Anana Studio

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the COO of Somnio Software

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a Software Development Company dedicated to creating mobile and web applications

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• We hired Ananá for UI/UX Design and consultancy services

SOLUTION

How did you find Anana Studio?

Referral

Why did you select Anana Studio over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

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

2-5 Employees

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

Ananá’s team spearheaded the design process across multiple projects, actively participating in every stage, from product definition and discovery to information architecture definition, wireframing, high-fidelity interface design, prototyping, handoff, and support. Moreover, their lead designers played an integral role in product ownership, actively managing project expectations in collaboration with product managers and clients.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have successfully integrated with our team to complete design processes for several projects within the expected timeframes. The outcomes of their process have equipped projects with the necessary flows, screens, and design systems to properly implement those products. Our clients have also been highly satisfied with the results.

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

They exhibit excellent project management skills. Rarely did the project manager need to intervene in design task management; if they sensed anything off-track, proactive communication was their immediate approach. Clear estimates were consistently provided for new tasks, and their designers consistently met deadlines. As the head of operations here at Somnio, discovering such a self-sufficient team has been truly valuable.

What was your primary form of communication with Anana Studio?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their meticulous approach to design resolution shows that they are more invested in the project's end result than the typical designer would be. They take responsibility for the project outcomes, demonstrating a strong commitment to ensuring the process is executed flawlessly. Additionally, their exceptional ability to guide clients through their process sets them apart from the rest.

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

Currently, I don’t see any areas for improvement with Anana Studio. They’ve met our expectations. Still, there's always room for growth and I’m eager to see their future developments.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Technology of Loog Guitars

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a company that specializes in designing and manufacturing beginner-friendly, three-stringed guitars for children.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Establish the general look and feel of our new app.
• Develop the UX of our new app
• Create all necessary assets and animations to implement these things in Unity3D

SOLUTION

How did you find Anana Studio?

• Referral
• Had worked with them previously in a previous company

Why did you select Anana Studio over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned
• They are very inclined to collaboration and working closely with us

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

2-5 Employees

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

At first we did a 3 month contract for the initial UX/UI of the app. Since we were happy with the results and the collaboration with Anana we decided to move to a more open agreement. They provide us with all the designs and animations for our project, this includes: background art, button designs, Spine character animations, screen transitions, copy for buttons and modals and more.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Deliverables received on time, and there's a much better navigation on this app than the one we previously had.

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

They always delivered on time, gave very clear estimates and detailed billing of what was being charged. They have always been very flexible with us regarding increasing or decreasing the time allocated to our project.

What was your primary form of communication with Anana Studio?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The way they work is very human, and it feels like they're a part of our team instead of someone you just hired to do outside work.

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

As the project grew it has become harder to parse the figma file they work on, but it's something they're already working to improve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive at SAF Soluciones

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

SAF Soluciones designs and implements innovative and customized financial technology solutions to drive financial inclusion and promote sustainable development for financial institutions in Honduras.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Identify opportunities for user experience (UX) improvement
• Enhance efficiency and usability

SOLUTION

How did you find Anana Studio?

• Online Search
• Other

Why did you select Anana Studio over others?

• High ratings
• Company values aligned
• Their website and portfolio

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

2-5 Employees

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

Ananá provided conducted a comprehensive UX audit for the financial reporting module of our banking software. This involved a detailed analysis of the user experience, interface design, and usability of the module starting with the login. The team thoroughly examined the existing features, workflows, and user interactions to identify areas for improvement and optimization. 

The key deliverables from the UX/UI design company included UX audit report detailing their findings and recommendations, along with a set of wireframes, mockups, and interactive prototypes in Figma showcasing the proposed design improvements. These deliverables served as a roadmap for implementing the necessary enhancements and aligning the financial reporting module with industry best practices.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The collaboration with the Ananá resulted in the delivery of several key deliverables that we are very pleased with. These deliverables included: 

• UX Audit Report: a comprehensive audit of our financial reporting module, identifying areas for improvement and providing valuable insights and recommendations. They shared their finding in a video call that was also a learning opportunity for my team. 
• UI Design Mockups: Detailed and visually appealing mockups that showcased the proposed improvements for our financial reporting module. These mockups presented a clear vision of the enhanced user interface and user experience. While the implementation of the design changes is yet to be completed, we are highly satisfied with the deliverables provided by the Ananá and the overall experience of working with them.

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

During the project, Ananá demonstrated excellent project management skills. They consistently delivered items on time, meeting the agreed-upon deadlines without any delays. This ensured a smooth and efficient workflow throughout the collaboration. 

