LightMix

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am a department director at CWS Capital Partners

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Buys, sells, developes, and manages luxury apartment communities nationwide with equity from our investors, instituional partners, and lenders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Create stand-alone marketing pages to be called from advertisements

SOLUTION

How did you find LightMix?

Online Search

Why did you select LightMix over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Experience with financial websites

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

We wanted a company to help us design 3 new pages that we will use to expand our investment vehicle to meet 506(c) standards. This will allow our partners to market our investment opportunities to a wider audience. The project is for design only but should match the design and style of our main website .  Key deliverables are design files in Figma format.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

LightMix delivered high quality designs that were creative, enagaing, and complimentary to our existing website in the Figma format requested.

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

LightMix was very responsive to the multiple small changes we requested throughout the process as stakeholders refined their visions for the project. We often received new versions for review within hours of our request. Communication with the project manager was cordial and interactive. 

What was your primary form of communication with LightMix?

Email or Messaging App

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

I was most impressed by the quality, accuracy, and creativity of the design as well as the responsiveness to my requests. 

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

Everything went so smoothly that I cannot think of anything that I wish would have been done differently.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive of Product Savvy (www.productsavvy.com)

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Product Savvy Consulting (www.productsavvy.com) is a product acceleration firm that aids startups and scale-up technology companies in creating products that achieve commercial success. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Superior UX / UI Design
• Quick Response
• High Quality

SOLUTION

How did you find LightMix?

Referral

Why did you select LightMix over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from LightMix were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Lightmix is a UX/UI Agency specializes in designing user-friendly and visually appealing interfaces. Their goal is to enhance user satisfaction by improving the usability, accessibility, and overall interaction with digital products like websites, mobile apps, and software. The agency focuses on understanding users' needs, creating intuitive interfaces, and aligning design solutions with business objectives.

We have been working with Eugene and his team for almost a decade, and we will keep working with them on our future projects. 

Key Deliverables:
- User Research & Analysis: Insights gathered through user interviews, surveys, and analytics to understand user behavior and needs.
- User Personas: Detailed profiles of target users to guide design decisions.
- Wireframes: Low-fidelity sketches that outline the basic structure and flow of the product.
- Prototypes: Interactive models that simulate user interactions, providing a preview of the final product.
- User Flows & Journey Maps: Diagrams showing how users navigate through the product to accomplish tasks.
- UI Design: High-fidelity designs focusing on aesthetics, including typography, colors, and icons.
- Design System: A set of guidelines and reusable components to ensure consistency across the product.
- Final Design Handoffs: Delivery of design files and specifications for developers to build the product accurately.

These deliverables help ensure a seamless user experience, resulting in a more engaging and efficient digital product. Lighmix managed to exceed expectations for every one of the projects we worked with them on. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Nothing better than a Happy customer and all customers for which ProductSavvy and LightMix partnered with, was always, very Happy. 

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

Lightmix always delivered on time, even when time was sparce. 

The quality of the deliverables as well as the swiftness of response and the overall clear communication is what makes the work with LightMix as easy and simple as it is. 

What was your primary form of communication with LightMix?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What I like about LightMix's human-centered design approach, leveraging data-driven insights and storytelling to create engaging and intuitive designs. They prioritize accessibility, ensuring products are usable by all, and excel in rapid prototyping, enabling quick iterations based on user feedback. They ensure consistency while adapting to user needs by developing custom design systems. Their expertise in specific industries allows them to deliver tailored, compliant solutions, making them a valuable partner for businesses seeking to create memorable, impactful user experiences.

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

Nothing comes to mind. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Operations Manager for a Nonprofit in Washington DC

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed a brand new website since our previous one was old, outdated, and difficult to maintain and manage.

SOLUTION

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

We selected this vendor as a word of mouth referral.

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

The scope of work was a completely new website, complete with new graphics, integrations with external services (such as donor perfect and mailchimp), and new content. We also wanted a wordpress host that was easy to use and intuitive to new users.

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

We had one main point of contact that we worked with, but interacted with a couple web developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The whole project has been a great success! Our new website looks incredible, and maintaining it is easy! We were also able to get easy metrics on how many visitors and downloads were on our site.

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

We mainly communicated through email and video calls. Communication has been easy and great, and our requested changes occur in a timely manner.

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

This company has been easy to work with, and the price they do their great work is incredibly reasonable. We were so happy with the results, we still ask them for assistance, and anytime we need web development or even graphic design, we use LightMix.

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

Everything has been great so far!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the President of the SCORE Foundation, a non-profit, 501 c 3, based in Washington DC that provides philanthropic support to the SCORE association.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire LightMix?

