“Their professionalism, timeliness, and quality of work have been outstanding.”
Technology Rivers developed an Android app based on a previously designed iOS app. Key features include crowdsourcing capabilities based on user submissions, GPS geolocation, and push notifications.
“Their professionalism, timeliness, and quality of work have been outstanding.”
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the CEO of Sickweather, a real-time map of human health. We forecast the spread of various illnesses around the world.
What challenge were you trying to address with Technology Rivers?
We were looking to build an Android app to house our platform.
What was the scope of their involvement?
The Sickweather app leverages GPS geolocation technology and push notifications to alert users in real time when they enter “sick zones”, which are geofenced areas we create from the health data we collect. The data includes frequency of reported illnesses including strep throat, the flu, whooping cough, and others. Users can contribute their own reports to crowdsource data as well.
The Technology Rivers team was responsible for the entire Android development process. Our internal iOS team had already established a design that Technology Rivers adjusted to suit the Android user interface before starting development.
What is the team composition?
We worked with a project manager and a small group of developers.
How did you come to work with Technology Rivers?
I initially met the president and CEO through networking in the Baltimore tech space. We had been working with another offshore developer and the app they built had a significant number of issues. Technology Rivers essentially rebuilt the entire app when they came on.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve invested $100,000-$250,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in 2015. Since completing the Android app, we’ve retained them for their services in other areas and they’ve provided ongoing support as necessary. They also recently took over on providing support for our iOS app.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We do our own QA testing in-house and we haven’t encountered any major problems. We also monitor feedback on the Google Play store, and we’re at about a 4-star rating right now. Technology Rivers does a great job with responding to bug reports on the Google Play store and addresses them very efficiently.
How did Technology Rivers perform from a project management standpoint?
I’ve had no problems at all with their performance. Everything has stayed on schedule and we’re happy with the deliverables. We communicate primarily via Slack and added them to our company channels to facilitate real-time collaboration.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their professionalism, timeliness, and quality of work have been outstanding.
Are there any areas they could improve?
We haven’t had any issues with their team. Their communication is great, especially for an overseas firm, and they’re always punctual despite the time difference. Their billing process has been transparent, and we’re happy to be working with them.
Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?
They’re more than just an app developer. The team has a very broad set of skills, so keep an open mind in determining the project scope.
“We valued their technical knowledge and ability to execute our project.”
Fixing a past vendor’s work, Technology Rivers enhanced the API and database of a social media event app. This involved designing and running a new database in MySQL using a REST API design and AWS.
“We valued their technical knowledge and ability to execute our project.”
Although app development was suspended through no fault of their own, Technology Rivers’ work fulfilled the required functionality specs. Scrum meetings and responsive communication facilitated collaboration and ensured timely delivery.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m an Executive at Hoppen. We’re a social media event app marketed towards college students.
What challenge were you trying to address with Technology Rivers?
Our previous developers built the app in a technologically haphazard way: they would solve short-term problems without considering the overall issues at hand. As a result, the functionality and database design created major technical debt. We needed resources to support our team in building a new database to streamline our app.
What was the scope of their involvement?
After reassessing our goals and establishing a six-month roadmap, we determined three key goals for the project. First, they designed and executed a set of updates to the API. Next, they built a new data structure and updated the reporting system to facilitate a more user-friendly functionality. The final step involved augmenting data migration to the new database. They developed and ran the database in MySQL using a REST API design and AWS.
Although the app didn’t get enough traction to continue app development, Technology Rivers accomplished the first two stages.
What is the team composition?
We worked primarily with the release design and project manager. Occasionally, we collaborated indirectly with their developers.
How did you come to work with Technology Rivers?
We knew the project manager through technical gatherings and conferences. We knew his backend development capabilities aligned with our project needs, so we hired him.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent approximately $400,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
Work lasted between April 2016–June 2017.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Although we don’t have quantitative metrics about the app success, we appreciated their responsiveness. They were always available to address our concerns. In terms of deliverables, they met our expectations and fulfilled our functionality requirements.
How did Technology Rivers perform from a project management standpoint?
