Stellar Elements

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a product manager at a software company that deals specifically in employee communication solutions. Our primary product is digital signage.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fresh Tilled Soil?

We had legacy technology that hadn’t been updated in quite a while, and we needed an external team to redo our CMS software. We wanted a partner who could look at our current system and user personas and determine how to redesign the UX/UI to make it more efficient and easier to use.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a kickoff meeting to help Fresh Tilled Soil understand our project expectations at a high level. They reviewed our workflows and conducted customer interviews, and then they began the dev from scratch. Our user base is fairly non-technical, so we wanted Fresh Tilled Soil to keep the design relatively similar while also delivering more functionalities. They did user testing and also delivered final mockups that our developers could then use to build the new CMS.

The platform manages digital signage in our end clients’ workplaces. People buy our products, which they put in their common spaces, and then they access the CMS to manage the screen’s content. Users can log in and create a piece of content that goes right onto the screen.

What is the team composition? 

They had a business developer, project manager, strategist, and two UX/UI designers.

How did you come to work with Fresh Tilled Soil?

They were a referral from a previous vendor.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership lasted from November 2018–February 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Engaging with them saved us quite a bit of time. It would’ve taken a year or more for our internal UX/UI designer to do what they did. The design is much better than our previous platform.

How did Fresh Tilled Soil perform from a project management standpoint?

They were easy to work with and incredibly organized and detail oriented. We had an aggressive timeline, which they met, but they probably needed a bit more time to schedule their work properly. The entire team was communicative, and we used Basecamp to track project progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They didn’t just do what we asked, but they challenged us when they knew it would make for a better product. They worked to understand our business and answered all of our questions, including those about best practices and industry trends. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their documentation wasn’t as clearly organized on Basecamp as it could’ve been. They should have a single source that, at the end of the day, I can click onto to see the most recent product. The updates weren’t all consolidated in one spot.
 
Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If possible, try to meet them in person to get to know their team. Push for good and consistent communication and share all the data you have about your product and customer base.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing for an organization that places college students in study abroad programs around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ADK Group?

We use HubSpot COS (content optimization system) as our CMS (content management system). We also use it as our marketing automation platform. ADK mainly helps us maintain and further develop our website and COS.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We partner with ADK for anything from redesign and redevelopment to marketing, QA, and data analytics. Most recently they are helping us solve web navigational problems and redesigning our site UX.

Additionally, they help improve our site health and SEO, including how to best leverage HubSpot. We’ve also partnered with them for our blog pillar project, enhancing our most critical site pages and SEO so that our Google ranking is competitive.

ADK helps us solve marketing and web development issues, as well as partner with us proactively to make sure our site is always improving.

What is the team composition?

We work closely with Jason (Client Application Manager, ADK Group), Sam (Lead Marketing Technologist, ADK Group), and Chris (CSO, ADK Group). They manage other developers that work on our project.

How did you come to work with ADK Group?

We’ve been partnered with them since before I was part of the team when ADK helped us initially develop and implement the COS website. But, we’ve chosen to continue to work with ADK not only due to their work ethic and flexibility and the trust we’ve built over the years but because they’re based locally nearby. That’s important since we need consistent communication.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked with them since 2015, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ADK has been an incredible partner. They’re very collaborative, they listen, and their work is always effective. Over the years they’ve helped us optimize and improve our website, our CMS, our marketing, our data analytics, and more.

How did ADK Group perform from a project management standpoint?

ADK understands the importance of project management in any web or digital project. They focus and excel in this area. They’re flexible with us when we have iterations and augment our team with their own expertise.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There are lots of competent web development companies out there, but ADK distinguishes themselves through their personal touch and focus on creating a real partnership with their clients. We consider them a partner, not just a vendor. ADK is extremely competent, with strong development and design skills and expertise. Over the course of our relationship, they have been agile and responsive to our needs and have gone above and beyond for us, including building expertise in the HubSpot platform when we decided to implement their platform as our CMS.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really enjoy working with ADK and the only area I can think of for improvement is in mapping out more specific QA processes with us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend treating the project as a partnership and being open to their input and advice.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a product manager at a third-party vendor that provides digital banking capabilities to financial institutions of all sizes. I handle online banking services as they relate to commercial customers. We’ve recently begun to focus on open API technology that enables financial institutions to customize their digital banking experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with projekt202?

