Stoked

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CIO of a trading company dealing in gas and other natural resources across the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stoked?

We have a very complex way of getting a live overview of ongoing items within the power market, so we needed some brilliant UI/UX experts to understand our case and help us design a frontend dashboard. This platform would allow our traders to have usability and friendliness they could profit from.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Stoked understood the context of our needs and helped us design a frontend dashboard that made the development process easier. We had three kickoff meetings going over the scope and requirements and then had weekly and biweekly meetings throughout the development.

Apart from the design aspect, they also had input on the technical implementation of the platform.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three designers from Stoked. The project manager was also a designer, so they really knew what they were talking about.

How did you come to work with Stoked?

We met them through networking. Hans (Founder) was an external consultant for my previous company, so I contacted him when I heard he’d started his own company.

How much have you invested with them?

I believe that the total cost of the project was $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–July 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This wasn’t the world’s biggest project, but the ROI was extremely high for us and as a company, we’re generally very happy to live under the radar because of our strong competitive field.

Stoked helped us improve our time-saving efforts for an entire calendar year. This partnership created a very positive impact on the traders utilizing the app.

How did Stoked perform from a project management standpoint?

I give their project management skills high remarks. I’ve worked with a lot of consultancies and software houses and while some of them are good, Stoked was better and were extremely proactive throughout the partnership.

We communicated through email, Teams, and on-site meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We like their ability to navigate the process through a complex field that’s outside their normal knowledge base. Stoked managed to understand and talk about the project in an exacting way, which was really impressive to see.

They were also able to go beyond our requirements and come back with additional ideas they can incorporate into the design.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish they would’ve also helped with the development process, but Stoked still went the extra mile in regards to our design requirements.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

My advice is to at least give them the chance to have one kickoff meeting. Stoked aced the communication aspect and were able to understand our business so they can deliver crisp and visually-aesthetic designs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a co-founder and responsible for sales and marketing for Bizbrains, a SaaS provider of IT services for B2B integrations. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stoked?

We needed an outside company to begin the UX design of a new extension to our SaaS platform. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Stoked designed the UX design of an additional feature we wanted to add to our SaaS program. We had several initial meetings, introducing our ideas and connecting Stoked with our customers. 

Their team then held several focus groups online, some of which my team attended, and others that were one-on-one meetings with our customers. After the focus groups, Stoked designed the wireframing that we will implement in our platform. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with Hans (Founder) and Anton (Frontend Developer). 

How did you come to work with Stoked?

Stoked was recommended to us a while ago; this is the second project we’ve completed with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $25,000–$50,000 with Stoked.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Stoked from January–July 2021.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The wireframes Stoked delivered are high-quality and will be an excellent base for the frontend implementation. I’ve also gotten a lot of good feedback from customers involved in the focus groups. 

How did Stoked perform from a project management standpoint?

The project was extraordinarily well managed. Stoked was the main driver of the entire process, which was nice because we didn’t have much UX experience. They were very prepared and provided us with all the meeting materials in advance. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Stoked was very prepared for our engagement, so I was very comfortable having them talk with our customers. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything for them to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Hire them! I don’t have any hesitations recommending Stoked — they are really easy to work with. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the product owner of a SaaS company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stoked?

We needed someone to alleviate the challenges of reporting UX development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Stoked provided us with UI/UX consultancy, as well as meeting up with our customers and brainstorming ideas regarding reporting. Their deliverables were customer-verified mock-ups that our development team could use to build any feature.

Additionally, we required them to align their designed mock-ups to the overall look and feel of our product.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Hans (Founder).

How did you come to work with Stoked?

I came across their portfolio and got in contact with them because I liked one of their specific projects.

How much have you invested with them?

We probably spent somewhere between $50,000–$100,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February 2017–November 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was very satisfied with their work because they kept their promises and appointments. Stoked was very detail-oriented and had good analytic skills, especially regarding the complex reporting aspect of the project.

How did Stoked perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well from a project management standpoint. They delivered their tasks and requirements on time and within our budget.

We used Shortcut to manage the project and Slack to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with how they took ownership of the project, their loyalty, and how they went the extra mile to deliver the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything particular in mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to be open and transparent when it comes to communication.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a SaaS startup that specifically serves the label industry. I’ve been working in the label industry for 20 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stoked?

We relied on Stoked to help us design our UX/UI-focused solution that allows end-customers to order customized labels.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Stoked designed the frontend of the SaaS solution. They delivered wireframed for us to implement alongside another provider. While they recommended user research and beta testing, we refused, since we had a slim budget as a startup. They instead relied on our own research and feedback to deliver the UX/UI.

What is the team composition?

Hans (Founder) and another teammate helped with the UX. Daniela led the UI side of the design.

How did you come to work with Stoked?

They were recommended to us by another client of theirs. I talked to Hans and knew that they were the right way to go. He quickly understood our product in the first meeting.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2019 and wrapped up the initial designs by the end of that year. We have an ongoing relationship with them since they’re providing adjustments and changes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I absolutely enjoyed working with both Hans and Daniella. They’re very nice people who are committed to their work. We’ve also received excellent customer feedback regarding their work, so we see that as a great success. Thanks to the high quality and reliability of their work, we look forward to continuing to leverage their services.

How did Stoked perform from a project management standpoint?

Since it was a relatively small project, we used simple communication tools. It went very smoothly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re especially great because they’re not afraid to push back; thanks to their honest feedback, I can avoid spending our resources on bad ideas. They’re dedicated to ensuring the best UX/UI instead of simply doing what they’re told.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was a recent instance where they took a while to execute a task because they were backed up with other clients’ projects. They’re experiencing growing pains, where they aren’t as fast as they used to be.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’ve made sure to communicate the urgency of different tasks, so they know which ones to prioritize. There’s no problem as long as you do that.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO - Nordic region

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Project management and sourcing of Development ressources

SOLUTION

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

True already trusted sub-contractors

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

Full back- and frontend of Portals and APPS incl. databases

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

3-4 persons Project managers and developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Internal savings and increase in revenue due to new services

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

Overall tool is Click-Up for management of tasks

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

We're impressed with their dedication to the project.

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

More firm and figure based priorization and management