Dogtown Media

Creating the Mobile Future

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Dogtown Media is a mobile app development company headquartered in Venice, California with a presence in San Francisco, New York City, Boston, and Seattle. Founded in 2011, what started as two guys on a couch dreaming up app ideas has morphed into an award-winning mobile tech powerhouse.  Apps we've developed have gone on to receive millions of downloads, featured on international television programs, and transformed the relationship millions of people have with the brands they trust. At Dogtown Media, we create the mobile future.

$100 - $149/hr
10 - 49
2011
Locations
United States
228 Main Street, Suite 4, Venice, California 90291
(888) 814-7010
United States
899 Pine St San Francisco, CA , San Francisco, California 94109
(888) 814-7010
United States
244 Fifth Avenue, NYC, New York 10001
(888) 814-7010
United States
100 S. King Street, Suite 100, Seattle, Washington 98104
(888) 814-7010

Focus Areas

Service Focus

40%
15%
15%
10%
10%
10%
  • Mobile App Development
  • App Designing (UI/UX)
  • IoT Development
  • Software Development
  • AR & VR Development

Client Focus

50%
40%
10%
  • Medium Business
  • Large Business
  • Small Business

Industry Focus

40%
20%
20%
10%
10%
  • Healthcare & Medical
  • Financial & Payments
  • Business Services

