&why Studio

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of an advertising company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a Tallinn-based company that provides organic advertising services through its digital media for a wide range of digital brands, primarily offering its services in the United States.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Develop search functionality capable of handling different page types such as product pages, brand pages, and informational articles
• Ensure digital accessibility during development
• Design the front-end & UX for an e-commerce website that aggregates and displays products from hundreds of sustainable fashion brands
• Develop back-end infrastructure capable of scaling to tens of thousands of products
• Automate various tasks related to populating and maintaining the product feed

SOLUTION

How did you find &why Studio?

• Online Search
• awwwards

Why did you select &why Studio over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from &why Studio were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

After considering various agencies and developers worldwide, we hired &why as part of a European Union co-funded grant project to develop a sustainable fashion advertising platform. This platform connects ethical fashion brands and consumers through product aggregation for better sustainable product discovery, comparison, and purchase.

As part of this project, key deliverables included:

1. Fully functional website, including front-end & UX design, together with back-end infrastructure and a CMS capable of scaling to tens of thousands of products.
2. Ready-to-use modules that we could add ourselves independently to new pages via the CMS to create new pages of various types without the need for coding.
3. Tasks automation (through the use of AI) to help us reduce the manual work of adding and maintaining the large product feed.
4. Search functionality capable of differentiating different page types such as product pages, brand pages, and informational articles and serving them to the user based on their search.
5. Digital accessibility testing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• The recently launched website was built and finished on schedule and has received greatly positive feedback from a wide range of stakeholders both in terms of design and UX.
• Close to 1000 products added to the site from numerous brands with the help of AI-enabled automation capabilities.
• The success and flexibility of the module-based design system: 140+ diverse pages built independently by us without the need for extra coding or development hours.
• The success of the migration and launch: Prior to this grant project, a website was already live on the same domain (but on another CMS,) and no technical issues arose while migrating from the old CMS to the new one earlier this month.

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

We had a dedicated project manager assigned to us throughout the project and she was always knowledgeable, responsive, and pleasant to work with. She was always ready to either answer our questions herself or direct our request to the relevant team member promptly. All of our requests were accommodated and the deliverables always arrived on time, as planned during the initial discussions. Thus, we think &why did an excellent job at project management during our time working with them.

What was your primary form of communication with &why Studio?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their capabilities in modular, scalable web design are superb and really impressed us. We were initially worried that moving away from WordPress to another CMS would stop us from creating new pages ourselves efficiently, but the modular design system they built via DatoCMS allows us to design and combine unique pages through the use of modules even quicker than in WordPress, and the results are excellent.

Secondly, going into the project, we already knew that we were aligned with &why in terms of values around sustainability. However, we were still surprised and happy to see how much all the team members were personally invested in our project's mission around improving sustainable product discovery and motivated to turn our vision into a success story.

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

We're delighted with all aspects of working with them. We can't think of anything we'd like to have done differently.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Team Leader of Strategic Project Management and HR of GOLDBECK GmbH

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

GOLDBECK realizes trend-setting real estate in Europe. We see buildings as products and offer all services from a single source: from design and construction to operational services. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Creation of a modern, user-friendly job market for our internal and external job advertisements

SOLUTION

How did you find &why Studio?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select &why Studio over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from &why Studio were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

• Creation of a modern interface for our job market including video integration
• Creation of job tiles including dynamic detailed views (including picture wheel)
• Creation of job filters including proximity search
• Creation of job subscriptions
• Creation of XML interfaces between website and recruiting system

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Very good feedback from applicants (higher number of applicants)
• Traceability of click paths, better reporting
• Visually very appealing design and positive feedback from partners and service providers

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

The agency was very committed to our goals and went above and beyond to provide consulting services. They were always very reliable and transparent in terms of costs and content. They were also able to explain complex, technical matters in simple terms and thus enabled us to make decisions.

What was your primary form of communication with &why Studio?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The answer is simple: the people in the company.

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

Nothing

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Digital Marketing Manager of GOLDBECK

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our range of services includes factory and warehouse construction, office buildings and school buildings, multi-storey car parks and residential buildings. Building refurbishment and expansion of existing buildings as well as building-related services complete the GOLDBECK spectrum. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Website Relaunch
• On-going website related tasks (new modules, content strategy, seo related tasks, analytics ...)
• Product Hub

SOLUTION

How did you find &why Studio?

Referral

Why did you select &why Studio over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from &why Studio were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

• Successful international website relaunch in 2022 with an appealing design, flexible modules, comprehensive onboarding and ongoing project management
• Ongoing optimisations on the website (UX/UI, new modules, SEO ...)
• Ongoing project management and meetings
• Set up of a suitable Google Looker Studio report for the content team
• Strategy and content workshop with helpful and future-oriented impulses
• Development of a digital product exploration hub

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

a state of the are website with a comprehensive and attractive design and user experience.

