Blink22

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a co-founder & director. As part of my current responsibility, I am handing the work with our partner Blink22 for the on going project.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Blink22?

We have a large project, that touch upon different aspects of development. The development include the web application, overall design (interface) in addition to the back-end and its structure. Also, it is worth highlighting that we are working on systems thus, the integration of hardware and software is a key part of this project.

SOLUTION

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

The selection was done over different stages, the first stage is using the current existing network of follow entrepreneurs and friends to reach to a a developer with a good reputation. Word of mouth from a trusted people who used the service provider before is always a plus and a key selection point to consider. Going over the list of recommended providers, we had to screen them in terms of the project understanding, check their offer, timeline and setting different interviews to select the right one. We had multiple who were shortlisted and the one we eventually selected is Blink22. 

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The project started from scratch, where we had the requirements and this requirements was translated to the PRD. The project is a large one and it involves different aspects web-based application, full back-end of this application along with building the right structure for the Databases to ensure that we will always have high response time and no delays. Our application involves receiving many data from different sensors serving the purpose and it involve integrating the sensors directly to the application where we have managed all aspects with regards to the hardware side and Blink worked on the interface and integration of the sensors to the platform application that is being built and designed for this purpose. 

Note: the project information is confidential this why I am describing it on a general approach. Our partner Blink22 did a great job thus, I want to make sure that I give them the right credit they deserve. 

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

Blink22 provided good resources starting from project manager, experts in regards to structuring the backend before their development team starts, backend lead along with their team and frontend lead along with their team. In addition to the Quality Assurance team to ensure that the overall quality will reach to the expected outcome.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They managed to deliver the outcomes. The project is divided into 3 main phases and each phase is really a project by itself. So far we have finished phase 1 and we already have the application operational and working where it is currently being used. We have also started the implementation of phase two with them which is another big part that we decided to move forward with them based on the overall experience we had.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I would give a very good credit for this part. They have been always responsive with a clear workflow and outcomes. They always take the feedback and responded to it on a timely manner. The relation was more of them being part of our team and working as a one team than a service provider to a client approach.

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

They were very resourceful and always tried to find the right solution within their team. Also, the fact that the backend lead was excellent and having a good experience in dealing with the hardware (interfacing them) which was very helpful. It is worth mentioning that we are not using Amazon services when it comes to the cloud as we had special requirements where the team manage to achieve that successfully though it is totally a new environment. So simply it is not about having the team that would do the basic or common development that anyone can replicate but rather the ability to learn, investigate the available options and implement them within the defined deadline and be able to contain the projects with no major overflows.

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

As mentioned above we where working as a one team and yes we had some areas to be improved during the work and that was reported to them which they actually take that into consideration and fix whatever that needs to be fixed. My approach with them was transparent if I do not like something I will just raise it to them to have the right action and I found that their management is really keen to improve and also make sure to have the right action on time. So, my experience with them is positive and nothing is serious that worth mentioning. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of CounterBook - a bookkeeping and credit management app for small and micro businesses in Africa, initially launched in Nigeria.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Blink22, and what were your goals?

We wanted to develop a credit management app where merchants can record credit transactions with customers and automatically send reminders when payments are due. We wanted to include invoices/receipts functions, SMS and Whatsapp integrations, a simple and easy interface, etc. We also aimed to set up the analytics framework on Google Analytics. We hired Blink22 for product management, front end engineering and back end engineering services for this initial app launch and post-launch maintenance.

SOLUTION

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

We searched online and on Upwork for app development agencies. Blink22 stood out because they had already worked on a similar app, they had great reviews and their website looked professional. When we spoke to the team our conviction became stronger to use Blink22 because they were professional and it was clear they knew what they were talking about and understood our needs.

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

We provided wireframes and had many discovery meetings with the product and engineering teams. Blink22 allocated some really good developers and product folks to this project. We then went through sprint stages with the teams. The product team had some really great analysis which helped us to avoid mistakes, and it was enjoyable to solve product problems with them and come up with creative solutions. We were also guided by the technical team's expertise in areas we were not so good at such as the tech stack, databases to use, cost-saving methods, etc.

