Hakuna

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the EVP Americas / Global Marketing Team Leader of AIMS International

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Executive Search, Talent Management, Board Services and Family Business Global Firm

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Creation of our new website

SOLUTION

How did you find Hakuna?

Referral

Why did you select Hakuna over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Hakuna were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Web Design and Development:

• UX/UI Web Design
• Frontend & Backend Development
• QA & Deployment

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project resulted in a substantial improvement in our website’s overall functionality, user experience, and brand representation. The new site has received positive feedback from our partners, clients and candidates, who have noted its modern design and ease of navigation. Additionally, our team has found it more efficient to manage and update content, which has streamlined our marketing efforts. The project has positioned us better for future growth and digital engagement, aligning well with our business objectives.

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

They adhered to deadlines and delivered each phase of the project on time, ensuring that we stayed on track. Their communication was both proactive and reliable, ensuring we were always informed and aligned. They were exceptionally responsive to our needs, swiftly incorporating feedback and offering practical solutions to any challenges that arose. Their collaborative approach and keen attention to detail contributed to the project’s overall success. 

What was your primary form of communication with Hakuna?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What impressed me most about the company was their ability to combine creativity with strategic thinking. They didn’t just focus on delivering a visually appealing website; they ensured the design aligned with our brand identity and business goals. Their attention to detail and genuine commitment to our success set them apart. Additionally, their exceptional ability to adapt quickly to our evolving needs made them stand out as true partners, not just a service provider.

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

Given the scale and complexity of our global project, one area for improvement could be more proactive outreach to help us stay ahead of potential challenges. While their communication was strong, establishing consisting alignment among teams would have enabled us to better anticipate key milestones and potential hurdles. However, it's important to note that any minor issues that did arise were addressed swiftly, and their responsiveness was instrumental in keeping the project on track.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Design, Director of Pantheon

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Pantheon is a WebOps Platform for customers with large portfolios of sites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Demo motion graphics videos
• Website redesigns
• UX engineering contributions to our design system

SOLUTION

How did you find Hakuna?

Referral

Why did you select Hakuna over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Hakuna were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Our experience with Hakuna has been nothing short of outstanding. From product and marketing website UX/UI design to motion graphics videos, their work has consistently exceeded our expectations. The team's UX engineering expertise has also significantly enhanced our design system, leading to more cohesive and accessible interfaces. Beyond their creative and technical skills, Hakuna's professionalism and dedication to our partnership have stood out. They are fast, adaptable, and always willing to go the extra mile. We highly recommend Hakuna to any organization seeking top-notch design services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• An updated vision for our company, measured in an increase in revenue and brand valuation
• Higher clickthrough rates for our marketing website
• A more accessible product and website UX/UI through design system contributions
• An increase in developer efficiency of 50% through design system contributions
• A reduction of time in customers understanding what our company does and our value

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

Hakuna's project management is exemplary, marked by their responsiveness and quick turnaround times. They help facilitate communication while allowing us to build direct relationships with their designers too. Their proactive approach to maintaining open lines of communication makes working with Hakuna a smooth experience, ultimately driving project success.

What was your primary form of communication with Hakuna?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What I find most impressive about Hakuna is their focus on the intangibles of our relationship—beyond their design deliverables. I have not experienced account management practices done with this attention to detail in 10 years. While other companies prioritize cutting costs and rigidly managing projects, Hakuna leans in harder. We can reach out to them anytime and engage as needed, without being confined by strict policies for deliverables. Their commitment to maintaining relationships extends beyond Slack; they often fly to California to connect in person as well.

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

I wish they had more UX engineering talent in their pool, as the scalability of design becomes increasingly important with the rise of accessibility regulations and the reduction in the size of design teams servicing multiple website properties.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Sr. Director, Product Design and Research of a software company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We make software that provides small businesses with everything they need to manage hourly teams: scheduling, time tracking, payroll, messaging, and lots more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Find a content designer to help us uplevel our written communications -- in English and Spanish

SOLUTION

How did you find Hakuna?

