Usman Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a former executive of a marketing agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Usman Group, Inc.?

We needed help to develop a custom website for one of our clients. There were unique needs for that project, so we needed someone with more expertise in custom development for that site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The process was to understand the requirements for our client, so we went through a discovery phase with them. We laid out the specific needs that we had regarding the website’s custom features that we were looking for, and that lasted about 4–6 weeks. 

Once all that was understood, they put a project plan together for us and started working on the development for the website’s frontend and back end with an administration page where we can control the website. That development phase lasted around eight months.

The next stage lasted 4–5 months, and it was focused on testing the site internally and from the client’s side as well. In the end, the site went live and, after that, there was a six months long follow-up process where we made some improvements on the site based on the client’s experience.

What is the team composition?

There were 4–5 involved in the project. There was Naveed (Principal & CEO), and the rest were several of his colleagues.

How did you come to work with Usman Group, Inc.?

They were referred to us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May 2011–June 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We can say that our client was extremely happy. We didn’t run into any challenges or issues once the site went live — we received wonderful feedback from the client.

How did Usman Group, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent. I can’t say enough about what wonderful project leads they were; they kept us on task, were never off schedule, documented every issue that came up, and solved it very efficiently. They’re an excellent partner.

In terms of communication, they spent a couple of weeks onsite. Other than that, we had phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The way they collaborated with us, their openness, and their organization stand out the most. They have their act together, and they’re very human — they understand your needs and document all of that to reach the end goal.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on — they did a wonderful job.

Any advice for potential customers?

Be as organized and open as possible. Also, make sure that you provide all the information available.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of communications and stakeholder strategy for an airport management company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Usman Group, Inc.?

We were looking for someone who could provide website development services for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re currently undertaking the task of completely rethinking the entire website of our company in terms of design and development. That includes the content, look, and feel of the site.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with foUr people from their team. That includes the manager of the company. A copy content writer, a designer, and a web UX developer.

How did you come to work with Usman Group, Inc.?

We worked with a couple of other designers before them, but they didn’t work out for us. We were a little hesitant about hiring someone else, but we looked for other providers. We found Usman Group, Inc. through Clutch’s site, and we sent an FRP out requesting quotes. They responded, had a couple of interviews with their team, and we chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $35,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in April 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everybody’s pleased with the website development. They’re doing a great job, and that makes me look good — that’s important for me.

How did Usman Group, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been super responsive, organized, and timeline-driven — that’s been essential for us. We communicate through email and Basecamp,

What did you find most impressive about them?

They listen to their customer’s needs and wants far better than any other designer I’ve worked with in the past. They’re also capable of delivering a vision, and that’s been great for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on. 

Any advice for potential customers?

They’re very organized so, if you’re not, then it’s not going to be a good fit.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

This was for a past company. We were a company that helped local businesses facilitate online reviews and SEO. I was a Digital Marketing Manager at the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Usman Group, Inc., and what were your goals?

We hired Usman Group to help us design and develop a website. Our goals were to have a high-quality website with great UI/UX that would help facilitate lead generation and education for prospects.

SOLUTION

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

Our VP of Marketing at the time had worked with Naveed and his company before, so we selected them because of previous amazing work that had been completed by his company. Deciding factors included skill, team, bandwidth, and cost.

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

We had a kick-off meeting with the team where they presented us with several ideas and we refined what we were looking for and the scope of the project. We then worked with the team week over week to complete the design work. After that, we took the implementation one piece at a time until we were happy with the results. They were very detail-oriented, and they helped to manage our project with ease.

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

We had about 5 people on the team if I remember correctly who were working with us. We had designers, developers, and project managers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website was able to support MoM traffic and lead generation. We had a low bounce rate and completed many A/B tests with the team to optimize the website over the coming year. We monitored the website as well with HotJar to ensure that people were navigating the site, and found that our intent of the site matched the user experience.

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

Always on time, always communicative, great partner!

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

The dedication they had to our project and getting things done in the way we wanted them to be completed.

