Dragon Army

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at a large hotel corporation. I am the Director of Business Travel Experience. I am in charge of engineering the products and experiences at our hotels, as well as managing our loyalty programs and everything else that involves a hotel guest. We’re responsible for coming up with what those products and programs should be and how we want to interface with business travelers. Everything we do is based on advanced analytics. The first half of my day is always spent doing the math and crunching data, and then the second half is spent doing product service and experience design, a good bit of which is done through digital channels like mobile apps.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dragon Army?

Dragon Army has helped us on two products. They’ve helped us with internal tools and strategy around how to take the experience that we want to engineer and make it work in a digital space. They’ve also coauthored a white paper with us because of the thought leadership they have behind game science and game theory, which is a foundational piece of everything that they do. That’s the main reason we brought them in.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have an element of in-house development work. We used Dragon Army for the strategy side on the UX [user experience] piece of things, which has been broader than just mobile. I have this passion for having some form of game science embedded in the experience that we create because I think it's a differentiated and more enjoyable experience for the end user. It also allows us to capture a lot of great data around incentives about what’s working what’s not.

How did you come to work with Dragon Army?

The Chief Executive Officer and I had connected at a lot of venues. It wasn’t immediate that we had a need to form a business partnership, but as new digital ideas were coming online, I started to lean on him to help us understand the game science piece of what they do. Slowly, we built a relationship and now, when we do anything digital. I go to them first. I would say most of the time they can do the full project for us. We go to them because they have such a great perspective on the necessary fundamentals beneath whatever the UX is doing. They weren’t up against other agencies.

How much have you invested with Dragon Army?

We’ve done just under $100,000 with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

From a qualitative side, they’ve brought the unique perspective of the game science. They’re extremely fast and easy to work with. They are also very quick on helping things through design constraint and editing so that you don’t lose the idea of the project. They have helped us with user testing which they do in unique ways by leveraging the game science behind it. They’re 50% a game studio and 50% a digital agency. When those two departments come together, you get the best of both worlds especially since they’re so focused on the mobile piece. They’ve been able to bring a very niche expertise that we couldn’t find at other digital agencies.

How did Dragon Army perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re good at status updates, which is fantastic.

What did you find most impressive about Dragon Army?

They offer something unique around digital and mobile platforms. I have not bumped into anybody that can deliver both the theory behind the game and the best way to make it happen in the UX setting.

They have a fantastic blend of design and the human-centric side of stuff. They have strong developers that know how to do things in the leanest way possible. When we’re doing a prototype, we need it done quickly, but we need to rely on interfaces with a platform or system that’s behind the firewall. They can figure out ways to keep things secure and private while not having to construct a big IT project on our side. They’re good at coming up with creative ways to solve technical issues and they have great strategists. Dragon Army is helpful because they explain how we can excel by pointing at things that we shouldn’t do.

Are there any areas Dragon Army could improve?

Other design agencies we’ve worked with are pretty good at scheduling times to sit down and make sure we’re getting through enough tasks. I wish they would do more of working through the iterations with us so that we know what they’ve taught us and what we’ve learned.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Chief Marketing Officer for United Way of Greater Atlanta.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dragon Army?

We used Dragon Army to help us build an app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

With Dragon Army, we worked at establishing direct relationships outside the workplace with donors, prospective donors, volunteers, and prospective volunteers through engagement. The purpose of this app is to appeal to a younger group of people who tend to live their lives on their phones, but who are also very motivated by volunteer opportunities and are very inclined to dedicate themselves to organizations that allow them to engage in a deep way. The app is an opportunity to provide these people with in-depth information on the areas that United Way works in, and also to serve up the myriad of volunteer opportunities we can offer with our dozens of partner non-profit agencies. Dragon Army worked closely with our creative team who provided all of the direction on the brand look and feel. Dragon Army did everything else.

Initially, we're designing the app for iPhone, and then we'll expand from there. The app isn't fully developed yet. We're doing what they call a minimum viable product. We are very much in test-and-learn mode.

How did you come to work with Dragon Army?