Communication was also one of their strengths. We established a communication channel on Slack, where we could easily reach out to them and receive timely responses to our inquiries and requests. They were proactive in addressing any concerns or questions we had, ensuring a clear and effective line of communication. 

Furthermore, Ananá maintained a systematic approach to handling change requests. They diligently kept track of all the changes requested, documenting them accurately. This allowed them to present the updated designs and incorporate the modifications seamlessly, ensuring that our evolving needs were met. Overall, Ananá demonstrated exceptional project management skills.

What was your primary form of communication with Anana Studio?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What impressed me the most about Ananá was their inherent curiosity and passion for their work. They demonstrated a genuine interest in understanding our needs, our industry, and our target audience. This curiosity translated into a deep understanding of our project requirements, allowing them to offer innovative and tailored solutions. 

Their willingness to challenge our ideas when they believed it would lead to a better outcome was truly appreciated. This collaborative approach helped us elevate the quality of our work by incorporating their expertise into the design process.

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

Working with Anana Studio was an excellent experience, and I hope to work with them again in the near future and I wouldn't want the process to be any different.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a food rescue organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Anana Studio?

We needed a UI/UX firm that could work closely with our engineering team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Anana Studio has been doing branding and UI/UX, web, and mobile design for us — we keep expanding our scope of work with them for our new product releases, design, and research needs. They started by reviewing our brand guidelines and interviewing stakeholders to jumpstart the process.

For the branding portion of the process, they help us with a whole brand identity task, including color scheme, logo, and icons. Regarding the web development part, they help with the design and the user research so we can understand how people use the site to improve it over time.

In terms of technologies, we’ve used Figma, Maze, and Notion.

What is the team composition?

We work with Maria (UI/UX designer) and a couple of other designers, depending on the task.

How did you come to work with Anana Studio?

They were referred to us.

How much money have you invested in this partnership?

So far, we’ve spent $10,000–$49,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2020, and the engagement is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re a great team, and I enjoy the process of working with them — as our organization and needs grow, Anana Studio’s team has grown with us. Overall, they do things well and are our first go-to partner for these tasks.

How did Anana Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is great; they’re always on time with meetings and deliverables and exceed expectations. In addition, their team is constantly thinking of additional ways to improve the process.

Regarding tools, we use Slack and Asana.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their high-quality designs and easy-to-work-with team are their best attributes — they take us to the next level.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d love it if they could have more resource capacity because they’ve been a great partner.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend people working with them; they do a lot of heavy lifting and help their clients think through their needs to take their design and product to the next level.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO for BizzyCar. We’re a business solution that matches vehicles with open recalls out in the field with dealerships that can repair those recalls. We then coordinate the pick-up and drop-off to get the vehicle back into good driving condition.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ananá?

I have an engineering background, but we needed someone to work on usability and design. Ananá came up with a couple of prototypes for our product, and it was light years ahead of where we were at.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ananá has developed our entire product and done a bunch of our marketing and email campaigns. When we connected with them, we had a vanilla product that looked like it was years in the past. They were able to construct a modern look and feel for the design.

In the beginning, we outlined a couple of things we liked. We had some color palettes based on our logo, our design guides, and some wireframes. The first thing they did for us was creating a style guide, which we still use today whenever we build something.

Once we got the design down, we redesigned our presentation deck. Ananá built a template for us, and we got into doing landing pages. They provided the look and feel of it, and we went through implementation. We also made an entire email system that went from notifications to feature promotions and everything that goes along with it, and they built all of those as well.

Additionally, they designed a native mobile application from scratch without any prototype whatsoever. We did the implementation, and we now have the app live in the App Store for iOS and Android.

For development, they’ve used Figma so our engineers can easily export the styles. Also, they’ve done a great job separating the projects. We have different login users, so it’s very straightforward to find what we’re looking for and where it goes.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with two people. When we first started, they shared the work, but now we have a primary contact. I connect with her every week. She’s super capable, and she’s able to understand what we’re trying to accomplish with very little interaction. Furthermore, she’s good at taking the user into account and building something to make it functional and understandable.

How did you come to work with Ananá?

They were a referral. Someone I’ve worked with for three years knew a designer, and we were cold on the topic because the area of design can be super particular. They pitched to us without knowing about the project but knowing about what we do. We decided to give them a try, but our gut reaction was that it wouldn’t work out.

