Despark

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the strategic and digital transformation director at UNIQA Bulgaria (insurance).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Despark?

We wanted a complete redesign and UX design of our website.

SOLUTION

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

We had set concrete criteria such as level of UX/UI and design expertise, reputation, price and team related factors.

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

We had a discovery phase during which we held business meetings and discussed the brief and criteria for all website sections, goals and KPIs. Despark then started on the design and after approval, on the development.

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

The client facing team consisted of a project manager, UX expert and designers. The development team came at a later stage but we had one go-to PM for all questions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The design of the new website, as well as UX, were approved fairly quickly because the Despark team had done a good job scoping out the project during the discovery phase and understood well what we were hoping to achieve with the new website.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective. We worked in an agile way. They would design a section of the website and we would evaluate and comment and make adjustments before they would start development.

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

Their communication is easy and things get done quickly and without much struggle/miscommunication.

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

A bit more proactivity would be appreciated when it comes to suggesting new trends or ways of improving current processes. They pretty much followed the brief.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CURV is an app that makes self-improvment an easy part of everyday, whoever you are, and whatever the goal. My role within that? The Product Manager and driving force behind the concept.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Despark?

To develop an app from start to finish. We had an idea, and no more.

What were your goals for this project?

To desgin, develop and deliver an app on the App Store, from start to finish.

SOLUTION

How did you select Despark?

We spoke to A LOT of agencies. Despark stood out a mile, thanks to their personnel, expeirence and preparation.

Describe the project in detail.

Together with Despark we built the wireframes & designs, brainstormed the features and UX, and developed an app with CMS, from scratch. They built something that was easily adaptable (we could change text, add content etc. at a click of a button) and managed the release onto the App Store seamlessly. And not only was the product full functioning, but it also looked GREAT as well.

What was the team composition?

I worked closely with a Product Manager who led a team consiting of designers & developers. It worked well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Download now and see for yourself - https://apple.co/2UUOCJ9 We achieved a 36+% click-to-install rate from the App Store (the avg. is. 5.6%) We got 2000 downloads in the first month with very limited marketing spend. The content on the app continues to receive a 97% positive feedback rate.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very. We used Basecamp, for which I could send messages at any point and always received timely responses.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We're very impressed with their ability to understand the idea and make it better than when we arrived.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Testing. I wish I did more testing and this was more ingrained in the process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a physiotherapy software firm. We’re a small startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Despark?

I had written a SaaS web app for physiotherapists that plugs into our mobile app. We wanted a company to create a marketing homepage for our site to show the product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a very basic site that I had written as a temporary measure. Despark started from scratch and designed and developed our landing page. I gave them the logo and a design file with writing terms but they built several wireframing designs before development began. They also made the entire homepage of the website, which was about four pages. There was also the main page and one for each of the products, plus a contact us page. They designed the entire site from scratch.

They also provided an illustration for the main site with a small repeating animation. We didn’t have the budget for professional voiceover videos, and we mainly used stock photos that I picked out and screenshots of our product mockups. They used React with Gatsby for the frontend, as well as CSS and JavaScript. They gave me the project and I uploaded it to Firebase for hosting. Finally, they added Google Analytics.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two project managers and a frontend developer.

How did you come to work with Despark?

My business partner chose Despark. He went with them because they had experience in the health sector.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent £10,400 pounds (approximately $14,200 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September until November 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since this was an entire rewrite from scratch, there weren’t any quantitative success metrics. All we wanted was a product page that looked like it was professionally designed and featured some key elements of our products that weren’t obvious on our previous, basic website. I personally think they succeeded pretty well.