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

Nothing to mention!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a consulting agency. It’s a subsidiary of another company that I co-own with my husband. I deliver expertise and strategy, including a book that I recently published that’s available to the market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Usman Group, Inc.?

I engaged them for services dealing with intellectual property; that’s the basis of my book. We discussed the possibility of a digital tool to advance my intellectual property. Late last year, I realized it was a great time to bring digital innovation in the field of strategy to the market. I engaged with Usman Group, Inc. to help me think through how to bring digital transformation to my industry.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Usman Group, Inc. developed the original digital design concept for what I call Strategy Studio. It’s viewable on my website. They led the initial design of our Strategy Studio. Their team brought a design firm to assist me in thinking through high-level concepts and specific deliverables I could promise to my customers.

Usman Group, Inc. helped me think through what was possible with the tool as well as ideated a phased approach. This approach would allow me to manage my budget and make sure it was going to work. They did an initial product development scope of work. The deliverables included a prototype and digital wireframe.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Naveed (Principal & CEO).

How did you come to work with Usman Group, Inc.?

I’ve known Naveed since 2019. He was introduced to me by two different people. We really hit it off, and I was very impressed with his knowledge and expertise in the digital tool world. When this project came up, I immediately reached out to Naveed.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project was from December 2020–February 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was satisfied with the quality of the work and it measured up to my expectations. We went live with our product and then there were small fixes that needed to be taken care of afterward. Usman Group, Inc. was very involved as we worked through the issues after we took our beta live.

How did Usman Group, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They utilized Basecamp for project management. The communication picked up later in the process as the deadlines were coming close. This worked out well. In some cases, toward the end, we were meeting 2–3 times a week. This worked out great because we were trying to get things turned around for our deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Naveed believes in my concept and believes in me. This is why I reached out to him in the first place. It’s important as an innovator and entrepreneur to have colleagues who believe in what I'm doing and would tell me if they didn’t think it had any promise. Usman Group, Inc. really embraced the vision for my concept and owned it as much as I do. They saw it as a signature for their portfolio too.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In hindsight, it would’ve been great to have more communication. Usman Group, Inc. was so busy and devoted to getting the project done that there were a couple of times when they had to update me on what was going on. However, whenever I reached out through text or on Basecamp, they’d get back to me right away.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Having clarity of your design and desired business objectives is really important so you can convey them to someone who isn’t as familiar with the concept and business opportunities you are. Additionally, realize that the project is going to cost you more and take longer than you think. Remember that you play an important leadership role in ensuring that what you want is delivered.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former founder and CEO of The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award USA.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Usman Group, Inc.?

They were brought on to help us develop and launch our initial website for the national organization.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Usman Group walked us through the development of our website. They had a website project planner they developed and introduced to us. We worked through as a team, both on our own and with Usman Group. We talked about the fundamentals of the website itself. They took it a few steps further and had us talk about what success looks like for us — not just for the website but with the launch of the organization in general.

Usman Group dove into our audience and had us think about what’d appeal to them with the website design itself. We honed down on the interfaces we developed with them and how user-friendly they’d be for our particular audience. Our audience is typically 14–24-year-olds and a range of adults that’d be mentoring these 14–24-year-olds. Usman Group facilitated that process because we hadn’t thought about it from that perspective.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Naveed (Principal & CEO).

How did you come to work with Usman Group, Inc.?

A friend of mine recommended them to me. Usman Group ended up being relatively local to where I personally lived so I met with them a couple of times before deciding to move forward with their organization.

How much have you invested with them?

The project was about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement was from October 2016–March 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website looks great. From the beginning, we wanted it to be integrated with an app that was being developed by our international organization in London. It’d allow the youth to track their progress for their awards. Usman Group ended up successfully implementing that.

Additionally, what was unique about them was how strategic they were in helping us develop our website. They went beyond just the design piece and provided the technical aspects of that. Their team helped us take a step back and think about how it’d integrate into our overall strategy as an organization, which I found really helpful. I’m still in touch with Naveed and continue to rely on him as a resource.

