Artkai

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of business solutions for Nagarro, a multinational IT company. I set up UX elements for all our international initiatives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Artkai?

We wanted to redesign an older website and create an innovative design that correlates with the new company tagline. We wanted an original design that stands out from our competition and appeals to the target user group.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Artkai revamped our website with a focus on IA. Keeping our target users in mind, Artkai created personas, sitemaps, and mood boards before they started work on the website.

What is the team composition? 

The team included a designer, UX mentor, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Artkai? 

We searched for agencies on Behance and looked into freelancers. Then we narrowed down our candidates based on their responses. Artkai aligned with our thoughts on personas, information architecture, and understood the challenge. Our call with their team showed us they had a good approach to looking at design problems and they asked all the right questions.

How much have you invested with them? 

We spent somewhere between $25,000 and $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working together in October 2017 and we are wrapping up the final designs now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website design is highly appreciated throughout the company. We do not have any numbers yet to support the success, because the first phase of the site just went online and the majority of the content is still old.

How did Artkai perform from a project management standpoint?

The project managers are friendly and supportive. In the beginning, when we were not happy with the way the design was shaping up, they promptly involved the senior stakeholders of the company and brought in a new designer suitable for the design we wanted. In terms of timelines, they were not always met. I understand that good design takes time, but the estimates they shared were always a bit optimistic and I always added a buffer.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were able to solve any problem and we were not an easy client to please. I understand design and UX, and the senior stakeholders of the company were also particular about the emotion the site design evokes, so we really pushed hard. They worked without complaining and brainstormed with other designers on their team to find a solution that everyone was happy with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Estimations of project completion could improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Our company worked well by having a clear image of the design we wanted including the company image and quality of the site. In the beginning, we showed them samples of what we wanted, and they took our suggestions to improve our experience.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the PR specialist for a software development company that works mainly for banks and other financial institutions. We serve more than 20 banks from all around the world, through eight regional offices and with headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Artkai?

We started the collaboration for the design and development of our company website. Later on, we addressed Artkai for several projects, such as the online banking website for the group, internet and mobile banking and other additional materials in our portfolio – cards, brochures, interior branding.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially worked with Artkai on our WordPress website. They designed and programmed it from scratch, and provided maintenance afterward. We additionally required some sketches in order to review different looks for all the pages.

We have several open projects with Artkai, as described above.  They provide ongoing support on the completed projects, and we continue to work with them on a project-by-project basis, to support the design and development of several of our products.

What is the team composition?

Our main contacts for all of our projects are the project manager and the main designer. We have always had backup contacts, and there are always two to four other people being copied in our email discussions to ensure continuity in our business collaboration.

How did you come to work with Artkai?

We organized a pitch and reached out to several companies from around the world through our local offices. Our regional offices cover several areas, from Latin America to Africa, and Eastern Europe,. We asked those offices to provide some recommendations, sent out requests, and chose Artkai out of several offers we received.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Artkai around three years ago and they have been our partners for this line of projects since.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t had any significant issues in our collaboration. As part of our company practice, we’ve always thoroughly tested the deliverables, involving all our colleagues as well as their friends and families before going live. Everything is checked before an official launch, and we’ve had no complaints so far, as Artkai’s support was very prompt if we ever encountered something that did not work as desired pre-launch.

There’s a lot of enthusiasm about how the products look and work, both on our side, as well as on the side of the end-users.

How did Artkai perform from a project management standpoint?

For me, working directly with them is the best part. They’ve produced great designs and code, but what’s truly great about them is their flexibility and easy communication.

We always agree on how much time is needed for a specific project, but if we have to get in touch outside of the established schedule, they’re always responsive. This approach is very important, and it’s one of the main reasons why we’ve continued working together, as it adds value to the collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I want to emphasize how responsive Artkai has been around any issue we’ve raised throughout our relationship. We’ve been able to start several projects at the same time, and still have them handled properly.

Another plus for them is their capacity to see the big picture. They’re not just implementing requests; they already know our applications and approach, how we do and how we like things to be done, and they can make the necessary connections. If something important is missed, if something does not fit in our request, they’re careful enough to mention it and start a discussion.

Additionally, they make us aware of other better solutions for our projects if they find them. I see the collaboration more like a partnership rather than a client-vendor engagement.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s a team effort, and while we have a lot of requests for them, it’s a matter of better-organizing ourselves in both companies. The workload has perhaps been too high in some cases, but I believe it’s a matter of bringing new people to the teams, who need to take on quite extensive projects, but the impact on the results or timing was in no way negative.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a start-up called Ronati.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Artkai?

We needed to develop a user-friendly web platform for our customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In our discovery phase, we talked through our needs for the platform, our desires for functionality, our intended customers, and the motivation behind our business. From there, they created a series of flowcharts and began wire-framing the site. We also mapped out the user experience and reviewed the design plans to finalize fonts and colors. After we had a UX plan, they moved into UI development and worked through the visuals for the platform. Once everything was finalized, they coded it all in CSS and HTML and turned the code over to our group of back end developers.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of four people, including project and development leads, a creative lead, and a UI/UX team lead.

