The Gradient

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I'm a co-founder of a British startup. We have a beta application in the marketplace and are working on a full commercial app for an end-of-the-year launch. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Gradient? 

We needed outstanding UX/UI design for our startup. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

We extended our brief to make the engagement ongoing. They are helping us with UX/UI design, marketing architecture, and creating marketing assets. We are coding in React Native, first for a mobile app, and then for a web app that touches across different sectors and verticals without conforming to B2B or B2C. 

What is the team composition?

We interact with the founder, his UX/UI design team, and the co-founding partner, who coordinates with the marketing team. 

How did you come to work with The Gradient? 

We researched vendors using a number of criteria via references, Clutch ratings, and Google searches. The Gradient's website appealed to us as we assessed prospective firms. We also had a competitive tender process that went out to more than 12 international firms. For the tender, our team provided the beta product's functionalities, our objectives for the commercial platform, and our plans for the platform. The vendors then had to produce an artistic vision for our app from a UX/UI design perspective. 

The Gradient's pitch impressed us because they produced it within five days and managed to stand out from the competition. Their proposal contained stupendous UX/UI elements while being relevant, funky, and commercially-attuned to our needs. 

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working with them in March 2018 and the partnership is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They understand the commercial element while being very creative within the bounds of execution. The team pays a high level of attention to detail to different iterations of functionalities; they also ensure the app design loops. Our team and stakeholders love The Gradient's work. 

Although the app isn't live, we've previewed it; the app received positive feedback for its ease, simplicity, originality, and elegance of design. The app is far from completion, but we've already expanded our portfolio of business because we were so impressed with The Gradient's progress. 

How did The Gradient perform from a project management standpoint? 

They are more efficient than other agencies we've worked with; the team is outcome-focused and will not waste the client's time. When we request them to input functionalities, The Gradient always asks critical and practical questions about that data. Overall, the team asks great questions to safeguard performance, such as for closing loops for specific UX/UI journeys. They are not just disciplined themselves, but also ensure that our team is disciplined as well. The teams use Slack for daily communication, Jira for project management, Zoom for conference calls, and email for organizational matters. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

They are simply outstanding & we believe they are at Top 1% agency- their future is very bright. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

The Gradient has honestly stated that they prefer to partner with local marketing content specialists for specific geographies and segments in order to properly execute social media and content strategies- a very mature approach. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Prospective customers would need to drop any pre-conceived notions about offshoring. The Gradient is a first-rate team that beats the competition. Clients should give them a try- they will not be disappointed (unless this review goes to their heads).

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder and CEO of an e-commerce platform that provides healthier daily consumables for the Asian market. Our content-based resources help users understand what it means to live a healthier life. As an e-commerce firm, we sell products that match those values. When we first launched, our product had a strong emphasis on products for young parents and their kids in Hong Kong. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Gradient?

I needed a team to support the UX/UI design for our e-commerce platform. Our engagement with a previous vendor had not worked out. They left midway through the project and a major piece of the homepage was completely untouched. We hired The Gradient to help us deliver the best possible online shopping experience for our customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

During our first call, we discussed the UX for the home page. The Gradient created an entire UI kit that would skin up the whole product. We gave them basic wireframes to work from for some specific sections of the site. They had smart suggestions for other sections of the product. They designed the home page section from scratch along with 70% of the entire site’s UX, and close to 90% of the UI.  

They did such great work that we expanded our engagement. Even for other pages that were mostly complete, we had to tweak details so the entire app looked congruent. Adding new pages and updates impacted the rest of the platform. As part of our requirements, they designed wireframes each time they reworked existing elements.

What is the team composition?

Olena (Founding Partner, The Gradient) served as our project manager. I really enjoyed working with our UX lead, Dima. He expanded our perspective and generated amazing new ideas.

We worked extensively with Simon (Product Designer, The Gradient) who was introduced as our UI designer. The Gradient’s designers must be able to work on both aspects, so he contributed to the UX work. One of my colleagues collaborated with a business marketing- oriented professional.

During the fast-paced development phase, two of our in-house team members worked with four resources. As we moved into the UI stage, we scaled our team down to two once we agreed on the kit and general look and feel.

How did you come to work with The Gradient?

