Brave Factor

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a client services agency that unlocks potential through custom software development. I am the Director of Design managing a team of Researchers, UX Designers, and UI Designers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brave Factor?

We conducted a pro bono design sprint for a breast milk bank. At the end of this very successful exercise, we had a great direction defined for the bank but were unable to create what they needed within their budget.

That was when we reached out to Lauren at Brave Factor. She has been a long-time friend and partner of Praxent and her agency was happy to take up the work with the breast milk bank.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals for this project were to find the bank a partner who could produce their product, a quiz to help them identify potential donors and advocates, within their budget range. It is vital that non-profits like the bank get the support they need to continue their valuable work in an increasingly digital world.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We have been long-time partners with Lauren at Brave Factor. She has done a lot of work for Praxent in the past and we hope will continue well into the future.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Brave Factor took the research and prototype we created for the breast milk bank and created a web quiz experience. A user will begin the quiz to find out if they are eligible to donate breast milk to the bank. As they step through questions that help the bank to screen their eligibility, they are also exposed to several facts about donating breast milk to help educate them and increase their passion for engaging with the bank.

At the end, they are either provided with a success screen telling them they are eligible or a success screen telling them they are eligible to be an advocate. Both are positive messages. This experience has had a real impact on the number of donations breast milk bank received in 2019.

What was the team composition?

I don't have that information.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

When we began working with the breast milk bank in June of 2019, their goal donation amount for the year had only been 19% filled and they were concerned. After the release of the quiz by Brave Factor in September of 2019 I decided to check back in.

It was around the end of October and they were closer to 90% of their goal. The impact of this quiz has helped them to meet their objectives, bring in new donors, and hopefully created a great deal of new advocates. I can't wait to see what happens for them in 2020.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I don't have that information.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Brave Factor has always been willing to take on a challenge and deliver above expectations. I have very much enjoyed working with Lauren during my time at Praxent.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing that comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for the world's largest non-profit milk bank. As their marketer, I'm focused on finding innovative, scaleable ways to expose new moms to our mission and motivate them to get involved as milk donors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brave Factor?

I hired Brave Factor to build a mobile-first microsite containing a simple, 5 question quiz. The microsite is promoted via Facebook ads targeting new and expecting parents, and the quiz takes them through a pre-qual exercise while exposing them to short and sweet educational info.

What were your goals for this project?

This microsite needed a mobile-first design. The quiz experience needed to be fast, simple, and fun for users. The intended result was to source new, high-quality (vetted) leads into our donor recruitment funnel. This project was an untested concept, so it also needed to be relatively cheap and easy to accomplish in order for me to get executive buy-in.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I initially worked with another agency to develop the concept for the microsite. That agency designed a prototype which they tested with 5 users who gave preliminary positive feedback. When I was ready to move forward with actually developing the final product for scaled use, that agency came in with a price that was 10X what we could afford. They recommended Brave Factor as an alternative vendor, and when Brave Factor came in with a scaled back proposal and much more reasonable price, I took the leap with them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Brave Factor took the initial designs our previous agency had created, and brought them to life over the course of 6 weeks. This involved an initial kickoff to understand context and goals, then detailed wireframes of the ideal user flow throughout the quiz experience, and finally development and testing of the microsite. We purchased a domain to host the site,

What was the team composition?

I worked directly with two Brave Factor employees - the founder who project managed, and another employee who answered technical questions. Behind the scenes were several developers working on execution.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Since promoting this microsite via paid ads.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Brave Factor set a high-level (aggressive) schedule and kept me informed of progress via email. I did find that without regular check-in calls, I sometimes lost track of our status or my own tasks. This was a short project so it never really got messy, but for a larger scale project I would want a slightly more significant PM structure, such as a tool for tracking completion of tasks or a PM platform to organize all project-related communication and documents.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team worked quickly and nimbly, and were involved in every aspect of the project, I thought of them as partners. They participated in design, led execution, did their own user testing alongside ours, and along the way advised me on strategy. They also advised us on setting up the site hosting and google analytics tracking. There was nothing I felt I couldn't ask them, and they were honest / up-front if I was asking for something out of scope.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Aside from my note about project management, I don't have any suggestions for improvement. Working with Brave Factor was a breeze compared to experiences with other, larger teams and I felt respected as a client throughout the project. I look forward to working with their team again.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

10ThousandWindows is a non-profit organization that helps women and youth who have survived human trafficking, violence, and exploitation to gain workplace skills, education, and safe, well-paid jobs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brave Factor?

We needed help with our website design, some print design projects, and ongoing website management.

What were your goals for this project?

