tubik

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Skylum is a photography software company that creates photography software for semi-professional and professional photographers. I’m the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tubik Studio?

We needed help with design work on landing pages and some other graphic materials related to our photography software. We were looking for fresh ideas when it comes to design because that matters a lot for us. We wanted a signature style and we couldn’t develop it with our own resources.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have a flagship product called Luminar which is full-featured photography software for Mac and PC. We worked with Tubik to develop a landing page to promote that software. We reached out to them and showed them the product, introduced the key features to them and explained to them what we liked and didn’t like about the current website. They sent us their draft solutions and we liked them. We tested it and started working on a full-page design.

They took on our feedback and made what we wanted. The ideas they offered were professional and very high quality, and because of that, we accepted what they offered right from the start. They asked us a lot about our goals for the landing pages, our current conversion rates, and who our target audience was. They also had a lot of marketing questions related to design.

Once they were done with the landing page, we gave them assignments related to logos and graphic materials. We also contracted them to help us with a website and landing page for our second flagship product which is an HDR [high dynamic range] called Aurora.

What is the team dynamic?

The process was simple and we were in touch with our account manager. We had 2 client service people who were really good. One was the main person who was outside the office and another was the substitute for when that person was unavailable. They also assigned a number of designers who worked on different elements. Their client service is really well established and the way they communicate with customers is really good.

How did you come to work with Tubik Studio?

One of the co-founders of our company found them. We looked on Dribble and Google for Ukrainian design companies. They have some great examples in their portfolio.

We have a development team in Ukraine but our marketing and business development is spread all over the world. We were looking for a design that could satisfy an international customer. In the Ukraine, there are not many firms that could do that kind of job. We were looking at 2 other companies as well but Tubik Studio stood out because of their portfolio and client service.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent under $15,000. We first gave them an assignment to create a landing page and they gave us an estimate based on that. We increased the scope as we went along. If you compare their prices internationally, they’re very competitive.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2017 and we just finished one of the projects 2 weeks ago. We are not working on anything with them currently as we’re trying to build up our in-house team. If we ever need third party support, they will definitely be on top of the list of companies we will choose from.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t introduced the new name yet but will do that in January. Most people who saw the new logo like it. We definitely saw an increase in conversions from the page they created. They got so much data from us to create the pages and that helped with conversions. Our main goal was to drive more sales for those products and their design accomplished that.

How did Tubik Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They used Trello to submit the designs, give recommendations, and receive our feedback. They’re very responsive and very friendly. October and early November have been really busy for us, so I really appreciated the client services people following up with me every morning asking for feedback. I delayed them almost 2 weeks because of other things, but they have been extremely professional. They’re not pushy or aggressive. Even though I was behind, the designer was able to get the work done quickly.

I really liked that we had several calls with the client service people and the designers, and they asked a lot of questions related to our business and our goals. We didn’t start on anything until they clearly understood who our target customer is and what our goals were. They implemented that knowledge in the design which helped with the success. They’re a very caring agency.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are a very conversion oriented team. I call it smart design. When they create something, it’s not meant to be just beautiful but also meant to drive sales and conversion for our business and that’s what matters. I know a lot of designers who think that design is about the look. I like that Tubik understands that design is about achieving goals and meeting the needs of the business. 

They get behind the project and are very smart in what they do. They pay attention to every single element. If there’s an element present in the design, there’s a reason for it. I don’t know a lot of designers who are that attentive to detail.

Another of their strengths is that they are very competitive in their pricing. They’re more expensive than having someone in-house, but if you compare the pricing and quality of work, they are very competitive on the market.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re really good at making different landing pages and graphic materials for big websites, but they less strong at creating the banners we asked for. That’s a specific type of design because you need to put graphics in a very small space. We had a few troubles there, because we wanted new ideas in the banners themselves. They eventually delivered what we wanted, but it took more effort and communication. Everyone can improve — we haven’t been able to get a great banner from any other design firm either.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The client needs to understand why they need the design. Just to have something beautiful is not a clear statement because everyone understands beauty differently. Potential customers shouldn’t just look at their portfolio, but sit down with the team and talk through the business goals. When the client and design studio can understand each other on the goals, that’s when the design work should start.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and chief brand officer of Andre Landscape. We mainly do commercial land care, arbor care, and design builds.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tubik Studio?

