SeaLab LLC

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was a senior UX manager at Kasasa, a fintech company in Austin, Texas. Kasasa services around 800 financial institutions across the US with various products such as checking accounts, savings accounts, and innovative loan accounts. My team was working on 15–20 products at different stages in their lifecycle.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SeaLab LLC?

We needed help in UI/UX design. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SeaLab supported our design efforts on mobile app interfaces, desktop UIs, admin panels for various products, user flows, and more. They provided us with high-fidelity designs, but they sometimes did UX research. Their team helped us from ideation to final delivery.  We used Sketch, Miro, Invision, Atlassian, Abstract, and other tools.  

What is the team composition?

I worked with Heather (Founder & Chief Experience Officer), but we had a larger team if needed. 

How did you come to work with SeaLab LLC?

SeaLab sent a proposal for an earlier project that we ended up taking in-house. They were persistent and reached out to me every few months, and when we needed additional resources, we hired them. 

When we spoke with SeaLab, we felt a great rapport between our teams. They were listening instead of telling us what they would do. Their presentation appealed to me.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $80,000–$100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May 2020–October 2021, until I left the organization. However, I know SeaLab is still working with my former company. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

SeaLab’s work received positive feedback from various stakeholders within our company. They successfully revitalized some of our stagnant projects. People in our company knew and understood the value of their work.  

How did SeaLab LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

I treat SeaLab’s team as our employees — we gave them their email account, software, and laptop. They were very flexible with our restrictions and security requirements as a financial institution. We communicate through emails and Zoom calls. 

We had a lot of great collaboration sessions with SeaLab’s team. They understood and were eager to run at our challenges; they were engaged and excited by our tasks. 

In addition, SeaLab could ramp up and down as needed. We initially worked with Heather, but when we needed additional help, she pulled in her colleagues to assist. They were accommodating to our team’s need to scale quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The camaraderie we developed and their positive attitude with our challenges were impressive. They worked side by side with us to figure out the best approaches. Throughout our relationship, I felt that they were an extension of our team throughout our relationship, so it was easy to work with them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Keep an open mind about their work, and maintain open communication channels. Be transparent — run into criticisms and questions. Take a positive and proactive attitude, and ensure that they’re included in discussions. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager of Vizion.ai, a data analytics SaaS provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SeaLab LLC?

We hired SeaLab LLC to provide UX/UI support in creating our new portal. We wanted to make sure the design incorporated all the latest best practices and had a branded look. Usability was the primary driver for this redesign.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I provided their team with mockups for the required interfaces and the end-user capabilities, essentially the functional components. From there, they created the flow and layout for the UX, while implementing all of those components. They were also involved in the branding concept and in the UI design portion of the work. Basically, I gave them a box of doorknobs and they built the house.

What is the team composition?

My primary point of contact and project manager was Heather (Founder & CEO, SeaLab LLC) and 2–3 others supported the project. 

How did you come to work with SeaLab LLC?

I looked for firms through our company in California, and evaluated vendors we had used for that company. I’d worked with Heather when she was in a previous role, so I knew I trusted her design work and liked her previous work. Looking at SeaLab LLC’s portfolio, I saw that it resonated with what I was looking for. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $100,000 with everything included. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in the summer of 2018 and they completed this project around November 2018. The project ran from Summer–Fall. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyone was very pleased with the look and feel of the UI. Our customers have given great feedback on the interface, commenting on the elegant, modern design SeaLab LLC created. User testing went positively, too. I would not hesitate to work with them again. They delivered 100% what they said they would and did it on time. 

How did SeaLab LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

They met all of our deadlines. We primarily communicated through Slack; it worked really well for us. If I had any questions, we spoke on the phone, too. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The communication between our teams went really well—especially the quick turnaround they provided. I’ve worked with other companies that aren’t local like they are, and the communication gap was large with those other companies, especially with something as subtle as UX/UI work. 

Since we were launching a new product, things changed frequently and they had to adapt to our needs. We had a great working relationship in which they accommodated for us. Heather was extremely transparent. I was very happy with SeaLab LLC and how they completed everything for us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything that came up during the project. Everything went pretty smoothly. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Provide as much definition to the costs of your project, because if your requirements change midway through, they can’t help with any delays caused by that. Define the flows and don’t change it halfway through if you can avoid it. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner and CEO of TopDecked Limited. We build software for gamers to help them connect with others in their area. Currently, we’re working on an application that runs on a player’s phone, tablet, browser, etc. to help them play the game and get connected with events around them.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SeaLab LLC?

We didn’t have the necessary in-house expertise for branding and graphic design, so we brought on SeaLab LLC to support us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

To start, they did market research to find the best positioning for our brand among competing applications. Additionally, they created a responsive design to scale across mobile and desktop platforms. Their team built out a new logo plus a new look and feel, too. 

What is the team composition?

There was one project manager that I worked directly with for the project. 

How did you come to work with SeaLab LLC?

I’d worked with SeaLab LLC on a previous project after I found them through a mutual connection. They did such a great job with that one, so I brought them on for this engagement. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March–October 2019 on this project. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have any metrics yet since we haven’t launched it, but we’re very happy with the final product. We have done a lot of customer validation interviews and, without exception, people have been thrilled with the product, asking when they can use it and commenting on its look. 

How did SeaLab LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent about communicating and meeting our deadlines. We started using a project management suite to track all the deliverables, which would have been helpful to use earlier on in our engagement. However, once we switched to that tool instead of spreadsheets, everything was great and clear as day. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were genuinely interested in what we were building, and they were committed to fulfilling our goals. They wouldn’t deliver something unless they were sure it’s what we wanted. We were basically driving the same car, so they always wanted to make sure we’d be happy with our destination in the end. They were dedicated to finding the best way to get us to our final product. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t really think of anything. They had all the necessary documentation and legal paperwork ready to go when we started and adopted that project management tool, so everything was smooth. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Stay engaged and responsive during the process. Think of the SeaLab team as an extension of your own. If you aren't involved, and if you treat design projects like outsourcing, you will be the bottleneck in your own project. They are not the cheapest agency, but they will work extremely hard to meet your goals. If you’re looking to make the best of your investment, make sure you commit the time to them in addition to the dollars.