Dogtown Media Executive Interview

Marc Fischer
Marc Fischer
CEO & Co-Founder
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Please introduce your company and give a brief about your role within the company?
Dogtown Media is a leader in mobile technology for the industries of the future. Conceived as a custom mobile app development company by co-founders Marc Fischer and Rob Pope in 2011, Dogtown Media has expanded into an award-winning mobile technology powerhouse. Partnering with VC-funded startups and enterprises like Google, Harvard Medical School, and the United Nations, we create purpose-driven digital products that enable companies to innovate, grow, and rapidly bring new ideas to market. Apps we've developed have gone on to receive millions of downloads, been featured on international TV programs, and transformed the relationship millions have with the brands they trust.
What was the idea behind starting this organization?
Dogtown Media was conceived the day that Steve Jobs introduced the world to the App Store in 2008. At that point, it was clear that the future of tech was going to shift to smartphones running mobile apps. Everything started falling into place on a road trip to San Francisco with my friend and soon-to-be business partner, Rob Pope. We both knew that this new mobility system would open the floodgates for savvy, independent mobile app developers like us to turn an idea into an iPhone app. The idea to build a digital product that could be installed on millions of devices was irresistible. We saw ourselves as part of a technological revolution never before seen in history.
What are your company’s business model–in house team or third party vendors/ outsourcing?
Dogtown Media is an in-house, cross-functional team of experienced product managers UX/UI designers, and software engineers that offer a full stack of technologies for the industries of tomorrow.
How is your business model beneficial from a value addition perspective to the clients compared to other companies' models?
At our core, we are driven by a methodology of problem-solving. We integrate ourselves holistically with our clients to help their organizations solve business problems that lead to the benefits of improved efficiencies and ROI. Beyond that, we act as a technical consultant to identify new opportunities that can be facilitated via the implementation of technological solutions that incorporate web, mobile, and/or cloud as required.
What industries do you generally cater to? Are your customers repetitive? If yes, what ratio of clients has been repetitive to you?
Dogtown Media adopts a client-first approach, as previously stated since we act as a technological consultant. In this way, we partner with our clients on a long-term basis to help augment their tech teams and help accelerate their technical initiatives to market. Our key verticals are Healthcare, Finance, and Robotics, with an emphasis on our expertise within emerging technological frameworks of Machine Learning and IoT.
Mention the objectives or the parameters critical in determining the time frame of developing a mobile app.
At its core, the time frame of mobile app development is contingent on the complexity of the project. Simple projects naturally take less time than complex ones. With increasing amounts of features and functionality that a particular project encompasses, the delivery time accordingly will be elongated. When we undertake to scope a specific project, the time frame is a crucial concern for us. We estimate the required resources, both time and number of software engineers that each task will take to complete. From there, we set clear expectations with the client on when each phase will be completed and the deliverables the client can expect to receive from each aforementioned phase.
How much effort in terms of time goes into developing the front end and back end of a mobile app?
Time is elastic for both front-end and back-end development. It is dependent on the scale of the project, how many features will be incorporated, and the desired functionality. The key is to analyze the scale of the project before commencement to ensure all stakeholders from both the client and vendor sides are in agreement and understand clearly the expected timelines for all relevant deliverables.
What are the key parameters to be considered before selecting the right platform for a mobile application?
Choosing the right platform is crucial to the success of your app in being able to reach your target customers and meet their needs. In our experience, there are a few key differences between iOS and Android that companies need to consider. iOS generally have higher app revenues, a streamlined development process, and high user traction within the affluent US and European markets. Android, on the other hand, has an open source platform and a larger global market share. Ultimately, the choice depends on the preferences of your customer. If you are unsure, it’s always wise to cover your basis and adopt a cross-platform approach for building iOS, Android, and web.
Which platform do you suggest your clients to begin with when they approach you with an idea (Android or iOS) and why?
We don’t steer our clients one way or another. During our initial discovery, we identify the attributes of the client’s user base and determine the platform based on those intended users. A mobile app will only be successful if it solves the pain points of the user combined with the intuitive and well-designed user experience.
Android or iOS, Native or Hybrid — which platform is best to use to build your app? What are your recommendations?
For a mobile app to succeed it should in keeping with the needs of the intended users. That's our key concern when determining development methodologies. Where are the users are located, their income level, affinity for technology, their demographics, and psychographics, along with their predisposition towards iOS or Android, all combine to outline the deciding factors when determining the platform to use. In terms of development itself, we tend to prioritize Native as it provides a more holistic and intuitive user experience. Nevertheless, we have expanded our capabilities within cross-platform frameworks such as React Native as the user experience from Native shrinks.
What are the key factors that you consider before deciding the cost of a mobile application?
The key determinant for the cost of a project is based on the amount of time and resources that it’ll take to deliver the project as per the client specifications. We will start with a client’s budget and, having determined those parameters, will work backward to devise the most appropriate tech solution that meets the client’s business objectives and budgetary constraints.
What kind of payment structure do you follow to bill your clients? Is it Pay per Feature, Fixed Cost, Pay per Milestone (could be in phases, months, versions etc.)
We follow a fixed cost structure that is either based on a finite amount or on a time and materials basis. If the scope of the project is clear, concise, and well-defined, we'll recommend a flat fee. If there are significant undiscovered variables, where we are required to act as the driving force for a project's vision in the role of a tech consultant, a more agile method of engagement is more suitable, based on a time and materials basis.
Do you take in projects which meet your basic budget requirement? If yes, what is the minimum requirement? If no, on what minimum budget you have worked for?
Our project criteria are centered on best fit. Budget is important but not the only criteria when determining if a client is a good fit to work with Dogtown Media. In accordance with our mission, we seek to partner with clients where see the prospect of scaling to create social impact in the marketplace.
What is the price range (min and max) of the projects that you catered to in 2018?
Our price range was quite extensive, from short, sprint based projects of $50,000 through to long-term engagements worth $1m. At the end of the day, the price is secondary to the driving mission behind our organization to use creative technology to make a positive global impact.
Which business model do you suggest to your clients enabling them to generate revenue from mobile applications? Why?
Business model inherently depends on the client’s target users, which platforms those users use, their location, and a host of other demographic and psychographic traits. For example, a B2B company might find better success in adopting a SaaS model for mobile app revenue, whereas a B2C company might prefer a freemium model. We advocate on a case-by-case basis to ensure that each mobile app and the associated revenue that the client is looking to achieve is based on the behavior of their users and aligns with the overarching business goals.
Kindly share your feedback on how GoodFirms has been doing so far in increasing your visibility among potential clients.
GoodFirms has assisted us in building trust and relationships with prospects by providing a platform that allows us to showcase our previous work and capabilities, demonstrating the solutions we can devise for a prospective client. We continue to enjoy fostering a good relationship with both GoodFirms and our clients, as we strive to make an impact for their stakeholders and the world as a whole.

Dogtown Media Clients & Portfolios

Aspire News App | The Robin McGraw Revelation and Dr. Phil Foundation
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Aspire News App | The Robin McGraw Revelation and Dr. Phil Foundation
  • Aspire News App | The Robin McGraw Revelation and Dr. Phil Foundation screenshot 1
$50001 to $100000
86 weeks
NGOs

The previous Aspire News App developers had gone out of business and the app was deleted from both Apple and Google Play, leaving many potential domestic violence victims stranded. Dogtown Media partnered with the Foundation to rebuild and renew the Aspire News App and implement new features that would be beneficial and help protect victims.