I wanted to create a brand mascot that was symbolic of our mission and vision statement that captured the essence of our company. Although I worked with a few talented people here in L.A., I wasn’t able to find what I was looking for.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, I set out to have Tubik develop a brand mascot for our company. I was unsure at that time whether we needed a new logo as well. We went through a series of drafts, and then finalized our brand mascot. I was pleased with the first draft and their ability to grasp my vision.

I was also pleased with how they integrated the brand mascot into our logo. They provided us with some variations that gave us a nice identity and voice reach as well. We stored all of these pieces until our website launched 4 months ago, and the feedback we’ve received on those pieces has been good. We just presented our new uniforms 2 weeks ago, and will start branding our vehicles in 2 weeks. Our vehicles are the largest visibility of our brand, so I anticipate getting a lot of feedback from that.

From there, they also did some other projects, including business cards, letterheads, envelopes, tradeshow booths, social media, and website design and development. I wasn’t anticipating doing all of this with Tubik, but as the relationship progressed, I realized they were capable of meeting more of our needs.

What is the team dynamic?

We worked with Polina [Sales Manager, Tubik Studio] and Yana [Project Manager, Tubik Studio], who were both overseers of the project. I also worked with Arthur [Graphic Designer, Tubik Studio], and Eugene [UI/UX Designer, Tubik Studio]. I worked with additional designers and developers as well.

How did you come to work with Tubik Studio?

The first designer I engaged with started working for another company, so I began searching for U.S. resources. I interviewed a few others, and hired someone, but realized about halfway through the project that he didn’t have the relational skills we needed.

I put the project on different collaborative media platforms, and started looking at people whose work most aligned with what I was trying to do. I found Tubik Studio on Dribble and started working with them, and it worked out well.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $16,000–$17,000 for the website, and $10,000–$15,000 for logo development, tradeshow booths, social media services, vehicle branding, brand book development, email signatures, letterheads, business cards, etc. The total cost was around $25,000–$30,000 total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June of last year, and the project ended in September 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t been able to measure the financial impact on our business yet. They’ve instilled positive energy into our company, which is very measurable, and has encouraged people to work with us. They’ve brought new life into our organization, so they’ve helped us a lot internally.

How did Tubik Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

The project managers did a great job, and they always followed up. Even when things didn’t go well, they always made sure to make them right. They were also very timely and proactive. Overall, I received everything I wanted from the project, and I’m very happy with the way it was handled. They took the initiative to get things corrected for me that I maybe wouldn’t have received from other designers. We used Trello to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team is really dedicated to giving their clients the results they’re seeking. I’ve worked with other designers who really want to push what they want, or they’ve inconvenienced when their clients ask for design changes. I never felt that way with Tubik. I’m a very particular person, so even small changes and nuances make a difference to me. We could go over numerous drafts, and they always had a great attitude. They were always courteous and accommodating, and were able to give me results that other companies couldn’t.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Originally, they were only contracted to do the design templates for the website, but they ended up doing development as well. This was difficult because it was so detail-oriented, which caused us to have some disconnect at times. I would try to organize on my end in a way that would be most efficient for the lead designer and developer, Eugene, but I wasn’t able to do so effectively. There were some issues regarding photo organization for usability and access.

If I’d had better communication on the frontend as to how it should’ve been organized, we could’ve saved a lot of time. I probably spent 1–2 weeks, 12 hours per day, on things that weren’t needed. This was frustrating, but ultimately, I was happy with the product and their work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

XellarDoor is a social creation platform where we help social influencers to promote brands and products especially clothing. We hope to help them boost their sales and impressions. I’m the founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tubik Studios?

We needed help to come up with the frontend design for our website. We didn’t have in-house expertise in web design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I requested a certain appearance or feeling for the website that would be simple but professional. They used CSS and HTML on the site. Paulina was able to have conversation with our developers directly so that she could apprise the time and design. There is also an e-commerce aspect on the site.

What is the team dynamic?

My first contact was with Kate, the general manager. I described what I needed, and she introduced me to Paulina who is one of the designers. She was pretty new to their company but had a lot of experience as a web designer.

How did you come to work with Tubik Studios?

I did online research and was looking at 5 other companies as well. I found Tubik on Dribble.com. I saw their work and was really impressed. I was also outsourcing a development team which is in Ukraine, so I was hoping to find a design team in the same area. Tubik Studios was in Ukraine also, so I chose them, so they could collaborate with the development team in the same language.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost was $13,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

I worked with them from July to November of last year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was really satisfied with the design. They came up with a feature that I didn’t think about. Paulina suggested it and I really liked it, so we implemented that as well. Users really like it. There haven’t been any bugs that I know of.