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

• Ongoing good advice, solution-oriented and honest
• Excellent project management with regard to our digital solutions
• A positive working relationship, only good people you enjoy talking to
• Quick reactions
• Motivated to constantly improve and to celebrate successes (very important, also for us as a client)

What was your primary form of communication with &why Studio?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their values, culture, honesty, and passion for their job were impressive. You really feel that they love what they do and it's great to see that they also do projects for a good purpose get recognised and awarded.  

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

Sometimes the scheduling and internal coordination of tasks, but we have started to improve by structuring our project management tool differently.

All in all, we are very happy with the collaboration.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior brand project manager for a micro-mobility company. We offer micro-mobility solutions globally.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with &why?

We were looking for a partner to redevelop and redesign our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

&why has helped us redevelop and redesign our site using Figma for the designs and Craft.io for product management. Up until recently, we assumed that our website was very B2B-focused, but we’ve seen signs that final customers are using it. Thus, we’re currently working with &why to evaluate that data and adjust our efforts accordingly.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact from &why is the project manager, and we’ve also worked with the head of design and the head of development.

How did you come to work with &why?

When I joined the company, a colleague of mine had already hired &why, so I wasn’t part of the hiring process.

How much have you invested in them?

Thus far, we’ve spent around €150,000 (approximately $153,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2021, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s hard to provide metrics because we didn’t track data before, so we don’t know if there has been an improvement in numbers. However, we believe that there has been an improvement. Overall, our collaboration with &why has been successful, and we’re very satisfied with their flexibility regarding deliveries.

How did &why perform from a project management standpoint?

Although we initially struggled with project management, we recently started using an agile methodology, and &why’s performance has been a lot better. We use Slack and phone calls to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

&why is a very agile company, and they have a lot of expertise.

Are there any areas they could improve?

&why’s project management has room for improvement. During the first three quarters of the year, we worked in a more traditional waterfall project system, but it didn’t work well due to the lack of deadlines. However, it wasn’t entirely their fault, and everything has been a lot better since changing the project management style.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t expect any strict delivery dates. They’re very nice to work with, but they perform better when working in an agile way.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Founder and CEO of a leasing search machine headquartered in Germany.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire &why?

We'd needed proper Agency support to revamp our search and shift to a more user centered brand. The goal was to not only integrate a full new brand based on the community, but also we had to focus on our prio KPIs to ensure that we keep track on our growth.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

It is hard to find a proper UX/UI Agency with sophisticated design thinking skills and approach. We got the contact as a recommendation from our Business Angel. He worked together with &why for a previousproject and was super satisfied.

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

First their team gathered all the information about our market, business, users and had a close look to our competitors. It's part of the discover phase that allows not only the team to understand everything, it also challenges status quo. Then everything get's compacted in the define phase and find it's way into the product in the design step.

It has been very handy that we're not talking about ages of time investment to run through this steps. Their team has been very effective so that sometimes we were able to run through this steps just where necessary. Also they highlighted weak touchpoints and pointed out where it makes sense to invest more focus.

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

Our Startup worked closely together with their UX/UI-team and project management. Also we had been working together with the Motion-Team and when it came to marketing questions we got connected with their marketing professionals. A full and holistic support with not less quality in different chapters like the UX/UI one. Thumbs up!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The outcome and deliverables of their UX/UI Team was has been a pleasure. I've worked for over 12 years in the UX part and i need to confess that it's normally not easy to satisfy my claim. In this case, the output was great and we had very minor rounds of changes. In my opinion it's the value of their proper process of design thinking.

Also their UX/UI deliverables were pretty crucial to transfer our company goals in a user centric product. No matter if wee talk about research, or we dive into the micro of design-patterns, everything came together with a very small amount of friction.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The response time has been a blast. We integrated their team into our slack channels. Also we had weekly meetings to ensure that we keep track. Their team is super friendly and listens. Nothing gets lost the radar because the note propperly and share internally. Meetings are very efficient and not waste of time. The output has been delivered in our Design System within our FIGMA Account. Great way of work.

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

Their UX/UI was amazing! Also They understood where we needed to be pragmatic and where it made sense to invest time for details. Also the sparring brought us to the next level. I hate Agencies who don't want tounderstand the business challenges and just run trough their own agenda and overengineer, just to pull the money from the clients pockets.

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

No, all perfect – just continue like this!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CTO and co-founder of RoomPriceGenie. We’re a startup that sells price optimization software to small, independent hotels and accommodations. The company is located in Switzerland, but I am located in Germany where we have an office as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with &why?

We’re a growing company, and we’re looking to go into a new round of funding, so we need a more professional brand and website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

&why is coming up with a whole new branding for us. They’re putting together a brand manual and redesigning our website to reflect our new identity. 

We started the project with a lot of calls involving different members of our organization. Their team interviewed us, sent us questionnaires, reviewed our current design, and tried to understand our challenges. They talked to some of our customers and spent a lot of time understanding our business.

What is the team composition?

There’s a total of 5–7 people working on the project, but the team size varies depending on what phase we’re in.

How did you come to work with &why?

