Aubergine Solutions | UX + AI + Product Development Consulting

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of ClickmyBrain. We offer a digital innovation platform for mid-sized business that’s designed to facilitate their growth at every level. It also brings them in contact with high-end people in different fields, including our verified IT partners. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aubergine Solutions?

We were looking for both full-stack development and UX/UI design services to build our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Aubergine started by diving into the details and creating a scalable architecture that accounted for potential roadblocks. From a technical perspective, they used Angular on the frontend and Node.js on the backend. We have a PostgreSQL database, in addition to other open-source web technologies.

While the platform works in an agile manner, it also features a portfolio-management approach for clients that want to build their own roadmaps. Beyond being a piece of software, it’s also a community building tool.

What is the team composition?

We have a project manager on the UX/UI side and a dedicated development team, which has a lead that organizes all our sprints.

How did you come to work with Aubergine Solutions?

We were looking for an IT partner that could provide both development and web/UX design; we wanted the best of both worlds. I looked at many companies on Clutch and settled on Aubergine and one other. We ended up choosing Aubergine because of the work they’d done for other clients and the effort they spent on making their mark in the industry.

Our first contact was swift and comfortable, and I liked how they had strong opinions on certain issues. They challenged us in a positive way and wanted to be a part of our team.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost will be around $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since February 2018. Our first release is planned for December 15th, so we’re going to begin testing in a few weeks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Design hinges on communicating and expressing what you want to achieve, and we’ve built a trust with Aubergine that allows us to do that. We wanted to use abstract shapes poetically to describe all kinds of emotions, and Aubergine fully grasped this. They have tremendous social intelligence, which helps them understand our thoughts, ideas, and feelings.

How did Aubergine Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re transparent and professional. We receive all sorts of metrics about what they’re doing on a constant basis, including hours breakdowns between senior, medium, and junior resources. We have daily meetings to discuss project specifics and any challenges they’re facing. If a particular task is going to extra time to complete, they always make us aware.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They reach out and relate to us, which allowed them to absorb our ideas about how we wanted to design the product. We were looking for a completely original design, and they were great in helping us develop it. However, they didn’t do exactly what we wanted. Instead, they challenged us and experimented, which made them a true part of our team.

I love the technologies they use, including Elastic Search, and they’re constantly progressing to new ones. This ability to stay hungry and continue innovating makes them a valuable long-term partner. Finally, their CTO has shown a desire to learn and be inspired by things happening all over the world.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re going to need to continue to find the correct people to keep their quality up. This may be difficult, with their being a little south of the IT center in Ahmedabad, so they ought to open a second base somewhere with more IT leads.

As they grow, they need to ensure they’re putting quality above quantity. This is their hallmark now, but they might lose it if they grow too fast.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients shouldn’t hesitate to contact Aubergine and communicate new ideas. Though it can be intimidating to work with a company that’s far away, it’s important to not hold back a second or third agenda.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Pharma Pvt. Ltd. is a pharmaceutical manufacturer and marketing company. We market our products across India, and globally.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aubergine Solutions?

We were looking for some marketing tools to promote to our physician market. They helped us design an app solution to differentiate us from other pharmaceutical companies.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a marketing tool that would help engage with doctors inside their clinics. We started by building a mobile solution, which requires a permanent internet connection. As we grow our userbase, we also plan to build a desktop version.

We were starting from scratch, so our marketing team came up with ideas and Aubergine did too. In the past, they had built a restaurant queue management solution for web students, and we took inspiration from that.

We asked Aubergine to customize the solution they’d created previously, in order to make a new app for us. It has additional features to give easy access to our products, as well as allowing management of patient databases and histories. There are also daily, weekly, or monthly connection options, which enable doctors to be more engaged with both their patients and our brand.

What is the team composition?

We dealt with 3–4 of their members, with one of them on a regular basis.

How did you come to work with Aubergine Solutions?

