Art of energy from Roman Budaev

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a mobile app that helps groups and couples agree on which movie to watch.

For what projects/services did your company hire UX ENERGY?

After building and designing the first prototype of the app by myself, its design left a lot to be desired. It lacked good graphics, order, and UX. I needed a world-class design team that could understand the fundamentals of the app and take it to the next level.

What were your goals for this project?

My goal was to develop a fresh design that would make the app a pleasure to use, both visually and functionally. 

How did you select this vendor?

I posted a job on Upwork, and UX ENERGY applied. Their beautiful designs and great reviews caught my attention. I narrowed down the candidate list to three. After speaking to the team, I knew that I wanted to work with them.

Describe the project in detail.

I provided all my current materials: a summary of what the app should do, the screens I had designed, and an overview of how the screens should work. I also submitted some other screens that needed to be built. 

What was the team composition?

I worked with three people: an absolutely genius designer, who brought the app to life with his beautiful color palettes and font selections; an amazing project manager, who always responded to my needs and kept us on track; and an incredibly talented graphic artist who designed beautiful icons. 

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

They redesigned the app from head to toe, and it made such a difference! I have a truly beautiful app that is a pleasure to use. Everything flows nicely, looks great, and feels modern and clean. I'm so grateful I found UX Energy since I'm proud of how the first release looks.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was incredibly smooth. They typically scheduled one or two meetings each week to show me their progress and gather my feedback, which was critical to creating stunning designs. They were attentive to the details of client communication.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Firstly, I appreciated their designs. Their designer was very talented, creating beautiful interfaces that looked clean and modern. He made great recommendations and always added value to the process. He's the main reason that I now have a gorgeous app. Their graphic artist also created some fun icons that made all the difference and achieved my goals.

Secondly, I loved their organization! They responded to queries extremely quickly, despite the time difference. They were always a pleasure when it came to scheduling and budget. I was impressed with their work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I honestly didn't have any complaints. I was extremely satisfied with the product and can't wait to release it. I'd like to thank them for the great work!

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of PotBotics, Inc. Our company focuses on understanding patient outcomes better. Specifically, we're assessing existing research and engaging with large patient-physician communities regarding how medicine is helping them. 

What challenge were you trying to address with UX Energy?

We needed a professional design studio to streamline our online and mobile experience from a UX perspective. We also wanted to upgrade our existing branding and graphics to a higher standard with a modernized feel and format. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

One of the exciting parts of our engagement is how much it has evolved. We initially were doing minor redesigning. Since then, they've started doing full design from scratch beginning with wireframes. They've been building out some of the visions we have as a team. The team assists us in branding and positioning, as well.

UX Energy conducts preliminary research before going into the design stage. Usually, they provide web- and application-based graphic design. They designed two of our corporate websites for our main page and a new product we're launching. For the same product, they designed our consumer-facing mobile app which is currently live in the Google Play and App Store. 

What is the team composition? 

We usually work with Vitaliia (Business Development Manager, UX Energy), as a project manager. Nikita (UX/UI Designer, UX Energy) is primarily the lead designer we've interacted with. Since we already have a relationship, we plan to continue working with him. When new UX projects have come up, we've worked with some of the other designers to a lesser degree. 

How did you come to work with UX Energy?

We initially found UX Energy on Upwork. They sent a compelling cover letter in response to our posting and had an impressive portfolio. We started them off with an easier project to see how they performed. Since then, we’ve progressed into a deeper business engagement. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together for about a year and a half, since the beginning of 2017. Our engagement is ongoing. 

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

UX Energy has done an exceptional job of understanding our industry, concerns, and the branding and positioning we want to achieve. They excel at translating high-level ideas into a detailed, organized workflow and executing on them upon client approval. It's been a pleasure working together ever since we first engaged UX Energy. We've been pleasantly surprised by how smoothly everything has gone.

We've gotten many compliments on the designs UX Energy has implemented. Our users have commented on the modern look and feel. The team created simplistic and intuitive interfaces that capture many nuanced details within a sleek format. The UX is comfortable and engaging without overwhelming our users, which is our ultimate goal. 

How did UX Energy perform from a project management standpoint?

UX Energy is exceptional at communication, organization, timeliness, and responsiveness. They're always around to answer questions. I've never noticed the time difference pose any challenges. They're highly professional and keep within our timelines and budgets. Even when our design projects aren’t fully defined, they organize and prioritize tasks to execute on deliverables we agree upon far in advance. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

First and foremost, I value UX Energy's design expertise. They create modern designs that feel like they belong in today's age of technology and where the future is headed, as well. My second compliment is about their carefully thought out UX. They ultimately create products that both look great and are fully functional. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I feel really good about our relationship and don't have any constructive feedback. If we did, we would feel comfortable sharing it and know UX Energy would work hard to improve. We haven't had to have that type of conversation. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It's a good idea to understand exactly what type of project you're looking after. Consider whether it comes with a full scope of work and if you have a vision for the final product, or if it's something intangible. If it's relatively open-ended, maintaining an open dialogue will help ensure it will work properly. 

