Pixel Jar

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Executive Director of the Production Music Association, a nonprofit trade organization dedicated to the production music industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Complete website redesign. We had overcomplicated and over-band-aided the website for years, and needed to simplify and rebuild.

SOLUTION

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

They were referred to us by a partner organization, the Society of Composers and Lyricists.

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

I'm not an IT person, but this project consisted of a kick off meeting, wireframe development then full site development on Wordpress. It was a complete rebuild, including switching our server.

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

A project manager, a designer and the web build lead, I believe? I had all I needed with our project manager, he was effective and efficient in communication and helping me understand what next steps were.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After completion on our site, we saw increase in membership almost immediately. The site is way easier to navigate, and has made the customer and community experience smoother and more productive.

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

Weekly status updates, open communication on questions and availability to schedule meetings. Project was completed effectively and efficiently. Made it easy to have only one point of contact (for the most part) to funnel communication through.

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

They were very easy to work with and able to provide examples of solutions and offer recommendations.

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

N/a

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of WhatIsMyIPAddress.com, which provides consumer-focused, IP address-related information and tools.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixel Jar?

We hired Pixel Jar to help us migrate to a new site layout and a new backend that allows our whole team to edit content.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

This project was a collaborative effort by a number of entities to ensure that we were achieving our goals. Meanwhile, Pixel Jar worked on migrating our website to a new layout that was provided by a different entity. They templated that layout on WordPress with a particular focus on maintaining site performance, keeping data usage low, caching high, and working on multiple backends. 

This was a complex project. Part of the site used WordPress on a set of servers from one provider, and another portion used the same template on a different backend with tools in another data center. There were a lot of complexities involved to make sure that the right traffic and calls were directed to the correct services. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with 3–4 people, including David (Project Manager) and Brandon (Co-Founder). 

How did you come to work with Pixel Jar?

They were a referral, and I found them when I was researching for service providers around two years ago.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $10,000–$50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Pixel Jar from June 2019–January 2021. The bulk of the work has wrapped up, but we’re still engaging them on a maintenance basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I didn’t have success metrics that were dependent solely on Pixel Jar. Anecdotally, they were super responsive, and they provided high-quality work. When they said they’d do something, they’d actually do it. They were communicative and forward-thinking, identifying things that might be sticking points and addressing them before they actually became issues. 

Pixel Jar executed the project as desired and expected. We had some hiccups, but they were more related to business rules, such as not making any changes during the fourth quarter. For context, I had some delays on my side that resulted in more calendar delays, which pushed us into a time window where I couldn’t rule out changes anymore. In the end, the Pixel Jar team was able to manage those challenges from my end and from what they were dealing with on their end. 

How did Pixel Jar perform from a project management standpoint?

I didn’t know what project management tool they used internally, but all of our communication and status updates from David were done on a regular basis. The communications were clear and concise, giving us a very good idea of where things were and what was being worked on next.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It was rare to find entities that came in on schedule and on budget, but Pixel Jar didn’t nickel and dime us. They did things when they were supposed to do them at the price that they quoted. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any. They did the job excellently. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Spend your time going through the discovery phase with them, and they’ll be able to plot a course on the project. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a Pilates streaming subscription website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixel Jar?

Our first website wasn’t built responsively and we had several plugins. We wanted to do a complete refresh.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They revamped our site. First, they did an audit of our site and figured out what was being used. The team took a look at the user experience and lent a fresh perspective on the user journey and the design. They switched us over to Beaver Builder page builder and updated all of the plugins.

What is the team composition?

We had one main point of contact. We also interacted with their co-founder, two designers, and a testing specialist.  

How did you come to work with Pixel Jar?

They were recommended to them by a contact at MemberPress.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2020, and we launched in November 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We loved the process. They were professional and organized throughout the whole engagement. Everything that they built is so stable and clean. It’s a pleasure to go into the backend and build things quickly. Overall, they did a great job with the design and the colors. They definitely delivered a fresh website, as promised.

How did Pixel Jar perform from a project management standpoint?