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

We created a team on Slack with a very impressive Product Manager (Ayah) being the main point of contact. The co-founder (Ayman) also stayed very close in the channels answering questions and being involved throughout which was great. Throughout the project we had around 5-10 people from the Blink22 team helping and communicating in Slack. As well as the Product Manager, we had a Tech Lead, a front end engineer and back end engineer, a person helping with data and analytics, a QA engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to launch the app on time and resolve any post launch issues with the team. This led to great market discovery with putting the app in people's hands, getting feedback and being confident to increase marketing. We were happy with the app. We were able to launch the app, iterate on it, and build on the foundations that they had set up for us. The feedback was great showing that the app was easy to use and the SMS/Whatsapp reminder feature was a hit. We were also able to track analytics with the foundations that B22 had set up with us.

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

The project management style was great. We were kept in the loop constantly through Slack channels and the way they arranged the Slack channels was clear and professional. We had quick responses from the team and they stuck the timing on deliverables. Where there were issues they made sure to set up calls and convey them to us and helped us find solutions.

We had sprints which allowed us to test the app as we went along the process - giving us the chance to give feedback and test things. The service provided was seamless. They also helped us to solve problems on launch - we had an issue with the OTP SMS code due to African restrictions which we realized on launch. The team helped to resolve these issues which was helpful.

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

The customer service stood out compared to other teams I have worked with and the post-launch help they gave without us having to pay extra was great as it showed that they cared about the long term relationship and it was not a case of "our job is done and you're on your own now". Finally, the project team seemed like they developed an understanding of the niche we were in given they were deeply involved in the product which showed they have an interest in the concept, product and business landscape which also helps.

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

One way to improve could have been to have more understanding of the Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) space and the commercial & technical difficulties related to that context which would have been a way to surpass our expectations even more and show us roadblocks before we met them. For example, the high costs of SMS and Whatsapp messages for both the startup and end customer compared to other markets due to the African telecoms companies and how they work. But the team learnt along the way with us so will now be well equipped with this knowledge for other clients looking to create apps for SSA.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We at Nordic Gamekeeper work with smart devices for wildlife management. Today we work with feeding machines and cameras that are placed in rural areas to monitor and "steer" animals. I'm the CTO at this company and I have 18 years in IT as a developer/architect.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Blink22, and what were your goals?

We currently don't have any app developers inhouse, so we where looking for expert consultants. We interviewed many but fell for Blink22 as they, based on my experience, seemed knowledgable and also very capable in English, which was a requirement on our end.

SOLUTION

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

High competence in both development and English was key, together with pricing of course.

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

Both developing new features and bugfixes in old ones was/is in the scope of this project. Priority etc is made in Trello which the devs then pick up by them selves. Deliverables etc are all made by the team at Blink22, but we of course store the code in our git to keep the IP in the right place.

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

We've worked with 3 different developers, 1 very senior and 2 senior ones, all of which has been very statisfactory.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

No.

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

This is right now quite an adhoc/burst based project. Things pop up and we get the help we need when needed. Communication wise we work with Trello and Slack (besides emails then). This has worked great for us.

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

The most impressive thing has been their competence in app development. It has been very nice to talk/chat with people who are actually senior at what they do, and not just at their age. Ever so often I stumble upon "senior developers" that are just falsely 

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

Not really. One can always want people to stand waiting for you as soon as you want something done but that's not a sound expectation to have. We're all working to the best of our abilities, which I can see the guys at Blink22 doing as well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am cofounder and CPO of Sokoun, Sokoun is a social commerce platform that offers the most affordable & quality household essentials to the masses via a gamified group buying experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Blink22, and what were your goals?

