Wolf&Whale

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CCO at a global hospitality design firm based in New York. We specialize in boutique design experiences across multiple sectors, from hotels, restaurants, and bars to residential and commercial spaces. We have four offices across the globe and employ 200 staff.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wolf&Whale?

We hired Wolf&Whale to help us rethink and reposition our online experience. We have an award winning portfolio of work, but suffer from an outdated site. W&W were brought on to help create a new image and structure for the experience, opening up the rich legacy of our work to visitors seeking to learn more about us.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to achieve a fresh new look, in synch with our core company values. We wanted to open up our rich portfolio of award winning projects to visitors and add layers of depth to the site which would allow users to explore and learn more about our work. We wanted to convey more on the company culture and core values. And better tell the story of who we are.

SOLUTION

How did you select Wolf&Whale?

They were shortlisted through an RFP process

Describe the project in detail.

The initial process involved conceptual direction generated in part by W&W and ourselves, as well as a new structure for the site. After this we moved into prototyping look and feel and subsequently roll out across all sections of the site. This was an exciting process as it lead to a very collaborative effort and a lot of iterative fine-tuning to get to the final product.

What was the team composition?

W&W came to us with a core team of designers and developers. We always had the Project Lead and Director on all calls, and then as design advanced, they began to involve developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are not yet live, but the site is living up to all our initial aspirations...

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had a very iterative process, and W&W were very good at listening and taking feedback. We found their collaborative nature very successful and found them very easy to work with.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We appreciated their responsiveness and collaborative spirit. They were always quick to come up with options and new ideas when we were not quite aligned on solutions.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We are overall very satisfied with the work they produced

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am CEO of Shortcut, which delivers haircuts and wellness services to homes, offices and hotels across the United States.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wolf&Whale?

Wolf&Whale originally designed our mobile interface, when we performed a massive internal update to services and our network of Pros. They more recently designed our web booking platform with its own distinct style from our mobile experience.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to expand our footprint on the web, while giving our website customers a booking platform that avoids an app download.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found Todd a couple years ago on AngelList, and we've had a great working relationship ever since. Definitely would hire again.

Describe the project in detail.

We provided a list of pages and screenshots that needed to be re-formatted for a different form factor, a web browser. With increased real estate, Todd helped us reduce down to the important factors, create a navigation flow that made sense, designed assets for each page, and converted them with Zeplin to a form that made coding easy.

What was the team composition?

We worked with Todd Torabi almost exclusively.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Web booking was very important, as it improved access to our platform, especially for those who signup from their workplace. Now close to half of our Office Event signups happen through the new web portal.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We found a weekly meeting structure that made sure we were always in sync, but gave the company clearance to work with minimal overhead.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The company works incredibly fast, with thorough questions, and great organization.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We were satisfied with the quality and timeliness of the project. Look forward to hiring W&W again for the next project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Cape provides an integrated drone solution that makes secure, cost-effective drone operations accessible to agencies and businesses of all sizes. My role is VP of Engineering, in charge of mobile and cloud software teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wolf&Whale?

A complete UI/UX redesign of our web application, as well as a redesign of our primary mobile app.

What were your goals for this project?

We had a very rudimentary web application user experience, and we needed to redesign it to be professional, more usable, and more useful for our customers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were referred to Wolf&Whale by another colleague of mine.

Describe the project in detail.

The scope of the project was a complete redesign of the UI/UX of our web application. This included user studies, persona development, user experience architecture, design, art, mockups, wireframes, testing, implementation, and iteration.

My role was lead and coordinator of the activity (I mostly ran the meetings, and was the primary driver for the tasks and deliverables.). Todd (Wolf&Whale) produced the designs, answered questions, provided updates and ad-hoc changes to the design, and help with iterations as the deployment milestone got closer.

What was the team composition?

I'm not sure exactly how many folks at Wolf & Whale were involved, but Todd Torabi was the primary contact. On our side, we had a Product Manager, two engineers, a QA person, and myself.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This project was critical to Cape's go-to-market strategy. Our CEO loved the design and the feature set. It has been very well-received by customers and partners. We were extremely pleased with the results.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. Todd was both reliable when it came to managing tasks and also flexible when it came to (sometimes late-breaking) changes to the design requirements. He was always available for communications, acted as "part of the team", and had an amazing "can-do" attitude that went a long way towards the project's success.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed with Todd's flexibility and adaptability. We frequently had to change scope, features, and requirements along the way, and he took it all in stride.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I would have done a better job at task tracking. We used Trello for tracking tasks with Todd, but internally used JIRA. Keeping those in sync was a bit of a challenge.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're a leading classic car publication with over 2.5 million users. We produce high-quality video content and authentic editorial storytelling. I'm the director of digital product development, digital marketing, and social media.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wolf&Whale?

We hired them to for a rebrand and UX/UI overhaul of our website.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to revamp our layout to increase sharing and engagement, reduce our bounce rate, improve loading times, and deliver a good e-commerce experience. Since our audience expects high-quality content, and younger users are rapidly moving to mobile devices, responsive design was also a key part of the project.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We selected them through an RFP. 

Describe the project in detail.

They completely overhauled our website and updated our brand. We explored several designs that kept our unique brand and values in mind. Our editorial regularly contains more than 25 photos per article, so the layout needed to deliver a smooth experience while emphasizing our renowned storytelling. They consulted on brand direction, completed all our design assets, and handled web development and content migration. 

What was the team composition?

