Hanno

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a little startup based in San Francisco that was founded about 3 years ago. We develop software for deaf and hard-of-hearing people to better understand conversations around them. Our first product is a mobile application that connects people's smartphones or other devices and captures the audio from the conversation to translate it into text, to empower deaf and hard-of-hearing people in their everyday lives.

I'm one of the co-founders and currently mostly involved in sales. I'm officially the CEO, but we're a small startup, so everyone does everything. There are 6 of us in total including the founders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Hanno?

The first time we really engaged in a working relationship with Hanno was when we had very few design skills or capacity in-house. We didn't have enough manpower and we didn't have the resources to go and hire a full-time designer. The initial project was to have them come in and help us iterate and design a new onboarding flow for our mobile app. We needed to re-haul the design of that whole process.

We've now done multiple projects with them. The second project was our website, and they’re also helping us with a web application that we're building.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first part was for them to gather a lot of information from us, from the users, and to do some storyboarding. Based on that, we went into design iteration. Once we had gone through our first few iterations, we decided to do some user testing.

We did a few more iterations before Hanno took over more and had several suggestions for the new onboarding design, based on all the recent insights.

We're currently still working on the app, both Android and iOS, but we're also building a web application. We have internal developers who own those products, but for example with our website, Hanno helped on both the frontend and the backend. For the web app, they're focused on the frontend and design since we’ve already built the rest.

What is the team dynamic?

They dedicated several people with diverse skill sets to our project, so that they’d be able to cover the different grounds in design and pre-design. They had people who were able to help us build the user stories and figure out more about the user and the user experience that they were supposed to create. We also had them connect and talk with users directly.

Me and my co-founder Thibault were in direct contact with them. Thibault has a good overall perspective on the project, and then I just chimed in sometimes because I'm really engaged with the users, sitting in on user tests and such.

How did you come to work with Hanno?

The CEO of Hanno has hearing loss; we're a startup that works to empower deaf and hard-of-hearing people. They found out about us and actually backed us on Indiegogo at the very early stages. This was way before we engaged in any projects. That was the first point of contact, and then we got to know them a little better.

When this project came up, we reached out to them because, based on their manifesto and philosophy as a company, they really aligned with how we work and how we see things.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent $10,000-$30,000 with them. There was a discussion to see what budget worked for both of us, considering we are tight on resources. We came to a price that made sense for both parties.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2015 and we have been working on and off with them since then.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A lot of the value came from them showing us the way they work and the tools they use. In terms of the design, there were several elements and different iterations of theirs that we fully implemented. Those deliverables are quite essential.

Website-wise, it was a very crucial project for us and they did a really great job. Anyone I've spoken to so far really loves what they did. There are no quantitative numbers of conversions yet, but the website is so much better than it was before, so we're very happy with that project as well.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about working with Hanno is that they are very used to remote working. They have a really good system in place, and it was really interesting for us to learn from them as a startup. For example, at the end of the day, whoever stops working writes up the different pieces of progress that they've made, along with the plan for the next day. They have all these very structured systems that really help the client keep track of progress. We learned a lot of new things through working with them.

How did Hanno perform from a project management standpoint?

That's something they're extremely good at. Given that their CEO is deaf or has a significant hearing loss, there's an extra effort you have to make in terms of communication. My co-founder is deaf, so we have the same situation in our team where things that you normally think are obvious are not so obvious. You need to explicitly communicate those things.

The fact is that they have lots of really good structures that they all follow very well in terms of thought process. I remember when we did that first project with them, we would have these check-ins every morning where they would update us on the latest developments, show what they were going to do next, and we had this back and forth. They were very responsive to the things that we were asking for and the feedback that we gave them.

Overall, it was a very smooth and good experience within a very short timeframe, because we only gave ourselves 2 weeks or so. We were able to make a few good iterations and simultaneously test with our users. Everything went at a very high but effective speed. That was quite impressive; it was a very good experience for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The processes and the tools that they used are extremely helpful for us. For them, it seemed very natural, but it was a learning experience for us. The methods they introduced us to have been extremely beneficial.

We have worked with a lot of third parties, ranging from freelancers to services offshore. A big part of Hanno’s appeal was their communication skills and their professional attitude. The most crucial part for us in the partnership is knowing the team is motivated and mission-driven. They're all really engaged and truly want a good end result. They'll go the extra mile.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't really think of anything right off the top of my head.

Advice for potential customers?

In a lot of engagements, things are more black and white. You’ll say what needs to get done and they’ll satisfy that. But with Hanno, they go the extra mile. They stretch themselves and really respond to feedback without coming back to you asking for more money. They feel like a part of your team, not a vendor with this formal agreement and a fixed number of hours.

They make sure that they have a product at the end that they’re also happy with. That creates a lot of trust and confidence, which is why this is now the third project that we're working on with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Lenovo, the manufacturer of computers, notebooks, Yoga ThinkPads, and those types of items. I’m the product owner for Lenovo App Explorer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Hanno?

We needed Hanno to design a website for users to be able to learn more about our software, Lenovo App Explorer, and provide a way to download it. We also needed video work for videos that we use to educate partners on what Lenovo App Explorer is.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built the website from scratch to adhere to all Lenovo global brand style and guidelines. First, they took our guideline materials and developed a mood board. I expressed to them the goals that we have for the website. We wanted to be able to educate users and then push them to download the software. Hanno created an interim website very quickly. Within three weeks, we had a good-looking website up and running. Then they expanded the product with animations. There was a management system behind it. The website is translated into 18 to 19 different languages, which is all supported through the CMS so that we can make changes on our end quickly and easily. The website is built on Netlify. They designed the site and implemented all the code on the backend.

It's a lightweight website. There are only a few pages that go into it. Lenovo is one of the most recognized brands in the world. Creatively and stylistically, the site had to feel like a Lenovo property, yet engage users in a striking way. The site is completely responsive. Animation is built into it to help tell the story of what Lenovo App Explorer does. Stylistically, the site had to amaze people with the way that it looks and engage people with the content.

What is the team dynamic?

I had access to an account manager and direct access with some of the creatives when it was relevant for me to work with them directly.

How did you come to work with Hanno?

We picked Hanno through our review process. We compared them to a couple of other existing vendors that Lenovo had used that were local. We compared capabilities and prices. We had initial meetings with these companies and got an idea of what they were going to be able to do and what the price might be. I’d worked with Hanno before and so I was the one that brought them to the table.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2015 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website set a new bar for conversion rates for Lenovo software. The website was a success. The design and quality of their code exceeded my expectations.

How did Hanno perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed exceptionally. They’re very responsive and available for voice and chat calls, video calls, and emails. They’re good communicators. We had scheduled and ad hoc meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s hard finding an agency that can deliver top quality work. By top quality, I mean literally world class. They meet tight deadlines. They communicate effectively and are reasonably priced. They’re a terrific agency to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.