EIGHT25MEDIA

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a startup based out of Fremont, California.

What is your position?

I’m the president and one of the founders of the startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with EIGHT25MEDIA?

We’re introducing a portable security solution into the world which runs off solar energy rather than needing power from the grid.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

EIGHT25MEDIA is doing the website and also working with us from a marketing standpoint. They are working on all of the content as well. We give them what we think makes sense, and then they look at it from the customer’s perspective. Then, they determine what would be compelling for a customer to see and read. So it’s a dual-stage project.

How did you come to work with EIGHT25MEDIA?

We reached out to four or five Bay Area web developers, and ultimately ended up working with EIGHT25MEDIA. They were the closest to us geographically. On a personal level, I liked them the most. I mostly liked the look and feel of what they showed us as a demo. So it ended up being an easy decision to do business with them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The range is between $20,000 and $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together at the beginning of the second quarter of this year. As a company, we are going live to the world on October 21st, and the website will go live in parallel with that.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I haven’t seen the final product yet, but I’ve seen most of the wireframes. In terms of customer satisfaction, I am at the high end of the chart. I’m very happy with the work they’ve done and with everything they’ve shown me so far, and I know I’m going to be really excited when it actually goes live.

EIGHT25MEDIA was able to come up with something that everybody in the company is very happy with.

What distinguishes EIGHT25MEDIA from other providers?

I’ve been in business for myself for the last 20 years, so I’m all about the service side of things. What I do is never primarily price-driven; it’s all about the service and the relationship. That’s where I’m the most satisfied with them. It’s a great relationship and excellent service.

Is there anything EIGHT25MEDIA could have improved or done differently?

I don’t really have anything that could help them do what they’re doing any better.

We weren’t in a hurry to launch the site, which kind of worked against Rehan and his team. When they would request information from us, it would often take us a week to get the information back.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're an investment firm, and we invest globally in Internet media companies.

What is your position?

I work in our corporate development department.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with EIGHT25MEDIA?

We were doing a rebrand, so we asked them to work with us on a website redesign to use for customer acquisition.

SOLUTION

How did you come to work with EIGHT25MEDIA?

I wanted someone with a record of delivery of good quality work. I think the most important things on these types of projects is having someone with depth of experience, who is just sharp, and who I could work with very easily. EIGHT25MEDIA met these requirements.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

I think we'll probably spend around $100,000 with them this year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together early this year, and we're still working together. They're now developing an internal app for us, which is going great.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I have nothing but positive things to say. The team is extremely strong and very thoughtful. They marry good execution with an understanding of the latest trends. They were very much able to deliver the product for us. We haven't launched the site yet officially, but the work is excellent.

What distinguishes EIGHT25MEDIA from other providers?

EIGHT25MEDIA understands the underlying business trends, and are very business goal-focused. They knew how to translate ideas into others things we could do.

Is there anything EIGHT25MEDIA could have improved or done differently?

No. I just hired them again. I'm pleased with them. They're great.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a provider of commercial satellites, with experience building and integrating some of the world's most powerful and complex satellites and spacecraft systems.

What is your role at the company?

I am the IT (information technology) software application manager. My group is responsible for enterprise applications that are more engineering–focused, rather than finance or administrative. We have started a new push to build web applications using the MEAN [MongoDB, Express.js, Angular.js, Node.js] stack.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with EIGHT25MEDIA?

We needed expertise in UI/UX [user interface/user experience] for new web application development. When we started down this path, we had one person who had done some web development on his own, but being engineering-centric, he had no UI/UX experience. I wanted to build a portfolio of applications that had the same look and feel and were easy to use. EIGHT25MEDIA brought an external perspective to the group and has created some great looking and easy-to-use applications for us. They create the HTML and we hook up the logic and back-end. I added more team members, so now we have six full-time developers.