Their team had a design director, UX designer, art director, and three web developers. They added more team members as the project scaled up. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have increased our overall web and mobile traffic, time on site, and number of newsletter subscribers, while reducing our bounce and exit rates. We also created a foundation for e-commerce revenue. We're still revered as one of the most effectively designed and differentiated automotive publications.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their communication was so strong that they felt like part of our team. We used Slack, JIRA, and InVision.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their founder, who is a business-minded designer, thoroughly understood our challenges. That's difficult to find. Their forward-thinking design gave us a huge leap forward.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we were satisfied with their deliverables.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Senior Business Analyst of a financial services company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We help create utilities for mid sized banks

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Wolf&Whale to accomplish?

• Total Revamp of the UI/UX of a utility website we had built for a client

SOLUTION

How did you find Wolf&Whale?

Referral

Why did you select Wolf&Whale over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me

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

• take existing functionality and reorganize into an efficient user experience
• Total rebrand and redesign of the visible elements and flow of the existing website

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Very short timeline
• Milestones and visual guides were established very quickly
• Milestones were adhered to despite very short timeline

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

• Delivery on time
• Very prompt with responses/timelines

What was your primary form of communication with Wolf&Whale?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• They executed verbatim. No divergence at all

Are there any areas for improvement or something Wolf&Whale could have done differently?

-

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Talent Solutions Sr Manger of a consulting company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Marketplace of Independent Consultants for Fortune 1000 companies

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Wolf&Whale to accomplish?

• Develop UX Design for internal one pager at Large Pharma Company

SOLUTION

How did you find Wolf&Whale?

Online Search

Why did you select Wolf&Whale over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost

What was the size of Wolf&Whale’s team?

1 Employee

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

Develope UX design for internal one-pager at large pharma

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Completed one-pager

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

Delivered on time. They were highly communicative and delivered excellent results.

What was your primary form of communication with Wolf&Whale?

• Email
• Messaging App

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

High Value, easy to work with, excellent results

Are there any areas for improvement or something Wolf&Whale could have done differently?

none. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Currently a Design Lead for an insurance company based in New York City.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wolf&Whale?

Wolf & Whale was able to provide us with on going design support as well as designing and defining new products/services.

What were your goals for this project?

Our products and services are meant to empower individuals with access to their own insurance.

SOLUTION

How did you select Wolf&Whale?

Wolf & Whale came highly recommended and their reputation as being highly creative and dependable.

Describe the project in detail.

We needed a website redesign for one of our services which was archaic. Prior to development, Wolf & Whale had to scope the design timeline, define the product and modernize the user experience. They were able to provide a design strategy, content creation and on going design support.

What was the team composition?

Wolf & Whale had a team in place that provided copy, research and design.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Stakeholders were pleased with the new redesign and users were now able to use the platform efficiently.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I personally did not sense or detect any mismanagement of the product and processes.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I am impressed with their willingness and readiness to help at moment's notice. I always appreciate their ability to ask for things that they need or ask good questions.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing at this time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Startup focused on providing US-based banking services to international/transnational from India

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Enhance pre-launch website, brand identity

SOLUTION

How did you select Wolf&Whale and what were the deciding factors?

Reputation for highly skilled, quality work in the sector

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

Scope included a website design, art direction revamp, credit card (Mastercard) design, social media assets, and on-going design consulting as the team gained momentum towards launch.

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

Team consisted of a Director and 2 Designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Core outcome ended up being a sophisticated digital experience that targeted core audience segments, helped achieve partnerships, attract early adopters, and establish a vision to investors.

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

Responsive across communications channels; always quick to turn around work, meet deadlines, and adjust to shifting priorities.

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

Their professionalism & quality of execution is impressive.

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

No, N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Head of Product at Serial Box, a studio and platform that focuses on sci-fi, fantasy, and horror fiction for diehard fans.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wolf&Whale?

User testing

What were your goals for this project?

Validate pricing, user benefits, messaging, landing pages, and more for an upcoming feature.

SOLUTION

How did you select Wolf&Whale?

Wolf&Whale has a strong background in user testing and MVP validation.

Describe the project in detail.

We validated pricing, user benefits, messaging, landing pages, and more for an upcoming feature through user surveys and 1-on-1 interviews.

What was the team composition?

Todd: Lead Tim: Support

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team analyzed and presented pricing, user benefits, messaging, landing page insights from qual/quant user surveys and 1-on-1 interviews.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Super effective!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Quality work with a very professional and easy-to-work-with team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the venture growth at a consulting company working with various digital brands.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wolf&Whale?

We worked with Wolf & Whale to optimize UX/UI for a DTC brand across website and email.

What were your goals for this project?

Optimize website UX/UI and apply already redesigned concepts to various pages across desktop and mobile.

SOLUTION

How did you select Wolf&Whale?

We appreciated Wolf & Whale’s attention to detail, diligence, and flexibility.

Describe the project in detail.

Direct to consumer brand looking to apply redesign concepts to various website pages across desktop and mobile.

What was the team composition?

N/A

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We started the project with a redesigned concept and a need for a competent designer to carry through the concepts throughout the website. As soon as Todd came on, he was able to bring value. He is able to take digest information quickly, and execute with detail. Highly recommend!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective- Todd always communicated expectations on deliverables and created thoughtful designs. He is thoughtful and reacts well to feedback when adjustments were needed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciated Wolf & Whale’s excellent communication. Todd always took detailed notes during our design review sessions, was quick to follow up and check in to make sure we got what we needed, and delivered everything ahead of the deadline.

Are there any areas for improvement?

N/A