How did Tubik Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a short time frame, but they were able to meet the deadline and I was satisfied. Tubik’s estimation on the time was the best, and they were great at meeting deadlines. Communication was really easy. We mostly talked on Skype or Slack. I could reach Paulina directly. If she had a delay, she let us know.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I wanted a design team to be connected with the development team. It was hard because the design team had to take the time to communicate with the development team. She was willing to do that at no additional cost. That was nice of them. I heard from the development team that they really liked collaborating with Tubik. By collaborating with them, they could implement the whole design faster than they thought.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I was satisfied

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of an online real estate portal.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tubik Studio?

Finding resources in Ireland is difficult, so we needed to source good-quality developers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tubik designed and developed our user-facing Ruby on Rails web platform. We discussed an outline of the project and started with design work. The site is a place for agents to sell property and for buyers to discover property. We put a lot of emphasis on design and presentation—making the site look beautiful.

Once it was completed, Tubik branched out into the actual development. They have particular expertise in motion design. They incorporated many motion-heavy aspects into our website.

Their team also did some ad-hoc work on our marketing, brand, and logo.

What is the team dynamic?

I worked with 4 people from their team, including a project manager, a UX designer, a frontend Java developer, and a frontend Ruby developer.

How did you come to work with Tubik Studio?

I was a fan of their work on Instagram, but I didn’t know that they were based in Ukraine. I got in touch with them and didn’t look at other companies.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work has been $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Tubik in August 2016 and have an ongoing relationship around the design and development of our product. It’s almost complete, and we plan to launch on January 1, 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve gotten good feedback on their design from customers and everyone else.

How did Tubik Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re quite responsive. They provide a lot of communication, are organized, and have good project managers.

We’ve used Slack, Skype, Trello, and JIRA for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication really makes them stand out. Being based in Ukraine, there’s more of an onus on them to touch base more frequently. There's a trust element involved in working with companies from foreign countries, so overcommunicating actually helps a lot.

Another benefit of their group is that they have multiple areas of expertise we can draw from. They proved to be a convenient alternative for sourcing developers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could employ more forward planning.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Parkimon, a next-generation parking platform that eliminates the need for hardware (meters and gates) from the municipality in charge. Consumers are guided to a virtual meter or zone within an app and can park with the enforcement being done based on their license plate.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tubik Studio?

When we started this platform, we wanted to address a number of challenges faced by parking control officers using existing equipment and also the consumer app. Paying by phone involves inputting numbers and setting time, which can be a painstaking process on a small screen.If any typos or other mistakes are made, it can lead to under or overpaying, or getting a ticket. We wanted the UX [user experience] not to involve any of these setups so that the user could simply park and go. The payment would be based on the actual time parked rather than figuring out the duration beforehand with the fear that overstaying will make the user liable for a ticket.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We interviewed a number of parking control officers and actually followed them in order to see the problems they were facing, such as figuring out when to return to certain parking spots and distinguishing between vehicles parked illegally and those whose parking time had just expired. We also wanted to get rid of manual chalking of tires, endless walking plus identifying the right parking violation out of 103 different ones that exist in San Francisco.

Tubik Studio worked on the UX and interface components of our platform. They first translated our findings into a UX flow which was later converted into the UI [user interface]. We had a number of sessions, during which I explained all the features and functionalities I wanted in a Word document. The whole concept was vague at that point in time and it was my first experience creating a UX flow, but things evolved quickly and in the right direction based on Tubik Studio’s knowledge of user experiences.

What is the team dynamic?

I worked with a project manager and a designer from their team. The CEO himself got involved in the initial discussions and he oversaw everything. All designs and iterations were tasked through him.

How did you come to work with Tubik Studio?

I looked at nearly 200 different studios through Dribbble and Behance until finally shortlisting Tubik Studio. I liked their work and found them responsive; they also understood our concept. Even though they’re based in Ukraine, their English and communication skills were excellent.. I liked one of the animations done by their CEO and decided to incorporate a version of it in my app.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work has been around $20,000 across all our projects together.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Tubik Studio around September 2016 and the collaboration is ongoing. I have also given them a project for a universal wallet as well as a cannabis lifestyle app—both unrelated to Parkimon.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My daughter got involved with the project by reaching out to university friends on social media. By the end of the month, we’d attracted 1,700 students ranging from freshmen to seniors. I wanted the app to be millennial-friendly, but not being one myself, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Every time Tubik Studio made an integration, I posted it and received positive feedback. Because of this, we were able to fine-tune the entire UI and UX, which is so unique that we filed a patent for the payment and search components.

