Goji Labs

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a Chief Delivery Manager and acted as a PM on this project with GojiLabs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Goji Labs?

We were aiming to release a basketball manager simulation game with Blockchain and NFT integration where users acquire players as NFT cards. We need some help to create a compelling and brand-new UI and UX design to merge the classical game (WEB2) and blockchain (WEB3) experience. Unfortunately due to the strategic reasons we had to stop the project just at the end of Design phase (we intended to continue with Development phase afterwards).

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We performed online search shortlisted GojiLabs to proceed. After few rounds of presentations we decided to go with GojiLabs.

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

In a very structured manner GojiLabs lead us through 5 stages:

• Discovery workshop
• Research
• Information architecture
• Low-fi design
• User testing
• High-fi design (not finished)

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

My team worked closely with UI/UX designers and managed by PM. In total we interacted with 3-6 people from GojiLabs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

GojiLabs delivered:

• Discovery workshop
• Research phase (User personas, market findings + insights, potential features set)
• information architecture of the game Website
• Low-fi design (15 interactive sophisticated screens)
• 2 User testings with focus groups
• High-fi design (not finished)

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

April, a PM from GojiLabs, was very communicative and well organized, proper communication helped to identify issues early and handle quickly. Meetings/calls had clear agenda with targets.

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

We were impressed with their willingness to help us succeed.

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

Deep dive into Blockchain industry , this is our future.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a personal recommendations platform, and I’m responsible for the overall business strategy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Goji Labs?

We engaged with Goji Labs on a complete UI/UX mapping project in order to figure out the structure and details of how we should implement our vision.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided Goji Labs with our idea and vision of what we wanted to accomplish, who the users of our platform would be, what value we wanted to provide to each user, and what features we wanted to implement. After that, Goji Labs held a series of workshops, where we put together a list of features, inputs, and outputs. Based on that, they were able to give us the flow and options for the UX, as well as what the screens would look like. 

Their team also engaged with our potential customers; they had interviews with them to validate our business plan, including the features and functions. They gave us feedback on the value that our customers were looking for as well. They were able to map everything out in the UI/UX using Figma.

What is the team composition?

We worked with David (Founder), Phil (Lead Product Designer), and their project lead.

How did you come to work with Goji Labs?

We found them through Google research and Clutch.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from April–July 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It is hard to measure, but the UI/UX always needs to be something new and create a wow factor. Goji Labs were able to accomplish that for us; the design they delivered was very simple and had an intuitive flow.

How did Goji Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management perspective, we had one or two engagement calls per week. They used Jira to show their long- and short-term plans for the project. Moreover, they stuck to the schedule 100%, and they clearly broke down the amount of work effectively. We used Slack and Google Meet for collaborative video calls and screen sharing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Goji Labs tried to validate our business plan, which we thought was unique. They weren’t just taking what we wanted and converting that into the UI/UX, but they went in-depth into what we were trying to accomplish with our business and even got feedback from our potential customers. Their team was also very knowledgeable about the latest UI/UX trends.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they can improve on. They were able to meet all of our expectations, and we had a very good working relationship with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Put a lot of emphasis on the preliminary workshops — get as many open points clarified and be specific during each workshop.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Director at VNSC.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Goji Labs, and what were your goals?

The VNSC app was created to streamline patient referrals and to provide excellent patient care in a timely manner. For so long the only way to request an appointment with a physician is to call the office, be placed on hold for an unspecified amount of time, and hope for the best. We know that this process can be daunting which is why we’ve created a unique solution for patients and physicians alike. Using the app takes seconds, all we request is your contact information and a reason for the appointment.

The app allows you to choose your physician based on the diagnosis you’ve provided. After the process is complete your physician and the office staff will receive a notification. Once received, we will give you a call to work out the details.

