Artkai

Please describe your company and your position there.

ProCredit Bank is a development-oriented commercial bank, which has been operating on Georgian market since 1999. ProCredit Bank Georgia is part of the international ProCredit group of banks, which operates mainly in Eastern and South-eastern Europe in countries with transition economies as well as in Germany. ProCredit Holding is the group’s parent company. One of our main priorities has always been providing a high level of client service for our customers. We are oriented on small and medium enterprises and to private individuals who have the capacity to save and who prefer to do their banking through electronic channels. We focus to introduce innovative and digital services on Georgian market. To meet the requirement of our customers it is important to develop a new and sophisticate e-banking platform with decent UX/UI.

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

The goal was to gather requirements from all bank stakeholders and clients to develop a new solution for our e-banking system. The Internet Banking had to be attractive, simple, modern and meet the highest quality standards in terms of technical implementation.

How did you select Artkai and what were the deciding factors?

Artkai is known as a reliable ProCredit partner for more than 4 years. Based on the research, they provided a strategy full of insights. Besides, the design concept that they provided was the best among those that we have seen.

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

The scope consists of several phases (in chronological order): Discovery. To find out main problems and goals Concept. To provide high-level vision of the solution to make sure everybody are on the same page UX/UI. To cover all new requirements based on discovery insights Front-end. To build a cross-browser front-end for the designed product, sending/receiving requests to/from the Back-end to ensure the functionality of the system. QA: to conduct testing of the developed product.

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

We worked with the Head of Design, Project Manager, Designers, Front-end developers and QA-engineers. The main point of contact always was Project Manager, however sometimes for solving tasks we communicated with other team members directly and enjoyed our communication very much :)

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

Internal procedures do not allow us to disclose any numbers, but in our opinion at the end of the day Artkai built the product that met our expectations in terms of quality of code and usability of interface. Design is simple and intuitively understandable. Our technical advisers were impressed by the quality of code that Artkai provided. The product was developed using best practices that will ensure easy support by internal resources. On the top of it, we are sure that their solution will stay relevant for a long time for our target customers.

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

We were impressed by the level of client service that Artkai provides. We met all deadlines and it got all the requirements and updates in a clear way. All conditions and deliverables that were agreed initially were completed as agreed. We used e-mail and Skype for everyday communication and jira for task management

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

I liked the way they gathered all requirements. It was very pleasant to see how they work with stakeholders and clients to understand their needs. The best thing was when those requirements were presented to us and we saw not only the list of problems, but the actual suggestions on how to solve them. They are definitely not just pixel pushers. They build meaningful products.

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

The pricing sometimes can bite :) But in general they were ready to adapt to any request we had.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO & Co-founder of TestHub.tech. Testhub is a software as a service recruitment tool that minimizes cognitive bias and predicts job performance. We automate the screening process and make equality a standard.

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

Artkai was referred to me as a product design & development company that can turn my idea into a working prototype that will help me raise funds and scale my product. My goal was to create a prototype in the shortest way possible on a tight budget.

After a 2-week intense workshop & research phase, Artkai team developed a full product backlog and roadmap. Within 2 months I got the prototype that helped me get into a few acceleration programs and raise the necessary funds.

How did you select Artkai and what were the deciding factors?

My friend & colleague from my previous startup referred Artkai to me. After a first intro call, I understood that these guys are well oriented in product design & development.

The deciding factor was a scope of work for the Research & Discovery phase that gave a clear understanding of the work to be done and the result. Also, the pricing factor resonated with my budget expectations completely.

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

To the current date, the scope of work, project steps, and key deliverables are as follows:

• Phase 1 - Research & Discovery. At this stage, the Artkai team conducted market research, created user stories, and Customer Journey Map, created a features backlog and project roadmap.
• Phase 2 - Prototyping. Within a 1.5 month timeframe, the working prototype of the TestHub platform was delivered. Technologies used: Ant.Design, React.js + Node.js.
• Phase 3 - Creating the landing page, fixes & upgrades, tech support. Artkai continuously supports the TestHub prototype by adding necessary fixes, updates & upgrades.

Within a 2-week time frame, they also created a landing page for the platform. Next phase: creating MVP and product evolution.

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

My first contact was with the Head of Partnerships and a Partnership Manager. In the Research and Discovery phase, we collaborated with a Design Team Lead, Business Analyst, and Project Manager.

In the phase of the Prototype production team composition was: UX/UI Designer, Design Team Lead (supervision), Front-end developer, Back-end Developer, QA Engineer, Business Analyst, Project Manager.