How did Tubik Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

I didn’t expect to see such a high command of English from their team. We had iterations on a daily basis, so every time we had a discussion at night, I would see the results by the time I got up. I would share this with the students in my time zone and who would give their feedback. I would then post that to Tubik studio or schedule a discussion with them at night and the whole cycle would start again. I found the entire process very agile and responsive and professionally handled.

What did you find most impressive about them?

All of their work is very good. Their way of handling projects is excellent and interactive. Tubik Studio’s forte is not just translating requirements into a great UX and UI but bringing their own innovation and ideas to solve complex UX problems.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wasn’t able to interact with all their team, aside from 2 designers and their project manager. I don’t know about the others, but my experience has been excellent.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of a mobile application that helps users offset their carbon footprint.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tubik Studio?

We needed designers to work alongside our in-house development team to build the app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app’s core functionality is to automatically detect the user’s transportation habits, running in a mobile phone’s background on minimal battery power. It calculates travel via car, train, or bus (with air travel currently in beta) and helps the user understand their carbon footprint over the course of a month or year.

The app also includes a social function for comparing statistics with friends, as well as a payment function that allows users to set a monthly budget toward the purchase of carbon offsets for themselves and those in their network. We're in the process of developing a point system for rewards from our like-minded corporate partners.

It's currently only available on iOS, though we plan to expand to Android soon.

A complex app, Tubik crafted a visually appealing UI/UX that’s easy for users to understand and navigate. The app relies on visual cues rather than textual information, since we wanted it to be intuitive without relying on too many tutorials.

They’re currently working on an informational video. They’re putting animation to a script we provided and have offered suggestions throughout the process, ensuring the video is simple and direct enough to be effective.

While Tubik’s primary role was development design, they also designed our webpage and social media posts, assisting with various marketing and investor presentations.

How did you come to work with Tubik Studio?

Given our capital and projected timeline, we decided to use an agency rather than hire an in-house design team. We considered a number of studios, but felt comfortable with Tubik because of the design capabilities we saw in their previous work.

How much have you invested with them?

Between $20,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2016 and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re still new, having only launched two months ago, but the feedback we've received from users has been very positive.

How did Tubik Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Working remotely with an agency has inherent challenges, but we've gotten into a workflow with Tubik that works very well. We receive daily progress reports that include any needs from our end and outline the goals of the following day. These are typically received through email or project management software, though we also communicate through phone and Skype.

They also keep things moving on our end, pinging us if we’ve overlooked any outstanding items.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their client’s success is a priority for them. Tubik relies on their past experience and was always willing to provide an honest opinion if they thought one of our recommendations would have a negative impact on UX flow. They consistently kept the user in mind in order to create an intuitive layout and focused on cogency when creating marketing materials.

They’re also meticulous. After uploading our product to the App Store, they commented on certain design elements that could be further refined.

Additionally, their flexibility makes them a reliable partner. Whether you have a small- or large-scale task, Tubik is easy to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be more receptive to their clients’ working preferences. For example, while we prefer Sketch files, Tubik sometimes sends designs in different file formats. Because of the time difference between our two offices, this can end up costing us a day of progress as we submit change requests before being able to sign off.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of a new startup called 15platform. Currently, we are working on several projects. Some are for financial conversion while others are for corporate communication.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tubik Studio?

Our biggest challenge was turning our ideas into visual form. We used to have an in-house web designer, but the professionalism and ability were lacking, which was why we started to look for outsourced options.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started with a test project followed by several collaborations, including UI/UX [user interface/user experience] design and branding.

What is the team dynamic?

We worked with 2 local UX/UI designers, 1 animation staff, and 5 developers, as well as 3 people for client servicing and business development. When one of them was absent, they hired a temporary employee to take over until she came back.

How did you come to work with Tubik Studio?

We looked through different platforms like Upwork, and Tubik was one of our options. After screening and talking with all of them, we selected Tubik because they fulfilled our criteria and showed an impressive portfolio. They even gave us the option to talk to their biggest clients. We defined everything and started working with them.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we’ve spent more than $25,000 on our projects with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December 2016, and the project was completed in May 2017. When we need more work, they will be our first option.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Tubik’s biggest impact was turning our idea into something visual and functional, something that can be converted into a set of features, tools, and functions. From a UX perspective, one of their biggest contributions was figuring out a scalable way for executing ideas as we were speaking to them.

