Creative Navy

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of client growth for a global digital transformation company. We specialize in the field of sports and live events, and we also are active in the fintech and healthcare sectors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Creative Navy?

We hired Creative Navy to redesign our website to showcase our capabilities better in the sectors we work for. We wanted them to have a look at the UX and the overall look and feel of our website to see what could be improved.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Creative Navy helped us with our website redesign, which required rethinking our buyer personas, content, and website structure. Initially, we had a discovery phase, which included ideation work. During the initial phase, we provided them with some documentation, especially on our expectations. We also provided them with case studies and information regarding the industries we're active in.

Throughout the discovery process, Creative Navy came up with a lot of interesting ideas for how to showcase our capabilities much better. Then, we moved into the actual redesign process, for which they used Figma. Ultimately, their team delivered wireframes and UI/UX designs.

What is the team composition?

We worked with four teammates from Creative Navy. All of them were involved in UI/UX design and had different roles within that field. Still, all of them were senior-level teammates.

How did you come to work with Creative Navy?

We were referred to them. After a vetting process, we engaged with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from around July–December 2023.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After the website redesign, the conversion rate improved drastically. Another stunning evidence of success was that people started to reference our website and our key studies, which demonstrated that they were engaged with our content. Ultimately, we saw more users accessing our website to find information on it, leading to them coming back with questions, filling in a form, or asking for a meeting. That was how we knew we had moved in the right direction.

How did Creative Navy perform from a project management standpoint?

Creative Navy's project management was great, very easy, and straightforward — it was very easy to work with them. Time management was also handled very nicely. I felt that I had access to the deliverables and timelines at all times, so I always knew where we were at any point — that's the transparency that any client wishes for. Although we communicated via email, we mostly had Zoom and Microsoft Teams meetings.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Dennis (UI/UX Designer for MedTech & Emmbed GUI) was very helpful and communicative.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I liked the fact that Creative Navy really understood the world we operate in. They didn't only understand our requirements, but they also did a good job transforming those requirements into the platform we were looking for.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything Creative Navy could have improved on. I was happy with the overall experience.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Don't just think about the graphic design. Go all the way and create a positioning for your company that actually means something.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Project Manager for Global Communications of GLS

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Logistics

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Creative Navy to accomplish?

• Improve the way our team works with internal systems

SOLUTION

How did you find Creative Navy?

Online Search

Why did you select Creative Navy over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from Creative Navy were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Our internal system connects all the operators who make sure a package gets from A to B and it includes a webapp and mobile applications that our staff use in the office in the field. We engaged with Creative Navy to review bottle necks and issues that our users face while they use the app.

The purpose was to improve productivity, but also to reduce errors and to make it easier for new users to start using the system. The engaged in user research, wireframing and UI design for all of these applications.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They identified dozens of issues in the user interface that trip up users and they developed solutions in the form of new UI designs. About half the issues were resolved completely, while for the others the effects were mitigated to a greater or lesser extent. Overall we have a much better onboarding and the working of the system is smoother than before.

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

Their dedicated project manager was always in touch with us to answer questions and give us updates and so on. The delivery was constant, there was no big reveal, we had designs to review every few days and the timeline was adhered to.

What was your primary form of communication with Creative Navy?

Virtual Meeting

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

The level of detail in understanding how something in the interface affects the workers who use it, because the thing with our system is it coordinates real people driving around all over Europe, it is not just bits and bytes.

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

I don’t know

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Stratus HR

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We help small and medium-sized businesses with Human Resources, workers comp, risk management, benefits administration, and payroll.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Creative Navy to accomplish?

• Complete overhaul of our HRIS UI/UX

SOLUTION

How did you find Creative Navy?

Online Search

Why did you select Creative Navy over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Creative Navy were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Initially, we wanted to revamp our Payroll functionality. We had a lot of internal feedback about it and knew that it needed to be reworked from scratch to fit customer needs. Creative Navy delivered the new UX and UI design for our Payroll module in 6 weeks. After that, we decided to rework our mobile app experience. This was a more complex task, as the app includes most workflows available to employees. When the mobile app design was completed, we decided to continue our collaboration with Creative Navy and gradually rework our entire user experience for all devices.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They hit every deadline and met all requirements put in front of them. CN stayed within budget and finished a few sprints early, so they used the extra time to give us suggestions as they went through the system. A measurable outcome for me is a true partner you can trust. They authentically want the best for us at Stratus HR.

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

CN delivered everything they promised on time and always kept us updated on their progress. They were quick to reply to our questions and offered ongoing support to our developer teams. We communicate on Teams and via Zoom calls. The team has always been available.

What was your primary form of communication with Creative Navy?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They came up with product ideas beyond the immediate design scope. They explain their thinking in detail and give us multiple options to solve an issue. Since we started working with them, we’ve gained a better understanding of design thinking and have an easier time identifying UX issues on our platform.