We met them at a networking event, while we were looking for some app developers. We then had a formal meeting at our office, reviewed their work, and started the collaboration.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of the project has been around $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them at the end of 2016. The major part of the work was completed in February 2018, but we’ve continuously made modifications and enhancements.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The doctors we’re working with have been impressed with the interface and ease of use of the application. The end-users of our application are pretty happy with it, and the number of users has been increasing by word of mouth. We're meeting our expectations in our market.

How did Aubergine Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Sarthak (co-founder & CTO, Aubergine Solutions) was initially the lead for our project; he interacted with us and managed the work, then assigned a project manager, who was always in touch. If there were any specific problems or inquiries, we were connected with the particular person in charge.

It was generally a smooth process. After the application went online, inquiries were solved within 2–3 hours and we had no problems. The timely response was very good, and the coordination among different team members was smooth. We didn’t face any issues or lapses in communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They not only have a development team, but also provide UI and UX design, which is not common with development companies. They combine both areas well and have a good amount of people in their team, which means the delivery time is not a concern.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could come up with more additional features on their side. We’re not technical, so they could provide us with more feedback on what additions we could make to our product.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the managing director of CompuBrain and the founder of Social Media 2.0.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Aubergine Solutions Pvt. Ltd.?

We developed a scoring mechanism for social media known as CBScore. We hired Aubergine Team to help us with the UX design of this platform.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted an end-to-end UX design for the platform and create a scoreboard feature across multiple social media platforms. We also wanted users to have the ability to compare their scores and view trends in various industries.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We asked them for a one-page report design and were impressed with their speed and quality. We were convinced that they would do a great job.

Describe the project in detail.

Aubergine developed the UX and an online, responsive score feature. They configured the feature to allow users to look up their scores and compare them to industry trends on social media platforms. Design-wise, we started with one page, added a couple of interactions to it, and it gradually grew it into a bigger platform.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of their lead designer and a UX designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their team was very fast and easily adapt their designs to new requirements.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Aubergine team was always available to talk about challenges and new requirements. They listened to our feedback seriously and came back with all the changes that were requested. They also have clearly defined reasons behind all the decisions they took, even the smaller ones. They conducted meetings and kept us updated. Their team was professional and delivered everything on-time.

​​​​​​What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were impressed by their commitment to quality deliverables and delivering on-time.

BACKGROUND

I am the owner of Accord Interest LLC, a real estate development firm. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aubergine Solutions Pvt. Ltd.?

We needed to develop proprietary software with a rent-roll module that allows different cycles of rental within a single business unit.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed an internet-based property management system with SQL. While the system is still in development, Aubergine Solutions has already built in a trial balance capability; rental unit scheduling; rental property status tracking; a to-do management system; and maintenance request tracking.

What is the team composition?

We worked with the CTO and a team of programmers.

How did you come to work with Aubergine Solutions Pvt. Ltd.?

Our CTO worked with the CTO of Aubergine before and thought they could help with our project.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $100,000 so far and expect to invest more.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started around March 2016 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The modules are not yet complete, but Aubergine is very conscientious about experimenting with features and has continued to work very hard. The automated testing for the system has been conducted on smaller properties with minimal bugs or hiccups.  

How did perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a postitive working relationship. Not only do our CTO and theirs communicate well (often via a third-party screen sharing service), our respective teams do as well. Their English skills are good and they accommodate us in being available to U.S. time zones.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team has integrity and has created solutions to solve unforeseeable software problems.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I am pleased with them and see no problems.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Define the scope of the project clearly before beginning.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the COO and product manager for a Chicago-based compact fitness machine manufacturer. Our company has been shipping products throughout North America and Europe for two and a half years. I am responsible for supply chain operations, customer experience, and product development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Aubergine Solutions Pvt. Ltd.?

