BRIO

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of Interacting Technology. We are a technology company plus an operator. We develop full turnkey solutions for community management platforms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Brio?

The first time we approached Brio, we needed help with a social community platform that we developed for the LGBT community. We have different types of customers on our technology platform, mainly B2B partners.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Brio’s involvement in our project was like a triangle. The first side focused on creatives, specifically the visual design and art. The second thing they helped us with was creating a user interface. They worked on the app design, structure, and user flow. The third aspect was UX, providing the best user experience in order to reach the business goals. Brio created the first version of the app that we released to the market. In a sense, they imagined the app and designed its screens, balance, and flow. They also added the ability to implement external technologies and tools inside the app.  Brio handled the planning, product design, and materials. They then passed all that information to developers, who in turn did the deployment and coding before QA.

How did you come to work with Brio?

Brio is one of the top 5 companies in Israel. We checked 6 different companies based on certain parameters. Because of the small market, we reached a stage where Brio was our chosen partner.

How much have you invested with Brio?

For the core product, we spent between $100 and $150 per month. In total, we paid less than $200,000 for Brio’s services.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Brio started at the beginning of 2013 and ended in 2015. That’s a little less than 2 years. Actually, Brio is still working with us but in a smaller scope, mainly as an outsourced consultant. That’s because our company got bigger and we've added internal teams. Every company has this journey, it's a part of the process. Our engagement was on a time and materials basis. Each project had its own timeframe, KPIs, and deliverables in accordance with the plan.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Brio’s contribution was substantial. They managed to execute what we expected, they produced good work, and they invested their time. Brio brought in a lot of market know-how and value to the project. On top of that, their structure is suited to a company like ours, one that [needed] a lot of attention. Working with Brio is like collaborating with a very small boutique business. At the same time, they exhibited professionalism and experience. The end product is now a working platform application used by millions of users all over the world.

How did Brio perform from a project management standpoint?

For us, project management has to do with hitting deadlines. Given the market demand, our goal was to deliver on time. I think they are an expert in terms of meeting timeline expectations. For me, they did well in this aspect. Brio knew how to facilitate brainstorming sessions and get conclusions.

What did you find most impressive about Brio?

I can only say that we needed a lot of dedication and Brio delivered. Each studio has its own capabilities. It's about choosing the right customer and engaging with them. In general, I would go for a small or medium-sized company rather than a big corporation.

Are there any areas Brio could improve?

If Brio could have more designers, it would be good. I don't know how many people are working for them right now. But if they want to scale up, they need to grow as well. I don't know if it's an improvement, but it's something they're offering. Other than that, I fully recommend them. I think that they are very positive. Especially their owner —her name is Noa— she is a person who cares.   

Also, Brio needs to have the right product manager when working with big corporations. Brio needs to give them enough attention and guide them toward the exact KPIs that the business needs to reach. Otherwise, it's going to be tough. It really depends on who the customer is, the type of company or individual that they work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the VP of product for StartApp, a mobile monetization network. We work with publishers and advertisers. We allow publishers to monetize their apps by connecting them with relevant advertisers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BRIO?

StartApp works with more than 250,000 publishers of apps. Most of our communication with those publishers and advertisers are done through our self-service web-based platform. BRIO helped us create a unique experience in both of the portals – one was for advertisers, and the other one was for publishers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For the publisher portal, BRIO provided us with UX [user experience] and UI [user interface] services and helped us create this experience. For the advertiser portal, they worked with us on the UX side only since we already had the great work they did in the UI for the publisher portal.

How did you come to work with BRIO?

I'm not sure who recommended BRIO to us. At first, we did many meetings with many companies in Israel in the field of UX/UI consulting. I admit that with BRIO, they've understood us the best. The previous work that they showed us was the most impressive. Also, the personal connection was definitely the best. In my opinion, that connection is important when working with a consultant.

How much have you invested with BRIO?

For the first project, we paid BRIO between $50,000 and $60,000. The second project cost us somewhere between $25,000 and $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We did 2 iterations with BRIO – one for the publisher and one for the advertiser. The advertiser iteration began around June 2015 and ended somewhere around February 2016. The publisher portal started in the middle of 2014 and ended near May 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We monitor the user experience using a tool called FullStory. Our users did not encounter any big issues while using the portal. We saw that users did what we expected them to do without getting lost. Our advertiser portal was nominated as one of the best self-service portals in the ad monetization area, which definitely puts it in a good position. Of course, it's our development and our features, but it wouldn't be there without the BRIO's work.

How did BRIO perform from a project management standpoint?

We had great communication with BRIO's team, and we managed the timelines together with them. We are strict about our timelines. They were good with aligning to those timelines, which are not the easiest ones. They sent us mockups in InVision, and we mainly used that tool to collaborate. Since they are located only a few kilometers away, we had many face-to-face meetings. We had weekly to biweekly meetings with them face-to-face.

What did you find most impressive about BRIO?

They are really into a project while they are doing it. It's not just finishing a job and moving on. They are constantly in communication with us to understand how our products work. Even when the work was done, BRIO still sent us some feedback, "Please change this. Please change that. We don't think that is the perfect way." Beyond finishing the initial or agreed upon work, you can see their commitment to the client and to the project.