We worked with Blink22 on kickstarting our app development that included achieving:

1. Full product and technical design of Sokoun Backend
2. Full product and technical design of Sokoun Mobile Apps
3. Full product and technical design of Sokoun Web dashboards

SOLUTION

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

I have previously worked with Blink22 on a project during my days as a Head of product for Careem Bus. The decision to engage once again came from having:

• Access to great talent
• Clear alignment on ways of working together
• Confidence in quality delivery

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

Project started from scratch, from:

• Conceptualization and brainstorming sessions on the business model to be built
• Creating product & technical designs for the apps to be used
• Getting down to development and launch, which included:
  • Backend infrastructure (NodeJS, Typescript)
  • Mobile app (Android, kotlin)
  • Frontend dashboards (Angular, React)
• Actual launch of the above, and doing the necessary devops/debugging for go live

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

8-10 team members were involved:

• 2 Backend
• 2 Frontend
• 2 android
• team lead
• QA engineer
• Product Designer
• Product Manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Successful delivery of both Mobile App & Back office operations dashboard

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

We have utilized a kanban framework along side key communication tools that differed throughout the stages of development:

1. Jira boards for tracking
2. slack for communication (answering any pending questions herer and there)
3. Twice a week sync ups to review design progress
4. Weekly meetup to review/answer any pending topics with tech leads

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

We are impressed with their resourcefulness around different resources and profiles that were needed for the development. As the team was ready not only with Engineering capacity but also with Product capacity when it comes to Design and PMing needs

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

Perhaps faster timelines over resource allocation and initial estimations

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a digital health startup. We have a B2B SaaS web app to improve wellbeing in workplaces.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Blink22, and what were your goals?

We were looking for a competent tech partner to help us refactor, maintain and add new features to our software. Also, develop a new communication dashboard to integrate with current tools and enhance platform performance. We are still yet to start the second part.

SOLUTION

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

We went through different competitors' proposals and narrowed our choice for Blink22 based on agility, clear communication and response time, honesty, high-quality portfolio and previous customer reviews.

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

The project is still ongoing, nevertheless, they have been working on project upgrade and debugging and performance and scalability. So far, the early work done is promising.

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

The team is competent in catching up on the base of the code and hitting the ground running with further developments and problem-solving. The team mainly involves full-stack developers, back-end and DevOps engineers working on the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Still ongoing with many milestones yet to develop. However, It’s been great working with them and I am encouraged to move forward and strengthen our partnership further.

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

We’ve been using different tools for different project stages. E.g. Slack, emails, Jira and regular standups. The communication so far is good and they always keep up to date with new trends to assure smooth communication.

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

They go the extra mile to ensure high-quality results. Provide tech suggestions to keep current solutions smooth. The executive team's vision and entrepreneurial spirit made it easy to communicate new business models and consider different models to get work done.

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

So far no.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the Head of Product Management at a beauty-tech company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Blink22, and what were your goals?

We needed a custom integration created between Shopify and our web app so customers could easily jump back and forth depending on if they wanted to shop or engage with our retention features.

SOLUTION

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

Recommendation from a colleague

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

Refactored our legacy web app, migrated to a more modern stack, and created a custom data sync between Shopify and database.

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

4 people - 3 engineers & 1 product manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Very impressed at their communication ability, which is hard to find in contractors. Skill set of the engineers are very good, and even though we were a scrappy startup, they were very good at creating deliverables based on the acceptance criteria. We also appreciate their willingness to accommodate PST hours in the beginning so we can transfer knowledge and adapt them to our processes.

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

They’re very comfortable in JIRA and Slack - providing good updates on progress.

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

The engineers felt like they were members of our team, which is very unique to contractors in general.

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

They were really great and flexible given we had internal issues in providing timely documentation.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the lead product manager at KhataBook. We have an Android and iOS app available in the market; we’re one of the top business apps in India. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Blink22?

We hired Blink22 to develop our mobile apps. We were growing fast, but we didn’t have in-house engineers to build out our additional requirements. As a result, we needed Blink22’s help.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We already had an Android Khatabook app, so we only asked Blink22 to create an iOS version of it. We gave them our requirements, and they broke them down into development tasks. The team then gave us an estimated cost. From there, they started the development process. They also worked a little on the Android app’s frontend. Their resources used Figma for the app’s design, wireframes, and prototype. We did the QA testing. 

At present, Blink22’s workload has increased. They continue to work with us as a part of our team. In terms of core features and functionality, the app is a money management platform. We help small and medium-sized business owners in India and across the globe develop their daily cash accounting; they can track their expenditures, profits, and losses through the app. 