We had recently redesigned our consumer platform but needed someone to help us conduct research and provide a more user-centric design of our commercial counterpart.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, they did research (gap analysis, heuristic review, competitive evaluation, field work), talking to both our financial institution customers and their commercial clients. They used the results to create multiple designs for the commercial platform and produce a proof of concept (POC). Afterward, they went back into the field to validate the POC. They also assisted our organization with a web component library.

Their scheme for the commercial application has two main components. We went in desiring a new, user-centric commercial experience, but we realized we also had to fill an immediate need on our existing platform. This time constraint led them to develop what we a call a “tactical strike” design for the existing platform as well as a reimagined design for the new platform. The “tactical strike” design leveraged the learnings and associated overarching concepts for the reimagined design while incorporating into the current platform that had some restrictions.

What is the team composition?

There was a project manager, a senior/lead UI/UX designer, and two or three research resources. We then collaborated with their UI/UX resources to build the final design. In total, we worked with four UI/UX teammates, along with our project manager. There was also an architecture resource that understood our company very well and provided really help us identify early-on obstacles, challenges, and new technology that could impede our progress.

How did you come to work with projekt202?

Our IT manager was familiar with the company, and we had looked at their services on several occasions. The challenge was bringing in a new, somewhat smaller vendor into a large corporation like ours, which is a time-consuming process due to a rigorous due-diligence process. With this process, we also had to evaluate other vendors in the space, many of whom we had worked with in the past.

We loved projekt202’s approach, culture, and people. They fit with what we were looking for from a product perspective and kept all project resources on-shore. A lot of large consulting companies will off-shore certain components of their projects, but we felt like this particular project, being heavy in research and in-person interactions, needed to be handled domestically. projekt202 wasn’t the lowest cost vendor we evaluated, but they understood our vision the best, and we favored their approach.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May 2017–September 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We released Phase 1 of the redesign of our current platform in late October. Its improved usability, intuitive workflows, actionable next steps, transparent system feedback, and overall new look was positively received by our customer. We have also received very few support issues and/or questions regarding how to work within the platform’s new design. The intuitive nature of the platform makes it easy for business customers to manage their transactions on the platform and is easy for our financial institution customers to support.

On a qualitative level, projekt202 made us stretch our thinking and approach problems differently. We tend to be driven by payment platforms, banking mindset and overall industry jargon. projekt202 revealed through the research that most business customers, especially small and mid-sized business clients, are often confused by cumbersome cash management and payment technology. Their research and data analysis substantiated our own analysis and help shift us in the right direction of being less “banker” and more user-centric. The objectivity, data, and designs they provided were exactly what we needed. Due to the success of the initial engagement, we kept extending their contract in other areas of our company.

How did projekt202 perform from a project management standpoint?

They felt like an integral part of our team throughout all phases of the engagement. They weren’t just there to report on what they had learned and create designs, they actually got down in the weeds with us to unearth our concerns, push us to get out of “old” ways of thinking, understand our strategy, and balance it with our operating environment and its challenges. We had weekly status meetings, and their project manager ensured we stayed on course regarding both deadlines and budget. Because of their focus on project management, the various statement of work orders stayed right on time and on budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The employees we worked with went above and beyond compared to other vendors. They knew our environment, as well as some of the challenges we’d face along the way. Their ideas were unique and thought-provoking and centered around getting the product to market faster. They invested a significant number of their own resources (not necessarily part of the project) in solidifying our vision and plan of action.