We currently have many legacy databases with dated front ends. We wanted to take advantage of the rich web application environment and give our users quick access to information from many different types of systems. We also wanted a user interface that was familiar by today's standards. We kicked off three major projects: standard database, real-time monitoring of equipment, and engineering compute engine. Completing these three projects would give us expertise to tackle most new projects that we needed to work on.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Our first project was a database to house all unit test data throughout the company. There are four classes of users for the system:

1. End users – These users package accepted test data into deliverable data to the customer.
2. Customers – These users access the delivered data.
3. Unit test engineers – These users upload their test data and review the data to make sure requirements are met.
4. Data analysis engineers – These users download data and process results to perform analytics on the data.

One end goal is to automate the upload of data and produce automated data analysis tools.

How did you come to work with EIGHT25MEDIA?

It was through a Google search. I started with a small PO [purchase order] to design a simple front end for the database project. We have since done six more designs with them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The database project is an ongoing project. EIGHT25MEDIA portion was around 80 hours.

What is the status of this engagement?

The database portion was completed in September 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We are just starting to use the system. We won't have metrics until we get all groups using the system. We currently have rolled it out to two groups in the company. This system will put all unit test data at the same location for the first time in the company. Once we automate the upload of data, we will save hours of tedious manual work. Also, we will have data integrity by removing the human element in the loop.

We are very pleased with EIGHT25MEDIA. We work with a single design person who captures our requirements and provides unique solutions for the web apps we are building. He is able to look at the problem from an outsider's perspective and simplify how our users interact with the system.

After the first project, we started another six projects. Five are still in development and the designs are getting better.

What distinguishes EIGHT25MEDIA from other providers?

EIGHT25MEDIA is able to listen and create a system that fulfills user requirements. They are terrific in the UI/UX department and that offered a lot to helping us solve our problems. For our team, they fill our need to design rich, easy-to-use web applications.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve, or things you might do differently?

For the database project, I would have had more design reviews of the actual system we built. Because it was our first system, we let our engineer have too much freedom on the UI. He changed some of what EIGHT25MEDIA gave us and started adding features before we reviewed them with EIGHT25MEDIA.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are located in Silicon Valley, and we are an analytics company serving a vertical market.

What is your position?

I am a co-founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with EIGHT25MEDIA?

We needed user experience and visual design services for an application we were building.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We build vertically focused analytic applications. So we first engaged EIGHT25MEDIA last summer to design the first version of our application. We also used them for our corporate website, but the bulk of the work is on designing applications, and different variations of applications.

How did you come to work with EIGHT25MEDIA?

It came through a referral. We were on a short timeline, so I trusted the referral. We confirmed that they had done something similar in the area of analytics and dashboards, and we got going because we really didn’t have much time.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

A ballpark figure would be an average of 100 hours a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

I believe the relationship began in June of 2014, and we are still currently working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The reaction from their work has been great. I think EIGHT25MEDIA has ensured that we have a high level of fit and finish, and polish, to the applications. They are innovative in the design and they’re very clean. It shows off as a very clean design and a modern application.

What distinguishes EIGHT25MEDIA from other providers?

I would say their flexibility, quality, and responsiveness stand out. I think at this point we are on a common wavelength. Their understanding of the analytic applications domain has become quite good.

Is there anything EIGHT25MEDIA could have improved or done differently?

There is nothing so far. They’ve been a great partner to us. We couldn’t have achieved some of our success without them, so I have nothing but positive things to say about their whole team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

Our company manufactures instruments and software for life sciences research.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am a vice president, and I am responsible for all the commercial activity, including sales, marketing, and business development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with EIGHT25MEDIA?

We wanted to develop an outbound marketing strategy, more of an upgraded Web presence as well as inbound leads. EIGHT25MEDIA helped us with that strategy and the appropriate media placement, information content development, and creating the website.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

EIGHT25MEDIA did the website work, branding, media content for the website, and integrating everything with Salesforce for the project.

What was your process for selecting EIGHT25MEDIA with which to work?

I had worked with them while at a previous company. When I came to my current company, we needed a new website and an external online professional, we went with EIGHT25MEDIA.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

We spent around 50 to 75 [hours].