Are there any areas BRIO could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a platform for performance optimization of online publishers. I'm the vice president of product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BRIO?

We have a UI that we've been using for years, and we wanted to build a new one in order to improve our service to our clients. We wanted the UI to look new and innovative and, at the same time, simple and efficient because of the nature of our clients. Our publishers use this UI for reporting and handling operations.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BRIO redesigned the UI completely. They changed the concept of how we wanted to display the data and the actions that it enabled our clients to do. BRIO studied our operation and the type of clients that we have. They also looked at the current problems and what needed to be addressed in the new UI. We worked together to establish certain concepts and built the interface based on that.

How did you come to work with BRIO?

I checked quite a few companies that provided the same services and had references. Initially, we discussed the scope of the project and looked at work that they already did. After a couple of meetings, it was obvious that we had a very good connection with BRIO. They showed a good understanding of the needs and the nature of the business. We felt that there was a very high chance of success in working with them.

How much have you invested with BRIO?

We have invested $10,000 to $50,000 in BRIO's services.

What is the status of this engagement?

In a way, we're still working together. We've reached a certain milestone. Internally, we reprioritized the project in light of other things we had to do. We're 80 percent there, but we're still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Currently, we need to have data from our customers, but we did quite many internal feedback rounds. The feedback was very good. BRIO was very open to questions and issues that came up along the way. If they went in one direction, and we felt that it's not quite there, they iterated until we were all on the same page and happy with the results.

How did BRIO perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was very good. The way we worked together was open, so there was a lot of formal and non-formal communication. We had several rounds of internal feedback for the project. Whenever I had questions or felt that we needed to sit down and talk, we scheduled a meeting via video conference. It was very open and communicative. From that perspective, it was very easy to work with them. There were no surprises along the way.

What did you find most impressive about BRIO?

As I mentioned at the beginning, I talked with quite a few companies that provide the same service. Rather than working out of a template, BRIO made an effort to understand the nature of our company and the business. Afterward, they addressed our needs from a design perspective. They did not base the design on a previous project, saying, "We're going to change a few things and provide a new UI for you." It felt like they made an effort to get a good sense of the type of people that stand behind both the company and our customers.

Are there any areas BRIO could improve?

I haven't thought about it. Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was a product manager at Kenshoo. The company provides technology for automating advertising campaigns.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BRIO?

We asked for BRIO's help when we built a new tool to manage social advertising.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BRIO provided design services. They handled the user interface concept and the UX [user experience]. Then, they produced design itself, colors, fonts, wireframes, PNG design – everything. In the beginning, there was much discussion about the concept, and they helped us with decision-making.

How did you come to work with BRIO?

It was by chance. We talked with a few designers, and we chose them. I liked the line, the way they do things, and their portfolio. Their work was very nice and very creative. You could trust them. I had a very good working relationship with one of the designers, who I was working very closely with.

How much have you invested with BRIO?

I think we spent $10,000 to $50,000. I don't remember the exact numbers.

What is the status of this engagement?

I think it was around 3 years ago [2013]. The project lasted for about a year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I think it was a successful design. Nothing is perfect, and we had our fallouts, but I can say that the user was very happy overall. We didn't have any issues with understanding the UI and using it was very streamlined. I was happy working with BRIO.

How did BRIO perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a good relationship, both in understanding the goals and managing the needs as well. If we needed something very urgent, they knew how to deliver it. We used a lot of sharing data. BRIO was one of the good self-contractors we worked with.

What did you find most impressive about BRIO?

I liked them because they cared about what they do. They were set on becoming a part of the team they worked with.

Are there any areas BRIO could improve?

Nothing comes to my mind. I'm sure there are things that they can improve, but nothing major comes to mind right now.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the head agronomist of a company that does plant monitoring in the field in order to support farmers. Our work helps with decision-making regarding agricultural practices like irrigation. What we do is connect technology to agriculture.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BRIO?

We were trying to make our application easier to use for farmers. That way, it would be easy for them to understand what the situation in the field is and what they should do in order to improve it. We needed to take that knowledge and to put it in an app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, BRIO characterized and defined our needs. Then, they looked for the best user interface for transferring our knowledge to growers. We did the work together, and we were involved in the entire process. BRIO brought UX [user experience] and UI knowledge, and it was easy to work with them on those aspects. The first thing that we did was to think about the UX part without the design. It was a good idea to create the right base for the design since the result was much better once we did that. BRIO prepared all the product designs for the developers, but they didn't do the development part. It wasn't like BRIO was out of the picture once we took it to the developers. They were part of the process, making sure everything was efficient and followed the design. The developers were from our side and just took everything as is. BRIO's output provided enough information for the development work.

How did you come to work with BRIO?

I think someone recommended them to us. They told us that BRIO would do a very good job, and we are very pleased that we chose them. We have experience working with other vendors, but it was more for design. Also, we examined other companies, but we chose BRIO.

How much have you invested with BRIO?