We were concerned about keeping our product team and other key stakeholders focused on a single approach, but projekt202 was great in this regard. They broke the project down into chunks to make it easier to move through it and execute on it. Their insight into what end-users needed, and how to build a UI around that information, was invaluable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there are none that come to mind looking back on our engagements with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

There’s not a lot of room to negotiate their fees, but you get what you pay for: top quality work. All resources assigned to the various phases of this engagement were best of breed. Every single person, whether they were a short-term or long-term resource, performed with the same level of diligence and professionalism.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of The Like Machine, Inc. We provide a piece of hardware to merchants that allows consumers to express their approval for different products or services inside the store and make buying decisions based on seeing that feedback.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ORA?

We needed to modernize our website and update it to reflect the changes in our business model.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We didn’t know exactly what we wanted when the process began, other than to add some new features for the best possible budget. They spent a long time working with us to understand our business, what we wanted, and who are key constituents are. Based on those conversations, they helped us refine our brand and ensured that it was reflected on the new website.

Once we had those details settled, they started working on the design. Their creative team collaborated with ours to decide how the site would look, and then they built the site for us.

What is the team composition?

We worked with four people, including an account manager and a project manager.

How did you come to work with ORA?

We received referrals for and interviewed four firms that ranged widely in terms of capabilities and price points. ORA fell in the middle, and we felt like we got a great value for the money we spent. We’d actually hired them several years prior for another project, so we knew some of their employees and the caliber of their work.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place in 2017 and lasted a couple of months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t sell product through our site, so it’s mostly for informational purposes, but we’ve received a number of compliments on the redesign. We also receive a steady stream of traffic and I can tell from our analytics reports that people are navigating smoothly to the information they need.

How did ORA perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great about keeping us on track. We met in person often and used Basecamp to manage the project. Whenever they needed decisions from us, they made sure we provided that information, and they got back to us quickly with feedback or changes. Even better, they’ve continued monitoring our site even though the project is finished. They didn’t just come in, do the job, and leave. We feel like we have real friends at ORA who’ll support us anytime we call on them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understand what’s it’s like when you’re a startup and your budget has to be very precise. They never pressured us to do more or offered up suggestions that cost more than we could afford. They weren’t just there to build a website for us—they cared about our business and our success. I was also impressed by their integrity. It’s easy to like a lot of people, but trusting them is another story. ORA held true to their word, gave us honest answers to our questions, and always delivered on anything they promised.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’m a big fan of interacting in person, so I’d say to work onsite with them if you can. It’s easy to jump on the phone or do a video conference, but you get a much better sense of how engaged a company is when you’re face to face. I really liked ORA’s facility and work environment they create. I’d recommend them to anyone.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Medical Center Orthotics and Prosthetics. We provide clinical care for amputees and those requiring orthotic braces. I’m also part of the clinical team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ADK Group?

We needed differentiation within our saturated industry, specifically on the external limb prosthetics. We wanted our online presence to stand out above the rest. Our direct goals were to translate web clicks to patients coming through the door. We wanted to increase referrals to our offices. We wanted a representative presence that sends the message that we are a quality provider and we do things differently than other providers. We wanted to distinguish ourselves through the marketing message.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were very focused on SEO work and developing a website that had value for our end users and our referral base. There was a lot of web work, web design, and optimization. Once the website was about two years old, they did a complete redesign. There was a phase where we had to optimize it for mobile use. The website is WordPress.

We’re also doing app development with them on our communication platform for our patients and a potential research application that links into their work.

We also use them for traditional marketing. They’ve helped us with a lot of print setup.

They provided every service in the digital strategy gamut. We’ve run an ad campaign on Google and Bing and a couple of other search engines as well. They’ve managed the optimization of those search words and terms. They also managed our social media platform.

What is the team composition?

We have a main point of contact and there are 3­4 others that we routinely communicate with.

How did you come to work with ADK Group?