I have known the work of Dragon Army since they started as a company. I know that their understanding and commitment to non-profits is pretty unique. Dragon Army had already proven their ability through various references I received in terms of their work. Since I already had first-hand knowledge of their capabilities, it was not a triple bid situation. We always knew that if we were going to build an app at all, we were going to do it with Dragon Army.

How much have you invested with Dragon Army?

The project cost is between $50,000 and $200,000. We expect it to grow.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We have not yet launched the app, but one of our deliverables, which we're a little bit behind on, is populating all of the volunteer opportunities across 13 countries over 12 months.

What did you find most impressive about Dragon Army?

Dragon Army is very strategic and their customer service is really unbelievable. I don't think we deserve the level of service we're getting because they're so responsive and they're so flexible. They are very buttoned up and put us to shame in terms of delivering everything on time. We aspire to be as buttoned up as they are.

Are there any areas Dragon Army could improve?

Nothing comes to mind right now.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive of Blytheco

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

ERP software sales and implementation services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Dragon Army to accomplish?

• Recommend a new CMS
• Build our website on Webflow

SOLUTION

How did you find Dragon Army?

Referral

Why did you select Dragon Army over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Dragon Army were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We brought on Dragon Army to do a full migration of our website from Umbraco over to Webflow.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our site went live with no major hiccups, we received great feedback on our new design and we immediately saw higher performance in organic search. 

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

Dragon Army's project management was adaptive to our processes and highly responsive to our questions and issues.

What was your primary form of communication with Dragon Army?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their developers had a deep understanding of the product and the team was excellent with communication.

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

Could be a little more consultative.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Executive Editor of a publishing company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a publishing/resource company that creates strategic resources for families and churches.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Dragon Army to accomplish?

• Add an in-app subscription to our current app

SOLUTION

How did you find Dragon Army?

Built previous app version

Why did you select Dragon Army over others?

• High ratings
• Vision for project

How many teammates from Dragon Army 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 involved creating an easy to navigate paid experience for our current and new app users that would be replicated with some variation for 18 different age groups.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Ease of navigation for app users, consistent experience for app users, CMS that functions well and gives us options

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

The Dragon Army team was incredibly responsive to all our questions and requests. If there was a reason they felt we shouldn't do something, they would advise us as to why and help us understand how it might affect the overall user experience. Our project manager communicated with me consistently and clearly. Overall design is beautiful.

What was your primary form of communication with Dragon Army?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Dragon Army creates a product that functions well and looks great. Their team feels like our team. We feel like they want us to win.

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

Not really

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marketing Director of TK Elevator

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We manufacture, sell, and service elevators, escalators, and moving walkways all around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Dragon Army to accomplish?

• Website UX, UI, Navigation and copywriting for our North American Website
• Redesign key customer facing app
• Plan, design and strategize for key product launch

SOLUTION

How did you find Dragon Army?

Referral

Why did you select Dragon Army over others?

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

What was the size of Dragon Army’s team?

6-10 Employees

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

We have worked with Dragon Army on a number of projects ranging form full website UX, UI and copywriting. They have also done complete App audits and UX and UI Design. Major product launch strategy.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Increased website traffic and engagement

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

Excellent communication and teamwork

What was your primary form of communication with Dragon Army?

Virtual Meeting

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

Simply wonderful people to work with. They pushed us to be better and always demonstrated professionalism.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CIO of The Health Plan

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide healthcare insurance services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Dragon Army to accomplish?

• We needed our primary website refreshed with updated graphics and enhanced navigation.

SOLUTION

How did you find Dragon Army?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select Dragon Army over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

What was the size of Dragon Army’s team?

6-10 Employees

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

Refresh our primary website with refreshed graphics/design and improved navigation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Improved UX
• Increased customer satisfaction
• Much improved visual experience

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

The PM team transparently shared all they were working on and kept us current with timely updates. When the delivery date was postponed it was for sound business reasons and agreed upon.

What was your primary form of communication with Dragon Army?

• Virtual Meeting

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

Crystal clear communication. We enjoyed working with them.

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

N/A