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

It helps if you come prepared with a list of requirements or decisions you’ve made internally. CN will go through a discovery process with you, but if you’re still disagreeing with your team about what your product should do, the whole process will take longer.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the product development director of a consumer trends analysis company. We provide analysis services to businesses and consumer-facing brands to help them build their strategies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Creative Navy?

We spend a lot of time innovating our platform, but we’re trends and insight experts, not UX experts. Because of that, we needed someone to provide us with UI/UX design and development services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Creative Navy is our primary UI/UX design partner. We initially worked with them on user research and wireframing, and now, they help us simplify varying visual and performance elements in our platform and predominantly utilize Figma in the process.

What is the team composition?

We work with two main contacts from a delivery, sales, and commercial point of view.

How did you come to work with Creative Navy?

I came across Creative Navy while searching for vendors online.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve invested over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in June 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Creative Navy, we’ve seen great traction with our engagement in the features their team helped develop. They’ve also supported us regarding our bigger problem areas using their expertise and logic.

Our partnership has been excellent, as it has been simple, straightforward, and concise.

How did Creative Navy perform from a project management standpoint?

Creative Navy works in sprints, and the flexibility that they’ve given us has been excellent. They organized their approach to project management according to our expectations, and have delivered beyond them. We communicate through Teams, and they would be quick, easy, and don’t require much time to invest in.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with their flexibility and willingness to adapt to our ideas and feedback.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve been a great partner to work with, so I can’t think of anything they need to improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise you not to be too prescriptive about what you’re looking for and avoid micromanaging their team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director and owner of triOpsis, a software company that does full-force management and scheduling for utility companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Creative Navy?

Our UX reached the point where we couldn’t scale appropriately across users. We had a user base with expert super users, but it didn’t scale beyond the initial supergroup. The challenge was improving our UX so our clients' adoption rate would be easier. When we deploy our software to a client, it’s easier for them to adopt it and scale across the organization. Therefore, our opportunity was to get our UX right to scale faster.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Creative Navy worked on UX/UI for this project. The deliverables were a lengthy collection of wireframes and a complete style guide for the application, including all the buttons, colors, graphic icons, and so on. When we started, the team had a clear structure in terms of the tools they’d use: Notion and Figma. It was a ten-week process; we did weekly sprints and had a deliverable at the end of each week.

What is the team composition?

Our principal points of contact were Dennis (Managing Partner) and Alexandra (Product Manager). Alexandra was in charge of UX and project management. She coordinated everything with the studio; we didn’t interact with anyone beyond her, which was incredibly efficient. If we required a director, we escalated to Dennis.

How did you come to work with Creative Navy?

We found them through general research on Google for UK-based agencies with good reviews. We talked to a few agencies at the end of 2021 and picked three to go through the selection process. In the end, we gave the contract to Creative Navy.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent £65,000 (approximately $81,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the work in March 2022; the initial project was ten weeks. We’re now planning further projects, so our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Unfortunately, we don’t have metrics yet. We now have to code all the wireframes they did. Once we get all that work done, we’ll see how it transfers to the app. However, the internal feedback was highly positive.

How did Creative Navy perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent; everything was structured from the start. We did everything remotely, so we used on-screen share, videos, and shared information via Notion and Zipline. 

We had a project plan for every week, and the communication was very clear. Alexandra ensured that we had two meetings set up every week. We caught up on Tuesdays and Thursdays and communicated daily on the Teams channel. Also, the feedback loops were fast. They’d give us a selection of wireframes on Tuesday, and we’d provide feedback by Thursday. Overall, we hit all the milestones and completed the project on time and within budget. It was a well-managed process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had excellent knowledge and examples of case studies of complex software applications and how to make them more transparent to the end user. When we went through the process, they had a strong portfolio within our domain — it was their main differentiator.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, the project succeeded overall, and the management was excellent. They did a great job, which is why we’ll continue working with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Firstly, be as straightforward as possible about your expectations and what you want from Creative Navy. Secondly, be very pragmatic about the level of uncertainty in the project. We’d never gone through a UX/UI project before, so it was a learning experience for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a manufacturing business that is in the global, high-performance materials space. I’m part of the abrasives business unit, which works under northern operatives in the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Creative Navy?

At the time of this project, we were migrating our entire digital estate from our legacy system to a more modern infrastructure. With that, we needed to update our content as well as the content production processes within our company, so we engaged Creative Navy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Creative Navy updated our content infrastructure, which spans our various websites. Their team was also in charge of designing the visuals to match our new content production process. The interface they created streamlined what data needed to be managed, who needed to manage it, and how it needed to be managed on a regional or global level. 

What is the team composition?

There were at least two people involved from their side. We also had a main contact person who directed the team and managed everything.

How did you come to work with Creative Navy?

