Introdution

It’s not always easy to find a contractor. Especially knowing that the cost of the same work can vary depending on the executor.

Calculation of the budget for the project is a complex issue that causes many difficulties even for executors. In this text, we will explain all the steps for evaluating a mobile and web application project with examples and cases.

Quick Transition

1. Pricing Models
2. Research Stage
3. UX stage
4. UI Stage
5. Responsive Design
6. Prototype
7. Logo or Icon
8. Logo Set for Marketplace
9. Brand book
10. Promo Materials
11. Prepare Sources
12. Communication
13. Estimations for the Development
14. Risks
15. Over All
16. For Example
17. You Will End Up With

Pricing Models

Fix-price

This pricing model assumes that the customer and the contractor agree on a fixed budget for the project. Such a model is suitable in that way if there is a well- formed task that doesn’t require any corrections. For example, creating a website to increase the trust in the event or outdoor advertising in line with the brand book to attract a new audience.

We use this model when:

• There is an approved amount for a project;
• We got a well-formed task;
• The budget is limited;
• MVP;
• There is a small budget.

Pros:

• We don’t pay more than we planned;
• Strict boundaries of the task that was discussed;
• Suitable for small projects;
• No reporting system needed.

Cons:

• High risk (communication, research, corrections);
• Each correction will cost extra money;
• Poor communication on the project;
• The ability to work only with the waterfall model.

Time & Material

According to this model, the customer only pays for the actual time executor spent on the task. The main advantage of this model is flexibility and the ability to adjust requirements, change the direction, as well as the structure and function of the project. As a rule, these projects are profit-orientated. In such projects, making and testing hypotheses is necessary, and then, according to the results, the adjustment of the project is mandatory.

We use this model when:

• There is a long-term project with dynamic requirements;
• The amount of work isn’t completely understood;
• The customer expects flexibility from the contractor.

Pros:

• The customer only pays for the actual time;
• Doesn’t require large risks;
• Tracking of all tasks;
• The possibility of communicating as much as needed;
• The possibility to make a review on different stages of the project;
• The possibility to change the conditions of the project any time it’s needed;
• The possibility of work with any of the management models.

Cons:

The cost of the project may differ from what was stated at the beginning.

Subscription

This model is used when the customer pays on a regular basis for services that are provided continuously. This can usually be a service. For example, website promotion or support, and also writing some news content.

We use this model when:

• There is a need for regular service;
• There is a constant required number of tasks;
• The amount of work doesn’t change depending on the period.

Pros:

• Regular service;
• Regular delivery for the project;
• Fixed cost.

Cons:

• It’s always hard to calculate the cost of such services;
• Sometimes the value of services is less, but the budget remains the same.

Rondesign company is flexible in the choice of pricing model. For us, it’s important to adapt to the requirements of customers, in accordance with their goals.

We have long been convinced that for an effective and healthy relationship between the customer and the executor, the best interaction is based on time & material model. Because it’s the most transparent way to interact with the parties.

Thereafter we will consider drafting an assessment of the project based on this model.

Research Stage

Let’s see what the Wiki writes about User Research:

‘User research focuses on understanding user behaviors, needs, and motivations through observation techniques, task analysis, and other feedback methodologies’

The massage is that the whole research based on user behaviors. The customer and the executor both don't project end-users. They have got their goals and interests in its implementation. These goals are necessarily considered, but it’s important to remember that the product is created for users and first of all it must be done so that they can take advantage of this product.

There is what IBM says about User Research:

“Every design is a hypothesis about a market, needs, solution and relationship (What should we design? For whom? Why? How well did we do?) These are the questions that guide our research activities. Our researchers carefully align user needs and goals with the core value delivered through our products.” - Eric Mahlstedt, User Research Manager, IBM

It means that to achieve or at least get closer to the necessary goal, you need to understand the needs of project users.