Existing Vendor

Why did you select Hakuna over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Hakuna were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

• Execute content audit in product (high priority). What do we have today? Where do we see inconsistencies? Across Web and mobile apps, English and Spanish
• Implement in-app product content for key workflows (high priority)
• Stretch goal:  identify an approach for string management - sets us up for not only bilingual E/S but also sets us up for future I18n
• Execute Help Center content audit (lower priority) in English and Spanish

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The identified designer consistently delivered qualithy content and a strategic approach that allowed her "team of one" to scale.

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

Communication was always seamless, proactive, and responsive.

What was your primary form of communication with Hakuna?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Great values match with our company. Hakuna went above and beyond to identify an excellent long-term resource for this project and future projects.

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

no.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Apricity Microvenures

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Apricty Microventures develops technology and financial engineering modalities to allow small businesses to access their equity and put it to work like start-ups and SMBs

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Design pitch decks and websites
• Create a brand and design theme
• Develop and design marketing materials

SOLUTION

How did you find Hakuna?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Hakuna over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Hakuna were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Hakuna provided strategic project development and design services, utilizing talented local collaborators and cross-organizational rhythm to generate strong, useable material for our early branding concepts

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Hakuna provided serious value for the cost, they have a unique ability to collaborate, get emotionally invested in the work of their clients and work hard and fast when necessary - a truly fantastic team from top to bottom - we couldn't have asked for better partners and will be using them again soon for as much of our 3rd party brand design and development work

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

They were timely, efficient and thorough, - they can move fast but don't miss their spots - great operators!

What was your primary form of communication with Hakuna?

Virtual Meeting

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

the way they found concept/culture interlock quickly and with a pride of ownership that is often lacking in domestic design firms. They really have some fire in them, and it's a privilege to work with these guys.

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

Hakuna is everything I wanted them to be in a strategic partner for a chippy, blue-collar start-up like ours; they are diligent, respectful, intelligent and articulate - language barrier was non-existent - I will use them for as much work as I can afford for our business

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Legends of Learning is an engaging, educational platform that teaches students through games. Used by students, teachers, administrators and parents, Legends of Learning offers both in-school and at-home game instruction. I lead Marketing efforts for the company and am responsible for branding, acquisition, platform engagement, and our website, among other things.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Across different instances of Wordpress we needed help to both update pages, create new pages or just touch up some blocks on current pages.

SOLUTION

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

We were looking for an agency who could work with hard coded Wordpress sites as well as a new Gutenberg instance. There was a concern that any new, refreshed styles to pages would interfere with the rest of the "legacy" site and so we were really mindful about finding an agency with enough technical know-how to execute this. Even with established processes to roll out a new client, I appreciated that they were flexible with some project asks and timelines and were happy to accommodate them. Always a deciding factor, their proposal fit into our budget.

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

We needed help to completely update our pricing page, to create one new gated content landing page and to update our homepage with a few new content sections. With the project brief delivered, the team was basically able to take that and run! A brief kick-off call tied a few loose ends and they were off to developing in Wordpress.

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

There was a team of about 5 people who helped to execute, manage and deliver the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The pages all launched on time and without any issues. While numbers are still coming in, the updates are certainly helping to drive new leads!

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

The Hakuna Team is truly *top notch*. You can tell they are marketers or familiar with how website development works. More than just "project managers passing communication back and forth", the whole team is knowledgeable, friendly, proactive and supportive. Using Slack was always great as my questions or comments were quickly seen and responded to. It made working on projects feel like they were part of our internal team, not an external contractor.

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

The project management and communication of the team is really bar none. More than hearing the client ask, they understood what was needed for the best outcome. I appreciated their feedback to improve the project. I have worked with many agencies in my career and none have delivered the degree of friendly, helpful and proactive communications as the Hakuna Team. It should go without saying that the project's end result was high-quality and absolutely met my high expectations.

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

n/a

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and General Manager of the company. We produce and sell online skin care products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our products formulas were ready and needed to create a comprehensive brand (naming, branding guideline, rollout and social media) .

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

It was a referal.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

We participated in four workshops to deeply understand the concept of the brand that we wanted to create. a team of designers, branding and marketing experts guided us through their process. Duing the process we defined the name and general aspects of the brand. Finally, they delivered the brandbook guideline including naming, logo, tagline, colors, social media assets and good practices. After finishing this phase, the company continued being involved in the marketing roll out.

