Crafton

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m an IT specialist at Apsys. We’re a global operator in commercial real estate, designing and building retail and leisure destinations like shopping malls.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Crafton?

We brought Crafton on board to plan, design, and develop a complex new website with an internal application.  

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to improve our web service’s usability and UX and redefine the image people have of our company. Metrics-wise, we wanted to increase visitors to the site and decrease their bounce rate.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found Crafton on Clutch. They’d worked on shopping mall websites before, and we liked their stated results, so we requested an offer from them. Their terms were fair, and the rest of their portfolio was impressive.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The website and dedicated web app were based on PHP and Laravel. Crafton began by producing and presenting several mockups. They designed the website and integrated several mall services via a CMS. The web app helps our clients manage their stores. All of their work was based on UX research.

What was the team composition?

We had direct contact with a business development manager, but the team also included a project manager, UX designers, web developers, and several front and backend developers. The size of the team was stable and fit the project's need.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Crafton delivered a wonderful web service that presents a positive image of the shopping center and impresses our customers. During the design stage, Crafton combined ideas from the industry with their own unique insights to create a highly user-friendly site.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We had daily contact with an account manager and project manager, and they kept us updated on everything during the development stage. The project manager served as our connection to the developers. All problems were solved smoothly, and we met weekly as a full team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their emphasis on UX and analytic approach were fascinating to observe. They were subject-matter experts and they demonstrated strong initiative. Compared to other companies, we rarely had to tell them what to do. They came with their own suggestions.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I don't think so. Working with them was a great experience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are the publisher of a local portal in the city of Poznań. epoznan.pl has over one million unique users each month.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Crafton?

We wanted to change the design of the home page and news view.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to increase our reader engagement by having improved UX and aesthetics.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We asked for offers from several companies.

Describe the project in detail.

After they did competitor analysis, Crafton prepared the UX project and graphic design. The final stage was the preparation of codes for all parties.

What was the team composition?

Crafton assigned five people who worked with five of our internal staff.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Given our fairly high traffic, it is difficult to show an impressive increase within 2–3 months. However, we are satisfied with the final output. The site has also received lots of positive feedback.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was excellent. We had regular emails, almost every day, at every stage of work. We also had called them at key moments of the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were impressed with the involvement of Crafton’s employees. They respected our suggestions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project and UX manager for a consulting and business information company in the department for assessing needs and growth. We provide a couple of services and websites including e-commerce, startup accelerators, financial solutions, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Crafton?

Each one of our services has its own homepage, and we also have our mother company’s page. We were trying to address design and development for our products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped with the design assets in the beginning, they created high-fidelity designs, and then they worked on coding. Crafton helped with developing most of our websites into a CMS in order to easily update content and assets. The idea behind our latest project was having a page that was always fresh and being updated. Our director was keen on creating a responsive and good-looking website.

We like to market our services through the homepage of our company; it displays testimonials, events that we’re participating in, and Twitter feedback from some of our users. When opening the page, visitors can see the services we provide and how powerful and valuable they are. They will also see short descriptions of our past projects as they scroll through the page which include the number of users each product has and the value it brought.

What is the team composition?

There were two developers, one project manager, and one designer assigned to our work, plus the CEO, who was available in the beginning whenever we needed support. He also attended some of our meetings toward the end, making sure that the communication was going well, and everything was aligned.

How did you come to work with Crafton?

I’d worked with them before on other projects. I reviewed some of their work and found it impressive, so I chose Crafton.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Crafton in December 2015. They’re still working with us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Crafton is extremely creative and they make great designs. They always come up with great ideas and listen to the client’s needs. They understand our stakeholders’ business goals, and they’re patient whenever we request a change. Even if the work was done, they redid it and made sure we liked it.

How did Crafton perform from a project management standpoint?

We work in agile through Jira. They review what needs to be fixed, they assign the tasks to their developers, and they deliver right away. We talk to them daily via Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re quick and creative.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Communication needed to be improved in the beginning, but it was resolved by the end. We had a couple of meetings with some of them, but, when the project manager came in, she needed to be briefed again, which slowed us down, but we picked up the pace again.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s important to have a clear scope before starting the work. Even if it changes, it’s good to go back and see what changed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Silowave is a manufacturer of grain silos and other products for the agricultural industry. I’m responsible for marketing and sales. I maintain contact with distributors and handle all the marketing related to our website and videos.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Crafton?

