Dworkz

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Technology of Chinese American International School

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Independent PK-8 Mandarin Immersion School in San Francisco, CA

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Redesign our website
• Build a more robust and accessible website platform for both technical and non-technical staff
• Streamline website hosting costs and operations

SOLUTION

How did you find Dworkz?

Referral

Why did you select Dworkz over others?

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

What was the size of Dworkz’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

We engaged with Dworkz to redesign our web presence and the associated CMS. Our key goals were to build a multi-language capable CMS that would be easily accessible to non-technical staff, to do so on a platform that allowed greater access and flexibility for IT and feature augmentations, and, most importantly, to rearchitect our UI and content with a focus on prospective families rather than the "catch-all" approach our old site had taken.

After nearly a decade of legacy content building, this was no small task!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Successful porting of all relevant content
• Visually appealing new design and UI in accordance with existing style guides
• Robust, extensible CMS available to handle immediate and future feature/content needs
• All content areas must support both Chinese and English, sometimes simultaneously.
• Rollout to public prior to beginning of 2023-24 enrollment/application season
• Integrate where necessary with existing school systems
• Design that works in both desktop and mobile devices without sacrificing features

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

Dworkz was incredibly responsive and patient throughout the project. They did a great job of gathering information up front, and consistently delivered prototypes, designs, and demos on time and beyond expectations. Communication was steady, friendly, and thorough. They were upfront about any items beyond our initial agreement and worked with us on both timelines and features with flexibility and professionalism. They were fantastic to work with from start to finish.

What was your primary form of communication with Dworkz?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

In addition to top-notch deliverables, Dworkz laid back, but 100% on-point communication and scheduling was truly impressive. They absolutely embodied agile principles without becoming mired in process or process adherence. They also did a fantastic job of bridging the communication gap between our technical and non-technical stakeholders. I loved their work style -- professional, level, steady, and always with an eye on "what's right," instead of "being right."

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

I couldn't have asked for a better partner in this project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a SaaS application and startup. Our aim is to give people access to mentorship, professional development, and job opportunities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with D.Workz Interactive?

I needed help building a scalable, automated platform. My colleagues and I were able to build out an MVP but eventually needed some more advanced help.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They scoped and estimated the project by creating a list of issues in Jira. Once they provided a cost estimate and we decided to work together, they started the server-side and front-end development work. I was creating designs independently, so we worked together to align visuals with the functionality they were building. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with a partner, a project manager, and a few developers.

How did you come to work with D.Workz Interactive?

My sister-in-law works in computer science and had come across their company on her own. She recommended them as a potential partner, so we reached out.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent under $50,000 on their work.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The additional modules have been working through their agile development style. We’re able to see continuous delivery and testing using that method, which has helped us see results early.

There was more complexity to the issues than their initial estimate accounted for, but they were able to show flexibility with me and not charge for the unforeseen work. That was remarkable because I’m operating on a pretty fixed budget as a bootstrapped company. I appreciated their recognition of that.

How did D.Workz Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

Using Jira as our project management software has helped us stay on the same page. If need be, we communicate through Skype as well. They’re responsive, so they’re open to answering questions during sprints. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve been very flexible in scheduling meetings and communication. We’ve been able to move forward efficiently because of their prioritization of communication.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind. I was happy with their service. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have the project details, logic, and screens created upfront. No one will understand your work better than yourself, so communicate requirements clearly. That’ll maximize the efficiency of the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the senior vice president of creative content and digital media at a marketing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with D.Workz Interactive?

We most recently reached out to D.Workz to help us come up with an AI solution requested by one of our clients. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first project I worked with D.Workz on years ago involved developing a web-based portal. They created a rich media experience that allowed us to improve our engagement with site visitors. 

More recently, they've been working on an AI solution for one of our clients, and we're in the process of pitching some of the ideas they've come up. 

What is the team composition? 

It depends, but I've worked both one-on-one with their senior leadership team as well as members on their development team. We generally communicate every couple days and they've been very proactive about following up with me to make sure everything is staying on track. 

How did you come to work with D.Workz Interactive?