How did you come to work with Artkai?

It was important to me that we had a UI/UX team that put our aesthetic needs first. We evaluated hundreds of portfolios and found Artkai. After looking at their previous projects, we set up a video call and really liked their team, as well as their expertise with the coding languages we needed. Based on that, we offered to let them do the first phase of the project. They handled it well, so we continued. It was important for us to work with a team that was flexible. We’d give them a set of requirements to meet, but once they did that, we’d evaluate that product and suggest changes.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2017 and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The packages of code they’ve been delivering to our developers have been fantastic. They’re also very customer-focused. On the occasions when they gave us code that didn’t quite work the way we needed it to, they revised it quickly and didn’t charge us extra.

How did Artkai perform from a project management standpoint?

They had access to all of our materials and worked on the UI/UX design through Envision. To supplement that, we had video conference calls with screen sharing twice a week so we could evaluate their progress and make notes, and then we’d also touch base via email. They used an additional program to work on the more technical aspects of the project with our CTO and development team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a strong work ethic and deliver innovative, complex designs, but they wouldn’t have the desire to elevate their product to that level if they didn’t also have a deep concern for you as their customer and creative partner. They’re attentive not just to their work, but also to satisfying your needs. They’re engaged with your process and want to help you succeed. We never felt like a side job to them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very clear about your requirements and what you’re trying to accomplish. As best you can, do that prep work ahead of time so Artkai can be efficient with their time. Sometimes we’d give them a more conceptual description, but we hadn’t walked through the workflow on our end and didn’t articulate the functionality we needed, so that would delay the whole process because they’d have to design around a generalized idea instead of a detailed plan.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a digitalized car dealership, and we help people sell their cars.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Artkai?

We needed help with brand design, user stories, and user experience for a digital web platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went to Ukraine and had a workshop with them where we collaborated on requirements engineering. After that, they sent a couple of proposals for the brand design, some of which weren’t perfect, but they didn’t stop trying until we were happy. They developed our brand and logo.

We then started with the user experience and designing a template for how the web service should look so that a different company could develop it later on. We made some alterations afterward, but that doesn’t downgrade their performance in any way.

What is the team composition?

There were around five people from their team working on this project.

How did you come to work with Artkai?

We found them through a mediator who had just started investigating the possibility of working with them on a project. He recommended them because of their quality, and we selected them from a bunch of possible partners.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in January of 2017. The project duration was around three months, but we continue to use their services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The designs and concept won the annual design award in Ukraine. We are very happy with the design. The service that we have developed is popular.

How did Artkai perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a very smooth and organized process. They did a great job with great communication, which was mainly via Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We went to Ukraine for less expensive pricing, but we received high quality with Swedish standards for a fraction of the price of what we would pay at home.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Some general advice is to be prepared and know what you want. We didn’t really know what we wanted and if we had, it would have made the process smoother from our end. This didn’t have anything to do with Artkai. All offshoring should be done with more preparations than you would assume.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Webinara, which was launched in 2015. We are a marketplace that matches webinar viewers with webinar organizers. Aside from helping companies promote their webinars, we also help users find relevant webinars within their fields of interest. Our users get notified when a new webinar is coming up.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Artkai?

Artkai has been working on our updated platform, which we are continuously developing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We are using Artkai's services for frontend development and design. Artkai started working for us as a design agency. Eventually, we expanded the business by converting their design into real web pages.  We are also creating two other websites with Artkai, and those projects are going smoothly.

What is the team dynamic?

We worked with one project manager, a couple of designers, and the head of frontend development, who is the only person I have interacted with. He handles the frontend development team as well as the testers for the QA [quality assurance] process. He also participates in status calls.

How did you come to work with Artkai?

I think we found them first through a design website, possibly Dribbble. We use Upwork to collaborate.

How much have you invested with them?

The initial offering was $20 an hour for project managers and the QA testers. Recently, they’ve raised their rates to around $40 an hour. I also heard that they charge around $68 for the same services to other clients, so their hourly fees range from $40–$68. They also accept fixed-price projects.

What is the status of this engagement?

We hired Artkai in late 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven't launched any of the designs Artkai has worked on yet. So far, we’ve only heard good feedback from our network. They’ve tested the concepts and commented that everything looks amazing.

How did Artkai perform from a project management standpoint?

Artkai has improved their processes a lot. They didn't have any particular processes in place when we started, but we’ve found some good tools to support our work. We have had proactive project management from Artkai, so it has been easy to make progress and keep track of everything.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Artkai is very good at design. They have different designers involved in the project who are experienced and understand us very well. They are able to transform our ideas and goals for the project into beautifully designed web pages. Our relationship is more like a partnership than a client-customer interaction.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Initially, we didn't have clear deadlines, milestones, and responsibilities, so the project ended up taking longer than we first anticipated. The different team members were waiting for each other, and things like that caused delays. We managed to solve these problems by communicating through Slack.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

When working with an agency like Artkai, make sure that the scope is clear from the beginning—the timelines, deliverables, and who is responsible for what. It’s important to have a good base before you start a project. To be successful, you also need to learn about each other and figure out a communication style that works for you.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder of TeachIn

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

TeachIn is a digital platform that automates school processes and frees up time for teachers, schools and students to focus on their actual tasks. Thanks to its strong network, it optimises staff recruitment and placement, particularly in the event of short-term absences due to illness, thereby increasing the efficiency and quality of teaching.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Artkai to accomplish?