Our website had an outdated design and we couldn’t position ourselves in Google since it wasn’t built under Google standards. We were looking for a company that could design a new website for us and help us rank higher on Google and Yandex so that people could find us easily online.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started the work by identifying examples of what we wanted. Crafton showed us some of their recent work in similar industries and asked us for a preferred color palette and a set of functionalities. After this, their graphic designer showed us some potential designs.

Since we didn’t know which technology would be ideal, they suggested PHP and WordPress. Crafton also helped us with some plug-ins and with the UI, explaining their reasoning behind placing our contact info on the right corner, for example. In the end, they accomplished the vision we had for the website.

They’re currently doing some final testing, copywriting for different markets, and checking spelling mistakes, but the project is overall complete. They’re also optimizing the website for Yandex and Google.

What is the team composition?

They assigned two developers to the project.

How did you come to work with Crafton?

They developed a website for us about 10 years ago. For this project, we only wanted to make some changes to the website’s design but realized that it would be cheaper to create a new one.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work was around $120,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April and the project was finished in June. We’re going to publish the site in two weeks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve tested the site with users from different groups before launch, given that our clients have specific requirements. It’s turned out that the website is intuitive and easy to navigate, even for very young users. About 90% of them have managed to perform the actions we wanted them to do.

Crafton gave us access to an alpha version, which we tested for bugs. Whenever we identified something, they fixed it immediately. There haven’t been many issues overall, given that the website wasn’t very complex.

How did Crafton perform from a project management standpoint?

Their performance was positive. They sent us weekly reports detailing what had been done and what the final site was going to look like. They were also easy to reach and usually responded to emails within an hour.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The project was completed quite fast. They produced excellent designs with a user-oriented approach.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Crafton isn’t a well-known company in Russia and the Czech Republic, so they should maybe work on their visibility. They could attract more clients by adopting a more global approach.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the business development manager of a chemical production company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Crafton?

We needed someone to create a new website for us. We wanted to increase the number of customers we have in other parts of Europe and not just in Poland.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed something that would combine our company information and sales. We wanted to improve our website by having it in five different languages and needed UI/UX and web development. We had our logo, but they made additional improvements to it. They also improved the frontend of our website. They used JavaScript, Angular, PHP, and WordPress.

They developed a catalog of our products and a form for our customers to create orders. They implemented a model which allows us to have all the documentation in one place. They also created a history which features a timeline of our past events. Additionally, they made a contact section where users can quickly send us a message.

What is the team composition?

We had one full-stack developer and two that worked on the frontend and backend. We also had two web designers, two UX specialists, and one project manager.

How did you come to work with Crafton?

They were recommended to us by one of our partners.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in February 2014 and the work is ongoing. They currently provide us with maintenance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website views have increased to 2,000 per day, which is much more than we previously had. Also, we’ve received more orders through the form that was created by Crafton. Our customers let us know that the website is much easier to use, and this shows in the orders we receive. It’s easier for us to have everything in one place. I don’t recall any bugs or crashes.

How did Crafton perform from a project management standpoint?

We described our ideas to them during our meetings or calls via Skype. Then, they gave us a solution and brought our ideas to life. There were no issues with communication because they were available 24/7. We met in their office twice, but, remote communication was at the same level as if we were meeting face-to-face. We use Slack to communicate as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their UX department is impressive. We were focused on creating our website and making it more useful and flexible for our customers. Their UX department is one of the best I’ve ever worked with. They have a vast knowledge and a lot of experience, and I was really impressed with the solution that they proposed to us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was only one full-stack developer. The developer we had was great, but it would be helpful if they had more of them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t worry about sharing your ideas because Crafton is flexible and open to ideas.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of sales and responsible for many marketing activities for an insurance company. We focus on the providing insurance services to the largest corporations in Poland.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Crafton?