In Rondesign team, each project begins with a research stage, which includes the following points:

• An introduction to the project;
• Study of documentation;
• Study briefs;
• Study guidelines;
• Study brand books;
• Study metrics and analytics (if it’s available);
• An interview with the customer;
• An interview with a group of users;
• Identification of customer needs;
• Collect data from direct competitors;
• Collect data from indirect competitors;
• Identification of the current target audience;
• Identification of the needs of the target audience;
• Identification of the needs of the project;
• Search for interest project insights;
• Search for similar solutions in other areas;
• Search for similar solutions that have already been completed;
• Search for current problems of competitors;
• Making hypotheses.

In the process of the research stage, a SWOT analysis is being conducted, hypotheses are compiled, the data are recorded in a table in order to have a clear picture of the whole project and the necessary data there as they received.

What is the value of research for the customer:

• Answers almost all the primary questions of the executor, gives useful insights;
• Saves time at the development stage of the project;
• Saves time on corrections in the project;
• Helps streamline the whole process;
• Defines clear goals as well as indicators to be achieved;
• Clarifies vague needs and fills in gaps in user knowledge;
• Finds weaknesses that can often be corrected with a design;
• Finds weaknesses of your competitors and this knowledge will be your advantage in the future project;
• It helps to avoid making your competitors mistakes.

Research Stage allows the contractor to quickly join the project and the customer to save time on explaining the mechanics of the project, as well as edits at all stages that will definitely arise if the executor will have gaps in this knowledge. One of the main points of the necessity of research is its usefulness for the whole team: designers, developers, marketers, copywriters, and other members of the team.

Access to such information gives an opportunity to quickly understand the idea of the project and join the working process at any of the stages. For example, markets will have a list of competitors and their problems even if a new team decides to create a marketing company for launching a product that hasn’t yet been implemented.

Research also helps save time on subsequent development, since it solves many questions and gives clear answers during the development process, which also significantly saves time.
Talking about how long the research stage takes, we know that there are several types of Research, which respectively take a different amount of time.

Fast Research

This type of research is usually carried out when the finished project is already available. The customer knows his project well. He collected some data and it waits for its time to be studied. He has a clear vision of what he wants to achieve. He has metrics and him able to answer most of the questions he will be asked.

In this case, the team needs just study documentation, to get a few interviews with the customer and users, and study the list of competitors, that was given by the customer.

How much time does fast research take?

Fast research can take from 20 to 30 working hours.

Full Research

This type of research is carried out when a customer comes up with an idea that needs to be implemented. In other words, when you need to create a project from scratch.

These can be customers who need a large project and who want to save time at the development stage of the project, beforehand creating a logically thought-out and structured project, then testing it and give all the materials to the developers. It can also be serial entrepreneurs who want to test a niche, but without going into the nuances of development. These can be startups who are preparing for a round of investment and want to make a good working package for their product.

In this case, you need to do everything the same as in the fast phase of the project, just create everything from scratch, collect documentation, find users for the interview, find competitors, create a more detailed document that answers the contractor’s questions and visually shows to customer the result of the work so that the client and the executor could communicate in the same language.

How much time does fast research take?

As a rule, such research takes from 40 to 120 working hours. But it mostly depends on the size of the project and the availability of data in free access.

UX Stage

Based on the data collected at the research stage, we create a map of project (this is the structure of the future site), Use Cases (think over the behavior of different types of users on all screens), wireframes (these are highly detailed pages on which we coordinate functionality, structure, and navigation) and eventually Customer Journey Map (user movement through the conversion funnel).

This stage at which the project acquires a clear description and visual structure, at this stage it’s already possible to connect developers and start creating the project core. After this stage, all project participants are beginning to clearly understand what the project will be after the first release.

Map of Project

At this stage, we have Research and an approximate understanding of which pages will be in a future project. Map of Project is just needed in order to create the visual structure of the project and to understand how many pages we need to do for a fully-functioning project. This is usually an abstract tree diagram that shows the structure of the entire project.

What is the value of research for the customer:

• gives an understanding of the scope of the project;
• allows you to optimize the number of pages;
• provides an opportunity to qualitatively break the process into stages and plan the work of the team;
• helps identify touchpoints between platforms.

What is the value of research for the customer:

This process takes from 4 to 15 hours, depending on the type and size of the project.

Use Cases & Matrix of Function

Use Cases & Matrix of Function taken from software development, they form the functionality and needs of users of each page in the text.