Then, we gave them the pitch on who we are, and they took about two weeks to make the style guide and a sample page. From there, they just sold themselves because we were looking at a product that was really polished and well-organized.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $10,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our partnership around June 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive on how the application looks and feels. The product shows incredibly well. We’re in an automotive space that typically feels like a mainframe application, and their team has succeeded at creating something that feels modern, not overwhelming or daunting.

When we demonstrate the product to any of our dealerships, it’s very intuitive. They’ve done an excellent job at organizing a lot of information into a small space without making it feel cluttered. Their work has always been very steady and well thought out, which is the most important part for me. Not only do they put something together that looks good, but they also back it up with how’s it going to impact usability and how it’s going to be intuitive without doing much reading. Ananá has cleared all those hurdles, and they’ve placed our product as an industry leader.

How did Ananá perform from a project management standpoint?

My main contact and I operate with a simple Trello board with a ticket-based approach, and we have weekly check-ins through Zoom on Tuesdays, where we sync up on things. We’re probably on our fourth iteration. I give my input, and then they go back to design the next one.

Ananá is rarely ever late to deliver, and if they ever feel like something is off-track, they always communicate it first. They’ve been super consistent in their meetings, and they respond in a timely fashion even if we’re worlds apart.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Not only did they match our brand, but our space. To me, that was their selling point. The referral was nice, but it didn’t feel like a right fit initially. I was cold right out of the gate, but they broke through pretty quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind. Even when they take holidays, they have someone to fill in. They’re professional, and they’re definitely the best in what they do.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them an opportunity to showcase their skills. If you don’t see what you’re looking for on their website, give their team a chance; they did wonders to turn my opinion around quickly. Then, as the relationship continues to mature, they get better and become very reliable. They have many positives working in their favor, and regardless of what vertical you work in, they’re super flexible.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Co-founder of eidos.ai

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ananá?

Our brand identity was outdated and in an "MVP" version, we had a terrible logo and a terrible design overall across all our media outlets.

SOLUTION

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

We looked for different proposals but Ananá really stood out for their good taste and incredible portfolio. Another key element that pushed the decision was that they already worked with a fellow software company called Neocoast.

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

The stages of the project were clearly defined by Ananá from the beginning and that's something that we value because we cannot be wasting time in go back and forth while we have a business to run. First, we started with a mood board in order to design the brand personality, then we have a later stage where they presented a couple of options and finally we settle for expanding one of those ideas.

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

We worked with Felipe and María which both are the co-founders of the company.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We loved every presentation they sent us, they pay close attention to the details and that's why after the brand design we asked if they were able to create a cover letter and some web assets for us.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They were super friendly and easy to communicate.

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

Their solid design knowledge was commendable.

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

As always there is room for improvement! No bad points here... Maybe the only issue that comes to my mind (which is good because they are been solicited) is that we had to wait some time to get the project started because they were busy. Maybe hiring more people is something that can help their business grow.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO of a sports tech startup. Silbo is a digital marketplace connecting game providers to qualified sports officials operating across the USA. Sports officials can see, take, checkin and get paid via a Mobile application for gigs they are qualified to work.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ananá?

Mobile redesign & styleguide update

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to keep the user experience easy, slick, low touch. Keeping all major interactions to 3 or under clicks. Our user base age was older so keeping the designs clean, intuitive and east to navigate was critical.

SOLUTION

How did you select Ananá?

We did extensive research on many design firms. I was impressed with the Ananá teams vision, creativity and ability to hit deadlines (based on references)

Describe the project in detail.

The Mobile application needs a refresh/rebrand on how to differentiate across the multiple sports / options. Keeping things fun, fresh but also functional was

What was the team composition?

We worked with 2 designers for the Styleguide and UI/UX. Both were extremely competent and capable in all tasks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Top notch, highly recommend to everyone. Deadlines were exceeded, results were beyond what we hoped for. The collaboration was the best part. We had some ideas ahead of time, working with the team we were able to iterate on them and improve the flow of the application 10x

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Amazing, the communication was top level. Very responsive and understanding of all our needs. We're very excited to work together again in the future.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Innovation & creativity. We mocked up multiple versions of flows to help express the numerous functions available to the user. The team took our feedback and produced ideas we hadn't imagined. The results were extremely well received by all of our users.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can think of. Top marks all around. Recommend highly for all future work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Strategic Alliances and Partnerships Manager of a tech and experience company in Uruguay. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ananá?

We were looking for the right company to help us create our new branding. They supported us by understanding our approach, making several proposals and delivering a great new brand.

What were your goals for this project?