In the summer of 2014, our company concluded a successful Kickstarter campaign for a Bluetooth Low Engergy (BLE)-equipped compact fitness machine. The following year, we engaged Aubergine Solutions to help us design and develop a mobile app for iOS and Android that tracks activity statistics transmitted from the machine. Since the product’s formal launch in January 2016, Aubergine Solutions continues to assist us with subsequent version upgrades, maintenance, and quality assurance.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to produce a user-friendly, navigable companion application for the machine. We also needed scalability in the software application for future increases in hardware sales.  

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

As an early-stage company with limited funding and fresh off our Kickstarter campaign, we decided to outsource the majority of our development functions to an external team rather than use in-house resources. We were extremely lucky to have found Aubergine. We asked them for an initial mockup of the app, and the design and development teams delivered a solid product, creating a mockup that not only considered the UX and aesthetics, but technical feasibility as well. Seeing the quality of work they were capable of confirmed our decision.

Describe the project in detail.

We built the frontend experience, the BLE connection, the backend database, and the API for app-to-server communication, and Aubergine worked alongside our U.S.-based electrical, firmware, and hardware engineers to create an integrated system that seamlessly connects our exercise hardware device to the app’s software. 

What was the team composition?

Their team consisted of a project manager, an iOS developer, an Android developer, a backend developerand a UI/UX designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With Aubergine Solutions as our development partner from the beginning, we have had a successful product on the market for over two years.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our teams communicated regularly with weekly calls that included a pre-meeting agenda and post-meeting summary. I was also in direct contact with Sarthak Dudhara (CTO, Aubergine Solutions), who does a great job keeping his team motivated and accountable.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Aubergine Solutions exceeds expectations. Most development firms are very good at building what the client tells them to; very few go beyond the specified scope to offer recommendations that address potential pitfalls in security, quality control and scalability. Functioning in a CTO capacity, I trust Aubergine Solutions to compensate for gaps in my instruction or requirements without explicit direction. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

Aubergine Solutions has provided a great experience over the past three years. One area of improvement, however, is in identifying with customers who come to us with troubleshooting inquiries. This feedback applies to all development teams, in-house or outsourced. Customers are often averse to providing a lot of supporting data in the troubleshooting process, so it is imperative that teams develop creative solutions with a limited amount of information. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder and CTO of Flype, a modern product success cloud. We contribute to product success by delivering education, critical computations, and customer understanding.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aubergine Solutions Pvt. Ltd.?

Our company was started 18 months ago and, at the time, we needed help from an expert in product design, especially in terms of UX.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I’m the product owner on our side, so I handled wireframing using Sketch. I sent my designs to Aubergine, who applied their knowledge for choosing the best interactions, button placements, and designs. We had a collaborative process for defining the UI/UX.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two designers from their team, but our main contact was their co-founder/chief design officer.

How did you come to work with Aubergine Solutions Pvt. Ltd.?

I had worked with them before for many years, but we also contacted three other providers. Aubergine stood out in terms of experience and their approach to product and UX design. As a startup, the cost was a big concern for us, so working with a team from India would help contain costs to an extent.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work was $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Aubergine in June 2017. The project was wrapped up in November of the same year, though we continue to refine the product’s design with their team’s help.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re currently running a number of pilots of the software. We have a good pipeline to our B2B customers and we’ve found that they love the product’s UX.

How did Aubergine Solutions Pvt. Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m based in San Francisco while their team is in India, so managing time zones was one of our challenges. We had frequent discussions during their mornings and our evenings, getting updates and planning the next tasks. They were good in terms of project management. We didn’t use tracking tools initially, but as we became more structured, we started using Jira.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I value the experience and domain knowledge they bring to designing B2B applications. My past experience with Aubergine proved that they were able to manage projects in this domain. Their designer covered most of the issues I was concerned about relating to this space.