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

The Research & Discovery phase took longer than expected (2 weeks instead of 1.5) although the Artkai team over-delivered the results that had a positive impact on the product road map, backlog, and Prototype.

Also, the Prototype was planned to be a hardcoded Proof of Concept due to some timeline and budget restrictions. During the production, Artkai team found an opportunity to create a functioning prototype that gave us the ability to test the product on some initial users ASAP.

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

Their project management style is based on constant communication and feedback. They are very agile and creative all the way. They are definitely client-oriented and use tools that are common for me and my team.

At the beginning of the project, Artkai provided a timeline. Then we settled on the milestones and deliverables and they followed it responsibly. Nevertheless, when we requested any tweaks or changes to the scope/timeline the response was positive and actions were taken ASAP.

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

Artkai position themselves as a partner, not just an IT vendor. They are interested in my success no less than I am. Therefore they are supportive all the way and at any time.

Also, having a collective experience of an agency as your CTO makes my life easier. As a unique quality, I can highlight their business-oriented and design-thinking approach.

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

here is always area for improvement for any company :) Artkai is aware of any flaws they have or may have and work constantly to improve.

Please describe your company and your position there.

AutoAccess is a supplier of and converter of a wide range accessories for LCVs and Pick Ups. We are active both nationally and internationally. I am responsable for all marketing activities as well as the complete website.

For what projects/services did your company hire Artkai - Digital Product Development That Make Sense, and what were your goals?

Our current website and admin panel is outdated so we needed a complete new website. The main goal is to have an updated admin panel where products can be uploaded easily. Next to that a clear webshop where products can be ordered easily. Up until now we only sell to car importers or dealers, but we are expanding this to end customers and export clients as well.

This means they should be able to create an account too and place orders online. Last but not least we would like to inplement a car configurator, since we offer a One-Stop-Solution. A clear and easy webshop where everyone can find all accessories for their car. Main goal is to get higher traffic on the website, and this for different types of customers.

How did you select Artkai - Digital Product Development That Make Sense and what were the deciding factors?

They have created a website for one of our partners. So a shareholder, who is also a shareholder of AutoAccess, has recommended the Artkai team.

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

Please contact Artkai for the full scope, because they have created a complete overview. Used technologies communication:

• Chat box Slack
• Mail Used technologies:

1. Front end: react.js, Angular Redux Babel, EsLint, Webpack
2. Back-end: Node.js PostgreSQL KnexJS + ObjectionJs EsLint

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

1. UX/UI Designer - Ira
2. Senior Back-end developer - Anton
3. Strong Middle Back-end Developer - Anton
4. Senior front-end developer - Vladyslav
5. Project Manager - Margarita
6. Business Analyst - Ivan
7. QA Engineer - Mariia 

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

Project is still ongoing so no further details on this one.

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

Weekly video call with the team. Progress is shown in Figma and remarks are given by us. During the week, especially at the start of the project, I often received documents, structures, ... that I needed to review. This is sent in Jira or Slack.

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

The first two meetings, where they used post-its over the entire meeting room to define the problems of the current website/admin panel. With this information, they wrote the scope for the new website.

Also, despite the distance between both companies, communication is also perfect. They are always available to answer our questions.

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

During the first meetings we had some great ideas and we were told everything is possible, but further on in the project, these ideas were not calculated in the scope, only mentioned without estimated time.

This had led that working out these ideas isn't possible anymore because later they found out it's very complex. I would suggest to ask information about these ideas first and inform us immediately if it's possible or not tell afterward it will cost us extra money and time to work it out.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the co-CTO at a cryptocurrency exchange platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with Artkai – Digital Product Development That Make Sense?

A friend of mine came in to build the technology, so we had a working platform. He brought me in to help write the code and scale. I ended up having to do more managerial work, and it’s a big chunk of technology. Things were going well, so we had it in our budget to start looking for development resources.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Artkai took over our tech and told us everything we were doing wrong. Then we built it all from the ground up. We wanted to use React Redux and GraphQL, and everything was running on a PostgreSQL database. I believe they used a Node server.

What is the team composition?

In total, we worked with seven or eight people. They brought in a project manager, several developers, and UX people.

How did you come to work with Artkai – Digital Product Development That Make Sense?

My co-founder said that I had to reach out to them. I’m not entirely sure how their relationship started. I was actively going through LinkedIn to try and source some companies to do work for us. My location makes it harder to go out and find developers.

