Crema

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of product management at Lineal. We provide eDiscovery and legal technology solutions using our proprietary Amplify platform to help law firms and corporations efficiently manage and review large volumes of electronic data.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Crema to accomplish for your legal technology project?

We hired Crema for new product design and prototyping.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Crema has designed a new AI-driven system for legal services and review. The team has been responsible for UI/UX design.

What is the team composition?

We work with 2–5 teammates from Crema.

How did you come to work with Crema?

Someone referred Crema to us. We chose them because they were close to our geographic location, their pricing fit our budget, and their company values aligned with ours.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Crema in January 2023, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Crema has made progress through design iterations of the major functionality of the new product. We’ve seen positive user and stakeholder feedback and a quick turnaround time for implementing changes in the prototype based on that feedback. We’ve completed two feedback cycles, and the average turnaround time is two days for each cycle.

How did Crema perform from a project management standpoint?

Crema delivers on time and is highly communicative. We communicate via virtual meetings, emails, and messaging apps.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with Crema’s ability to take abstract ideas and suggestions and turn them into reality.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Crema could keep a fully functional prototype running as each feature is reviewed so that there’s always an end-to-end prototype available with the features that have been signed off on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the COO of Diode Ventures

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Hyperscale data center site development

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Build the GUI for an AI site identification tool
• Provide project management and strategy guidance for the tool

SOLUTION

How did you find Crema?

Existing Relationship

Why did you select Crema over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Crema were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

The tool is a custom-built GIS platform designed to be a best-in-class data center siting system. Crema performed product management, product design, technical planning, facilitation, and leadership. At a granular level, this included product vision workshops, technical planning, journey mapping, landscape analysis, design UI concepting, user interviews/testing, and roadmap planning.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

At the end of our engagement, we had a working platform that achieved our goals. Crema consistently showed us prototypes and received our feedback throughout the process to efficiently guide development.

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

Crema was always on time and very communicative about any roadblocks that would impact our target schedule. They responded 100% of the time to our questions, often with the hour. They learned our goals so well that by the second half of the engagement, they were making suggestions to us about features and using our vocab in a way that made them an extension of our team.

What was your primary form of communication with Crema?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Skill level of the team, enthusiasm, organization, communication, commitment, flexibility, quality of work, ability to surprise and delight, team mindset.

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

No, we were extremely pleased with their work product and style.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive at VU Scholarships

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

VU is a groundbreaking platform that revolutionizes the scholarship application process. VU empowers high school students to dream beyond their perceived limitations. The sign-up process is streamlined and effortless, ensuring that both students and high schools can participate seamlessly.

Through a unique approach, VU collaborates with partner universities, enabling students to receive instant scholarship offers. These scholarships not only recognize academic achievements but also pave the way for a future that might have seemed unattainable. The heartfelt testimonials from students and educators underscore the impact of VU, making it a beacon of hope for aspiring scholars.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Creating a react native experience for our existing web application.

SOLUTION

How did you find Crema?

Existing relationship

Why did you select Crema over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned
• The team we got to work with

How many teammates from Crema were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

A grant from Digita Sandbox KC funded this project. As a result, there were several hoops that our team and Crema had to jump through to get this engagement approved. Crema's flexibility and expertise helped us to create a project plan that met our needs and the requirements Digital Sandbox KC required of us.

The scope of this project was to create an MVP mobile experience for our existing web application. It needed to be connected to our existing GraphQL backend and update our existing UX/UI without losing the spirit and brand identity we had already created.

Because we knew the grant money would not cover the development of a fully completed mobile application, we relied on Crema's guidance on what technical features needed to be implemented during the engagement due to their high level of complexity and which features we could scaffold creating a road map our team could fast follow on after the engagement was completed. Crema developed a React Native application that provided us with the following requirements:

• Authentication flow that used our existing backend framework
• Navigation flows for each of the three main flows or the application:

1. new user onboarding
2. scholarship discovery and management
3. student profile management

• Mockups of future UX/UI for features we would complete after the completion of the engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With our limited budget, the goal was to get an MVP that would help us springboard off of in the future. Instead, with the help of Crema's exceptional development and project management team, we walked away from this with a working mobile app in iOS / Android and a development project that has been straightforward to enhance and build on top of our own.

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

The project management team was amazing! No question about that. They helped us understand and take ownership of all the decisions we had to make while developing our application. Because our project was atypical, Crema helped us plan sprints that would tackle the majority of features we needed week to week and devise contingency plans for how to navigate working on the application on our own after the engagement was over.

Put a different way, Crema helped us meet the needs of today, while keeping an eye on the needs of tomorrow, helping us achieve our short-term goals without sacrificing the flexibility to meet the needs of the future.

