Category: Discipline

Before You Start Outsourcing Software Development [Checklist]

Post author By Espeo Crew
Post date 21/07/2021
No Comments on Before You Start Outsourcing Software Development [Checklist]

What questions should I ask my potential software outsourcing partner? How do I evaluate an outsource development team? How should we setup the work with an IT outsourcing company? If we had a dollar for every time we came across such a question!

In fact, all these have been taken verbatim from one our fave platforms, Quora. And all of them have a common denominator. The fear that outsourcing might turn out to be a terrible experience if you don’t ask the right questions first. Well, you’ve come to the right place. Because we’ve put together a checklist guaranteed to help you out.

Before You Start Outsourcing Software Development (Checklist)

How do we know these are the right software outsourcing questions to ask?

We’ve been in the IT business for 13 years now, and we’ve been a nearshoring partner, a local partner, and an outsourcing vendor. We know the theory, and we’ve done the practice. We’ve worked with and had hours of conversations with people who were just as concerned as you are right now. These are the questions we’ve been asked. To be honest, these are the questions we want to be asked! The requirements are important to us too. It goes both ways – that way we both know if we’re a good match.

So, this is what we’ve come up with. Before you start a software outsourcing partnership, check the guys out… thoroughly.

Download the ebook and ready to print checklist.

And now to you – is there anything you’d add? Any particularly bad software outsourcing experiences that made you rethink your choices? We’d love to know!

PS. If you’re already thinking one step ahead, check out our resources: such as on improving communication with a remote team.

Ready to build your next project with us? Let us know here and start your journey towards a successful digital product!

Other Other Uncategorized

Relocation to Poznań: a guide through Wielkopolska’s capital (Part 1)

Post author By Espeo Crew
Post date 02/07/2021

Currently, people migrate for many reasons, such as for work, family, or economic aspects. Surely, moving to another city, or even to another country often causes stress and fear of the unknown. However, at the end of the day, it is worth thinking about the positive aspects of relocation, especially when it comes to work, which could turn out to be much more. At Espeo Software, we are open and willing to welcome new team members from all over the world.

After all, you may find that relocating to Poznań, where the company’s headquarters is located, is the best decision you have ever made. Why? Read more and find it out.

In this article you will find:

Relocation – what’s there for you?
Poznań: How to get around the city and how to reach Espeo Software premises
Accommodation tips

Relocation to Poznań: a guide through Wielkopolska’s capital (Part 1)

Relocation – what’s there for you?

Why is relocation something you shouldn’t fear? These advantages of relocation should reassure you:

1) Relocation can broaden your horizons

Starting work in a new place is associated with new projects, learning about a different work style or different strategies. In addition, it is often also connected with wider possibilities of getting more workshops and certificates as well as using more advanced technologies. It only works to our advantage, broadening our horizons and skills.

2) Company’s help in the process of relocating and settling

Moving on your own is difficult. However, when you relocate for work, in most formal and technical matters, you will get help from the company you are coming for. For instance, at Espeo Software we help new employees find accommodation, open a bank account as well as help with many formal matters from the moment they decide to move.

3) Relocating gives you an opportunity to travel more and visit new places

Relocating does not only mean getting to know the destination city, but also having a better access to other cities and even nearby countries. Maybe from this place you will find cheaper flights to the country you’ve always dreamed of? After all, the decision to move to one place opens the gate to getting to know another parts of the world and thus experiencing completely new things!

4) The opportunity to experience new cultures and traditions

If your relocation takes place to another country, you will undergo completely new cultural experiences and be able to try traditional meals from a given part of the world. You will gain friends with different cultural codes and their traditions. As a matter of fact, these relationships can turn into friendships that’ll bring something worthwhile into your life. Important to realize is that those experiences are not possible only by moving to a new country. Even relocation to another city allows you to get to know the traditions prevailing in that city or region. By moving to Poznań, you will get to know not only the Poznań dialect but also traditional dishes from the Wielkopolska region and the amazing history of this city.

5) Last but not least – the relocation package

Some companies offer special packages for new employees who decide to relocate. This makes it much easier to start in a new place and relieves the new person from many costs associated with moving. In Espeo, it is a bonus of up to PLN 6,000! Thanks to this, you don’t have to worry about any unplanned and unexpected expenses.

