Case study: UniUni student app, UAE
Prototype first. Then build it once.
UniUni came to us to build a student app for universities in the Gulf. We suggested a small prototype and requirements project first. The prototype changed half of the product before any costly development began, and the final app was delivered on time, with quality, at a reasonable cost.
The project
A big idea, not yet a clear product
UniUni's founders wanted one app that brings a university's academic and campus services together for students: timetables, course updates, events, communities and notifications, branded for each university.
In our first session it was clear the vision was strong but the product was still taking shape. Quoting a full build at that point would have meant guessing, and guesses in software turn into change requests, delays and extra cost later.
A small project before the big one
Prototype
A clickable prototype of the app's screens and flows, so the founders could see and test the product instead of imagining it.
Requirements document
A complete software requirements specification (SRS) written alongside the prototype: every screen, role and rule in plain words.
Full build
With a final prototype and a clear SRS, the full project was quoted and booked with a fixed scope.
Half the product changed, at prototype cost
Once the founders could click through their product, they rethought it. By the final prototype about 50% of the product had changed from the original idea.
Those changes cost a few prototype revisions instead of rewriting finished code. Making them before development cut the cost of the build, and saved what the same 50% of changes would have cost if they had come up halfway through it.
Delivered on time, with quality
- Full project delivered on schedule
- Quality build from a clear, agreed specification
- Reasonable project cost, with no surprise change requests
- A prototype and SRS the client owns and can share with investors and universities
Not sure what your product should be yet?
That is normal, and it is the cheapest time to find out. We can start with a small prototype and requirements project, so you see your product, change it freely, and get a fixed quote for a build you are sure about.
About starting with a prototype
What is a prototype and requirements project?
A short, fixed-price project where we design clickable screens of your app and write a software requirements specification (SRS) describing every feature. You see the product before it is built.
Why not go straight to development?
If the product is not clear yet, changes during development are slow and expensive. Changing a prototype is quick and cheap, so the full build starts from a plan that will not move.
Do I own the prototype and SRS?
Yes. They are yours, and you can use them with us, with another developer, or to show investors and partners.
Can you build the app after the prototype?
Yes. That is what happened with UniUni: once the prototype and SRS were final, we quoted and delivered the full project on time.
Tell us what you are building
A product demo, a new website or a whole system: send a few lines and we will get back to you on WhatsApp.