DePalma.io

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of digital transformation & experience for a healthcare company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DePalma Studios?

We hired DePalma Studios for UX/UI design work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Over the past year, we’ve done five to six projects with DePalma Studios. The work has included system design, machine-learning UX, exploring modular, reusable designs, and exploring different product campaigns.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with about ten from their side, and three people from ours.

How did you come to work with DePalma Studios?

One of my team members found that they were well-rated on Clutch. We cold-called them, along with a few other organizations. The team at DePalma Studios sounded the best in terms of capabilities and services. We carefully reviewed the profiles of their team, which were solid.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with DePalma Studios started in December 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have retrospectives and KPI calls. They’ve been responsive as well in taking constructive feedback and making course corrections, or giving internal rewards when good work was done.

How did DePalma Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, the team at DePalma Studios is extremely excellent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team has a boutique mindset when it comes to UX. They understand the design operation process well, adapting and evolving based on the best practices. Because we have such a strong understanding of the overall process, output and creativity become part of it. We operate in a new field, so there’s a slow maturity when it comes to working with large enterprise clients.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve been improving based on our retrospectives. Their team could have more UX-led innovations and ideas around that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re great for all clients, especially ones that have DesignOps processes in place. Their team’s talented resources can add capabilities to any organization. The services that come as an outcome are amazing. They’re open to feedback and have a quick turnaround time.

The team at DePalma Studios integrates well within its toolchain and their client’s tools. From a relationship perspective, everyone participates in calls. They also have an open culture that’s quite rewarding. We know almost everyone. In terms of transparency and openness, they’re excellent.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior UX analyst for a healthcare company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DePalma Studios?

We needed an experienced design firm to help us create an in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment support application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The initial project’s scope involved creating an MVP. However, we decided to build a proof of concept (POC) application instead. DePalma Studios performed essential research and provided UI/UX design services. We sent them our feedback after receiving each deliverable. They also developed several prototypes of the final product. We operated on a tight timeline, but they managed to complete everything as promised.

What is the team composition?

At first, they assigned three UX designers and a UX manager. But the project’s scope kept growing, so the team eventually expanded to include seven UX designers. Their UX manager was our primary point of contact throughout the engagement.

How did you come to work with DePalma Studios?

I found DePalma Studios on Clutch.co. Their excellent reviews and healthcare experience stood out to me. I researched their designers further through LinkedIn and found that their portfolios include high-quality work. Their asking rate was agreeable with our budget, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent under $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their involvement with this project took place from November 2018–January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Depalma Studios joined this project shortly after it began, so they were tasked with creating a new product using the research provided to them by our medical partners in the IVF field. They utilized multiple variables to create a complex system that guides users through the IVF process.

The team considered the emotional state of patients when designing the app’s visuals. We’re impressed by how quickly they produced the final interface. They delivered nearly 90 screens and more than seven user workflows. They executed everything effectively, so extensive iteration rounds weren’t necessary.

How did DePalma Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

We had daily stand-ups with them in addition to weekly design reviews with the project’s stakeholders. They’re extremely communicative and willingly shared management tools with us to ensure transparency. They also used a RealtimeBoard so our stakeholders could view daily updates at their digression.

I usually have to act as the project manager whenever we use third-party vendors. Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about that while working with DePalma Studios. They created a project plan, updated me twice a day, and kept the engagement organized.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deliver excellent work and have exceptional communication skills. Their team managed to accomplish more tasks than we expected. I have nothing negative to say about them. Working together has been a great experience. We’re currently in the process of hiring them for future projects as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I can’t think of any notable suggestions.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a detailed plan in place and set realistic goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a company that specializes in software engineering services, mostly for modern technologies such as AI and machine learning.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DePalma Studios?

We needed a partner to lead our UX/UI.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DePalma Studios manages nearly all of our UX/UI projects. They facilitate the marriage of human-centered design and UX/UI to create sleek and modern software. They’ve recently been working on conversational design and changing how humans interact with computers. They’re taking us away from menus and forms to more conversational-based design. They’ve assisted with digital transformations, such as mobile, cloud, and UX strategy.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with teams of anywhere from 2-10 people.