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

Four people were involver: the customer success manager (great marketing specialist!), the branding leader, a graphic designer and a Project manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After the project, we launched the brand generating a great impact in the market. Since then we´ve been growing in social media followers and turnover.

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

We had regular updates during the process, they also included us in a Slack channel to have complete visibility. Their communication skills are definitely a strength.

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

Their communication skills, they truly listened to what was important to us and a our brand and made a great work. Also the quality of the delivery was higher than expected,

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

I can´t think about any.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of systems of an education company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a fully-accredited training provider that empowers individuals with the skills and confidence needed to land the perfect job. We offer a wide range of courses, both online and in a classroom-based setting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Development of our website
• Ongoing maintenance and development
• Design services

SOLUTION

How did you find Hakuna?

Online Search

Why did you select Hakuna over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Hakuna were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We have been working extensively with Hakuna for many years, and they are a trusted partner to work with and deliver for our web developemnt and design requirements

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Successfull and timely deployment of key milestones

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

Very strong communication and clear goals and timelines set and met

What was your primary form of communication with Hakuna?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Always understanding, very friedly culture

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Technical Recruiter of CloudGeometry

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

An expert-managed cloud services consultancy and cloud-native systems integrator. Recognized by AWS as a SaaS Competency & Advanced Consulting Partner and member of the CNCF. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• to grow our team in Latin America

SOLUTION

How did you find Hakuna?

Referral

Why did you select Hakuna over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Hakuna were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Sourcing new candidates
Conducting pre-evaluations
Participating in HR interviews
Maintaining ongoing communication with candidates
 
 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Number of people hired and their alignment with our goals and values for long-term engagement

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

Andrea and Camilla are outstanding professionals. All the work was delivered on time. When urgent positions arose, they quickly understood and analyzed the requirements, effectively addressing our needs.  

What was your primary form of communication with Hakuna?

Virtual Meeting

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

What I find most impressive and unique about this company are the people! They are amazing! 

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

Can't say anything here, everything is great from my perspective

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder of Im-MEDIA-tely

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Assist organization' ingest and publish content to a wide variety of stakeholders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• UI Design
• UX Design

SOLUTION

How did you find Hakuna?

Referral

Why did you select Hakuna over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Hakuna were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Hakuna did a great job of creating a sleek and simple UI for our platform. They partnered with us to develop a UI that would be user friendly and accessible. They delivered a fantastic product.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• A completed UI.

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

Yes, they were prompt and quick.

What was your primary form of communication with Hakuna?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I was impressed with the partnership they have with clients. We co-create ideas and solutions together.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

As a software startup, I was looking for a partner to help us with product design as well as Marketing support. Our team had a goal of launching our product and company in 6-9 months. We selected the best partner in helping us meet our project goals. They are attentive, collaborative, and always willing to go the extra step to create a high quality design for our team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Hakuna?

UI/UX for the product Company branding guidelines - logo, color scheme, powerpoint template, icons, etc. Website design Marketing brochure design

SOLUTION

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

We selected the vendor based on the portfolio of work, cost, and ability to scale up quickly.

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

We were building a mobile based application to help companies and workers connect for hourly jobs. We needed a vendor to work through our user stories and create the UI/UX screen designs for the product.

Hakuna allowed us to use a very collaborative process. We iterated through designs together, and at times, changed our user stories to fit a better user experience. As the project evolved, we asked Hakuna to also help us with our website and Marketing collaterals. They were great at supporting all of these needs.

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

Various resources, but generally 1-2 UI/UX designers, art designers, website designers, and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our product is on track to launch in 6-9 months. We stayed within our desired budget. The feedback from the market has been "this is an impressive solution. We're surprised by how polished and well thought through the application is."

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We have constant communications between our team on Slack, Figma, and other project tracking tools. Many times, it felt like we're part of the same team.

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

Their ability to work with our company. They felt like an internal team member more than a vendor. Their work quality is also very high.

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

There were communication processes that weren't well defined early in the project. However, we recognized the issues and implemented ways to track and communicate changes. The issues were driven by shortcomings in the toolsets that were used.