Web App Development for Education Company
INOXOFT developed the MVP for a language education platform. Advising the client to build a web app, they incorporated the client’s designs and desired functionality.
Although the MVP increased customer interest, the client decided that a mobile version of the platform would be more suitable. Despite their expertise in this area, INOXOFT’s team was often unprepared. They could have improved the results of the engagement by exploring the details of the scope.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the founder of a Norway-based company that develops tools for endangered language education.
What challenge were you trying to address with INOXOFT?
When I initially launched my company, I created a board game to teach players about endangered languages. Now, I want to build a digital version. To do so, we needed technical experts to guide us and provide the best technology available. I hired INOXOFT to develop the platform. They suggested that we created a web app rather than a native app.
What was the scope of their involvement?
At the beginning of the project, we had PowerPoint presentation to go over what we wanted the platform to look like. The design is based on the board game we created, but INOXOFT provided some input.
Then we handed over what we had so far — we had another developer working on the project before this, so we had a few functions already built. For example, they built a feature that allows for video communication between users.
The first thing we discussed was what technology we should use to achieve our vision. We wanted to build an MVP that would be valuable to our end users, and they recommended that we build a web app.
What is the team composition?
I worked with one person directly, and there were 3–5 developers working on the project.
How did you come to work with INOXOFT?
I found them on Clutch. I met with several companies from Ukraine and shortlisted three potential partners. I chose to work INOXOFT seemed knowledgeable and understood my idea.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in May 2018 and wrapped up in December that year.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The MVP that INOXOFT built increased interest in our product, and we got some customers, but it wasn’t good enough to use yet. We were still able to use the platform to present our business idea to various endangered language groups. Based on that, we earned new deals.
However, after about eight months, I decided to find another partner who could build a native mobile app instead. INOXOFT recommended a web app, but a mobile platform would perform better in the market.
Overall, they were knowledgeable partners, but they worked too quickly. They should take the time to dive into the project a little more.
How did INOXOFT perform from a project management standpoint?
Sometimes they were unprepared and they often had to chase down people on the team. I was never sure who was working on the project or what their roles were, so there was definitely room for improvement. We typically used Slack to communicate, but I visited their offices every month as well.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They’re a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) with a young team, so they’re forward-thinking.
Are there any areas they could improve?
They could be more prepared for meetings. They should also thoroughly explore the scope they’re accepting before providing a quote. That will help them provide a more accurate estimate and prevent unexpected costs.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Make sure the scope of your project is clear, so INOXOFT can provide an accurate estimate. The better they understand the project, the better the outcome will be.