We wanted to know our clients and their needs better. We wanted to build a crowdsourcing platform where our clients could submit ideas on how we could serve them better. We needed a partner who could deliver the concept, the design, the development, and the support for our business idea.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a workshop with Crafton. They helped us shape the idea for the crowdsourcing platform. Then, they delivered UX wireframes for the main screens of the platform so we could see the product and make adjustments. Next, we tested the wireframes, and they proceeded to provide the desktop and mobile designs. Once we approved, they provided us front- and backend coding. The main feature allows users to submit an idea. Then, users can vote and comment on ideas submitted by other users.

Crafton came up with ideas for gamification for the platform, which was important for its success. We give users badges, points, and various advantages to encourage them to be more active on the platform.

They used their own CMS. The main technology was PHP. For the frontend, they use JavaScript, AngularJS, and HTML5. The backend was custom-designed. We integrated the platform with our internal system so we can see all the ideas submitted by the users. We were able to write to them and submit the ideas to the stakeholders responsible for selecting and implementing them.

When we have requests, they implement them. They also fix bugs that sometimes come up.

What is the team composition?

There were five developers. There was a project manager, one or two designers, and a team of UX specialists. We have direct access to the specialists.

How did you come to work with Crafton?

We had a long RFP process. We screened many companies and selected 3–5. We met with them, and Crafton was excited about the project. They wanted to deliver something outstanding. We were excited by their passion for the project, which was the main reason we wanted to work with them. They had the best portfolio as well.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent 500,000 Polish zloty ($132,755 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2014 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was extremely impressed with the number of ideas submitted by the active users on the platform. We have competitions on the platform and the engagement is high. We’re incredibly happy with the results. The team cares deeply about the design and the UX. Crafton delivers a great working software, and they pay attention to detail with a designer’s eye for the UX. It was great for us.

How did Crafton perform from a project management standpoint?

The project manager was great. They use Jira and telephone for the daily communication. We’re really happy with the project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They build a personal relationship with their clients, and you don’t feel like you’re just another client for them. It feels like they’re only working for you. They respond quickly, sometimes within a few minutes. The communication is absolutely great. They’re great designers and developers.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Select a company that doesn’t just deliver a working product but is easy and fun to work with. Crafton is that type of company.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of sales for a large rail operator, specializing in domestic and international long-distance transport.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Crafton?

We needed a complete redesign of our website and web service design for ticket booking and selling. We also needed integration done for all our backend services, and to make our web service more intuitive for our customers. We needed a full responsive web design so it would be perfectly displayed on mobile devices.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They prepared detailed plans beginning with graphic design and architecture of information. It's a MODX engine based on Open Source. We had to meet the web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) for people with cognitive limitation and disabilities. They prepared the web design and graphic designs to make our web services to be more intuitive for users. They had to integrate with our booking and selling service.

During that process, they were working with our other providers. They also worked on the website's SEO. They tested several mobile devices and browsers for the purpose of responsive web design to prepare architecture of information for mobile devices.

They also introduced a service that presented a frequency of reservations in our trains, using information from our booking service to present the frequency of all sold tickets. They separated the website to make it more logical for the customer viewing the booking of the tickets. It brought in it a simpler and more intuitive way for buying tickets and also going from the main website to the sales process in the end.

What is the team composition?

There were three frontend developers, one full stack developer, two UX designers, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Crafton?

They’re known in the market working for national companies. Based on a tender off, we picked their services because of their experience in UX design and graphical design.

How much have you invested with them?

$150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from July 2014 until 2015. In 2015, they helped us create the landing page for our marketing campaign and did some small projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They improved our SEO practices. The redesign was very useful for the information design and for the use of our ticket booking service. There are hundreds of thousands of customers who use the web service to book and buy tickets. Our marketing team interviewed some of them and the response and the feedback was very positive. It was a success. There aren’t any problems on the front- or backend.

How did Crafton perform from a project management standpoint?

They had very detailed plans about how the project was going to develop over time. Their cooperation was very open and flexible. We communicated through Slack, Asana, and other tools for showing and preparing graphic design. They were very communicative. They prepared the wireframes, showed them to us using web services before implementing them. We closely worked with them and things ran very smoothly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their UX team is very flexible and creative. They have an amazing team of UX and graphic designers. All the design stuff was done on their side. They listened to all guidelines, problems, and information from us. They adjusted to adapt the guidelines for people with disabilities. It was very impressive. It was a very quick and efficient process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They specialize in frontend and UX design. We had only one full stack developer cooperating. There could be more backend resources that would allow for quicker backend integration.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s good for any company to have a vision and end purpose of the cooperation. Along the way, they will help you achieve the vision using their creative skills. It will make the cooperation quicker and more effective.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing for our company, which provides citizens with legal advice and counseling.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Crafton?