Our procurement team was the one who sought potential partners. They arranged the scoring process as well as the selection committee. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $300,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership ran from May 2021–March 2022. They still offer support to this day, but everything is basically ready on our end.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the redesign of our UI/UX, we’ve seen better engagement across our websites. We have yet to do a complete evaluation on top of the qualitative testing that we did prior to launching, but we have noticed that people can now find what they need more easily. What Creative Navy delivered has allowed us to pursue a lot of opportunities that we could not pursue before. 

How did Creative Navy perform from a project management standpoint?

The way we collaborated was really good; it always felt like we were on the same page. Creative Navy was very transparent—always openly telling us what they were thinking without trying to impress us. That went a really long way. 

Overall, the team delivered on time and within budget. Everything went smoothly, and their designation of a single point of contact worked really well for us. They even adapted to our existing system and used Jira and Slack to manage the project. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Creative Navy’s transparency really stood out to us. They always explained everything openly and presented us with various options and alternatives. We liked that they tried to hear out our ideas as opposed to convincing us to use their design. In that respect, they’re definitely different from the other designers that we’ve worked with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would have helped if they had hired a French representative since most of our team is French-speaking. Other than that, I don’t see anything that could have been done better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It will be really helpful to establish a transparent and open working relationship with Creative Navy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the lead solution designer of corporate solutions at one of the biggest insurance providers. I’m the interface between our business and the IT department.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Creative Navy?

We needed to design a completely new web page and user journey. We needed a fresh view.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Creative Navy provided us with two services. Based on our input, they designed the UX for the flow of screens and basic concept of how the screens look. Once it was done, they also made the UI, establishing the color design, animations, etc.

Their team handled the whole frontend. They did some research and made some solution options from our problem description. Then, we discussed what we liked most, which was quite an iterative process. Creative Navy did their homework.

They had to design a floorplan including a risk assessment of a factory. A factory where we have production lines that interact with each other. We had to visualize the risk of the factories to the client and needed a forum to display that. That was one of the big challenges.

Other challenges were highly complex configuration screens. We have some insurance automation for the financial industry where we automatically approve or decline certain offers or applications. This logic is configurable. This isn’t that easy. We needed the screen to show this.

What is the team composition?

There are two people we're in main contact with. I’m sure there are others in the background as well.

How did you come to work with Creative Navy?

We shortlisted the 10 best-rated companies in Europe from Clutch because we didn’t want to have time zone issues. Then, we asked 6–7 for an offer. We had two rounds and Creative Navy came on top.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested £100,000 (approximately $137,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2020, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re not live yet but we finished the UI/UX design. Now, we have quite a bit of work to do to implement all the things they designed for us. Creative Navy delivered the design plus the whole technical framework of the design. Now, we can just take their designs and implement the business logic below it. We don’t have to reimplement the whole screens. It’s very helpful.

How did Creative Navy perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re extremely efficient. We use Zoom and Slack for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

About 99% of the time, we talk about topic content and what we really want to do — not organization or contract. I never have to bother with nonfunctional people processes on their side. It was simply working. Creative Navy does what I’d expect from an excellent company. They take work from my desk and don’t add or replace it with other work for me to do. They’ve been very professional and efficient.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be a little bit more creative. The screens are really good. We do something very complex, and there should also be some solutions outside the box.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Think about your business first. We were lucky because we had Christmas and New Years in the middle of the engagement. The challenge on our side was that they move so fast that we can hardly follow. When you make a UX design, you really ask detailed questions such as what kind of data really has to be there and what happens if you click on a particular button. If you don’t know, it gets hard for the UX team to design something good. Before you engage any UX company, think hard about what you want to achieve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the head of product for Beissbarth, which is a technology company. We design and build automotive measurement systems, such as wheel alignment and tire calibration equipment. Our primary customers are automotive shops. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Creative Navy?

My company has lot of different machines with different interfaces. We wanted to coherently bring these machines together using a contemporary and forward-looking UI.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Creative Navy helped us create the UX concept for our product range. They designed a new visual interface with the look and feel that is representative of our product range. The team designed interactions and animations.

They helped design a wheel alignment system that is currently under implementation. The team also provided prototypes, concepts, and designs for our car alignment system.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Dennis (CEO) and Alex (Project Manager), who is a great project manager. Their team included UI and UX designers. Motion designers helped design the interactions and animations for the interface.

How did you come to work with Creative Navy?

I think my colleague put out an RFP. Creative Navy made the shortlist, but they convinced us with their systematic methods. We felt their approach would apply well to our challenge, as our product range includes more than 10 types of equipment.

How much have you invested in them?

My company spent around €300,000 (approximately $359,200 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around August 2020, and we received some of the final deliverables in January 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, we have released a few of the new product interfaces to a test group of customers, and they are all over the moon with how easy the new system is to use. 