What is the team composition?

I’ve interacted with about 7–8 people from Blink22, including the product manager, developers, and designers. 

How did you come to work with Blink22?

Our founder found Blink22 on Clutch. They seemed a little expensive compared to other Indian teams. However, their price was reasonable on a global standard. Since we had the funding, we decided to work with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $300,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership started in August 2019, and we’re still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within the first 60 days of launching, we’ve already seen success. We’ve reached a single-digit rank on Google, and we’ve even trended in India as we crossed 300,000 downloads. The Android version of Khatabook has 60 million downloads, while the iOS version has over a million downloads. We also have a 4.4-star rating and 35,000 reviews. Moreover, our iOS app is in the top business category chart — we haven’t even spent anything on marketing. As a result, we’ve decided to invest further in these projects. 

Overall, Blink22 has built high-quality and stable products. Our app is light — the team has been able to bring our app’s size down to nearly 10MB, yet it remains functional. Our crash-free rate is 99.7%, and we’re trying to get it to 99.9%. 

How did Blink22 perform from a project management standpoint?

Blink22 has professional and clear communication. They only commit to what they’re confident about, and then they deliver it. Their pricing is also fair for what they do, and we’re happy with what they’re offering. 

Moreover, the team is highly professional in terms of scheduling. They have a realistic timeline, and they stick to it. We don’t need to do follow-ups. We use Jira to track the project’s progress. We have standup meetings there, while we primarily communicate via Slack. Every once in a while, we use WhatsApp and emails. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Blink22 has a high-quality team that produces high-quality work. That’s why we can blindly trust whoever they assign to a project — we can expect consistency in their work. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. I don’t have any complaints about their work. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Document your requirements, and you’ll get the best out of them. When you give them the right instructions, they’ll do the right estimations and assign the right amount of people to the project. 

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on 04/04/2020 

Rahul KR

Product Manager, Khatabook ADJ Utility Apps Private Limited

Financial Services

51-200 Employees

Bengaluru, India

$50,000 to $199,999

Aug 2019 - Ongoing

Project summary

After a digital lender's Android app's success, they hired Blink22 to build an iOS app. They were provided with designs on Zeplin, sprinting to build the app, integrate features, and launch on time.

Feedback summary

Within 60 days of launch, the app ranked #9 on all categories combined and #1 in the business category in the App Store with over 250,000 installs. Developers at Blink22 were highly-proficient, handling all difficult integrations with grace and friendliness.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Khatabook is a digital ledger app that allows micro, small and medium-sized businesses to keep a digital log of their financial transactions and accept payments online. I am Product Manager here and lead payments product along with leading the Khatabook's iOS app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Blink22?

Our android app was receiving a lot of customer love and had breached 10 Million plus installs and there was a huge demand for iOS app. Hence, we looked up for firms who could deliver a high quality iOS app and came across Blink22 on Clutch website. Blink22 now handles our iOS app development and also handles few components of our core android app.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to ship our iOS app by November end of 2019 and Blink22 hit that target and since then our goal has been to build on iOS app all the features which are available on our android app. We decide on weekly sprints and Blink22 has been able to meet every sprint deadline consistently. We currently have 250k+ installs on our iOS app and have crossed 30 Million installs of our android app.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our company's co-founder Dhanesh Kumar searched online for all the high quality teams who can build an iOS app and also work on our core android app. After reviewing a lot of firms for over a month within India we decided to look for teams based in abroad and came across Blink22 on Clutch website. Dhanesh got in touch with Blinkk22's cofounder and after few rounds of calls, we decided to finalise them as our app development partners.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we finalised Blink22 as our partners, we took their tech team through our backend and explained in detail how our platform works. Post which, they started building new features for our android app, we provided them with the designs on Zeplin and added tasks on Jira to track the progress. They followed sprint diligently and kept shipping the features on time. The project included building few features on the android app plus to build and maintain complete iOS app right from choosing which platform to build our app on to backend integrations, designing of the screens, complete front end development and analytics logging.

What was the team composition?