SOLUTION

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

We wanted a company with proven results, excellent references, examples of completed projects, availability, clear communication, and that aesthetically matched our vision for the app and web platform. We found all of the above and more at Goji. Their team was a pleasure to work with.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We frequently met during the project's design phase to discuss the app goals and objectives, we workshopped ideas and issues, then we began the research phase of the project, and we came up with an experience flow for an app user. Once that was complete we got design samples and very accurate Hi-Fi designs. Once the design was settled it was time for development to take over, we had a version of the app nearly weeks after. The team was very reliable and we were well informed of what goes on behind the scenes.

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

We interacted with a few different team members, from design, development, and administration. Our PM worked to keep everyone in the loop.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The app upon completion was gorgeous and efficient. It works exactly as intended. Everyone who has experience with it has been very pleased by the results.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We worked closely with many team members and the CEO, who was very involved throughout the entire development process.

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

The most impressive quality of Goji is its team. During design, we worked with Phil who was exceptional, he really heard our ideas and implemented them well. Our PM Birgitte was terrific, she was diligent and effective. She described each development step in detail, we learned a lot from her. The CEO, David, was involved in each step, he made sure that our vision, timeline, and goals were met. They were always available to answer any questions we had.

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

None.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CXO at TruConnect, a telecommunications provider of lifeline and affordable connectivity program services for low-income customers throughout the US. Over 48 million people are eligible for our services, and our goal is to bridge the digital divide. I’m responsible for product marketing and customer experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Goji Labs?

We had a sign-up process that we needed to update and improve to be more mobile-centric and apply best practices in UX design. Essentially, we were looking to improve the performance of our onboarding process and make it easier for customers to get through the steps. This was a complicated challenge, and we engaged Goji Labs to help us work through it because we didn’t have internal design resources.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Goji Labs is providing us with UI/UX design services. They’re optimizing our existing solution and all its underlying constraints. The team has worked with our technical and engineering teams to ensure they understand the challenges of our backend and then interpreted what we needed for the frontend design. As for technologies, they’re using Figma and FigJam. 

We started with a UX research phase where we did outreach to existing customers, and they worked to go through our existing UX to map out all the essential features that needed to be deployed. Based on customer feedback and UX issues the Goji Labs team encountered, we put together a plan to develop low-fidelity wireframes. We could quickly modify and edit these wireframes based on the core principles we wanted to apply as we explored a broad range of potential solutions, including a conversational commerce solution. 

Overall, we’ve used the Double Diamond methodology in this process; we started in the ideation phase and then narrowed the ideas down. Going into the implementation phase, we’ve also approached a wide set of possibilities and narrowed them down to our ideal solutions. The project is near the finish line; Goji Labs will only make a few refinements before the project moves to our engineers. 

What is the team composition?

We work with an account manager who oversees the entire project. Additionally, there are two core designers; one functions as a lead designer, and the other focuses on functional design. We also have direct access to Goji Labs’ owner. 

How did you come to work with Goji Labs?

I knew folks who were doing assessments of potential branding and marketing partners, and they recommended Clutch as a good place to discover quality reviews. I was looking for someone in the LA area who could work directly with our team to solve the sorts of problems we were dealing with, and Goji Labs had the experience. 

We vetted a couple of different providers, and Goji Labs’ goal-directed design approach marched our expectations; they had a highly collaborative methodology, taking inputs from cross-functional teams. Additionally, we liked that they were smaller, so they could prioritize our project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2022, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyone we've run the design by has been really encouraged by our outcomes. Goji Labs has provided greater detail into our customers' motivations, goals, questions, and problems as they get through their user journey. Moreover, the team has a high degree of empathy for the problem we're solving, which is super important in design solutions. 

Goji Labs has led a highly collaborative process. The team isn't afraid to let us know when they have feedback on an idea. They're ready to bring their expertise to the table and make a case for why we might want to do one thing versus another, which is super valuable. 

How did Goji Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team has done the bulk of the project management work, walking us from one design phase to the next. We meet twice a week and have a Slack channel to address questions throughout the week in real time. The team is highly responsive as we deal with challenges and technical considerations.