Relocation from our developer’s perspective

We asked Aleksei, our Blockchain Developer who relocated from Russia to work with us, what his perspective on relocation is:

“First of all, it is kinda like resetting your everyday life. For some period of time even regular visits to the grocery felt “new” and adventurous: new language, new products, new rules, costumes etc. You realize that some of this new stuff is better than where you come from, some things are worse, maybe more annoying, so your general feeling is a combination of both pros and cons. In addition, learning new languages is something I enjoy doing as a hobby, and the relocation gives me an opportunity to do it on a daily basis. Nevertheless, it’s normal to sometimes miss how easy it is for you to communicate naturally with people speaking your native language.
When it comes to Poznań in particular, I really like the scale of the city – it’s not too big, not too small. You have everything you would expect from a city but not having to suffer from the consequences of living in a megapolis – like hours of commuting and overpriced rent. Moreover the bike infrastructure and lake nearby is also something I enjoy a lot. The geographic position is also a big plus after both Russia and northern Finland where there are no other cities for hundreds of kilometers. Here I can travel very easily to most of Europe and that’s amazing and something I probably have not fully grasped yet.”
Aleksei Shcherbin, Blockchain Developer at Espeo Software

Poznań in a nutshell

Have you ever wondered what it is like to live in the capital of Greater Poland? We are sure you will love this city! Poznań has many traditions that are visible at every step. Being the capital of the voivodeship, it also has a lot to offer for everyone.

Some facts about Poznań:

City’s size: 261.91 km2
Current mayor of the city: Jacek Jaśkowiak
Population: 533,830
Number of universities: 27 (including 8 public universities)
Green areas in Poznań cover almost 27% of city terrains! Including 47 public parks with an area of 344 ha.

Relocation to Poznań: moving around the city

1) Public transport and mobility companies

In Poznań you can travel by both buses and trams. The full map, timetables and ticket prices can be found here. When coming for a long time, it is worth getting a PEKA card, the Poznań Electronic Agglomeration Card, with which you can use many functionalities of public transport, often at attractive prices. More information about the PEKA card can be found here. If you want fast transport at a time of your choice to a specific place, you should install the Bolt or Uber application. Through this service, you can order a driver to arrive at the exact spot where you are. Payment is made using the card attached to the application. Everything is easy, fast, and convenient!

2) Electric scooters

Do you want to avoid traffic jams while moving faster than on foot and get to many places that you can’t access by car? It is possible with electric scooters! You can easily borrow them for minutes through one of the mobile applications: Bolt or Lime. In order to rent a scooter, you need to locate it on the map in the application, and then in the city space. Click on the scan button at the bottom of the app and look for the QR code on the steering wheel. The rental costs about PLN 2 for starting the ride and 50 groszy for each minute.

3) City bikes

You don’t have your own bike but you enjoy this form of commuting? Use Poznań City Bikes. Just install the PRM application on your phone, create an account and that’s it – you can start to actively explore Poznań. You will pay only PLN 1 for a 30-minute drive! More information can be found here.

What is the best way to reach Espeo Software office when you come to Poznań?

1) From the Main Railway Station:

The easiest way to get there is by tram (line 6) from the “Poznań Główny” stop. The destination stop is “Baraniaka”.

2) From the airport:

The fastest way to get there is using taxis or applications like Bolt or Uber. Reaching our HQ by public transport will be slightly longer. If you choose the public transport, go to the “Kopciuszka” stop, take the bus number 159 there. Then change at the stop “Swoboda” to line 191 and two stops further (“Ogrody”), change again, this time to the tram line 17. The destination stop is “Baraniaka”. Finding the right connection is easier with the Google Maps or JakDojade app.

Check out also: 5 best things about working at Espeo

Accommodation in Poznań

1) Short stay:

Hotels – Poznań offers a wide variety of hotels that are the easiest and safest to book through booking.com. Everyone will find something for themselves at the right price.

Airbnb – thanks to this service, you can rent an apartment or room directly from the owner. By booking your stay through airbnb you can feel at home wherever you are.

Dormitories – many dormitories offer renting rooms for tourists at very attractive prices. It is worth taking a look at the offer of Polonez private dormitories or of the Poznań University of Technology.