How did Despark perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was great. They used Basecamp for all communication and Figma for the design mockups and wireframes and design comments. All the other comments and feedback, I sent through Basecamp. We had weekly calls once or twice a week, but they weren’t scheduled.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The project management was really well done. In particular, I felt I was kept in the loop very well. Every time I posted a message, they always got back to me within a day. Usually, it was on the same day. They provided details that I found to be very helpful. I could ask questions of a technical nature and one of the developers would get back to me with a more technical answer which was great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was a little hiccup in the design section and the project did go over time by one week. We took a look at the design with some fresh eyes before development started and realized it wasn’t as impressive as we would have liked. We got back to them and asked for changes. They were quite receptive. That’s the reason it went over budget by a few hundred pounds.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It seems to me it’s very much a waterfall model of software development. It very much goes through a wireframe design and development stage. Once you’ve completed a stage, it’s sort of difficult to go back. I wouldn’t have considered the way this project was developed as an agile design methodology.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

One of my side projects is a company I created as a chat app for introverts. It’s a safer social network for people with anxiety.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Despark?

I went through two other companies as I tried to get the idea, wireframes, and a working MVP. The only company who succeeded was Despark.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I brought the wireframes and ideas to them, and they helped me build and launch the MVP. When I went to them, there were things I had overlooked or underestimated. They adapted to this half-baked project and walked me through the process. This was my first app, and they helped me see the things that were missing and suggested improvements.

The app was built using React Native and was immediately available for both iOS and Android. I asked them to do some illustration work, and they provided that for the app. A key element in the UX is avatar selection, and users can choose from 24 different characters that Despark provided.

I gave them an initial brief, but it was rather vague. They delivered exactly what I wanted on the first try. They were almost able to read my mind. They also created the website, which created the right continuity between all the pieces.

What is the team composition?

I interacted with a project manager, an illustrator, and a frontend developer. They were involved on a daily basis.

How did you come to work with Despark?

I worked with them about ten years ago on a few small Facebook apps. I had a positive experience with them, so I reached out for their help for this project. We had a quick meeting, and the process was very straightforward right away.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost was around €30,000 (approximately $36,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We first discussed the possibility of working together in late 2018 and started the collaboration in February 2019, which is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Building a social network is difficult in 2019, and my expectations were low. Even though the app has no marketing behind it, it grows by 500-600 new users each week. Within a month, the userbase grew above 3,500. User engagement is very high, and about 120,000 messages passed between users in the first month. I’m about to invest more with them to add new features and increase the sophistication and complexity of the app. We’ll add better sharing and other options shortly.

How did Despark perform from a project management standpoint?

The whole process was very transparent. I had access to their task management tools, I could see which team member was responsible for what, and I knew which tasks relied on information from me. I’ve worked with other developers, but I’ve never worked with a firm that gave me so much access. We used their internal channels, Slack, and their bug reporting tools. We had a status call every Friday, and we met occasionally in person.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They guided me through the process, and they were very clear with the information I needed to give them so they could move forward. They gave me a very realistic idea of what was feasible and when pieces could be completed. There were no broken promises.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, my experience with them is very positive. They did a really good job, and I can’t think of anything they should improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

To get the most from them, participate in their process. They offer transparency and access, so keep up with them and monitor their work. I was often the bottleneck, but always knew when I needed to give feedback.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the product manager at a mental well-being organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Despark?

We wanted to turn an existing mental well-being program into an online offering to be able to scale up from a few hundred people to a few thousand people.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Despark manages all the development for our bespoke web application. They were involved from the beginning. We had the initial idea which they helped us to scope out including user journeys and functionality requirements. They did all the wireframing. They’ve built the front- and backend, managed testing, and helped us deploy the product. We completed the first phase in six months and are now in the second phase.

What is the team composition?

I’m in constant contact with four people, and I know there’s a bigger team behind them.

How did you come to work with Despark?

I searched for the best development agencies in London where we're based, and they came up. Despark has an office here but is mostly based in Bulgaria. I sent a brief to them and a few other agencies. When they came to pitch, they were highly professional. They had a sound understanding of what we were trying to achieve. They were responsive to suggestions and had a “can-do” attitude with solutions to everything that we came up with. They always provide a little bit of extra value when they send over proposals or pitch something.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2018, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve successfully rolled out the first phase of the product to 500 people. The feedback has been strongly positive. Everyone is very enthusiastic about the project.