The app acts as a masked app, since it appears like a regular news app, enabling a trusted contact to be notified about a potential dangerous situation without the perpetrator realizing the victim is doing so and becoming enraged. Understandably, location accuracy is essential as a timely response is crucial in these life-and-death situations.

The Aspire News app was recognized on Capitol Hill by the National Health Collaborative on Violence and Abuse as one of the two “best apps for domestic violence prevention”. The app has been downloaded more than 300,000 times across the globe.

National Sleep Foundation Sleeplife® App
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National Sleep Foundation Sleeplife® App
  • National Sleep Foundation Sleeplife® App screenshot 1
$100001 to $500000
81 weeks
Healthcare & Medical

The National Sleep Foundation conducts regular clinical sleep trials to monitor and evaluate sleep habits. Previously, these trials were conducted in person at their laboratories, leading to skewed results as patients were placed into an unfamiliar environment. National Sleep Foundation approached Dogtown Media to help develop a less intrusive mobile app solution for clinical sleep trials.

The end product was Sleeplife®, a HIPAA-compliant, mHealth application that integrates with Fitbit to track a patient’s sleep patterns at night. The solution incorporated custom charts to allow ease of comparison between actual patient sleep habits and National Sleep Foundation guidelines, the data of which was also sent to a custom Doctor Dashboard.

The app enables two-way communication between doctors and patients via a messaging feature, as well as enabling the completion of in-app surveys. In addition to the app development, Dogtown Media created one-pagers to aid in the facilitation of the clinical sleep trials.

Cone Health Cardiovascular One Call App
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Cone Health Cardiovascular One Call App
  • Cone Health Cardiovascular One Call App screenshot 1
$10001 to $50000
35 weeks
Healthcare & Medical

The existing Cone Health patient referral process was cumbersome for physicians. When a patient suffers a ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), where a patient’s artery is blocked, preventing oxygen flow to the heart, the delay in receiving care can be fatal.

Dogtown Media created the Cone Health CV One Call app to provide referring physicians at smaller hospitals in the Cone Health network with an efficient way to call the transfer center and refer patients who need additional care. The app also provides physicians with useful resources like clinical guidelines and protocols for what to do during a STEMI heart attack emergency.

Google Train Up App
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Google Train Up App
  • Google Train Up App screenshot 1
$100001 to $500000
87 weeks
Information Technology

Dogtown Media was tasked to develop a mobile app for Google that trains retail employees how to best sell Google products, named Google Train Up. The challenge was on finding a way to incentivize the employees to participate in the mobile app training, given they were not getting paid for this training. We also had to ensure when updates were made to the pre-existing Google Train Up web browser, the corresponding app was also updated.

Massachusetts General Hospital Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Guidelines App
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Massachusetts General Hospital Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Guidelines App
  • Massachusetts General Hospital Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Guidelines App screenshot 1
$10001 to $50000
52 weeks
Healthcare & Medical

The Healthcare Transformation Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, tasked Dogtown to improve the experience and value of life saving Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Guidelines that have been historically on paper. MGH wanted to leverage novel technologies and innovation to bring their care to the digital age.

Webdam Asset Management App
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Webdam Asset Management App
  • Webdam Asset Management App screenshot 1
$100001 to $500000
35 weeks
Information Technology

Webdam is an online asset management system, acquired by Bynder in early 2018. Clients, including Starbucks and Harvard University, upload and keep all their design assets including images, art work, logos on their website cloud platform. The challenge was to develop a mobile app for their web browser--a native solution that would integrate with their pre-existing website to create a seamless user experience for their well-respected clients.

The mobile app Dogtown Media developed provided Webdam clients with an additional avenue to upload their artwork. The mobile app also possessed offline functionality for Webdam’s sales teams, giving them the ability to retain images offline through our asset storage feature.

Roadtrip Nation: CareerExplorer App
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Roadtrip Nation: CareerExplorer App
  • Roadtrip Nation: CareerExplorer App screenshot 1
$100001 to $500000
52 weeks
Education

Roadtrip Nation is a PBS TV series that encourages and empowers individuals to find out who they are and what they want to do with their working lives. 

