Ramotion

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of KYLM, a real estate investment sales company located in New York.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ramotion?

We were looking for a partner who would develop a proprietary standalone database that would process reams of data. It should help us do analytics and universal searches to understand the data better.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The scope of work was to develop an infrastructure for the database. Ramotion also came up with a design aesthetic for the entire system. After we had an interview where we discussed what our needs were, they designed the interface and offered suggestions. I believe they are using Elasticsearch for this technology. They were fully supportive.

It’s a very complex database and it has a geoplatform component. We are taking out some bugs and making sure that the geoplatform is working correctly. That involves about 30 different sheets of data with terabytes of data. Currently, we are developing the infrastructure so that it makes the rest of the modules easy to build. The infrastructure needs to be sound enough so that all the other modules can be built upon it. I couldn’t use this as a gauge to determine how quickly the other modules can be built, but we know for sure that the process for the other modules would be a lot easier and quicker. There are about 12 modules. Currently, we’re working on 2. Every time we design something, we feel as if we can do better so we come up with new concepts and modules. We’re not quite done yet.

How did you come to work with Ramotion?

It was a lengthy process, to be honest with you. We’ve attempted to have this built by other developers, but we found that (1) they didn’t have the skill set, (2) they didn’t understand the technology out there to best meet our needs, and (3) they weren’t very responsive. We went through this entire search process for the right partner, scouring all sorts of sites. We looked all over the place—South America, Europe, Russia. The developers should have the skill set and the ability to actually listen and make suggestions. When we had the interview and we were discussing the scope of work and what our needs were, Ramotion had a lot of great ideas. In contrast, we found other companies didn’t offer a lot of ideas; they were just trying to land a contract.

How much have you invested with Ramotion?

I imagine it’s probably going to cost upwards of $100,000 or more. We have quite a bit of work that we need to do.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in May 2016. The site and the database are ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to the system we have now, we are able to retrieve comprehensive information faster than before. For instance, it would take a week to have a full report for an entire neighborhood if we used the raw data sheets. With the database, it takes us a few seconds. Ramotion was able to turn around something functional, even if it was imperfect, in less than a month. It took other companies several months to do so.

I’m very pleased with those guys. They are really solid. I love their team and I think they’re really awesome. They’re really positive and personable, so I don’t have to deal with attitude. It’s important to me that they know what they are doing. These guys are doing an awesome job.

How did Ramotion perform from a project management standpoint?

They love to do things to enhance the system. Where we thought we had a pretty solid understanding of what our needs were, they came up with better solutions that require the same amount of time. It’s pretty awesome. They are pretty responsive, both the development team as well as the project manager, Denis. Those are my point guys, the guys that I speak with.

What did you most impressive about Ramotion?

They went through a very rigid process. First of all, we would have a discussion about what we were trying to achieve because the project we are doing is very complex. On our side, we weren’t very thorough in providing an outline of the scope of work and exactly what needs to be done. So, we developed a system where we would make a phone call or have a Skype discussion. That’s when we would share some of the information that I have on my site. After a day, they would come back with a detailed scope of work, an outline of what is required and what they need to do. I would review it and say, “Yeah, this is it,” or if it’s not it, “Make corrections.” Once that’s approved, they get to work and get things done.

I really appreciated Ramotion. They were quite proactive. Whenever we felt that we had a good design, they would come up with even better designs. We were quite pleased with their suggestions and that meant more work for them. They were up to the task. We were satisfied, at least in the initial processes. I think they do everything. Honestly, I have dealt with quite a few developers and I’m not a tech person. I’m in the real estate business, so I don’t know anything about tech. But these guys are awesome to deal with. Their level of workmanship and attentiveness is awesome.   

Are there any areas Ramotion could improve?

I don’t think they could do anything better. To be honest, I could have been better at communicating what I needed. There was one time where I thought that I had communicated things clearly enough, but it turned out that I hadn’t. The user interface and the functionality weren’t quite what we were looking for. I have to admit that it was my error. I want to convey to my consumers that we are the next generation of real estate firms, so I have an aesthetic that is rather neo-futuristic. That’s the only thing that they didn’t deliver on, but only because I didn’t communicate that’s what I wanted. But their designs and solutions for navigation are awesome.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are a global gaming studio. We’ve produced a game [that] went to went to number one overall on the U.S. market, and number one in 42 other markets. We have more than seven million downloads. We have been featured by Apple, Fox, and Forbes, plus a lot of other publications.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Ramotion?

We were looking for a really top-notch designer. We’ve worked with a lot of individuals and freelancers. The quality of work was OK, but we were also looking for someone who could kind of execute on our vision, who could do more than we asked for. We contacted them, and we started having discussions about working with them, to handle all of our user interface and design needs, app icon creation, and pretty much all of the artwork that we needed. We wanted to have someone with a really high caliber of quality contribute on that end. 

