Cieden

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Rank Friendly does SEO and online marketing, which includes web and UX design. My position is to execute our web design and development strategies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cieden?

We had to outsource our work to a design agency when our in-house designer left her position.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed help creating a booth customization tool.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I came across Cieden’s profile while searching for a designer online. I wanted to give them a shot before making a decision whether or not to hire in-house again.

Describe the project in detail.

The project was quite complicated. They created a booth configuration tool that allows users to customize it according to their liking and needs. They also created the option to visualize each selected customizations and the calculated price.

What was the team composition?

I worked closely with Yuriy (UI/UX Designer, Cieden).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The outcome was a masterpiece. We could never imagine the tool would be such a hit.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The process was very smooth. Yuriy communicated directly with my designer and illustrator, which saved me lots of time and headaches. It was so enjoyable to work with them. I’m looking forward to working with them on upcoming projects.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Nothing was too hard or complicated for them. Even if there was some miscommunication from my end, they never got upset or annoyed even when they had to redo items.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I would love for Cieden to have developers on their team so they can be my one-stop shop.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the VP of software engineering at BeBop Technology. We specialize in application and platform development, as well as media and entertainment integration.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cieden?

We hired them to create an intuitive UX design for the web and mobile versions of our identity management system. We eventually expanded to full project management with business analysis.

What were your goals for this project?

We want to productize our new offering with a user-friendly UI that was well rounded in functionality and aesthetically pleasing. The user should feel comfortable when using the product.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found Cieden via Upwork. Impressed with their great cover letter, we set up a call and had a good hour-long conversation about our goals and their experience. Their knowledge and skill were obvious, and they excelled on our test project. After four weeks of searching, we instantly knew they were the clear choice.  

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Orion is designed as an easy-to-use identity management system with multi-factor authentication and single sign-on integration into existing web applications.

What was the team composition?

The team includes a UX specialist, an illustrator, a business analyst, and a dedicated account and project manager, who is fantastic.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Within just a few weeks, Cieden had conceptualized the entire project with detailed UX designs, user flow diagrams, and detailed user stories. This provided the developers with a complete picture of the project, allowing them to initiate development with minimal friction. The development and management teams love the UX and are incredibly motivated to bring the product to life.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The experience was collaborative and productive from the start. The designers conceptualized the idea very well and welcome constructive criticism. Their constant flow of creative ideas has made the whole process fun and easy.   

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have a great sense for UX. They understand not only the business requirements of a product, but also its creative vision. They will give the extra effort every step of the way to ensure we have everything we need.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

There are none. They are simply one of the best teams we have worked with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and CEO of The Movement Athlete. We're creating a fitness training platform that teaches calisthenics and gymnastics. It’s a skill-based bodyweight training program that we’ve turned into a game.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cieden?

We were looking for someone to lead the UI/UX development of our mobile application. We'd previously had a web application as an MVP and were looking to build a whole new mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We've been working with them for quite a while and they ended up working on the web app as well. We've gone through the whole process with both, from the wireframing, to doing designs, to reviewing.

When I approached them, I had a pretty good idea of the functionalities and features we wanted, but it was a collaborative process to turn my little sketches into actual wireframes. The first wireframes were quite comprehensive and they helped us assess what the UX of the app would be. We needed to ensure that it made sense and that the users knew what was going on. Cieden provided a few versions and we tested clickable wireframes with some of our customers, eventually choosing one of those options.

The app has features for workouts and gamification. It was amazing to work with Cieden and receive so much of their input. For example, we gave them a rough idea of the gamification features we wanted to include but how those would look like exactly was not specified. We ended up going through an ideation process together, nailing down the exact features, screens, and so on.

What is the team composition?

We were working with one of their team members who had two designers under her. She acted as our project lead and lead UX designer. We worked directly with her and she provided most of the ideas.

How did you come to work with Cieden?

I found them on an online platform for freelancers, where I interviewed quite a few people. We were raising money at the time, so we were on a short time frame, and I was looking for someone able to step in, take ownership, and develop those wireframes with me. The person I met from Cieden stood out so I was confident that they would be able to finish it on time. She was on top of things, energetic, and she contributed ideas even at the interview stage.