We are at a transformation stage and it was difficult for us to define exactly our new business orientation. Our goal was to define our new business focus and through it create our new brand image, logo and concept that transmits where we are going to.

SOLUTION

How did you select Ananá?

In the beginning we asked several references from colleagues and one of them recommended Anana. We have chosen them because of their perspective and flexibility. They looked as a simple and modern company, flexible and adaptable to the companies needs and willing to work side by side to deliver the best value.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

As we wanted to create a new branding we worked in different phases. Firstly, I would say it was a discovery phase, where they told us how the process was going to be done and what they required from our side.

Secondly, we started describing our company, culture, values, mission, vision, etc. This was a relevant information that would create the base to start working. From there, they made several deliverables that included the branding manual with all the brands information, style, colors, designs, among others.

From that first manual, we made changes to define what exactly was the image we wanted to deliver to our clients, partners and prospects.

What was the team composition?

On their side, Anana has Felipe and Maria working and rom our side we supported them with myself and our CEO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We did a new branding launch that was very well valued by our team and directive board. The new branding gave us a new perspective and a broader horizon, which all our team member understand and know where are we going to. It was a modern and fresh design that was exactly what we were looking for!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

There was a constant communication and workflow, we were in contact at any time and without issues. It was very fluent and clean and that helped a lot us to understand this process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We really liked their work. They are young and ambitious professionals, they have a modern approach and they are very easy going people.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No comments.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO at Neurotech Software Solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ananá?

We hired Ananá for the development of the UI design of our Explorer and Emotions platforms.

Explorer is a cheap and useful tool and neurofeedback system for researchers in Neuroscience, Psychology, Medicine, Engineering and Information Technology, while Emotions is design as system for emotion recognition for mental health professionals, both platforms work with portable brain-computer interfaces.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to open to the world the possibilities of researching the brain. So our platform are integrated with machine learning tools and automatic pattern and are able to recognize a wide range of emotions, both an experienced researcher or recently graduated professional can easily explore the brain.

We had workin prototypes but were in need of proper design and improved user experience. This aspect was contributed by Ananá's team.

SOLUTION

How did you select Ananá?

We reached Ananá through our software partners: eagerWorks. Ananá's expertise and proficiency were key to address the issues we faced with a new technology that required a new and attractive design.

Describe the project in detail.

We used portable EEG technologies (electroencephalography). The project involved the creation of a web platform for monitoring, recording and processing brain information obtained with the EEG device as a useful interface for professionals interested in studying the brain.

Ananá's team addressed the issues of designing an attractive UI and experience. We had some meetings and along the project they always maintained and active and useful feedback.

What was the team composition?

We had an initial meeting with Felipe and Maria. They both worked on the project in therms of the initial look of the interface and the high fidelity designs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team at Ananá successfully delivered the platforms' designs we expected, they look really well, and were simple to understand and use from the perspective of the user. The products become more competitive and attractive to a broader audience.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Management style and communication were excellent all along the project's duration. We basically worked through email exchange and personal meetings.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their service was highly cost-effective. The were quick and agile at solving the different design issues and finding a way to make sure the user experience delivered well. We loved the ideas and design from the start.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we're very satisfied with the outcome.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the COO and Co-Founder at NeoCoast, a web and mobile development shop that serves clients all over the US and Canada. We started providing our services back in 2016 and are a team of 24 as of now.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ananá?

When we launched back in 2016, we bought a template for our website, which did his job for a couple of years, but we needed to bring our own identity to it. That's when we decided to hire Ananá to design it from scratch.

What were your goals for this project?

We aimed to have a really nice and clean website as the main presentation card of our company.

SOLUTION

How did you select Ananá?

We actually knew them beforehand, as they have done some design work for some clients we provide web development too, so we already know they were great at their job.

Describe the project in detail.

We had a couple of meetings for them to get a grasp on what we wanted the outcome to be, as well as what we needed to communicate to the outside world through our site. After that, they moved into a budgeting phase, which ended up working for us, so we moved forward. They then worked with us on a couple of iterations for a couple of months, and in the end, we got the high fidelity designs and animations, which looked awesome.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with Ananá's founders.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was a success for sure! We got from them all the assets we needed in order to go and code the site, which is now live and we love it.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was great. We used Slack as the main communication platform and ran a couple of Zoom meetings when needed. They are really responsive which was awesome.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The outcome was impressive. We could not have imagined a better-looking website like the one they designed for us,.I'd say their skill level is out of the roof.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There's always something to improve on every company, but in this project in particular I'd say they did a perfect job.