How much have you invested with them?

During the engagement, we spent $250,000–$500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June 2018–July 2019.

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

We were very satisfied with the outcome. I still talk to them to this day. At some point, I hope to bring them to this endeavor I’m working on now. I was very happy with their services, and I also liked how scalable they were. I interviewed everybody on the team, and they were quality candidates.

How did Artkai – Digital Product Development That Make Sense perform from a project management standpoint?

For project management, I think they did very well. Initially, I was supposed to do the project management, but it ended up with me doing more project development. I would meet with the project manager, and we would ask each other questions.

Since the project manager was experienced in the same space as us, he would propose suggestions and not just ask for requirements. The team helped shape our platform a lot, which was unexpected.

What did you find most impressive about them?

A highlight of the engagement was their communication. It made our relationship with them special. There is a lot of tech talent in that part of the world, so it’s not hard to find quality developers.

But their communication was top-notch. They asked the right questions, were excellent at documentation, and showcased everything that they were doing for approval.

The team told us what they were doing every step of the way. Even in a different time zone, they were responsive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes, I had to reel them back because I was busy. But they truly cared about the quality of the project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Artkai puts the best effort in an engagement. They’re on top of it. Along with their communication, they’ll schedule meetings like crazy. They did a lot to make us happy.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Adverty, a Swedish-based AdTech company that creates a new advertising format for in-game advertising for gaming platforms like mobile, PC console, and VR/AR.

What challenge were you trying to address with Artkai - Digital Product Development That Make Sense?

We needed a design partner because we don’t have that functionality within the company.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Artkai are our preferred design partners. They’re involved in any kind of creative processes that we’re doing within the company. They do anything from complete concepting and designing of our website, our dashboard toward our clients, sales materials, videos, etc. 

We use the team across the board in anything related to design. Two of our projects were full website designs and one was pretty major.

What is the team composition?

We are involved with 1-5 people dependent on the project. When they work on our projects internally, they’re on different teams. I’m sure there are more people than the ones who are facing us.

How did you come to work with Artkai - Digital Product Development That Make Sense?

The first time we wanted to do a significant upgrade to our website when we were a very early startup, we were looking online for help. We looked at studios and web companies in Sweden where we’re headquartered. We looked around different areas across the globe. 

I can’t remember how we found Artkai — maybe we found them or maybe they reached out to us. We were really impressed by their portfolio. Following a couple intro calls, we were pretty impressed by the way that they worked and managed our requests.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2018 and the work is ongoing.

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

We’ve been really satisfied with anything from definition of project to briefings to concept and execution. We’ve done potentially 10 projects with Artkai, and we’ve been extremely satisfied with everything they produced. 

They’re very open ears to any kind of modifications that we want or any results that haven’t been according to our initial thoughts. They’re very quick to change and adapt to that. Every end result has been to our satisfaction. We’re very happy working with them.

How did Artkai - Digital Product Development That Make Sense perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is extremely professional. They always listen. They always gather the information that they need for a project. They’re very structured in the way they collect that information so it makes the briefing very simple for us. 

The team is also very timely and extremely structured. They know exactly how long everything will take, and they always deliver on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m mostly impressed with the high quality of work that they’re outputting. Looking at competitors to Artkai, it’s very rare to see a company produce that quality in such an updated fashion using the latest in design trends, technology trends, and creating jaw dropping results in the end. 

Our web page looks really amazing. We hear from clients. Our business is both driven towards the media industry with media agencies and brands. On the other side of our business, we have game developers who are usually doing very state of the art creative processes with creating games. We often hear from game designers and developers that say we have a fantastic website. They say it looks so high quality and professional.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have many negative things to say about them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re a great company to work with. Be very clear in your instructions. Do a proper meeting with them. A video call is more than perfect. As long as you brief them with all the details, you will be very satisfied.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m CMO in nationwide Movie Theaters Network. We were the first to bring IMAX film technology to Ukraine. 

For what projects/services did your company hire Artkai - Digital Product Development That Make Sense, and what were your goals?

The goal was to conduct research and develop technical solutions for our e-commerce platform. This solution had to bring seamless user experience and consequently increase customer satisfaction, conversion rate and ultimately profits of the company. Also, we needed to establish a consistent design across all touchpoints.

How did you select Artkai - Digital Product Development That Make Sense and what were the deciding factors?

We had conducted a contest for the best digital product development companies in Ukraine. Artkai provided the most thoughtful concept that showed their skills in research and understanding business processes of our company. They proved to be a very prospective partner.

