Mobter

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the development department director in the security and trust services division of a company that produces and develops software for leading sectors, including the government. We also offer data centers and conduct training in management and human resources (HR) systems. We specialize in safety, data confidentiality, and mass communication.

The company was established in 2016. In January 2017, we merged with two other companies in which we held 100% of the source capital. We operate on the Polish market, as well as the international European, African, and Asian markets.

What challenge were you trying to address with Mobter?

We needed a technology partner to develop and redesign one of our products, which is used by both private companies and governmental institutions. The solution can be used to electronically sign any document received on your mobile or web device.

What was the scope of their involvement?

During the first month, we discussed the design and user experience. We provided backend documentation, source codes, and previous versions of the applications. They received insight into what had been done and how it had been done.

Then they developed the iOS and Android applications using native technologies. They designed the graphic interface and all the communication inside the mobile application.

What is the team composition?

There were seven developers and one tester.

How did you come to work with Mobter?

We decided to choose a company that had experience in every area where we needed improvements. We were looking a partner who could program and design the solution, increasing its security, and add new features.

Our third-party partner recommended Mobter. After reviewing their portfolio, they seemed to be quite promising. I sent an RFP to three different companies, and Mobter had the most knowledge. We were able to negotiate on a price we could accept.

How much have you invested with them?

$50,000-$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March 2017 until August 2017.

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

We became number one in Poland’s electronic signature market. Our mobile application is the first qualified signature application available on mobile devices. Three companies offer a similar service in Poland, but none of them allow you to sign documents on your mobile device.

We also issued over 2 million certificates to clients worldwide. We documented more than 20,000 downloads of our mobile applications. It’s mainly used by companies in the legal and medical sectors.

How did Mobter perform from a project management standpoint?

In the beginning, they ran a series of workshops where we discussed every detail of the project. They were very professional, useful, and beneficial for us. One of their tasks was also to simplify the mobile applications. Before they started working, they asked us about all the potential scenarios in the mobile applications. Before they streamlined the process, you had to make around eight steps to sign a document. They simplified the process to four steps.

In the beginning, we held many personal meetings. During the development process, we had phone calls, daily Skype calls, Slack conversations, and used other communication tools. We had standup meetings every day and summary meetings every Friday. We used the Scrum methodology.

They know how to run Scrum projects and have an awesome, innovative Scrum master. Team A was the Android team and Team B was the iOS team. She had them run completely different tasks so they wouldn’t be stopped by any problems that come up during development. After they finished, each group took the task that had already been completed by the other team. That was the first time I had seen that methodology. It sped up the development process, so we’re now using it in-house.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication was outstanding and professional. They communicate both good and bad news well. It’s good to know about issues ahead of time rather than being blindsided. They kept us informed about everything in advance.

Sometimes I had a chance to speak to the developers along with the Scrum master. All the developers I spoke to had a problem-solving attitude. They find good employees with this attitude.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had to wait 2-3 weeks so Mobter could finish the project they were working on before. That was irritating because we wanted to start the project immediately. We were very nervous because the managing director was asking me every day when they’ll be starting. However, they told us they’d be on time and they were.

One of the Scrum masters who started the project went on maternity leave and was switched for another person. After we worked out some small problems, the transition was smooth.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the head of the IT department of Euro Bank, which provides typical banking services on the Polish market. We were founded by a Polish entrepreneur and bought by a large French banking group.

What challenge were you trying to address with Mobter?

We were developing the first mobile banking app on the Polish market. There were no other apps of this kind in our area in 2012, so we didn’t have a source of inspiration. We determined that we should develop a unique product, and the challenge was designing its UX and functionalities.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were tasked with the design, development, testing, and maintenance of the app. They were in charge of the whole project, from application design to UX flows. They provided a concept for the app in the form of sketches and graphics. We then had brainstorming sessions through which we came up with a final look for the app.

The app was published for iOS and Android clients after a 12-month development period, then we published the Windows Phone version 10 months later. They also developed a version for Apple Watch. The apps were developed natively for all three platforms.

They continued to improve our app, adding functionalities like a card simulator, widgets listing the latest operations and account balance, and 3D touch and fingerprinting on the Android platform. They also helped with API development for the apps, guided us on the best approaches for server communication, and helped our team fix any issues on our side.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 12 people for our project, divided into four or five people for iOS and Android respectively, and two for Windows Phone. We also had a project manager on their side, who communicated with our product owner.

How did you come to work with Mobter?

We had some concerns about the size of the team, but we had previously worked with Wheel Systems, the parent company of Mobter, which contributed to our trust in them.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work has been around $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Mobter in 2012 and have an ongoing collaboration. The second version of the app was released in January 2018.

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

Our application has been downloaded about one half of a million times across Android and iOS. Around 30% of our total users are active every month. The app came in first place at the Mobile Trends Awards. It’s been appreciated by general users as well. We’ve received positive comments on the app stores since 2012. We’ve also decided to make a new and improved version. 

We experienced some bugs and crashes in the beginning, but in large part, they were caused on our side. The overall number of bugs was reasonable.

How did Mobter perform from a project management standpoint?

The collaboration was conducted through the scrum methodology, with sprint planning, daily standups, and demo sessions every second week.
We’re based in Wrocław, in the south-west of Poland, while Mobter is located in Warsaw. We communicated via phone, but their CTO and project manager visited us in-person every second week.

Everything was delivered on time and we didn’t experience any issues. They were also available during weekends as well, which was important due to the nature of our services.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve appreciated their project management, high discipline, and knowledge around security and UI/UX. Security was the most important consideration for us, but we haven’t had any issues over the years that the app has been on the market.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve been very satisfied with their work, which is why we decided to build a second version of the app with them. Increasing their capacity and expertise for the banking sector would be an improvement. It would help them grow and it would speed up the process on our side as well.

WHEEL Systems is a leading developer of innovative IT [information technology] security solutions. We specialize in user authorization and authentication and monitoring access to corporate networks. Our products combine creativity and ease of use with strong security measures, which has always been our priority when designing new solutions.

We are the leading company offering mobile authentication solutions in Poland and one of a few companies offering complex solutions for remote access sessions monitoring and recording. Our product offering is supplemented by wide range of services, which include implementation, consulting, training, and technical support.

We're looking for an application developer for a mobile module of our authentication and authorization system called CERB. 

Mobter has created a mobile application that is custom-made according to our needs. The project scope was UI [user interface] creation, UX [user experience] refine, native application development as well as publication in the application stores. Mobter is also responsible for the product maintenance, such as upgrades, new system versions adjustments, bugs fixing, and support 8/5. The main application launched two or three years ago, but upgrades and maintenance work continues.

The CERBToken application was released on Android, iOS, and the Windows Phone platform. We have about 200 customers with about 100,000 users like banks and telecommunications firms that all use this app. 

The application works extremely well and has had no major problems. Our clients are all happy, so we are happy with Mobter.