Usually, these are two tables. The first table is Use Cases, which describes all actions that users can perform on a page with successful and unsuccessful scenarios, their goals, and an assessment of the effectiveness of the passage of this page. The second table is the Matrix of Function which describes the functionality and its prioritization for each user on the page.

When there is a need for these two tables:

• When you need to optimize sales pages;
• When there are many complex pages on the project that require further clarification;
• When the customer needs to accurately estimate the volume of the future project;
• When the customer doesn’t quite clearly understand what the future project will look like;
• When you need to determine the functionality of the project.

In Rondesign company, we almost always use only the Matrix of Function on the key pages of a project, which is often enough.

All members of the project take part in the creation of the table because creating the entire subsequent project, participants (developers, designers, marketers, analysts, customers) will return to these documents in order to check whether the development is in the right direction.

What is the value for the customer:

• At this stage, you can already connect the development team;
• A development team with a ready Map of Project and Matrix of Function can calculate development time with an error of 10-20%;
• In order to include a new team member at any stage, it is enough to familiarize him with the documentation;
• All functionality is clearly defined for the future project;
• It allows you to prioritize the desired functions.

When there are any changes in the project, they are necessarily displayed in the Matrix of Function, so that all relevant data are in one place.

How long does it take to create a Matrix of Function?

On average, the creation and description of all data on a 1 page of a project take from 1 to 3 hours of time, depending on the size of the project and the page.

Customer Journey Map

This is one of the most useful tools in UX over the past 10 years. It is usually used when the customer already has a finished product and he wants to increase the conversion at any of the stages. A map is created in the form of the main user flow in which you need to provide all the barriers that the user faces and reduce them to the maximum possible level. A typical scenario for Customer Journey Map can be a script to simplify user registration, simplify checkout flow in ecommerce projects and much more.

When to use Customer Journey Map:

• When you need to raise key metrics;
• To create seamless UX for users in difficult stages;
• When you need to reduce the barriers to passing through the different stages in the conversion funnel;
• Increases the speed of passage of points of contact;
• Creating new effective interactions.

What is the value for the customer:

• Customer loyalty increases;
• Increases the conversion of consumers;
• Increases the retention rate;
• Implementation and integration with other customer services;
• Introduction of customer specialists into the project processes;
• Opportunity to build effective KPIs.

How long does it take to create a Customer Journey Map?

This process is quite difficult to quantify since the process can involve from 1 to 15 pages and the map itself can be adjusted on each page after each test. As a rule, we take an average estimate of 1-2 hours on each page in the funnel.

Wireframes

Wireframes Stage is one of the stages without which no project in Rondesign is possible. At this stage, in accordance with the data obtained as a result of all previous stages, the future page wireframes are being prepared. At this stage, all future important details of the website are agreed upon.

When to use Wireframes Stage:

• When you need to link the information architecture of the project with its visual part;
• When it’s necessary to coordinate in what form the controversial functionality of the project will be displayed;
• When you need to prioritize content;
• When you need to check the logic of the project for bugs;
•  When you need to check how users will interact with the interface;
• When you need to visualize the project at a high level.

What is the value for the customer:

• This is a quick way to visualize a project for developers;
• At the wireframes stage, it’s faster and cheaper to make edits in the project compared to other stages;
• It makes it possible to track bugs in logic before starting development, by creating a prototype.

How long can it take to create a Wireframes Stage?

Much depends on the type of project. If it’s mobile then it takes from 1 to 3 hours depending on the density of the functions on the page. If this is a web project from 1 to 5 hours depending on the density of the functional on the page.

UI Stage

Mood board

Let’s see what the Wiki writes about mood board:

‘A mood board is a type of collage consisting of images, text, and samples of objects in a composition. It can be based upon a set topic or can be any material chosen at random. A mood board can be used to convey a general idea or feel about a particular topic. They may be physical or digital and can be effective presentation tools’

The basic idea says that the mood board is needed in order to understand the customer's expectations and make him exactly what he wants.

Behind this small, but important stage lies an important step that helps determine the visual preferences of the customer, which the designer will need to implement.