2) Long stay:

The easiest way to rent an apartment for a longer stay is using internet portals. The most popular are Otodom and OLX. Renting a room is about PLN 1000 / month, while studios are about PLN 1500 / month. In addition, it is worth checking Airbnb for apartments, as many owners make their properties available for long-term rentals at very attractive prices.

Ready to join our team in Poznań? Check out our open job positions!

In the next part of this article, we will share more details about the entertaining part of living in Poznań.

Design Healthcare Software Technology

Caring for premature babies and infants who require special attention: mobile app for a daily development navigation

Post author By Espeo Crew
Post date 14/06/2021

Laboratorium Marzeń is a non-profit organization based in Poznań, Poland founded by Jolanta Uchman and Jolanta Żółkiewska. Together, they focus on helping families with premature infants and children who require special attention.

So far, Laboratorium Marzeń used e-books and events to promote their organization’s activities. Nevertheless, they had an idea for a mobile app that would help parents with navigation of their kids’ development and day-to-day lives.

With our experience and expertise in UX, we decided to take their idea and turn it into a reality as a pro bono project. For this reason, we helped the foundation with designing the app with a strong focus on the actual needs of the potential users and the struggles that they go through.

From this article you will learn:

How we approached the topic of specification list
UX: How product design workshop helped us focus on our ideas
How the prototyping process looked like
What we achieved as a result of our cooperation

Laboratorium Marzeń – taking a step back from the mobile app specification

A long list of specifications and modules were provided by Laboratorium Marzeń. To figure out which features would be the most impactful, we decided to step back and focus on the needs of the possible users. The following steps helped us achieve that:

Firstly, we conducted two interviews with parents and one with a specialist in the field – Jolanta Uchman.
Secondly, we organised a mini Google Design Sprint workshop in which. Jolanta Uchman and Joanna Żółkiewska were the participants.
Thirdly, we created a very interactive prototype of the app.
At the end, we conducted two usability tests of the prototype.

How product design workshop helped us focus our ideas on UX

Because of the current situation, we hosted the UX workshop online. Thanks to the use of proper methodology, we managed to get the most out of the three hours that we had planned for the meeting.

Summary of user interviews	10 min
Comparable problem	15 min
“How Might We” and affinity mapping	10 min
Current Experience Mapping	15 min
Break	10 min
User Journey Mapping	15 min
Importance/Difficulty Matrix	15 min
Solution Sketch	20-30 min

Sprint methods used during the workshop

To begin the process, we analysed the interviews with parents of a premature child and a child with a Down Syndrome. Then, we focused on current experience mapping. We emphasised the first moment when a user’s need occurs and listed out each step that they go through to try and fill their need currently. We included descriptions for each step and highlighted pain points.

After evaluating comparable problems, each participant created a user journey map which started at a discovery point – where the user does not use the app yet but learns about its existence. Along this process, more “How Might We” cards were created.

The next stages consisted of affinity mapping and creating a difficulty matrix of the “How Might We” sticky notes. Important parts of those stages were categorizing the cards and answering the question of “What if our app doesn’t have it, will it still be useful for users?”. This way, we created a list of the most crucial and urgent features.

Laboratorium Marzeń – UX Affinity mapping

The last step before working on the actual prototype was to draw a mock-up of what the user should see at some points of his journey by each participant of the workshop.

Prototyping the solution and getting the users feedback

Based on the conclusions from the interviews and our findings from the UX workshop, we created an interactive prototype of the app. In addition, we asked the interviewed parents to test it and give us their feedback. The response was astonishing. One user kept repeating how amazing the prototype was.

The reaction of the interviewed parents confirmed that our app for Laboratorium Marzeń will change lives of families with premature babies and children who have special needs. Moreover, thanks to the first-hand insights, we could carry out some minor improvements.

More than a regular app design

The founders of Laboratorium Marzeń didn’t have any previous experience with mobile development. Because of that, the role of our UX Designer wasn’t solely limited to the design part. To provide the best service possible, Maciej used his experience in application planning and prioritization as well as in assessment of implementation difficulties and optimizing the costs of feature maintenance.

As a result of our cooperation, Laboratorium Marzeń has gained a clear image of the most important pain points to address. Therefore, they now have a list of functionalities that the first version of the app should include. The final design of the app itself, which we were in charge of creating, is currently in the final stages of the development process.