SOLUTION

Can you please describe the scope of work in more detail?

It was all design work, but there was definitely some user experience elements that they contributed to as well.

What was your process for selecting Ramotion with which to work?

We came across Ramotion, I think through Google, or a similar Web search. We were doing a lot of research at the time, just looking for designers. We found their portfolio somewhere online, maybe Dribble, or another similar source. We were pretty blown away with their work. I think we just sent them an email to their contact person.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

It was pretty sizable but not a huge engagement. It was below $200,000.

When was the work completed?

I believe it was August of 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

I was blown away by the quality. I think satisfied is an understatement. I’ve worked with so many designers, engineers and artists, and these guys were just incredible from a quality perspective, and they delivered incredible results. From a logistical and communication perspective, they also delivered great value.

I would share my thoughts about an abstract vision I had, or just paint a picture with words, and they would absolutely nail it every time. They would nail it even better than I anticipated. It was just really a great experience to work with them in that regard.

I really love the fact that they created all their design work from scratch. With a lot of designers I’ve worked with, they look at what other people are doing and almost imitate it, or copy it. These guys created everything from scratch in the design aspects they delivered for us, which was incredible. They did some really basic models for some things. They started out with sketching, with illustrating, with a pencil, their ideas and vision.

I was able to watch their process translate from a sketch on a piece of paper to a fully polished Photoshop asset. The quality was bar none. I haven’t worked with anyone that’s even close to as good as they are in terms of design quality.

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

Not specifically metrics or stats. The metric in my mind was subjective in nature. It was really just quality. We got extremely rave reviews from our customers and our user base, they loved the design elements. I guess that would really be the only metric that we cared about.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

What I mentioned to you is the biggest thing. Their work is original, it’s unique. They create these designs from scratch. Again, I work with so many designers who just recycle certain design techniques, or design schemes, or design aspects. These guys do everything original. It’s like they sit in a room and they just figure out the best way to do something, rather than copying off other people. I think that makes them extremely unique in the design world.

Looking back on the work, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

No. I think our experience was an A+. Every opportunity I have to work with them in the future, I plan to take advantage. So, if there was anything I didn’t like about our engagement, I wouldn’t want to work with them again.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your firm.

I work for a boutique mobile app development firm in California.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the VP of operations, so I run the daily operations of the firm. I was responsible for selecting and managing the project with Ramotion. I am also one of the founders. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for the work with Ramotion?

We really had the need for multiple projects and wanted them to work with us long term. We needed them to take our vision and turn it into a nice design and provide development. We especially needed usability experts and we wanted Ramotion to focus on that aspect and help improve our work.

SOLUTION

Can you describe the services offered by Ramotion?

Most of the work involved UX/UI [user experience/user interface] services for iOS mobile apps. They worked on ease of use. One of the other really important aspects of their work involves mobile app icons. Mobile app icon design is key because it really influences the download amount on the App Store.

They also provided a little bit of development for the backend. However, we mainly looked to them for visual design.

What was your process for selecting Ramotion for the work?

We reviewed their past work on the website and decided to try them. We liked what we saw on their portfolio so we handed them a small project to start. They were successful with the first vetting project so we continued to partner with them.

Can you provide a sense of the size of the initiative with a general cost range?

We have done many projects with them averaging about $30,000. The total cost is probably more than $200,000.

Is the work completed or still ongoing?

We have worked with them since 2010 and are still engaged with them now. We don't plan to stop soon.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

We got very positive feedback from the users about the design. On top of that, we had positive analytics and we saw a drastic increase of daily activity. People were actually spending more time on the app and using it more. Before the user experience was kind of vague for people. They wouldn’t get very far, or they’d be confused. They helped us a lot with that.

Is there anything unique about Ramotion that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

The process is very nice, as is the way they actually work and do the whole project. It makes it easy to get the results you want at the end because they planned it out properly. There is good communication between our people and their people.

They really know what they’re doing, and they’re well known in the industry. It's good to know that you’re working with the best. We can rely on them to get the best design.

After many completed projects, their quality has never changed. They always come back with the same high-quality result. The projects that we have done with them have been on time. Their delivery has been excellent.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

Maybe grow a bit. I think they are getting slammed with a lot of projects. People like what they see and want to use them. I’ve been in talks with their CEO to see how they can grow their team. I think the quality of designers they have is not easy to find. To be fair, they tell you exactly when they are able to allocate time for you, and they actually do it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We provide a service to businesses around customer and client satisfaction.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the founder and CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Ramotion?

Our goal was to develop software and look for a development company, to be able to provide this service. We looked at different offshore companies, and we came back with Ramotion. Our application is new, and it runs on iPad and iOS. We wanted it to be serviced well. That is how their name came up.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work?