We limited our search to third-party contractors only. A good friend of mine recommended using them. He liked them so much he actually reviewed them here on Clutch.co. Since I really trust him as a reference, I started this project without too much hesitation. Notably, The Gradient was extremely responsive. They scheduled our initial call just 15 minutes after my reference sent the intro email.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent close to $20,000- $30,000 if not more.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since October 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Gradient built our entire platform. Prior to working with them, we didn't have a live product. Overall, we got feedback that their designs and overall site UX are quite an upgrade compared to local e-commerce sites by agencies in Hong Kong. Accomplishing such good feedback is both a testament to what The Gradient has done and a critical reason why we launched our business.

How did The Gradient perform from a project management standpoint?

Whenever The Gradient knew we had a tight deadline, they worked diligently to quickly deliver great work. They took their responsibilities seriously. During our initial intense design sprint cycles, we worked with a large team. We held 1-3 videoconferences on Zoom daily. We only worked with one designer during the UI-focused stage, so the pace slowed naturally due to resource allocation and the nature of work.

It’s easy to collaborate over shared Slack channels for daily tasks. We both understand the time differences, and they only use emails for invoices. We've been working with a smaller team on more of a project basis since the app launched because we haven't started major upgrades yet.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Of all the agencies I’ve worked with, they have the most focused UX expertise. The Gradient can help your business ideas mature, which makes them a great partner for startups. They really understand the startup world and how to work with clients who have fewer resources and experience. Even when things change, they'll discuss the best path forward and support you every step of the way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The Gradient is a stronger team in terms of UX than UI. They could benefit greatly from the client perspective if they kept UX and UI separate. Those are two very different profiles of designers. Having one person do both may help with resource allocation, but it sends a different message in terms of professionalism.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you have less experienced working with agencies, make as tight a brief as possible. At the same time, The Gradient won’t make you less of a priority if you don't have the scope fully planned out.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the president of a live streaming software and service company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Gradient?

We wanted to build a consumer mobile app, so we were looking for a company to handle everything from the design to the prototype.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had the idea and the concept for the app, so we worked with The Gradient to create wireframes, including a mind map with expected functionality. Then, they created the full design and high fidelity prototype. They also developed our logo, app screens, and interfaces. Finally, they put everything together and produced the deliverables that our developers could take and implement.

We were building the app for iOS and Android simultaneously. This is a social gaming platform, which lets people play games, create content, and interact with other users. The Gradient is currently helping us with our marketing objectives.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with a project manager, a lead designer, a designer who was responsible for creating mockups, and a marketing expert.

How did you come to work with them?

We found them through a Google search when we were looking for an agency in Ukraine. We talked to 12 different companies, but The Gradient seemed to understand all of our needs better than others. They had expertise in the field and their presentation was very solid. In addition to caring about the design, they wanted the product to be successful when it goes to market, so we decided they'd be a good fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2018 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had a very positive experience. The app hasn’t launched yet, but their part of the project is completed. They delivered everything they said they would, creating a complex mind map that had all the possible scenarios that users can generate.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very responsive and we always felt like we're their priority. We had some challenges around the changing deadlines, but that could be expected because our project is rather complex. We used Trello, Skype, and Zoom to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a highly skilled design team that understands the market. It was a pleasure to work with them. We never had to make any major changes to the designs, which is impressive since they're a remote team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They do their best to turn things around quickly, but we like to follow specific processes for approval, without skipping any steps. We had a conversation with them about that and everything went smoothly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear plan about what you want to accomplish and give them as many details as possible. We're looking forward to continuing our relationship with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of a language learning app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Gradient?

We were developing an app that uses movie clips to teach languages, so we were looking for a vendor to manage UX/UI design for the app and design our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I gave them the wireframes for both the app and the website. They managed all the design, while our in-house team handled the coding. In addition, they designed an app icon and a logo.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with their founder and the designer.

How did you come to work with them?

I found them through a Google search and I liked their portfolio. Also, I read the reviews that they had on Clutch.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2018 and the project was completed in March 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was very happy with their work. I spent a week in Ukraine and we met every day. After those in-person discovery meetings, the project went very smoothly.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive and usually got back to me within a few hours. We made some changes to the project after it started, so we missed some deadlines, which I had expected. We used Slack and Trello to communicate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have some very strong opinions and they’re willing to fight for those opinions, which I find refreshing. I used some overseas teams that executed what I asked them, but they didn't add anything to the project. The Gradient was trying to find the best way to handle the project and I appreciated that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Sometimes I had to reiterate my ideas several times to find a balance between my ideas and theirs, but that was not their weakness and contributed to us getting the best product.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Our project was successful largely because of the in-person discovery week we were able to do. When I met them in-person, I realized that they really cared about our product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a software development company that helps seniors stay in touch with technology, family, friends, and caregivers. I'm the CEO and owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Gradient?

