Studio 24

BACKGROUND

CBM is an international Christian development organisation, committed to improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities in the poorest communities of the world. I work as an Advocacy Officer in the Political team. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Studio 24, and what were your goals?

We wanted to develop a digital toolbox that gives stakeholders in international cooperation easy and quick access to tipps, tricks, material and whatever they need to enable the participation of persons with disabilities. 

SOLUTION

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

We knew studio24 from previous projects and trusted their flawless resumee. The main reason we chose them for this project was their ernormous knowledge in terms of digital accessiblity. 

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

We had close contact with 4 members of the team: project manager, creative director and two front-end-developers. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Inclusive Participation Toolbox (https://participation.cbm.org) has received a lot of good feedback, especially when it comes to the design, which most people find very appealing and clear, the navigation and the accessibility of the homepage. 

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

We had regular, mostly weekly meetings to stay on top of things. We had one direct project manager assigned who mostly led the communication and took care of the things. Communication also happenened via a separate tool, which allows to cluster topics and sets timelines. 

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

They had a very structured and straightforward way of working, never let us down in terms of timelines and deliverables. studio24 not only had in mind what is good for them but for us as well (e.g. if some features were to expensive to design together we found sth in the middle that still works). 

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

-

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am part of the humanitarian team of CBM which is a no-governmental organization working on ensuring inclusion of persons with disabilities in development and humanitarian programs

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Studio 24?

We wanted to develop an online tool to help field practitioners to better be inclusive in their programs and the tool. The tool was thought to be easy to use and with possibility to download the content to be used also in situation with no internet connection

SOLUTION

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

HHoT and iDRR were developed with the features needed and the improvement of the tools with new features is ongoing

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

I wasn't part of the initial development of the project but I have been following the development of the app for the last 2 years where we worked on the inclusion of an automatic translation feature. We identify this need since a lot of users had a language barrier in using the app and together with Studio24 colleagues we worked out on a solution to ensure the tool can be translated automatically in several language timely.

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

In total we worked with 3 different staff from Studio24 the PM and 2 technical persons to support the implementation

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Studio24 was a very good provider to worked with thanks to great availability of their staff and being always supportive in a timely manner as well as thanks to their capacity to find good solution to the needs identified by our team.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Studio24 team has always been super supportive and the line of communication was very smooth

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

Studio 24's efficiency and capacity to find innovative solutions for our needs stand out.

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

Would be good to have a more proactive idea from Stuido24 staff with their experience to guide us on how to improve the tools

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Project Manager for Science and Plants for Schools, a programme which supports plant science teaching in UK schools. We are part of the Gatsby Plant Science Education Programme.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Studio 24?

Our website design was over 10 years old and was last refreshed over 5 years ago. The search function in particular was not working well, making it difficult for users to find the resources they needed. The site structure was also somewhat inflexible which made it harder for us to host new types of content and it was hard to link content throughout the site. In addition, we were looking to update the design, helping users to see plant science as a contemporary field.

SOLUTION

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

I sent a request for proposal out to six web development companies in our area. We chose Studio 24 because of their previous experience, their affordable price and their enthusiasm for our site and work.

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

After initial meetings to discuss our goals, we began an iterative design process to develop a new look for the site that was both linked to the old style to provide continuity for users but which also looked fresh and contemporary. We used InVision to comment and discuss design points. Other project conversations were held on BaseCamp. A card sorting activity was deployed among some of our users to inform the site structure. Some teachers who were unfamiliar with our site were also asked to complete the activity. To help with our tight deadline, early stages of development began alongside the final stages of design.

Because of the large number of resources on our site and our need to have consistency in page names for resource management, Studio 24 automated the process of creating most resource pages. This vastly sped up content entry for us which was able to begin before development was complete. Training was provided on content entry for the whole team. During content entry we logged bugs via Usersnap which were fixed in two stages. We chose to host the site on Studio 24's servers and throughout launch they guided us to make the correct changes to our domain settings. The team also dedicated the day of launch to fixing any problems that had arisen.

