Halo Lab

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of Ditto, a live-video speed dating platform. We’re doing away with the swiping, ghosting, and all the negative things about the dating industry today.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Halo Lab?

We hired them to help us with UI/UX design and to do a rebrand for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Halo Lab provided branding, graphic design, and UI/UX design services for us. First, they did market research, looking into our current investors, ideas, and user base. They also interviewed my colleagues and me. From there, they helped us create user personas. 

The team created 30 different logo variations. They provided numerous color palettes and typography to associate with the branding and a huge range of different types of styles for the way the brand would look. Figma was the main technology they used. 

Additionally, Halo Lab created some templates for social media and posters. They provided us with a range of assets to use going forward.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Margarita (Lead Project Manager). Through her, we connected with many UI/UX designers, graphic designers, and illustrators, including Diana (UI/UX Designer). 

How did you come to work with Halo Lab?

I sent out an RFP to a number of potential UI/UX design agencies for the rebrand. Halo Lab sent back a fantastic proposal outlining what they could do, excellent examples of their work, and a link to their portfolio on Dribbble and Behance. Their proposal outlined how they could carry out the UI/UX design work over the coming months and how they would do the branding work, so we chose them. 

How much have you invested in them?

We invested about $55,00–$60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from May–December 2022. Currently, we’re wrapping things up for the project. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Halo Lab was amazing. We've had feedback from users, investors, and employees, and everyone has said Halo Lab did a fantastic job with the branding, user flows, and UI/UX design. 

We're going to market with our new branding in January 2023, and we'll get firsthand information from customers about how they like the new look and feel. We'll use a number of KPIs to measure the success of Halo Lab's work.

How did Halo Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was perfect; Margarita did an amazing job. They're based in Ukraine and worked through their power plants being bombed due to the Russian Invasion, and they went to coffee shops to find electricity and Wi-Fi to deliver the project. They went above and beyond what's expected of workers in a situation like the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Therefore, I don't fault them for any issues regarding project management. 

We used Notion as our project management tool. For communication, we used email and Slack and had two calls a week with them. We also used Figma to comment on the UI/UX design and branding.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with Halo Lab's branding and project management. With one point of contact, they were able to bring together a team to pull together a complete project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was nothing they needed to improve; they were amazing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Book twice-weekly calls and let Halo Lab have some reign of creativity to bring your brand to life. If there's something that you want to keep, they will be more than happy to accommodate that. Be proactive in stating exactly what you need; otherwise, just let them do their magic because they're amazing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Director at Carbon. We are a diet coaching app built to help people achieve their health and fitness goals in a science backed, sustainable way.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Halo Lab?

We have recently rebranded our company. Once our branding was completed, Halo worked with us to rebuild our website, design the reskin of our app, and create marketing materials.

SOLUTION

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

They charge a very fair rate for the work, they also seemed to do great work from the examples we looked through. They were also very responsive working through what the project details and providing all the necessary information to make a decision on moving forward.

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

We provided Halo with our new brand guide and had a kick-off meeting. They asked all the necessary questions to really understand our company and our needs. From there, they started the work. For the website, they started with an SEO audit and recommendations. Once those were finalized, they built out concepts for us to envision what our new site could look like. We selected one direction and from there they started to work on each page of the site following the concept to keep it cohesive.

Once the website was completed, they started to work on the app redesign. With a very collaborative and efficient back and forth style process, we were able to come up with a design for the app the aligned well within our new brand and website.

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

We worked with a few designers, UI/UX expert, web developer, project managers and account manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The outcome has be great. We are very happy with the work they did. Project was a success.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow has been great. With most of our conversations being done via email and Figma comments, I am blown away with our efficient and aligned we were able to be. The Halo team is VERY responsive.

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

They level of responsiveness was incredible. They blew me away on their ability to stay on the timeline. I don't think they missed one deadline they set for the project.

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

There were a few misses on how to guides for the website and some discrepancies on file but they did great to get those fixed/created in a timely manor.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a coworking services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Halo Lab?

We engaged Halo Lab to rebrand our logo and redesign our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Halo Lab has helped us with a rebrand and website redesign. First, we met to discuss the project scope and share examples of designs we liked. Then, they researched our business model and tried to understand the rationale behind the rebrand. They also conducted competitor research to ensure we could set ourselves apart from our global competitors. We shared our previous logo, and the team helped us define new brand guidelines, including a new name, logo, and color palette. 

Then, they started designing our new website. After sharing numerous drafts using Figma, we chose the final design style and content we wanted to incorporate. The team has completed the website design, and now they’re helping us with the integration and development stage.

What is the team composition?

We’ve primarily worked with a project manager and one other teammate. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested roughly $34,000 in the partnership with Halo Lab.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Halo Lab in May 2022, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Halo Lab has delivered really neat designs, and we’ve been satisfied with the new logo and website. Since we’re still working on the integration, we haven’t seen any concrete results yet. However, we’ve had a great experience working with them.  

