Factory

Design and development of mobile/web applications

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At Factory, we believe in listening carefully to what our clients say (and don’t say) and collaborate to develop solutions that satisfy client requirements and fulfills user's needs.

Factory tools:

  • Unique Android and iOS app solutions
  • Fresh technologies
  • Responsive web solutions
  • Brand new UX and exceptional UI
  • Highest-level of professionalism and client support
$50 - $99/hr
10 - 49
2012
Locations
Croatia
Jagerova 2, Osijek, Osijek-Baranja 31000

Focus Areas

Service Focus

25%
25%
15%
15%
15%
5%
  • Mobile App Development
  • Web Development
  • App Designing (UI/UX)
  • Web Designing (UI/UX)
  • E-commerce Development

Client Focus

50%
50%
  • Medium Business
  • Small Business

Industry Focus

50%
25%
25%
  • E-commerce
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Retail

Factory Executive Interview

Ivica Horvat
Ivica Horvat
CEO
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Please introduce your company and give a brief about your role within the company?
Factory (or Tvornica for our Croatian friends) is an IT firm with headquarters in
Virovitica, and second office in Osijek with more than 40 employees serving clients
worldwide. In collaboration with our clients, we plan, design and build web and
mobile applications. Our goal is to provide client satisfaction and complex custom
solutions with a turn-key and a pixel perfect coding and development. As a CEO, my role involves managing projects; developing short-term and long-term strategies; assessing risks to the company and ensuring they are monitored and minimized and evaluating the work of other leaders in the company.
What was the idea behind starting this organization?
The idea behind starting this organization is to provide the client with the best
possible web and/or mobile solution, without having to export such services offshore.

We strive to improve clients’ business as much possible - we measure our success by clients’ success. By implementing this idea, we have brought together many smart and able people who have a different perspective on our projects - it’s not seen as work, but as improving themselves through teamwork.
What are your company’s business model–in house team or third party vendors/ outsourcing?
We function on in house team model, having teams in Virovitica and Osijek. Most of our developers are located in Osijek, as well as the other teams such as Marketing, Sales or HR. We have adopted a student internship system, aiming at educating and enabling students to work efficiently and effectively in a professional business environment - interns are located in both Osijek and Virovitica.
How is your business model beneficial from a value addition perspective to the clients compared to other companies' models?
Our business model helps in value addition because we don’t just take over finished ideas from our clients - we help them through the process of developing and nurturing the idea. We take the client through the entire process of figuring out the best competition and to succeed, we develop new strategies, new features, and a new approach client has to adopt to gain a competitive edge over other competitors.
 
All of our clients are highly satisfied with our services and we have established a
stronger connection with the majority of them, working together on developing new winning products and strategies.
What industries do you generally cater to? Are your customers repetitive? If yes, what ratio of clients has been repetitive to you?
Factory caters to businesses in many different areas, such as tourism, eCommerce,
banking, news industry or food and beverage industry. When clients approach us,
sometimes they present us with a project in newer and unexplored business territories where we have to first learn more about the specific industry before developing a strategy. Clients give us the opportunity to grow our knowledge of specific subjects.
 