Dogtown Media were tasked with creating a mobile version of the TV show, maintaining the organization’s branding: fun, dynamic, and engaging while still connecting professionals with individuals starting in the job market.

Dogtown Media brought the Roadtrip Nation TV show to life with an app that informs and inspires college students across the nation.

University of Oklahoma Innovate App
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University of Oklahoma Innovate App
  • University of Oklahoma Innovate App screenshot 1
$100001 to $500000
61 weeks
Education

The University of Oklahoma (OU) has more than 30,000 students, catered to via the OU Innovate app. The mobile app is OU’s official hub for all on-campus  technology, to enable students to manage meal plans, track class schedules, and find the nearest parking lots with available space to make it to class on time.

Dogtown Media built out a real-time parking lot tracker app to reduce time spent parking by OU students, enabling them to arrive to class on time, and significantly increase attendance rates. OU students reported higher satisfaction rates as they spent less time parking thanks to the parking lot trend graph app feature that enabled ease of navigation.

We also created an e-voucher component of the app for OU's drunk-driving prevention program known as SafeRide, which increased participation rates dramatically, enhancing the success of the program.

United Nations ESCAP iPhone App
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United Nations ESCAP iPhone App
  • United Nations ESCAP iPhone App screenshot 1
$10001 to $50000
50 weeks
Public Sector

Dogtown Media works closely with international institutions like the United Nations to deliver mobile solutions to a global userbase. The ESCAP iPhone app was designed, coded, and deployed for the UN's Asia bureau.

The iPhone app enables UN officials to quickly communicate with stakeholders via a live news feed. The mobile app also displays UN sponsored events across 5 continents as well as internationally observed and local holidays.

A content management system and custom API was also developed to allow the system admins to send emergency notification alerts to app users during natural disasters or crisis scenarios.

Fayr Co-Parenting App
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Fayr Co-Parenting App
  • Fayr Co-Parenting App screenshot 1
$100001 to $500000
38 weeks
Startups

62 million households suffer broken marriages. The anxiety of battling over expenses, timesharing, etc. can be a nightmare, and affects how children are being raised. Fayr helps parents be the best versions of themselves by keeping a clear record of shared responsibilities for their kids, and creating a better life for both parents and children.

Through emotional user experience interviews, we were able to uncover simple and intuitive ways to make the co-parenting process more manageable. The result is an intuitive interface that seamlessly blends the four key user functions into one life management tool, featured on iTunes' Planet of the Apps

Red Bull Co-Pilot App
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Red Bull Co-Pilot App
  • Red Bull Co-Pilot App screenshot 1
$0 to $10000
22 weeks
Consumer Products

Red Bull’s field marketing team is always on the move, but in constant communication and in need of information while repping the brand at their many events.

Dogtown Media designed an internal application that allows the rep to chat with headquarters, receive real time notifications, download event documents and keep an up-to-date schedule.

Kirb One-Tap Parking App
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Kirb One-Tap Parking App
  • Kirb One-Tap Parking App screenshot 1
$100001 to $500000
52 weeks
Startups

18+ million people living in greater Los Angeles, the largest commuter city in the country, where public parking is a real pain. Meanwhile, many residents and business alike have untapped real estate sitting dormant every day.

Kirb is a mobile application that allows users to book parking in advance, from a few hours to a full day, avoiding the hassle of circling the block. It’s also a great way for residents and business owners to make some passive, ancillary income. We also helped secure Kirb's initial round of funding through our network of angel investors.

Udemy Instructor Messaging App
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Udemy Instructor Messaging App
  • Udemy Instructor Messaging App screenshot 1
$50001 to $100000
26 weeks
Education

Udemy is an online marketplace for learning and teaching that has garnered over 80,000 courses and 24 million students globally. Instructors come to the platform to create content and share their expert knowledge of a topic, while students come to the platform to learn a new skill by consuming the instructor-created videos.

Dogtown Media created iPhone, iPad, Android phone, and Android tablet designs for a new instructor experience within the existing Udemy apps. These features allow instructors to respond to student questions, message, and reviews quickly and efficiently.

