Cinnamon

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Mojave Interactive LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Mojave designs and builds websites and mobile apps.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Cinnamon to accomplish?

• Build a full-stack custom software platform for our client, a startup.

SOLUTION

How did you find Cinnamon?

Online Search

Why did you select Cinnamon over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Cinnamon were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Cinnamon provided mobile development (Flutter) and server-side development (Node/Express) to develop a brand new application for a US-based startup in the luxury travel industry.

Key deliverables:

• A Node/Express app built on Google Cloud Run and Google Cloud SQL.
• A Flutter app for iOS and Android, which has been approved and released in the App Store and the Play Store.
• CI/CD to automatically build to server-side environments when certain branches are merged in the GitHub repository.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Cinnamon helped us deliver on our client commitments within a reasonable timeline and budget. Their work is now live on the App Store and Play Store. Application server response times are excellent without using excessive resources. Our end client is thrilled, and we will continue to work with Cinnamon on this and other initiatives.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

We provided most of the project management on this initiative, but the project managers and leadership and Cinnamon were extremely responsive and pragmatic in addressing our needs as they arose. They even gave us some appropriate "tough love" when we needed it. We love working with this team.

What was your primary form of communication with Cinnamon?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Intercontinental business can be very impersonal. Dealing with Cinnamon always felt warm (but not too familiar), like the leadership and the day-to-day team always cared about the best outcome for everyone. The caliber of the engineering team was excellent. They must have a tough interview process!

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

Any feedback we have had has been minor, and the team has always addressed it right away.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Software development Digital Bank of BAWAG AG

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Banking and Financial services 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Cinnamon to accomplish?

• To build UX for customer onboarding journey's

SOLUTION

How did you find Cinnamon?

Online Search

Why did you select Cinnamon over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Cinnamon were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The scope of this project is to design the front-end (web application) screens for digital products and services. This includes elements of design, usability, branding, and responsiveness to ensure a seamless user experience across various devices.

Key Deliverables:

•  Onboarding Journey Screens for Current Accounts: Design intuitive and user-friendly screens for the onboarding process of new current  account users.Ensure a smooth and engaging user experience to facilitate easy registration and setup.
• Onboarding Journey Screens for Consumer Lending: Develop comprehensive screens for the consumer lending onboarding process.Focus on clarity, simplicity, and efficiency to guide users through loan application and approval steps.
• Service Hub Screens for Retail Customers: Create a set of interactive screens for the Service Hub, designed to serve retail customers.Prioritize usability and accessibility to provide a robust customer service experience.
• Pricing Calculator Designs: Design aesthetically pleasing and functional screens for pricing calculators.Ensure these tools are easy to use, providing accurate and clear pricing information to users.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Improved User Onboarding Experience: Achieved a 25% increase in completion rates and reduced the average completion time by 40%, from 15 to 9 minutes. 
• Design Innovations: Introduced new design elements and patterns, making the process more intuitive and user-friendly.
• Accurate and User-Friendly Pricing Calculators: Enhanced user engagement by 30% and reduced error rates by 50%.
• Development Efficiency: Simple design elements made the development process faster and more efficient.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes, Cinnamon delivered all items on time and swiftly responded to messages, effectively addressing our needs throughout the project.

What was your primary form of communication with Cinnamon?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

support by chapters in case of any analysis. 

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

Also have Java backend developers 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing at Sentinels, a financial services company. We offer anti-money laundering software to banks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Cinnamon?

We were going through a rebranding process, so we needed help with web design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cinnamon helped us design our website using Figma as their main tool. They started by doing research and analysis of our competitors and customers.

What was the team composition? 

We mainly worked with a project manager from Cinnamon’s team, but we also had contact with their design team.

How did you come to work with Cinnamon?

We put an RFP on Upwork, and someone from their leadership team responded to that. We hired Cinnamon because they had the best cost and quality ratio, and we also felt a click with them during our initial meetings. In addition, they could design in Figma, which was important for us because that was our web developer's tool.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $15,000 with them on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from October 2022–January 2023.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were very satisfied with Cinnamon’s work because they delivered everything according to our expectations.

How did Cinnamon perform from a project management standpoint?

Cinnamon delivered within deadlines and on budget, which isn’t common among website development agencies. In terms of communication, we used Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cinnamon was very flexible and was happy to fulfill our requests and changes — they felt like an extension of our team. Additionally, they were very structured, which enabled them to do a great estimate of the timeline before starting with the project. Moreover, they were able to seamlessly replace their teammate who was initially working with us and got sick in the middle of the process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At the beginning of the engagement Cinnamon’s team said they could help us implement their designs, but when we reached that phase, they said they didn’t have resources available for those tasks.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Agree on the project’s milestones and timeframes.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an executive at SuperScript, a web application that helps organizations to assemble optimal project teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cinnamon?