I believe I came across another website D.Workz developed and reached out to them based on the quality of their designs. 

How much have you invested with them?

The first project involving web development was under $10,000, and our most recent project hasn't been budgeted yet since we're in the process of pitching solutions to the client. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since May 2006.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They're very talented at creating effective digital experiences. In addition to the positive feedback we received from visitors to our website, the site also performs well on Google. Their designs perfectly blend technology and creativity, driving more engagement and time users spend on the site. 

How did D.Workz Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform phenomenally well. They're willing to play out any idea we have and come up with creative solutions for achieving it, so we can always count on them to support us in any endeavor. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a “yes, and...” mindset. They'll take any idea you throw their way and come up with creative ways to both achieve it and improve on it. Their only rule is to make the end product awesome. I love that they think without boundaries in that way. Having them as partners gives us the confidence to promise our clients we'll always pursue new and innovative ways to come up with solutions for them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I've been happy with their services across the board. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Feel comfortable going to them without all the answers, because they're great about brainstorming and coming up with creative, strategic solutions. The whole point of working with an external firm is to be able to broaden your in-house abilities, and they're exceptional at doing that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an online telemedicine platform and marketplace that creates an ecosystem for doctors, patients, and products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with D.Workz Interactive?

It’s hard to find technical help from a design and creative standpoint. As a startup, we don’t have enough money to hire in-house staff, so we have to go out to agencies and studios to find people.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

D.Workz guided the entire design process. They came up with the underlying structure and provided extensive wireframes. While we used the in-house resources of an investor to develop the product, the layout was built to the specifications set up by D.Workz. Additionally, they’ve recently updated some designs for me.

What is the team composition?

I spoke with 5–6 team members in the beginning. Michael (Technical Director/Co-Founder, D.Workz Interactive) served as our project coordinator. We were also assigned a skilled UI/UX designer and a few back- and frontend developers.

How did you come to work with D.Workz Interactive?

I’ve found that most vendors overpromise and under deliver, which can cause problems for startups. We considered D.Workz along with a handful of companies. It was clear that they were different than other studios, so we hired them right away.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $20,000-$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2017 and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were recently picked up by a celebrity venture capitalist (VC). While their PR team has done extensive work to fine tune our digital presence, they found that D.Workz Interactive’s designs were already professional and on par. This is unusual, since our VC insisted on substantial redesigns for our other products.

How did D.Workz Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

Unlike other studios I’ve worked with in the past, they produce quality deliverables on time and under budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In addition to their strong design skills, they’re very knowledgeable about the development process and make themselves available, answering any questions I have.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have no negative feedback.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re a quality studio, so feel free to trust their expertise.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president of software engineering for Tickeron, a financial services and tools provider for retail investors and traders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with D.Workz Interactive?

We needed help designing usability solutions. We provide a complex set of business elements (like portfolios), which can be used in a variety of ways, and we didn’t know how to make the process easier for users. We’d partnered with a few different agencies but hadn’t had a good experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

D.Workz has done a few different projects, one of which was redesigning our existing user interface. Our internal team developed the initial version of a module in our web application that manages, reallocates, and analyzes portfolios. However, it was basic and hard to use, so D.Workz began working on it.

We explained the business details, created an account for them on the platform, and walked them through the steps a regular user would take. They then came up with a style guide and found a solution for presenting the same functionality in a completely different way—one which was usable. After a few iterations, we came up with a decent solution.

What is the team composition?

We interfaced with D.Workz’s founder and creative director, who employed 2–3 people for the design work. He made all the usability and creative decisions that his team implemented.

How did you come to work with D.Workz Interactive?

A friend (who’s the CTO of a startup) recommended them. D.Workz had helped him make good usability decisions, which was exactly what I was looking for, so we met with and hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, the total cost is between $50,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since September 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve made guidelines, standard component sets, responsive pages, etc. I’m pleased with their work.