What was your primary form of communication with Crema?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Crema has a unique culture of transparency and honesty. It permeates into every one of their engagements. Ours was no different. I believe that because they are constantly working in this environment, they are not afraid of having hard conversations and working through any hurdles that arise.

When there are hard conversations that need to be had, they stay relational through the whole process, making sure the tough decisions are timely and that stakeholders fully understand how the path forward has been impacted and what is being done to mitigate any adverse effects.

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

Not really. This project was super short and to the point. We got soooo much bang for our buck.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director Audience Development of ArtsKC Regional Arts Council

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

ArtsKC is the only arts service organization that has a dedicated strategic focus to promote, support and advocate for the arts in the Kansas City metropolitan region.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Help us navigate the what technology we would need to launch a regional access ticketing program.
• Create a technical blueprint for a user experience.
• Guide us on how to improve existing technology for the pilot,while also considering what we may need to build from scratch for the full rollout.

SOLUTION

How did you find Crema?

Referral

Why did you select Crema over others?

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

How many teammates from Crema were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We engaged with Crema for their expertise and leadership in developing a UX and backend process for a regional arts and culture access ticketing program. They meet with us on a weekly basis and provide key insights into all of our questions while also helping us navigate difficult conversations with other vendors. 

Tucker and Tyler have an intimate knowledge of our program, and have consistently been the voice of clarity in the room. They are always prepared to share keen insights and quick to diagnose and provide options when hurdles arise. We trust them implicitly, and would not be where we are in our project without their expertise. On top of it all, they are incredibly generous humans and we always come away from our interactions feeling heard, supported, and more knowledgeable.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are still in process during the pilot program.

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

Yes, always!

What was your primary form of communication with Crema?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I was impressed with their ability to quickly focus and understand our challenges and needs.

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

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Mentor Mentee.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Mentor Mentee is a SaaS company providing a technical mentoring platform to enhance the skills and retention of new automotive technicians in dealerships, collision centers, and heavy-duty diesel companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

New product design and prototyping

SOLUTION

How did you find Crema?

Referral
Why did you select Crema over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Crema were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Scope of Work: 

1. Milestone 1: Conduct an alignment workshop. Outcomes will include: 
   1. Understand & document the problem statement for Mentor Mentee & their customers.
   2. Understand the business's hypothesis on what elements are included in career pathways. 
   3. Align on the goals for the prototype & focus on key flows needed to be designed and tested. 
2. Milestone 2: Initial research and design strategy 
   1. Develop & document user personas.
   2. Create a user journey map/story spine.
   3. Design exploration of comps, existing landscape, and land on a look and feel. 
   4. Deliver several career pathways mockups. 
3. Milestone 3: Prototyping career pathways
   1. Deliver the first clickable prototype to the client for feedback. 
   2. Figma file with components and styles defined. Milestone 4: Final prototype & product roadmap 
   3. Deliver the final clickable prototype to the team, including the Figma file with components and styles finalized. 
   4. Product roadmap and prioritized feature list (for your product team to consider)
   5. Final Quality Assurance was conducted to minimize bugs or errors in the delivered prototype.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team used an agile approach to the design of the prototype. By leveraging several online tools, they could seek and implement our feedback to implement changes in the prototype quickly.

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

Crema's team was highly organized and communicative throughout the project. They exceeded our expectations and delivered a final product ahead of schedule.

What was your primary form of communication with Crema?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I was very impressed by Crema's team and the research they conducted about our company and industry before our first meeting. They came very prepared and ready to get started, which reduced the learning curve and timeline.

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

Nope! They've done an excellent job.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Sr VP, National Director of Preconstruction and Estimating of JE Dunn Construction

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

General Contractor

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• New and engaging UX/UI for proprietary internal and client facing tool.

SOLUTION

How did you find Crema?

Referral

Why did you select Crema over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Crema were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Engagement included research and understanding of our current application, design milestones for simplification and update of User Interface along with intuitive step by step User Experience, co-development with our in-house developers for rapid build and testing of new application.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

End user testing of the new application that immediately increased useability, engagement, and will drive adoption proves the success of this team.

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

Project management staff kept all staff on schedule and highly engaged. Biweekly sprints with full team check-ins (virtual) always started with a Team Health assessment. This drove both a positive interaction between all team members along with open, honest, and transparent communication. No challenges or miscommunication led to a very smooth process; almost all due to a professional and well facilitated lead from Crema PM.

What was your primary form of communication with Crema?

Email or Messaging App

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

We were delighted with Crema's approach to open communication. Also, their presentation of challenges always with associated solutions and incredibly quick responses. Their well-organized approach and project management made the entire engagement an extremely easy and enjoyable process.