We had a one-week trial period and I was impressed with the amount of communication offered, how available she was, and how many ideas she was providing. It was definitely not the typical freelance experience, where there are sometimes communication troubles, or where the provider is unable to contribute their own ideas. I was very impressed, so much so that we’ve ended up working with them for the last eighteen months.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay around $35–$40 per hour for their services, which is reasonable, given what they provide. It adds up to around $10,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app isn't live yet, but we have over 1,000 beta testers using the pilot version. The users have loved its design. It’s definitely a big step up for us, compared to our previous product. It was important for me to work with a company that can provide look-and-feel ideas, and that is well-versed in the latest trends, color schemes, animations, and anything that makes the app stand out. This was a particular advantage of working with Cieden.

The UX was important to us and, as a CEO and product owner, I needed to work with a group that was fully focused on making sure the design was intuitive. The feedback has been great so far and we will be launching next month.

How did Ciedenperform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been almost over-communicative, in a positive way. I don’t think I’ve ever waited longer than 24 hours for anything from them. There were times when I needed a design or screen within 24 hours, and they were always ready to accommodate that. They’ve been communicative, flexible, and have never missed a deadline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s rare to find a company that goes above and beyond to such a degree. They care about the products and don’t just make pretty designs. They make sure that the experience we’re providing to users is top notch.

They can take general concepts such as gamification, then break them down and work with the client, narrowing down product ideas and helping them make decisions on the future direction. This was something I never expected and it’s rare to find when working with freelancers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. It’s been great.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a product manager at Gridics, a software startup in the real estate space. We have a couple different software applications that help in different areas in the industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cieden?

We do ongoing, iterative development for our software products and work with them on new ideas.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They work with us on UX and UI designs. We’ve worked with them on three products. Two are already on the market and we’re about to release the third.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is our project manager but we also work directly with five or six other employees. Our team is usually about three people, though we occasionally work with other team members when we need a specialist.

How did you come to work with Cieden?

I worked with them before I joined this company. I found one of the founders on Upwork when she was just about to start Cieden. They’ve grown into a huge agency in the past two years. We worked well together and I wanted to keep working with them when I came to Gridics. I didn’t consider any other companies.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them at my current position in July 2017. We have them on a flexible monthly retainer, based on the number of hours they work for us each month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their designs are great and I’m really happy with what they provide for us. They’re very flexible. Sometimes they do whole projects for us and sometimes they finesse and finish UI designs we lay out for them. I can lean on them when I need help with UX work or initial concepts for UI. They respond to our needs and intuitively understand what we need.

How did Cieden perform from a project management standpoint?

Interactions with them are wonderful. They’re extremely responsive and easy to get along with. They anticipate our wishes and translate our business needs into the design. They often deliver exactly what we want in the first round.

I’ve worked with them on Word docs, Trello, Jira, Confluence, email, and InVision. With that many tools, it’s important to work with a team that won’t get lost in the process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are extremely adaptive, responsive, and are a pleasure to work with. They understand what we need from them and communication is both fluid and solid.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I’m really happy with the service they provide.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the manager of UI/UX design for a healthcare company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cieden?

We were looking to expand the manpower of our own internal UI/UX design team in order to finish building out a mobile app under a tight deadline.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cieden provided additional UI/UX designers to help build out a healthcare mobile app, used by specialists and nurses to communicate securely. Following that project, we continue to work with their team across our product portfolio on a variety of design projects and tasks.

What is the team composition?

I work mostly with the owner, who's helped guide me through the whole process. She leads each project and delegates the work to her team as she sees fit based on their skill sets.

How did you come to work with Cieden?

I found Cieden through an online search. I was considering about 20 other vendors, both onshore and offshore, but chose to work with them based on their high-quality portfolio of work. I also found them to be friendly and easy to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested $10,000–$25,000 thus far, which includes their work on the app as well as some ongoing work. We have a flexible contract with them that allows their team to utilize as many allotted hours needed to get specific projects done.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together for about six months. Their team wrapped up the initial mobile app project in just two and a half months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our entire team is very satisfied with their work overall and feedback from user testing has been fantastic. They continue to turn around high quality design projects very quickly. Their work has significantly improved user satisfaction of our product line. 

How did Cieden perform from a project management standpoint?

We haven't had any issues with communicating or meeting deadlines, despite a difference in timezones. They're also very responsive and open to using our preferred methods of communicating, mainly Slack and Jira. We appreciate that they're willing to use the tools we're accustomed to to help us keep track of our work in the best way possible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I have a great relationship with them—they're fun and easy to work with and genuinely value the quality of their business relationships. They're a true partner in the sense that they don't just blindly take direction from you without providing feedback or input where they feel it could improve outcomes. 