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

In total we worked regularly with one project manager, one designer, two developers and one client services director. However, when illness on both sides affected the project timeline, extra resources were dedicated to ensuring completion.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new site is much more user friendly and the search function works very well. We have had excellent feedback from users. The site looks contemporary and represents our message that plant science is an important part of modern biology. The CMS is also much easier for us to use than our previous one which has increased our confidence in managing the site. Linking content is easier for is now, helping to show users areas of content they may not have seen before.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I met online weekly with the project manager, for updates and as an opportunity for us to ask each other questions about the project. This kept the project moving and allowed us to make sure that the aims remained in focus. We also connected with the other members of both our and Studio 24's team via video calls. Other communication was carried out on BaseCamp or via the feedback tools in InVision and Usersnap. The project was delayed twice due to unforeseen issues with illness but was ultimately delivered at a time that worked well for us and our user base and Studio 24 put in a lot of resource to achieve this.

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

It was delightful to work with designers and developers who were so enthusiastic about our project and what we do as an organisation. they were on board with our mission from day one and worked hard to understand and listen to our extensive knowledge of our users and to create a site that met their specific needs as well as one that gave us space to grow and change as a project. We are a very small team and do not have any in house web developers and none of us are experts in this area but Studio 24 were patient with us and helped us to learn and understand about different parts of the project. We are looking forward to working with them as our web support.

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

The delays in the project were down to multiple illnesses in both teams which could not be controlled for, particularly in a project with such tight deadlines (set by us) which had not allowed for contingency. Studio 24 reallocated resources accordingly and we are delighted with the end product.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the head of marketing and communications of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). W3C is an international community where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop open web standards that ensure the long-term growth of the Web. W3C well-known standards HTML and CSS are the foundational technologies upon which websites are built.

W3C works on ensuring that all foundational Web technologies meet the needs of civil society, in areas such as accessibility, internationalization, security, and privacy. Our work is created in the open, provided for free and under the royalty-free W3C Patent Policy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Studio 24, and what were your goals?

Our website was redesigned in 2008, when we moved to a responsive layout, revised our architecture and created a custom CMS. After 10 years, the website showed its age more and more. We wanted to incrementally redesign it and revise our information architecture, to show the world who we are and what we offer, and generally improve the organization and usability of the website for key audiences.

Another goal was to communicate the W3C brand more effectively and motivate people to participate in the work of organization. Studio 24 responded to our public request for proposals: https://www.w3.org/2019/11/website-redesign-rfp.html

SOLUTION

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

We received 32 proposals (over 1,500 pages), of excellent quality overall, from USA, Canada, France, UK, Germany, India, China, with price range of US $ 40,000 - 484,000. I assembled a review committee of 6 people and we used criteria ranging from strength in Web Accessibility awareness and credentials, sense of any technical recommendations made as part of the response, whether the schedule made sense, willingness to work in the open, we also looked at past work, price and overall suitability.

We short-listed 6 and then 3 bidders and after several rounds of questions and meetings we decided that Studio 24 emerged the strongest in the many criteria we used for comparison.

In addition to those we found the geographic situation was advantageous because of the proximity of the subset of our team who were going to primarily work on this project; the studio was founded in the early years of the web and still managed by the same person; and lastly, the studio offered a multidisciplinary team of strategic, design, technology, content and marketing experts.

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

We put in scope only a subset of our massive website: subset of the public-facing pages that are the most “corporate”: Website homepage Primary navigation targets: (4 pages) (all of https://www.w3.org/Consortium/*) W3C Blog Industries landing pages Public Work Groups homepages /TR homepage (only the frame) Account pages Others as determined by information architecture discovery

Discovery took several months and was essential to progress on key areas: proposing a functional and sensible information architecture; determining the technical choices (a chief one being which content management system to adopt) Design and technical setup followed.

The studio wrote a technical specification that includes several hundred pages and documents precisely every aspect of the work, as well as a robust companion design system which we internally can refer to and that is publicly available: https://design-system.w3.org/

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

We worked chiefly with 8 people:

• Simon, Managing Director and Technical Lead
• Julia, Senior Project Manager
• Ian, Creative Director
• Isaac, Design Strategy Director
• Carlos, Accessibility Lead Developer
• Marie, Technical Lead on CMS
• Kate and Emma, respectively Client Services Executive & Director

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

No, not yet because we need more rounds of internal development before we can launch the new site now that our partnership with the studio has ended.

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

We were mainly in touch with a single person: the project manager. That worked very well and very efficiently. We used the studio's preferred tooling for timely coordination and decision reaching: Basecamp and Jira for technical resolutions, we met virtually face-to-face every week for synchronization calls, we used google documents and sheets for collaborative work and we moved some of our work packages to GitHub.

