Dreamten

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a B2B SaaS platform for the seniors housing industry. We provide market analytics and other tools that are operator-focused. I am the CTO and co-founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dreamten?

We don’t have an in-house design team. We have a bunch of skilled full-stack developers that are great at what they do, but nobody has put the attention into the look and feel of the application that a good design team could.

Around the same time, we noticed that are our tooling was in a dated platform, so we wanted to erase the technical debt and start over.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a kickoff to help them understand our niche product. We have a lot going on in the tool. After we had a four- or five-hour discussion to get on the same page, we asked them to start redesigning the platform from the ground up.

They work primarily in Figma. The first phase involved getting the general aesthetic right before moving on to tackling different critical views within the application. At the same time, they started working with our existing clients to receive user stories they could incorporate into their work.

We’re now starting to branch out into some smaller applications.

What is the team composition?

I primarily work with Philip (Founder) and Dante (Design Director). There is another designer behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Dreamten?

We found them through Clutch. We interviewed five design firms but found that Dreamten was down to earth. Their pricing was transparent compared to other firms.

After speaking to them, we felt very comfortable. It also didn’t hurt that they were based in Raleigh, like our team.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve committed $70,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our engagement with Dreamten in October 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re still building out the platform. So far, the feedback from stakeholders has been universally positive. We’ve shown some of the work to another company, and that’s advanced our conversations on that end. Everybody likes it so far.

How did Dreamten perform from a project management standpoint?

The team is extremely organized. Everything is done in Figma. They break down our existing screens and workflows, and then we have standing calls on Tuesdays and Fridays.

During those, we catch up on project timelines and iterate on any specific items. We also communicate with them through Slack, where they are very responsive. We have an open dialogue.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team at Dreamten is easy to work with. Their flexibility makes them willing to adapt to our changing needs. We’ve thrown them for a loop at times, but they’ve been positive. I also think that their design work is excellent. They seem to employ and retain great designers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing really comes to mind, to be honest. We keep extending the engagement because they’ve exceeded our expectations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Responsiveness is key. They’re very responsive on their side. They mentioned in the past that they’ve worked with very hands-off clients, but our team is the opposite.

The ability to communicate with their team efficiently keeps the ball rolling. It’s worked well for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of customer for a software startup. We’re providing AI billing solutions for professional services firms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dreamten?

The challenge was to build a modern UI/UX design that applied automation intelligence to help deliver on our product. We wanted to have a seamless billing experience for professional service workers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Dreamten provided UI/UX direction to help us get the right product designs for our solution. One of the bigger deliverables was a UI kit that established set design standards. Our development team could then refer to those designs to quickly build a product that followed the same look.

It was definitely a collaborative engagement. We had an idea of what we were looking for and brought their team into some of the user interviews we were conducting so that they could hear feedback first-hand.

In addition, Dreamten delivered pixel-perfect designs for the initial modules that we’d built along with some illustrations to facilitate throughout the product and extending to the marketing side.

What is the team composition? 

We worked with a head designer, an illustrator, and a project manager who also happened to be the owner of the business.

How did you come to work with Dreamten?

I found Dreamten through an online search. We wanted to find an agency that was somewhat local to us, so it came down to them and a few other regional firms. Between their reviews on Clutch and their Drupal portfolio, we decided to work with them even though we’d never heard of them before.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost was less than $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project lasted between September–November 2020. They’ve wrapped up the majority of this initial project, but we’re probably going to engage with them again on some additional work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We wanted to see if we could get all of the scope outlined and done, both from a quantity and speed perspective. In the end, we felt that they brought a design perspective that we couldn’t see. They understood how to resolve challenging UX points and knocked out our tasks.

How did Dreamten perform from a project management standpoint?

We enjoyed their project management. They communicated with us frequently and kept us up-to-date on the project’s to-do list. All deliverables were tracked in Notion, and we provided feedback on designs through Figma.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What distinguished them was their specialized focus on design from a UI/UX perspective. Finding someone who could really set us up for success and had a UI style that aligned with our preferences were important. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing that jumps out.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d suggest having the clearest written requirements possible as well as ensuring end user availability so that their team can hear direct feedback. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m president of a hospitality software and distribution company that builds software modules for hotels. We also install, implement, configure, and support those modules as time goes on. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dreamten?