At first, we were under the assumption that the best way to make our collaboration work was to hash out ideas in person. However, Goji Labs has a way of working collaboratively online that's surprised us. We use Figma to crack the code on the asymmetric comments throughout the design process. 

Moreover, expectations are clearly set out, and they're upfront about how changes would impact schedules. They also understand our timelines and expectations for them. For example, at one point, we had many questions about what our customers might think about a given process. We asked them what the impact would be if we decided to interview 5–10 customers to get feedback, and they adjusted the schedule by 2–3 weeks. Ultimately, we've been able to come to a consensus on the right amount of effort to solve a problem.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm impressed by how nimble and upfront Goji Labs is. One of my biggest concerns with a UI/UX design project is a tendency to get stuck on a problem and circle the drain on it. While there are many laterals we could have gone down, Goji Labs doesn't get caught up in problems that aren't impactful to the overall project. For example, they weren't stuck in the research phase forever. The team has done the right amount of research to make good decisions but not a deep analysis that would take months we don't have. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We would have more in-person sessions in an ideal scenario. There have been a handful of times when getting to the board helped us. On other occasions, we've had to peel off our team to go through everything Goji Labs has provided to ensure we're all good. Although I would have liked to have met with them in person more throughout the process, it wasn't feasible.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear and upfront about your goals. Although Goji Labs is very accommodating and ready to solve whatever design challenges you throw at them, you should consider the impact of those requests on the schedule. They're very upfront, so make sure your goals are aligned.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Athlete Ventures. We offer technology solutions and services to universities and student-athletes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Goji Labs?

We were trying to build the MVP of a SaaS platform that universities and student-athletes could use, helping us centralize our business activities through it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Goji Labs has helped us develop our platform’s MVP. Initially, we had a research and validation phase where they helped me coordinate and facilitate interviews to understand our customer’s pain points and desires, helping us formulate our strategy. Then, we went into the design phase where we designed the platform and defined its MVP functionality based on our findings.

After the design phase, we moved into the development phase, where Goji Labs developed the MVP. As for the technology stack, they used Ruby on Rails to build it from scratch. Now, they’re in charge of the platform’s maintenance and hosting.

Our platform is a marketplace with three user types: sponsors, who act as marketing directors; student-athletes, who act as influencers and make money based on their name; and universities. The platform helps connect athletes with sponsors, facilitates contracts, and allows transactions through a Stripe API integration. Additionally, we use our platform to route the contracts to the student universities for approval to ensure they meet the state guidelines.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with Dylan and Phil (Product Designers), Suasit (Product Manager), David (Founder & CEO), and two developers.

How did you come to work with Goji Labs?

I found them through research.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $325,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2021, and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We launched our platform around a month ago. Although we haven’t onboarded a significant number of users yet, we’ve seen some increased traffic to our site. We didn’t have something tangible to sell before, so this platform has given us credibility in the market, resulting in more sales conversations.

How did Goji Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management perspective, we were a bit delayed and over budget. We use Notion to manage the project and Slack, Zoom, and phone calls to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Goji Labs’ strengths are their ability to work fast and put themselves in our shoes to understand what we’re trying to achieve. They’ve taken the project into their own hands and done their own research to come back with recommendations. They’ve done the latter very well, helping me open my eyes and remove the bias I had about the project before engaging with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would have been great if Goji Labs had done additional due diligence and was more transparent about the timeline and budget.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have clear goals in mind and align the project’s roadmap with those goals so that everyone moves in the same direction.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the Chief Data Officer for ALPHA Facilities Solutions. We’re an architecture and engineering firm providing facility asset management services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Goji Labs?

We wanted to build a corporate website that could be edited and managed by our marketing team that doesn't have any web development experience. Our goal was to be able to change or upload content with minimal effort.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Goji Labs developed our website from scratch using the WordPress framework. We asked their team to design the pages in a way that was more text focused so we could describe our services clearly and in detail.

The site has been launched, and Goji Labs currently provides hosting and maintenance. They also act as our consultants and are specifically involved in helping us design and develop any major updates and changes.