How did Halo Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

Halo Labs has executed a smooth, organized process; they’ve been very cooperative and communicative throughout each step. Our project manager has been receptive to feedback and responded to our questions promptly. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve been impressed with Halo Lab’s process from beginning to end. They’ve tried to understand our needs and guided us through each step to ensure they meet them. Whenever we’ve shared feedback, they’ve implemented it. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have nothing Halo Lab could improve on. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend following their process and trusting Halo Lab when they provide time estimates. They know what they’re doing. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and solutions developer at a software development company that provides software solutions for corporate, government, and court offices. We’re focused on the AV industry, designing and building the frontend of touch panels that users interact with. We also create the backends that control the systems and run on centralized processors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Halo Lab?

We’ve been working on a platform that allows our customers to record their system, including network devices, to ensure they have documentation of their system profile for future support. The platform also allows users to create a checklist to ensure the system is healthy through user acceptance testing. 

Recently, we decided to improve the platform’s UX, workflows, and aesthetics. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Halo Lab designed our platform’s UX/UI using Figma using our market research. They also researched our company. We wanted the platform to have a more intuitive UI and a more modern design. The design needed to be unique and stand out. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with four teammates, including a sales teammate, two project managers, and one designer.

How did you come to work with Halo Lab?

I found Halo Lab on Google. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $10,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

This project was from September–October 2022. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although we have the deliverables from Halo Lab, we haven’t implemented them on the platform yet. However, our team has been very satisfied with the design. 

How did Halo Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

Halo Lab provided constant updates and recorded videos through Loom to showcase their processes. Our team provided feedback via Figma. We had synchronous and asynchronous communication — we had scheduled meetings on Google Meet. They made sure to deliver on time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

What made Halo Lab stand out was their user-centered design process. They were heavily engaged with us and the market research we did — I appreciated that Halo Lab’s team put in the effort to learn about and understand our platform. 

They essentially became experts on our platform and tools before they started redesigning the UX/UI. We are also very user-focused, which helped us align as partners. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Although I don’t blame their team for this issue, the pricing wasn’t solidified at the beginning of the project. I understand pricing changes, but having a realistic estimate of the project’s price before the project starts is important. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a software company building web3 infrastructure for people to earn money for their data.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Halo labs to work with our internal development team to progress our technology stack and overhaul older technologies with more suitable alternatives.

SOLUTION

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

Through a great recommendation from a colleague. Once we had our initial call, it was clear that Halo were the right fit to work with.

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

We had a kick off meeting to discuss goal and scope of work. We then devised a working sprint structure which could be used to demonstrate and track milestone progress. The technologies used included React, Node.js, Typescript, and AWS.

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

4. A product manager, a lead developer, a frontend developer and a backend developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Each one of our initially agreed upon milestones were met. Not only this, but the team went above and beyond to deliver more work. It was clear they cared about the project and were eager to remove further technical debt where possible.

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

Communication was the best part of working with Halo Lab. We use a combination of messaging channels, video calls, and project management tools to keep in sync. The team were always very responsive and organised.

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

Their ability to quickly onboard themselves and begin delivering value within a very short timeframe.

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

To be honest, not really! We will definitely be working together again.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of an online education startup called TutorChase.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Halo Lab?

We hired them for their web design and development services. We wanted to design a new website that was modern and professional-looking. We also wanted it to have a better UX and backend system that integrated with different third-party platforms.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Halo Lab helped us create a new website. They first conducted research to better understand our business and brand identity. After that, they proceeded with designing the website, which had 10 different main pages, using Figma. They then moved on to the development phase, building the site using Next.js.

Their team has already completed the website, and we plan to launch it soon. We will continue to collaborate with them on the future development of our website and technology.

What is the team composition?

The project manager is our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Halo Lab?

We found them on Clutch.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $45,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement started in March of 2022, and it’s still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re very happy with the end product and look forward to launching it in a few days.

How did Halo Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been very good and professional in this regard. We usually get on a call with them on weekly basis, and they always provide great suggestions and brand ideas. Also, we have at least one or two meetings where I comment on the design work. We mainly use Slack, video calls, and some pre-recorded videos for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with their professionalism and communication skills. Their team is also friendly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We would have loved to speak directly to the developers or designers instead of having to go through the project manager all the time.

Any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you're good and quick at communication because they constantly message you and expect to get your feedback before moving on to the next step.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a tech startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Halo Labs to upgrade our website. When we first launched our product, our website was V1 and due to the lack of cta's, etc, we were seeing a low conversion from website leads. We needed an upgrade to our website to help increase our website lead conversion as well as solidify our presence.

SOLUTION

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

We searched online and came across Halo-Labs. The deciding factors included their past projects and price point.

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

We utilized WebFlow and had about a month of design and then a month of development. Nadiia, Marina and the whole team was fantastic to work with and super responsive.