It was a good experience and I’m planning to continue the collaboration. I’ve been asked about my design firm and I have given some referrals for Aubergine.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have no specific negative comments about them.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If the customer has clarity on what they’re looking for, Aubergine’s team will perform. Time management and the lack of face-to-face meetings can be a challenge, so having clear requirements is essential.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a co-founder of and the chief design officer for Snugg Home. Our product, Snugg Pro, is a software as a service (SaaS) that offers home-energy auditing for the U.S. market. I manage the product’s design and development. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Aubergine Solutions Pvt. Ltd.?

We were redesigning a home-energy efficiency scorecard for a client who runs an energy efficiency program. To accomplish this, we collaborated with Aubergine Solutions.

What were your goals for this project?

In order to redesign our existing document, we had to consider the shortcomings of the solution, collect input from old and new stakeholders, and integrate the new design in a way that was compatible with our Snugg Pro app and its design language.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Aubergine Solutions is an active member of the UX design community in Ahmedabad, India—the city I call home. They organize regular meetups, which is how they came to my attention. Once I met Bhakti (Chief Design Officer, Aubergine Solutions Pvt. Ltd.), I realized she's highly knowledgeable in design and data visualization.

Describe the project in detail.

The project consisted of designing and visualizing home data in a way that allowed a non-technical homeowner to understand the home's performance in terms of energy usage and carbon emissions.

What was the team composition?

Bhakti led the Aubergine team. She and I collaborated to explore design directions. I believe Bhakti also delegated work to another designer on her team in a way that suited the tasks at hand. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our client loves the final solution. It launched successfully and actually allowed us to expand the role of the scorecard to other territories.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Bhakti directed a solid design process, from paper-and-pencil drafts all the way to Sketch files. We went through a number of iterations internally as well as after receiving feedback from the client. They explored a range of ideas and arrived at a well-honed solution.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They nurture employee growth and actively contribute to the local design community. Bhakti has a lot of academic and practical data-visualization knowledge. She was able to identify the subtle nuances of various approaches and suggest options that I had not considered.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are developing an auto-updated, synchronized, digitally verified contacts management system for smartphone users with contact backup and restoration processes. Our initial focus was to solve regular problems within the B2C market, specifically regarding automatically updated contact lists that change any contact details, remove duplicate contact numbers, include intelligent call log analysis, and provide a platform for all contacts in the list to integrate with social media and other messenger apps. From there, we evolved the product concept into a robust B2B Dashboard system where SME-based to MNC organizations can easily retain their online phonebook directories to manage all their employees, partners, vendors, suppliers and other business associates contact related information within a private cloud system. Contact details can be shared and updated between users, although the default option is to keep this information private. Our solution also has event management functionalities, providing notifications for birthdays and other events.

After we developed these B2C functionalities, we started work on our B2B solution. We found a lack of organization within small, blue-collar industries. Employers did not have a good way of storing workers’ personal information. Since the process was predominantly manual, we aimed to facilitate a paperless solution that would allow organizations to maintain a standard, mobile-friendly database format that could be integrated with CRMs and other systems.

The solution could also be used to manage information from business associates and clients. We built strong hierarchies based on personal, family, and professional relationships connected with our B2C application. This allowed companies to see the existing professional connections of employees. All the users connected to our application, whether directly or indirectly, would receive continuing updates and reviews based on the services they provided to different companies.

We have created other modules for the support of users and business clients that use the B2B platform, including an employee verification system, an online sales and marketing system, an online office visitor management system, and a business call log analytics and recording system.

I am the chief product officer of the company. I’m in charge of developing our solutions, maintaining the product roadmap, and managing collaborations with business associates.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aubergine?

We have a bootstrapped development team of architects and programmers, but we needed help designing the right UI/UX interfaces for both the B2B and the B2C markets. We looked for a team that could offer the best design practices, but our location was primarily associated with the textile industry. After searching in different places, we found Aubergine.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After discussing our business objectives and B2C product, they proposed a design flavor and framework that would suit our users. Aubergine created a pencil sketch with rough ideas for our design flows. Once we approved the concept, they started work on InVision wireframes. We were given accounts on that tool, which we could use to easily check their progress. We had a few rounds of discussions and iterations based on the changes we suggested.