They followed the agile method to identify and prioritize essential tasks that we needed to complete within the next few weeks. Daily scrum meetings focused the team and ensured task completion.
What did you find most impressive about them?
We valued their technical knowledge and ability to execute our project. We also commended their communication skills.
Are there any areas they could improve?
While we benefited from their technological expertise, we would have preferred a more formal design approach.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Customers must have a methodical approach to build a mobile app. Think about what needs to be done in the long term, focus on the tasks in the short term, and execute the steps to achieve those tasks on a weekly basis. Balancing both the long- and short-term visions allows customers to work effectively.
"I've worked with three other developers and they have been the best thus far."
Technology Rivers revamped a website with the goal of improving its UI/UX. They also created a user dashboard, fixed codebase issues, and migrated the backend to Google Firebase.
"I've worked with three other developers and they have been the best thus far."
The team delivered within deadlines and was mindful of the project’s budget. They were willing to do all that was asked of them and didn’t mind taking over another developer’s codebase, something that most developers refuse. They could improve by keeping better track of the completed work.
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I'm the owner of a mobile responsive site that connects contractors with craftsmen and crews. I'm the owner of the company.
For what projects/services did your company hire Technology Rivers?
We needed to redevelop our existing site with regards to UI/UX and convert over to a new backend hoisting/compiler site with custom API's.
What were your goals for this project?
Ultimately, we wanted to have a better UI/UX and a cleaner codebase with fewer bugs.
How did you select this vendor?
I found them on Clutch and interviewed them in person. I requested references and saw only glowing reviews from previous clients.
Describe the project in detail.
We had some lingering issues with UI/UX experiences and added a posting workflow. We created a new user dashboard and fixed some other remaining problems in our codebase. We also had to move our backend platform from Back& over to Google Firebase.
What was the team composition?
I would submit lists and tasks to the project manager who would then describe them to the project lead and developers.
What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?
They’re able to hit benchmarks and deadlines with quick response times.
How effective was the project management?
This is the only area I would say that needs improvement. I wish they would find the cause of some of their internal UI/UX issues. I find myself repeating some problems that need to be readdressed.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
They were able to quickly and effectively jump into my previous developer’s codebase and start turning the project around. Many other developers would've hesitated or refused to work on a project they didn't develop, but Technology Rivers has been more than willing to perform all the tasks that I've asked of them.
What tips or recommendations do you have?
I would recommend having a weekly checklist to share with clients to describe the work that’s underway and the things that have been completed. This way, nothing goes missing.
“They had a resource available for any kind of technology.”
Among others projects, they built a complete backend system for a development company. This web-based application evaluates needs, matches clients with tutors, sets up a schedule and manages reporting.
“They had a resource available for any kind of technology.”
Since the first project in 2015, this collaboration continues to ensure sufficient resources when in-house help isn’t sufficient. Technology Rivers impresses by delivering prompt, quality services in a diverse array of technologies.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
My company deals with mobile applications and software development for federal and state government. We have a couple of products that we sell, such as a CRM [Customer Relationship Management] solution.
We build mobile apps for different transit agencies. We have an SMS and texting solution where someone can send their query through their SMS texting capability and we will give them a response. I am the CTO of the company.
What challenge were you trying to address with Technology Rivers?
We were shorthanded in-house. We were trying to augment our capabilities for our project. We were on a tight deadline and didn’t have the resource bandwidth that we needed.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We’ve done a few projects with them. The biggest project was a web-based app running on Google app engine, which was like Google’s answer to Amazon Web Services. They provided a solution that helped out in the home tutoring business. If someone needs a tutor for their children, this company that will evaluate your needs and your children’s needs, and match them up with a tutor. There’s a full backend system to manage the whole process from getting the inquiry in, evaluating it, closing it out, matching the new client with a tutor, and setting up a schedule between the tutor and student. Then there’s a portal where, once the tutoring starts, you can log your hours to get paid and add notes on how the session went with the students. There’s a backend reporting portion to see how many hours were done and how the tutors are ranked. It’s a complete backend system for a tutoring company. The core development was done in 2017.
We worked on a small project after that one. They still help us in supporting the work that they did.