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

The scope of work included Research that had to shed light on the best way to build the new web platform for the business. The deliverables included interviews with stakeholders and clients, design & technical concept as well as detailed backlog with roadmap, technology stack and estimation.

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

We collaborated with Project Manager, Design & Leads, Product Designers and Business Analyst. I can say that all team members perfectly fulfilled their responsibilities and we always knew when we would receive the next deliverable, and what would be the outcome.

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

We can’t disclose any numbers, but I can definitely say that the work of Artkai was very helpful in several ways. They helped us to better understand our customers. This knowledge is paramount in building great digital products. Besides, the visual & technical concepts based on the research with no doubt are beneficial for the business in the long run.

With the new product we will be able to increase profits from selling tickets and snacks.

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

We are not a client whom you can easily please. Artkai not only provided outstanding production services, but also supported us with a great client service. Project management was also very precise.

We met all deadlines and it got all the requirements and updates in a clear way. We used a bundle of mail, slack, telegram channels and jira for task management.

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

It’s hard to choose one thing. Perhaps the way they do workshops and research is truly impressive as it proves that Artkai stands for meaningful digital products. The insights we got would definitely help us to get competitive advantage in our web platform.

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

Everything was fine. All the things that we wanted to change or tweak were met with enthusiasm. So, they showed a desire to provide tailored service.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Cordic, which is a maker of booking and dispatch software for the taxi industry.

What challenge were you trying to address with Artkai?

We wanted to redesign a couple of our apps, specifically our passenger and driver apps. We wanted to go through an exercise of redesigning and modernizing the products.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We engaged Artkai to look into and redesign our two platforms’ UX/UIs. The platforms are for iOS and Android. Their team helped us to understand the apps’ workflows and built the designs from there.

With the driver’s app, we attempted to be more radical with our approach to the design. We went through a design exercise when we thought about what the driver would do on a day to day basis and how they would interact with our apps. Their team then created designs that fit into the existing APIs. They also ensured that the designs maintained the platforms’ current functionality levels.

For the passenger app, the key functionalities allow passengers to book and track trips. Artkai maintained those functionalities in a slick and intuitive movement through the apps. They also simplified the presentation of the workflows that we had in our existing apps.

We also engaged a couple of their developers to help with the projects alongside our in-house development team, but their main efforts involved the apps’ designs.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people: a project manager, two designers, and a lead designer who supported the project.

How did you come to work with Artkai?

A colleague who worked with their team in the past introduced us to Artkai. We invited them to take us through the design scope for the driver’s app. We were pleased with their ideas, so we asked them to take a look at our passenger app too.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around £50,000 (approximately $64,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The bulk of the design exercise for the driver’s app was done over a period of weeks around June 2019. We maintain our engagement with Artkai as we go through technical implementation.

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

As we went through the design exercise, we fed them around internally and the designs created a real buzz. People are enthused to see what we’re producing. The apps have modern and fresh looks. They’re also intuitive to use. Similarly, as we’ve taken the apps out and introduced them to a wider audience, we’ve had similar feedback.

How did Artkai perform from a project management standpoint?

We followed an Agile methodology. When we went through the key design activities, we had daily calls. As we moved into the second phase of the engagement, calls became ad hoc. I’m happy with their project management skills. We created the specifications for the project and their team produced disparate deliveries within the agreed-upon timelines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team invested time to understand our target users well and translated that into effective app designs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing critical to say about them.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Hi, I'm Project Lead of a Belgium-based start-up that works on a mobility platform where you can find and buy a new vehicle 100% online

For what projects/services did your company hire Artkai - Interfaces that make sense?

We were looking for an expert consulting partner with the right expertise, mindset and experience to help us figuring out what would be the best way to develop this new concept/product in a highly competitive market.

What were your goals for this project?

In this first phase, our most important goal was to have a visual prototype that showed the core elements of our business concept.

How did you select this vendor?

We made a shortlist of companies with the right set of skills and track record. Artkai made the best impression. They were not a body shop type of business, but rather a partner who showed committment and expertise.

Describe the project in detail.

Our collaboration with Artkai started with research and product workshops. The situation was that we had a lot of industry knowledge and ideas but we needed help to make our plans more concrete. And that’s what Artkai did very well. They started with desk research, interviewed multiple customers before moving to a detailed roadmap, prototype and software architecture. All deliverables were finished in time and were of good quality.

What was the team composition?

Artkai's experienced Project Manager navigated the project to its destination. The composition of the team was: one business analyst, two UX strategists, two graphic designers, one software architect.

