Merge Rocks

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a manager for an identity orchestration company; we focus on fraud prevention and protection. We operate in several countries, such as India, the US, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merge Development?

We needed help building a product to help users identify security issues related to SMS, emails, or phone calls.  We want to empower users to make well-informed decisions on whether to answer calls, emails, or text messages based on our risk assessment. 

Our goal is to alert users and let them know the level of risk associated with each incoming message so that they can avoid any fraudulent incidents. We also offer a subscription plan to help users prevent fraud. If they experience monetary losses due to fraud, they can reclaim the money if it’s within our coverage amount.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Merge Development has developed the frontend of our mobile application and designed the UI/UX. We’ve followed a standard development methodology to carry out the project. First, we provided them with a requirements document outlining the problem we wanted to solve, our concept for the product, and how it should function. From there, we met for a design and discovery session where we discussed the design concept. Then, Merge Development designed the screens for the mobile application. We met for daily design reviews to ensure the designs met our functionality requirements. 

Once we finalized the application’s design, color scheme, and layout, they passed the project to their development team, who started building the frontend. The development team has built the frontend for Android using React Native technologies. They’ve also searched for bugs within the application and presented fixes for them. The Merge Development team has also built our website. 

What is the team composition?

For the design phase, we worked with a design lead and designer from Merge Development. For the development phase, we’ve worked with a development lead, two frontend developers, and an Android developer. 

How did you come to work with Merge Development?

I took over the project for my colleague, but I think we found them through an online freelancer platform. We chose them because they were the most qualified and provided an estimate that aligned with our timeline. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $450,000 in the partnership with Merge Development. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Merge Development in February 2022, and the partnership is ongoing. They’ve finished developing our website, but they’re still making minor adjustments to the mobile application; our projected end date is October 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve measured success by comparing the estimates Merge Development has shared against their actual turnaround time. We’ve also assessed the quality of their deliverables from a design and development perspective. I’ve been content with the quality of services they’ve provided, especially given their challenging circumstances. 

How did Merge Development perform from a project management standpoint?

Despite the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, Merge Development has kept the project on track and managed each phase well. From a design perspective, they’ve been on point and delivered within their time estimates. We’ve faced development delays, which haven’t poorly reflected on them because they resulted from our end. Overall, they’ve been flexible and accommodated our feedback while delivering work within a reasonable timeframe.

Regarding communication, we’ve worked with some technical team members who aren’t fluent in English, but other teammates have consistently stepped in to help translate. We met daily during the discovery phase, but we’ve moved to weekly phone meetings since officially kicking off the project. We’ve also used a group Slack channel to keep in touch between meetings. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve been most impressed with Merge Development’s ability to work independently and capture our requirements swiftly. During the discovery phase, they reviewed our requirements and quickly produced rough design concepts aligned with our vision.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Merge Development could improve the accuracy of their time estimates. I recognize it’s hard to know exactly how long development tasks will take, but perhaps they could do more thorough research and due diligence to polish up their estimates to adhere to the proposed timeline.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the co-founder and CTO of a cloud solutions company before we got acquired.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merge Development?

We were building a new graphical UI for our cloud offering, and we needed an experienced partner. We were looking for someone that could both implement frontend technologies, such as HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, and help us with the UX part based on some wireframes, sketches, and spoken inputs we had fleshed out.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired Merge to help us with our UI/UX design. Initially, we provided them with our input, along with wireframes, sketches, user personas, user journeys, and some basic ideas and directions we had for our product. From there, they took what we provided them with and started with the UI/UX design process. As for the technology stack, we used ent’s framework, CSS, JavaScript, React, and other typical frontend technologies.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 3–4 people from Merge, including a project lead who took our input and guided their team and some frontend designers.

How did you come to work with Merge Development?

I found Merge through LinkedIn. I really liked their style and how they managed our interactions; they came across as very professional. Additionally, their work seemed to be excellent in the area we were looking for.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around €10,000–€20,000 (approximately $10,000–$20,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together at the end of 2020, and the project lasted a few months, ending around the first quarter of 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Merge did their job really well. Their designs and proposals were very different from each other, allowing us to explore different directions before deciding. Additionally, the implementation of their UI/UX designs went quite well. When we showed the designs to investors and prospects, their reactions were very positive. Overall, Merge was very professional, and their involvement was very constructive.