Customer feedback is that the system makes their lives easier, which is exactly what we wanted. Our equipment is used daily, so its usability is certainly a value-add and a market differentiator. One of our customers said that the new interface saved them in trading costs for new stock.

How did Creative Navy perform from a project management standpoint?

From a management perspective, it was frictionless and transparent. They stood on their own two feet, and we didn’t have to spoon-feed them anything. They were autonomous and involved us just enough to keep us updated. It was nice that I didn’t have to micromanage them.

We had meetings every few days, and our team had access to a repository of documentation and designs. We also had real-time connection through Microsoft Teams, and they used Notion. Alex did a great job as a project manager.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our equipment is very technical, and it’s used by automotive technicians. Creative Navy was able to understand how the measurement of our calibration system worked and then made that easy for someone looking at the system for the first time to understand. We were impressed by that. Their technical capabilities set them apart.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Separating the irrelevant from the relevant early on in such a project is important. Otherwise, it is bound to get overwhelming.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the founders and COO for a company that specializes in mental health research, software systems, and consulting. We develop and curate data sets and analyses pertaining to dementia. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Creative Navy?

We were in the process of rebuilding our data analysis platform, so we hired them to help with the redesign and UX to ensure that our new platform was high-impact.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started with several user interviews to better understand the needs of our audience. From there, we collaboratively developed user stories and personas through the user research process. Once that was validated on our end, they started developing and designing their information architecture and user flows. 

We verified that as well. Then, they created the system functionality, wireframes, and design solutions. 

What is the team composition?

There were five designers, one project manager, and one researcher. 

How did you come to work with Creative Navy?

We ran a competitive bidding process. They submitted a fantastic proposal, so we ended up hiring them for the work. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $100,000 on their work.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked from May–October 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Working with them has been fantastic, as they’ve provided deliverables to match our standards if not exceed them. Additionally, they’ve come to the table with exceptional design ideas that they’ve executed on time and according to our budget. It was refreshing to have their input and scientific approach to user research.  

How did Creative Navy perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through email, telephone, and video calls, which allow us to collaborate on designs or ideas. They were strong project managers, providing regular progress updates and a monthly report on their deliverables. We felt that they were very well-managed, using Jira and Slack for quick communication. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deliver truly exceptional design ideas. They’re good at what they do. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, it was a refreshing experience during which they delivered exactly what they promised. We enjoyed working with them.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s helpful to work closely with them and engage in the design process. That’s how we got so much out of their services.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a project manager at IDEXX Labs. We are the leading supplier of lab testing analysis software and diagnostics systems for veterinary practices in the US and Europe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Creative Navy?

They helped us to run user research and UX design for our vet clinic management software. Some of our users have been on the platform for a decade, so the challenge was in making our product more user friendly to someone new without damaging your existing user base.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the time that we worked with them, they handled two major things. Their first goal was to conduct thorough user research of both our existing and new customers. From there, they combined the findings into actionable items that would hopefully satisfy both groups.

Their team also provided UX design work based on their findings in order to implement the changes that we had determined would be beneficial to the program and its users as a whole.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with a team of two researchers, two UX designers, and one project manager.

How did you come to work with Creative Navy?

When we first looked for a partner to help us with the project, we spoke to multiple agencies and ended up selecting Creative Navy for their experience with enterprise software design, particularly in the medical sector.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent a total of $160,000 over the course of our work together.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from August–December 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were very pleased with the results of the project. We were initially expecting it to take 3–4 months to release the first UX changes because of how entangled all of our features are, but their team was able to turn around the first results in a little over 2 months.

Feedback from our users has been excellent as well. We prepared for a flood of incoming calls to our customer support center when the changes were rolled out, but it never came. Of the users who did get in touch with us, it was almost entirely to report being pleased with the changes that were implemented.

How did Creative Navy perform from a project management standpoint?

They handled all of the progress on their end, which was really helpful for us because I didn’t have the time to micromanage their team. I received weekly updates, which they coordinated really well, but for the most part, they handled everything from coordinating international calls with customers to the actual implementation almost completely independently.

We had some initial meetings in person, but throughout the project, we primarily used Slack and Zoom to keep in touch. We found that the mix of remote and face-to-face communication helped to maintain consistent updates and keep everyone on the same page.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our software is very complex, including multiple different user roles with very specialized needs, but they were able to come on board and understand what users wanted from the system in a very short time. They put together a strategy document for us that was not part of the scope but that they thought would help us move forward in the future, which we really appreciated. They do a great job of taking big picture business strategy and user behavior into account in all of their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think we could have benefited from more brainstorming sessions with our team. They certainly got a lot of insight from their user research, but I did wonder if thinking through things with our team wouldn’t have been helpful too.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Every project is unique, but the most important first step is to be absolutely clear about what you want from them so that you can set clear priorities and objectives for the rest of the project.