We had in-house engineers and software developers but we didn't have UI [user interface] and UX [user experience] designers because we don't need them every day.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They organized a 2-day workshop to learn what the product is about, the target group, and the business model. It was quite complicated because we're targeting seniors. At the end of the workshop, they came up with a high-level idea of how the app was going to look and what they recommend.

The next step was creating some kind of wireframe that showed the features in more detail. They also created demos so we could try the navigation to see if it makes sense in terms of navigation and simplicity, which are important points from a senior's perspective. Based on that, there were several iterations. 

They came up with the final design, which we tested many times. Then, we continued with the company-owned view and a whole package of screens.

What is the team dynamic?

I was in direct contact with 3 people: the CEO, their UX designer, and a project manager. In the later stages, we actually didn't meet too often. 90% of meetings were with the CEO and the UX designer. 

How did you come to work with The Gradient?

We researched across the European market for companies providing UX and UI services. We contacted 5 companies in Ukraine and I met all of them in person to understand how big they were and meet their people. From my perspective, having a personal touch—even when you work remotely—is very important. That way, I can make sure that I am on the same level as them.

Out of those 5 companies, I felt The Gradient was the best. I gave them a few tasks and they always delivered on time. I also appreciated their relevant questions, so I decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent $20,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started discussions in mid-August 2017 and the first version was delivered in mid-September. The next version was almost delivered by its milestone at the end of 2017, but due to lack of preparation on our end, it wasn’t.

Our product is not a one-time product. It's based on user feedback, so we still have updates. We also have another small project with The Gradient based on our product, so we're still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It has helped our developers a lot. Now, if there any questions or issues with UX or UI, we always ask The Gradient.

At the very beginning, they provided us with a range of perspectives, so we had a chance to see different opinions. Being in the business for several years can be like being in a tunnel; you can't see the outside world, so their input was helpful. However, our product is quite specific. When they came up with solutions, such as for navigation or features used across the application, it's a different scenario. This was a little challenging for them as well, but hopefully, it's helped them too.

How did The Gradient perform from a project management standpoint?

In our first meeting, we discussed what the project was going to be about, and then in the second meeting, we established the weekly schedule. They came up with the timeline and we had weekly iterations. Of course, there were some changes along the way, as always.

They always discussed the project with us on our level. There were no issues with communication from my perspective.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Communication is key. I cannot compare them with other companies, but their approach to this type of project made sense. Sometimes, I had expectations that things might be done sooner, but, in general, there were no issues. It's software development, so things always change.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would welcome it if they could come with ideas on how to change the product—if they could tell us what they think might be good or useful, then we could make more informed decisions. We’re really involved in our business, so having external opinions and know-how is very helpful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Dedicate one person as The Gradient’s key contact. That was very helpful; it moved things forward.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder of an AI-driven chatbot that is helping to build vision and value-driven companies. We are based in San Francisco.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Gradient?

The chatbot talks with employees to understand and define the level of employee experience during the workday. We have all that data, which is mostly question and answer, and we needed to process it into analytics. The visualization of the analytics was the biggest challenge for us because we had a lot of indexes, and we needed something that could be analyzed at first glance. There's not time for management to dig into the numbers for three hours. They need to look at the dashboard and understand what is going on with the company. There is a lot of data, and it is renewed daily. Our main need was to design the dashboard for mobile and desktop. We are mobile first and we are passionate about mobile experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Gradient helped us to understand that we needed a landing page to create the brand of the chatbot. The chatbot has her mood and attitudes, and we needed something that could reflect it. We're not promoting the company, we're promoting the solution.

At the beginning, we spoke with them only about the design. As we progressed, we understood that we wanted them to make the implementation. We have finalized the landing page, and they are making the frontend for us now. We started development in mid-December.

We don't have any design resources. We used to work with some freelancers, but we were not happy with that experience because we needed a bigger studio to contribute the design including the concept, the flow, user journey, etc. The tool itself is new to the market; no one else is doing this, so it's hard for one person to get everything done.

What is the team composition?

We work with one designer for the landing page and one designer for the dashboard. We also work with someone who is concept-driven and someone responsible for business development who contributes her vision. We communicate with five people in total, but there are likely more working in the background.

