Solace

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-founder & CEO of Popp AI

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

AI co-pilot for talent acquisition

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Design our the UI and UX of our MVP
• Iterate designs based on real-time feedback

SOLUTION

How did you find Solace?

Outreach

Why did you select Solace over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Solace were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We tasked Solace to help us rapidly design an MVP for our generative AI product, and continue iterating based on real-time learning. This was an extremely fast-moving, dynamic 12-week project. The first draft of the MVP needed to be designed within 4 weeks. Following that, we required 2-week iteration cycles to coincide with our internal sprints.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The MVP designs were delivered on schedule, and two weeks later we had built the MVP. Two weeks after that, it was live with paying customers. We would not have been able to achieve anywhere near this pace of shipping without Solace. They worked hand-in-hand with our CTO, and the results were magical.

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

Yes, they delivered on time and responded usually within hours (90% of the time) and never more than 24 hours following a query. Our requirements were dynamic (being a pre-seed pre-product startup when first engaged with Solace), and they could handle our project's moving targets very well.

What was your primary form of communication with Solace?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They integrated themselves as part of the team and produced work of exceptional quality. It was like having a full product team alongside our CTO, and didn't feel like an external resource.

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

No, nothing at all.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of Golfgeek

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Golf analytics company providing in-depth statistics to elite golfers and their coaches

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Full UI/UX design
• Front End
• Back End Infrastructure

SOLUTION

How did you find Solace?

• Online Search
• Behance

Why did you select Solace over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from Solace were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

The project we embarked on was an all-encompassing, full-stack development effort that involved multiple integral components: from cutting-edge UI/UX design to sophisticated front-end and back-end development, all the way through to hosting solutions. The professionals at Solace kicked off the journey by crafting user interface wireframes, which were later elevated into a robust and visually compelling UI design system. 

In an effort to ensure a user-centric approach, the team also constructed detailed user personas. These personas were instrumental in identifying a diverse array of user types, along with their unique requirements and pain points, enabling a tailored user experience. Following this foundational work, the project's focus shifted to the construction of dynamic front-end functionality. 

This stage wasn't just about visual elements; it was intricately tied to the development of pivotal back-end features. High on the priority list were functionalities like robust account creation and management systems, as well as a scalable database architecture. As we neared project completion, attention was given to ironing out any front-end bugs and fine-tuning back-end calculations, ensuring a seamless, glitch-free user experience. 

The end result was a finely calibrated application designed to meet and exceed user expectations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The most significant measurable outcome of the project was the successful launch of a fully operational Minimum Viable Product (MVP) app complete with payment functionality. This MVP not only fulfilled the initial project requirements but also demonstrated robust functionality and a user-friendly interface, indicative of the project's overall success.

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

The project management was highly organized and effective. We utilized Slack for day-to-day communications, supplemented by weekly online meetings to discuss progress and upcoming tasks. The project manager efficiently controlled specialised project management software, where they would raise tickets based on discussions from our meetings. 

These tickets prompted internal meetings within their team to delve into the issues at hand and formulate solutions. This streamlined approach allowed for excellent responsiveness to our needs and concerns. Remarkably, all project deliverables were completed both on time and within budget, which is a testament to their well-oiled project management and operational efficiency.

What was your primary form of communication with Solace?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

One of the standout features of Solace was the sense of camaraderie and engagement among the team. Everyone was incredibly friendly and it was evident that they thoroughly enjoyed contributing to the project and working together. This positive work environment contributed to the overall success and smooth execution of our goals. Another remarkable aspect of working with Solace was their extensive experience with startups. 

They had a well-grounded understanding of realistic timelines and key success metrics, which added an invaluable layer of expertise to the project. Their vast network, including connections to venture capitalists, provided us not only with top-notch development work but also with strategic advantages that go beyond coding and design.

Are there any areas for improvement or something {provider_name} could have done differently?

No, their expertise, timeliness, and attention to detail exceeded all of our expectations

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder of a digital transactions company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company is simplifying cross-border transactions, by digitalizing notarizations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Product Design
• Website Design

SOLUTION

How did you find Solace?

They had reached out to us previously, so we were in touch

Why did you select Solace over others?

experience with early stage starups

How many teammates from Solace were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Design on new product screen
• New Web design

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

new product screen designs within a certain established time frame agreed; new website design within a certain time frame agreed.

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

We were satisfied with their PM and timelines

What was your primary form of communication with Solace?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I was impressed with their collaborative work culture.

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

The ask for prepayment each month, worked for us but may be difficult for other stage startups which usually prefer to pay post delivery of a service.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of material supply. It’s a marketplace for industrial wholesale materials.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed a landing page created to enhance online presence and credibility.

SOLUTION

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

Had worked with Solace previously.

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

Kick off meetings, vision boarding, requirements. Site was designed in Figma and published on WordPress.

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

2 designer and product manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

None yet.

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

Timely communication and willingness to provide flexible solutions to our needs.

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

I appreciated their knowledge of creating high-conversion landing pages.

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

We left the technology choices to Solace, but in hind sight, I wish I had specified using Webflow. WordPress has been difficult to work with and is less on trend than Webflow.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm an executive of a venture-backed software company. We are in the early stages (pre-seed) and working on the first version of the product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed a beautifully designed product for our customers to use. We had the technical expertise but not the design. Solace really came onboard to bring the product to life.

SOLUTION

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

We found them through a trusted referral.

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

The project was quite vast. The brief was to re-design the entire product including flows.

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

There were 2 people in the core team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to launch the product quickly and sign up paying users to it ahead of schedule.

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

Project management is second to none. They were in constant communication with us and always available to answer any questions.

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

The way they understood what design work was needed and how to go about it was most impressive. Our product, although in its early stages, is able to compete with much more established players.

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

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of an affiliate marketing for ecommerce SaaS

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Solace?

We hired Solace top rebuild our merchant and affiliate facing UI/UX

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I met the founder at wework!

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

The team was great. They created an information architecture, did a UX audit, and rebuilt everything from the ground up

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

I worked with the founder and a designer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new UX is great and the designs are perfect

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very. They created a Slack channel and did weekly check in calls. I would ping their team with ideas at random hours and they were really responsive!

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

They did a great job interpreting business problems I would give them into solutions in the product.

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

No, they were amazing to work with