“We started working on our application with a vision of what needs it should respond to but we had no idea how to go about it. The workshop with Mr. Maciej from Espeo Software was an amazing journey that took us from the initial idea of the application to a real prototype, which exceeded our wildest expectations. Professionalism, creativity, commitment and a focus on the needs of potential users at every stage of the cooperation were the characteristics that we valued the most at Espeo.”
Jolanta Uchman, co-founder of Laboratorium Marzeń

Do you want us to help you with the UX of your mobile app? Use the contact form below and one of our colleagues will come back to you shortly.

Entrepreneurship Newsroom Software

Looking back at 13 years of Espeo Software

Post author By Espeo Crew
Post date 10/06/2021

2008 – the year it all began. This is when Sylwia and Paweł Rogowicz, after several years of working in Finland, decided to return to Poland and work as outsourcing partners for a Finnish IT company.

In the beginning, the plan was simple – start a civil partnership and work together for the same employer. However, the knowledge and sympathy for the Finnish market as well as high ambitions made them decide to expand the company with new people, with whom they started creating projects for Polish and foreign entities. At that time, the plan was to hire about 20-40 employees.

Today, Espeo has 65 people with a plan to hire at least several dozen more. Read more to learn about Espeo Software’s history.

The beginning: an office in an apartment and two employees

“I remember when we conducted our first job interviews on an old couch in our apartment in Jeżyce (Poznań district). Now such a situation seems comical. I am surprised that the first people trusted us at that time considering the conditions but we did not even have a problem with recruiting.” recalls Paweł Rogowicz.

As the company grew, the team extended and Espeo gained new customers. One of the first major projects was for a company from Warsaw, thanks to which the team increased by another eight people and Espeo temporarily operated in two cities.

“From the very beginning, we had no problem with trusting new employees – we always have great trust in the people who join us. It is very rare for us to have any problems with the teams. At some point, we noticed how important it is to adjust the culture of an employee to the company, and so far it is one of the most important aspects in the recruitment process. Our people are guided by similar values. This makes our team extremely well-coordinated and communicative which is highly appreciated by our clients.”, adds Sylwia Rogowicz.

Constant development: new office and the first Finnish employee

As the team expanded, it was a natural step to find a new office. It was located in the heart of Poznań, next to the Old Market Square. The team consisted of 13 people back then.

At that time, Espeo carried out projects for several markets, including Poland, where one of the largest recipients was the Polish Public Administration. These projects helped the company grow and gain a reputation.

In 2015, the first Finnish employee, a Sales Specialist, joined Espeo and the company acquired a Finnish identity. Following that, Sylwia and Paweł decided to focus their activities only on the Finnish market, which Espeo has been doing ever since.

“Finland is a very innovative nation. The companies there are up to date with trends, operating agile, and using the latest technologies. We took over the modern work model from the Finns. I think we were also the first company in Poland to work with Agile methodology.” says Sylwia.

Do you want to know more about working at Espeo and why you should join us? Read this article: 5 best things about working at Espeo (Part 1).

Breakthrough moments in Espeo Software’s history

Having been working for Espeo since the beginning (when the initial location of the company was still in Jeżyce district), Tomasz Liberski, our Service Delivery Director, became the first partner of the company.

“Thanks to the decision about starting a cooperation with the first partner, we were able to strengthen the team and expand the company.” recalls Sylwia.

Dominik Zyskowski, a Software Consulting Director, was the second to join the group of partners. As Paweł Rogowicz confirms, it was the shared vision and concern for the company that made Dominik and Tomek partners. After several years of working together, it was the natural order of things.

Espeo Software – a Polish company with a competitive advantage on the Finnish market

What has been distinguishing our company for 13 years? As a Polish company operating for Finnish clients, it is certainly a presence on local markets. Our team communicates with the client in Finnish from the very beginning and conducts the sales process in this language, being able to meet at any time. We also offer the same through local project management while working with the client. We are the only Polish company that can offer such a model on the Finnish market. “Thanks to this, we are able to build a unique relationship with customers for whom we are a “next door partner”, explains Paweł Rogowicz.

We can compete with local companies from Finland thanks to the larger crew and the number of programmers we provide.

As Sylwia and Paweł recall, despite many difficulties they experienced while establishing the company from scratch, these better moments, the trust of partners and gaining new clients determined the many years of success. As they say, the fact that a business is run by a marriage helps to run it through 100% trust in the other person and common concern for the success of the business.