A mood board can consist of already finished design works, and if so we try to add some of our works. This step helps to better understand the customer’s expectations of the team.

How long can it take to create a Mood board?

A mood board gives you the opportunity to show the customer what impression the future design will produce.

How long can it take to create a Mood board?

On average, creating a mood board takes no more than 2 hours, in exceptional cases up to 5 hours. This stage includes a series of interviews with the customer and the selection of references for the project.

Look & Feel

Look & Feel is a stage that can take place at any stage of a project when a team thinks or feels that it’s necessary to determine the style of a future project. Although the future design often defines the functional, this stage makes it possible to try on one or more styles on your future project.

This stage is also suitable when the customer wants to decide how we are suitable for the implementation of his project, then we offer him a couple of Look & Feel layouts.

When to use Look & Feel:

• When the customer wants to decide on the style before the start of the project;
• When the customer wants to understand whether we can cope with his project;
• When there is a need to start with the future style.

What is the value for the customer:

• To decide on the performer before the beginning of the main stages;
• Take a fresh look at your current project;
• It’s possible to push on some new ideas;
• Gain insight into how a project should look.

How long can the creation of Look & Feel take?

On average, the creation of a draft version takes from 2 to 16 hours, depending on whether it’s a mobile or a desktop, as well as the density of the functionality on the page.

Framework

A framework is a tool or system by which the principle of interaction and flow from screen to screen is clearly displayed. In simple terms, this is the system by which the entire interactive is done on the project.

Framework stage is used almost always except for web projects, that is when users have a non-linear flow and additional efforts are needed to make the project simple and understandable for the user. Framework stage is used, on the mobile, desktop, TV, hardware platforms.

When to use Framework Stage:

• When a project has a complex structure that needs to be encouraged;
•  When users aren’t obvious user flow of the interface;
• When developers don't understand how to animate a project.

What is the value for the customer:

• Saves development time by explaining the interaction flow on the project;
• Makes the product more user-friendly;
• It brings clarity and understanding between all members of the project on how the interactive should occur on the project.

How long can the creation of Framework Stage?

On average, the creation of a framework takes from 2 to 20 hours, it all depends on the type of platform and the size of the project for which it’s being done. For example:

1-8 hours for mobile platforms;
3-12 hours for desktop platforms;
2-4 hours for TV platforms;
4-20 hours for hardware devices.

Concept

After all the preparatory stages, a concept is created in which the customer is determined with the future style, layout, and location of the functional. This is a mandatory step that is on all projects. The main difference of the Concept Stage from Look & Feel is that it is a full-fledged future design that’ll go into production.

What is the value for the customer:

•  The final design style is determined;
• It helps lead to a common denominator for the whole team.

How long can it take to create a Home Screen / Dashboard Screens?

There can be several concepts on the project. On average, the creation of a concept takes from 8 to 30 hours, depending on the platform, functional density, framework and navigation, and additional materials in the form of illustrations, video, 3D, etc.

Drawing the application screens

Drawing the interface screens is one of the most painstaking and difficult steps in project evaluation, especially when an application is being built from scratch. This stage at which the easiest to make a mistake and the stage at which the customer is desirable to show activity and provide all the materials for project evaluation.

At this stage, it’s necessary to provide absolutely all the screens of the future project. In this case, well-established patterns of behavior, as well as scenarios that users are moving, help, and of course, many years of experience in creating such projects.

‘When a customer thinks there are 3-4 main screens in a mobile application, then in reality there may be about 40 of them’

Ron. E.

For example, you can consider a simple calculator application developed in Rondesign several years ago. With three main screens, more than 30 screens were designed.

In order to figure out what the list of screens and the timing of their products are made of, let's go through the list of the main sample screens that are in every or almost every interface.

Sign Up / Sign in Screens

This is a group of screens related to the first connection flow scenarios. This group almost always comes with separate screens when it comes to services or applications.

How long can it take to create Sign Up / Sign in Screens?

The price may vary depending on the complexity of the graphic elements and the number of screens and functional density on. The minimum amount of time is about 1 to 8 hours per screen.