The previous website lacked clear messaging about the philanthropic mission of the Foundation. It lacked a focus on potential sponsors and donors. It lacked execution of the brand strategy and guidelines that were put in place.

SOLUTION

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

I have personnally worked with this firm for more than 10 years in creating and launching high impact websites and collateral materials for companies. Creativity and reasonable costs were the two deciding factors to choose Lightmix for this website re-do.

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

The stages includes:

1. meeting to define objectives
2.  discovery of desireable features/components to highlight
3. delivery of new content, messaging focus and brand guidelines
4. multiple reviews of homepage design options
5. decision delivery
6. Lightmix execution page by page with reviews/revisions delivered each step
7. final delivery and acceptance.

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

Our key contact was the co-founder which streamlined our interaction and enabled speedy and efficient review processes along the project timeline.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website was successfully launched on schedule and has received tremendous positive comments from our key stakeholders.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Fantastic!

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

They've had a high level of design creativity at reasonable costs for ten years.

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

Not a thing!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Head of Product at SkyX responsible for defining the software that we use to help our customers (primarily Oil & Gas companies) to monitor their assets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired LightMix to develop the UX and HTML for our core application to monitor oil and gas pipelines.

SOLUTION

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

They had a strong track record working with another vendor that we used to develop our software.

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

They developed wireframes and HTML source code. Most of the work was done in PSD and exported for easy online viewing.

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

I mainly worked with Eugene who runs LightMix.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work produced was of high quality. It was apparent they had thought in detail about the implications of the UX they were recommending as they had ready answers to explain why they had selected a particular flow and what alternatives had been considered. Also - there was minimal back and forth from our developers once they took the HTML and CSS from LightMix to integrate into the appliction. This is a good indication that the static HTML was done to a high standard.

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

We had a weekly checkpoint with Eugene to review any new content and were able to handle everything else via Slack.

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

They thought really deeply about the software being built and took time to understand the users needs as they worked through fairly complex UX flows.

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

The only feedback may be in them better organizing the deliverables as we ended up with a large number of screens and HTML and it took some time to sort through what was what.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the senior marketing manager for a reproductive healthcare brand. I am the main point of contact, overseeing web and creative projects for the brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

LightMix has helped us manage and improve our 3 brand websites through various tasks over the years, from launching helping us launch a new forum/blog, making the sites more user-friendly and SEO-friendly, and transferring our main site over to Wordpress, etc. They also help us manage the application process on the back end for one of our recruitment brands, making it work with our other systems.

In addition, LightMix helps with creative design, including redesigning the websites, creating brochures and ads as needed.

SOLUTION

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

LightMix has worked with our team for many years now and has a good history with our team.

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

LightMix is always available via email and is quick to reply. Over the years they have helped us migrate to Wordpress, set up Google Analytics tags, installed our new chatbot/blog/forum, Hubspot, etc.

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

We communicate exclusively with Eugene, who works with his team behind the scenes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have seen sales increase for our main brand and conversions have improved for our recruitment brand.

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

Eugene communicates quickly over email.

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

The LightMix team's expansive skillset covers more than most other agencies, that only specialize in one area and require multiple agencies.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is a professional association of health information management. I’m a global managing director in charge of a dedicated international arm of the organization, called AHIMA World Congress. It’s dedicated to providing services and support outside of the US, with a combination of online and in-person products for supporting professionals, including credentials, certifications, preparation, and all other educational and training material.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LightMix?

I joined the company around four years ago when it had become apparent that we needed to create a separate website environment to address the overall development opportunities and support practices outside the US. The main site is dedicated to the US, very complicated, and not adjusted to an audience outside the US. I reached out to Alex (President, LightMix) and we started working together to address specific problems, challenges, and opportunities.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

LightMix built our site from scratch, supporting the informational side and the e-commerce side. They created OpenCart processing for multiple currencies and payment types, as well as a registration system. They provide website updates.

They’re managing our social media presence, specifically Facebook and LinkedIn. They also perform SEO for our Google results. They’re looking into our overall SEO strategy in parallel with web development, including indexing pages and planting them correctly.

We also do a lot of promotional activities with them through email. They design the content we post on social media. We’ve started to design a series of handwritten sketch videos illustrating products and services. We also utilize them for physical designs that we present at conferences. LightMix designed our booths.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with Alex. We’re in touch at least once a day, either through phone or email, but it can be much more than that, depending on the task.

How did you come to work with LightMix?