We’re in an investment phase, moving onto development soon. They helped us with design and branding during this stage. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We will offer about 25 total software modules, and their team was responsible for building an investor deck, brand website, logo, and general look and feel for about 10 workflow samples. 

Their UI/UX work for the investor deck was focused on attracting investments. They needed to explain our proposition, differentiate us in the industry, show what an investment in our company would look like, and showcase the product through ten sample screens. We provided them with rough sketches, and they translated them into final designs.  

What is the team composition?

Phillip (Founder) was my primary contact, but there were others working on the project.  

How did you come to work with Dreamten?

I was first considering about eight groups internationally. After narrowing it down to a few, I found that their team offered cutting-edge designs that would give a new look to the hospitality industry. That was exactly what we needed, so we hired them. We wanted to partner with a young, small, engaging company. They were willing to question and challenge my ideas when needed as well. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $34,000 on the work. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them from August–November 2020. Once we’ve secured funding, we plan to engage them again.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyone who has seen their work so far has praised it. People are impressed with the professional quality of their designs, which is exactly what I was after. 

How did Dreamten perform from a project management standpoint?

We met twice a week and set hard deadlines. They were never late and offered amazing ideas during our meetings. We appreciate their ability to hold themselves to a schedule— they truly overperformed. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Phillip has a great personality and is easy to work with. They ask the right questions and bring impressive contributions to the table. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they did a great job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know your product and communicate it. That will keep you from leaving too much to the imagination. We also met in person, which helped us collaborate and ask each other questions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a fintech startup based in San Francisco, and I’m a consultant.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dreamten?

We were looking for a partner to design an iOS application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Dreamten designed wireframes for our iOS app. We had a very detailed specification document, and they built to spec. They used Figma.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and a designer.

How did you come to work with Dreamten?

They had a solid response to our RFP.

How much have you invested with them?

My company spent $10,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We had a short engagement from April–May 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t been able to see the impact of their work yet, but the quality is good. They provided an interesting and fresh set of ideas. They were very easy to work with.

How did Dreamten perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything went smoothly. They communicated well. We used email, Slack, and Zoom to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were great at communicating, and they delivered a low-latency, high-quality end product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Any advice for potential customers?

It’s the same advice I’d give to anyone doing a design project: make sure you have the right details and specification document, and know what you want.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of application development. I report to the CTO of ConvergeOne, a $2 billion communication systems integrator focused on collaboration and digital infrastructure. We’re essentially a software development group, and we build IP for ConvergeOne.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dreamten?

We’re launching a new product called Conversations, which is a complicated digital engagement hub designed to work primarily in call centers, but it will work in pretty much any environment that involves interaction with customers.

We’d built software around integrating switches to Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics, and we had a UI concept for that. However, this digital engagement platform introduced a considerably larger set of functionality and features that needed to pile into a very tight space in a UI. Because our UI is embedded in a CRM application, there isn’t much space.

What we’d built from UX and usability perspectives needed a refresh, as we are at the stage of launching this product into general availability. The environments that we go into are extremely operationally intensive, so the UI requires a lot of manipulation; it’s key to the activity of the person interacting with customers. The features and functionality need to be easy to operate and assimilate, but also provide a very rich feature set.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Dreamten started from scratch with the features and functionality. They focused on UX and determined how users actually manipulate the UI. The team started off with really basic UX wireframes, which we then worked through together; we took a very collaborative approach.

We’re in the process of UI testing now. We’re still midstream in the project, but we’re very happy with what they’re doing. Assuming the relationship continues the way it is, there are a number of things that we’ll want to extend on the UI, so we’ll have an ongoing relationship with them.

What is the team composition?

We work with their whole team. We have standup calls twice a week with 3–4 people from Dreamten and 3–4 people from ConvergeOne.