How did you come to work with DePalma Studios?

I’d used them before at my old company. They did good work and were leading the way with UX design, so I hired them in my new position.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $15,000–$200,000, depending on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been partners since 2010.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re extremely pleased with their work and so are our clients. DePalma Studios creates wonderful UX/UI that translates beautifully into full-fledged products. They’ve allowed us to be a few steps ahead in the market in regard to our UX/UI.

How did DePalma Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a lean and rapid turnaround, completing most projects in three months or less. We use Jira and Slack to constantly remain updated and informed. They offer project status reports and take timeliness seriously. They’re a great balance between speed and quality.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have the passion, insight, and experience to push the envelope and do extraordinary things. They have an impressive skillset, great project management, and a fantastic work ethic. The entire team thinks outside the box and produces excellent products. Unlike other firms, they let us know if something won’t work or could be better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner and CEO of Sterling Communications, a digital marketing consultancy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DePalma Studios?

As a consultancy, I have several clients that all have different challenges. One particular client had an outdated interface that I needed help improving.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

My client, Trievr, has an automated software platform used primarily by the pharmaceutical industry. The existing interface was looking archaic. My concern was that Trievr would have a high rate of drop-off because users wouldn't understand how to use the platform. I hired DePalma to create a more intuitive flow, as well as to bring the UI and UX up to date.

What is the team composition?

I have one main point person but I interact with the whole team.

How did you come to work with DePalma Studios?

I found them through an online search. I vetted them and thought they were a good fit. From there I introduced them to my client, who signed off on the contract.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $5000–$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

They worked on the platform from February–April 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team is running behind on deployment, so the platform hasn’t launched yet. DePalma did a great job meeting all of their deadlines and providing us with everything we needed. Trievr is so happy with their work that they’ve already renewed their services for another interface.

How did DePalma Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

I do the vetting in advance in order to prevent my client from running across any issues. DePalma came through with flying colors. The team was fantastic. They were always available and so cooperative.

What did you find most impressive about them?

All of the team members were amazing. They really know their stuff, which gave us a sense of security.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’ve been vice president of the IT organization for a disability insurance provider for 18 years. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DePalma Studios?

At the time, my role focused on customer solutions for the largest subsidiary of our holding group. I was responsible for owning, driving, and managing digital customer interactions for our enterprise including all of our web portals, mobile apps, and the contact center platform. 

We’d finally gotten approval to assess and revamp an old customer interaction portal. The website had been state-of-the-art when it was built, but that was a long time ago. It desperately needed to be revisited. We didn't have the skills internally to deliver the world-class customer experience we aimed for. I was in the process of hiring the right UX design firm to assist us when we found DePalma Studios

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DePalma envisioned an entirely new look and feel for our customer site's design. We considered migrating to a different platform before our holdings company changed the technology they use internally. Six months in, DePalma flexibly overcame this learning curve and quickly got up to speed with the new program. 

When we resumed activity, we finished all the estimations and initial designs before starting our delivery program increments. During the first 12-week Program Increment (PI), we went through six sprints to produce some great-looking early deliverables. 

By the time we were about halfway through the second Program Increment, our holdings company experienced leadership changes that halted all major projects, including this one. That was truly unfortunate for us and completely unrelated to the quality of their work.

What is the team composition? 

The number of resources fluctuated from 2-4 over the different project stages. Typically, we'd work with one manager, another project manager, and multiple UX designers from DePalma Studios.

How did you come to work with DePalma Studios?

Through blind luck, I got a cold call from one of DePalma's marketing staff members. I was actively looking for a firm of their kind, so it couldn't have happened at a better time since I was actively looking for a firm of their kind. My assistant would generally filter this type of call, but theirs came through. They turned out to be an excellent fit. 

I ran the RFP process for 5-6 candidates with my boss and five direct reports. We took notes during each vendor presentation and met afterward to assess and grade them. Our scoring process used a form we developed with a major consulting firm. At the end of the entire process, we tallied up the scores, had a final conversation, and made a unanimous decision to hire DePalma Studios. 