How did Despark perform from a project management standpoint?

We Skype a couple of times a week and use Basecamp for day-to-day communication as well as email and phone when necessary. They've also been willing to travel to the UK so have met us and represented us in client meetings on a few occasions.

They've been great. We use project management tools to collaborate. They provide regular status updates. They let us know promptly if anything it's not going to be on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They go above and beyond in terms of coming up with different solutions. They’re more than happy to make changes and work through several iterations. No task has seemed to bother them. They’re receptive to feedback and offer us their own honest opinions when they think a feature of functionality won’t work from the user experience or development perspective. They work very collaboratively with us—and we can tell that they want to make the product work as much as we do. They’re friendly, honest people to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so. Our product has changed rapidly, and they’ve responded well to that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Invest in a thorough discovery process. They know what questions to ask, and they’re keen to understand your product entirely. The more clearly they understand your goals, the better the product you’ll get.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an associate program manager at a U.K. charity that helps young people get skills, training, and funding for businesses and employment opportunities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Despark?

We have a fundraising challenge for our corporate partners and their employees where they get sponsored to walk 10,000 steps every day in February. It was quite a manual process to track steps, record them, and manage our leader board, so we needed a partner to develop an app that would make it smoother and easier to do.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We put together a brief for Despark, which included existing pain points and participant journeys. They then did their own discovery work, fleshing out some of the information we provided. From there, they took existing brand assets and did design work and built wireframes for the new app. They worked on the project from inception to launch, collaborating with our internal teams on things like hosting and email integration. They built the app with React, and it’s for both iOS and Android. During the month of February, they supported and maintained the app, as well.

What is the team composition? 

Our main points of contact are two project managers: one for the design phase and one for the build phase. We also worked with a UX producer and some developers.

How did you come to work with Despark?

A colleague had worked with Despark before, but we also did some online research. We saw their profile on Clutch and were impressed. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from November–January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The initial feedback was highly positive. A lot of people who participated in the event last year and this year said it was much easier because of the app. They said it was engaging and fun to check their fundraising and step progress.

We had a third-party partner test the app, and they said it was so well-made that we should continue to work with whoever built it.

How did Despark perform from a project management standpoint?

We wanted a quick turnaround time for a fairly complex app, but they did a great job delivering what we wanted. They used Monday.com and Jira to track project progress, and we had regular calls over Skype and Google Hangouts.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Before even getting the contract, they did exploratory work to better understand our goals and provide an effective solution. The CEO even came to the pitch. They went above and beyond what was expected, and their communication was excellent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Things could’ve been more clearly outlined, but we had a short deadline, so it wasn’t really their fault.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of Altrix, a web-based marketplace for temporary nurse staffing in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Despark?

A massive staffing challenge in the NHS has led them to spend £3.5 billion on temporary nurse recruitment in 2016–2017, of which £400 million was fees to recruiters. Our goal is to increase efficiency — and save the NHS money — by automating and digitizing the temporary staffing recruitment process. We needed a partner with the technology expertise and capability to help us build a web application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Despark is designing and developing a recruitment web app that's scalable and optimized for mobile. It enables nurses to work through the compliance process with us and then they be listed as available to book shifts. Hospitals can also publish their staffing needs on the web app.

They took our conceptual idea and translated it into documented user requirements. Leading the project through the development cycle, they provided the scope and wireframes, as well as developing an end-to-end solution. The minimum viable product (MVP) is complete, and ready to go live early next month with our first hospital. Then they will do enhancements based on any issues that come up from the go-live process.

What is the team composition?

We engage with three people on a day to day basis. There's another 4–5 people working on graphic design and customer engagement.

How did you come to work with Despark?

My co-founder met their CEO when we were looking to build this product. We looked at several other companies, and they came out on top. We thought they’d be a good fit because they could meet our timeline and work within our budget. We also looked at examples of their previous work and liked what they could deliver.