How did you come to work with Dreamten?

There are a lot of agencies out there. We’d used one that was okay, but we knew we needed someone special because this is a very complicated project. We also wanted the company we chose to start with the UX, and then translate that into the actual UI and look and feel. That was an important distinction for us because a lot of digital agencies go straight to UI and look and feel.

I Googled UX/UI agencies and went through various reviews. I liked what I read about Dreamten. To me, Dreamten had the right sort of approach defined on their site as well as within their reviews. We called them up. We did get proposals from two others, but Dreamten was the clear choice.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’d been looking at various companies in the first half of the year, and then we began selecting in earnest in May. Our work with Dreamten began in June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We used the prototype of the UI today on a sales call with a major customer. We are at the MVP stage, and we’ll be launching this fall. The UI is what people see, and it’s the representation of the product; people don’t understand platforms and messaging. The UI is key in the success of this product launch.

How did Dreamten perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re a relatively small firm, so we get the attention of their senior people. They have a very clear project plan that they laid out in a statement of work at the beginning. We’ve stuck to that SOW. Not only do we have the two weekly standup meetings, but we’re also in a Slack group, through which we provide comments and input almost daily.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their focus on UX makes them stand out. They’re also great people to work with; they’re smart. This is an odd part of customer service, as it’s very operationally oriented. When people are held to one standard of deviation of being within 180 seconds of call handling, you can appreciate that the UI and its manipulation is critical — and Dreamten picked up on that extremely quickly.

Something else that stood out to me and has been born true in the project is that they understand application interfaces and interactive applications, not just web page design. They picked up on it faster than I thought they would. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Things are proceeding pretty much per or better than planned. They’ve been really flexible; we’ve thrown stuff at them, and they’ve adapted immediately. I have a hard time identifying any particular area that could improve upon. We’ve seen no problems at all in terms of their attention to our project.

Any advice for potential customers?

You need to be prepared for a collaborative engagement. You don’t just hand something to them and get something back. That isn’t a criticism; that’s the way these things really need to come together in order to be effective.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the creative director for a software company that provides secure governance and collaboration for file sharing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dreamten?

When I joined the company, we needed to figure out our voice and brand identity. As we started to define our brand, we noticed that our website needed upgrades. While we engaged another company to move our CMS, they weren’t design experts. Once we had our CMS in place, we reached out to Dreamten to help us define our brand from a website perspective and get us to the next stage of growth.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Dreamten came to the table with ideas and conducted competitive research. They looked at companies in our space to understand how we could compete. Their team reviewed our brand guidelines and learned about our direction such as the clients we wanted to pull into the company. Based on our goals and guidelines, they designed the platform. We had conversations about their recommendations and limitations presented by our company such as structures.

They’re slowly revamping our website. We can’t take the platform down to execute a major overhaul, so Dreamten’s tackling pages and sections at a time.

What is the team composition?

We work with a project manager and a primary designer. There are other people who work behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Dreamten?

I worked with Dreamten at a previous company, so I was familiar with the quality of their work.

How much have you invested with them?

Our initial scope was 40 hours a week for the first two months and then we scaled back to 20 hours a week. We’re spending about $16,000 a month on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We brought Dreamten on board in June 2020, and we’re still working together. We have several projects lined up with them. They’ll most likely work with us through the end of the year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When they come to the table, they present as experts. If what we want isn't the best choice for our product, their team tells us.

One of our developers looked at their design and said that it was the best design that was created for our company. That says a lot about their work.

We were satisfied with our last partnership until Dreamten came on board. They highlighted how much we needed but wasn’t offered by our previous vendor. A lot of our internal stakeholders not only commented on their speed but also noted the quality of their work.

How did Dreamten perform from a project management standpoint?

For one-off questions or requests, we communicate through a Slack channel. We also have bi-weekly check-ins. This prevents tasks from stacking up and helps them to iterate. We’re able to add stakeholders to the Slack channel and calls.

Their project manager and primary designer hear our feedback directly, which allows us to work much faster with every iteration. They listen well.