Our website isn’t public yet, but the quality of their output exceeded our expectations. We liked their creative designs, especially the color. The site also follows a very high standard that is used for press agencies in our country, which was an indication of their development ability. The developer feedback was also positive.

How did Tubik Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

As a high-caliber company, they have enough resources to manage the communication and client servicing properly. Everything was communicated promptly and communicated well. They were very organized. We received technical files that had layers, making the developer’s life a lot easier.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had a very talented team and were good at hiring the right people. Since they had a good understanding of the entire process and how long it would take, they could break down the project into actionable tasks. Everything was easy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are very small areas for improvement. Cost rationalization is part of it, and we should consider different approaches for lowering costs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of Ribbet, a photo editing software company creating apps for desktop and laptop computers, and more recently, for mobile phones. I manage all the development, design, and support. We have seven employees and are located in Sydney, Australia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tubik Studio?

The website and the browser-based photo editors were outdated and needed to be modernized. They hadn’t been updated in many years, so I was looking for a design agency that could transform the website and the software to not only bring them up to date but also make them look exciting and on the cutting edge.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project was large from a design perspective because the software is quite sophisticated and has a lot of different screens. We worked very closely together over a period of about eight months. I provided a document outlining exactly what I had in mind and they came back with a quote. The final deliverables were a set of Photoshop and Illustrator files that contained all the designs that I requested.

The design of our product was completely changed—there wasn’t much similarity between the old one and the new one other than that it kept all the functionalities. You can still do everything as far as editing photos goes, but if you look at it, you wouldn’t even know it was the same site as before. Tubik made a new logo, a new color scheme, and new icons.

What is the team dynamic?

The implementation was handled by my own developers. Tubik had one director dedicated to the project and probably one to two designers.

How did you come to work with Tubik Studio?

I went on two design websites, Behance and Dribble. I looked for my favorite designs and technology-based things like music editors and cool looking screens that impressed me. I reached out to all the designers who I thought I would like to work with me on my project. Tubik was one of the only companies that were enthusiastic about the size of the project. A lot of companies were turned off.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested around $12,000. They figured out how many hours they thought it was going to take and they charged $40/hour based on that estimate. They gave that as a fixed quote so it didn’t matter if they went over that number of hours; the quote didn’t change.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2014 until November 2015. The bulk of the work was completed by April 2015 and there were a few additional things that continued after that.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The implementation of their designs has taken a long time because of the technical implications of the changes. It has nothing to do with Tubik. All the changes that they designed are about to be launched in the next couple of weeks.

How did Tubik Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

From a design perspective, this was an overwhelming project due to its large scope. They split it up into phases and performed really well. Some things probably took a little longer than originally anticipated, but overall, I was really pleased with the result and with the time they took to deliver. The project management was very good as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re friendly and willing to go above and beyond. I had them redesign the homepage and the logo four or five times, which shows that they’ll happily go through iterations of design to produce a superior result.

They have amazing talent in their company not only with interface design but also with illustration and logo design. The young people working in the company bring out an energetic vibe and they were very excited to work on the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be more transparent on who is working on the project and who is going to work on future projects. I haven’t dealt with that many design studios, though, so I couldn’t say whether that’s something common. A second, far smaller job I did with them was handled by someone different, and even though the work was strong, I wasn't as thrilled with it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Opera is a consumer browser and apps company. We create apps used by more than 350 million people globally. I'm the company’s creative leader.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tubik Studios?

We wanted to bring new perspectives and influences into our designs. We have in-house teams for both product and marketing design, but we wanted a company to consult on and augment our work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It varies quite a bit, depending on the project. We use Tubik Studios to augment the art and design we do internally, anything from live performance ads to branding to anything in between. For example, they sometimes work on digital ads, which can come in the thousands per week, that require strict attention to detail because of high scale and small differences. But they also do loose branding, where they help us figure out our visual identity or provide a different perspective.

What is the team dynamic?

We always have a project manager, and we work within a project management tool. The actual team size can fluctuate a lot, though. Once we send our creative briefs over to our primary contact, we then work directly with them and the designer. We can have anywhere from one to six designers per project.

How did you come to work with Tubik Studios?