How did Usman Group, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was great and the website was launched on time. Usman Group communicated well. That’s one of Naveed’s strong points. Their team members had a great combination of skill sets. We worked a lot with the team focused on the technical aspects of the web development. They were fantastic to work with and very professional. They were great at communicating things in layman’s terms.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Naveed always approaches things from a holistic standpoint. If he doesn’t have the answer to it, he finds someone within his team or a contracted partner to find an answer. He’s great at networking and bringing people together to work on projects. I found that to be refreshing and unique.

Naveed recognizes where his expertise begins and ends. He’s willing to bring in people who are experts in areas that his clients may need. This approach helps us as clients to navigate through our needs. They’re very strategic and recognize there are a lot of pieces to the puzzle.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I was really pleased with the quality of their work and their approach to it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very open to exploring all that Usman Group is willing to provide or help find for the client. Personally, I was comfortable with Naveed pulling in experts from other areas. Some people may not be as comfortable with that. However, in the end, it delivers a more focused and quality product for you as a client. It’s worth it to be willing to go down that path.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of sales and service of a disaster restoration company. We have 17 locations in the US. I work with our sales and operations teams to make sure we’re delivering the services we provide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Usman Group?

We were looking to develop an app that would provide value to our commercial customers across the US. We needed to communicate different messages to multiple clients. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Usman Group provided creative resources to build out the app’s wireframes and create artwork. Then, their developers built out the backend. They developed the app for iOS and Android. 

Usman Group helped us create unique user experiences that depend on which company a user is with.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Naveed (Principal & CEO) directly, and he enlisted one designer and a team of developers.

How did you come to work with Usman Group?

We explained the project to a creative recruitment company, and they gave us a list of companies that they felt would be a good fit for what we were looking to accomplish. Naveed was a good fit — he was easy to work with and really responsive.  

How much have you invested with them?

My company spent over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We engaged them in early 2020, but we didn’t start the project until the end of August. The project launch date was mid-September, and we wrapped up the project in late December to meet our beginning-of-year deadlines.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re currently in the process of rolling the app out to customers, but early verbal feedback has been very positive. Everyone has been very engaged and responsive to getting signed up and enrolled in the new mobile app. However, we won’t have numbers on how many engaged users we have until the end of the first quarter.

How did Usman Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything ran smoothly. We had weekly meetings to communicate the process and touch base on updates, questions about upcoming items, or anything that I needed to deliver so that they could keep moving. They were over communicative, which was great.

Considering I was anticipating a long, drawn-out engagement, it was a very pleasant experience overall. We used Basecamp to manage the project and post any updates or requests. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with one other app developer, and Naveed was more collaborative. He wanted to figure out how we could accomplish what we were trying to do, whereas the other provider didn’t think outside of the box. Naveed was more open to ideas and problem-solving than what I’d previously experienced.

Are there any areas they could improve?

That’s a hard question for me to answer because they exceeded my expectations. From everything I’ve heard about the app development process, I was anticipating a lot of delays and uncertainty in the process. However, Usman Group definitely exceeded my expectations by delivering on both of those things: they hit deadlines and communicated with me the entire process. They let me know how close we were to hitting certain things, and we ultimately stayed on schedule. Their timeline was pretty close to on the nose.

Any advice for potential customers?

Just be available. I can see how delays could pile up; my company needed to provide a lot of deliverables to Naveed and his team in order for them to move on, whether that was verbiage or approval for designs. Make sure you’re available to review those things and provide those assets to keep the project moving smoothly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the founder and director of marketing of Townie Branding, a branding merchandising company that build merchandise lines for various industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Usman Group?

We were trying to refresh our digital strategy to help us break into different industries and increase customer acquisition. We brought on Usman Group to help us with the website layout and design and development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, they helped us create our go-to-market strategies. We underwent a lengthy discovery process to identify our core business objectives. Together, we identified target markets and used that information to create marketing funnels and optimize our site design. Then they redesigned and developed our site to improve the landing pages and make it easy to edit. They ensured the site was SEO-friendly and we could easily track the bounce rate. Since then, they’ve hosted our site. After development was complete, we launched ads to attract leads.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Naveed (Founder) and he brought on a designer and developer.

