~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Zero2A Learning Innovations

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We built simulation games for learning. These are physical or digital games which cater to Leadership development within organisations

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio to accomplish?

• Nomenclature for all elements in our game
• Designing all gameplay elements
• Designing the content and simplifying it for our users
• Maintaining flow state of user while playing.

SOLUTION

How did you find ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio?

Referral

Why did you select ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio over others?

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

How many teammates from ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The scope was to built the brand for our game and to design our game as a learning experience. This included simplifying the game play to focus on learning outcomes and to simplify the learning journey of the user. The game was complex initially, Monsoon Fish helped us simplify it to the extent where the game can be understood by the user in less than 10 minutes. As this was a business game targeting leaders we needed the brand and game to be royal and classy to appeal to this audience.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The game explanation which took 30-40 minutes went down to less than 10 minutes. Post the design around 300 users played the game and the average game time has been 2 and a half hours to 3 hours. Our users achieve the flow state while playing and lose track of time, which is a remarkable achievement for a physical game. We have paying customers ofr the game workshops as well as buyers for the game post the design process.

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

They were quick to respond and took initiative in running the whole process. Their work was on time. The project took longer than expected as we could not match their pace and slowed them down a bit.

What was your primary form of communication with ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

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

They immediately understood our needs, and the team set up to work on our project in a way that reflected this. The purpose of our design was to simplify our gameplay and they did this by running a few experiments and testing the gameplay with our target audience which helped to deliver the outputs we wanted. Also they are quite approachable and a fun bunch which makes it easy to work with.

Are there any areas for improvement or something ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio could have done differently?

We are quite content with their work, we would want to work with them on our upcoming games as well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founding member of a startup in the education space in stealth mode. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio?

We were looking to create an Android app that would house short-form content.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Monsoonfish created our app’s high-fidelity UX/UI designs. They used Figma for the design. 

What is the team composition?

I had contact with the designer and the project manager. 

How did you come to work with ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio?

We first identified multiple vendors and requested a proposal from each. We shortlisted three vendors, who provided us with an entire project roadmap. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $20,000–$22,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our project was from June–September 2022. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There are no specific metrics. We wanted Monsoonfish to deliver a design and the landscape of the project, which they were able to do successfully. They made all the changes we wanted efficiently. 

How did ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We used to have weekly meetings with their team. Monsoonfish had good communication through WhatsApp. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team was prompt and open in their communication with us. Monsoonfish’s project execution style would be something I’d recommend other vendors learn. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Monsoonfish did a very good job, but their team could have provided more designs for us to provide feedback on. I’d give them an 8.5 out of 10. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Most importantly, chart out what the project will look like, including the timelines and costs, and have meetings to discuss those requirements. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior associate manager of product design for Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Ltd.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio?

We were trying to develop an in-home app for all the appliances we have.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio helped us do the usability testing for the app. They were to do the usability testing and all the research for 60 users. It was broken up into six different cities, with 10 users in each city. They ran through the whole app, and there were five tasks that were given to them. They had to come back to us to let us know which tasks were fulfilled and which weren’t. Also, they gave us advice for improvements.

How did you come to work with ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio?

A colleague of mine recommended them to me.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent about 10 lakhs of rupees (approximately $12,000).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on this project from May–September 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were completely satisfied with the work they did.

How did ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They were good with project management. We typically communicated through email, but we also had some online meetings and phone calls when necessary.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with the end result and their responsiveness.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything right now, but we might work with them again in the future because we like their services.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of Thotaka Tekhnologies, and we develop bespoke software for customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Monsoonfish?

We wanted to develop a very intuitive and easy-to-navigate user experience on a fintech platform we were developing for the web. We had a lot of data to display and we needed a UI/UX that didn’t overwhelm the user.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Once we gave them the problem definition, Monsoonfish asked us to set up interviews with the actual customers that would be using the platform — we scheduled eight or more interviews with actual users. Monsoonfish developed initial prototypes, discussed each prototype with users, and incorporated the feedback. We then approved the mockups based on how appropriate they were to the end-users and gave Monsoonfish the go-ahead to do the final visual design.