It's a collaborative effort. It's important to us that their team didn’t just say yes to everyone. Their team was able to parse through all of the voices and guide us towards what was helpful for us as a brand.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to strategize is invaluable. They don’t just come to the table and decide to interpret your vision. Their team took the initiative to look at our competitors and understand our customers to ensure we base our decisions on data. That’s valuable and takes time off of my team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’ve been happy with Dreamten. I only wish that they had more people so we could engage more of them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you just want a partner to develop a website, they’re probably not the team for you. But if you want an expert partner to give you advice, then Dreamten’s a great choice.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an IT software service company that does scheduling for healthcare providers. I’m the director of strategic initiatives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dreamten?

We’re updating the UI for our desktop platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re redesigning it for the most part. They’re doing a lot of work on the aesthetic of the platform. We started with about five screen and that expanded to about eight total. In addition to that, all the elements on those screens feature a lot of elements that are used throughout the site.

After providing the InVision design, they developed the CSS design files. They took it a step further by overlaying it onto our backend to see how it would look. From there, they did some editing. They helped make sure that it can work.

What is the team composition?

We worked exclusively with the owner and founder of Dreamten.

How did you come to work with Dreamten?

I found them on Clutch. We selected them based on reviews. They included a range for pricing information, so we chose three to engage with them in some initial conversations.

They were very passionate about the project and they drove a lot of ideas. They clearly wanted the project and were excited about helping us out. It didn’t feel like they were putting us into a pipeline along with other clients.

We landed on Dreamten.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2020 and they delivered everything in early May.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The desktop isn’t live just yet because we’re still wrapping things up on our end, but we’ve used their designs on the sales side. We’ve shown mockups and have provided demos on what’s to come, and customers love it. We love it internally. Before this, we were working with a really outdated style, and this is a big step up. They did a great job.

How did Dreamten perform from a project management standpoint?

They did very well. They’re very responsive and we had a good pattern going on. We spoke weekly at various times.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was really impressed that they were willing to do things that were outside the scope of the original proposal and contract. They weren’t nickel and diming us. They were very willing to engage with us. I know they would have loved to overhaul a lot more of the design, but we had to limit that because of our engineering capacity. We may have limited their creative genius, but they were amazing to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I know that the designer and developer were based overseas. It ended up being fine, but it wasn’t clear at first that they’re a remote or offshore team. Most of our interactions were with our project manager, and the few times we worked with the rest of the team, their English was fine. It just wasn’t expected.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

On our side, being responsive was really helpful. We were quick on feedback and were transparent about what we needed, and they appreciated that they were able to move forward. They’re definitely open to feedback, so let them know what you want.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a solutions architect at Data Management Inc. We develop web applications that help nonprofits manage their donor databases. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dreamten?

We partnered with Dreamten to develop a new UX design that our in-house developers could use to modernize our applications. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built several prototypes that our team used to select a final version that we wanted to proceed with. Their team helped us conceptualize how design and UX/UI should come together with our applications.

They did both design and development during the project. Dreamten also produced thoughtful documentation on the design system so we could better understand how it worked. 

What is the team composition?

My primary point of contact was Phillip (Founder, Dreamten). He acted as the general manager. There were two or three additional contributors who I interacted with a bit on GitHub. 

How did you come to work with Dreamten? 

We did a Google search for local firms and reviewed portfolios for the top results. Dreamten had the most impressive portfolio and the best reviews, so we reached out to them. 

How much have you invested with them? 

We’ve spent around $50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in June 2019, and we completed the project in February 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Dreamten was great at responding to feedback and incorporating it to produce a better product. We’re thrilled with the UX/UI design they came up with. We’ve also received tremendous feedback from our users. It’s setting a new tone for our company. 

How did Dreamten perform from a project management standpoint?

When they commit to a deadline, they stick to it. I can see them up in the middle of the night working. They do whatever it takes to honor what they say. 