Is the work ongoing or completed?

The work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

They did a great job in delivering the content and getting the website up and running. They worked with our internal team to launch all of the deliverables. It's too early to have any metrics just yet. We're very happy with the website that they developed.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

EIGHT25MEDIA has a very high level of interaction and business strategy branding. They provided more than just a website.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Can you please provide a brief description of your firm.

[We are] a software company in the analytics space. We provide log analytics to large companies like IBM and EMC. We are a SaaS software service log analytics provider.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I'm no longer with Glassbeam. I was a VP of products and marketing. I was responsible for all of the products and marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for that project? What was the business challenge that they helped you address?

What we wanted to do with the website as well as general marketing was to increase the level of awareness for analysts, stakeholders, and prospects. We were hiring a sales team.

We wanted a lot of compelling content with presentation on the Web. That was when I brought EIGHT25MEDIA in. It was not just a design of the website. It was more thinking through how we would position, what we would talk about and where we would highlight work, and actually planning the whole flow of the messaging in the presentation. We had planned all of the messaging. We had a PR firm. We had builders solidify our messaging and then we brought EIGHT25MEDIA in to help us with the flow of what kind of imagery, what kind of structure for the website.

SOLUTION

Can you describe the services offered in more detail?

I would say three things. The first part is basically the messaging strategy for the website, which includes the flow of how a website should look like based on the messaging and the kind of audience that we have. That was the first part. The second part is coming up with the old template and the flow and the information for an old ad, and then the actual design of the website and the html and setting up the WordPress CMS [content management system]. It was a full-fledged effort.

They also handled integrating with inbound marketing tools, so we used Hotspot as well as Salesforce. He made sure that all of that was integrated well. The lead that we were capturing would flow into Hotspot and Salesforce.

What was your process for selecting EIGHT25MEDIA for the work?

We actually had another company that we were working with on the website. We ran into some pretty big issues. Once they hosted our website, our website was hacked, and that's when I started looking around. EIGHT25MEDIA was given as a reference, and then I checked out the portfolio for mobile as well as application development.

We have plans to do some application development as well. Once we talked to them, we realized that they could do more than just app development because given our messaging, EIGHT25MEDIA could actually help us build a website which catered to the audience that we were interested in. They could help us think through how to bring different elements of our messaging in the website. That's how other vendors would typically expect us to tell them exactly what the pages are and where to place the content.

Is this project completed or is the work still ongoing?

We had a big PR launch last October. That was the first version, and then we had another phase completed in the middle of November. October and November were the big timeframes.

Can you give a sense of the size of that project with a general cost range?

The cost is confidential, but it was a significant project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics you can share from the project?

The team was very excited about the new site. We never had a professional website and this is more than just professional. We had a lot of customers say really good things about it. On the quantifiable side, we doubled our traffic and we had a lot of referrals. We had leads coming in from different articles, which was one of our goals for the website. We were getting into the medical device field, and so we had a lot of medical devices to sell.

The metrics were strong because we were able to get a new round of investment. The board had to feel good about all the new sales metrics.

Is there anything else unique or special about them as a company that stands out for you as different from other firms?

EIGHT25MEDIA is helping me with another startup venture. It's more than just a website. Nowadays, a website can also be an application. They really understand user flow and applications. That's a huge differentiator for them because they have developed mobile apps and Web apps. When presented with a business idea and target audience, they can think through how the website should look like and what kind of text and imagery should be included.

Looking back on the work, is there anything that you think they could improve upon or something you might do differently?

More attention to detail is something that they have worked on. They are working on their QA [quality assurance]. Those are the things that have improved through experience. In terms of creative design, they're top notch.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your firm.

We are a self-guided tool that helps users create their resume online.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the founder and run the operations of my company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for the work with EIGHT25MEDIA?

Our goal was to redesign our resume building tool and have a whole new user experience with added features, and that’s what we accomplished.