They checked in every Friday and were very organized with the invoicing. It was like a well-oiled machine.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re excited to work with them more. We immediately signed up for their monthly maintenance package. We’re committed to doing all of our ongoing development efforts with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When it came down to the user acceptance testing, a lot of the troubleshooting was left to me. They probably could’ve handled that first before it got to me.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to ask for “apples to oranges” options with design, just to see how vastly different the outcome could be.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior digital marketing specialist. We offer higher education in the form of business and career trade programs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixel Jar?

We had a very old CMS for our website. We’ve managed three different brands, and each of these brands was on an outdated platform. So, we hired Pixel Jar to optimize our web presence for speed and flexibility.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a brand new site, including front-and backend changes. They took our existing functionality and put it onto a different platform, create a new multi-site environment for us. They based the designs off of provided mockups and wireframes. They used WordPress and PHP. 

They created new functionalities as well. We have approximately 10 programs per-brand. Each program isn’t available across all of our 30 platforms. They created functionality to show which programs are available at which campus. 

What is the team composition?

There were three main people, but communication was handled primarily through Dave, the project manager.

How did you come to work with Pixel Jar?

We found them through an online search. We reached out to a few different companies in the area and met with every single one of them. 

Pixel Jar sounded like they knew what they were doing. They addressed our pain points from the start. Their communication was always very quick, and they had a fast turnover rate. We felt more comfortable working with them than any others on this large project.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November of 2019, and we’re still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We saw a drop in our page load speed. Originally, we were around 12 seconds on desktops and mobile devices. With the new website, we dropped to around 6 seconds. We’re also seeing a lot of improvements with our form fills.

How did Pixel Jar perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via email or phone calls. They were quick to respond, which I appreciated. There were times when I gave them an hour to accomplish a task, and most of the time they would be able to do it. So, I was very appreciative of how quickly they were getting things done.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication skills stand out the most.  In particular, I appreciated their insight because we aren’t developers. They gave us a lot of feedback about which functionalities would work and which ones we should try. Their feedback helped us move the project along faster and more effectively.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not at the moment — we have a really good relationship right now.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have your items ready before you start. If you don’t create a mock-up, they could create something that goes in a different direction. You should be prepared to provide them with everything they’ll need. This will be beneficial for both you and Pixel Jar.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the technology director at the Society of Composers & Lyricists. We're an organization devoted to composers and musicians working mainly in the film and television industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixel Jar?

Our website serves as our hub of both our database and marketing, housing our membership, announcements, events, resources, archives, and outreach. We previously had an outdated website built on an obsolete framework, so we were looking for a vendor to help us rebuild it and bring all our systems into the modern era.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pixel Jar began with a wonderfully creative rebranding process, then once the rebranding was done, started working on the site, starting from the wireframes and then into the development and production of the new site. It's a WordPress website built around the MemberPress plugin allowing us to manage our membership. We also use a number of third-party plugins, Beaver Builder being the most notable of them, because it allows even non-technical people in our organization to make minor changes to the website. The website also interfaces via API to Eventbrite and MailChimp. 

We essentially made a list of features that we wanted in our website and Pixel Jar implemented those features. The new site provides a mobile-first approach, a secure payment gateway, and the ability to schedule a variety of events. We also wanted to have segmented communication with our membership roster. 

What is the team composition?

We mostly worked with four people, including our project manager, a branding expert, and two developers.

How did you come to work with Pixel Jar?

We were referred to them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in April 2018, and the project was completed in February 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website has now launched and we've received nothing but positive feedback about it. Our entire membership infrastructure is dependent on the website, so it is robustly handling our membership administration. We are already seeing a significant uptick in new memberships, renewals, and traffic to our site. It enables us to market much more effectively. It was a complex project and we had to make changes to the scope along the way, but Pixel Jar was very flexible and professional throughout.

How did Pixel Jar perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly used email to communicate and Pixel Jar was very responsive. We also used Zoom and phone calls if we needed to talk through issues them. They were always available and demonstrated a high degree of understanding of our needs as well as the technical resources to implement them. Occasionally a discussion went beyond our original scope/budget/agreement and they were very helpful in letting us know our options in moving forward. In every case, I found their approach to be clear, honest, and reasonable.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very methodical and thorough. Once we agreed to do the project they had a very specific set of steps to follow. We started the project looking at a bigger picture, but Pixel Jar took care of all the details as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They were open to just listening to us talk. They helped us not only implement what we wanted but make it better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the marketing manager at HealthLoop, a platform that connects patients with physicians.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixel Jar?