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

No areas of improvement needed; challenge will be to continue to replicate this high level of service and standard set.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CIO of CarePortal, a connecting technology that drives actions for local kids and families.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Crema?

We realized that 90% of our website visitors were first-time visitors, and 78% didn’t return. Given that, we had an opportunity to improve our UX to mainstream levels. Our team needed to find ways to do it and understand the roadblocks we might face. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a five-week engagement with Crema, and it was solely a UX audit project. We spent the first couple of weeks with them trying to learn about our team and what we were trying to accomplish. They did a ton of research on their end about us and other things in the marketplace relating to us. As we kept rolling, the engagement culminated in a document that laid out their findings and recommendations for how we could move forward with a mainstream-level platform.  

To elaborate, the final deliverable was a 78-page document that gave logic and reasoning for our UX design. We did an internal review process where we brought in five teams to review the document. Our team prioritized Crema’s suggestions and built a two-year roadmap based on them. 

For pain points, one of the main shortcomings Crema discovered was that our voice was confused. Sometimes, we talked like a technology platform; sometimes we talked like a ministry. Our audience was vast, and we tended to overfocus on one audience type versus another. As a result, we had to clean all that up to get a crystal-clear message across. From there, we had to create an experience for the users coming to the platform for the first time. Crema also evaluated our onboarding process and how clunky it was. Besides that, they assessed our in-line training or lack thereof, our CTAs, and many other things.

Some of the strategies they recommended included streamlining our website so that it spoke to an audience in a simple and technology-focused manner. We also needed to roll out clarifications within the system so that users wouldn’t struggle with what they could and couldn’t do with our platform. There were 78 pages of suggestions, and all of them pointed toward making the platform user-centric as opposed to organization-centric. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with 3–4 teammates from Crema, including a project manager, a designer, and a developer. Another person handled the strategic oversight. 

How did you come to work with Crema?

Crema was referred to us by a common friend who had used them and spoke highly of their work and how they did their job. That reference was super important to us, and I trusted our friend. I then had a discussion with their senior management. Rather than trying to sell me something out of the box, they focused on listening to us and helping us understand what we truly needed. From there, we came up with a unique engagement setup with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from February–March 2022. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The roadmap wasn’t our endgame, but it was necessary for us to get there. It was one of the biggest things Crema accomplished. We implemented several of the things we set out to do. For instance, we’d released a brand new website recently, and it was heavily influenced by the learnings and insights we got from Crema. 

Besides that, our team released an interactive map, which was an update from what we had previously. It was made using direct feedback from Crema.

How did Crema perform from a project management standpoint?

They met our deadlines and stayed within our budget. We used a combination of Slack, Zoom, and in-person meetings to communicate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Crema was willing to listen to our needs and didn’t force us down a path that wasn’t for us. Moreover, the team had humility in the process. When we gave them some pushback and told them we needed to pivot, they listened and did it. Overall, they went above and beyond to earnestly produce something that made a difference for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were a few points when I felt that we weren’t moving as fast as I thought we needed to move. There was a lack of progress in some moments, which was a little frustrating. However, they adjusted this when I gave them my feedback. Everything was smoothed out. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust that Crema has experts who truly care, and clarify your expectations as much as possible. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief product officer of a revenue growth consulting company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Crema?

We needed help with improving our business processes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Crema developed a database using HubSpot. First, they helped us look at the data we’ve collected over two decades and find a way to standardize it and turn it into a product for our clients. Basically, we wanted a way for us to track, monitor, and support our client’s revenue growth strategies in perpetuity.

During the discovery phase, we honed in on what we should build. From that, Crema built a couple of prototype projects and got them out to the market for feedback. All of this led to the actual development of the database and UI for our MVP. Additionally, the team helped us migrate content from several disparate sources into a single source of truth, which they built on HubSpot. Finally, they set up the architecture and framework to allow HubSpot to authenticate users and serve content in a very personalized way.

Crema is still working with us to finalize the product. They also conduct various proprietary engineering projects specific to our needs as a business.

What is the team composition?

The core team consists of five teammates: two engineers, a QA specialist, a designer, and a product manager. Overall, we’ve worked with 10 people, especially during the kickoff phase.

How did you come to work with Crema?

We sent out an RFP, and after looking at our options, we chose Crema. Their proposal made it very clear that we had similar values and working styles. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in October 2020 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Crema’s help has allowed us to have one of the most successful MVP launches we’ve ever had. They deliver on time and meet all of our standards for success.