How did you come to work with The Gradient?

We were analyzing markets in Ukraine because we knew there were great companies there. We found three potential service providers from which we were choosing the one to help us with our solution on the frontend and visualization sides and everything that is connected to the user experience and design. The Gradient had the best offer for the startup because all the other companies are used to working with bigger companies on long-running projects. As a startup, we had a different need. We liked their proposal and road map. We looked into their references and work that they've done, and we liked it so we decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $30,000 so far. I believe there will be additional work later.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since October 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're iterating and going through the free market test phase where you learn what you will be based on a fast iteration. They helped us understand our solution and the analytics better. We understood how we wanted the user experience to be, why we wanted to be vivid, why we wanted to be active. They contributed to the core of the startup. We have all the output, design, concepts, landing pages, etc. We finally got the concept of the experience of the communicator itself. We had the mind before, but now we understand the face.

How did The Gradient perform from a project management standpoint?

We decided to go with Gradient because they showed us fast, iterative sprints. We have something every week that we can see and touch, and we provide our feedback. The total sprint of three weeks sounded great to me. We are presenting to IBM in July so they gave us extra resources, which was very helpful. It's been great, and I enjoy working with them. We are mostly working as their communicators. We don't work via e-mail because it is faster and more convenient. We know what we are getting.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like that they are young in spirit. We are a startup, and we are vision-driven to change the world for the better. We want to contribute a lot, and we understand that what we’re doing contributes a better employee experience. We enjoy that they are not executing or outsourcing for us; they are part of our startup now. They think about what we need to do based on our vision.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There is always room for improvement. My biggest challenge is the difference in the time zone because we have a 10-hour difference. To have a live conversation, we have to make adjustments, so it's either late for them or early morning for me.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I started by asking them for things with strict requirements, but within a week's time, I understood that I wanted to share the bigger picture of the project. This is something that should be done from the beginning, specifically when it is about design. When they see and understand it, it's much easier to work on the little details. Bringing the concept to the table helps them to understand the business value of what we are requesting and why we are doing it. It helps to build relations that result in a fruitful output.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Novalume develops luminaire lighting and control systems. I’m in charge of the technical side, software, and user interface [UI] development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Gradient?

We’re building a new UI for our light control system as it needed updating. Our end users are municipalities that use the software online to control the lighting systems.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They took our ideas from the conceptual level of descriptions on napkins to a functional design that can be implemented by the coders. They started out by doing simple wireframes and built it into a sketch of the design. Then they polished everything and put the icons in place. They did everything with the user flow and handed it over to the coding company.

What is the team dynamic? 

There were 3 people working on the project. We were in contact with the project manager and he involved the necessary people.

How did you come to work with The Gradient?

We already have a company in the Ukraine that helps us with software development. We had to do this UI design and they said they knew a great team. We trusted them and went with The Gradient.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in August 2017 and was completed in October. We are not currently working with them on any projects.   

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The design is coming online soon. Internally, we’re very happy with it.

How did The Gradient perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very precise and came back to us for feedback. We gave them a deadline and they kept us updated. There was excellent communication throughout.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really enjoyed the way they worked together with the technical guys who were going to do the implementation afterward. We ended up with a design that was really easy to implement.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I haven’t worked with them enough to see any weaknesses yet.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They worked very well with the technical company that was close in proximity to us. I thought the dynamic with them was excellent. In the other company, we have a very firm project manager who handles all the projects and he was helpful in managing The Gradient. They were also good at that themselves. If we didn’t have access to good project managers, it wouldn’t have been as good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Full Circle Telemed is developing the telemedicine platform for mental and behavioral health. I’m the operations officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Gradient?

We needed them to perform the UI/UX design of the web portal for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We developed a detailed technical documentation for the project beforehand, with the technology stack and user stories. We hired them to work with the tool, InVision. They helped us design every possible feature of the UI and passed that set to the backend developing team, which is another company.

They've done a great job making the designs useful for understanding what we’re doing and why, as well as transferring that information to the backend developers.

What is the team dynamic?

Their CEO was directly involved in the conversations. When we had critical things to discuss, he was always available. Two of his designers were involved as well.

How did you come to work with The Gradient?

When we prepared the technical documentation, we shopped around, requesting proposals from several prominent IT companies from Ukraine. The Gradient were nice people and easy to work with. It wasn’t a random choice at all. We'd heard good feedback and knew they were a great company.