How much have you invested with them?

DePalma bid on this project as part of the RFP process. We agreed to a fixed budget for that level of work, and they adjusted management to that figure. If internal changes in order or direction impacted the total, they had to change their pricing accordingly. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together for about a year starting in 2015, including the RFP and onboarding stages. Unfortunately for us, our project had to be canceled.  Our relationship ended in 2016 due to internal decisions around our holding company's business objectives. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

DePalma is one of the best partners I've ever worked with. This strong working relationship was truly a fantastic experience. I regret that internal decisions canceled the project. They had nothing to do with DePalma. We had to realign with our parent company’s new business objectives, which tends to happen in this space. The principal owner willingly adapted as our company changed course internally. I know they absorbed the price when items took longer than they anticipated to complete because we never had cost overruns.

The designers we interacted with were absolutely first-rate. As an engineer by trade, I can make a functional product, but design isn’t my specialty. DePalma Studios has the right mindset and artistic skill to give products a wonderful, embracing customer experience. It takes a special kind of person to develop the consistently superb artifacts they did. If we had questions or requested any changes, they refactored and redesigned it exactly as we wanted. The turnaround was always quite prompt, and everything they delivered was top-notch.

How did DePalma Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

DePalma Studios was incredibly responsive. We had no problems with communication despite a minor time zone difference. The team was even available to talk while on vacation. They always ensured we had the proper people engaged in the task at hand. I have the principal founder's personal phone number. If I called him right now, I know he'd pick up even though we haven't worked together in over a year and a half. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

DePalma Studios blew everyone out of the water during our formal RFP process. As a boutique vendor, we didn't know how they’d fare against teams with highly recognizable industry names. Every other contender designed a slightly better version of our existing application. They were hoping to impress us with their knowledge of our insurance model. 

While DePalma was limited in that space, they knew everything about customer experience. They developed a unique website prototype with a modern, elegant UX that received unanimous support from my team. DePalma Studios showed the innovation and creativity that no one else brought to the table.

Are there any areas they could improve?
    
As they went through a period of growth phase and internal transformation, there was some personnel turnover. We’d prefer to have kept the same resources throughout the project. That’s probably an impossible ask since there are so many opportunities available and you can’t force employees to say with your firm.

I understand they have to manage their business the best way they see fit, but these changes caused a bit of pressure. Sometimes onboarding new hires set us back a small step, but the new designers they brought in were always top notch. We never saw a reduction in quality, just with the team’s continuity.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing technology and usability manager for Ingram Barge. We’re a shipping company that moves goods up and down riverways via barge.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DePalma Studios?

We have a set of complex transportation systems that we wanted to install onto our vessels. We wanted the system to take the form of a web application that captains can safely use while navigating rivers. The app would also have to be durable enough to work in areas with low connectivity or that experience network outages. Something simple and powerful was the goal.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DePalma Studios went a step beyond development. We first engaged with them to look at our workflows, so they traveled to our facilities. They met with our captains and their training groups to go over our business process from a workflow standpoint. They’re currently helping us whittle that down into finite workflows. From there, we’ve gone into what we call a “design first” development framework. That means we’re creating wireframes and getting feedback from various employees to then design new iterations. As a result, we’ve taken the wireframes through a clickable design and our ahead of schedule in relation to the development process.

The final deliverable will be a complex web application and we’re currently planning the development environment. We’re moving towards using Angular with SignalR, WebSocket, and Service Workers. It’s a different way of developing that’s low-cost upfront and takes out the management change that normally occurs. We rely heavily on DePalma Studios and this has been a department changing project. The way we’re doing this will probably be our standard approach for the next five years.

What is the team composition?

We work with a project manager, a UI/UX director, and one designer. A software architect and several frontend developers will help us complete the project.

How did you come to work with DePalma Studios?

I had experience working with DePalma Studios when I was with a previous company. They were engaged to design a product ordering system and a full website. Based on that relationship, I reached out and hired them for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $25,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2018 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The development portion hasn’t begun, but we’re extremely satisfied with the work they’ve done so far. They’ve demonstrated the ability to understand a complex project and quickly move forward.