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

At this moment our platform is not launched yet, but the prototype was well received by our partners and potential customers.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Working with Artkai was easy: they interacted well and used the right communication tools. Most of all, they proved to have a pro-active and open mindset. That made it easy to discuss matters of all kind with them.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Attkai can rely on a team of reliable professionals with a high level of expertise and good communication skills. They delivered excellent quality, while respecting the planning at all time. Their committment and pro-active attitude made me feel comfortable about the good outcome from day one.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It took a few weeks before they felt comfortable enough to express their thoughts in a more convincing way. My suggestion to Artkai (and anyone) is to speak out freely from the first day of the project. As a customer you may not like it in the beginning, but the project will definitely benefit from it.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Beverage Excellence LLC, which does business as Beverage X. We’re an alcohol beverage software company. We help liquor stores—small and large—to be more efficient as it relates to inventory and ordering.

What challenge were you trying to address with Artkai – Interfaces that make sense?

We needed a partner to build our platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Artkai – Interfaces that make sense was our initial partner. Their team built our software product from scratch, which was substantial because three tiers of alcohol beverage had to be included along with a super administrator site.

The first phase of the project involved research and development, which lasted three weeks probably. Their team took a deep dive into the concept to understand what we were trying to put together. Then, they developed a plan to build the platform. At that point, their team went about designing and building the product, which went on for 14 months. Their team used Javascript and Vue.js as well as PostgreSQL to create the database.

Their team created a big platform. The product connects suppliers, distributors, and retailers. The super admin manages the data. Every hour, the platform receives a feed of liquor stores’ point of sales and allows us to manage orders and inventory.

What is the team composition?

Initially, we worked with four people. At certain points, there were as many as 5–6 people on the team.

How did you come to work with Artkai – Interfaces that make sense?

We interviewed a few different companies, but their team was recommended by an individual who built an app for me previously.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent over $250,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in September 2018 and wrapped up in December 2019.

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

The platform has gotten a great reception for its workability. I presented the platform to probably 50 stores. Of those 50, zero stores have said the product seems like a dumb idea. In fact, most have latched onto the idea. This is a bad time to present to liquor stores because this is the time when they make all their money. I have a lot of appointments set up in January to go through the software and take a deep dive with them.

We also hope to be putting together a deal with a large buying group in the US.  The product got pilot status approved by the group's board, so hopefully, the deal will move forward.

How did Artkai – Interfaces that make sense perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was probably the part their team did best. We communicated via Skype every few days, probably twice a week. We had a meeting in the morning after heir team worked. If there were certain tasks that needed to be jumped on, we hopped on a call. The project was big and their team knew it inside and out.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were able to understand an unfamiliar industry and build a product that didn’t exist. Their team provided a lot of insight and collaborated, not necessarily taking on my ideas. I told them what I wanted and they would give me their inputs to make the platform better.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could recognize when the project goes out of scope and explain ideas earlier in the project. While their designs are powerful and great, the timeframe to build the project was quite long. There were a few things that I wanted to build, which we had to scale back because we didn’t realize that the project would take months.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend working with them. A larger company can understand and have internal teams to scope the work and make sure that tasks are within the scope so that you’re not designing as much and then having to scale.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the chief innovation officer at Red Rocks Credit Union.

For what projects/services did your company hire Artkai?

We engaged Artkai to help us research and design our company’s investment platform.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to introduce an innovative product that our users would love.

How did you select this vendor?

I’ve worked with Artkai in the past and am very familiar with their work. I hoped they could replicate their previous success with this latest project.

Describe the project in detail.

After holding a discovery session with Artkai that addressed what we hoped to achieve, we spent about six weeks conducting detailed user research that uncovered our core value proposition, first features, and our ideal market. We then spent about four weeks establishing the platform’s wireframes. We are now focused on UI design and testing.

What was the team composition?

We work with a project manager, a business analyst, a UX designer, and a UI designer.

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

Artkai has been easy to work with. They accomplish their tasks on time and within our budget. My internal team—including our leadership and board of directors—is thrilled with Artkai’s work.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Artkai is as good as it gets for a remote team. Compared to other offshore firms I work with, Artkai’s communication style is quick, clear, and agreeable.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their process is the best that I’ve found. Artkai doesn’t skip over any steps no matter how small. They put in their best work every time.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We have not yet organized any development projects with their team. I think I will need more information or case studies before I feel more comfortable taking that next step with them.