How did Crema perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is fantastic. Crema is an excellent team — they’re very organized and knowledgeable on agile best practices. To communicate, we used Jira, Confluence, and Slack. They’re very good at communicating with stakeholders.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Crema understands the business problem we’re trying to solve, not just the technical problem. They’ve proven to be an incredible partner with a team that’s very nimble and agile. Additionally, the team is very transparent and admits when something is out of their realm of expertise. Their thought leadership is also impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At some point, we’ve had some staffing changes. Fortunately, it didn’t derail the project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Refresh yourself on the agile software development processes. One of the reasons for our success is that I’ve worked with the agile framework before, so it’s easy for us to work together.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Bloomscape is an e-commerce store. We deliver plants to people, and we’re expanding into care products for plants. I’m the senior product manager in charge of our app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Crema?

Our big focus in 2020 was to figure out how we could help customers after they’ve purchased our plants. Our CEO made a push to acquire an app for this purpose, and we settled upon Crema’s Vera app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Crema worked to transition their app over to us. The app is available on iOS and Android.

What is the team composition?

We talked with their CEO, and their head of engineering helped us with the more technical aspects. We also worked with one of their designers. She helped us define features to improve the app’s customer support. They also gave us two developers and a product manager.

How did you come to work with Crema?

Our CTO and CEO scoped out the project and researched available apps, both domestically and internationally. Crema’s offer fit what we were looking for.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Crema in August 2020, and the app rolled out that December.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We really liked working with Crema. It isn’t easy to find developers that really care about what they’re putting out in the world.

Vera had a really loyal customer base, and we wanted to make sure that the app would have a smooth transition over to Bloomscape. It was beneficial to collaborate with the core team that built the app and was very passionate about it.

The user feedback has been really positive.

How did Crema perform from a project management standpoint?

Everyone was supportive, and it felt like Crema was part of our in-house team. They communicated really well. Although it was a short-term project, they didn’t treat it like one, and they answered all our questions. We had an aggressive timeline to get the app to where we wanted it, and everyone worked hard to deliver on time.

We used Slack for daily communication and Jira for project management and task prioritization. We focused on both new tasks and addressing the needs of the existing customer base.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s hard to choose just one thing. If I were to describe them in one word, it would be “collaborative.” Crema took care of everything we needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Crema built the initial app in their venture labs. It was available in several languages and over 100 countries. There was a big list of things to do for the transition when we decided to use it. If they plan to offer other apps in this way in the future, they should focus on streamlining this process.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I’d tell them to go ahead and sign a contract. Crema is in really high demand, and it’s hard to find a team that’s as easy to work with as them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I lead the digital products and services team for one of the top tax companies in the United States.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Crema?

We hired crema at the beginning of the year to help us visualize concept and prototype the next iteration of our tax prep experience. Their work spread across mobile and.com designs.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals for this project were to create a tax experience that was unlike any other, faster, more intuitive, and more personalized. We used the prototype to showcase the concept internally and get feedback externally.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We evaluated two primary vendors. one located in Kansas City, which ended up being Crema, and the other which is housed between Portland and Brooklyn. We made our decision based on the way we wanted to engage with the contractors and the pricing for the effort.

Describe the project in detail.

The project for which we hired crema is a flow through a tax prep journey that a returning client would go through when coming back their second year with us. The experience considers simple tax return scenarios and increases their speed to complete by four times.

The experience is more intuitive than what we currently have, leverages our new design system and helped to push that further forward, and considers differences between the mobile and web experience.

What was the team composition?

We had two designers dedicated to the effort and a project manager/product manager that helped with strategic direction and keeping things on track. The team spent part of their time embedded with our team in our offices so that we can work closely together. I truly believe that this helped us with our alignment and speed of execution.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was certainly a success from my perspective. we had requested that the team create an experience that was faster By two times. When they were done it was faster by four times. And the reviews that we got from internal and external users were certainly delightful. though we are early in the project, this certainly helped us to sharpen our focus of what could be.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

One of the best parts about this project was how well our teams work together. our lead product manager, lead designer, and the team at crema acted efficiently as one unit.

Because they were partly co-located and spoke together often, there wasn't a sense of us versus them. It was like we were truly one team. And the crema designers and strategists were so kind, thoughtful, and open to feedback that it was just delightful to work with them.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I love the creativity of this firm. And it's not just design creativity. I see the way that they solve problems for their clients and how they view problem-solving and tackling challenges as just part of their DNA.

They're an incredibly curious and creative company. I love the product management staff that they have and would love to work with them more in the future. I follow their LinkedIn page and I'm always delighted to see the new projects that they post.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I'll start by saying that this comment is not unique to crema. I feel this way about most agencies that I have worked with over the last 5 years.

Having been at DirecTV from 2009 to 2015 and working with some of the most talented designers including motion graphic designers that I've ever experienced, I often feel that agency work is not as flashy as I'd like it to be. that would be the only thing that I would call out if something I'd like to see more of.