How did Merge Development perform from a project management standpoint?

Merge managed the project very professionally. We had tracking sheets available and had regular meetings as part of our agile process, so everything was fluent and smooth.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Merge’s UI/UX design skills were outstanding. Their designs had a great level of maturity and professionalism. Additionally, their technical implementation was solid.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I can’t think of anything they could have improved on; everything was smooth sailing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a technology startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merge Development?

We didn’t have any in-house design resources, so we hired Merge Development for their design capabilities.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have an ongoing consulting engagement with Merge Development. We mainly use them as a design shop, though they’ve done a bit of web development for us. So far, we’ve done 4–5 projects with them, including designing the early UI/UX of our marketing website and our product. 

For the website, we had already developed our identity, so we had a logo and color scheme. Merge Development gave us a series of layout proposals. We iterated on the layouts, providing feedback for them to make changes. Once the mock-ups looked good on Figma, we had them build the first version of the website. Their engineering team took over and helped implement the design using Next.js, DatoCMS, and React. 

What is the team composition?

Pavel (CEO) has acted as the lead in our projects and introduced us to Elisabeth (Head of Design), our main point of contact and project manager for most projects. We’ve worked with different designers and occasionally developers from their team. For the marketing website, we worked with three people, including Elisabeth and Taisiia (Lead UI/UX Designer).

How did you come to work with Merge Development?

I found them through LinkedIn and looked at their portfolio. Merge Development had some previous works that I liked the look of and were in a similar domain to my project. I contacted them through LinkedIn, we set up a phone call, and we began our partnership from there.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent on the lower end of $25,000–$50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had a lot of positive feedback on our website’s design, which has successfully conveyed our brand’s message. Therefore, we’re pretty pleased with Merge Development’s design work. Because we’re a brand new company, we don’t have metrics yet. 

All of the team’s proposals for the website layout were visually interesting and gave us varied options. Moreover, the iterations with the team felt natural; they honored our feedback every time, showing they heard us. Overall, the website’s design was a smooth and pleasant process. 

How did Merge Development perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is good. Elisabeth is a clear communicator; if we ever have a question, she’s always on top of it and has a great answer. She also reacts to feedback quickly. We always feel confident that we know what’s going on when talking to her. Merge Development coordinates the project through Slack, and we occasionally share Notion documents. We also have weekly check-ins with the team through Zoom. 

The only complication we’ve had has been our different time zones. We’ve often had to wait for an overnight turnaround because the team is asleep when we’re awake. As a result, iteration times sometimes take longer than we’d ideally like. However, most of that is because of time zone issues and not their responsiveness. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Merge Development’s flexibility is really valuable for an early-stage company like us. Some vendors do good work but want to scope the whole project before committing to anything. When we started working with Merge Development, we didn’t know what we needed yet, and they were flexible. 

The team is used to working with startups, so they’re willing to get started and work with us until we get to what we’re looking for. We appreciate having a partner that knows our world and is willing to have an open-ended engagement. If we change our minds two weeks into a project because our priorities shift, Merge Development is completely okay with that and changes their priorities, too. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be a little more engaged in asynchronous communication. There have been times when issues come up, and we don’t realize we’re out of alignment until our weekly meeting through Zoom. We sometimes Slack them, but they don’t reply consistently enough. If we relied less on face-to-face work on Zoom and talked to each other offline, we could react to miscommunication quicker, and we would both save time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re an early startup, I highly encourage you to work with Merge Development. My advice is to put as much in your specification early on. Although Merge Development is willing to start working with a limited spec, that might sometimes mean they make something that isn’t quite right if you haven’t given them enough information yet. You’ll save them and yourself some time if you put more work upfront into your requirements. 

The team is good at turning around work quickly, meaning you get a great project in a week instead of four weeks. However, if you’re a US client, they won’t be as good at adjusting in six hours due to the time difference. We sync with them less often than with other vendors, so if you need a lot of adjustments, it’s challenging to work that way with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and Co-Founder of Block Earner, a next generation Fintech that makes DeFi accessible to the masses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Merge Development?