Also, Sign Up / Sign in Screens may additionally include:

• 3d graphics (from 2 to 8 hours per model);
• Motion graphics (from 4 to behind the screen);
• 2d animation; (from 5 to per screen);
• 3d animation; (from 8 per screen);
• AR graphics; (from 10 hours per screen);
• Custom technological solutions (from 10 hours per screen).

Onboarding Screens

This is a group of screens related to the first connection flow scenarios. Onboarding Screens introduce users to the project.

When to use Onboarding Screens:

• When the application has a complex service and you need to explain the principle of the project in an understandable form;
• When the user needs to show the benefits of the application;
• For additional conversions when you first get acquainted with the project, you can use the tutorial tour.

How long can it take to create Onboarding Screens?

This is quite a creative phase of the project and the price may vary depending on the complexity of the graphic elements and the number of screens. The minimum number of hours is about 3 \ 8 hours per screen. This price includes illustration and functionality.

Also, onboarding Screens may additionally include:

• 3d graphics (from 2 hours per model);
• Motion graphics (from 4 hours per screen);
• 2d animation; (from 5 hours per screen);
• 3d animation; (from 8 hours per screen);
• AR graphics; (from 10 hours per screen);
• Custom technological solutions (from 10 hours per screen).

Home Screen / Dashboard Screens

This is a group of screens from which the user starts to launch an application or website, in interfaces this screen is usually the Dashboard Screen. From this screen, they usually draw a Concept and claim the basic style for the entire project.

How long can it take to create a Home Screen / Dashboard Screens?

On average, the development of this group of screens takes from 6 to 15 hours, depending on the density of information on the screen.

Store Screens

This group of screens refers to User Flow Scenarios, most often found in ecommerce projects, it can be a category page, item card, etc.

When to use Store Screens:

• When there is a physical product that is sold through an application or website.

How long can it take to create Store Screens?

On average, the development of this group of screens takes from 5 to 15 hours, depending on the density of information and the type of platform for which the interface is being made.

Pricing Screens

This group of screens is used in service projects where you need to subscribe to services with their subsequent visualization.

How long can it take to create Pricing Screens?

On average, the development of this group of screens takes from 2 to 5 hours depending on the density of information and the type of platform for which the interface is being made.

Additional Screens

This group of screens is used in all projects and it includes all other screens that don’t fall under the category of typical ones, as a rule, these are unique screens that are considered to be the main screens of the project or additional screens.

How long can it take to create Additional Screens?

On average, the development of this group of screens takes from 1 to 15 hours per screen, depending on the density of information and the type of platform for which the interface is being made.

Hover Screens

This group of screens is used in all projects. It includes screens in which there are different states that need to be drawn, for example, buttons, worked scripts, alert, empty screens, states, etc.

When to use Hover Screens:

• When the project is worked out completely on the studio side;
• When the development team needs additional screens that show the logic and transitions in the application or site.

How long can it take to create Hovers Screens?

On average, the development of this group of screens takes no more than 1 hour per screen.

System Screens

This group of screens is used in all projects. It includes contact screens, settings, FAQ, privacy policy, simply put all the project service screens that you may need on the current project.

How long can it take to create System Screens?

On average, the development of this group of screens takes from 2 to 8 hours per screen, depending on the density of information and the type of platform for which the interface is being made.

Widgets

These are the items that are displayed when users share the website’s news, post, etc. Usually, they are remembered after the publication of the project when new users start to share the project or when they make API for other platforms. We try to include this item in the estimations because the customer doesn’t even realize such a need until it encounters it.

How long can it take to create Widgets?

On average, the development of this group of screens takes from 1 to 3 hours for popular platforms and instant messengers.

Style Guide

This is the page on which all form elements, buttons, input fields, project alerts in different states are collected. The completeness of the document depends on the needs of the customer and the development team.

How long can it take to create a GUI?

On average, the development of a guide takes from 5 to 40 hours depending on the density of information and the type of platform for which the interface is being made.

Design System

This is a detailed instruction on scaling a project for developers, usually used on large projects with a large number of screens. Used to ensure that developers have clear requirements for scaling a system to work in the same style and save time in terms of design tasks and project time.

How long can it take to create a Design System?