We had interviews at the sketch level and did A/B testing after that. Once there was a shortlist of the visual motifs required on the portal, Monsoonfish developed all the key pages,and did the minor screens from there. Their deliverables to us were sketch files, which we then transferred to a frontend coding team.

The platform is responsive, but it was mainly designed to work on large screens, in order to display large amounts of information at once. Apart from that, Monsoonfish also created a marketing website for the platform.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with four people from Monsoonfish during the project at various levels. We used to work with Siddharth (CEO) and we’re now supported by a project manager on an everyday basis and several designers

How did you come to work with Monsoonfish?

They were referred to us by someone we knew. We looked at their portfolio and asked them to rework some preliminary screens. We didn’t want endless iterative cycles, so we asked them to send something back within 24 hours — they delivered an attractive output so we progressed from there.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $30,000–$40,000 with Monsoonfish.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Monsoonfish in February 2020, and they continue to support us when we need to revise a screen.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work is as we had expected. It was a challenge to get what was in our minds right in the beginning, but that’s because UI/UX isn’t something that can be articulated easily. Despite all that, our customers really like the platform, and they’re saying that the information is being presented in the best way possible.

How did Monsoonfish perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re good. We had 1–2 instances when we overshot the deadlines, but I’d say that Monsoonfish is good with 99% of them. We use Slack for communication and tried out a project management tool that had just come out on the market.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We like that they’re able to read our minds — there's good chemistry. We can take great pains to explain what’s on our minds, and the designer might still not get it. However, that isn’t the case with Moonfish. 

They’re always able to relate to what I’m saying to them. They can get into the skin of a project or product and that’s what sets them apart from other vendors.

Are there any areas they could improve?

While they do great work, there were times when we thought Monsoonfish could’ve come up with more options. We were always choosing between A and B, but it would’ve been good for us to review A, B, and maybe up to G.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They’re very good listeners, and everybody in their team is very good. Someone wanting to work with Monsoonfish should spend a lot of time explaining their concept and process. They take a lot of notes, and they can convert those into something meaningful.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a Technology company based out of Pune, India. We work on impact making technology projects for clients across the globe

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio?

We were looking at improving the User Experience for a series of web platforms that we had been developing for an European customer. We needed someone to bring a fresh perspective to UI/UX for EU audience & Monsoonfish was onboarded as a UI/UX partner to augment & work closely with our engineering team.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We've worked on some heavy technology projects & have realised over time that a great User experience is key to delivering good technology. We found the team at MF able to quickly understand the technology & business aspects in our review process compared to other vendors we did pilot projects with.

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

The UX team worked on a variety of Projects for us for a customer based in EU with high visibility. Projects included an online MOOC delivery Platform, A Platform to foster collaboration between Academia & Industry as well as a complete workflow for doing online certifications for Professionals.

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

The UI/UX resources were integrated with our engineering team & the bandwidth varied based on the need. At any point atleast 2-3 resources were engaged.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

UX was a foundational element of the project for us & we've always found it useful to challenge our engineering to achieve the experience best suited for the user rather than do whats simpler from a technical perspective. The UX team at Monsoonfish helped us widen our horizons and deliver an much enhanced experience to the end customers.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

This has been one of the key reasons we've worked with MF on various projects. The synergy between our teams is excellent & we have seen the teams challenge each other on UX and engineering to give the best to our customers

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

Their speed of understanding the requirements and execution was amazing.

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

When we have rotating resources, having a KT process to ensure there are no gaps would be helpful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CTO for Touchmagix Inc, a video game company. We primarily make arcade video games and a lot of other games for kids.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio?