We primarily used GitHub to manage the project, and we would have weekly Zoom meetings. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

What makes them special is the people make up the Dreamten team. Phillip is charismatic and passionate about each project. He has an amazing sense of leadership and is directly involved with the day-to-day operations of his business. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t feel like they should be in a situation where they’re having to stay up late to get work done, but at the same time, it is good that they’re willing to do so if necessary. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure your business has a strategy and you’re using UX/UI design to support that. If you have a product that isn’t selling, UX/UI won’t fix that. You need to have a good product, to begin with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I run digital experience at a direct-to-consumer air filter company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dreamten?

They function as our external UI/UX resource, helping us with our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us revamp our existing site, now offering ad hoc support as needed. Recently, we’ve been working with them to design new functionality that we’ll eventually take into our code. For every wireframe and design they build our for us, they also create a prototype version that helps us visualize an end product.  

What is the team composition?

I work with three people directly, including their design lead, UX lead, and principal.

How did you come to work with Dreamten?

They were brought before I started my time here. Our former CTO knew them personally and vetted them for quality. They’ve never needed to move in a different direction.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $125,000 on their services to date.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked with them since 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t been tracking many metrics, but we’ve done plenty of user testing on the products to make sure that people find them user-friendly and navigable.  

How did Dreamten perform from a project management standpoint?

We typically communicate at length over email, but we also use a Slack channel for quick questions. Because their office is a convenient two blocks away from us, we meet in person bi-weekly. For feedback, we’re able to make comments directly in shared Envision files.  

They often work faster than we need them to. Their team is also great at checking in with us to ensure that everything is being carried out well. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They always have a reason for each aspect of their site layouts. Their team understands how users behave.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since I took over the account, they’ve been great. They’re easy to get ahold of, and the quality has always been great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clearly define your goals. They can help you scope out deliverables if you have a good idea of what you’re trying to accomplish. For instance, providing them personas or audience demographics would really help them in their work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a health tech company that helps companies plan and design their clinical trials using artificial intelligence. I’m the director of product here.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dreamten?

We wanted to improve the UI/UX of our product.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Dreamten executed user flows and technical flows before creating wireframes and ultimately delivering a high-fidelity prototype. After constructing the UI of our product, they conducted user testing to gather feedback.

In addition to that, they consulted with us regarding the product’s functionalities. They provided an outsider’s perspective on how our service offering could be enhanced.

While we didn’t hire them for branding, they advised us on how to update our brand. They gave us some inspiration on how we’d establish our company style. They even rolled out a style guide for us to adhere to in the future.

What is the team composition?

I worked with one full-time teammate, and one part-time member.

How did you come to work with Dreamten?

I found them through Clutch, where I saw that they had good reviews. I reached out to them and felt comfortable with their abilities so I decided to move forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

I think we’ve spent $45,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December and the work is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received great feedback from users, who have praised it for looking way sleeker than other products in the space. We’ve heard great things about the product’s usability; since many competing products are extremely complex and require huge manuals, it’s great that people have found it easy to navigate. The engagement exceeded our expectations.

How did perform from a project management standpoint?

They were fantastic. While it might sound cliché, they really did feel like an extension of our own team. We called them “our” designers because they were always available and constantly communicative. From the very beginning, they showed a willingness to adapt to our processes.

I handled the formal side of project management, but we communicate daily on Slack and have 3–4 calls every week.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their technical expertise definitely exceeded our expectations. When we first hired them, we couldn’t find any robust portfolio of theirs, so we were taking a leap of faith. Their eye for UI/UX design has turned out to be phenomenal.

Their strongest suit, though, is integrating themselves into the company culture. They’re excellent communicators who will deliver upon all tasks before it’s due. They’ll bring up any issues they come across. They feel like they’re a part of your company—as opposed to an outsourced provider that may or may not deliver.

Are there any areas they could improve?

While it’s not their fault, we live on different coasts of the US, so the three-hour time difference is sometimes challenging. Performance-wise, there’s nothing I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take some time to familiarize them with your product, your people, and your processes. Once they gain a good understanding of your company, they’re able to run with it. Spend a couple of days—maybe even fly them out—so that you can have them be a part of your culture.