We wanted to redesign our website, which was very text-heavy and not generating many leads. Many of the leads we were receiving weren't converting, so we wanted to modernize and update it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pixel designed and developed a new website for us on WordPress, including the frontend and backend development. They implemented a Beaver Builder plugin, which allowed us to easily make changes or edit any content after it had been posted.

What is the team composition?

I mostly worked with a project manager.

How did you come to work with Pixel Jar?

I'm not sure how our company originally found them, but I know we hired them based on customer testimonials of their work and the fact that their price point worked for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from around November 2017 to March 2018, but they continue to provide five hours of maintenance and general support as needed on a monthly basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're very happy with the modern look of the new site. Any minor issues that have popped up have been addressed quickly.

Since launching the website, we've seen a spike in traffic as well as more prospects converting through our online forms. More people are reaching out to us to learn about our product than we'd been receiving from our previous site. We've also received a steady flow of demo requests.

How did Pixel Jar perform from a project management standpoint?

We never had an issue with them missing deadlines. They stayed in contact with us, mostly through email, to keep us updated throughout the process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm most impressed by their level of communication compared to other vendors I've worked with. They kept us updated on everything along the way and remained responsive to any concerns we had. They also provided valuable advice and feedback as we built the website. I didn't feel like just another customer—they genuinely wanted to see our website succeed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would only suggest that they consider other forms of communication, such as the use of a project management tool. Sometimes things can get lost in emails.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a VP of business operations at an education organization. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixel Jar?

We were looking for a company with expertise in web development to build a website for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a WordPress site and CMS [Content Management System] for us, did the frontend and backend development, and helped us with the shopping cart.

What is the team composition?

Brandon [Dove, Co-Fonder, Pixel Jar] was our backend developer and Jeff [Zinn, Co-Founder, Pixel Jar] worked on the frontend.

How did you come to work with them?

I was introduced to them right when we were looking for a new development team. We felt safe working them and trusted them to do a great job, so we chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000 and $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project happened in October 2015–May 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They developed a number of websites for us, helped us solve complicated problems, and were always there for us when we needed them. 

How did they perform from a project management standpoint? 

We used Asana, Slack, and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're trustworthy, honest, dedicated, and great communicators. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Caseproof. We produce WordPress plugins, including MemberPress, Pretty Links, and Affiliate Royale.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixel Jar?

I wanted to redesign our plugin websites and modernize the branding.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had an initial call to outline the project, after which they provided cost and scheduling estimates for each phase of the project. From here, they drafted designs for both the plugin logos – including three review rounds for each – and each plugin’s website. Pixel Jar then implemented their designs through custom-built WordPress themes.

What is the team composition?

We worked primarily with Dave Margowsky [Project Manager, Pixel Jar]. Robert Nienhuis [Owner, Nien Studios] did the design work, while Brandon Dove [Co-Founder, Pixel Jar] and Jeffrey Zinn [Co-Founder, Pixel Jar] handled the coding aspects.

How did you come to work with Pixel Jar?

I've known Brandon and Jeff for years, and in that time I've seen the quality work they do. I not only knew they were trustworthy, I also knew they produced top-notch results.

How much have you invested with them?

Each of the three logos cost $1,500. We spent $30,000 for the three websites, bringing the total to roughly $35,000. This was a bargain; I expected to pay at least $10,000–$20,000 more.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in September 2016 and they finished in May 2017. Our contract stipulated that we were responsible for site migration, which we didn’t get around to until October. Still, even though they completed the job months prior, Pixel Jar made themselves available when we had questions during the launch.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They went above and beyond to make sure we were happy with the designs, and their rebranding efforts led to a significant increase in conversions.

How did Pixel Jar perform from a project management standpoint?