How much have you invested with them?

$12,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August of this year, and the work is ongoing but scheduled for completion by the end of November.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s an extremely intensive operation. We spent so much time putting together the technical documentation, it was easy to miss details sometimes because it’s impossible to capture everything. I was surprised at how quickly the whole Gradient team got into the details of the project. They've suggested many nice features we eventually discussed and decided to use. They've been proactive, well organized, flexible, and responsive. They've been good at helping us and explaining things we potentially could've missed.

How did The Gradient perform from a project management standpoint?

We use email, calendars, UberConference, Zoom, or video conferencing for screen sharing. Their side handles most of the project management, and they have very talented project managers. They help get everything we need for project documentation, tracking the whole process and making sure we don’t forget things like requirements for stability metrics. We implemented all the suggested tools with them with no problems.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their management structure is nice and strong. Denys [CEO, The Gradient] is very talented. His way of managing his equally talented designers is favorable to the client because they have a lot of experience. It’s cool working with companies who have developed several other projects before, as startups require an agile and responsive approach. There wasn't a single request they couldn't implement.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have no idea what I could suggest because it wouldn’t be professional from my point.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a startup email marketing automation service based in Ukraine. I’m the marketing content manager, and I was the one working with Gradient.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Gradient?

We were planning to develop a new, more advanced version of our product, and were looking for an agency which could handle our UI/UX scope. We had completely new branding, identity, colors, and features. The old version was a bit outdated, and because we were launching a completely new scope of advanced features, we decided to have brand new designs as well, bringing it more up to date.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gradient dove deep into our project from the beginning. The first task was working on the UI/UX of the prototype version. We proceeded to the marketing scope of work, including logos and landing page identity. They handled everything from prototypes to implementation.

What is the team dynamic?

Each week, we had a call with Gradient, and deliverables were based on weekly sprints. We had multiple small tasks like email design, and Gradient hired additional experts for help with these. The core team in communication with us consisted of their CEO, the marketing person, the UI/UX specialist, two designers, and two developers. In total, there were 8-10 people in charge of our project.

We were in constant communication over Slack, and had weekly calls through Skype.

How did you come to work with The Gradient?

I looked for agencies with experience working with startups. We were launching our product on the European and U.S. markets, so the partner had to have experience with those markets as well. I found Gradient in a list of top agencies in the U.S. They were one of the agencies who accepted the project, but they were also excited about it. We started the collaboration almost immediately, after several calls.

How much have you invested with them?

I am not the financial person, so I’m not sure about the numbers. I estimate that the total cost of their work was between $10,000 and $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Gradient in May or June 2017. The main scope of the project (the development of the product itself) has been completed. We are still working on some marketing tasks like the landing page and logo.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The version created by Gradient was fully approved by us. We haven’t launched it yet, so I couldn’t tell you the real results in terms of how it impacted our users or how the market reacted to it. From our side, we’re completely fine with whatever Gradient suggested and created, as well as with the deadlines.

How did The Gradient perform from a project management standpoint?

There were no problems in terms of communication or planning timelines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s hard to pick a single aspect, but I believe Gradient’s biggest strengths are in terms of UI and UX. We’ve been fine with the process from the beginning.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They had multiple experienced people on the team, and were able to provide multiple choices around whatever we asked for. Everything was fine.

UPDATED REVIEW

The review was updated on February 11, 2019, by Igor Solovyov (Founder & CEO, TriggMine). The original start ratings were: Overall - 5, Quality - 5, Schedule - 5, Cost - 5, NPS - 5. The new content is below. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Triggmine, a marketing and automation platform for e-commerce.

What challenge were you trying to address with The Gradient?

We went to market in 2017 and decided to rebuild our UX/UI shortly after that.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our platform is a user dashboard that’s similar to the frontend of any server. Gradient rebuilt the UX/UI of our platform and our landing page from the ground up. We were looking to expand into new markets, and rather than doing so with a marginally better product, we decided to start over from scratch. They built the UX/UI based on user insights regarding the old platform and interviews with new users. After building a prototype, they developed the final version using Angular JS. We built the backend in-house.

What is the team composition?

We initially met with Denys (Co-Founder and CEO, The Gradient) and Olena (Founding Partner, Product Strategy & Marketing, The Gradient), and mainly worked with them. They assigned a UX designer to the project, and I believe there were also several business analysts and project managers involved. They worked directly with our marketing team.

