Bilberrry

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief communications officer at Days for Girls International. We’re an award-winning NGO, and our mission is focused on shattering stigma and limitations associated with menstruation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bilberrry?

We needed a new website. Our website was built by our founder on Wix and had just become a dumping ground for information. It was cluttered and outdated in terms of design, fonts, and colors. There was no strategy, so we hired them to build a new website to uplevel our brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bilberrry had a couple of discovery calls with stakeholders in our organization, and they collected a lot of feedback about what people wanted, the problems we had, and the solutions that they were hoping to see.

I came in around that time and kind of facilitated some of those conversations. Bilberrry then started working on wireframes for us using a tool that allowed us to experience the designs as if they were in real-time. 

One of the experiences that we wanted for our users was the ability to find us on a map and search for us in different locations, so the team also created some new integrations with Google Maps, because we have different chapters and teams around the world.

It’s a WordPress website. Part of the scope of work was that they would deliver a design for us and create building blocks that we could use to build out our own pages as we saw fit going forward.

What is the team composition?

I initially worked primarily with three teammates: Bryan (Creative Director), Emma (Head of Content), and Adam (CEO). Once we settled on the design, we went down to a team of two. 

How did you come to work with Bilberrry?

I started working at the organization in August, and my CEO had already signed a contract with Bilberrry. She reviewed some proposals and used Clutch to find a partner. Bilberrry had great testimonials and reviews, and for what they were offering at their price, they were the best option. 

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I began working with them in August 2020, and our engagement is ongoing. Bilberrry still assists with any questions or errors that pop up. We’re winding down and should launch in January 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Bilberrry delivered the keys to our website, which is on a staging server. The feedback has been great. People are so excited and they love the design. It’s a gorgeous website and the functionality is great. 

I’ve had such a great experience with them, they’ve gone above and beyond on this project. The interface is beautiful, and people are really blown away. It’s going to uplevel our brand.

How did Bilberrry perform from a project management standpoint?

Bilberrry used InVision to communicate their design, as well as Google Drive. Within our organization, we use Trello, and the team joined our Trello board. We also use Zoom and have phone calls.

I've worked in communications my entire career and even worked for agencies that facilitated the building of websites for other nonprofit organizations, so I've been through this process many times. I've been blown away by the new tools and technology that Bilberrry uses to manage the project and to show us the designs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re pros. I’ve been really impressed with how professional they are in terms of following through on deadlines and every email. They really heard what we wanted and delivered. That's so rare when it comes to working with a design firm.

I've seen the life cycle of projects with third-party vendors, and it's often really happy in the beginning, but as the process goes on, the happiness goes way down. I haven’t had that experience with Bilberrry.

They’re professional and like-minded. I enjoy working with them on a personal level, and we get along really well. They delivered what they promised and did it in a really professional way. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind right away. If anything, they could consider implementing something like Trello or Basecamp into their project management. 

They use Google Sheets to gather documentation and feedback from us, so making that change could help their process. But, from my end, it didn’t matter to me how they managed the project, as long as they got the work done.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

With any design project, the biggest challenge is the discovery piece. Often, the customer doesn’t generally know what they want until the project starts, so I would advise customers to be mindful and thoughtful about the kind of information they give Bilberrry. 

During the discovery process, be thorough and talk about your challenges and needs. Think through what you want going into the project so that you’re giving Bilberrry the best chance to succeed.