I feel that a project manager should be firm to ensure team members – and clients – stay on task. Dave kept all of us on schedule, but did so in a friendly, professional capacity. If they were waiting for something on our end, he sent gentle reminders to ensure they met their deadlines.

We communicated primarily through email and Slack, though we also did screen conferences through Zoom. Design proposals were sent to us as PDF packets. They also used Bidsketch during the bidding process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re WordPress experts, which was the most important thing for me. A lot of vendors offer quality design work, but lack the technical ability to incorporate those designs into the website. Pixel Jar is the full package, combining stellar design with technical know-how. They also pay attention to small details, like how a site will perform from an SEO perspective.

Their integrity is hard to beat. We had some difficulty deciding on a design for one of the products, but Pixel Jar went out of their way to provide additional options at no extra charge.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything. As far as I’m concerned, they’re excellent.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

In order to meet deadlines, make sure you hold up your end of the bargain. Most of the problems we faced were caused by my own slow response time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Chief Financial Officer for a surety bond agency, which markets an insurance product to contractors in the U.S.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixel Jar?

We wanted to extend our online footprint in order to increase web traffic and generate more leads.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with phone and in-person meetings to discuss the business needs, and to brainstorm what they could do to help us achieve our goals.

I had a very ambitious wish list, which they priced out. We couldn’t afford to do everything on the list, so we picked the most important pieces.

Along with the design and construction of the website, the team created a plan to increase traffic to the site, including an SEO [search engine optimization] strategy to appear higher in the Google search listings.

What is the team composition?  

I primarily worked with Jeff [Zinn, co-founder, Pixel Jar] and David Margowsky.

How did you come to work with Pixel Jar?

They came to us via referral. We chose Pixel Jar after interviewing them and two other firms.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work began in September 2015 and was subsequently completed by December 2016. The website launched in June 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Web traffic has increased, resulting in more phone calls and potential leads. It's definitely given us more visibility in the marketplace.

In terms of aesthetics, the site looks much better and we've got a lot of compliments on it.

How did Pixel Jar perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. I was always aware of what was going on. The team provided very clear dates of delivery, and they met all deadlines. In fact, it would have been completed sooner but they were waiting for us to provide some of the content.

While we primarily communicated through email, they used Google Docs and Google Hangouts to show us various attributes of the site design.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Compared to the other firms that we interviewed, they were more focused on our business and how they could help us versus just providing a product.

Also impressive was how they helped us realize what we actually wanted our website to look like and what we wanted it to do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Being new to the world of web design, I had some sticker shock at their prices, although they were very competitive with other firms. I would have appreciated a breakdown of costs for each deliverable to better assess the costs of the design and any future improvements.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a manufacturing company, specializing in wastewater treatment and product destruction equipment. I am the senior marketing coordinator and am in charge of digital marketing, web content development, UX [user experience], and customer journey.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixel Jar?

They are a longstanding partner. We call on them for SEO insight and web improvements.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve assisted with two website renovations. A minor one first, and a complete overhaul more recently. They optimized the site to include a new business unit, and improve our UX for customers and web admin. We look to them as our web dev experts. We oversee our own day-to-day site management, but they work behind the scenes on our website's functionality.

What is the team composition?

The company has grown since we first started working together, and I’ve worked with almost everyone there.

How did you come to work with Pixel Jar?

We transitioned to them from the previous service provider around the time I joined the company. We briefly shifted away from them while they worked with another team, but we missed them and jumped at the opportunity to bring them back on.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2013, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We went from around 30­–50 leads each month to roughly 80–120 monthly leads now. Some of that can be attributed to my team’s work on SEO, but there has been tremendous improvement over the last few months. The website’s UX is part of that.

How did Pixel Jar perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re super thorough, organized, and transparent. I look for a partner in a vendor, and they go beyond just following directives. They’re on our advisory panel and go through strategic planning with us when our website is involved. Dave is really good at managing our account and taking detailed minutes. If I ever have any doubts about past actions or discussions, he can pull up his notes and answer my questions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re confident in their work and their abilities. They are serious about the success of our company, they have a good work ethic, and are reliable. Their turnaround times are quick, and they’re cost effective. We consider them a partner and trust them completely.