NaviGreat
After starting a nonprofit with his sister to help refugees get integrated into their new countries, NaviGreat founder Ashutosh Mishra saw an opportunity to pivot their project from on-the-ground services to a digital application that could be used in any organization.
However, their financial resources and timeline for developing the app were tight.
“We had a very low budget because we're working with nonprofits and humanitarian organizations. We also needed a way for it to be developed quickly because there are emergent needs and crises on hand.” - Mishra
Mishra initially explored learning Bubble to build the app himself, but soon realized the need for a professional developer due to time constraints. In February 2023, he opted for Airdev’s Flex model, hiring a skilled freelance Bubble developer who completed NaviGreat in just 2 weeks.
The results?
- A fully functional app developed in just 2 weeks
- Ongoing access to a highly proficient Bubble developer on an as-needed basis for app updates and refinement
- Fulfillment of contract with Afghan refugee groups
The OBJEctive
NaviGreat’s purpose is to be a digital hub for organizations working with disadvantaged populations to help them achieve better social, health, and economic outcomes. Its goal is to act as a social network for communities who share a common identity or experience to organize around each other and disseminate information.
To facilitate this, Mishra needed the app to include the usual social network platform features and functionality, along with some custom-built elements. But most importantly, it had to be extremely user friendly and provide a lot of value to users quickly.
After spending a couple months trying to learn and design the app in Bubble himself, he decided to look for help.
“I realized that doing this myself wasn’t an efficient use of my time and I probably wasn’t creating the best product. While I've become comfortable using Bubble, my skills aren't as advanced as someone who does this full-time. I needed an experienced person who could dedicate a lot of time and be very efficient and effective.” - Mishra
The SOLUTION
After an extensive search for Bubble freelancers, Mishra came across Airdev’s Flex offering, which provides access to the top 1% Bubble developers on a fractional basis, and decided to hire their expertise to build the app.
“I went to freelancing websites and came across people who claimed they could do a lot of things, but ultimately couldn't deliver what I needed. Airdev was more expensive compared to other options, but after talking with their team and then my developer, it was really clear that this was a well-established, nicely operated firm that does this full-time and is professional. This was super important with my name and reputation on the line.” - Mishra
Airdev’s Approach
Once matched, Mishra shared his vision and existing app design outline with his matched freelance Bubble developer. His Bubble developer then broke up the design into discrete milestones that would fit the allotted budget for that period of work.
“He made it very clear for us to know what he was going to be working on for the next period of time. And even though he's a developer, he had the project management sense to be able to break things down and help proactively plan how to do the work – instead of me having to hand him individual tasks.” - Mishra
Mishra and his developer managed all tasks using the project management tool Trello.
THE RESULT
Within 2 weeks (80 development hours), Airdev’s freelance Bubble developer completed the app – allowing them to soft-launch with their first contracted Afghan refugee group. They’re currently testing the app with a smaller user base, but will expand the app to the organization’s whole community soon.
Mishra still collaborates with his Bubble developer for new app features, updates, and maintenance, but is entering a phase where he’ll be able to do upkeep on his own.
“Even though I've limited programming experience, it's enough to be able to make slight tweaks and edits and feel like I have some degree of control over the progression of the application over the long term, rather than depending on a developer that I might lose if I run out of budget. I’ll still be able to run the website and that’s awesome.” - Mishra
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