Mono

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of Product for a data software company. We create enterprise and big data software for businesses in the marketing automation field.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mono?

We wanted to create a suitable UI for our main product. After a search for designers to work internally, we decided to look for an external party.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started involving Mono in two smaller projects. The first was a UI for a smartphone application. That work provided great insight into their team’s technical and design capabilities. The second project was a UI design of what we refer to as the cockpit for a call center agent. After that, we had enough confidence to start the bigger project. The redesign of the main UI is still ongoing.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was one of the lead designers.

How did you come to work with Mono?

Mono was referred to us. After completing online research, we decided to engage with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $150,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We presented the prototypes to our top customers and feedback has been extremely positive. The product has a modern UI and is well-oriented to the task.

Feedback from call agents about the cockpit has also been positive. The agents have all the information to engage with the customer right at their fingertips, which is something we had trouble with before.

How did Mono perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate continuously with each other, and they are amazing at following up. Our teams had several meetings per week to nail down the different screens, navigation elements and relevant information to make it user-friendly for our customers.

Mono is extremely involved in our technical discussions. We have a common Slack channel and also use specific design tools to facilitate the exchange of designs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Apart from their expert designers, their ability to engage in the technical parts of the product was impressive. Their team is capable of understanding and going along with the technical lines of the product. I thought it’d be difficult to convey the technicalities of the product to their team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Mono is still relatively small, and they have a lot of work on their plate. It’s quite a challenge for them, and they can get overwhelmed. It’s not easy to find good designers.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We’re a small company, and if you’re in that situation, I’d go for an external party. It’s a difficult challenge to find respectable UI designers. We’ve been very lucky with Mono.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of Ticketmatic. Our company sells software that allows venues to sell their own tickets. Venues, theaters, festivals – those kinds of organizations buy our software. They are able to conduct sophisticated marketing campaigns with the audience data they obtain.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mono?

We've been in business for about 10 years now, and we were preparing the third generation of our software. When we started to build a next generation of the software, we were planning to pay much attention to the user experience. We were looking for someone who had knowledge in that area. That's how we found Mono.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We took a lot of time to go through the whole software with Mono. The software is quite extensive, so we spent time discussing all of its functionalities, with a focus on usability. For a couple of months, we drew prototypes of the new screens and got feedback from Mono and our developers. Then, we joined forces to come up with a more advanced design for this version. In the beginning, we worked intensively with Mono to improve our prototypes using basic development. After much back and forth with them, we finally came to the design we have today.

How did you come to work with Mono?

I got them through a referral from another web company I knew in Belgium. I asked them if they knew people who were excellent at interface design. We were considering several companies. It's not so easy to do good interface design, and we talked to several people to find someone who was a good match. We wouldn't have progressed with the whole thing unless we found someone that we liked to work with and had the knowledge. We did see around four or five people at least.

How much have you invested with Mono?

We have spent $50,000 to $200,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

I think we started working with Mono about two years ago. The initial phase was about six months, and we've been in contact after that. Whenever there is something to look at or improve, we still use their services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've been upgrading about 20 customers now to the new version, and we are getting excellent feedback on usability. We definitely feel we've succeeded in that area together with Mono. They've done excellent work. Our customers are getting a new, totally redesigned version. It's a bit of a shock, so we really follow up on how they perceive everything. We specifically ask about usability because it's important to them. It's been very positive.

How did Mono perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a joint project. Mono provided the manpower for the user interface design while we had our own manpower for development. It was a complicated situation, and there was a lot of information that had to pass between us. We also had to adapt to schedules and everything, but it worked well. They were very flexible and always delivered whenever they promised to deliver. It was good.

What did you find most impressive about Mono?

I found that they have a clear focus on user interface design and are very knowledgeable. They understood our business, and the way we've collaborated went well. That's a good way of doing things – to spend some time to know what our business is about and what we're trying to achieve. I've worked with other companies and, if they don't understand what we're trying to do, it's hard to make something good. With Mono, I appreciated the fact that they thought together with us on how to achieve the best possible results. Strong involvement, I would say, is a big plus.

Are there any areas Mono could improve?

We didn't have any problems with Mono. They were exactly what we were looking for. We were fortunate to find someone at Mono with the right attitude and the right experience. That was good for us.