Precious Studio

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Unnanu is an Austin-based startup ERP [enterprise resource planning] platform for hiring. I am the founder of the company. I have been working in the IT services industry for 10 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Thiken?

When I was validating my decision to create a startup based on my professional background of 20 years as an ERP consultant, I was looking for a development firm which had good UI/UX [user interface/user experience] design capabilities.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We are building an ERP platform with a massive vision. It will be a multiyear project, and we haven’t reached 30% completion yet. We are working on a completely web-based version for hires, and the mobile version for recruiters is planned to launch in 2018.

Candidates can record video-based profiles through the platform for free. In order to become verified and have a higher ranking for companies, they need to become pro.

The prototyping, development, and design have been the tasks of Thiken. They are also involved in our company and product strategy. We take input from their team in all areas, but also have a marketing specialist.

How did you come to work with Thiken?

Quality was the biggest factor in choosing a company, and I invested a couple of months for the research. I was working through SXSW Startup Spotlight in 2016 and found a company which had worked with Thiken. I liked the smoothness of their application and connected with the founder of that company, who then referred me to Thiken.

There were tons of other companies I found interesting, but they weren’t as reachable. The local companies I found were much too expensive. IT development projects like ours are very complicated, and I didn’t want to start a collaboration with a company that didn’t provide a personal connection.

How much have you invested with Thiken?

The cost of Thiken’s work has been $250,000 so far. We are fundraising an additional $2 million over the next 18 months, which will also be used for marketing. More than an app, we are building an entire ERP platform for recruiting and hiring, which will have different interfaces for candidates and recruiters on three different platforms. It will be a big undertaking for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Thiken in July 2016 for the initial wireframing process. My ultimate goal is to build an internal team for the company in order to have a better connection to the product. The free candidate version is available on iOS, Android, and the web.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are currently doing a beta test for the candidate platform. So far, we haven’t seen anything negative about Thiken’s work. They are a very talented team from a product development standpoint.

How did Thiken perform from a project management standpoint?

I am managing most of the project myself, which is important to do when working with a team like Thiken. They have stuck to our timeline for the different products we’re developing. We’re trying to implement Aha!, which is a product strategy and roadmapping tool. Thiken has internal project management, but I don’t need that service. I focus only on our deliverables and timeline, and they’ve been on target as long as I don’t inject too many changes in the solution requirements. We have juggled certain features in order to finalize the ones we considered most important first. This is the reason we’ve needed Aha!. Thiken has shown me that it’s a good tool for product strategy, so we bought a license.

What did you find most impressive about Thiken?

They are very creative and hardworking. I have visited Thiken’s team on a few occasions and found them to be very talented.

Are there any areas Thiken could improve?

Their development team is sometimes too optimistic about our tasks. I have had to make them slow down at times. At the end of the day, we’re all trying to achieve the best quality product possible, but if we rush, we’ll make small mistakes. As any development company, Thiken is working on multiple projects and they do want to move on with the work, so I’ve had to put the brakes on them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder of Lumin Fitness

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

LUMIN FITNESS is a fitness technology company that has created a world-first fitness experience combining elements of Spatial AR, Computer Vision, Gaming, and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Design new mobile screens
• Re-design entire mobile app

SOLUTION

How did you find Precious?

Referral

Why did you select Precious over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Precious were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The Precious team worked with our product team to design new screen flows, as well as start re-design of our entire app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Final design hand-offs

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

They were wonderful, and incredibly communicative with deliveries

What was your primary form of communication with Precious?

Virtual Meeting

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

I was impressed by their talent in animation and also their work style!

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

None that I'm aware of

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder and director of customer success of a company that offers a SaaS platform that works as a management system. We manage tickets and tables for nightclubs and also have the capability to use the platform for events. For the end users, we provide a platform to buy tickets and seamlessly book tables.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Precious?

We needed branding and UI/UX design services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Precious has created our branding guidelines and website interface. The team provides graphic design services and has created flyers and other materials. We initially provided Precious with existing designs and gave them the freedom to work on them. Precious has redesigned our website, and we're currently implementing their work.

What is the team composition?

We work with 3–5 teammates from Precious.

How did you come to work with Precious?

One of our employees found Precious, and we selected them among five candidates. We talked to Precious and found their website's design to be appealing. After speaking to the team, we realized they were the best fit for our budget.
How much have you invested with them?

We spend $2,000 monthly on this project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Precious in July 2023, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I'm satisfied with our website's design created by Precious. The team is ahead of our engineers and doing a great job. I'm excited and plan on working with Precious for as long as possible. The team is so far ahead in our development that we can tweak things before we start developing and implementing them on our website. Precious' design work is ahead by months from our development team.

How did Precious perform from a project management standpoint?

Precious delivers all of the requested work on time and on budget. The team delivers work in a timely manner and has a proactive approach. We have weekly meetings with Precious.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really like Precious' website design. I've found the UI appealing, and they've delivered designs far ahead of our development process. We're in a good spot.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything Precious can improve on. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I suggest having an initial mock-up of your project and letting Precious be creative. Although our initial design wasn't good, we at least had an idea. Your responsibility as a client is to show Precious exactly what you're looking for and be specific, sharing examples. My biggest advice is to be prepared for that first launch meeting. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Finance Manager at Nile Logistics International.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to develop an Android and iOS app for our Logistic company.

SOLUTION

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

We make a search on Google for developer agencies, and Precious seems to be one of the best result it brings out as we were fascinated by their job and experience in app development.

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

We shared our ideas to them, and after the initiate phase, they created the prototype of the app while we move to the design phase. We had series of features there which are In-app Chat, Chat Support, Multi-Language Support, Trip Log Reports etc.

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

We were assigned to a project manager who manage the entire project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are now at the final stage to get the app submitted to the play and appstore. The design is mind blowing and very realistic.

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

They were 100% committed to this project. We communicated via slack and email.

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

They were well-experienced and knowledgeable.

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

No areas for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Software Engineer at Lifen. We develop operating systems for the healthcare sector that aim to positively reshape the key components of interoperability, data security, reliability, and compliance standards for digital health.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to rebrand our healthcare system.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We came across their portfolio and it looks great, so we reach out to them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

We had a brief meeting where we discuss and lay out our challenges. So they helped in mapping out our client journey which is uncommon in healthcare. They developed a brand architecture to each business sub unit and corporate entity.

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

I worked directly with Precious(The CEO)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After the task was completed with efficiency, we receive a lot of positive feedback from our staff and from the business unit as it also gained us some connections to other healthcare organizations.

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

They were very collaborative and responsive, we communicated via email.

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

They were creative and well-dedicated to the job.

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

They tried their best.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company is called Children Story Time and I am the Founder and CEO of the company. My organization specializes in providing parents, teachers, and children with tools to download, edit, and customize, both traditional and personal children stories through 3D animation and mobility.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired them to help us contract an MVP demo for investors and Kickstarter

SOLUTION

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

They found us at the Capital Factory

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

We followed all steps and created a dynamic partnership

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

3 and it varies. All are employees

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Plenty and it is ongoing

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

Excellent

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

I like everything, and we look forward to continuing our working relationship.

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

The communication was off a little for the deliverables early on. The more meetings we have then the more it can be understood.