We screened a couple of companies locally in D.C. and also in the northeast. We saw some of ADK Group’s web work representing restaurants, and I found their link on the bottom of one of the website pages. One their references told me about how they took the time to understand his industry. The level of engagement they offered was what we wanted. They were a startup company, but they were doing things in a fresh way.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s equivalent to having a full-time, in-house marketing person.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2011 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We saw the fruits of their labor in contacts from patients. A lot of people connect with us through the website. They also channeled a lot more activity on Facebook and Twitter. The conversion rate of clicks to contacts has been an ongoing improvement since we started.

We summarized all activities recently. On a direct return rate, the website was our number one referral over the six years that we have been working with them. For all new cases and new patients treated, the web rose to the top as our number one point of contact.

How did ADK Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very strong in project management. We came to a point where our web presence was very strong, but we didn’t have printed material to reflect that locally. We tasked them with a lot of traditional marketing material. It became very important to have better project management. We had to have weekly meetings. When we were developing the app last year, we were meeting twice weekly. We had a lot of project time in between as well.

We use Wrike to assign tasks and have ongoing communication with ADK Group. It documents the process and helps us push projects forward. They’re very attentive and organized.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their level of engagement in our industry, patients, and our work is impressive. They’re very engaged in the process of our business and understanding the nuances of what we do. That’s been an endearing relationship because they really get what we do.

When we started our partnership with them, they spent a lot of time with us, saw how we treated patients, and understood our clinical process before they started the design. That was the reason why we selected them. They invest the time up front to get it right.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve learned a lot about how to interpret reports from the web activity into what works and doesn’t work in the digital world. Now, we can contribute more to the discussions about where we go next with the website. If anything, they could train the companies that they’re representing on these aspects up front to help them learn more quickly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Talk to their references; that is the best way to get a sense of how different ADK Group is. Look at the diversity of what they can offer.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of digital marketing at Sika, a global producer of specialty chemical products for the construction and manufacturing industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ADK Group?

There were two challenges. First, we wanted to create a better customer experience for our B2C clients, specifically improved web navigation and accessibility. In addition, we needed to provide a satisfactory UX for the national retail vendors we supply.

Second, we needed a better process for updating customers’ product data sheets, safety data, and other documentation in our Salesforce content libraries. The files weren’t syncing between this repository and our CMS, Adobe Experience Manager (AEM). Without proper syncing, our company could be liable if a customer files a safety claim.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a discovery phase about our B2C products and big-box home improvement store vendors. Their needs differ significantly from B2B clients. ADK Group learned our pain points, objectives, and subsequently submitted a solution. We then moved into development and QA testing. The team used a sandbox environment. Currently, ADK Group is building the Drupal backend after completing its design. They expect to launch the site in May 2018.

What is the team composition?

The team included 5–6 resources. We had a Salesforce expert, a APEX coder, an AWS specialist, and a project manager. The Drupal project had additional team members and included designers.

How did you come to work with ADK Group?

We looked for a new agency after our previous vendor didn’t perform well. We reached out to a local design company, but the scope was misaligned to their expertise. They recommended ADK Group to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $10,000–$12,000 on the Salesforce project. The Drupal project was six figures.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in March 2017. The Drupal project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve improved our workflow by eliminating redundancy with AWS. The tool has also reduced concerns about data duplication and outdated files. Luckily, these improvements have enhanced the consumer experience without imposing a new process on them.

How did ADK Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They couldn’t have done a better job. The project manager, our main point of contact, is the best we’ve ever worked with. She’s detail-oriented, communicates well, and takes time to understand our needs. She also ensures that her team delivers as expected. We have weekly standup meetings and communicate via phone and email.

The Salesforce asset is also high-quality. He’s a great supplement to our in-house staff. He’s exceeded expectations, even helping with issues not directly related to the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their work on the Drupal project is outstanding. The team collaborated with our marketing department to understand our complex set of products, markets, and business units. One principal conducted market research to enhance his team’s solution. At this point, they likely know our products better than some of our employees.