SOLUTION

Can you describe the services offered in more detail?

They did a whole new user experience with the front-end as well as the backend in a new database. How the user sees the site and how the site actually works on the backend is completely different and we’re very pleased with the way that worked out.

What was your process for selecting them for the work?

With most Web designers [or] SEO experts, you can call or email. Our experience during the years is about half of those people will respond. Out of those that respond, many aren’t knowledgeable. The team at EIGHT25MEDIA actually looked at our site before calling me. While I was on the phone, he was actually looking at our site and talking to me about what we could do. That’s a big reason why we went with EIGHT25MEDIA.

When was the project completed?

The project is completed. It was finished six months ago, but I have used them for updates and support. Even though I have asked for extra work, they haven’t charged me.

Can you give a sense of the size of this initiative with either a general cost range?

The cost was between $25,000 and $35,000 for the site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Are you satisfied with their work? Do you have any statistics or metrics that you’ve tracked to measure success?

Our conversion rate has increased as a result of the new site. We had about 0.75 percent conversion rate from all of our users to actual sales. That’s doubled to about 1 1/2 percent conversion rate. The time on site and page views per user was increased. Our bounce rate went from 48 percent to 32 percent.

We’ve had good increases on all major metrics. We’re very pleased with the result of the new site. The simplicity of it has really helped our users.

Is there anything unique or special about EIGHT25MEDIA as a company that stands out for you as different from other firms?

Yes. Their responsiveness to my initial calls is refreshing in this line of work. They’ve always been responsive. They always deliver a timeline with their response as well if they can’t fix it right away. We’re very pleased with them.

Is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something you might do differently?

I’m satisfied. I really don’t know what they could have improved on. Obviously, nobody’s perfect but they’ve satisfied me completely. I don’t really have any suggestions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are a manufacturing distributor of high-end consumer decorations that mainly revolve around aquariums.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the president of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with EIGHT25MEDIA?

Our goal was to improve our Web presence, our visibility, and to make our website more appealing to the eye that reflected the quality of our products. We wanted the site to be more user friendly.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work?

EIGHT25MEDIA helped us with the design of the site. They took our feedback and helped us implement a new Magento shopping cart. They added some bells and whistles that made everything easier to update. They advised on some different solutions that we could use.

What was your process for selecting EIGHT25MEDIA with which to work?

We interviewed about eight developers, and we narrowed it down by price, value, and the people we spoke with. We selected EIGHT25MEDIA because we liked the people there a lot. Sometimes, you don’t know what you’re going to get in Web development. I liked the fact that they seemed accountable, and they were. Their value proposition was much better than the other competitors. We got premium services at a reasonable cost.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

It was about a two- to three-month project to go live.

When was the latest milestone completed for that work?

The first iteration of the site was completed in 2011, but we’ve been working with them to do some updates.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

We have received some positive feedback about the quality of our site. It eased the sales cycle. When a customer is thinking about making a large purchase, they feel better about the site. It has improved our sales and conversion rate.

How did EIGHT25MEDIA perform?

I am very happy with EIGHT25MEDIA, which is one of the reasons why we continue to work with them. It wasn’t an easy project, and they delivered what they said they would. From that standpoint, I have very good things to say about them.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

The involvement of their account manager stood out for us. Everybody has an automated system and a project tracking tool. It's hard to get results because everything has to be put in the system. I liked the personal involvement, even after the project is completed. They check in with us to be sure we're happy with it. They remind of us certain things we need to do. Especially for small business owners, you need someone who is accountable and follows up on tasks that you need to complete.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

Setting more realistic expectations would be helpful. They are a local company with offshore capabilities, and they are very forthright about that. I liked that about them. I don’t think there is much they can improve upon. I like the fact that they are always looking for ways to improve their delivery in their solutions. I’m still working with the same people as before, so they’re definitely doing something right there.

We ask you to rate EIGHT25MEDIA on a scale of one to five, with five 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Department Head of Easyweb Soft

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Software

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire EIGHT25MEDIA to accomplish?

