Specno

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Project Manager of Intelligent Quoting

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Intelligent Quoting - Digital quoting tool for the HCV Industry

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• We hired Specno to understand our business goals and conceptualize and design a system that achieves our goals as well as ultimately develop the system comprising of a mobile app as well as a desktop portal.

SOLUTION

How did you find Specno?

Online Search

Why did you select Specno over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Specno were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

• Requirements gathering, research, analysis, and conceptualization Phase: Exploration, analysis, and ideation to conceptualize our new system, depicted via user flows and activity diagrams and written explanations within a formal report. Specno went the extra mile in gathering information from us and other sources to ensure the user journeys were accurately depicted. 
• Wireframe Phase: Designing the page structure, layout, user flows, and functionality of the system without color, graphics, and styles. This was completed within Figma. There are numerous feedback and review sessions during this phase. The systems analyst really took the time to understand the process which we wish to facilitate with the system and ensured that it would be able to effectively do so. 
• Design Phase: Specno provided a style test that mocks various different styles, colors, and other design elements so that we could choose the style that best suits their taste and goals. Each mockup within the style test is very aesthetically pleasing. It is actually quite difficult to choose an option. Once a style is chosen the rest of the system screens are designed and the designs are either packaged as a downloadable deliverable from Figma, or prepared for development by Specno. In this case, the designs will be organized within Figma to prepare for the development of the system. 
• Technical Assessment & Development Roadmap Phase: The Technical Assessment is an estimate of the amount of time and resources that will be required to develop the proposed system. For the IQ system we committed to a design for development contract and thus the technical assessment happened in parallel to the design phase. The development roadmap was accurately established to account for the MVP features within the agreed upon time frame. The advice received and formulated approach has greatly reduced the estimated time to market for the system. 
• Development: Using the designs as blueprint for the development project, two and later four developers collaborated to deliver the first phase of the project using an agile delivery strategy. These developers accurately delivered features according to the project priorities as directed by the product owner.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Specno has consistently surprised me with their insight and eagerness to gain an in-depth understanding of the business goal. They were able to provide guidance on every aspect of the business, well outside of the contracted work. The value and insights gained and connections formed from this project surpassed our expectations. IQ as it has been developed to date consists of 3 different desktop portals with 7 different user types as well as a mobile app.

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

The product owner and project manager were easy to communicate with and provided frequent updates on the status of the project. We communicated using Jira, Slack, Whatsapp, phone calls, email and site visits. Each deliverable was communicated well and completed within reasonable time.

What was your primary form of communication with Specno?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Specno truly understood the product goal and the business need that the system aimed to meet, this enabled Specno to conceptualize, ideate, design and develop not only an aesthetic system with a good user experience but also deliver a fully functional and scalable product. Specno paid attention to all the feedback I provided and added a lot more value than anticipated.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Black Anchor Property

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company is developing an App to connect business people in public spaces

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Undertake a Concept Validation exercise
• Design the App with UI/UX
• Provide Build requirements

SOLUTION

How did you find Specno?

Online Search

Why did you select Specno over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned
• Impressive CEO

How many teammates from Specno were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

The scope of work included: 

• Ideation
• Concept validation 
• Customer surveys 
• Strategy development 
• Wire diagrams 
• Logo and CI development 
• UI/UX development 

Key deliverables: 

• Prove concept by testing assumptions 
• Provide wire framework 
• Provide design from scratch
• Provide UI/UX Design 
• Provide scope of build required.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• To prove or disprove assumptions to test viability of the app 
• Design and scope a useable app design

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

They delivered everything ahead of time, mostly! Their response times were immediate and yet well thought out and thorough.

What was your primary form of communication with Specno?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• The level of service 
• The quality of each team member 
• The patience and understanding 
• The friendly atmosphere 
• The knowledge base
• The driving team members

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

I can't think of anything more they could have done

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Problem Solver of Inala

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Inala (Abundance) is an internal record database management system particularly focused on Education and Training programmes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Product Design
• Product Development

SOLUTION

How did you find Specno?

Online Search

Why did you select Specno over others?

Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from Specno were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Design the product MVP from Scratch.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Design our MVP that solves the critical business problems we had found through customer feedback and research. The outcome was having a clickable prototype that we could use to start presenting to possible clients.

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

The beginning of the project took us a while to find our feet working together. However, as the project progressed they stuck to their promises and timelines. They were agile and allowed us to move in different directions pretty quickly depending on new customer feedback received.

What was your primary form of communication with Specno?

Virtual Meeting

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

The problems are quite complex problems to solve through a system. It took us a while to even wrap our heads around them. However, the design team are experts at this and quickly simplified these and translated them into a user friendly system. They are also flexible and accommodating.

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

I think communication could see a slight improvement, its always best to over communicate rather. Other than that their work produced is exceptional.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder of Zaf App

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Marketplace App

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Mobile App Design
• UI Design
• Development Roadmap

SOLUTION

How did you find Specno?

Online Search

Why did you select Specno over others?

High ratings, Close to my geographic location, Company values aligned

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

Requirements gathering, research, analysis, and conceptualization Phase: Exploration, analysis, and ideation to conceptualize our new system, depicted via user flows. Specno went the extra mile in gathering information from us and other sources to ensure the user journeys were accurately depicted.

Wireframe Phase: Designing the page structure, layout, user flows, and functionality of the system without color, graphics, and styles. This was completed within Figma. There are numerous feedback and review sessions during this phase. The systems analyst really took the time to understand the process which we wish to facilitate with the system and ensured that it would be able to effectively do so.

Design Phase: Specno provided a style test that mocks various different styles, colours, and other design elements so that we could choose the style that best suits their taste and goals. Each mockup within the style test is very aesthetically pleasing. It is actually quite difficult to choose an option.

Once a style is chosen the rest of the system screens are designed and the designs are either packaged as a downloadable deliverable from Figma, or prepared for development by Specno. In this case, the designs will be organised within Figma to prepare for the development of the system.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Scope of work
• Deliverables
• Resource Capacity

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

The design team were easy to communicate with and provided frequent updates on the status of the project. We communicated using Slack, Google Meet/ Zoom, phone calls, and email. Each deliverable was communicated and executed well.

What was your primary form of communication with Specno?

In-Person Meeting, Virtual Meeting

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

Working alongside Specno, we were greatly impressed by their professionalism and they were able to deliver exceptional service.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Delivery Manager of Copious on behalf of Jiver Jinx

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Copious provides services through talents which drive continuous innovation and operational excellence. Tech leader in South Africa providing solutions with Consulting, Data Engineering, Cloud Engineering, Product Implementation & Professional Services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Jiver Jinx Market Validation
• Jiver Jinx Proof of Concept
• UX Design and Screen Layouts
• Product Owner

SOLUTION

How did you find Specno?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Specno over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

What was the size of Specno’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

Specno was given tasks for the below deliverables:

• Market Validation
• Proof of Concept
• User Journey
• UX Design
• Screen Layouts

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Deliverables Against Timelines
• Quality of deliverables
• Engaged and Focussed Speco Team

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

• Awesome time-bound delivery
• Dedicated and Highly focussed team
• They've followed agile project management and adapted well to our needs.

What was your primary form of communication with Specno?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email
• Messaging App

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

• Quality of resources
• Dedication and Focus
• Availability and communication
• Great culture fit
• Knowledge of market related tools andtechnology

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

As an customer , there will always be comparison with similar vendor in terms of pricing

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder of Zafapp, a social media integration platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Specno?

We hired Specno to guide us through the early stages of founding a business by proving us with a strategic and data-driven approach to follow coupled with expert guidance. We ultimately sought to validate that our business side is worth pursuing. They accomplished this and so much more.

SOLUTION

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

I contacted Specno's sales team, and was pleasantly surprised at how knowledgeable and experienced Specno was in the start up and incubator ecosystem and ecoculture. This knowledge, experience, reviews, personality, enthusiasm, and willingness to achieve were my deciding factors.

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

Understanding the problem: The Specno product team consultant guided us to focus on the problem to be solved first. We understood the problem from the user’s perspective and conceptualized our initial value proposition in response to this problem.