We have spent $50,000 to $200,000 on BRIO's services.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our project with BRIO began in September 2015. We've already launched our new app, and our clients are already using it. BRIO is still making improvements and adding new features, so we're still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The feedback is great, and our clients are very pleased with the new interface. The app is something that they have not seen before. It distinguishes us from our competitors in the agricultural industry. It looks great, very easy to use, and easy to understand. It really does the job.

How did BRIO perform from a project management standpoint?

From my experience, BRIO's timeline made it easy to manage the project. They worked according to that, and they delivered the materials on time. The estimate of the hours needed for the app was amazing when compared to other projects. They met the estimate and eventually gave the product on time.

What did you find most impressive about BRIO?

We found BRIO very easy to work with, and we enjoy working with them. They are friendly, and the connections that we have with them are very good. Not only did they provide the product, their process and working environment were excellent. What distinguishes them is that they understood what we wanted, our aim, our culture, and our environment. I think these are the things that really sets BRIO apart from its competitors.

Are there any areas BRIO could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the founder and CEO of an IT [information technology] company that was acquired by Teradata. Teradata does marketing applications and offers a marketing automation platform for companies. Essentially, we help companies with digital marketing. This includes email services, push notifications, and SMS [short message service]. If you have a website or a digital product, and you need to communicate with your users, you can use our platform. We will help you optimize all your channels, optimize your email, SMS, push, and so forth. I am now the managing director of Teradata's Mobile Center of Excellence.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BRIO?

When we approached BRIO, we were in our early days as a startup company. We wanted to build a better SaaS product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked together with BRIO to build the first version of our product. They helped us with the design part and the product part. They handled the SaaS end on the website and on mobile as well as the design of our SDK [software development kit]. When I came to them, I knew how the end product was going to look, but I wasn't sure. They helped me figure out and organize my thoughts on how the user experience in our platform should be.

BRIO also assisted with the actual design, not only how it should work but also how it should look. We spent many hours figuring out the layout, design, and experience of the user. Together, we determined what was important and what was not important in the first version of the product. In terms of deliverables, it was end to end. The input was my ideas plus a few screenshots of what we used to have. BRIO then produced very detailed wireframes that our developers turned into a SaaS product easily. We also had a few meetings with our developers at the end point once we optimized everything. BRIO helped us with the last mile.

How did you come to work with BRIO?

Before this company, I helped another company with their product. They hired BRIO, and the experience was great. When I needed a solution for my company, it was very clear to me that I needed to work with BRIO. It was a very good experience, and I'll do it again.

How much have you invested with BRIO?

We've probably spent $50,000 to $120,000 on our engagement with BRIO.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our first project with BRIO was somewhere in 2010. My project was in 2012 – maybe even 2013. That project ended somewhere in 2013, I'm not sure exactly when. At some point, I hired an in-house designer because of budget constraints. It was cheaper for me to hire someone. Also, the amount of work and the type of work that we needed was not the same. We needed a designer in-house for a variety of small things. It's not the type of work that I would give BRIO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

In the first few months, we got very good feedback for the new product compared with our old product. We used to have an older product with similar functionality, but it wasn't providing as good an experience. In the beginning, we got very good results, but it was hard to plug in numbers and KPIs [key performance indicators]. We didn't have an estimation of what KPI it was going to influence, so we didn't measure its effectiveness at all. We just had good input from our clients, and we felt that it was the right product for us. Before that product, we were a very small company. After we released this product and after a few versions, we saw a big growth in dollars. That was the most important thing for us. We saw that after the release, we had a good product market fit just because of the sheer numbers. We had a new surge. At the end of the project, we had a working SaaS application that we were happy with. Most of the work that we did back in 2012 still remains.

How did BRIO perform from a project management standpoint?

At some points, we had some issues with communicating with BRIO. The thing is, Israeli startups are very direct and sometimes even aggressive. We had the expectation that things would move at a different pace, and they didn't have enough resources to give us. I remember that we had a hard conversation at one point with BRIO. Afterward, they understood how to change things on their end so they could respond better to our needs. I remember that things improved after a 2-week period. As someone who also provides services, I think it's important to be able to listen to your customers and then make the necessary changes. When I was unhappy, BRIO was able to adjust according to my expectations. Although we had an issue, they were able to turn it around and eventually performed better. That was 3 or 4 years ago.

What did you find most impressive about BRIO?

What I remember is that the BRIO team tried hard to listen to you and what you have to say. They wanted to learn how you see things. Then, they also added from their experience of how the digital world works. I remember I had this vision of what I was trying to accomplish, and they brought in their digital benchmarks of how things should work. Together, we had a synergy. I knew what I was trying to make, and they came up with all the industry standards. The end product didn't lose my vision. It followed the vision that I had, but BRIO made it better because they know how things should work. I think that they did a very good job of listening to me and then bringing their experience on how things should be. It's not like they listened to me and then they built something by themselves. At many points along the way, BRIO made sure that they were on the right track. They didn't waste much time building things that I didn't think were necessary. We didn't waste much time, and the end result was very good. I was very happy with the end result.

Are there any areas BRIO could improve?

True to 3 years ago, I gave them my feedback in regards to Project Management. I am sure that they made the effort to change and improve. In the end, I have good things to say about them.