We’re impressed by the time they invested to gain that knowledge. That effort distinguishes them from other vendors.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I have no problem recommending them. I encourage other companies to engage them; they’re the perfect partner.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior business development manager for the architecture group at E Ink, which is a company that produces e-paper. In my department, we take e-paper technology and implement architectural and design installations with color changing film.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fresh Tilled Soil?

We do a lot of animation with the films. The film hooks up to a controller. We program the controller to do different animations and color changing sequences. It can also show parts of the film at different times.

We wanted to develop software to assist our customers with design implementations for film, limiting our involvement in the design process. We needed to create a solid and intuitive UI for our software to enhance UX.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went over our statement of work before putting together a contract. We walked them through the setup for an architectural installation. We presented them with film, controllers, and animation files. We discussed various aspects of these components. Our target customers include designers, architects, artists, manufacturers, and glass fabricators. After discussing all of our project requirements and an acceptable end result for the software, they started work and designed the program’s interface.

The design software is a desktop application. They delivered everything at the end of December, but we had a couple phone calls afterward to add some finishing touches. Our film laminates nicely into glass and acrylics; we are seeking channel partners in fabricators who have expertise laminating materials into glass. We’re bringing them on board to help them understand our controllers and software.

What is the team composition?

A person from their team handled business development and put the contract in place during the initial phases of our collaboration. We worked with four people on the project, including a program manager, a business analyst, and two designers. One of the designers was a PC and desktop expert.

How did you come to work with Fresh Tilled Soil?

I did an internet search for companies specializing in UX and UI. We ended up interviewing four different companies. I reached out to Fresh Tilled Soil because they’re UX experts, and I had heard about them from others.

We ended up hiring them because of the way they present themselves and the results of our meeting during the interview process. They were at ease during the interview. They understood exactly what we wanted and what we were looking to accomplish. Their proposal and manner of presentation made them stand out from the other companies we interviewed.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent approximately $90,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017 and finished collaborating in January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re still developing the software platform, so it’s hard to measure its impact. There has been a lot of feedback from potential channel partners and customers on the interface they designed; they have commented on its usability and potential.

We’re far ahead of where we would have been if we had designed the interface ourselves. Before this collaboration, our interface was not user-friendly and it did not encourage people to use the program. Now, it enables people to execute designs easily.

How did Fresh Tilled Soil perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything was excellent. During our first week collaborating, we met almost every day. Once the specifications and requirements were discussed and laid out, we had about two phone calls a week. They would update us frequently.

We worked through questions together and discussed any unexpected challenges. They would post project details on a daily blog, so we could see their activity and efficiently answer any questions. They went above and beyond my expectations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their expertise and professionalism stand out to me. They hire people with diverse skill sets. They assign a good mix of people with varied capabilities to a project, so they are able to capture every design angle and complete work efficiently.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I’m a skeptical person, and I’m typically hard to satisfy during these kinds of collaborations. However, throughout this project, I never had a moment of doubt. Whenever I had a question, they had the answer.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them all your requirements upfront. Package project specifications and requirements into a statement of work, giving it as much detail as possible. They’ll be able to approach a project better and quote accurate price estimates when you give them more details.

Our statement of work was quite complete when the project started. We met with them and answered any questions they had about it. It enabled them to aggressively price the project and give us top-notch results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I worked with Handy Cane as Senior Marketing Director at the time of the engagement. Handy Cane, LLC is a start-up creator and manufacturer of a unique combination walking aid and reaching grasper sold directly to consumers and through home medical equipment distributors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fresh Tilled Soil?

When I came on board, the company was ready to sell the Handy Cane direct to consumers. We were generating high traffic with SEO and paid search, but conversions were low. We needed to create an e-commerce website and shopping cart designed for high conversion. Because the Handy Cane is an innovative product, the website needed to include elements to educate consumers, leverage the many awards and press the Handy Cane had received, establish trust and provide a world-class e-commerce experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked collaboratively on the design process. Fresh Tilled Soil provided detailed wireframes for the website, including the new shopping cart, and we provided feedback. Their designs were handed to a separate company for development.