To have a user-friendly and attractive organizational website that shares our mission and vision, with features to accept online donations.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They came highly recommended by other non-profit organizations.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They provide us with monthly web design and development services. As new design and structural needs arise, we communicate with Brave Factor and they help us determine the best course of action. Their developers and designers respond quickly, communicate frequently, and keep us in the loop on our projects.

What was the team composition?

There are several members, but we mainly work with one key person to ensure seamless communication. However, it’s good to be able to draw on the experience and diversity of the entire team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

As a non-profit, we rely on the charitable donations of generous individuals. Brave Factor enabled a fully functioning online donation system, which synchronizes with our donor management system. This level of integration has been important and impactful for our fundraising work.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management is effective. We work closely with our key representative to complete each project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have a talented crew of staff, and they’re also quick to communicate clearly, are empathetic, and always kind in their interactions.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of RAW:natural born artists. I also own Square M, a web development and consultation company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brave Factor?

We decided to work with Brave Factor because we needed to redevelop and redesign our website. We also wanted to do a rebrand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Brave Factor provided creative direction for a rebrand. They created a new branding guide based on our existing logo.  My team provided Brave Factor with documentation of how our website framework was put together, and they redeveloped it. The technologies they used included HTML, LESS/SASS, JavaScript, and HDL4 on the frontend and CodeIgniter, LAYEREVAL, PHP, and MySQL on the backend.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three developers, a creative director, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Brave Factor?

I had previously known Lauren (Co-Founder and Creative Director, Brave Factor) and her work. I chose to work with Brave Factor for this project because they expanded their capabilities and proved themselves on another project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Brave Factor in November 2018, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

I chose to work with Brave Factor and continue to choose to work with them because they deliver on their promises. They have a lot of integrity to do the right work and the right thing.

How did Brave Factor perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is good and only continuing to improve. We’ve had several meetings with Brave Factor regarding both the rebranding and redevelopment projects. Our main form of communication has been Slack and a project management tool called Teamwork.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Brave Factor continues to provide that type of high-level work that’s important in a development partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’re continually evolving and improving as we go. We always handle things with them right away.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of TonCedar. We catalyze missional Thai startups to make sustainable impact through innovation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brave Factor, and what were your goals?

We hired Brave Factor to help with Branding and Web Design.

SOLUTION

How did you select Brave Factor and what were the deciding factors?

Highly recommended by a friend. We look through their portfolio and I'm really impressed with their design and work.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had very good meetings with Lauren. Who was always prompt to work and journey with us. She worked with us through branding for our organization and came up with web designs that supported our brand character. Content wise, she was very helpful in working with us through key wordings etc.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Lauren. Andrew.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Built customer confidence in our work. Especially with donors.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

Email. Zoom. Nifty.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

We're impressed with their work ethic, design and content-building expertise, and personal approach.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Video marketing agency. I am the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brave Factor, and what were your goals?

Web design & web development. Goals - refresh existing site to match new branding and services.

SOLUTION

How did you select Brave Factor and what were the deciding factors?

Mutual business relationships, rapport, expertise, body of work, and professionalism.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Website Strategy -- - Deep dive into business goals for the website - business story - business branding Website design -- - top to bottom web design - wireframing - mock ups - flushed out design Web design -- - bring design to life

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Lauren and her team

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

They built a beautiful design that is on brand and representative of the company.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

Weekly check-ins and updates via email and zoom calls to go over progress.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

high touch communication, attention to design detail, and urgency of responsiveness

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Freely in Hope is a nonprofit organization dedicated to equipping survivors and advocates to lead in ending the cycle of sexual violence.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brave Factor?

Website rebranding

What were your goals for this project?

Rebrand our website to provide compelling content to increase funders, educate practitioners, and provide resources for survivors.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A colleague had worked with Brave Factor on multiple websites and I loved the work they did with her. I also value Brave Factor's business model that employs local developers in Indonesia.

Describe the project in detail.

Brave Factor worked with us to determine our primary audience, goals for website reach, and UX design to help us reach our objectives.

What was the team composition?

I worked with Lauren and Jesse who collaborated with their developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We met all project objectives in being able to communicate ample resources for various viewers.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was incredibly smooth, seamless, and organized. We communicated through email, Asana, and Pastel to track progress and make amendments efficiently. We had regular phone calls scheduled to talk through our ideas and design process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Working with Brave Factor was an incredibly positive experience. They communicated speedily and efficiently, provided on-point insight, and created beautiful designs that emphasized our brand. They're intentional in their ideating process that provided space for collaboration and innovation from both parties. I appreciate their level of communication and understanding—they delivered a fantastic product and I can't wait to work with them again for future projects!

Are there any areas for improvement?

NA