UX Energy will ask topical questions to help you define the workflow process. There are two different types of design projects, and this team can handle both. I've seen them excel at exact scopes and early design concepts alike. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the lead for Belka Studio’s business development and marketing. As a full-service studio, we understand that great design serves a very important purpose. We offer clients branding, advertising, design, and marketing services. Our designers segue research-based concepts into illustrations, infographics, and UI/UX, 3D, and motion design assets.

For what projects/services did your company hire UX ENERGY?

Our client requested a robust new version of his signature mobile app to take his business to the next level. At the time, we lacked sufficient experience and enlisted UX ENERGY for their expert support.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to deliver the best possible end result to our client. Without a proper UX baseline, it was clear that such a big project simply couldn’t succeed.

How did you select this vendor?

We thoroughly researched potential UX partners online. Having partnered successfully with UX ENERGY on a smaller project, we decided to hire them again.

Describe the project in detail.

We had an ongoing dialogue with UX ENERGY’s design resource who was allocated to the project. We regularly discussed various aspects of the project and had near-constant communication via Slack. They professionally executed each task and offered useful advice and seasoned expertise. They sent a series of screens via InVision and incorporated our changes and clarifications throughout the entire process.

What was the team composition?

They assigned a designer to support through the main phase of our project. She was available the entire following month to answer questions and perform additional tasks.

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

They completed the first part of the project on time. We were impressed with both the deliverables and the careful attention to detail they invested in our project as a whole.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project management style was very effective. Our designer was always available to answer questions. Her willingness to meet with our client to explain design choice rationale at length was key to our success.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

UX ENERGY displayed a remarkable degree of design knowledge and expertise.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I’d always wish for a faster turn-around. Realistically speaking, however, the results exceeded our expectations. It's always better to take more time planning than to hastily build a suboptimal product.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief executive officer of Flourish. We’re developing a social networking app for Christians. We have three projects, one of which is designed for singles.

What challenge were you trying to address with UX ENERGY?

We needed UX design help.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed our Android app using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. I provided some screen specifications and they gave us options to choose from. We worked from there to create the final product.

They are currently designing business cards and rollup banners.

What is the team composition?

I worked with mainly Eugene [Owner, UX ENERGY]. I also worked with a designer.

How did you come to work with UX ENERGY?

I found them on Upwork.

How much have you invested with them?

$5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017 and the work is ongoing.

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

The product for singles is currently live, and I’m happy with the results. Users say it’s a modern, fashionable app that is more convenient to use than our competitors.

How did UX ENERGY perform from a project management standpoint?

They were always on time, even though some of my requests were very spontaneous. I asked them for business cards and a rollup banner by the next day, and they delivered. They gave me options and took action once I decided on one. I told them which changes I wanted to see and they implemented them. We mostly communicate through Skype and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Once I asked for a test order, they immediately called me. They did a Skype video call, which gained my trust very easily and quickly. I was satisfied with the test work, so we continued to work together. The customer relationship is very direct and honest.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Eugene could improve his English, but he knows that and takes a colleague into the call if necessary. So that is not an issue. It was a very positive experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You need to engage a lot if you know what you want. If you have no clue about the design, you might not need to engage.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO at a company that offers additional resources for tech companies, including frontend and Wordpress development.  

For what projects/services did your company hire UX ENERGY?

Our clients often ask us to recommend good designers and UI developers for their products. We had been looking for reliable partners for ages until we finally found UX ENERGY.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to provide clean, modern interface development, so we needed to partner with designers. I started looking for a team that works quickly, suggests ideas, and knows how to bring them to life.

How did you select this vendor?

I saw UX ENERGY's portfolio on Behance, and I liked it. It also had a hefty 100,000 views. They also had the expertise we were looking for: knowledge of Photoshop and Sketch. They know the dimensions to create the responsive design for and I don't have to micromanage their team. The project manager keeps everything in line. 

Describe the project in detail.

UX ENERGY oversaw the complicated interface design for our online platform. They created designs for websites, e-commerce, landings, and mobile apps.

What was the team composition?

I work with the owner, a project manager, a sales manager, UX/UI designers, and graphic designers.

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

Thanks to UX ENERGY, we can now provide our clients frontend solutions, regardless of complexity. We're able to offer them design services we previously were lacking the capacity for. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Usually we contact Vita (Sales Manager, UX ENERGY) and another contact engaged in management. Then we started working with one of the designers who had the most experience in projects related to the needed field. Project management is conducted at a high level and tasks are monitored through Trello.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I'm most impressed by their UI design; it's modern, clean, and user-friendly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It would be great if they had more designers in the agency. There were times we had to wait about a week until the assigned designer had time to work with us.  

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the director of a software consultancy company. We specialize in consumer applications and websites.

For what projects/services did your company hire UX ENERGY?

We worked with UX ENERGY to design the UI/UX of our software products for third-party clients.

​​​​​​What were your goals for this project?

We wanted an ongoing relationship with a UX partner.

How did you select this vendor?

They came recommended to me.

Describe the project in detail.

UX ENERGY works on several ongoing projects to create pixel perfect UI/UX designs.

What was the team composition?

We work directly with a few lead UX designers.

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

Our partnership with UX ENERGY has increased our output and improved our customers’ satisfaction.

​​​​​​How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our collaboration has run smoothly since the beginning. They make communication easy and straightforward.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their team excels at following and then expanding on a list of requirements.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we’re thrilled with their work.