We hired Cinnamon to design the UX/UI for the web application of SuperScript.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

N/A

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Their team went through a structured process to ensure that the user flow is comprehensive and complete and that all MVP features are covered.

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

We have worked with a team of 2-4 UX/UI designers and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are extremely pleased with both the process and the outcome. Cinnamon did an outstanding job of making sure they understood the requirements and the "mechanics" of the web application. It was a pleasure to work with them along the process.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project manager and the full team frequently communicated via Slack. The project was well organized, and at no time we were left in the dark about what was going on. The process was structured, and communication was very transparent. We held weekly meetings to discuss progress and plan the work for the upcoming week.

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

We were very impressed by the structured process, on the one hand, and their creativity, their willingness and their ability to challenge us (and make us change certain assumptions or think about what we have missed) on the other hand. Their UX/UI skills are outstanding. We are extremely pleased with the end product.

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

No areas for improvement. We are extremely pleased with the interaction with Cinnamon.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I have two roles: I’m the director of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Bern’s hospital. Secondly, I’m the founder of a startup under the university’s umbrella.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cinnamon?

We were trying to develop an application to organize specialty knowledge for doctors. We wanted to create a personal library of documents for professional careers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve collected different kinds of PDFs, websites, videos, and more to build a web application. Cinnamon has helped us design the software from scratch; they’ve been involved in the UI development.

Initially, we had Figma design templates and the flow for the UI. We also shared the requirements we had to build in. Cinnamon reviewed it and approved it. From that core design, the next step of the application was the PDF viewer and quiz modules.

The web application is based on Angular and Material Design; it’s a software environment where users can save their documents, have personal selections, and put together PDF publications. In summary, users can organize their information together and keep it fragmented into different types of documents. Our software brings it together in the same context, reducing and concentrating information to eliminate all the noise.

What is the team composition?

We work with three teammates, including Nedim (Project Manager). He plans every step and assigns responsibilities to the designer.  

How did you come to work with Cinnamon?

We looked around Upwork for designers. We had two developers; we thought employing a designer was too much, so we tried to get it externally. We tried 4–5 designers on Upwork, but we weren’t happy until we met Cinnamon. They had great reviews, so we contacted them. They were professional from the beginning, so we decided to engage with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent €80,000 (approximately $84,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2021, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We aren’t public yet, but we’ve tested the design, and everyone has said it looks nice, modern, and clean. Since we’re design-oriented, it’s positive feedback. Overall, we’re happy with their work.

How did Cinnamon perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re always on time, and their availability is excellent. We meet twice a week to discuss what they’re doing, and our iterations back and forth are very fruitful. We also communicate regularly by email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provide the whole package: the team has good planning, is available, gives feedback, and fulfills our needs. Moreover, their design skills are outstanding.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We’d recommend assigning one teammate to communicate back and forth with Cinnamon. Once they’re involved, they don’t miss anything in terms of time, but they need somebody in charge to speak to the team. Additionally, it’d be nice to have somebody to make the decisions so you can move quickly. In-between discussions, Cinnamon came to us and told us they wouldn’t move forward until someone decided, and we found that very useful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of a company called Smart Build, a construction software startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cinnamon?

I was looking for someone to develop my vision and idea for a mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cinnamon built and developed a fully-functioning app and was able to launch it in the Apple App Store.

We started the project with a scoping of the project where I described my idea and concept. They then introduced one of their team members who had a background in construction and architecture, so they took my concept and essentially created a real program that implemented all my ideas and requirements.

Furthermore, they provided us with logo redesign, research, consultancy on the best practices, and maintenance and support.

How did you come to work with Cinnamon?

We came across Cinnamon through a referral.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested over $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–December 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had to hold their hands throughout the development process and help them understand our expectations and what we really wanted. Despite all that, they were still able to deliver a working app and meet all our expectations.

We had to workshop a lot of ideas for the product and they were proactive in recommending ideas, so the partnership was more of a collaboration.

How did Cinnamon perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed well from a project management perspective, as they communicated consistently, adhered to our schedules, and kept us updated throughout the progress of the project.

We typically interacted through email and video calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

While I can’t compare them to other providers, we were still impressed with the cost-effective solutions they provided us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be great if they can simplify technical terms and describe the project in a way that non-technical clients can understand.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I advise you not to be rigid and be more flexible and open when it comes to ideas.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of pinetree.marketing, a digital marketing agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cinnamon?

We needed their team’s web design expertise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve engaged Cinnamon to support our web design efforts since we’re mainly involved in digital marketing. Their team creates landing pages and designs different websites for our clients, depending on their industry and needs.

Our usual collaborative process starts with brainstorming and scoping — we present our client’s specific requirements to Cinnamon’s team, and they’ll proceed with conducting thorough research on the client’s industry before they kickstart the design process.

What is the team composition?

We work with a team of 2–5 resources, depending on the project.

How did you come to work with Cinnamon?