We brought the concept to Ramotion, and they worked with us to develop the concept. We put together a project plan, and they managed the delivery of the project. Also, they helped to create some marketing content. We decided to engage with them for our marketing content and designs.

What was your process for selecting Ramotion to work with?

When I started developing this concept, I worked for a different firm. I used to work with a freelancer. When he became more serious, we decided to engage them to do project management and work on the design. My partner and I decided to engage the company to take the project from end to end. We interviewed about six companies from India, America, Ukraine, and some others.

We shortlisted three companies. We asked them to do a proof of concept and to show us some references. Ramotion turned out to be the best in the way they [interacted] with us. I was impressed by the communication, as well. I liked that they were designers, not just developers. They can take a concept out of the box and develop much more than I expected.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

The first project is an ongoing engagement, which we started about two and a half months ago. That was about $55,000. They do our new releases and customer support. We started engaging them to do our marketing content. We created a very good relationship, and we were impressed with them. We decided to engage them for the marketing design and development. They provide a complete solution for us.

When will the work be completed?

We launched it in December of 2013, and we’re working on more functionalities now. Satisfaction is key, so we created an iPad app for retailers, hospitality services, and any kind of business looking for customer satisfaction. We are developing three other concepts: Customer satisfaction, team satisfaction, and the public satisfaction. They are working on three other concepts.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance?

We go back and forth sometimes, and they have been very flexible. They have performed beyond our expectations. They have worked hard and changed the design during the project. They have been very understanding and flexible. We are looking for investors, and I am looking to contract [them] full-time, for a year at least.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

I have been working with other firms for crowd sourcing. It's not easy, but they’re very good. The people managing the design and marketing are very good. They are young, but very professional and very good. I haven’t been there, but you can feel very positive energy from the team. They are motivated. That is what is special. The second thing is the design. They are very good at thinking out of the box.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

Because they are very good, they have to be part of the project and drive as well. Before, they were only communicating at the end of the two weeks. I understand that they did not want us to be too involved in this iteration and [in charge] because [it is hard] to deliver. I understand, but they could contact us more often than that.

It takes a few weeks with any company to get things right. I cannot say too much because they came to us as well about the way we change our minds and communicate. It can be a challenge. There cannot be things coming out of the blue. Now, because we know each other and we are on the same page, we don’t have these misunderstandings that we did at the start.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

I work for a Photo Printing Software Developer. We make computer software for the photo printing market. We sell our software to retailers. We are a smaller company based in the U.S.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the CTO. I am responsible for all technology, development, support, and quality assurance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for the work with Ramotion?

We wanted to build a native app to sell to our customers, the different photo shops and retailers around the U.S. We needed a tool that would help their customers interact and buy things through an app. They built an iOS application to help end-customers access online photo accounts.

We didn't have a mobile app at the time, so we decided to start with an app that was functional on the iPhone and iPad.

SOLUTION

Can you please describe the scope of work that Ramotion performed?

Ramotion handled pretty much the whole project from start to finish. They started by creating some mock up write-ups for the design of the app. They sent them to us, and we liked what we saw. We then got back to them with our changes.

The next step was to execute the design and development. Ramotion was on top of the project. They had project managers who did very well. They handled the design from beginning to end. We ended up with a nice final product.

The last step was to test the system. Ramotion fixed all of the bugs very quickly during this stage. They also provided QA for the app.

Why did you select iOS as the platform for the app?

We decided that iOS made the most sense for the first app. It is the most important platform to utilize. It supports about 95 percent of users, so it does the job. It would have been too expensive and difficult to develop on Android also. I think we made the right decision.

What was your process for selecting Ramotion?

We found them through a Web search on oDesk.com. That site has thousands of decent overseas developers. We chose Ramotion and a few other firms to contact. Ramotion came back quickly with a nice mock up for the design. We were impressed, so we decided to engage them for the work.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative in dollar terms?

It was around $100,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project? Do you have any statistics or metrics that you can share?

Our situation is unique because we don't sell the app directly to end users. We sell the app to thousands of photo retailers of various sizes around the U.S. We had success with our sales on this project. From that metric, it was successful, but I cannot provide hard data.

How did Ramotion perform throughout the project?

They did very well. My company is very satisfied with their work and performance. They are cheap without sacrificing quality. They have a great team that is really strong with project management. They get the work done on time.

Whenever there are bugs, they would fix them quickly. They may not be perfect on the first iteration, but all fixes are performed right away. We are happy with their responsiveness and work attitude.

Looking back on the project, is there anything that you think Ramotion could improve upon or something that you would do differently looking back?

No, there isn't anything that is their fault. All of the issues were on our end.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

My company is a Russian mobile network, mobile entertainment, mobile phone applications and mobile advertising firm.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Ramotion?