What is the status of this engagement?

The main scope of work began in March 2018 and the engagement is ongoing. They mocked up wireframes for us to take to potential investors in December 2017, but work on the MVP didn’t start until the spring. The web application is the first planned phase of the project. Once it’s launched, Despark will develop an iOS and Android mobile app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The feedback has been very positive. They've done a great job making the web app simple and easy to use. We've tested it with nurses and hospitals, and they’re pleased with the platform. The real test will be when we go live in a couple of weeks.

How did Despark perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is strong on project management. They really led the whole process. We had a lot to learn because we haven't built something like this before. We've gone over to Bulgaria twice, and we've had a handful of face-to-face meetings here in London. The bulk of our communication is Skype and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They've really taken our team on a journey. We had an idea that we wanted to do, but no real way of knowing how to achieve it. They've helped us with all facets of the project from start to finish. It’s impressive to find a partner that can scope out what an idea might look like, as well as designing, building, and deploying the app.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Project elements can sometimes get over complicated working with the remote team. I'm old fashioned, and believe that face-to-face conversations can cut through those kinds of complexities quicker. It’s a tradeoff. We chose the low cost option based in Bulgaria as opposed to a London-based team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the insight and strategy director of GKBK, a startup bank which is looking to launch into the digital retail market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Despark?

We had a concept that aligned well with customer needs, and we wanted to make a first iteration of the user experience of the mobile app. We wanted to map out all the features of the user experience and also test it with customers in order to refine and shape it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Despark brought our vision to life in terms of wireframes and UX. They produced clickable prototypes with the wireframes so we could test the product with our target audience. The UX work was done for both Android and iOS apps. They also worked on web journeys, but the focus was on the mobile app.

We worked through every journey in the app. We designed a total of 150 screens, the vast majority of the app’s features and functionalities. This set the foundation for moving to the design phase.

They worked collaboratively with our team to do user testing with the wireframes and clickable prototypes. We put those in front of target users and had them complete the key journeys. We also looked at some of the key features to understand what needed refining. They organized and led those research sessions with clients.

I will use them again when we come to the UI and turn the UX into high-fidelity interfaces.

What is the team composition?

I’ve primarily worked with their CSO who acted as the liaison for the team.

How did you come to work with Despark?

I found a website that offered reviews for UX agencies and gave information on each one’s size and specialization. I spoke to a few people from different agencies, and Despark impressed me from the start. We asked them for a proposal and ended up selecting them for their UX expertise and specialist support on UX design.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work was £35,000 ($46,475 USD), which was a great value for what we got.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Despark in November 2017 and finished in January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team and board were very impressed with the wireframes, particularly with the clickable prototypes. Seeing those prototypes helped bring the proposition to life for the internal team. These wireframes and clickable prototypes are invaluable for moving forward.

They started with a good understanding of our vision and translated it back to the team. They came up with wireframes and journeys that brought the product to life. They only needed to do one or two iterations before we got to the point of being happy with them. They were able to do a lot in a short time, which I was most impressed with.

How did Despark perform from a project management standpoint?

They were there when they said they would be, and took care of everything. They kept me well-informed of what would be happening and when, and things happened on time. It was a painless experience. Despark went above and beyond. We got more screens than initially discussed, and they were reasonable in this regard. Some of those screens were obviously simple repetitions with only minor tweaks. There was no debate or argument around this, just a common sense approach. They delivered everything effortlessly.

We used a number of tools for communication including Basecamp, which they shared with us. We also used email and InVision, and a lot of the work was done face-to-face. Their CSO collocated with us for just over three weeks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility and willingness to do a great job made them stand out. Value for money and speed were also great. I will use them again.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have PDF journeys of the outputs and user experience flows, but it would have been helpful to have them in a more easily exportable format. We have to use InVision to follow the user journey and pull out separate screens to create it ourselves.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Almentor.net, an online video marketplace for e-learning and development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Despark?