I found them online while searching for potential design agencies to onboard for this project. I liked their organized approach and reasonable price points, so I chose them among their competitors.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with Cinnamon commenced in March 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our clients are happy with the increased engagement and positive feedback they're getting for Cinnamon’s design work — their affirmations are clear indicators of the team’s expertise and understanding of our clients’ businesses.

How did Cinnamon perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via email and Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re most impressed with their commitment to meeting our clients’ industry-specific standards.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything off the top of my head.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be detailed in outlining your goals and requirements — it shortens the process and helps their team to focus on delivering tailored services for your business.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of product at a fintech platform and service startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cinnamon?

We’re a startup, and we started with a great idea and product-market fit. We only had limited users when we started, but as we scaled, we realized that we needed our platform to be significantly better to allow self-onboarding. 

Our app enables online sellers to create a visual plan for their supply chain. Nowadays, that has soared into relevance because of everything going on with global supply chains. We wanted to give our users an intuitive custom tool that mapped, managed, and maintained their supply chains. 

We had been providing a lot of manual and hands-on support on our user’s onboarding process. It became challenging for us to see the app as something that could live without being handheld by our team. As such, we needed help with our app’s UI/UX.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cinnamon helps us step up our UI/UX. They are working with us to reimagine our product for a wider audience and make it a self-service solution. They define the different components of our web-based product, understand the different use cases, and design various screens and interactions. They use Figma in creating their designs. 

Cinnamon is constantly reining us towards best practices to ensure our updates don’t create more work for our team. They’ve helped us to gradually release our team from providing hands-on support.

We were still developing our brand when they started, so Cinnamon used general guidelines and neutral coloring. However, once our branding partner stepped into the picture, Cinnamon had to update their work. They were great at providing input to the other agency about the site’s UX. 

What is the team composition?

I work with an account manager, a senior designer, and a junior designer. 

How did you come to work with Cinnamon?

Cinnamon was recommended to me. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’re spending around $7,500–$9,000 a month.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2021, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Cinnamon, we’ve made the shift from manual to self-service onboarding. As a result, our onboarding completion rate has improved. 

How did Cinnamon perform from a project management standpoint?

Cinnamon is excellent at project management. We’ve never experienced issues about timelines and budgets. They are easy to work with.

We video conference with Cinnamon’s team twice a week, and we regularly communicate through email. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cinnamon’s UX expertise is impressive. I know they also provide aesthetic and other design solutions, but they are focused on the user journey and interactions. 

When you’re an early-stage startup trying to prove product-market fit, you have to ensure your features shine over other details. It’s of the utmost importance that your core capabilities are there and running smoothly. Users need to know how to get to them, and they need to understand the logical flow of your app. Cinnamon has been helpful in this regard.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Dedicate time to the project, and make sure they understand your team’s knowledge of your users as quickly as possible — that’s going to enhance their work. They can work off of how much you share and provide to their team. 

Once I’ve equipped them with the necessary information, we’ve seen improvements on their deliverables, and they started to actively participate and suggest things. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an AI software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cinnamon?

We needed help with frontend development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cinnamon mainly focused on frontend development and the utilization of frontend software tools. They built the dashboards that enable us to deliver data to our clients.

What is the team composition?

We initially talked to their CEO. There were a couple of project managers and developers we were in touch with throughout the entire project.

How did you come to work with Cinnamon?

They were one of the first agencies that contacted us, and they gave a good impression when they went to see us.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about €400,000 EUR (approximately $480,250 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017-January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re very happy about the outcome and process of the large software project.

How did Cinnamon perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Trello. We had a joint board where we added bugs and issues where they took care of them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The results were very good.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The scheduling of the project was lacking a bit, but I think it was common with software projects. It was hard to define the schedule accurately before the project itself.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It was extremely important to define every single piece of expectation before starting — everything went smoothly thereafter. The whole project design and specification were extremely important.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a platform to help online coaches deliver their programs and content.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cinnamon?

We needed help with UI/UX design for our platform since we’re building it from the ground up.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Before we started, I wrote a wireframe for the application. They took that and turned it into a full-blown design that our programmers can work off of.

What is the team composition?

We worked with one designer and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Cinnamon?

I found them on Upwork. They had impressive testimonials, a good portfolio, and great style. Working with them was a no-brainer.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $17,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2021, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can’t give them enough credit. I’m super happy with their work. They delivered upon expectations. They took ownership of the project. They don’t feel like a contractor; it feels like they’re part of my team.

How did Cinnamon perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great. In a way, they’re better than my own team. We use Workplace for communication. We share links and designs through Figma and Trello.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It doesn’t feel like I’m just another project. It feels like they’re 100% committed to the results. Our designer listens to my ideas, and by the next week, it’s there. It’s always spot on.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you like their portfolio and style, there’s no one better than Cinnamon for the job. Give them a small project to see how they operate; you won’t be disappointed.