We started working with Merge Development at the redesign stage. They were given a new brand identity and completely redesigned the application based on the new brand. So they made a mobile application design and development, as well as web design. Their team was also involved in the work on marketing design.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We've been working with Merge on other projects before and have been satisfied with their approach to design and development so far. So we picked them for this project as well.

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

There are several parts of the project that Merge has been helping us with. They designed a web app, they also designed and developed a mobile app as well. Other than that they have been working on some of the marketing collaterals as well.

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

A design team, Head of Design and mobile developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The design is now implemented, but we are still working on some parts of the project.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was effective, all the deadlines were met. We were always informed regarding the stage of the project.

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

We find their approach to working processes, design, and development very satisfying and that usually only top agencies can provide.

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

UI/UX design and implementation of UI/UX on the actual mobile app were a bit off, they can improve internal communication between their design team and developer teams.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Product Owner in Brytlyt - company providing the fastest in the world GPU accelerated database (brytlytDB), together with BI platform for visualizing the data (SpotLyt) and deep learning available from the SQL (BrytMind). All of our products are connected together in the serverless platform - brytlyt.io.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Merge Development?

We have hired Merge for designing user interface of SpotLyt, our data visualization platform running on top of GPU accelerated brytlytDB.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We googled several UX companies and decided to go with Merge short trial period when they proved their skills.

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

The biggest challenge in the project was to make user interface intuitive, and at the same time providing outstanding aesthetics. SpotLyt project can be split into 3 phases:

1. Designing basic components
2. Designing charts editor
3. Designing charts as they will render in our BI platform Phase 2 and 3 are obviously the most challenging, as it requires some in deep understanding of the platform. Merge did a great job in this area.

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

We introduced the project to the CEO of Merge, who has build a team of designer and frontend developer (working on components). What is great that we've been working with the same designer for a while, which is crucial for the stability of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Project is still ongoing, but our entire platform has been designed by Merge and we are extremely pleased with the outcome.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We decided to go for the 2 Zoom meeting a week, and teams + mail communication on top. Merge is always responsive.

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

Their high responsiveness and outstanding aesthetics of their work are impressive.

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

Nothing comes to my mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a logistical SaaS company in Rotterdam focusing on the last-mile industry. The solution is creating huge savings and transparency for the e-commerce world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Merge Development?

We wanted to bring our solution to the next level by improving the UX/UI and branding of our solution. We hired Merge to take care of our look and feel, UX/UI and are now hiring them on a weekly basis for extra features, new projects and the like.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were looking for a partner that was reliable, had experience in SaaS and was able to commit on a short notice. Merge Development was exactly that.

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

We shared very limited information due to the confidential nature of our software. Additionally, as we were just start-ing out as a start-up we had very little information at hand to share. With the very limited information, Merge was able to provide at a very fast pace mock-ups.

The mock-ups were amazing and from there the complete tooling got designed and delivered by Merge. With each phase of the project they are delivering the near perfect outcome in one-go, which saves us a lot of time in iterations.

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

My team worked directly with the UX/UI designers, the CEO and developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have developed all the projects that Merge has delivered and our current clients are extremely pleased with the final result. We drastically lowered our churn rate by 90%.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication between both parties was extremely efficient and effective. With just a few calls for each project, Merge is able to deliver the needed result. Additionally, they keep all stake holders updated frequently on the current progress. Finally, they are always on time and never miss a deadline.

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

The combination of their UX/UI skills, their fast pace of delivering projects and the limited information needed to deliver.

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

Perhaps a better understanding of how many more projects they can take on simultanously :)

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of a company that builds cryptocurrency tax software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merge Development?

We hired Merge Development to design our tax calculation software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Merge Development created initial mockups for which our team provided feedback. After changing certain elements of the design, they forwarded the final versions to our engineering team for implementation. They used Figma for the designs. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with six folks in total. 

How did you come to work with Merge Development?

Their CEO was the one who reached out to me. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve paid around $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2020, and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Merge Development team is very good at what they do. It’s why we’ve continued to use their services even after a year. We plan to work with them for the rest of our business’s life. 

How did Merge Development perform from a project management standpoint?

Their ability to communicate, stay within budget, and meet deadlines is very strong. We typically correspond via Slack and video calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re just very good designers. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about how you want your product to be built and be prepared to provide feedback to their team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of a smart satellite manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merge Development?