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

The absolute commitment of the studio's staff is impressive. They committed fully to the project, to adapting to our style of working in the open, to finding the best solutions. They really went the extra mile from start to finish (even if the project itself is not ours to finish.)

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

Not really, once we discount the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic thwarted our original plans to meet face-to-face initially and regularly, that the work it was going to take was severely underestimated, and that we were not able to shield them from the scrutiny and delays that come from having to work with more than a few partners (I wasn't able to shield the studio from meeting several times with some of our stakeholders groups).

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Geoscience Data Coordinator at a not-for-profit charitable trust conducting field, literature and analysis-based geological research in sedimentary basins.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Studio 24?

Our previous website was created over 10 years ago and had become outdated. We hired Studio 24 to update our website, but also design an interactive webmap to showcase our global sample collection (>40000 samples) and the spatial relevance of >1600 reports we have issued.

SOLUTION

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

We looked for web designers in our local area, but Studio 24 had also designed our previous website. After discussions with a few companies it was clear that Studio 24 had past experience of developing webmaps for clients.

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

After a series of discovery meetings, our initial tender document, and a client survey we received a Statement of Work. This was followed with single design for the main website, which we liked. The main website included a database to serve reports, publications and conference meeting details across the site. We had remote weekly meetings with the project manager during the COVID pandemic.

Difficulties arose with the implementation of the webmap due to the amount of data that needed serving over the internet. A compromise was reached, whereby a separate website was made for the map with some filtering options. The webmap is linked to the main website through a series hyperlinks.

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

If I remember correctly, we worked mainly with 4 people including the project manager, a designer and two web developers - one for the main website and one for the map.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Updating the various databases on the website is relatively straight-forward and more people in our organisation can access and maintain the website. The website is much more modern and fresh looking. The interactive webmap has had the desired effect and approaches to access our sample collection have been received.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I had weekly video meetings with the project manager and when needed we had wider meetings with designers and developers and relevant staff in our organisation. We also communicated through the project management software, Basecamp. The main website progressed smoothly, but difficulties with the ability to serve vast amounts of data through the interactive webmap caused delays to the launch of the site. These difficulties were overcome with a series of dedicated meetings to work through possible solutions.

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

I was really impressed by their web developers and their technical knowledge. We had a good working relationship in trying to find solutions for the interactive webmap. The teaching on how to use the website was well presented and Studio 24 were always quick to help us navigate the new interface.

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

I think we could have had earlier and potentially more meetings with the web developers to better understand our requirements for the webmap and to come to an solution earlier, before discovering the issue of serving so much data over the internet. Other than this the main website design and implementation went well, and we ended up with a modern and fresh website.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of development and communication for a heritage-listed garden at a prominent university. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio 24?

We hired Studio 24 to redesign our website. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Studio 24 has redesigned our website. It’s a WordPress site, and we continue to work with them for their hosting services and site support. 

What is the team composition?

We work with a project manager and designers. 

How did you come to work with Studio 24?

Our team found Studio 24 through a tender. We sent the tender out to a number of local design companies, and we chose them through this process. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership started in October 2017, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received plenty of anecdotal feedback. The website is much easier to use now. From the administrative side, it’s much easier for us to make changes to the website. Overall, it’s more user-friendly for both the people who write it and the people who read it. 

How did Studio 24 perform from a project management standpoint?

Studio 24 has a good ability to communicate and sticks to our budget. To communicate, we use emails. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team is good at anticipating what we want; they’re also truly friendly. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re a nice company, and we’re happy with the product they’ve made for us. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Head of Communications for the Airspace Change Organising Group (ACOG)

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Studio 24?

ACOG is relatively new body, that had been set up at the request of the Civil Aviation Authority and Department for Transport in 2019. We needed a website to help promote ACOG's work in supporting the delivery the Government's Airspace Modernisation Strategy

SOLUTION

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

Studio 24 is a company I was aware of from a previous role.

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

We worked to fairly tight timescales and budget. The S24 team held an introductory session to understand our objectives and from there the project progressed with weekly check-in meetings. The Basecamp system worked well and was a good central platform to share updates amongst the team. Overall it was a very efficient process.

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

We worked with 3 or 4 key members of the team, it was all done virtually since this project took place during COVID but nevertheless the process worked well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

S24 created an engaging new website for ACOG that went live in summer 2021. It has received positive feedback both internally and externally and we have been able to drive traffic to it via our social channels.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They were very effective, good communicators, and always delivered within the deadlines. 

