What was the scope of their involvement?
We contracted with Brave UX to revamp the UI of our analytics platform. In doing so, we completely overhauled it with a sleek new design, more intuitive interactions, and additional reporting capabilities.
We began our engagement with a five-week discovery phase so that both companies could become mutually acquainted with each other’s team, processes, styles, businesses, and products. Through this, both companies became acclimated and set the stage for the engagement. Brave UX was able to develop a greater understanding of our existing product, where we were falling short, and where we wanted to go. Our teams then worked closely to determine the scope and a plan for execution. We planned for seven three-week sprints, with each sprint dedicated to equal parts information architecture and visual design. Our information architecture discussions centered on the fundamental data objects and the overall groundwork for each section of the UI, while the visual design work included packaging those pieces together and making them visually appealing and presentable through various colors, fonts, flow, and Brave UX’s own user experience techniques.
The goal was essentially to create usable, repeatable patterns and behaviors within the UI so that the user would be able to learn quickly, become accustomed to, and use these patterns throughout. Then the visual design aspect added the flare on top of that IA groundwork, which paired beautiful visual elements with the intelligent information system that was created. The result was stunning.
What is the team composition?
I worked with Lee (CEO & Founder, Brave UX) and Jordan (Director of User Experience, Brave UX) heavily throughout the project and more so initially, alongside their trusted team of capable and creative designers. Lee and Jordan were extremely engaged in the discovery phase and the early stages of the sprint work. As the project progressed, and the larger team felt comfortable with the work that was being delivered, we had increasing time and interaction with Brave UX’s lead information architects and designers – and less from Lee and Jordan personally. As a client, we felt that each and every member of Brave UX’s team (from the top down) was fully zoned into the requirements of what we needed to be accomplished, and they delivered each and every week of the months-long project.
How did you come to work with Brave UX?
We initially found them online. But we discovered that the process of sourcing and evaluating the right partner took many months of conversations on the phone and in person to determine who was going to be the right fit. Ultimately, we felt comfortable that Brave UX was going to be the best possible partner for us. We were not looking for incremental improvement but rather a quantum leap.
We evaluated over two dozen companies and met in person in a final round interview with three of them. Halfway through the meeting, I knew Brave UX was the one. They were miles ahead of the competition.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent around $300,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
Our engagement spanned September 2018–March 2019.
While still in its pre-launch phase, the demo product was ranked first on all metrics compared to more established competitors. The team worked efficiently, responding to requests for changes quickly and enthusiastically. Their ability to push the envelope was appreciated.