On average, the development of a guide takes from 30 to 200 hours, depending on the density of information and the type of platform for which the interface is being made.

Responsive Design

Almost all projects have to be adapted for different resolutions or for different devices. This abstract list of works we brought to Responsive Design.

What is the value for the customer:

• It is possible to increase the reach of the audience;
• More retain users within your project due to multiplatform.

How long can it take to create Responsive Design?

50% of the total budget goes to Responsive design.

Calculating the cost of the website, the bill includes the drawing of the tablet version and the mobile version of the design.

Calculating the cost of the application, the tablet and mobile version of the application are also included in the bill.

Prototype

When the project is ready it needs to be tested on the target audience, show the customer, as well as get feedback and current edits. For these purposes in Rondesign we use the Invision App. The Invision App helps us to resolve the basic problems of communication between all members of the project, and with the help of the Invision App, you can conduct A/B testing.

What is the value for the customer:

• All communication and changes aren’t lost on the documents, everything can be kept in one place;
• Enables simultaneous cooperation of all team members;
• Opportunity to get a real prototype with the ability to test;
•  Even before the start of the development stage, you will already have a visually finished product that will enable you to carry out user tests;
• The fastest prototyping tool.

How long can it take to create a Prototype?

We put in the prototype on average 10-40 hours depending on the density of information and the type of platform for which the prototype is made

Logo or Icon

Logo or Icon is a simple symbol that collects the main characteristics of a brand or application and is the main tool for attracting the attention of the consumer, reminding him of the possibility of purchase.

Any business or startup usually must start with an icon and logo, but our world isn’t perfect, often the founders simply don’t have time to delay the hypothesis testing phase with this process that can take up to a month.

To the question of creating a high-quality logo or icon returns when the hypotheses are tested and the business has shown its efficiency. In order for the customer to not lose time, we offer services for creating a logo and icons.

What is the value for the customer:

• No need to look for additional contractors;
• A quality logo or icon can be obtained within the project.

How long can it take to create Logo or Icon?

On average, it takes from 10 to 20 hours. For this cost, the customer receives 3 drafts and 1 developed version.

Logo Set for Marketplace

Publishing an application on the App Store or Google Play or some other marketplace, the customer is faced with the fact that he needs to upload his logo or icon in different resolutions for different devices (up to 23 pieces only for the App Store). We initially create a quality mark that you can scale yourself, or upon request, we create all the necessary permissions to cover the customer's request.

What is the value for the customer:

• No need to look for additional contractors;
• The publication of the application is accelerated;
• Time is saved by reducing the moderation of the Marketplace.

How long can it take to create a Logo Set?

It all depends on the number of sites and permissions required by the customer, but all the average creates a logo set for the App Store takes about 4-12 hours depending on the complexity of the logo or icon.

Brand Book

A brand book is an official document of the company, which describes the brand concept, brand attributes, target audience, company positioning and other data that guides the marketing department and business leaders to build communication with consumers and develop the company as a whole.

Needless to say, about the great need for a brand book for companies that are already quite well developed, however, this is a topic for a separate article. A brand book is a tool that helps a brand or company build its relationship with an audience.

What is the value for the customer:

• Users will recognize your brand faster than competing brands;
• Save resources and time when creating your brand products;
• A brand book maintains brand integrity at all levels (carriers, advertising campaigns, franchises, conferences, advertising campaigns, office design, etc.)

How long can it take to create a Brand Book?

On average, the creation of a brand book takes from 100 to 500 hours, the cost depends on the volume and completeness of the brand book being filled.

Promotional materials

Often, in the course of a project, customers need certain materials for publication on third-party resources. For example, for the App Store and Google Play it can be static and video App Preview, for publications, overview photos, for conferences, various distribution products or stands.

What is the value for the customer:

• No need to look for contractors for additional work, everything is done in one place;
• Artists are familiar with the specifics of the current project and it takes less time to create materials.

How long can it take to create a Brand Book?

The cost depends strongly on the type of task. For example, making an app preview for the App Store takes from 2 to 40 hours depending on which preview format is needed, how many platforms it needs to be done, whether there will be animation, whether there will be video.