How did DePalma Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

We never have a problem contacting our dedicated resources. They utilize transparent management tools, so we see progress as it happens. They also complete deliverables quickly and consistently.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I had full confidence in allowing the design team to speak directly with our various departments. I’ve worked with vendors where I needed to translate everything and control the communication due to the frequent use of technical jargon. DePalma Studios understands how to communicate to individuals of varying levels of expertise. I can put them in front of executives, captains, or IT partners and be confident they'll speak appropriately.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s going to seem like there’s a lot of time being spent on soft topics and not necessarily getting into the technology right away. Designing around colors and UX is important. We found that allowing DePalma Studios to perform that step of the process gave us more insight as we now move to development. If you start building immediately, you’ll lose that extra information. Give them time to go through their process and the space to do what they do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the manager of instructional design and e-learning development for MAPCO, a company with about 350 convenience stores in the south and mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DePalma Studios?

We have 3,500 employees, and our business has a high turnover rate. We’d begun a process of changing our learning platform, which is usually the first experience people have with our brand. We’d outgrown our old training module and wanted to replace it with something new, but the platform we chose wasn’t very user-friendly. We wanted a UX firm to get involved, so we could rethink the user experience and simplify the web app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DePalma helped refine the manager experience on the web app, making it easy to quickly see where all the employees were on the training path. They worked on the user experience so that, from the moment someone logs in for the first time, they see exactly what they need to do and when it’s due.

What is the team composition?

the VP of Marketing led our project, and the Director of User Experience had a team of UX designers and frontend developers. Those were our two main points of contact. As the project progressed, more team members were added.

How did you come to work with DePalma Studios?

I found them online. We’d looked into a couple of UX firms, including one with some big clients on the west coast. DePalma was local, had an iterative workflow, and insisted on interacting with our users at some point. Their past work looked good, and they had a client-first mentality, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $10,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2017­–February 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The design they created was everything we wanted. We only had to make a few minor tweaks to the visual elements. It was simple and streamlined, making it incredibly user-friendly.

Unfortunately, due to limitations with the Cornerstone platform, we weren’t able to go live with the product. It wasn’t DePalma’s fault, though; we were unable for the end user to authenticate their credentials in the system. We learned too late that what we wanted wasn’t possible within Cornerstone without a massive change to the scope.

How did DePalma Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

I was acting as the technical lead, and my boss was the project manager. Any time DePalma anticipated a delay or issue, they let us know right away. They kept us in the loop about everything. Most of the time, they accomplished tasks ahead of schedule.

They use real-time boards to do the layouts, and we got quick access to their in-flow design. If they were making changes, I could see them in real-time. If I saw they were going in the wrong direction, it was easy to give feedback.

We had regular calls to discuss the project’s progress. If they needed more information to complete an assignment, they’d engage us and ask questions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They created a user experience that was better than anything we could’ve done alone. When we realized we’d be unable to use their UX, I ended up doing it myself, and it’s not nearly the same caliber as theirs.

Their customer service and desire to find a solution was impressive. They paid attention to our budgetary restrictions and guidelines, which we appreciated. When we told them their design wouldn’t work, they adjusted the billing even though it wasn’t their fault.

If they couldn’t provide the solution we needed, they didn’t like to charge us. That’s not typical with third-party vendors, and it meant a lot. They even gave us credit for 60 hours that we can use in the future. We enjoyed the partnership, and their customer service is stellar.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would’ve helped to have a technical person do more discovery at the beginning of the project. If someone on the team knew more about APIs and their limitations, we would’ve realized sooner that our project wasn’t possible. The last time I spoke to DePalma, they were in the process of hiring a more technical project lead. Overall, it was a fantastic partnership and probably the best experience I’ve ever had working on a project that didn’t pan out.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My team is responsible for building software products inside our company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DePalma Studios?