We needed assistance with development work for a mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We requested end-to-end services from Crafton. They provided low-fidelity mockups and UI/UX design for all pages of the mobile app, along with front- and backend development. The app was developed for iOS and Android. There was a lot of API integration involved as well. The backend was quite challenging. There are integrations with external systems, including Google Maps.

The app provides legal advice. It has an online contact form. One of the app’s key features is a database of legal advisors in the region. Users can choose a criterion based on the type of problem they have, and the app will select a legal advisor close to the user’s geolocation and who best matches the requirements.

What is the team composition?

There were four full-stack developers involved in the project from their side. They had a designated project manager who was responsible for managing all the communication.

How did you come to work with Crafton?

They were recommended to us. We did a lot of research as well. Crafton had an impressive webpage. We wanted our app to be graphically rich, interactive, and functional to the highest level of user experience. There aren’t many companies in our region that can deliver this type of service to high standards. This was one of the main reasons for selecting Crafton. They were also competitively priced. We looked at vendors from Ukraine and other Eastern European countries, but the combination of Crafton’s skills, experience, portfolio, and communication was spot on.

How much have you invested with them?

The overall cost of the project was 200,000–250,000 Polish Zloty or about $53,278–$66,585 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Crafton in June 2017 and finished in January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been particularly happy with Crafton’s UX work. We had no capabilities in this respect so we’ve done a lot of problem-solving with their team. The design, user path, and customer satisfaction approach were left to them, and they did it very well. The overall quality of the product is very competitive.

We have tracked users engaging in the apps, and their numbers are steadily growing. We have around 2,000 active users. Considering that we have a narrow thematic scope and that we’ve just recently released the app, we are happy. We’ve reached out to users to find out what they think and the app was very well received. Its look-and-feel was commented on as neat, and the user path was described as simple and intuitive. The overall feedback has been positive.

How did Crafton perform from a project management standpoint?

We worked in an agile method and had access to their backlog and sprint breakdown. They delivered the project on time.

The project manager started her position shortly before the project kicked off. There were a few hiccups as she found her way, but we were made aware of that from the beginning and we were sympathetic toward that.

They were extremely responsive overall. I have vast experience dealing with external vendors, and it was a huge asset that Crafton really pushed for continuous and seamless communication. We used Slack as a communication channel, and we had access to their repository and Trello board. It was a transparent approach overall.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their UX expertise and capabilities are more impressive than anything else. The design aspect of the project proved to be the pillar of the product. It’s an underestimated element of product development, and Crafton really emphasized how much it matters. They walked us through various user paths, and the low-fidelity mockups helped us understand how important the navigation is. They have very strong talent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I know that they’re still growing, but the range of technology solutions that Crafton offers is still quite narrow. We were lucky in that the product we requested matched their technological capabilities. If they want to expand their reach, they really should think of adopting a broader range of technologies and more diverse projects. The project we worked on was unique for them as well, and they enjoyed it for this reason. I wish them all the best.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I advise future partners to really push for communication. Crafton is open to this, and they’re not overwhelmed by the quality or quantity of feedback. They will take that feedback, and this will help the product in the end. They’re even happy to work on more iterations than initially planned. I would take advantage of their communication openness.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager for an online photography platform that gives photographers who travel a platform to share their photos and build their own websites with our web builder. I build and manage the site’s themes and I'm also responsible for developing technical products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Crafton?

We came up with the idea to create an online platform for traveling photographers to display their work and engage with other photographers, but we needed someone to execute our vision. We needed a team that could create a website and prepare a technical structure with unique graphic design and which would provide a user-payment function.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Crafton provided all of the technical functionalities and design for our site. When we approached them about working with us, we had a design concept in mind, but Crafton presented their potential designs and we ended up using those. We also provided a list of the functionalities we wanted the site to provide—including a payment plan that allows subscription services and automatic payments, a way for users to sell their work, and a way for users to register accounts—and they implemented them for us.