I’d had some short-time previous engagements with them, which proved to be good experiences in which they delivered quality work. I brought LightMix in on a much larger scale based on those experiences.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $200,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with LightMix in September 2016 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

LightMix is very creative, and their skills have helped us differentiate our products and services. They’ve given us good support for our social media strategies and implementation. I provide the strategy in terms of target markets, and I give them a lot of guidance on the product we want to put out. They strategize on items like customer segmentation and the applicability of certain designs. They’re very good at this, and they’ve been helpful in implementing new types of opportunities we’ve come up with, like organizational memberships. We’re well-known for individual memberships for our organization, but organizational ones are a new program that LightMix is working with me to implement from a marketing and design standpoint.

They worked with me to understand the very strong differences between international audiences, in terms of general formats, differences in language, and differences in the healthcare spaces. We’ve accommodated these cases and brought them forward.

LightMix not only listened to what we wanted but also gave feedback based on their general experience, which led us to create new programs or improve existing ones. They’ve crossed the entire spectrum, from websites to social media, email promotions, and so on.

How did LightMix perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re always available, and they’ve been able to keep up with our steadily increasing volume of work. We have a time zone difference, and they’ve been able to accommodate it. They’re very good in terms of frontend design and information, as well as backend development. All in all, their project management has been good and responsive across the entire process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve compared their pricing structure and business model with other providers, and LightMix definitely stands out for being affordable. They’re not the least expensive in the world, but, at the same time, they have a good affordability element, for people looking for more services at a reasonable price. The more complete package of services from them has helped us. They offer backend development and system engineering, along with combining different parts of the online functionality and e-commerce side, the informational side, and integration with social media, SEO, and SEM. There’s also the creativity part. LightMix has an entire portfolio at a reasonable price, and they stand out for being responsive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’re very satisfied.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should try to utilize them in multiple facets of their marketing, and not in just one aspect. LightMix brings a portfolio of opportunities to create a much wider impact and more scalability for the business. Simply addressing one channel or one way of promoting or designing may miss different applications.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a non-profit organization that supports affordable housing efforts in rural areas of the United States. We’ve been around for about 45 years. Traditionally, our focus is on what we classify as high-poverty, high-need rural communities. These include central Appalachia, the lower Mississippi Delta, the rural southeast, the border colonies along the US-Mexico border, Native American lands, and among migrant or seasonal farmworkers. I am the director of research and information.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LightMix?

We needed to redesign a data portal website, specifically a customer-based website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we engaged LightMix to update our web data portal. It is a free information resource that is supported through corporate, philanthropic, and public funding. In the course of that project, we also engaged LightMix as a graphic designer for a print publication. They started from scratch with the redesign. The old site was not usable anymore and the current web developer didn’t have the capacity to update it to a more modern system. The LightMix team took the original idea and expanded upon it greatly. Realistically, we only had a concept since the initial tool was so mired in the past that they had to start over. We now have a searchable database using SQL. The largest project LightMix worked on with us was the website redesign. They built another website from scratch, modeled on a very similar one. They did some graphic work for us as well, and we were able to have some level of customization on the site. The customizations are not radical, but they cater specifically to our product. LightMix has also been active in diagnosing some of our other products and suggesting possible alternatives.

How did you come to work with LightMix?

We were at a dead end with another company on this product, so I had our IT and communications staff investigate potential companies for a replacement. After discussing the project with LightMix, we went from there. It just happened that we had some parallel aesthetic products that he said he could do, so we asked them to work on those as well.

How much have you invested with LightMix?

The ongoing maintenance is not that expensive. The buildout of the first product was in the neighborhood of $25,000, with a similar cost for the other project. The design products cost another $10,000 to $15,000.  In total, we’ve paid between $65,000 and $75,000 for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

LightMix came on board in 2010 or 2011 and we started a deeper engagement in 2012. In 2011, it was more conceptual as we met and laid out a few things. We still work together. Most of our engagement revolves around updating and maintaining the sites that they have built. We don’t do as much design with them anymore, but we’re thinking of a radical overhaul of one of the sites. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The LightMix team is very responsive and very helpful with the sites. We’ve been very pleased. Unbeknownst to us, they submitted the first site they built for us as an entry to the Interactive Media Awards. Then they let us know that we won it. We won the highest award for a non-profit website in 2013. It was a nice surprise.

We get a lot of really good feedback on the website. It’s not earth-shattering because it’s not meant for that. We deal with small non-profit organizations so it’s not going to be something radical or trendy. The main utility that we wanted was ease of use and access, and it’s really easy to use and clear to understand. The problem was that there were similar sites built by the government that did somewhat the same thing. Our primary goal was to not make it confusing, and that was largely accomplished.

How did LightMix perform from a project management standpoint?