We had a new initiative to build a high-quality, video-based digital learning platform. The major challenge was to make sure that the user experience would not be overly sophisticated and that it would be easy to use. We needed to focus on promoting self-education.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first six weeks were consumed with planning and discussing the business model. We approached the business model together, which was not very mature in our heads at the time. We started the project 16 months before our launch, so Despark helped us a lot in challenging our business model.

Despark was in charge of the UI/UX design for our responsive web platform. The UX part was challenging in the beginning, but the UI work went flawlessly after that. We agreed on a color scheme of black, red, and white. We haven’t executed the mobile application yet.

What is the team composition?

I worked with five members of their team, mainly with the project manager and the COO of the company.

How did you come to work with Despark?

I received a referral from a good friend who’d had a good experience with Despark. We talked to several vendors and found a synergy and chemistry with Despark.

How much have you invested with them?

I don’t recall the exact cost. The cost was relatively high compared with the average prices in this part of the world. On the other hand, we were wise to choose them. We knew that the quality would be better, and this is what we received. It was a wise decision to choose Despark even though it cost 20–25% more than other vendors.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Despark from January–May 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our decision to go with them paid off. They delivered what they promised and what we thought would be best practices. They helped us create a nicer format than we’d imagined.

We have changed 10–15% of the overall UX based on the feedback from a three-month beta phase. We have learned a lot about the learners in our market, and we continue to make changes and upgrade the experience.

How did Despark perform from a project management standpoint?

This is their area of strength and what I like about them. They use tools for project management and ad hoc requests. They provide periodic reports on a monthly and weekly basis for all levels, not only technical work. They provide reports for contractual and financial matters as well. We communicate via phone and email, and three of their members visited our office in Dubai.

It was a push and pull process. We had ad hoc requests at times. We came up with ideas and had urgent meetings to discuss them. We changed our plan, and they showed a lot of flexibility in calculating the workload and listing extra costs. It was handled in a professional manner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re all pleasant people.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They might need representation nearer to our location.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and lead shareholder of a company that provides an on-demand application for services in ski areas across Europe. The company is made up of myself, 2 investors, and a brand manager. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Despark?

We were looking for a third-party to help us develop our transactional platform, including its mobile interface and backend. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Despark helped us map out our product and customer journey, from the user interface and backend to wireframing and functionality. Once this was completed, they also helped us develop our promotional website. We plan to use Despark to develop our entire system but haven’t started the process. They are developing our app for iOS and Android. It’s an on-demand services app, with features like creating profiles, transacting and creating bookings, and providing customer ratings and experience feedback. Most people will be interacting with the service through tablets or phones while on vacation.

How did you come to work with Despark?

I interviewed a bunch of developers in the U.K. Despark had a good full-service product, and I liked their team, so we started the collaboration.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s hard to comment without an end-product. Depending on the approach, we can have a wide range of prices, but the value-add is framing the concept and making sure that the solution makes sense.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Despark around December 2016. The project is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can’t comment on the actual backend code, but Despark has a systematic approach to the work.

How did Despark perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re quite good in this respect. We are approaching the project from the business side, and don’t have a background in development. We know the industry and the business model but are not familiar with building the actual technology. Despark has been a great coach, discussing what was and wasn’t important at each stage. When developing something, we can do everything or only attempt a few things. Despark has been adept and helping us think through the process.

We use Basecamp for managing the workspace. The team is comprised of 6–10 people. Different work streams are managed by the people responsible for them. I’ve generally worked with one member of Despark’s team on the marketing side, and another for UI or UX. They provide great senior level attention and are easy to work with. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Despark has a U.K. presence, but they’re in Bulgaria, so the development costs are lower. They’re good at helping us think through our options for spending the budget. This is ultimately a CapEx investment. We know what the product needs to be, but there are obviously features we want and others we don’t want. Despark is flexible in helping us strategize.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I haven’t seen the end-product, but they’ve been a good partner thus far, and I don’t have anything negative to say about them.