We relied on Fresh Tilled Soil to share e-commerce best practices and UX advice to help optimize our content and shopping cart. The Handy Cane, for instance, comes in three different sizes, so Fresh Tilled Soil provided options on how to present information in a clear way to ensure customers purchased the correct size, thereby minimizing confusion and costly returns. They crafted a seamless layout and flow making it easy for buyers to understand and purchase the product.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three individuals. Dan (Senior Strategist, Fresh Tilled Soil) was my initial contact and determined the project scope, timeframe and other team members who would work on the project. We were assigned an extremely talented designer who had both design and UI, UX capabilities and recommended how to layout and edit our content to produce the best results. We were also assigned a project manager to keep communication open and the project on track.

How did you come to work with Fresh Tilled Soil?

There were three factors that ultimately led to our decision. I’d been aware of Fresh Tilled Soil’s work for years through the local grapevine. I loved their work, but assumed they’d be out of my price range as I typically work with startups. Secondly, one of the Handy Cane co-founders had an existing relationship with the founder of Fresh Tilled Soil. Finally, we asked for design firm recommendations from our SEO provider, and they, too, suggested Fresh Tilled Soil.

While we initially talked to four or five vendors, Fresh Tilled Soil blew us away. Dan responded immediately when I first reached out and we began the project the following day.

How much have you invested with them?

Between $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together in June 2017. We had an incredibly tight deadline and they were able to complete the project in a little over a week, which is unheard of in my experience. I’ve never worked with a company capable of executing a project of such high quality so quickly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We really wanted to work with Fresh Tilled Soil because of their past successes. We knew their designs would accomplish our goals and lead to more website conversions. This is exactly what’s happened. Our conversion rates increased tenfold immediately after launching the new website. The customer path through the site became very direct requiring less time and effort to make a decision to purchase. Returns decreased as well due to the clear sizing descriptions.

How did Fresh Tilled Soil perform from a project management standpoint?

We coordinated the project through Basecamp. This allowed us to easily monitor progress and provide feedback without worrying whether any communication was being lost through email. Every project detail was conveniently stored in one place.

Our project manager was incredibly thorough. Their responsiveness ensured there was no lag time between rounds, which allowed us to complete the project efficiently. We provided clear direction, and Fresh Tilled Soil was equally efficient in communication and the ability to quickly respond to feedback and execute changes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are great people. And, they are smart people who design with your goals front and center. They’re experts in their field, and their keen understanding of user experience allowed them to design a website that guaranteed conversions. I can't say enough positive things about our experience. I’m starting a new project with Fresh Tilled Soil for a different company and I plan to work with them as often as possible moving forward. Even if they can’t work a given project into their schedule right away, I’m willing to wait. They’re that good.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of a single thing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Fresh Tilled Soil offers a number of services we didn't have the time to take advantage of. For example, we came with our own branding, market research, buyer personas and competitive research, but these are also some of Fresh Tilled Soil’s strengths. If you have a project that is broader in scope, know that Fresh Tilled Soil can help every step of the way.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Voxel8 is developing a new kind of platform to digitally manufacture shoes and other athletic wear. My position is co-founder and software lead.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fresh Tilled Soil?

We've been internally developing a tool that allows users to share design ideas for our new machine. Over the past few months, we've been adding features based on user feedback and internal need. For our product to work properly, we needed a vendor to think outside the box and organize everything into an easy-to-use interface.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

During an initial call with their founder, Dan, I briefly explained the project and he expressed interest in working with us. I provided him with screenshots of the tool, a description of its functionality, and a 15-minute video walkthrough that was a screen recording of me using it. These guidelines helped him explain how it’s used to their internal designers.

Their main task was to understand the functionality and give us concrete recommendations to improve the user experience and flow. The list of suggestions included supporting rationale, as well. They also provided drawings and annotated screens for us to implement, which were essentially wireframes. Since we’re using the native widgets operating system, we didn't need user interface input on elements like colors, buttons, or icons.