I have no qualms. We have 1 primary project manager who is very responsive. When we communicate with him, things get done. Our communication is always done via email so we’re not dealing with multiple people who we have to reacquaint ourselves with. There’s not a lot of confusion because we know who we’re dealing with. That’s been a positive.

What did you find most impressive about LightMix?

We’ve been pleased with them and have gone back to them. We’ve always gone back to LightMix after we initially engaged with them on some products. We don’t have any qualms. LightMix has been very responsive and the product gets fixed when there are mistakes.

Are there any areas LightMix could improve?

Sometimes, there’s a little bit of rigidity. When they build something, they don’t make many modifications. If we want to change something on the fly, they are not very receptive. There is not a lot of room for modification, so you have to build it right the first time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the content manager of a publicly traded enterprise software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LightMix?

We needed someone to provide an entire branding and graphic design program for us. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

LightMix does all of our design work. They do everything from our largest client event branding to small one-off projects, say a white paper or an email campaign. For larger events, we work with them on a concept and a theme and they come back to us with a few ideas. We would narrow it down and choose the logo and the branding. Then they will do the event website, signage, program guide, name badges, collateral. Basically, every branded aspect of that event is produced by LightMix. That's something we do approximately 2 to 3 times a year with them. Our largest client events have over 400 attendees each.

On a day-to-day basis, they produce all of our marketing collateral across 4 lines of business plus any corporate materials. That includes layout and production of white papers, brochures, smaller 2 to 4-page articles, that type of thing. We also have digital campaigns such as webinars, email blasts, and our website. Anytime we need a graphic component for that, we work with the LightMix team. They come up with a concept design and then filter that down through every piece of graphic articles that are needed. I've probably worked on more than 300 projects over the course of the 3 years that I've been here and I talk to them several times a day.

They also do the keynote address slides from the president of my company. This speaks to the trust we have in them as an organization. Basically, I give them a very rough outline and our expectations. They come back with great materials that I'm comfortable with, my boss is comfortable with, all the way up to our vice president of marketing.

How did you come to work with LightMix?

They actually predated me. We have worked with LightMix for over 10 years now and I've been here for about 3 years.

How much have you invested with LightMix?

We have spent probably $200,000 to $1 million on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

LightMix has worked with my company for over 10 years. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I think the best example I can give would be the events where LightMix developed the branding for us. The branding that they've put out for us is so polished and professional. It's something that we're proud to present to our clients, who are very senior level executives of large financial institutions. People definitely respond to the look and feel of the materials that LightMix has put together for us. With regard to the keynote address slides, I can put their work in front of the president of our company. Even the CEO of our parent company has asked to borrow some of the materials that LightMix has done. There's a trust element there that I think is important.

How did LightMix perform from a project management standpoint?

I have 1 point of contact/account manager that I am mostly in touch with. I'm managing the field marketing requests on my end and he's managing the work that's being produced by LightMix. Together, we usually connect at least once a day and prioritize or reprioritize as necessary. We don’t use any project management tools as we communicate mostly through mail.

I know that I often put a lot of pressure on them with last minute requests, although we try to limit that. They've always been super responsive and helpful. I'm always confident that they'll meet my deadlines. I do try to give more time but it's not always possible.

What did you find most impressive about LightMix?

For me, the biggest factor is the trust that I have in them. They know my company, they know my brand, and they know my solutions. I can ask for something along the lines of what we normally do and I can ask for something outside of the box. 9 times out of 10, I go with the outside the box option because what they come back with is always fantastic. Their output embodies the usually vague request that I gave them. I know they have taken the time to learn about my solutions and make sure that what they're giving me makes sense.

Are there any areas LightMix could improve?

Any issues that arise are on my end from the perspective of rushing things through and not giving Lightmix enough time – in those cases, we will go with something more familiar than necessarily a new look. The output is fabulous either way.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Organizational Development Lead of mPower-Inc

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

mPower Inc. delivers impactful solutions that enable organizations to adapt, excel and grow. Guided by our core values of trust, integrity, respect, and service, we create meaningful change for our clients, their customers, and the communities they serve.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Refresh visual identity
• Create brand collateral
• Design website

SOLUTION

How did you find LightMix?

Online Search

Why did you select LightMix over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

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

LightMix refreshed our visual brand and developed our new website, and it was a very positive experience.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Successful completion of all deliverables on time and on budget

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

We found them to be very engaging and responsive, taking the time to understand our brand, values, and goals and provide suggestions that enhanced our initial concepts. 

What was your primary form of communication with LightMix?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Communication throughout the project was very clear, and they were very quick to both reply and incorporate our feedback, making the process feel smooth and collaborative. We had a very ambitious timeline and LightMix delivered exactly what was agreed by our specified deadline. 

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

No, I'm happy with the service provided.