We noticed that our clients were using a CPC [cost-per-click] system, where they can pay more, but they can also pay less. We decided to make a change. We talked to Ramotion and decided to change the design, architecture, and generally make it brand new. Everything was working, but we made a change.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

They did everything: development, design, UX, and UI. They did some of the programming, but my team did most of it.

What was your process for selecting Ramotion?

We did an online search, saw a good review about them, and looked at their website. I liked them, and we sent them a brief of what we would like to do. We considered other companies, and we decided to outsource. I already saw the quality of what they do, and what they offered to do, step by step. I liked what they had to say.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

There were two phases. The phase after the design took about eight months. It was between $50,000 and $100,000.

When was the latest milestone completed for that work?

It is mostly finished, but some small tasks still need to be finished. They finished their part, but we didn’t finish all the programming. It's difficult to stop, but they're mostly finished.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

It is difficult to say. We haven’t finished our part yet. I worked in design 10 years ago. I worked with a few companies before, and you have to stop your job and explain everything. In this case, they asked me what I would like, what I would not like, and what I think about it.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other IT companies?

They didn't waste my time. I paid for their work, and they did it very well. They did what I wanted completely. It's difficult. You can go to the design room, and they can do exactly what you want, or you can explain each step. In this case, I explained to them what I needed, soft colors, a bit of yellow and a bit of green. It was perfect. It was exactly what I wanted. Here, it was exactly the same. We had extensive conversations before they started a task. They completely understood what I wanted. It was a good experience, and they did exactly what I wanted.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

I cannot think of anything. I worked with a few people in the company, such as the manager, the sales manager, the head of design, and the designers, and now I work with the head of programmers. Everybody understands what to do and does it perfectly. I can’t think of anything. I recommend them to friends.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a fintech based in NYC. We're building infrastructure in lending.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed help building our D2C mobile app.

SOLUTION

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

Ramotion came highly recommended. We wanted a vendor who placed an emphasis on professionality, punctuality, and quality.

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

Ramotion built a D2C payments mobile app from scratch.

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

5

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I'd HIGHLY recommend their services again.

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

They're timely, communicative, and collaborative.

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

The quality of the engineering.

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

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're a healthcare platform that allows users to get free answers and instant help from more than 140,000 top doctors. Users can also have a virtual consult with doctors or assess their symptoms with our medical AI.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ramotion?

We hired Ramotion to explore different options for improving the user experience and conversation on some key pages of our website.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to convert more people who were landing from Google Search to leads and potential customers of our service.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Ramotion was recommended by people within the team and our investors. The agency has a significant portfolio of a fast-growing startup from San Francisco. So it was a bit plus.

Describe the scope of their work in detail. 

Our website has millions of visitors from Google. However, our landing pages were not converting them into prospects well enough. We needed an experienced team to give us an outside view on our problem and potentially come up with a solution. The agency ended up designing many concepts for A/B tests.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a Creative Producer and a designer. The producer was the main point of contact during the work. And he was a senior expert.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The information is confidential, but we were able to test different layouts of the pages, CTAs and ended up going with one option that eventually increased conversion of visitors to leads. That’s the result of close collaboration between our two teams.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

A great thing about the collaboration is that they were like the right extension of our team. They did weekly standups, delivery a couple of days. We knew exactly where we are in terms of the progress.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I think Ramotion is not just focused on tech companies only, but also specializes in a few interconnected disciplines like branding and product design. It allows them to keep the design of our brand very consistent even when they do UI/UX work. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

When you work in a startup, you try to be lean with everything, including a budget, especially for an external agency. Of course, we’d want them to charge a bit less. But we understand that we could learn a lot from them because they worked with lots of startups and they know what they are doing quite well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of Mobingi, Inc., an SaaS startup that provides solutions for automating cloud lifecycle tasks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ramotion?

We needed to rebrand our company identity.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to clearly articulate our company's new brand identity to customers, conveying our services and vision.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

By reviewing their portfolios and communicating with their design team.

Describe the project in detail.

The project took 3 to 4 months. We had Zoom meetings on-demand, and communication happened every week. Based on our feedback, the design team revised their work to match our expectations. They also gave valuable opinions and recommendations.

What was the team composition?

Ramotion assigned a design director with whom we mainly communicated. His team delivered the work, but the director was in charge of leading communications.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within 3 months, our re-branded site was launched. Among industry and potential users, it increased our brand identity and recognition by roughly 66%.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had weekly work updates and meetings, on-demand phone calls, and Zoom conferences. Ramotion responded within 24 hours.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The design director is very responsible, and the work they did was stunning. They are a top-quality designer team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They may need to enlarge their team, due to increased workload from incoming projects.