How did you come to work with Usman Group?

A friend of mine worked with them on a marketing website for his company and had a really good experience. When I was looking for a development partner, he referred me to them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $12,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from June–December 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new site has helped us earn more leads, which in turn will lead to more revenue. Usman Group did a really good job for a reasonable price.

How did Usman Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Naveed handled everything well. Even when we were working with other members of the team, he checked in to make sure everything was going well and meeting our expectations. They were extremely prompt and efficient.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a wide breadth of knowledge. Everyone on the team has either worked for a startup or founded a startup, so whether they’re a designer, developer, or business expert, they bring a lot of expertise to their role outside of their primary function. That was really helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they did a really good job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t just think of them as a digital service provider. They have a strong background in business development, so you can get a lot more out of your project if you work with them to align your business and digital marketing strategy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an engineering program manager for a micro-manufacturer of medical devices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Usman Group?

Our website was outdated, to say the least. As a small company, the website was an easy way for us to promote ourselves. That was one reason why we wanted to update everything.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Usman Group started fresh and worked on our brand from start to finish. We sent our guidelines for the brand into a portal and then designers gave us multiple designs. We then selected our top designs and moved forward with the best one. After that, we secured our colors, logos, and fonts. Their team then moved on to a complete website redesign.

We’re now in phase two. They’re analyzing the website to understand how users engage with the it. Their team’s also trying to promote our name on search engines and creating content like FAQ sheets.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Naveed (Principal & CEO), Jeanie (Content Strategies Consultant), and one more person from their team.

How did you come to work with Usman Group?

Our management team found Naveed and looked into a couple of other options. Eventually, I acquired the project.

How much have you invested with them?

To update the website, we spent about $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2020 and launched the website in July. We’re now in phase two of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website’s in its infancy because it only launched in July. However, we have gotten leads from the new platform.

I’m not a developer. As a small company, everyone on the team has a lot of different responsibilities. It was nice to have Usman Group hold our hands along the way. We didn’t know exactly what we needed, and their team was helpful throughout the whole process.

How did Usman Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Naveed has a great system for managing his projects. Their team sets clear goals and makes everyone’s tasks clear. Naveed also responds to my phone calls and emails. Anything I need, he provides it.

During the website project, we had weekly meetings when we reviewed action items. It was a streamlined process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I don’t know much about how to build a website. Usman Group is helpful and explains processes, which is beneficial to our team.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything off the top of my head.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Maintain open communication with their team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m currently the founder of a startup transportation safety consultancy. I worked with Usman Group primarily when I was the senior director of digital content and strategy at a safety nonprofit. My job was to communicate safety messaging to the public in a variety of topic areas to influence people’s behavior and keep them safe. COVID took a heavy financial toll on the non-profit, and a number of people were laid off, myself included.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Usman Group?

I hired them to help my creative team and me with a web project related to new safety technology in cars. It was a very large project, a national public education campaign, that was financed through grants.

Their team of programmers and artists helped my team of producers, writers, content generators, and artists come up with a unified theme, presentation style, and all manner of things, including the actual website!

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Usman Group was primarily involved in the creation of a website. It was a totally customized WordPress-based effort. Its pages had a variety of content, showcasing everything from videos that my team put together to graphics, either motion or still, blogs, editorial, latest news, games, etc. 

This was a national project, and we employed a variety of media to engage and educate the public as well as attract potential funders. We worked with a variety of stakeholders to ensure that new technologies were properly represented, and safety perspectives were highlighted.

What is the team composition?

I typically had meetings with the project manager from Usman, one of their principal graphic artists, and a programmer.

How did you come to work with Usman Group?

I had a coffee with Naveed (CEO), and we had a long talk about what his company could offer and what I wanted to achieve. I also met some of his employees, but it was mostly Naveed’s enthusiasm that won me over, as well as his ideas and creativity. 

I knew that Naveed and his team were competent, but lots of people are, and I wanted more than that. When it comes to creative endeavors, many people will just outsource the whole thing. I’ve always been a digital content developer, but I also get my best work accomplished collaborating with other people.

