Matt Derrick

KindGeek developed the proof of concept for a personal blockchain wallet. They provide sketches and design the UX, and currently help answer questions for potential investors.

Feedback summary

The extremely detailed POC has been well-received. Despite the time-zone differences, KindGeek kept the project moving through their consistent communication and responsiveness. They accept constructive input well, but also bring creative ideas of their own to the table at a reasonable value.

Challenge

What challenge were you trying to address with KindGeek?

We hired KindGeek to do discovery and scoping for a blockchain platform. It will allow individual users to have their own personal blockchain wallet. It will also house their personal data so they can provide it to third parties.

Solution

What was the scope of their involvement? 

KindGeek went through the scoping process with us. They created the design and UX for the platform. They produced designs and sketches to serve as a proof of concept (POC). It's bleeding edge technology. We’ll use the POC to validate that the way the data is facilitated, processed, and shared in the blockchain actually works. 

The full development of the platform requires larger outside investment. We're working on that now. When we raise those funds, we plan to work with KindGeek to build out the entire platform. Currently they're helping us answer questions from investors.

What is the team composition?

We work closely with Anton (CEO, KindGeek) and Yuri (COO, KindGeek). Roxie (Business Analyst, KindGeek) is our primary project manager. She coordinates the calls with the designers or developers, depending on what we need at any given time. We actually went over to their office in Ukraine for a week, where we probably worked with 20 people. 

How did you come to work with KindGeek? 

We contacted a third-party firm who connected us with potential partners. We interviewed about a dozen firms, both here in the US and abroad, before selecting KindGeek. 

How much have you invested with them?

All told, we’ve spent around $23,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

Work started in September 2018 and the engagement is ongoing.

Results & Feedback

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

KindGeek is fantastic. They were able to get our very abstract concepts drilled down to an extreme level of detail. They did a great job mapping out the way data will flow on the platform. They've delivered as far as our funding allows, and they've delivered exactly what we wanted. KindGeek pushes us to consider many options and alternatives, never leaving any stone unturned. 

How did KindGeek perform from a project management standpoint? 

Their team is outstanding. There’s never a time where we felt they missed something. They’re super organized, involved, and responsive. There’s a 6–7 hour time difference but they work with our schedule. We do early morning calls before myself and my partners go to our day jobs. I really like how responsive they are. I can email them at any time of the day and they'll write back. One of my partners serves as our technical lead. They use Google Docs and Trello to manage the project, and Jira for issue tracking. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

KindGeek’s team are so skilled at what they do. Their people are really bright. I've worked with a lot of development firms and I put them in the top 2–3. They also rank high in their ability to work until they find a solution. There's some uncertainty anytime I work with companies outside the US. They’re excellent in terms of language skills and schedule flexibility. The only difference between working with them and development shops in New York and San Francisco is that KindGeek is much more affordable. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

I've shared with them that their estimation of how long tasks will take needs improvement. Parts of the project took longer than they initially anticipated. Some of it was our fault because we didn’t have everything fleshed out before we started.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Don't be afraid to let them lead. They have really good ideas and can provide a roadmap of where your project should go. You might know the business scenario but there's always a gap between the concept and the UX. KindGeek has the diligence to make sure that every scenario is planned for.