't an issue also.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of an HR startup. We have an integrated application for delivering feedback and providing input.

For what projects/services did your company hire Yellow?

We needed development of a working prototype using screen mockups.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to rapidly iterate based on feedback on the prototype.

How did you select this vendor?

We looked at many vendors, but we chose Yellow because of the excellent pre-sales support we received from Dasha (Head of Business Development, Yellow). She was instrumental in getting us comfortable with the team's skills and the process.

Describe the project in detail.

They designed UI for a prototype of our mobile app.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and two designers.

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

We accomplished all our goals and beyond working with Yellow. We iterated on the designs and the results were fantastic.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Project management and sales support were excellent. Their project manager was a good communicator. They took our feedback and turned it into a great UI.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They delivered high-quality work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we’re very satisfied.