Instead of working toward final designs from the onset of our collaboration, Aubergine provided multiple sketches from which we could choose. We always had a plan B and C, in case we rejected an approach. Our company’s owner was involved in this process.

We launched a beta version of our application to a closed group of users, shared different design versions with them, and conducted surveys to identify their preferred design. We got feedback from different user types, from company owners to normal staff to everyday people. We shared that feedback with Aubergine’s UI/UX team, and they used it to enhance the color theme, logo, icons, and other elements. They continually focused on creating simple, attractive designs for the regular user.

We've also contracted Aubergine for the design of our B2B platform. It’s a completely web-based application, so it has a slightly different target audience.

What is the team composition?

We have worked with their chief design officer and her team.

How did you come to work with Aubergine?

After receiving some references from collaborators, we shortlisted Aubergine. We looked at their past projects and saw that they focused on the latest design principles. Responsiveness was also a consideration. We got in touch with their two co-founders, had an initial discussion, and shared our thought process.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work has been around $7,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Aubergine in December 2017 and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our product hasn’t been launched yet, so we haven’t had any market feedback, but beta users have given us excellent comments.

How did Aubergine perform from a project management standpoint?

We are satisfied with their time management. We’ve had daily standup meetings and weekly review sessions during the design journey. Aubergine understood our work culture and time restraints. They were flexible enough to reschedule meetings for our convenience. We used InVision for file sharing, and Skype and Google Hangouts for calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We have been impressed with their work culture, attitude, and commitment. Aubergine is an approachable group. They’re always focused on solving issues and maintaining our timelines.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Aubergine is a startup team, so they do have limited resources. They need to continue hiring the right resources and finding people who understand the latest design trends and user experience principles. To design the right experience, it’s important to understand the psychology of the regular user.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I don’t have any specific advice, but Aubergine is a great choice for anyone looking to solve design-related issues.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a product services company. I am the VP of application services and delivery, overseeing all the projects our team undertake with Aubergine.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aubergine Solutions?

We started as a development services company, and didn’t have a UX design team. We decided it was better to affiliate with an outsourced team so we would always have resources available.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were designing a complex financial system with invoicing capabilities. We needed to fit a multitude of complex functionalities and information into a single screen, while not making it too complicated. We also needed to ensure that the information could be filtered according to different use cases.

Aubergine started by building wireframes in order to see if the workflow and use cases were approached correctly. This was followed by visual design. We were given multiple options for colors and layouts for approval, in order to reduce the chance of having to rework items.

We have also worked with them on a couple of mobile apps—a learning system and a platform for pet owners and vets. The task was to understand different user scenarios, creating user-friendly, modern, and easy-to-use products.

What is the team composition?

We use a mix of junior and senior developers from their team, depending on the project. Their project manager will do whatever it takes to deliver a project. We’ve had very complex tasks with one-week deadlines, for which she assigned one senior and two junior designers.

We have mainly worked with junior developers from their team for budgetary reasons, but they were supervised by the senior staff who made sure that design practices were adhered to.

How did you come to work with Aubergine Solutions?

A U.S. customer for whom we developed a mobile app had worked with Aubergine. I really liked their designs, so I decided to start a collaboration. We started out with a small project and increased the scope to the point of having a full-time designer on their team.

How much have you invested with them?

The average cost of their services is $2,000 per month, but it can vary between $1,500 and $3,000. We work on an hourly basis.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Aubergine Solutions in January 2017.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Aubergine was able to embed our customers’ design standards while also bringing out their own perspective. My clients appreciate their work and it has helped us get more projects. Aubergine is our consistent UX partner.

I’ve never had to explain requirements multiple times to them, which happened with a lot of other groups. The team is detail-oriented and the collaboration is very smooth.