Business modeling: Using the Lean Canvas, we were guided through the mapping out of our business model, refining the model, and distilling it into separate testable business models. We then identified risks that are still embedded in the business model due to assumptions made. Testing the business model for its desirability, viability and feasibility.

Market research: After understanding the importance of speaking to users we received a clear framework that we can use to conduct user interviews with. The learnings from these interviews were captured and interpreted to give us insights into the experienced problems of our users as well as how they are currently solving the problem. This was coupled with comprehensive competitor research and analysis.

Establishing an offer: After adapting our business model and value proposition to include and account for the learnings during the market research we went about crafting an offer to take to market. This included ideating on the 5Ps of an MVP and embedding our offer in a story pitch. We were provided with a wireframe prototype to demo during our product pitches. Coupled with this phase thorough research was done into the relevant technologies that will enable the implementation of our solution.

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

I worked very closely with a product team consultant throughout the Concept Validation project which provided expert insights during the process. There was also some collaboration with the account manager that checked in on a regular basis to ensure that the project is measuring up to our expectations and enquiring if there is anything that Specno can improve on.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Specno surprised me with their knowledge and willingness to help and provide guidance on every aspect of my business idea, never hesitating to go the extra mile to provide us with more value. The project organically grew and adapted its direction to our project’s specific needs. The value and insights gained and connections formed from this project are immeasurable.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The product team consultant met up with us bi-weekly, to discuss the next steps and to follow up on any work that was done since our previous meeting. These regular consultations gave us clear direction in terms of our own actions every step of the way. We communicated with Specno using Slack, phone calls, and email. Each deliverable was communicated well and completed on time.

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

Specno’s ability to fully empathize with us as founders and really buy into our project almost just as much as the founding team. Specno paid attention to the feedback I provided and added a lot more value than anticipated.

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

We wish we had more time with them. The entire process was immensely valuable and exceeded our expectations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of Delivery Tribe - a SAAS company that specialises in the logistics of last mile fulfilment for industries that require rapid, time sensitive deliveries to the customer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Specno?

Although our apps worked well, they did not have the professional polished look and feel, and this gave a negative impression about our SAAS. We wanted to redesign our UX so that our customers would love using the product.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I researched a number of vendors specialising in UX design. I found Specno on the Internet. After our first meeting, I grew confident in their abilities as they listened well, and it did not appear that they were trying to get as much out of it for themselves as they were interested in solving my problem. They seemed to get a good grasp of the challenges I faced, and their pricing was keen. I also discovered that a very respected friend of mine was actually the father of one of the founders which sealed the deal.

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

The Specno team listened carefully to the issues we had with our software interfaces, and the problems our customers were experiencing as well as our own concerns about the existing user interfaces across the products. They asked for a sandbox environment in which they could really get to use our existing products, so that they could understand fully the functionality of our products, and the limitations with the existing design.

Only once they got a thorough understanding of the landscape, did they put together a new UX experience for our customers, making the app look polished, professional, user friendly and intuitive. It was not long before we got a prototype that we could play with. We had several meetings going through the UX, where we were able to provide detailed feedback - and using an iterative approach, we got to a point where we were thoroughly happy with the final design outcome.

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

My team worked with four staff members from Specno - the Lead Designer who was also involved in research, a Branding specialist, and UI/UX specialists.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are currently working on the new version of our app and portal that incorporates all the new UX that Specno designed for us. We are confident that the new user experience will create a positive impact in the marketplace, and our marketing can get fully behind the product.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We used a combination of Slack, phone calls, emails and video conferencing to interact with Specno. It was highly effective, with screen sharing an important part of progress.

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

Their ability to listen instead of "telling us" what to do. We were impressed with their ability to deliver on time and their affordable cost structure.

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

No suggestions - we were very happy.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Product Manager for a SaaS company in Johannesburg.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Specno?

We hired Specno to create a crystal clear path to value for potential customers and design a more seamless onboarding experience. We also needed overall system appearance improvement.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were selected before I joined the organizations, their knowledge, experience, reviews impressed our executive team. Their enthusiasm, and willingness to achieve seemed to have been considered as part of the decision making..