Worldwide Breast Cancer | Know Your Lemons Breast Health App
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Worldwide Breast Cancer | Know Your Lemons Breast Health App
  • Worldwide Breast Cancer | Know Your Lemons Breast Health App screenshot 1
$10001 to $50000
85 weeks
NGOs

In 2015, 570,000 women died from breast cancer. That’s a lot of mothers absent from school plays, grandmothers no longer kissing cheeks, and wives missing date nights. It’s heartbreaking and in some cases completely avoidable if only breast cancer symptoms were better understood. So we stepped up to help.

The Know Your Lemons app makes it easy for women all over the world to educate themselves on self-exams, steps for detection, and reporting symptoms — all in one app.

Minneapolis Heart Institute Cardiovascular Resources App
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Minneapolis Heart Institute Cardiovascular Resources App
  • Minneapolis Heart Institute Cardiovascular Resources App screenshot 1
$10001 to $50000
78 weeks
Healthcare & Medical

Despite 84 million Americans having some form of the cardiovascular disease, first responders and physicians historically only had emergency protocols on paper. When a patient suffers from a cardiac arrest, the last thing anyone wants to be searching for is a scrap of paper.

A mobile app with current cardiovascular emergency protocols was designed and developed, available to physicians anywhere and anytime. The app also enables access to medical professionals for consultation or patient transfers, ensuring that healthcare providers have the tools they need to ultimately save lives.

Dogtown Media Reviews

4.9 4 Reviews
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  • App Designing (UI/UX)
  • Software Development
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John Shammas

Great consistency in both communication and support

Rating Breakdown

  • Quality
  • Schedule & Timing
  • Communication
  • Overall Rating

Project Detail

$50001 to $200000

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Review Summary

We've really enjoyed the time spent with Dogtown and their support in our product initiatives. They have always been readily available to talk through design ideas, technical challenges, or feature improvements. Communication has always been solid, with a reliable stream of beta builds (delivered to our own devices to test out) and detailed patch notes. We look forward to working with Dogtown on more projects in the future!

What service was provided as part of the project?

Mobile App Development, App Designing (UI/UX)

Michael Paskow

Sleep Health App Development

Rating Breakdown

  • Quality
  • Schedule & Timing
  • Communication
  • Overall Rating

Project Detail

$200000+

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Review Summary

Dogtown media helped to develop a new cross-platform app and web portal for a sleep health study involving insomniacs for the National Sleep Foundation. The team was reliable and developed an excellent experience for end-users. It has been a great experience working with DTM.

What service was provided as part of the project?

Mobile App Development, App Designing (UI/UX)

What is it about the company that you appreciate the most?

The team is reliable and communicative. They come up with creative solutions and are always available for any and all maintenance issues that arise.

What was it about the company that you didn't like which they should do better?

Although I am not well-versed in pricing for app development, I do feel that the pricing may have been a little too steep. That said, the work they have produced is excellent, and I'm very happy I got to work with the team at DTM.

Parker Donaldson

Development for a Military Mobile Application

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  • Schedule & Timing
  • Communication
  • Overall Rating

Project Detail

$10001 to $50000

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Review Summary

My company has used Dogtown Media to design the UI/UX of two mobile applications for military use. It has been a joy to work with DTM on both occasions. The team is reliable, accommodating, creative and responsive. Despite being on two separate coasts, time zones have not impeded meetings, development etc. I would highly recommend DTM for your development needs.

What service was provided as part of the project?

App Designing (UI/UX)

What is it about the company that you appreciate the most?

Fun to work with. Agreeable and open personnel.

What was it about the company that you didn't like which they should do better?

Bit more attention to detail and internal editing prior to releasing deliverable to clients. Specifically sentence structure, spaces, grammar, spelling etc.

Josh Lehman

One of a Kind in Development

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  • Quality
  • Schedule & Timing
  • Communication
  • Overall Rating

Project Detail

$200000+

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Review Summary

I have used dozens of developers over the years...Dogtown is hands down the best. Their crew is second-to-none in skill, ingenuity and overall excellence. Not only would I recommend them, and I have, I will continue to use them on every project I can utilize their skills with.

What service was provided as part of the project?

Software Development, AR & VR Development, Artificial Intelligence

What is it about the company that you appreciate the most?

They do not say "no." If they can't do it, they figure it out.

What was it about the company that you didn't like which they should do better?

Literally nothing. A perfect solution for customers.