How much have you invested with them?

The total project budget was more than 9 million dollars. Usman Group was a significant part of it, but we worked with other consultants on media buys, digital advertising, VR games, and other tactics. I’d estimate that Usman’s part was $150,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in May or June 2015 and took about four years to wrap up. The website is still up and operating. They were a great resource, and I remain friendly with Naveed to this day. I just wish I had reason to put him back to work with and for me.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website we made has been used and cited by the federal government and a significant number of nonprofits and for-profits, including state motor vehicle departments. This campaign was the first and largest educational program of its kind.

When someone buys a car, there are more and more new technologies built in, such as blind-spot monitoring and automatic emergency braking. Unfortunately, drivers generally aren’t educated on how to use those. We created a place that taught drivers about the safe operation of these safety systems. We built out a kind of Wikipedia of active safety systems. Like any technology, it has to be constantly updated, but it’s still the largest and most comprehensive site of its kind. We did a variety of consumer tests on its design and usability, and the site was continuously improved upon.

How did Usman Group perform from a project management standpoint?

My background is in TV news, and I’ve worked in some of the most competitive markets in America, so I have no tolerance for missing deadlines. I’m a good judge of the need to get work done on time and on budget, and that’s what we did. I held Usman Group’s heels to the fire, but I didn’t need to. They did what they had to do. The project was delivered on time and on budget, and it’s an award-winning website.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I haven’t hired many outside providers in website design and IT, and the few projects I’ve done were in the $3,000–$5,000 range. I don’t have much experience outsourcing national projects like this one, but I can say that Usman Group did well. I’m sure they’d do well with a $3,000–$4,000 project, too.

Naveed has a tremendous amount of energy and great ideas, he’s a positive thinker, and he sees a lot of opportunities. He’s a good partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. I worked closely with Naveed’s team. I knew I could always bring him in if I had to, but there was never a need. I have no complaints. The educational campaign is still in use today, and it’s one of the projects I’ve done in my life that I’m proud of.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Anyone hiring an external provider needs to decide how they want the project to go and build requirements around their vision. If the client doesn’t know those, they shouldn’t pretend they do. We can outsource an entire website project to Usman Group and tell them everything it needs to do, or we can be participants in the process, talk to the team, and build out requirements in a way that satisfies our purpose.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CMO of a medical device company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Usman Group?

I’ve worked with them at several different companies in various positions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I initially hired them for SEO, but over the years, I’ve worked with them on a host of different projects, including building websites, SEO, and Google Ads. They’ve done both organic search and paid ads.

For one project, another company had launched a website, and there was an error that caused us to lose all of our built-up SEO. Naveed (Principal & CEO) helped rebuild the SEO from scratch. That was a tedious and difficult process, but they were able to get it back to where it was and even exceed that. It took a couple of years, but it was a big project. 

Right now, Usman Group is helping us support some of our clients on their digital needs. That includes website rebuilds and SEO.

What is the team composition?

It’s hard to say because it’s changed over the years. Naveed merged with another company. I’ve worked with a lot of the team, but I’ve mostly worked with Naveed. He’s a key player in all of the projects.

How did you come to work with Usman Group?

Naveed was working with a company when I came in to work for that company.

How much have you invested with them?

I’m not sure how much we’ve spent over the years. It varies; a website project costs a lot more than monthly SEO.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in 2013, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The organic traffic growth we saw on the project I mentioned was big. We’ve also seen order conversion through paid ads. I’m very metrics-based, so that’s a big thing for me.

How did Usman Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They do a really nice job. Naveed has definitely strengthened his team’s project management capabilities over the years. They use Basecamp for project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with other SEO companies, and I think Usman Group does the best work. They know their stuff and get results, and that’s what I’m interested in.

Their digital expertise is why we keep coming back to them. They stay up to date on trends and what’s changing. They also have a network so that they can pull in the right people to get the project done. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I think they do a nice job.

Any advice for potential customers?

Like any project, you need to know the outcome you want. For instance, if you’re looking for SEO growth, you need to keep a pulse on that and make adjustments or shifts throughout the project.