How did Aubergine Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

I provide requirements for what needs to be built, along with clarifying comments. They work through those requirements and submit designs for me to approve. I receive clickable mockups in InVision, not just screenshots. This is useful for making customers understand what the flow of the product will be. When working with complex scenarios and workflows for each user type, they will often provide video recordings. If the customer doesn’t want to interact with an InVision mockup, they can see a recording of how the UI will work.

They have good time management, respect delivery dates, and maintain good communication. We have regular sync-up calls through Google Hangouts in order to share screens and explain the work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They do excellent UX work and I appreciate the fact that they can understand business use cases very well. They have performed studies of competitive products and helped us find a good differentiator when building our UX, considering required functionalities, key roles, and objectives. They have a product-building mindset. There’s very little rework involved in our projects, and the team takes feedback well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Providing HTML and CSS files on top of InVision mockups would make the development process much faster. They’re very receptive and detail-oriented, so I don’t have anything else for them to improve. Whenever my requirements were misunderstood by a junior designer, Aubergine didn’t charge me for the work.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s important to know exactly what needs to be built. For the team to be effective, all use cases have to be considered. If there are any ambiguities in the scope, the client needs to work with the team to clarify them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CEO of Truecom Telesoft, a startup based in Ahmedabad, India. We focus on telecom software and devices.

We develop solutions for public Wi-Fi systems at hotels and airports, including one-time password (OTP) systems and the insular components around them.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Aubergine?

We were working on a different product that focused on college solutions. It was an enterprise travel system that required us to embed a lot of data in very limited real estate, particularly in mobile apps.

Aubergine helped us solve our user experience challenge. They focused on defining the UI from the end-user's perspective, which they accomplished by taking our inputs, challenging our expectations, and asking why we did this and and didn’t do that. We redesigned various specific items. When we started our current project, we went back to them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In our case, Aubergine mainly worked on UX design rather than development. We had an initial meeting during which we summarized our UX design, and then they worked with our HTML developers to account for every pixel and create very detailed specifications. They oversaw the branding, including the color scheme, mood, app layout, and icons. Deliverables were in HTML form.

We have worked on four products with Aubergine. By the time they began the second one, they understood how the entire process worked and what our expectations were. They asked many back-and-forth questions, starting with the product name, the mood, and the target base. Aubergine was involved in branding, but not marketing.

What is the team composition?

We worked with four or five people from their team. Our main discussions were with their lead designers, and the work was completed by their junior designers. For the first five sessions, I and another person oversaw the collaboration. It was also a learning experience for us.

How did you come to work with Aubergine?

We have spent around 1 million Indian rupees. [$15,000 USD]

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Aubergine in December 2016. The last project was finished in August 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We worked with them from our products’ inception, so I have no comparative quality scale. One of the products we’ve built with Aubergine has been sold to a lot of customers and gained a great presence. We were one of the first companies to offer a solution like it, and it was pretty well-designed. The feedback has been good.

How did Aubergine perform from a project management standpoint?

We shared documents using Google Drive, and communicated mainly through Google Hangouts. Because we are in the same city as Aubergine, and not too far apart, we met often to discuss bigger items. The project management was done well, using time sheets for tracking hours. They followed through with every item, and always arranged the next meeting.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There is a large web development ecosystem in my city. I could probably find two providers in my own building, and I have a small team myself for in-house product development. The biggest thing we were missing was design, specifically in the initial phase when we were trying to define the project goals, target users, and product design. That was Aubergine’s biggest strength.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At that time, they couldn’t work on too many projects concurrently. They have expanded since that time and changed their office thrice. There is nothing else I can think of.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Involve them from the start. Many people get to the UI/UX part too late, which is a mistake I made. Clients need to start working with the designer from the beginning, and even take a break from development if they need to. Aubergine’s team is flexible, and they charge on an hourly basis, so it makes sense to involve them from the early stages.