We needed help with UI/UX and graphic design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve been doing consulting work for us. We work on a lot of projects with them and any new game we’re designing, they do the UI/UX side of it — in some projects, we’ve taken help from them to do graphics. They usually enter into the project at a very early stage where it’s more like a concept on a piece of paper, and they also help us do the user research and user understanding whether this kind of game will work for the user or not.

 In many cases, they’re also involved in the brainstorming process before we decide on what games need to be made. Once we decide, their team comes up with different mockups or wireframes on how the game can be implemented with various options in it — we also get a mood board from them so that we can pick a theme for the game. Once we finalize our direction on how we want to go about it, they flesh out different parts of it. 

They end up working very closely with our team because the programming and development happen inside our company. They provide resources to do the UI/UX and the graphics side of things. Once we have a working prototype ready, they help us in user testing and validation. Typically, we will call kids to our office or we’ll take the machine to a place where there are a lot of kids around, and have them interact with the game to see if they understand or not.

Monsoonfish does the user research and it helps us understand the user behavior around the game. Additionally, they show us improvements that need to be done and they’ll make appropriate changes to the UI/UX — we’ll then launch the game after that. There are several projects we worked on, with each one having a different start date and most have overlapping dates.

What is the team composition?

When we have high demands, they’ll put 4–5 people simultaneously on it. Otherwise, there are 1-2 people working on it. My main point of contact is the founder and owner.

How did you come to work with ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio?

I did some consulting work with some startups in the past, and I happened to meet them on a project where I was doing tech consulting while their company was doing the UI/UX consulting — that was almost 15 years ago.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $40,000–$50,000 a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

The last project started in January 2020 and it lasted for probably a year. We’re now working on other projects with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They understand UI/UX really well. Whenever we see them do user research or build the interfaces for our game, they’re bang on when it comes to end-user acceptability. Their years of experience in the industry are helping us well.

How did ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They meet timelines more than 90% of the time. Some projects are overrun if we get feedback from the user, so it needs to go into an iterative cycle. They’re in the same city as we are, so we’ll have our weekly scheduled meetings and daily standup calls online. We work in an agile kind of way and use Trello on our end.   

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team is talented and integrated. They come up with a lot of ideas that we never even think about — they’re innovative.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I can think of for them to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Spend enough time scoping the project well before diving deeper into it. It helps them get good clarity.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an Executive at Data Capital Management

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Financial advisory company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio to accomplish?

• Design the UX of a new website to offer a digital service
• Create digital assets that could be used by the UI team

SOLUTION

How did you find ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio?

Referral

Why did you select ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Did best interview

How many teammates from ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Build individual elements and assets related to the new company website.
• Explore through market research and user interviews the ideal UX of clients, and the best digital assets to use.
• Suggest analytical elements that would enhance the UX.
• Build mock ups of the new website to illustrate and test UX workflows

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Multiple versions of critical data assets and UI elements were created. Delivered script for making UX interviews with potential clients. Joint interview process with potential clients to find the best possible UX flow and digital assets to use for it. Deliver mockups for all pages of the website. Deliver CSS to UI team to ensure styles of website matched mockups. The final website was created against their specification.

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

Overall the team delivered in time and were extremely responsive to my needs. The team is very through and it is important to state upfront the deliverables and timeliness to avoid misunderstandings. We went through 3 different versions of project management until we find one that worked for us. From there it was delivered on time around 95% of the time and we got a good rhythm.

What was your primary form of communication with ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their scientific approach to UX design was really impressive. Also their flexibility and desire to understand their clients is top notch. And their professionalism deliveringon the project is also worth mentioning.

Are there any areas for improvement or something ~ Monsoonfish - UX/UI Design studio could have done differently?

The only aspect I can suggest is asking upfront how much a client want to spend on a project and supporting them to achieve their budget proactively. To be fair, they adjusted their timelines, work flow and pricing once we brought it to the conversation. It would have been slightly better if this was brought up upfront and not in a reactive manner.