How did you come to work with The Gradient?

We shortlisted five companies based on internet research, and our marketing team connected with them and reviewed their portfolios. Gradient had experience building interfaces for US and Global markets, which is exactly what we were looking for.

How much have you invested with them?

The project had two parts: UX/UI and development. The former had a cost of about $30,000, and the latter, about $50,000. The whole project cost around $80,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June until November 2017. We’re about to start a new project with them as well. 

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

Issues caused by the previous interface were hurting our reputation with users. Because the new interface is better-looking and easier to understand, conversion rates and number of users have both increased.

How did The Gradient perform from a project management standpoint?

We developed a roadmap in Google Sheets and had deliveries about once a week. They were direct about their timelines and integrated well with our internal team. This was critical, as we had to connect the frontend they produced with the backend we built internally. We did have a one-month extension, but projects like this always require more work than initially expected. Working with them was quite easy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their extensive design experience was invaluable. We’ve worked with groups that simply create graphics based on our directions, but Gradient did their own research and delivered original suggestions. They advised us on how to build the platform so it would be most useful to our users. We felt we could be open with our paint points too, which helped us build a better collaboration.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No company is perfect, but I was extremely pleased with Gradient’s UX/UI and development work. They could improve on the latter, but I know that design is their specialty.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They should be open about their own preferences and expectations at the beginning, providing as much information as possible. This will allow Gradient to do their work much better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CEO of an early stage startup with 25 years of experience in the software development industry. My startup offers an on-demand platform for a niche market in the transportation industry. My goal is to launch this new platform in August 2017—first in Canada, then in the United States.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Why did you hire The Gradient?

I was looking for an outsourcing company to do the UX design of my mobile app. I wanted a team with the skills, experience, and work ethic to do a top-notch job. While I did not have the budget to hire locally, I was still not ready to compromise on my vision or quality standards. So, I needed a partner committed to my long-term success. This is what I found at The Gradient.

What specific business or organizational challenge were they helping you solve?

The Gradient provided the UX and marketing skills that I needed to deliver my vision. They drove 100% of this work. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Gradient expanded my initial user scenarios, refining and enhancing them to enrich the overall user experience. They created sophisticated mind-map diagrams to facilitate communication and capture the critical elements needed in the detailed screen mockups. This resulted in a beautifully designed, highly usable interface for Android, iOS, and the web.

Creativity is The Gradient’s core strength. They became an extension of my 1-man team. I had a full-time senior UX designer and a part-time marketing specialist assigned to the project. They were involved for the duration of the project and provided guidance and insights.

Did the nature of your service and/or solution change during the engagement?

After a few calls with The Gradient, I quickly understood their skills in marketing and accelerating their clients’ path to success. I subsequently contracted them to do all of my product marketing. They created a set of high-impact marketing materials that should optimize my chance for success.

How did you find them to begin with?

I have been in the software development industry for more than 25 years and worked with teams all over the globe. Based on my experience, I knew a Ukrainian team would be a good fit for me. I researched teams through LinkedIn and Clutch.co and contacted 5 teams. I realized that The Gradient had the right experience, English proficiency, skills, and resources available to work on my project.

What is the timeline of this engagement?

I started to work with The Gradient at the beginning of February 2017. The bulk of the work for MVP1 was done by early June 2017. The team supports the project while we are completing development. I will continue to work with them for our subsequent releases.

How much have you spent on this engagement?

I’ve spent between $25,000 and $40,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share anything data-driven or quantitative that would illustrate the success of this engagement?

Market success is the ultimate data point, and I’m not there yet.

Can you comment on the supervision and organization of the engagement?

The Gradient uses all the tools and processes necessary to ensure we stay connected at all times. Their communication, documentation, and organization were great.  

Is there anything distinctive, unique, or surprisingly impressive about their business practice(s)?

They’re a top-notch team. Their productivity is on par with the best teams I’ve worked with in the past 25 years. No matter where you are, great UX skills are difficult to find. I really feel that The Gradient went the extra mile for me. They understood what I was after and delivered. They are truly committed to my success. 

Can you share any tips or recommendations for inexperienced buyers who might be considering an engagement like yours? 

Consider the following factors before deciding to partner with a certain provider: experience/portfolio, skills, tools and processes (i.e. the team’s maturity), resource availability, and language proficiency.