They work with you to craft a solution with the users best interest in mind, and to improve upon what you originally requested. The constant conversation and challenge to improve the way we work, and how we approach the UI/UX has helped us to gain a higher level of quality in our products. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We talk very openly about any areas of improvement, so they're always addressing them as they happen.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear and open with them. If you require specific outcomes for a specific user, give them as much information as possible, while being open to their creative feedback at the same time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.
I am the CEO of Foqal
Describe what your company does in a single sentence.
Customer support software

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Interview customers to understand needs
• Consolidate feedback to come up with a UX
• Redesign Foqal app UX/UI based on needs

SOLUTION

How did you find Cieden?
upwork

Why did you select Cieden over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• They were able to do UX and U

How many teammates from Cieden were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Cieden's goal was to interview a set of customers to understand how they are using the Foqal product. They were then to consolidate that feedback to come up with design ideas on how to improve the product, design, and work with us on final agreement. Finally they created a new modern UI and design based on the customer feedback and modern design principles.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
We haven't been able to get the customer feedback yet, but we plan to apply the designs and get user/customer feedback to measure the success.

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

Since there was no exact timeline, they did deliver fast enough that this was okay for us.

What was your primary form of communication with Cieden?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Cieden was very friendly and professional. Great to work with. Was able to trust them alone infront of our customers right away with no issues. Were able to work around our needs.

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

Not really

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder of a logistics company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Logstics, Freightforwarding and 3PL

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Build a new SaaS platform

SOLUTION

How did you find Cieden?

Online Search

Why did you select Cieden over others?

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

How many teammates from Cieden were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Cieden was onboarded to create the UI/UX of our new 3PL platform. Key deliverables were: 

1. Full UI for the platform 
2. Full UX for the platform 
3. Logo + branding 
4. Customer facing website design

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team at Cieden delivered excellent work, showing they are very well versed not only in their design skills but also in understanding our industry and trnslating these understandings into excellent designs.

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

The team delivered week after week and was very communicative about deadlines, workload and expectations.

What was your primary form of communication with Cieden?

Virtual Meeting

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

Cieden was able to break down a large project into bitesize chunks and then delivered amazing results week after week. The team really understood the assignment, our industry and designed a platform exactly (and better!) than how we had imagined it.

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

There was nothing we wished had gone better.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Chief Business Development Office of Alphaiota. Healthcare AI Solutins provider

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cieden?

UX/UI for Mobile and Web Applications

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Creative UX/UI Designs for Mobile and Web Applications

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We can't disclose at this stage

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

2 Resources

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Amazing and clickable UX/UI design shared with us using figma along with full of graphics presentation

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had a great harmony and dynamic communication using Slack

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

Their efforts were amazing, which led to great results. Wireframe of App is amazing and above expectations. The team have a unique advantage which the expertise in Healthcare Domain, This made the project very smooth and successful. Looking forward to work with team on Phase 2.

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

So far all great and Phase 1 completed successfully.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Director of healthcare company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cieden?

We chose Cieden for their UI/UX skill sets

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed many vendors and decided to choose Cieden based on their references, budget/timeline and drive of the team.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Development of the UI/UX for a healthcare platform.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

3 team members in design

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Cieden was very reactive and transparent in their deliverables, ensuring ongoing adjustments in order to achieve the required deliverables.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The teams were in close communication, which were both professional and cooperative.

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

We were impressed with their responsiveness and quick turnaround time.

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

The project was undertaken in a clear and progressive manner.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of the company, an influencer marketing platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cieden?

We wanted a full redesign our product Moonio.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We found Cieden thanks to Upwork. The skills and experience of the company members were the main deciding factors.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

They redesigned first one of the sections of the platform. Since we like it we hired them to change design of the rest of the sections of the platform. They worked in the mockups in Figma and after our approval we sent it to the dev team.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

They were 2 workers from Cieden involved. Both were designers but one of them was the supervisor.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our developers implemented their designs easily and we received very good feedback from the users.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The main channel to communicate with them was through Slack, but we also had calls with them when needed. The interaction with them was really effective and easy.

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

They worked very efficiently, delivering high-quality work at a fast pace.

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

Nothing to add here.