What is the team composition?

We’ve mostly worked with David (Founder & CEO), who also does most of the consulting with us.

How did you come to work with Goji Labs?

Goji Labs developed a website for another company that we happen to work with. They were a highly recommended agency to work with, and we liked what we saw on their website, so we decided to engage them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $30,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in Q1 2019, and they’re still providing maintenance services to this day. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website came out really nice, and Goji Labs has done a great job of developing everything quickly. We’ve launched successfully with little to no issues. 

The website now allows us to make very quick edits and changes ourselves. Even without any technical experience, I’m able to go in, tweak the content, and easily publish whatever has been saved. We consider it a big success that we’re able to independently operate our site without the need for a third party. 

How did Goji Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Anytime we ask for something, Goji Labs responds quickly and responsibly. They provide us details on matters we’re uncertain about, and they make sure that we get what we really need as opposed to getting what we think we need. Their ability to meet deadlines and present quotes are all very good as well.

We mostly communicate through email, but we’re able to see any changes or updates they make on the website itself. That’s usually how we work back and forth, with them updating the pages and us going in to update the content. We also do video and phone conferences from time to time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed by how we get to interact with the decision makers, and I believe that’s owed to the size of their organization. We can do things a lot faster because we’re working directly with the people who can make the necessary changes for us. David’s involvement is also very assuring; it’s how we know we’re going to get good quality services.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. This is our first time going into a project like this, and Goji Labs has set the bar. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be sure to know what you’re looking or asking for. It helps to draw it out or put together a visual representation using screenshots, mockups or even just Word or PowerPoint documents. This will make it easier for your development partner to project what you’re looking for. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a mobile technology company in the digital gaming space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Goji Labs?

We needed someone to design an elegant mobile application on a swift timeline.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Another company had started the project, so Goji Labs picked it up, improved it, and completed it. They did 90%–95% of the project.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with four people. We have a project manager, a backend developer, a frontend developer, and some other people pitching in here and there on different aspects.

How did you come to work with Goji Labs?

I think we found them on Clutch; it was either that or a personal reference. We initially vetted about 20 companies, then made it into our top five. We went with another company to make our discovery for the mobile app design. They did a decent job, but we didn’t think they were the right company to continue development.

We went back to our other finalists, and Goji Labs was the best and most capable for the project. They had all the skills we needed, good technical expertise, reasonable pricing, and they could deliver the project on time. All in all, they were a boutique developing company — we’d work with the decision-makers and get a high level of service.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent roughly $225,000 at this point.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2021, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Goji Labs was consistently on track; we got what we wanted under time and budget. Also, the early feedback from our user base is that the experience is excellent, so it’s exactly what we intended it to be.

How did Goji Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is excellent. We mainly communicate through Slack and have weekly meetings on Zoom. If we need to, sometimes we can do phone calls as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The first thing is that they’re a boutique developer, so we’re getting high-level products without working with a huge company. Therefore, we receive terrific service. Moreover, they have ample resources for our projects, and it’s helpful to work with the people who run the company.

Also, Goji Labs has a great designer, and it’s hard to find places where they can deliver on time. Most people run over the deadline.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve been more clear about how the pricing would work in different project phases. Overall, they could’ve communicated a bit better, but these are nitpicking. We don’t have many critical things to say.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate clearly and regularly about what you want and stay involved — that’s worked for us, and the results have been good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Goji Labs?

We needed to design the UX/UI of an app, so we hired Goji Labs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We did workshops with Goji Labs to help them understand what we wanted to build. We also mapped out the user journey. The team did user research and predictive analysis to determine if the idea was valid and would stick in the market.

What is the team composition?

We worked with David (CEO), a product manager, and a UX designer.

How did you come to work with Goji Labs?

We found them on Clutch. After speaking with 5–6 companies, we chose them for their honesty, creativity, and the fact that they asked questions that challenged us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $55,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–July 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Goji Labs delivered an engaging, colorful, and fun UI/UX, which is exactly what we wanted. The quality of the graphics and high-fidelity screens was excellent. 

