Boana

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CPO of Meisterwerk, a B2B product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Boana?

I engaged Boana for process validation. We also wanted them to conduct market research surrounding the functionalities we wanted to integrate.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created design mockups to be integrated into our core product. We had concepts and design moods for the functionality that we’d like to develop, so they conducted market research before executing an optimized design. They also analyzed user and consumer behavior for this specific functionality.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two teammates, Johannes (Senior Digital Product Designer) and Ewa (Director of Design).

How did you come to work with Boana?

We found them through our personal network; they happen to be our neighbors. We decided to work with them since they seemed to be knowledgeable and trustworthy.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost has been close to $17,000 so far, for two sprints.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The engagement has been great so far. On one hand, they’ve successfully onboarded onto our domain. They’ve demonstrated an in-depth understanding of the challenges we’re facing, which has been impressive. The team has also generated very valuable insights for us by way of user testing and prototype creation.

How did Boana perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a milestone every couple of days, and they’ve had no problem achieving them. They always manage to deliver in a timely manner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think they’re exceptional at assimilating new knowledge. They’re also able to integrate that knowledge into the practical construction of product functionality.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have nothing to say on this front. The engagement has been excellent.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If your goal is clear, they’re a strong partner to deliver upon it. You can trust them, 100%.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of digital strategy for a consultancy and company builder. We have a team of about 130 people, and we’re based in Koln, Germany and Ukraine.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Boana?

Our challenge was to create a product in a very short timeframe. The work was heavily centered on how the customer would perceive the product, and we needed Boana for a specific UX sprint.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Boana provided us information beforehand on how we’d work together, so it was easy for us to know how to prepare and where to start. We booked them for three design sprints in total. They did some coding as well.

What is the team composition?

Johannes (Managing Partner & Senior UX Design Lead) was the key account manager, and Ewa (Product Designer) was the senior designer.

How did you come to work with Boana?

They’re known for their UX-focused design sprints, and we got to know them through a recommendation. They gave us the ability to move the design screens directly into coding without any losses. Boana had done several projects for startups in the music industry.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost was $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Boana between July–August 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team was quite satisfied with the designs they received. It’s a living project, and we couldn’t use everything, but we’ve implemented most of the screens. We’ve also used Boana’s work in sales pitches for specific products. We ran a prototype test with clients, and they were really curious about the product.

How did Boana perform from a project management standpoint?

Because of the lockdown, everything was prepared virtually through Miro and Sketch. It wasn’t a problem, and Boana was quick in delivering. We used Slack for communication. We always got status updates with fresh views on the designs, and there was always an active discussion about the progress and how to keep on working. They were very flexible.

Transferring the designs from Boana to our product delivery teams was easy as well. They provided us all the knowledge we needed in order to get our team on track as fast as possible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re extremely inspiring, and they try to get different views into the design process. Boana really led us and allowed us to see things we hadn’t thought about. They were never pushy, but they always brought forth what they thought was best for the user and for our product. We got a lot out of the work, not only in terms of the designs themselves but in new ways of seeing the product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could have a clearer path on how to progress the work. I got the impression that we could’ve been better prepared for what was going to come from one sprint to the next.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

The client should put their best people on the project and maybe have them learn about the design process.