The team conducted testing and research with our current users. We used screen sharing and a phone call so they could listen to the training. This enabled them to listen to questions the users asked, and see what made sense versus what didn't. The developers definitely used the tool independently, because they asked me about things I didn't specifically point out. We handled all the implementation internally.

What is the team composition?

They provided two designers and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Fresh Tilled Soil?

We actually found them on the Clutch.co website. I remember browsing your website and looking at different development providers. After contacting a few companies who didn’t express interest, Fresh Tilled Soil was willing to take on this project.

How much have you invested with them?

Our project cost around $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I agreed to do a 10-day engagement, which was completed within January 2018. If things go well, I'm definitely going to continue engaging with them. As a small company, budget limitations preempted us from starting off with a very large engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Just last week, we received their final feedback report. We're definitely still implementing the results of their work. I've shared screenshots with both our users and internal leadership, and they all seem very excited about the direction our project is taking. I've already talked to Dan about some larger future projects, but I wanted to do a small, self-contained one at affordable price first.

How did Fresh Tilled Soil perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed excellently. Tim was the project manager and he did a great job. He was very on top of things. To manage the workflow, they set us up with a Basecamp group.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team was quickly able to think like our users, even though our work is not in their domain. When they used the tool, they really put themselves in the right mindset to imagine what a shoe designer might want to do. I found that really helpful.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing stands out to me.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Definitely be prepared to spend lots of time working with them, and give them lot of material. They'll be able to work with whatever materials you provide.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the technical director on the renewable energy sales team for General Electric.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fresh Tilled Soil?

We were looking for a contemporary way to communicate how we evaluate our products as investments for customers and how they, in turn, could get the most out of our products in terms of financial returns.

Previously, we'd been using an internal web application, screen-sharing it with customers so they could view certain metrics. However, we wanted to empower them with a tool that they could access on their own. In order to do that, we were seeking creative ideas outside of our own team, as well as information about how our customers interact with or consider products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After explaining technical concepts and requirements of the project, Fresh Tilled Soil presented creative ideas for engaging our audience. Their team then developed a simplified beta version of the web application we needed, which allowed us to iterate as needed.

What is the team composition?

I mostly worked with two main points of contact. Chris Tucker (Project Manager, Fresh Tilled Soil) did a great job of keeping the project on time. I also worked with Jonathan Barker (Design Director, Fresh Tilled Soil), who came up with some very interesting ideas for the web application. His new concept received a lot of positive feedback from our sales team.

How did you come to work with Fresh Tilled Soil?

Through GE's Catalant service, our RFP process, third parties can submit proposals through our website. Within a few days of posting the project, we received about eight proposals, but Fresh Tilled Soil had the strongest pitch.

How much have you invested with them?

The total project cost was around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in October 2017 and wrapped up about 5–6 weeks later.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The web app received tons of positive feedback from hundreds of our sales staff around the world. The interface is a contemporary, user-friendly tool that we can now use to more effectively communicate highly technical information to customers.

How did Fresh Tilled Soil perform from a project management standpoint?

As someone who's been involved in project management for a long time, I can definitely say that Fresh Tilled's team performed very well. As a time-bound project, there were certain aspects of the work that were rushed, but they were very sensitive to our needs.

We utilized an internal system to share information back and forth every few days to keep the project moving along and provide their team with the feedback they needed. We're very happy with the professional nature of their team, along with the speed and simplicity in their approach in order to meet our deadline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We felt we were paying for Fresh Tilled's creativity above all else—they brought a completely new way of thinking to our work. To limit any bias on our end, we'd provide them just enough information to get started on wireframes, but their team ultimately brought the app to life. I wanted to see something completely different from what we might have come up with in-house, and they did a great job in the end.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. It was a great experience and I look forward to working with them again.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They weren't necessarily the cheapest vendor on the market, but they offered quality work and a high-level of maturity in everything they did. We not only needed a highly creative partner, but one that could deliver within a short timeframe; Fresh Tilled gave us the most confidence that they could deliver on both.