• Brand Design
• UX Design

SOLUTION

How did you find Artkai?

Referral

Why did you select Artkai over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Artkai were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Artkai created our company's original Brand Identity and the complete UX/UI design of the TeachIn web application.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Live requirement and feedback sessions with the team.

Daily stand-up sessions.

Weekly status meetings and updates from the team.

Project plan progress and demo sessions after each sprint.

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

Spot on communication, budget, and expectations management. We had a Project Plan, and the delivery process was based on sprints and milestones. Even if there was a delay in delivery, the Artkai team was always transparent with timelines and blockers. 

What was your primary form of communication with Artkai?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

A very good quality for a fair price. The Artkai team has good professional chemistry and great experience with digital products.

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

all good here

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the PM of Mergewave

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

M&A SUPPORT AND CONSULTING FOR IT, WEB3 AND MILTECH COMPANIES

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Artkai to accomplish?

• Create/update the look & feel of our digital produc
• Design & development of product MVP
• Improve product usability

SOLUTION

How did you find Artkai?

Online Search

Why did you select Artkai over others?

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

How many teammates from Artkai were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Artkai provided us with web design enhancements and development for our internal application.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Live requirement and feedback sessions with the team.

Daily update commitment.

Weekly status meetings and updates from the team.

Project plan progress and demo sessions after each sprint.

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

Spot on communication, budget, and expectations management. We had a Project Plan, and the delivery process was based on sprints and milestones. Even if there was a delay in delivery, the Artkai team was always transparent with timelines and blockers. 

What was your primary form of communication with Artkai?

Virtual Meeting

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

A  very good quality for a fair price. The Artkai team had good professional chemistry and great experience with digital products.

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

Everything went quite smoothly, there are no processes that need improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of 7Devs

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Tech consulting agency

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Artkai to accomplish?

Enhance our development team

SOLUTION

How did you find Artkai?

Referral

Why did you select Artkai over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Artkai were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Artkai was responsible for augmenting our own development. team and boosting the development pace of ongoing projects for our clients. They were integrated into the project scoping, design phase, development and helped us to deliver fine-tuned product within the expected timelines and budget constraints.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Live requirement and feedback sessions with the team.
• Daily code commitment.
• Weekly status meetings and updates from the team.
• Project plan progress and demo sessions after each sprint.

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

Spot on communication, budget, and expectations management. We always knew their resources availability and commitment, so we had a possibility to plan our delivery process ahead of time.

What was your primary form of communication with Artkai?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I was amazed by their communication. They are very well organized and always transparent and straightforward in our collaboration.

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

Nothing much to suggest

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Managing Partner of a Web3 development company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Web3 Software development company with an expert team of engineers and business advisors. We deliver innovative technology solutions that maximize ROI and accelerate your market entry with white-label solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Artkai to accomplish?

• Design & development of product MVP
• Enhance our development team manpower

SOLUTION

How did you find Artkai?

Referral

Why did you select Artkai over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Artkai were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Artkai was responsible for delivering a part of the MVP project related to the blockchain ecosystem of dapps on the web

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Live requirement and feedback sessions with the team.
Daily code commitment.
Weekly status meetings and updates from the team.
Project plan progress and demo sessions after each sprint.

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

Spot on communication, budget, and expectations management. We had a Project Plan, and the delivery process was based on sprints and milestones. Even if there was a delay in delivery, the Artkai team was always transparent with timelines and blockers.

What was your primary form of communication with Artkai?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Very good quality for a fair price. The Artkai team has good professional skills and extensive experience with digital products.

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

Not based on the experience I have

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CGO of Codemotion

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a team of Ninja Developers. We deliver complex web and mobile applications development using Blockchain, Python, React, React Native, Angular.js, Ionic, Vue.js, TypeScript, Node.js

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Artkai to accomplish?

• Create/update the look & feel of our digital product
• Design & development of product MVP
• Improve product usability

SOLUTION

How did you find Artkai?

Referral

Why did you select Artkai over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Artkai were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Artkai was responsible for delivering high-quality engineers to meet our needs. During our collaboration, Artkai has delivered the following:

• MVP clickable prototype
• Complete UX/UI design and development of the webapp & MVP
• A continuous process of developing new features and updating the old ones

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Live requirement and feedback sessions with the team. 
• Daily code commitment.
• Weekly status meetings and updates from the team. 
• Project plan progress and demo sessions after each sprint. 

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

Everything delivered by Artkai was even better than expected.

What was your primary form of communication with Artkai?

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

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

Support in all aspects

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

dont know