How did D.Workz Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

We made the major project management decisions. They met our expectations and managed their own subcontractors and employees well. We originally used Skype for communication, and a standard project management tool along with a mockup tool for design exchange.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re able to solve complex usability problems that others can’t. Their major strength is business application design—it’s what I recommend them for.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be beneficial if they created movies and other kinds of marketing materials.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Don’t be afraid to explain the business logic behind your application. D.Workz will understand those concepts, which isn’t the case for 90% of similar vendors. They’ll be the most useful if you treat them as a full member of the product management team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m CEO and co-founder of Jurni, a video journaling application focused on authenticity and emotions. Part of the reason why I built this platform was to provide a safe place for people. They can journal about the things that they don’t normally talk about on other platforms, whether it is a pregnant mother going through pregnancy, an individual training for a marathon, or someone that just wants to speak their mind. Jurni is a platform that democratizes the storytelling process.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with D.Workz Interactive?

I’m an avid producer and consumer of content on social media. Some of the fundamental problems that I experienced were the fact that a lot of the content that we were consuming and producing were reflections of who we wanted to be, not necessarily who we really were as people. Creating an authentic medium for interaction and storytelling via video was the primary problem that we wanted to solve.

The starting premise of it is you have to have a design of the application, a prototype, to be able to prove the value of your product before you actually spend big bucks developing. Establishing a relationship with D.Workz meant them working collaboratively with me to create a user interface and experience that rung well with the branding that I co-created. That was the premise of why we reached out to D.Workz.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

D.Workz is a design firm and they also do development services. The service that we leveraged from them was the design services. A couple of individuals from their team worked very closely with us to design the entire application. That process entailed me prototyping it, drawing it out, sketching it, and working very closely with them. We figured out each screen one by one and created a user interface and experience that worked. This entailed designing everything in the app and wireframing. We created flow maps to make sure that the entire application was in line with the experience that we wanted. It also entailed doing some creative thinking to make sure that our product was being designed with cutting-edge innovation.

There were several phases. The first phase was sitting down with our team and understanding our vision for the product. We communicated this via the wireframes, prototyped images, and sketches that I developed. They took those and they created an actual design for the app. They designed the entire app for us, but their work did not include developing services. It was just designing the application so that the user interface offers the experience that we wanted.

This happened in phases. We broke up the project into 10 to 15 different segments—the public feed, the private feed, profiles, comments—and we split it up into the major features of our app. They designed based on the features that we wanted. Every time they completed a feature, they would check in with us. We would provide feedback and they would iterate. Once the entire project was completed—in the span of 2 months—we did one overall rundown of the entire application. After making final adjustments to the design, we handed them off to our development team. Our dev team then essentially coded the design into something real.

How did you come to work with D.Workz Interactive?

Design work is probably one of the most tedious and important parts of creating an application. That’s because it’s really a matter of having a product that works well with users. Users should think that it is beautiful, easy to use, and functional. For us, outsourcing that part of the project was not an option. We wanted to keep it inside of America, specifically the San Francisco Bay Area. After vetting 10, 15, 20 different organizations within the Bay Area, I felt most comfortable with Stas. Mainly, that’s because of his ability to work on a retainer basis with us. He was also realistic with his timelines and our budget. The type of work that he’s done in the past gave us faith that he could deliver on his word. The other big thing is there was a lot of references they gave us and a lot of different projects they worked on, and they’ve proven that their design leads to positive business value. After several months of vetting, making sure that the communication was proper, we ended up with D.Workz. First, because of their work ethic; second, because of their honesty and authenticity; and lastly, because of their track record.

How much have you invested with D.Workz Interactive?

I don’t know the exact number, but I believe it ranges from $20,000 to $25,000 so far. This is for design work and follow-up features that we’ve had in the past 8 to 9 months.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from August 2015 to October 2015. Once we had all of their completed work—this is the initial design of the application—we then took it and handed it off to developers overseas so that they could develop the app. We ended up finishing the entire app December of 2015. We tested it January 2016 and released our product in February. Since our launch, we’ve gone back to D.Workz for several different features that we’ve done for our product. There have been about 6 or 7 features since February that required hefty design work and we went back to D.Workz for that work. They managed to deliver all of those features on a timely basis the way we expected.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can’t regurgitate everything people have said, but if you just go to the App Store and look at our reviews, there’s about 76 positive reviews, 5 out of 5. A lot of them talk about the design of the application, and how well it flows, and how easy it is to use. That’s a testament to their work.