We initially got 2 developers and 1 product manager for our android app development from Blink22's end. Then as we started our work on iOS app we added 2 iOS developers, 1 designer and their senior iOS engineer to ensure high quality gets shipped from their team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within 60 days of our iOS app launch we were trending on App Store, we hit #9 rank on all categories combined. We have been trending on #1 on business category in India since many weeks now. Our iOS app has crossed 250,000 installs and our users are loving the app with 4.9 rating on App Store.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It has been very smooth and effective. Yehia Ezzat, their product manager has been doing a great job in managing the entire project and team to keep things smooth even under very tough deadlines and ad-hoc task requests from our end. I worked closely with Nagendra, their designer to get high quality designs ready for iOS app. Their iOS developer Mohammed Allam has been an absolute rock star and we are very happy with his work and wish to keep building new features with Allam, Nagendra, Yehia and Dalia, their senior most iOS engineer who has helped us with all the difficult integrations and with such grace and friendliness.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their developers are really proficient and know their tech stack in and out. Any challenging problem we throw at them has always been handled with eagerness and curiosity to learn and solve the task at hand. Their commitment to keep proper process and frameworks to ensure smooth delivery of project requirements has been a stand out point. Kudos to them for the same.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None I can think of, we have been completely satisfied and happy with their work. In between when the work was being slowed down a bit due to bugs they immediately replaced and alloted us a senior developer to make sure the project timelines and quality don't get affected.

RATINGS

Overall rating:  5

So far it has been a wonderful journey with them and we wish to keep continuing this for the foreseeable future!

Quality: 5

High quality apps have been shipped by them, top notch designs. Stable, high performance and smooth app.

Cost: 5

Everything worthwhile comes at a price & that's how it should be. We are happy to bear the cost due to their high-quality work which is what matters.

Schedule: 5 

Very professional and on time. Never felt an issue in collaborating with their team.

Willing to refer: 5

Would definitely recommend Blink22 to any team in my network looking for an end to end app development firm.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior growth manager for a business management company. We make utility apps for the Indian ecosystem where we address the B2B side of things.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Blink22?

We wanted to enable Indian merchants with software that could bring their business online during the COVID-19 pandemic. We needed a partner to develop the iOS app and website for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built our website and iOS mobile app end-to-end; they designed it, developed it, performed QA, and released it. Both of the deliverables enable merchants to create their catalogs, share them with their customers, and place orders.

What is the team composition?

At least five people are working with us.

How did you come to work with Blink22?

We worked with them in the past; they did a good job and kept up with timelines, so we hired them for this project. Also, their coding is good, and it’s easy for us to replicate internally.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $100,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The overall product was good. The paid marketing efforts have been minimal, thanks to the way that we implemented them. We retain a lot of users because of the way the product has been designed and coded.

How did Blink22 perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was pretty solid; we use Jira and do the Kanban setup. The person who works on the project management side has technical knowledge — it’s easy for them to understand what we need.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re agile, take ownership, and have clarity of thought. They’ve also been professional and understanding about the requirements for the product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on — quality has been top-notch.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them proper documentation and a clear objective with timelines, and they’ll get it done. They have great expertise within their team and resources for almost every tech stack possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a software company for home service and business owners. Our CRM platform allows home service professionals to schedule appointments, manage customers, and perform jobs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Blink22?

We needed them to develop our mobile and web applications.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Blink22 has developed our mobile and web apps, which our previous in-house development team failed to complete. Their team has used both React and React Native to generate our tech products. They continue to support our company by applying site modifications and performing other development-related tasks.

What is the team composition?

We work with two mobile app and two web app developers.

How did you come to work with Blink22?

Blink22 understood the technical issues of our products — this was highly reflected in their project proposal, so I gained confidence in their team.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent more than $20,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've only recently launched our apps, so there are no metrics to share yet. However, I can definitely say that I am highly satisfied with their work. Blink22 is an amazing team — they quickly deliver high-quality work and help us address all app-related issues.