• Web Design
• Web Development

SOLUTION

How did you find EIGHT25MEDIA?

• Online Search
• Clutch Site

Why did you select EIGHT25MEDIA over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from EIGHT25MEDIA were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

EIGHT25MEDIA developed a website for an AI company.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Get their response and affirmation

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

Their service is still very good, delivery is very timely, and any problems can be solved in a timely manner

What was your primary form of communication with EIGHT25MEDIA?

Virtual Meeting

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

We are impressed with their high efficiency, quick response, and responsible employees

Are there any areas for improvement or something EIGHT25MEDIA could have done differently?

They did a great job, they don't have anything left for now

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Head of Operations, AI Platform

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

WordPress Website for Machine Learning Company. We are a machine learning startup that provides embedded artificial intelligence (AI) to empower companies to build the next generation of intelligent connected products. I am the head of operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire EIGHT25MEDIA to accomplish?

• The goals of the new site were met with a more professional look and an improved explanation of what the company does. 
• Our old website did not offer a lot of in-depth information about the company and was created using a basic Squarespace template that was not very visually compelling. We’re a growing startup, and wanted a new, more “mature” site that would help attract potential customers and investors. We wanted something to effectively convey our story and showcase our technology and applications/use cases.

SOLUTION

How did you find EIGHT25MEDIA?

• Clutch Site

Why did you select EIGHT25MEDIA over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget

How did you come to work with EIGHT25MEDIA?

We found EIGHT25 through an online search for top Bay Area design firms. We wanted to find a firm that was not only talented in brand and design work, but who ideally would already be well-versed in our industry (AI/machine learning). That was a big selling point for us.

How many teammates from EIGHT25MEDIA were assigned to this project?

• 2-5 Employees

We were assigned an account manager, Gishan [Project Manager, EIGHT25MEDIA], who was awesome to work with. I also worked a lot with Jacob [Strategy, EIGHT25MEDIA], who advised us on creative direction and design. Jacob was also very knowledgeable about our industry and quickly picked up on the various elements of our technology platform.

This was instrumental to the success of our project as Jacob was able to easily advise us on how to take a complicated technology and present it in such a way that is exciting and accessible to our key audience.

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

We were on a pretty tight deadline when we approached EIGHT25. We had a conference coming up a little over a month from the time that we had our first conversation with their team, and wanted to have the new site up before then. EIGHT25MEDIA did an awesome job of kicking off our project quickly.

Within the same week as our first phone conversation, they sent two people from their team to meet with us in person at our office to do a deep dive into our product/technology and discuss next steps for the project. The site is built using custom WordPress. We did a “phase one” launch of the website in time for the conference, which included three pages.

We’re still in ongoing talks with them about developing a few additional pages to complete the site (that were not needed by the original deadline).

How much have you invested with them?

We spent somewhere between $20,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off the project in September of this year, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Due to our tight timeline, we had to turn around content from our side quickly in order to meet various design deadlines. Gishan (my project manager) and I had many phone calls—several outside of normal working hours—in order to ensure that deadlines were met on time throughout the entire process. We had a shared Basecamp account that we used to communicate with each other and share updates.
• EIGHT25 also used an app called InVision to present the page wireframes and design mockups of each page. These tools were great because with InVision I could go in and make comments directly on the pages, and the designers could see my feedback and reply back in the same thread.

What was your primary form of communication with EIGHT25MEDIA?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

Are there any areas for improvement or something EIGHT25MEDIA could have done differently?

here were occasions when we wanted to make changes to something that had already been moved into design, and we were met with some resistance from their designers because of the time and effort that it would take to make these changes.

We were on a very tight deadline, so we knew we had to be careful about keeping revisions to a minimum, but there were a few situations where we felt that something could be changed easily and were surprised to hear that that wasn’t the case. Not sure how that could have been improved upon, but it does come down to communication/setting proper expectations about the design process at the start of the project.