Prepare Sources

Before we give the source materials to the customer, our team prepares them, organizes the structure, writes documentation, in short, prepares the source material so that the customer can use it efficiently and simply.

What is the value for the customer:

• Developer time is saved due to well-prepared source materials, as well as by reducing communication between the parties.

How long can a Prepare Sources Stage take?

The cost strongly depends on the size of the project; on average, if this is a small site with up to 5 main pages, then the preparation of source materials takes no more than two hours. If this is a big project that lasts from the 1st month, then we put 10% of the budget in the price.

Communication

Communication in the project plays a key role. During communication with the customer that the team learns useful insights, weak points, expertise that you cannot learn even from the most elaborate recording. There are two types of communication: local (it’s when we come to the customer place to find out features of his environment) and remote.

When we come to the customer, we work with sprints, determine the main goals, conduct interviews, draw up hypotheses, do look & feel and start testing hypotheses on the target audience. This is one of the most effective forms of communication that gives the most effective results.

It happens that the customer in the first stages doesn’t have much time to deploy the project to full capacity, and the first phase takes place remotely. In this case, the approach is the same, phoned with the customer occurs about once every three days, we present the groundwork, adjust, discuss and then again go to a new sprint.

With this approach, the risks are reduced to the fact that we will go much the wrong way on the project and the project will be exactly the way the customer sees it.

What is the value for the customer:

• Regular communication with the team;
• Always informed at what stage the current project;
• Expected Result.

How long can Communication take?

The number of hours for communication is difficult to calculate, based on our past projects, we derived an average of 10% of the project budget.

Estimation for the
Development

When a design is made or at least wireframes any project goes into development. When searching for developers, the customer (if he doesn’t develop it with us) faces the same problem as when searching for designers. Different prices and there is no understanding of how much work and pitfalls will be encountered on the project. The most correct calculation can be made only after the design is ready, you can fully estimate the scope of the task and paint it along with the timeline and be prepared for all force majeure in advance.

What is the value for the customer:

• The ability to find out the actual amount of work, without additional work;
• Understand how fair the price of the developer and how well he understands it based on our calculation;
• Reducing risks, force majeure, and pitfalls.

How much time can Prepare Sources Stage take?

On average, project evaluation takes from 20 to 40 hours of team time.

You can have a look at the Estimation for the Development Stage at the Google Document

And also you can have a look at the detailed timeline for the Development Stage at the Google Spreadsheet.

Risks

There are risks in any project. Working with the Time & Material model, the risks are minimal since the customer only pays for the time spent. In this case, the risks include changes that occur in all projects. Working on the model of a Fix Price at a customer, it is possible that the risks may amount to almost half of the budget because executors often don’t know which way the project will turn and how much additional work will be.

What is the value for the customer:

• Identification of risks still on the beginning of the project;
• Designation of such an item.

How much time can Prepare Sources Stage take?

Risks on the Time & Material models on the average take from 10% to 30% of the project cost. Risks on the model of Fix Price on the average take from 50% to 200% of the project cost.

Over All

As you know, looking through any account, a person looks at the beginning and end, omitting all the details. Then, looking at the end of the document continues to read the rest of the points. Therefore, any document, text, meeting, need a summary that will emphasize all the main theses.

What is the value for the customer:

• You can quickly see how much time and money the project will take without going into details.

For example

To be more convincing, we offer an example of one of our internal projects, which we often put forward as an example.

Calculator application with built-in financial converter and metric systems. This is a vivid example of the fact that in an application of 3 main screens there can be more than 30 screens.

According to our calculation for the mobile application, this project should have taken about 349 hours. In fact, the project took 300 hours. This is due to the fact that we always consider the project more than necessary because there are various unexpected things that are difficult in principle to foresee on the project. Thus, the customer rarely goes beyond the stipulated hours. For example, if the customer spoke on this project, he would save 49 hours, since the work follows the Time & Material model and was mentioned at the beginning of the article.

An example of a prototype in the Invision App.

You can see the calculation by clicking to the link in Google Docs.

View the time spent on the project that can be on the link in Google Drive.

At the bottom line you will
have