How did Goji Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

They didn’t meet the delivery deadline or stay within the budget, so there was room for improvement in this area. However, the team brought a lot of ideas to the table and worked as an extension of our team. 

They used Notion for project management, and we used Slack, Figma, and phone calls for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re extremely creative and detail-oriented with their UI/UX.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve managed the timeline and budget and laid out the plan better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear scope, and stay on top of things to ensure you meet your deadline.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior director of marketing at MedTrainer, a healthcare compliant technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Goji Labs?

We were addressing various challenges. Essentially, our website was deficient.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Goji Labs built a very robust site for us, which included 150 pages. They built all the functionality that we wanted and implemented a modern look and feel with animations and movement while keeping a high page speed score.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with two people from Goji Labs’ team: David (CEO) and Birgitte (Project Manager). Additionally, a few more people were working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Goji Labs?

We worked with a design agency to create a completely new website for us, and they partnered with Goji Labs to develop the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $20,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–June 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The fact that Goji Labs was able to launch a website as big and with as much functionality as ours without compromising its speed was amazing. We had speed scores of 98 on the desktop version and 90 on the mobile version.

How did Goji Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Goji Labs was really great to work with. They offered a great balance, making us feel like we were working with an enterprise-level vendor from a skillset standpoint while providing the one-on-one support of a small company.

Communication was one of the best parts of our engagement because they were very flexible about it. We used Slack and had one-on-one meetings; it was always very easy to communicate with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Goji Labs offered the skill set and processes we expected from a large development company while providing us with a personal approach.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m not sure if Goji Labs could have improved on something. They were great, and a lot of the challenges came from us not being prepared enough. David did a great job preparing us, and he and his team went above and beyond their developers’ role to ensure that we were ready. They also were great at letting us know about things before they happened.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you get time with both David and Birgitte; they’re both really great.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the president of a direct-to-consumer financial services company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Goji Labs?

We were losing a considerable percent of visitors through the process of filling account paperwork, funding accounts, and making initial investments. We hired Goji to develop an improved UX to address this opportunity and increase returns on acquisition spend.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched nationally for top UI/UX design firms, with a focus on those with experience in complex applications like finance and insurance, consumer-facing, with a rigorous methodology and testing-driven philosophy. Goji's engagement style fits our needs well.

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

The project team did a round of internal discovery, making sure to document the current process as a base for changing flows, including moderated testing with existing users. They then sketched out flow diagrams of alternative orders/different ways to acquire the same information/etc. That evolved into lo-fidelity wireframes, which were then used to conduct moderated and unmoderated testing and uncover any new problems they introduced.

Those wireframes were refined based on feedback, then expanded into high-fidelity designs, with constant refinement along the way, including one additional round of unmoderated testing. The result was a thorough and well-document Figma project with all screens needed to move to implementation.

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

We had a main project designer who did most of the lift. He was joined by a supervising project manager on almost every call, who also put in some input to the discussion. The owner joined early and late in the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were pleased with the quality of the work that came out of the team, including their willingness to challenge our assumptions and their own along the way. We have not yet implemented the new design, and that is ongoing, but have confidence it is an overall improvement from our current setup.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team communicated well, with regular check-in meetings as the central point for discussion. They came to every meeting prepared with findings, new designs, and discussion items. The asynchronous feedback asks, especially on finer details of exception planning (missing data, failed validation, nuances of certain account types) could have been better handled with more frequent between meeting asks. But, overall, very professional without unnecessary pomp in the way of progress.

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

Their distinct focus on testing early and often, making sure to hear what real users had to say about a flow, was exactly what we were looking for and was quite hard to actually find.

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

Asynchronous feedback between check-in meetings, using forms as simple as copy docs and text notes, would have cleared up misunderstandings earlier than waiting to see them in the next design rev at certain very detailed and nuanced intersections in the project.