How did Blink22 perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicate via Slack and Zoom. Blink22 has great project management skills — they always provide detailed timelines and documents.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We're always impressed with their communication and development skills.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Blink22's work meets our satisfaction, so we have no complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Finalize the project scope before kicking off your engagement. Once this is laid out, Blink22 will deliver what you need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of a lifestyle management company. It’s an iOS mobile application that helps users balance their lifestyle through video content, calendars, and messaging capabilities. I’ve worked on a lot of designs, strategies, and branding over the course of 10 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Blink22?

We’ve been working with Blink22 to develop and launch our product in the next six months.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Blink22 has developed our mobile app from scratch. We’re building it for iOS and, shortly, for Android and web as well. 

What is the team composition?

Moustafa (Co-Founder & CEO) is my main point of contact. Blink22 has a full development team of probably 12 engineers and a couple of designers working on the project. We also have a QA and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Blink22?

I believe I found Blink22 through a review website while I was looking for different development US-based companies. I wasn’t looking for an agency with a heavy roster of developers because we’d lose quality nor a company with only co-founders. I wanted people who could bring some ammunition to the table; maybe a team of 6–10 people would be perfect.

I got a lot of calls with a lot of different people, but the background, experience, portfolio, and age of the Blink22 founders impressed me. I’d worked in tech for over ten years, started a company in college, worked on global consulting level for a large company after college, started another company, and I’d seen a lot of people in the space of tech, but not like them.

I wanted to slowly meet the Blink22 team. I met the project manager and some of the leads, who I was very impressed with. Then, we gave them the scope of the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $50,000, and there’s another $50,000–$100,000 still coming for the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Blink22 in October 2020. The project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a realistic timeline, demos, and test scripts that we set out for Blink22 to understand and accomplish. 

We aren’t launched yet, but it’s a big piece of software. One of these pieces could be its own app — it has three that are all integrated. We’ve had to break the project down into milestones and subprocess areas. Every two weeks, we have a demo that shows a piece of functionality and later integrates onto other pieces of the platform.

There’s also QA, and we do unit, string, integration, and end testing. Unit and integration testing are big things because, as we build, we make sure the software works with other parts and is standard. We have test scripts that we follow to know if it’s working or not — it’s very prescriptive.

How did Blink22 perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate with Blink22 through Google Meet, Google Calendar, and Slack. For project management, we use Jira, Figma for design, and SharePoint for my own personal repository. Blink22 has its own project management tool for internal purposes. It’s custom software that they've built to manage their products, and it’s integrated as a little plug-in into Slack — it can message their team automatically in Slack. It’s very impressive.

I have a weekly call with the project manager and a biweekly call with the sponsors. Everyone that’s onboard has been able to deliver, and they’ve been good about communicating. In addition, Blink22’s quality of work has been great. All development projects need debugging, but they have a good attitude when doing it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve started off in a smaller capacity with Blink22, but I’ve found that their team is highly capable, and they have excellent time management and communication skill set. I have nothing but good things to say about Blink22. They’re probably my favorite team that’s on the project. 

At the beginning of the project, I was unsettled with their project manager — with who I had a good relationship — because we were in the early stages of getting to know how they work. However, when that happened, Blink22 brought in a more senior project manager who wasn’t even billable to help oversee the meetings. 

That senior project manager has been on the project, even though he isn’t part of the effort model for their resources. Blink22 has been very quick to bring in new people when it’s needed.

We’ll keep building software with Blink22 for the next year and a half because of the contract. My mobile app will grow, and I can see our companies growing together to the point where their team would work full-time on my app. I want Blink22 to hire more people because we’re going to need a specialist.

I can see Blink22 growing and being one of the biggest companies in their region. I want to be part of that because of how well our relationship has developed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Blink22 could have consistent project management, such as meetings. I want the project to be faster, but I need to have a more realistic expectation because it’s a big platform. The project is going to take longer, but I’m comfortable with the Blink22 team, and I’m sure that they’re able to do it. It’s the most complex thing I’ve ever seen.

Any advice for potential customers?

You should have your design work scoped out. The Blink22 designers are awesome, but they need something to work off of, so have your inspiration already built out. If you can, hire a consultant to help you with business questions before bringing them onto the project. You’ll have a better vision of your product when Blink22 comes on board because as soon as they’re part of your project, they’re going to take it and run with it.