I found them through a Google search. I contacted a lot of agencies, but most of them were really expensive. We decided to go with &why — not because they’re cheap but because they’re considerably less expensive than the others.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent between €40,000–€50,000 (approximately $43,000–$54,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership began in January 2022, and it is ongoing. They are finishing the last details now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t rolled out the new brand yet, but our whole team is very, very happy with the result. &why has provided a very professional experience, and we feel that they want to dig deep into what we do. They’re a really great fit for this type of project.

How did &why perform from a project management standpoint?

They always keep us up to date through Slack and via phone calls. Everything is pretty well organized. We collaborate on the design and exchange feedback through Figma, but we use Brandpad.io for general branding activities.

Thus far, &why has pretty much matched the budget that we had discussed in the beginning. I think we’re spending way less than we would have with other agencies. They have a very clear list of how many hours each stage would take. We always feel well-informed, and we’re pleased that they stick to the schedules and the budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really like the design and the outcome, but what really impresses me is how they try to understand our requirements in detail. They spend a lot of time on calls to make sure that we’re on the same page. At the end of it, they have a deep understanding of our vision. It’s not superficial at all. It’s a lot of fun to work with them actually.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’re happy. They’ve stuck to the budget, and the outcome has been cool. They are quite fast, and the communication has been good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You’ll be in good hands with &why. They’ll guide you through the branding and design process, especially if you’re unfamiliar with it. They’ll work at a good pace, and they’ll take care of everything. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there?

I’m the global junior product manager for a milk formula company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with &why?

We wanted to continue to work on the brand's digital development and make the brand new production site accessible. The target was to create a unique experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

&why helped to create a unique experience by using VR. They suggested using Oculus Quest, which we agreed to use. They also worked on other projects, including setting up our new website and digital media projects.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a core team from &why, including Alex (Creative Lead), Dominik (previously Project Manager), and Florian (CEO). In the process, we met also other team members contributing to this project.

How did you come to work with &why?

We saw their VR project presentation at a trade show. After that, my boss reached out to discuss our VR project.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent €100,000 (approximately $118,000 USD) for the VR project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on the VR project from January–October 2019, but have engaged in other projects since then.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The VR project launched in October 2019, and we were able to roll it out in other countries and do a roadshow. In addition, we added two new languages to our project, with the possibility of adding more in the future.

How did &why perform from a project management standpoint?

They were organized and available. We always had a dedicated project manager who could address our questions or concerns. On top of that, they suggested up-to-date tools, such as Milanote and InVision. Although they were flexible regarding communication options, we were quite limited due to the strict IT security of our company.

What did you find most impressive about them?

&why quickly understood who we were, including our core values and how we wanted to be represented. As a result, they were always able to translate that into our projects well — they brought an updated and modern approach in order to elevate our brand. I also appreciated the way they presented their ideas, always pushing us into an ever-changing world of digital media.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we were always able to communicate with them if there was anything we wanted to be done differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open-minded and trust the process. It might seem abstract in the beginning, but you’ll understand what they envision for you once you see the visuals. Overall, they’ll push your brand to be better.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Online Marketing Manager for baramundi software. baramundi software is a leading developer of Endpoint Management solutions, covering the deployment and installation of client machine OS and applications, endpoint security and automation of IT processes. More info: www.baramundi.com/

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Regular website support including emergency bug fixes but also the conception and implementation of new design elements or connection of 3rd party applications to our website as well as server support.

SOLUTION

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

We shortlisted agencies in our area. &why won with a great pitch highlighting their experience and flexibility against several other agencies.

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

&why takes care of our Typo3 website and continuously develops it further. They provide suggestions on their own initiative or implement our wishes.

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

A project manager is our main point of contact. Apart from that, a team of several web developers, web/UX/UI designers and online marketing consultants work on the project. We especially appreciate the consistency of the contact persons.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Clients love the updated design and now have a better understanding of our services.

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

Weekly jour fixes with the project manager, consultations with the other team members on demand. Regular exchange via ticket system and project management tool.

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

Professional work attitude, super approachable contact persons and simply great fun to implement projects together.

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

We have an open feedback culture, so problems are solved before they arise.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the HR Manager of a retail company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a major decoration and furnishing specialist in German-speaking countries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Relaunch website
• Permanent website support

SOLUTION

How did you find &why Studio?

Referral

Why did you select &why Studio over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• professional and approachable team

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

Relaunch and subsequent maintenance of our website

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Fast, professional and creative realisation

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

The team collaborates well and its easy to work with. They are flexible and adaptable throughout the project. they work quickly without compromising quality.

What was your primary form of communication with &why Studio?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Always a competent, customer- and solution-orientated cooperation. Very open communication and transparent pricing.

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

No, all excellent

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of METTA GmbH

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a glutenfree and vegan cafe 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• development of a brand identity
• branding colours
• logo

SOLUTION

How did you find &why Studio?

Referral

Why did you select &why Studio over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from &why Studio were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Identity workshop, creation of a logo and development of a brand strategy and visual appearance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a logo, branding materials and a guide on how to design our social media posts.

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

Yes, everything on time.

What was your primary form of communication with &why Studio?

Virtual Meeting

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

excellent work, quick implementation of the project and very nice contact

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

everything was perfect!