Secondly, just general feedback, whenever we onboard people onto the app, we’ve gotten approximately 8,000 organic downloads and about 50% of our users are active. This is all organic growth. We haven’t done any elaborate marketing campaigns or anything. It’s just been organic niche communities telling each other about it and them highly engaging with the app. That’s a testament to the design.

With design, it’s very tough to put metrics on because it’s such a subjective thing. Everyone has a different opinion of a product, but we’ve done a relatively good job of making sure that the design is neutral. We’ve also made sure that it appeals to anyone that comes on and it’s easy to use. The metrics, downloads, engagement activities, as well as overall feedback, actual reviews, and what people tweet and message on Facebook, all of that’s been positive.

How did D.Workz Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

It was excellent. There were no communication barriers. Their team was very honest and upfront. Every time I’ve needed to talk to them, they’ve been available. Every time there’s been a deliverable, they’ve clearly communicated. The assets and the content are always provided in a timely manner. They’ve never missed on a deliverable. When they say they’ll get it done, they do get it done.

What did you find most impressive about D.Workz Interactive?

It’s their overall ability to really believe in the projects that they take on. They have an interesting approach. They make sure that the project that they take on is something that they’re very passionate about. That’s what separates them from a lot of different other organizations. Other organizations tend to take on projects that bring in the revenue, but for Stas and the rest of the D.Workz team, it’s more so to see a vision through and see it become something successful.

Their overall belief in the projects that they take on and their ability to care for the success of the project is what really brings value to the table. There’s a lot of candor in their feedback. They’re fearless with giving the responses that normal founders wouldn’t want to hear. I would sometimes want certain design features and they would bring in their expertise and say, “This is probably not the best thing for your application. It might not lead to the most optimal thing.” Their ability to be honest and open about those things is what really makes me love their work.

Are there any areas D.Workz Interactive could improve?

None. I’ve had a very positive experience. There’s been no room for error. They’ve always been open with communication. I can’t really think of anything right now on the top of my mind that I would say they need to improve. For me to say they need to improve on something would just be forcing it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder and CEO of ParleyPro, a cloud-based construction negotiation platform. We help companies make their contracting fast, transparent, and more collaborative.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with D.Workz Interactive?

When we approached D.Workz, we didn't have a product in place. We just had an idea for a product. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

D.Workz was very instrumental in helping us conceptualize the product. First, we approached them with a PowerPoint presentation that documented our ideas. They created the UX processes and were able to transform our vision into a real product. We now have a cloud-based platform where businesses can upload their contracts and conduct negotiations. In addition to that, we have a reporting module where we provide visual analytics to help our clients manage contracts and their negotiations.

They developed the interface of the platform and were very instrumental in the way it looks and feels right now. D.Workz now acts as an adviser to our company. They perform audit and provide recommendations on how to improve our platform.

How did you come to work with D.Workz Interactive?

Initially, we interviewed 10 companies. What attracted us to D.Workz was the clarity of their thinking and the clarity of their previous work. We really enjoyed the project that they were involved with previously because it matched our expectations for our product.

How much have you invested with D.Workz Interactive?

We spent $50,000 to $200,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on our product around March or April 2015. While the project has been completed, our engagement with them is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We do have feedback from customers and industry leaders that the UI they created for is extremely beautiful. The first thing the people mention when we're showing them the product is how beautiful the UI is. They comment that it is clear and innovative. Plus, people find it easy to understand everything on our platform. That's the first thing that people mention to us about our product.

How did D.Workz Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

It was excellent. They never missed a deadline. The project was delivered on time and on budget. We worked directly with one of the co-founders of D.Workz and he was superb. We used Slack and Jira to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about D.Workz Interactive?

They are committed to their client's success, that's why we selected them and why we continue working with them. They're extremely professional and produce high-quality work. On a side note, they are very nice people to work with. Our experience with them was superb.

Are there any areas D.Workz Interactive could improve?

Not really; we were extremely pleased with their work.