What is the team composition?
We had a project manager who was our main point of contact and a technical contact.
How did you come to work with Technology Rivers?
We met up at a networking event and we kept in touch.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent over $100,000 for all the projects we’ve done with them.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in 2015 and the work is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We have a development team in-house. Once a product was delivered and the QA was done, there was a code review process on our side to verify the quality. The quality is fairly good. There were no alarms or showstoppers. Any issues were very minor.
How did Technology Rivers perform from a project management standpoint?
They performed very well. They met their deadlines. They understood our needs and they were very responsive when we needed to clarify things. We used JIRA and 4–5 products by Atlassian for project management, documentation purposes, bug tracking, etc.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They had a resource available for any kind of technology. There was never a pushback where they didn’t have expertise in a particular area. It was impressive that no matter what the technology stack was or the issues were on our side, we could push it to them and they would deliver with a solution.
Are there any areas they could improve?
There’s nothing that comes to mind. In this particular case, there was a little bit of ramp-up time to gel together between our folks and theirs. Once that was taken care of, it was painless.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
It’s very helpful if what you’re asking for is well documented so that there’s a reference guide and there’s no ambiguity between what you want and what they’re understanding. The more documentation, the easier the process is.
"If there are any concerns, [they] will bring them up as soon as they occur, and will work through them with us."
Technology Rivers leads website and app development and design. They handle anything from backend and UX, to creative work and market submission for iOS and Android apps.
"If there are any concerns, [they] will bring them up as soon as they occur, and will work through them with us."
Technology Rivers is reliable and quick to pinpoint issues. They’re easy to communicate with and their deliverables are always on time and within budget. The team is flexible and, though foundational creativity and branding aren’t their strong suits, they can provide skeletons for moving forward.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I am a cofounder of Konvergent. We design different technology platforms specific to niche interest groups.
What challenge were you trying to address with Technology Rivers?
While we had concepts relating to app and website development, we are not developers ourselves. We reached out to Technology Rivers for this.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Technology Rivers is handling everything from user experience and creative work, with the exception of our main logo and branding guidelines. We didn’t originally have the secondary, group functionality of our apps and website. It allows people to create their own groups, either private or public, and upload various types of content. In addition, we have an events module through which we can host live video events through the app and website.
How did you come to work with Technology Rivers?
We were looking at a number of factors, including cost. At the same time, we wanted to have good quality, and Technology Rivers had a good balance of being affordable and high-quality, and they had a mix of US-based and abroad resources. This was important since many of the other companies we looked at had all their resources abroad, which was a barrier from a communication standpoint, even though it might have been a more cost-effective model.
How much have you invested with Technology Rivers?
The cost varies, since we’ve done different projects with them. The initial one was more expensive, since it involved getting all the coding in place, and developing from scratch on the website and iOS platform. It included the backend admin panel, all creatives and UX, and the actual submission process on the Android and iOS markets. It was around $75,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with Technology Rivers almost two years ago. We’re continuing the collaboration and have developed two iOS apps and two websites. We’re about to start on a new app.
Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?
Both the original two apps and the website are still in a kind of beta phase. We haven’t done a full-out launch, but the general feedback has been positive, and we’re continuing to use that model. It will serve as the skeleton for our next app and website. If we weren’t happy, we definitely wouldn’t be taking that approach.
How did Technology Rivers perform from a project management standpoint?
They’re on-point in terms of deadlines and budget. If there are any concerns, Technology Rivers will bring them up as soon as they occur, and will work through them with us. Once again, having a domestic team has helped in terms of time zones and general communication.
What did you find most impressive about Technology Rivers?
The communication in general. Being responsive about the hourly billing when they needed to spend more time with us, and flexible about when and how to meet.
Are there any areas Technology Rivers could improve?
As far as the creative is concerned, they are able to provide basics, but Technology Rivers isn’t a creative agency. If someone is looking for foundational branding, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend them.
In-house QA testing has revealed a high standard of work, and the app has garnered very positive feedback on the Google Play store. Emphases on attentive project management, punctuality, and frequent communication have minimized the impact of working in different time zones.