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

S24 got to grips with the brief very quickly and successfully delivered within a short timeframe

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Manager (and project lead) for the Cambridge Film Trust, we deliver the UK's 3rd longest running film festival

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Studio 24?

We have an ongoing relationship with Studio 24. They redesigned our Festival website back in 2015 and now manage and develop the site for us year to year.

SOLUTION

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

We had known the folks at Studio 24 for a while and they we're the obvious partner for our website redesign. The key thing with Studio 24 is the wonderful team and their passion for web design.

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

We worked closely, through a number of scoping and feedback meetings, to create a website which worked perfectly both in and out of the Festival period as we require wildly different functionality in each of those periods.

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

We worked with around 6 members of the Studio 24 team, a project manager, front and back end developers, as well as both social media and tech support specialists.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything about working with Studio 24 has been a delight, a dedicated and knowledgeable team supported all aspects of the site redesign and continue to support the ongoing improvements and use of the site for each edition of the Film Festival.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication is clearly at the heart of everything Studio 24 do. Working with the project manager is always easy. The team is organized and personable and incredibly responsive to any inquiries or issues we may have.

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

I cannot stress enough that not only is their work of the very highest standard (we get lots of great feedback about our website) but their passion and enthusiasm makes working with everyone at Studio 24 a genuine delight

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

I have nothing but praise for the team and the work they produce.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Communications Manager of an education company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Provides scholarships to international students of a university.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Studio 24 to accomplish?

• Redesign website
• Migrate to new CMS

SOLUTION

How did you find Studio 24?

existing provider

Why did you select Studio 24 over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Studio 24 were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Discovery phase Redesign of the existing website Content migration to new CMS (Craft)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website was launched with no impact in service. The site is in its embryonic stages, but analytics are being carried out to gauge success/impact.

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

Their project management was excellent. Challenges throughout the project, including delays on our part, were managed brilliantly. The team was flexible, knowledgeable, and quick to deliver on all aspects of the project.

What was your primary form of communication with Studio 24?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their flexibility, competence, and the calm and friendly manner in which they always conduct themselves

Are there any areas for improvement or something Studio 24 could have done differently?

Nothing springs to mind!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am currently a Managing Consultant, Digital Lead at leading strategic consultancy Stonehaven. While working at Heathrow Airport I had a number of positions, eventually as the Head of Reputations and Campaigns, during which I was the Digital Lead for their high-profile Expansion campaign.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Studio 24?

At Heathrow we hired Studio 24 to take on the complete design, development and service/maintenance of our expansion web presences. This included our main campaign website and a series of individual consultation websites. For each of the consultations we were attempting to engage with the geographical area of Greater London and all of the people within it.

SOLUTION

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

When Heathrow Expansion got Government approval to go ahead we new we needed to up our website game. After chatting to colleagues at other big infrastructure projects like Crossrail and Thames Tideway we put together a shortlist - including Studio 24 who had done the Crossrail website. We were instantly impressed by Studio 24 and their no-nonsense, friendly approach and clear and confident expertise. T

hey approached our brief from the outset with a clear view to think about the user first and keep design easy to use but clear and engaging. They also "got" the numerous challenges we were having to overcome all at once. It never felt like we were being prescribed a generic website approach that is often delivered by agencies.

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

For each of the website projects we completed with Studio 24, we started with in-depth sessions looking at our users and exploring what user journeys would look like. We employed a number of different ways we could approach solving problems - for example borrowing the idea of a "shopping basket" from e-commerce sites and applying it to responding to a consultation. Throughout the design and development of the site we were in constant contact and had really good project management support.

Studio 24 would provide us with different design options for each of the various components and we would then workshop through the ones that worked and didn't and what amends were needed. The use of BaseCamp to keep track of the various deliverables and threads of conversations was particularly helpful. On each and every occasion we launched, it was a success.

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

Approximately 5-6. MD, Lead UX designer/creative, project manager, 2 developers and another designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

On the main campaign website we had circa 1 million views a year at the peak of the campaign. During the consultations we amassed over 20,000 responses - on very complex subject areas.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. The use of BaseCamp and regular check-in was really helpful.

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

Studio 24 are hands down the best agency I've worked with on anything, ever. Thoughtful, capable, friendly, collaborative...and most of all - good listeners. The team are brilliant and I cannot recommend them enough.

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

Not at all.