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

Design Foundation Phase: Exploration, analysis, and gaining an understanding of the current system. Deliverables included:

1. Research & Analytics (Onboarding research, Hotjar & Mixpanel analysis)
2. User Personas & Journey Mapping
3. Competitor Analysis 
4. Mapping of Current System UX/UI

Audit: The Specno team conducted an in-depth audit of the system. This phase included a Usability Heuristic analysis, an audit of UX-best practices and an analysis of existing UI component, as well as annotated screens with specific user experience and interface notes. This ended with the formulation of a system hypothesis - a final statement that summarised the findings and recommended plan of action.

Wireframe Phase: Designing the page structure, layout, user flows, and functionality of the system without color, graphics, and styles. This was completed within Figma. There are numerous feedback and review sessions during this phase. The designers really took the time to understand the process which we wish to facilitate with the system and ensured that it would be able to effectively do so.

Design Phase: Specno provided a style test that mocks various different styles, colors, and other design elements so that we could choose the style that best suits their taste and goals. Each mockup within the style test was very aesthetically pleasing. It is actually quite difficult to choose an option. Once a style is chosen the rest of the system screens have this style applied to them. After that the designers provided extremely in depth documentation for our developers - setting them up for success with a scalable design system.

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

We worked with 2 designers from Specno during the different phases of the project. One lead designer whose role was to take lead during meetings as well as the general direction of the project. The supporting designer assisted by splitting the volume of workload and also ensured all admin related tasks were handled

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Specno provided me with their great insight throughout the project. Great communication. The team was investment in our company’s goals and this was clearly reflected in their work. They were able to provide guidance on every aspect of the business, well outside of the contracted work. The value and insights gained and connections formed from this project surpassed our expectations.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The design team were easy to communicate with and provided frequent updates on the status of the project. They were also collaborative with our internal teams. We communicated using Slack and email. Each deliverable was communicated well and completed on time and allowed our teams time to review and provide feedback.

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

Specno paid attention to all the feedback we provided and added a lot more value than anticipated. The team was able to deliver additional work to help us make the most of the designs.

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

No. I think the team were able to take us on the journey and help us discover where we can make the most of the redesign.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We develop a two-sided online marketplace and logistics solution for restaurants and suppliers to connect, enabling restaurants to purchase their supplies and receive consolidated deliveries across suppliers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Specno?

As we have grown, we needed to invest more heavily into a good user experience and improved UI. We hired Specno to help us refactor the end-to-end shopping experience.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We did an extensive search considering skills, timezone, previous project and agile working methods. Specno hit the sweet spot.

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

We collaborated extensively on understanding existing competitors and their solutions. We then worked through selected major user journeys and refactored the screens for each of these, creating initial principles, then wireframes, then final styled designs. We tested these internally and revised. Finally we developed a components kit.

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

2 resources: a design lead and a UI designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Really good internal feedback on the designs and user experience.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Specno team were highly collaborative and responsive. We had one full-time individual from our team working closely with Specno.

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

They were willing to go above and beyond to complete the required scope. Brought some useful suggestions to the design based on previous experience.

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

Clearer reporting on timeline management.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Co-founder of an online marketplace for subscription goods and services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We initially approached Specno to help us develop a mobile application. After realising that this was out of our budget. Specno worked with us to help us develop our wire frames for a prototype MVP instead. The service they provided was of high quality and we are happy with the results.

They also helped us with our market research as well as preparing us for investor interviews. Which we found valuable.

SOLUTION

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

I have a friend from university that got a job at the company and he recommended them to me. After looking them up online we saw that they had recently won an award for best app development company for start ups in South Africa.

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

We were assigned a point of contact and we formed a Slack channel with their team. We then provided them with the neccessary information reagrding our business model. After this they went and did their own market research and using this research they begun working on our wire frames. We had a few meetings with the designer on our team every few weeks online. During these meetings we'd receive updates on our project and be able to give feedback.

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

We interacted with the founder throughout as well as a project manager and designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The deliverables were of high quality and we are in tbe process of using them to aid us in our venture.

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

We were added to a Slack channel with the team we were working with where we had open communication. On top of that we had meetings on Google Meet before every work week, where we would receive updates and share our thoughts. Which was around every 3 weeks.

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

None.