We needed a new website to pool in more investors and customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve initially launched a scoping and discovery phase to highlight our needs, present sample websites, and provide site information to Merge Development’s team. They’ve relied on those to craft the initial design solutions via Figma. Apart from our website's core features and functionalities, Merge Development has devised animations to promote our offerings. They’ve also incorporated a CMS into the website, which enables us to make basic updates and changes on our own.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with between 5–6 resources from their team.

How did you come to work with Merge Development?

I reached out to different teams with our project brief. We ultimately decided to onboard Merge Development because one of our lead investors recommended them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership with Merge Development started in June 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t launched the website yet, so there are no quantifiable metrics to share at this point. From our perspective, Merge Development has built a rave-worthy and functional platform that meets our quality and animation requirements. We’ve given them concrete feedback, and they’ve taken that into account to ensure the website’s efficacy and user-friendliness.

How did Merge Development perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via Google Hangouts. Merge Development is a solution-oriented partner that effectively addresses our queries and concerns.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re most impressed with their wide area of expertise — while most development agencies focus on just UI/UX design and development, Merge Development also offers animation and production services on top of their core offerings.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They can strengthen their testing skills — performing fewer bug fixes will help us save time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be keen on giving specific feedback to help them work towards meeting your exact goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the VP of marketing for a data company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merge Development?

We hired Merge Development to help us design part of the platform we’re building. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Merge Development created the starting point for our MVP — they served as the design team in our larger platform development project. We had already completed a rebrand with another agency, and Merge Development’s team was able to come in and use it as a baseline to design from. We also provided Merge Development with user experience, onboarding, and optimization requirements. Using all of those materials, Merge Development completed several iterations of the UX/UI design in Figma for our mobile and web applications. 

We initially only hired Merge Development for product design, but later expanded the team to help us further our brand. Merge Development provided us with some animations and illustrations for our website. They also designed social media posts to add to our marketing efforts. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with six teammates, and Pavel (CEO) was my main point of contact. 

How did you come to work with Merge Development?

I was referred to Merge Development by someone I know. We ultimately hired Merge Development because they were able to scale up with us quickly and provide access to a variety of resources for a reasonable price. We were moving very quickly in our platform development and could integrate into our team and keep pace with us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $100,000–$200,000 with Merge Development. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Merge Development from October–December 2021.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our platform is still in the beta version, so I don’t have any specific metrics. However, Merge Development’s testing and iterating helped us get to a solid spot in our development process — we’ll push out our MVP very soon. 

How did Merge Development perform from a project management standpoint?

Merge Development was great at project management — they were super responsive and kept track of what needed to be done. We had daily calls with Merge Development over Zoom and usually communicated via Slack and email. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Merge Development provided resources we could scale up and down for an affordable price. Merge Development quickly became an extension of our internal team — they were exactly what we needed as a startup.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There wasn’t anything for them to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise clients to work closely with Pavel to ensure the right teammates are working with them — develop an understanding of the resources they have available. They have a network of teammates with different skill sets, which is very valuable for clients. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and Co-founder of Evello. Evello is a no-code revenue management platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Merge Development?

We are a startup and hired Merge to design our UI, website, and marketing material.

SOLUTION

How did you selectMerge Development and what were the deciding factors?

I've worked with many designers in the past and I was in need of a new designer that fit my style. We chose them because of their affordable price, design skill, and design style. They have a very clean design.

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

We first had a series of discovery meetings to discuss our goals. We then gave them a Pinterest board with UI inspiration. We then gave them our product requirement documents and they grabbed the idea and ran with it. They created the UX, UI, and design library.

How many resources from the Merge Development team worked with you, and what were their positions?

In total, we worked with 6 people. UX and design positions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're a startup that is just launching so we don't have any other KPIs to point to except for the feedback from our advisors and prospective clients. Everyone shares the beauty of the platform.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow is outstanding. We communicate via a modern communication stack: Figma, Slack, Zoom

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

Design is a very personal thing. Merge's style fits my personal style exactly. I don't have to communicate the idea over and over again to the team, they just instinctually get it. They also specialize in SaaS platforms so they are easy to talk to. Their designs speak for themselves.

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

Not that I can think of.