They also provided us a logo and did all the graphic design for the site. We told them certain features we definitely needed but left the design up to them, and everything they gave us was professional and original. Before the site launch, we even had a dedicated team at Crafton that made sure our graphics functioned as we wanted. Since the launch, we’ve contacted them for any problems we were having with the site and they’ve always provided a prompt solution.

What is the team composition?

We had two project managers, both of whom were communicative. We would also engage with other members of their team, like the head of UX, for example, who could explain formatting decisions and why Crafton chose certain designs.

How did you come to work with Crafton?

We’re both located in Poland, and Crafton is one of the most popular and well-regarded companies in the region, so we were aware of their work before we began looking for a design group. After a colleague recommended them to me, I tried to arrange a call with someone from their team, but they suggested we visit the office instead. From there, we were able to discuss our ideas and how Crafton could help us. Overall, it was their location, a recommendation, and their reputation that led us to choose them.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the course of the project we spent about $1.2 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership started in September 2015 and is ongoing. Even though our site is launched and the platform is accessible to users, we still use them for technical assistance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The company have grown since we started working with Crafton: our team is about three times larger than when it started, and we’ve been able to create an internship program. Additionally, since launching the platform, we have over 100 paying users and over 3000 users non-paying users. We also get compliments from both users and media companies about our web design, which we know helps build users’ trust in the platform and ultimately prompts further growth.

How did Crafton perform from a project management standpoint?

We never had any trouble communicating with Crafton. Though the deadlines we established at the beginning of the project were standard—we didn’t need anything rushed—Crafton met each one, even if we’d had unplanned requests for them. They also set up a blog for us to use as a resource for site design and functioning, so we can make some changes and adjustments to the site ourselves.

We met with our project managers in person several times, but it was also easy to get in touch with them over Skype. For a period before we launched, we had daily Skype calls to address last-minute edits or additions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their customer service and work are outstanding. They always responded to our emails on the same day, usually within the hour, and they had a lot of creative ideas and strategies to share with us. Being able to rely on them for a quick response and professional designs made our partnership easy to manage.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to know what you need, even if you can’t express how you’d like a final design to look. They’re professionals who are capable of leading design projects, and all they need is a detailed concept to bring an idea into reality.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I am the Managing Partner of Vintage Consulting, a boutique consultancy firm that helps on infrastructure and projects in Poland, Romania, and Ukraine. We consult for big contracting companies. I wanted it to be visually appealing so that people who visit the website don’t close it in five seconds.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Crafton?

We wanted a website for our business and wanted to make sure it looked modern and done in a Western culture since most of my clients come from English speaking countries.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

They did everything from our logo to our business cards to our company letterhead to the website. They made sure everything was harmonized and looked modern and accessible. The website is pretty large for a small company. We do a lot of things like trainings and different services. They made sure each service had its dedicated sub-website, and that our references and pictures were shown properly and in an accessible manner. I think they used WordPress and they gave me a content management system that I can log into and I can update my blog there or add new references or services without involving them, which gives me the flexibility that I can build my website further without them charging me all the time for every additional, little thing.

How did you come to work with Crafton?

Crafton was recommended to me by a friend and I spoke to four companies when I was searching for someone to do my website. I didn’t base my selection on price, but on the feeling I got in the interview of understanding what it is I need. I didn’t want somebody that was going to try to persuade me to make the website how they want it to look. I felt Crafton was actually listening to me and allowing my input of what image I wanted to create for our company.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

Around 15,000 zł [$4,200].

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them June 2014 until February 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

When the website was launched, I got a lot of positive feedback even with new clients that I didn’t know. For example, I would be going to a meeting and the client that was on my website before the meeting would say that I had a very nice website.

How did Crafton perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive to feedback from us. They never replied later than 24 hours from the email that they received. Their reply would be the actual answer to a question. I think it’s a company policy they have. When it got into the details and I wanted to change what I submitted, they didn’t have any trouble with updating the content.

What distinguishes Crafton from other providers?

Crafton seems to understand the ideas that I have in my head. They were able to pull it out of me. I could tell them how I wanted the website to look and they came back to me with what I had in mind.