We wanted better UI/UX designs for our internal applications, but didn’t have the resources execute them correctly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app is related to case management. Work started last October with a trial two-week engagement. We were impressed with their work and decided to start the design process. Since our user base is not technologically savvy, we used popular social media and email apps as a reference to make the UI as easy to use as possible. Five months later, DePalma is now transitioning to the build phase while still completing UX/UI design. They’ve used Sketch, InVision to build prototypes, and RealtimeBoard for design and collaboration. The team has utilized archival screenshots and videos we provided to re-architect our apps’ 15-20-year-old systems. The engagement should continue through the end of this year.

What is the team composition?

The team includes a senior level designer that served as the information architect, a designer, and a project manager that onboarded later in the process. We’ve also contracted two UI developers from them; they now do coding for us.

How did you come to work with DePalma Studios?

I found DePalma during an online search for UX designers. Many companies I looked at were marketing firms that didn’t possess the design capabilities I needed. DePalma was local and had relevant experience, specifically in enterprise applications and applied design principles. Their website also appealed to me; I liked how their automated reply was worded.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $250,000–$500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in October 2017 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They do high-quality work and execute tasks well. I’ve gotten positive feedback from my team and users in our facilities; everyone’s been pretty happy.

How did DePalma Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

We haven’t had any issues. They have good processes in place that prevent haphazard design work. Their logical approach makes engagement easier because the team understands how to analyze and organize information. They study how our systems work and break it down into the information architecture before rebuilding the features. As a result, all designs address a specific business use.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The CEO is accommodating, easy to work with, and prioritizes getting the product right. He makes resources available as needed, but won’t push anything on us. He only gives us what we need – nothing more.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything. It’s been a real pleasure working with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of Xima software. We develop, produce, and sell support software for commercial phone systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DePalma Studios?

We needed to update our UI/UX with our software. Our old system was dated and the technology was becoming obsolete. An internal team built the original iteration, but we wanted a team with aesthetic UI/UX design expertise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They redesigned the visual aspects of the UI and implemented modern web tooling. They used a number of tools to manage the project. A big one they used through the design process was from Reich. They also had some internal tools that worked well. They did a lot of the work internally and then showed us their deliverables.

What is the team composition?

We dealt closely with five or six people and there were others working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with DePalma Studios?

We searched extensively online for firms that could provide the services we were looking for. We interviewed a number of companies before we settled on DePalma. They impressed us from the start with their knowledge and flexibility. They were really open. We looked at their portfolio of past work and it was clear that they were a great choice.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $100,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together at the end of 2017. Our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re very happy and satisfied. Everything to this point has exceeded our expectations. Their team is very accommodating and helpful. As a software shop, we understand the complexities of this kind of process. It’s clear they know this domain very well. They’re prepared to take on projects like ours and quickly instilled confidence. Everything we’ve seen from them affirms our decision to work with them.

How did DePalma Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s a good partnership and project management is above average. We use Slack to stay in close contact throughout the process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated how upfront they were about their process. They really stood out among the other companies we talked to. It was refreshing to know they had a plan from the start. They made sure I understood what steps they would take and the general timing. It was really clear what we were getting and they did an exceptional job setting expectations. They encouraged us to give them what they needed to get the project done.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any complaints about them. We’re happy with everything they’ve delivered so far.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ask them to explain their process to you. It will give you confidence in their ability to deliver solutions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

VP of Engineering

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DePalma Studios, and what were your goals?

My company needed full-stack web-engineering support while transitioning between long-term service providers. DePalma quickly built a team with mixed skillsets to troubleshot critical performance issues at the application level, as well as provide underpinning DevOps solutions. They worked for many months across multiple disciplines and carried my company to its next provider.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Capabilities vs. cost.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Troubleshooting and performance optimizations in WooCommerce and AWS environments.

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

• Project manager
• database developer
• DevOps engineer
• multiple application developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Improved website and its infrastructure to handle a 3X increase in concurrent users.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Kind, prompt, and easy to work with.

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

I was impressed with their attitude.

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

Not necessarily. Managing schedules and timelines with overseas developers can be challenging, though. Perhaps offering local solutions would be of benefit.