We were already aware of Tubik Studios through the design portal Dribble. They have a fairly large presence there, and we really loved their work. They had a good understanding of trends and what the community was doing. We considered a different company, but Tubik was more flexible in what they could scale out to. We had such a good experience on the first trial project that we decided to stick with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We have them on a retainer now, and it’s around $30,000 to $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

At first, we just needed help with digital performance ads. Now, we have them on a monthly retainer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Qualitatively, it's been a breath of fresh air to look outside ourselves and get design perspectives that aren't saturated with our core beliefs and values. Our designs and style have improved because we have a whole different perspective we're bringing in.

Quantitatively, ads made with Tubik’s collaboration perform higher than ads without.

How did Tubik Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

Response times are nearly instantaneously, although that may be because we’re in the same time zone. When we communicate, it’s fluid, and it’s normally through Skype. Whenever we’ve reached out to the project manager, we haven't waited more than an hour for the response.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our previous providers were really reliant on us for the creative briefs. We’d have to make detailed mood boards and designs and do a lot of other frontend work. With Tubik, we can send over a very loose brief with just a few strings and objectives. Within a couple of hours, they send some proposals that already look fantastic. They’re great at interpreting our needs and making the designs look better that we imagined. From there, it’s just tweaking. We trust them to do a lot of the heavy lifting.

Going from project-base to a retainer should show how much we like Tubik and want to lock in their services.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CEO of a peer-to-peer introduction and referral network with an iOS app currently in Beta. The app supports word of mouth networking and makes sending and receiving introductions fast, fun and simple.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tubik Studio?

I had been working on the app in New York, but unfortunately, after a number of months, I needed to transfer the project to a new team. I approached Tubik Studio with the opportunity. I had a limited budget, and we needed to see what we could do in order to keep costs down.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tubik was initially tasked with a code review and project estimation, but we ultimately started the project again from scratch. They coded the frontend of the app and we used Firebase as a backend solution to keep costs down. The current build is simply an MVP, so keeping to the budget was very important.

At the time I engaged with Tubik, the user interface was already designed, however, we altered a few icons and created a few extra screens to support changes in the product development. We also worked together on designing and developing the company landing page. From a branding perspective, we created a mascot character who serves as a “community leader” in the app. It’s a fun, lighthearted animated character meant to make our users smile.

Currently the app is only available for iOS however, we are preparing to release an Android version in the future.

What is the team dynamic?

I would speak with my Project Manager daily. My PM would relay any questions, comments, or feedback to the team of designers and developers and send me the updates. It was a very streamlined and effective working relationship.

How did you come to work with Tubik Studio?

They came as a referral from someone I know, who is from Ukraine but currently lives in New York. While Tubik came highly recommended, I did my own due diligence when choosing the team. I put bids out to a number of independent developers and development shops. Tubik was ultimately the best fit. They were quick to answer my questions, they were insightful, and their enthusiasm for my project was definitely in-line with what I wanted from a development team. They offered some really good solutions to keep within my budget. For example, Tubik suggested using Firebase as a backend solution for the MVP and that saved me a lot, not only in development costs but also time.

How much have you invested with them?

Just under $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Tubik Studio in mid-March 2017. We continue to work on the app as I go about fundraising and building out my team in NY. We have a number of plans for the app and will start building new features in the coming months. We also hope to expand to Android within the year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

To date, we’ve only build the MVP version of the app. We still have a long way to go but I’m confident that Tubik is the right partner for this project as we move into the next phases. There’s much more to come!

How did Tubik Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Agile methodology was used for all the milestones of the project. I would receive updated builds of the app every 2 weeks to review and provide the team with feedback. I also had access to our JIRA account and could view progress throughout each day.

Tubik’s timelines are very accurate. While we added features that were outside the original scope, the team at Tubik would always let me know how long each task would take. We were all clear on how changes would effect the timeline and ultimately when the first version of the app would ship.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I continue to be very impressed by how in-tune Tubik is to the vision of the project. They’ve become very connected to the product’s mission. The team has spent the time to really understand what we’re trying to accomplish in the long run and what the brand stands for. All of this makes for a great working relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I was satisfied with the work they did.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I was very impressed with how well Tubik understood my project. I’m a visual person so I create flow charts and very detailed documentation. They always review what I send and that helps Tubik get inside my head.

When you’re working with an external team, there’s always going to be limitations in the relationship. It’s very different from having someone sitting next to you. I think the more transparent you can be, and the more detailed you can be, the better!