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Please note that Menlo Technologies is a Quisitive company.
In this case study:
Client: CRCL
Industry: Software & Technology
Products and Services: Application Development on Microsoft Azure
Country: USA
The Idea
Crcl (pronounced “circle”) has been different from the start.
In March of 2015, app development was the last thing on Chas Pulido’s mind. The senior in high school discovered a lump in his upper arm that was later identified as a tumor. Luckily, after months of monitoring, the tumor was ruled benign. But this mortality check had an impact on Chas.
With the gift of time, Chas gained an understanding of the importance of enjoying life, people and positive experiences. He wanted to encourage others to embrace their passions. With that vision in mind, Chas began searching.
Getting Started
When Chas enrolled in The University of Notre Dame in the fall of 2015, he put together a team of fellow students and started conducting market research. The team recognized several flaws in the review market, a lack of trust between users, no incentive to review following an experience, review biases (rating inflation), and the absence of a social community.
Chas and his team envisioned a solution to these shortcomings—an app that would revitalize the world of online reviews with recommendations that cater to individual interests.
The Application Product
Crcl combines individual profiles, a proprietary rating system, as well as planning features to create an engaging social community. Whether a member of the community wants to go for a hike, go out to eat, or find a movie, Crcl helps users find the best option. Crcl provides dedicated forums for users to connect and post about interests and activities they enjoy. The app empowers people to go out into the world and experience the things they love.
CRCL engaged Menlo Technologies, a Quisitive company, when they needed to accelerate the development of their mobile app and could not find iOS developers with a satisfactory experience. Menlo Technologies developed Crcl’s iOS and Android applications.
"Dave Hickman really sold me on Menlo,” said Chas Pulido, Founder of Crcl. “Attention from a VP for such a new start-up was really refreshing. We felt like a priority even though we were just starting out. Menlo ensured that communication was consistent as they set up multiple project management platforms and implemented a suite of tools and that helped Crcl effectively run a remote project team.”
App Features
- Circles of trust: Crcl’s Groups feature organizes reviews from your friends and by your interests allowing users to see reviews for what they are looking for by people they trust.
- Personal Reviews: Instead of reading reviews by strangers. Crcl’s profile tags make it easy to see who is writing a review. Friends and friends of friends help users find just the right place or activity that they are searching for.
- Quick rating system: With the Crcl App, users don’t need to type paragraphs of reviews or read blocks of text. Crcl has introduced the adjective approach to condense reviews into what really matters most.