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

We worked with a project manager, Marina, and our sales lead, Nadiia. Both were fantastic and very fun to work with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After launching the site, we have already seen a spike in conversions coming from the website.

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

Halo-Labs was extremely timely, as well as great communicators with us,

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

Their value and price ratio was phenomenal. We have worked with other design shops where we have felt we overpaid, that was not the case with Halo-Labs.

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

Nothing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a marketing agency operating in Germany with a focus on software companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Halo Lab?

We needed the complete design for a comparison platform that we are developing.

SOLUTION

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

We looked for web design companies, interviewed interesting partners, and decided to settle with Halo due to a good feeling we had with their offering and expertise.

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

We first discussed the project scope and our plans for the design. In the next step, they created a mood board from which we could pick example websites, color schemes, and elements that we like. Based on our description they began to create a structure for the homepage to agree on the style of the website. We then moved on to the prototypes and kept an agile approach to moving from one page to another until they were all done.

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

For the most part, we worked with one project manager and one designer. However, their internal processes also involved 1-3 more people.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are happy with the designs and so far our developers can smoothly implement them. There have been some small questions from our devs here and there, but we could easily reach out to the PM after the project to clear them quickly.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very smooth, most of our communication took place via Slack and for bigger topics, we had 1 or 2 calls to discuss more detailed things along the way.

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

I really liked that they came up with their own ideas and solutions to the challenges we faced. We could then compare our own ideas with their solution and agreed on how we are going to do it. Often times companies just blindly follow what the client wants, even if they know it’s maybe not optimal. They questioned things, discussed them with their team, and presented their thoughts on what was best for the project. I think this is super important especially in terms of design, because obviously, they are more knowledgeable than the contractor if it comes to UX etc.

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

I'm used to having more control over the transparency of the work to see what is currently going on. Some kind of time tracking would have been nice. Sometimes I wished that more questions were asked before executing a task, as I felt it was not always 100% clear to them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of a startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I hired Halo Lab for a complete brand redesign and a landing page for marketing/user acquisition.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I researched portfolio work that I liked on dribbble and narrowed it down based on quality and similar work done relative to the aesthetic I was looking for and type of business I am in.

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

Discovery Phase Compile general information Competitors analysis Moodboard

• Deliverable: Research and Moodboard
• Defining concepts Sketching and Ideas search
• Logo concepts Sketches and Concepts explanation 
• Final logo
• Comparison with other competitors
• Visual preview
• Logo, colors, and typography combination check

Deliverable: Final logo presentation

• Brand Guidelines
  • Introduction Text
  • Main Logo Preview (horizontal, vertical, minimal)
  • Construction and Safe zones
  • Logo Rules
  • Icon Usage
  • Download Logo Assets (svg, png, pdf): vertical and horizontal logo in color, white, black, an icon.
  • Color Palette
    • Brand Colors
    • Color Shades
    • Usage Proportions
  • Logo Colors Combinations
  • Typography
  • Main Font Preview + Link to Buy
  • Additional Font Preview + Link to Buy
  • Fonts Styles
  • Composition
    • Logo Placement Rules
    • Grid Setup
    • Layout Composition
  • Imagery  
    • Photography or Illustrations Style Examples
    • Pattern (depends on a style) 
    • Icons style example + Buy Set Link
  • Icon building guidance
  • Brand In Use
  • Social Media Covers
  • Figma Templates (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)
  • Visual Brand presence: Posters, Billboard, Merch Mockup
  • Landing page up to 6 blocks (without custom illustrations).
  • Development on Webflow with animations

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

1 Project Manager Multiple designers led by 1 senior designer and web developer. I interfaced with 3 total

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

www.thisiswindow.com The landing page received rave reviews at the ultimate Demo Day of our product.

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

We have mulitple meetings a week on Google Meet and communicated daily on slack. The entire project was completed timely on the agreed upon 10 week schedule.

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

In addition to being talented, they were very flexible, professional, and pleasant to work with.

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

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of IGL-Technologies, a software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Halo Lab?

We needed a company that could help us improve the UI/UX and overall look and feel of our mobile application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired Halo Lab to redesign the UI/UX of our outdated application. The project took two months, and they managed to deliver a whole new UI/UX and a UI kit. Additionally, they redesigned some of the icons we use. 

They used Figma for the designs and Adobe After Effects for the animations.

What is the team composition?

We worked with one full-time designer and four other people from Halo Lab.

How did you come to work with Halo Lab?

I found Halo Lab through Dribbble. We chose them based on the quality of their portfolio. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on this project from March 2022–May 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have any metrics yet because we are still implementing the new UI/UX designs, but we definitely think that they will improve the overall user interface of our application and that users will be satisfied with the new look.

How did Halo Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

Halo Lab performed well in terms of project management. They led a seamless and hassle-free workflow.

We typically communicated through WhatsApp and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Halo Lab’s efficiency was top-notch. We also appreciated their keen attention to detail and strong understanding of our problems.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no complaints.