Our clients are repetitive, about 70% of them. They recognize the quality of the work that has been done and usually we form a long-term partnership with this kind of clients.
Mention the objectives or the parameters critical in determining the time frame of developing a mobile app.
Normally, it depends on the complexity of the mobile app itself; the complexity of the interface and functions, number of functions, requirements, and risks. We take down the project requirements to micro-level so we could correctly estimate the time frame of development; it helps us with identifying the proper price, the number of developers needed and delivery time-frame.
How much effort in terms of time goes into developing the front end and back end of a mobile app?
It heavily depends on the type of project. A simple project can be done in 2-3 months while some complex projects can take up to 6-7 months of development. The time needed to finish the project depends on project features, level of designing required, technology stack required, the complexity of the concept and some other changes made on request.
What are the key parameters to be considered before selecting the right platform for a mobile application?
Platform choice depends on the clients’ target audience. For instance, if the client is looking to launch the app in USA and Canada, we’ll suggest that we make an iOS
app, due to the increased user base. On the other hand, if they’re looking to release their app in Asia, we’ll recommend an Android app. The process of choosing a platform is individual for every business and the decision needs to be backed up by the logic and stat data from the market.
Which platform do you suggest your clients to begin with when they approach you with an idea (Android or iOS) and why?
Firstly, to achieve an agreement with the client, we discuss the parameters like
geographical location, user age group, user preferences and the industry they cater to. After discussing the named parameters, we are able to suggest either the Android app either the iOS app for clients’ business.
Android or iOS, Native or Hybrid — which platform is best to use to build your app? What are your recommendations?
The mobile applications can succeed as both native or hybrid applications. It depends largely on the requirements of the client. Firstly, we have to consider the budget estimate and the time-frame for completing the project. We choose the accurate platform after analyzing the needs of the client and conducting a research in this area. Even though native apps development is a bit costlier, the client is free to choose the right combination of Native Android or Native iOS. We see a huge space for hybrid apps because of Flutter - Google's UI toolkit for crafting beautiful, natively compiled applications for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase. We’re researching this field, so in the next couple of months we’ll see what is better for our clients.
What are the key factors that you consider before deciding the cost of a mobile application?
Key factors we consider before deciding the cost of a mobile application are usually complexity of the app, type and quantity of features, possible risks and pitfalls, and time needed to develop the app.
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.)
The payment structure depends on the project. Standard practice includes “pay per milestone” payment structure, giving us the possibility to more accurately form a budget and distribute the work amongst developers. App development usually consists of phases so it’s usual to charge per phase.
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?
Minimum budget we find suitable for a project is $5 000. Due to quality we strive to deliver, any budget lower than this would show to be a limiting factor preventing us from achieving the best result for the client's business.
What is the price range (min and max) of the projects that you catered to in 2018?
The price range of projects we catered to in 2018 varies from $5 000 to $400 000.
Which business model do you suggest to your clients enabling them to generate revenue from mobile applications? Why?
First, we need to explore the client’s business and then decide on what kind of
application does the client need. Not every business sells its goods and services
through their mobile app, some of them are using it to build customer relations and improve customer loyalty. For instance, we have a project made for Croatian National Park Krka which guides visitors through the National Park while pointing out some important viewpoints and historical structures. As a result, visitors more often take the route of the National Park Krka and engage with the brand on a personal level. In this case, the app is just an instrument, not an income source.

Factory Reviews

5.0 2 Reviews
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Sanja Novak

Custom WordPress Dev for KONCAR - Electrical Engineering Institute

Rating Breakdown

  • Quality
  • Schedule & Timing
  • Communication
  • Overall Rating

Project Detail

$0 to $10000

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Review Summary

We needed a new website to solve problems caused by the functional constraints, obsolescence, and complicated maintenance of the existing version. Because we lacked the necessary internal resources, we decided to engage a web development agency. After comparing several potential partners for this project, we decided that Factory.hr would be our ideal partner. Their expertise, knowledge, and professionalism set them apart. We are also impressed with their proposal for our website and their great existing references.

Our goals were to improve our online presence, improve the usability of the website, and enable better, more streamlined interaction with website visitors. We wanted a user-friendly website that will create a positive user experience and achieve our communication and sales goals.
Factory.hr completely designed, developed, and launched our website. They provided their knowledge and expertise to help us with cost and time estimates, social media promotion, wireframe and design materials, and custom-made features.

The new website is a custom WordPress solution that meets all usability standards. Using interactive graphs and forms for faster search and content filtering, the website provides a complete overview of our solutions, services, and activities in a clear, user-friendly way. It now facilitates the easier implementation of other digital marketing activities, improving our online presence, and the enhanced UX has led to a growth in queries from contact and demo request forms.

From designer and web developers to project manager, Factory.hr has been an excellent partner. They were always available with answers to all our questions and solutions to any challenges. The project management was top-notch throughout the development process. From meeting deadlines to consistent availability, they were a reliable and supportive partner.

They are a team of young, enthusiastic people who are passionate about their work. Their simple communication, patience, guidance, and recommendations helped us achieve what we wanted: a new website we love.

Working with Factory was an excellent experience and exceeded all expectations.

What service was provided as part of the project?

Mobile App Development, Engineering Services

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

They are a team of young, enthusiastic people who are passionate about their work. Their simple communication, patience, guidance, and recommendations helped us achieve our goals.

Dragana Koljenik

Android App Dev for Digital Library Collection

Rating Breakdown

  • Quality
  • Schedule & Timing
  • Communication
  • Overall Rating

Project Detail

$0 to $10000

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Review Summary

Factory created and launched a native mobile solution for a national nonprofit platform, providing a unique cultural product to support growing tourism initiatives and increase user engagement. Within 20 days, the digital postcard collection attracted over 500 downloads and numerous five-star ratings on Google Play. Factory’s responsive communication, adaptable workflow, and solicitation of feedback contributed to an advantageous partnership.

What service was provided as part of the project?

Mobile App Development

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

Throughout our initial communication, they showed enthusiasm and understood the specific nature of working for a nonprofit cultural institution like a library.

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

Since we ended our project in a timely matter and were happy with the communication and the end product, I don’t have any suggestions.