Cinnamon Agency

Please describe your company and your position there.

Hello, I am Camille and I work in digital marketing at Attitude Hotels, a 100 % Mauritian (Indian Ocean) hotel brand, managing 9 hotels across the island and employing 1600 family members (staff).

I am responsible for the digital guest experience during their stay and coordinate the e-business department.

For what projects/services did your company hire Cinnamon Agency?

Our main challenges were :

• Our main paint points with the actual website 2.1
• Design Confusing differentiation between sections
• Quite monochromatic
• Very rigid in the look, very squarish
• Static feel to the website (no auto-animation present on website to catch attention)
• Not enough immersive home page.
• The HP does not reflect the strong Attitude commitments (cf. Positive Impact Movement)
• User experience: Lack of pictures in the Hotel Page (rooms, experiences,...) clickable to enlarge
• Difficulty for users to understand and differentiate our products/hotels (No graphic elements, or table, ...). It is challenging for users to be sure they have chosen the right hotel.
• Business: Not enough conversion oriented (complex navigation, lake of strategic CTA,...) Lack of booking engine entry at the bottom of the Hotel page

What were your goals for this project?

• Increase of qualified traffic
• Better online conversion
• Display of our new visual identity
• Neat and smooth user experience
• Display our new company purpose

How did you select Cinnamon Agency?

Initially we wanted to work with our previous UX/UI designer, but he was not available for this project. Therefore we did a first selection on Upwork of 2 UX/UI designers + one recommended by network. The selection process included our art director, the e-commerce manager and I.

Our criteria for choosing Cinnamon was the work done previously for other companies and the fact that they were an agency so it was reassuring due to our deadlines (a team vs a single person).

Also, our first call with agency helped us as we had a very good feeling which is the perfect starting point for a good collaboration.

Describe the project in detail.

We hired Cinnamon for designing UX & UI prototypes for our new website. My manager (e-commerce) and I, worked on a precise brief, shared some materials, websites benchmark, our personas + we arranged a call between our Art Director and the UX designer, Emili, so he could present our brand visual identity and each hotel visual identities.

Emili (Cinnamon) helped & advised us during the whole process, what we really appreciated because her goal was not to only satisfy us but also to make sure our website will be 100% optimized in term of UX/UI design.

She did as well a great research job in the beginning of the project as it was her first time designing a hospitality website. Same when we were facing difficulties at this design phase, Emili has always taken time to do some research and revert us with the best solution.

What was the team composition?

So the team was made of :

• our assigned project manager, Anamarija
• the UX/UI designer, Emili

The team remained the same over the time

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

Our website is still being developed by our developer (agency we worked since 2015) so we do not have yet figures to share, but we received great feedbacks from our colleagues and our top management.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was really effective. We worked on Trello, and received each week a reporting mail of job done and pending points from our side (if any) so we could tackle them the soonest.

For quick and fast communication process (ie. missing info or visual,...) we talked through Skype to not lose time. I would like to precise that we had 3 hours jet lag and we did not feel it at all. The workflow was really optimized.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What we liked with Cinnamon is their organization and their web design skills. What we have been promised has been delivered. They did on they could do to help us with our tight deadline. We also had a great collaboration, working with Cinnamon was a real pleasure.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No Everything was perfect

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of financial services firm that is pivoting from web to mobile and from investing to cash flow assistance.

For what projects/services did your company hire Cinnamon Agency?

We wanted dedicated UI/UX expertise versus having our development team handle the design.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal is to nail the design in the first iteration. Ideally, as the app grows in usage, the feedback & wish list from the users will be on functionality instead of design/layout.

How did you select Cinnamon Agency?

We use Upwork and received approximately 50 bids. Out of those, 5 were short-listed and Cinnamon was selected as the finalist. We chose them due to their previous work, high ratings/positive feedback.

Describe the project in detail.

We started the project with discussing the app, the target user and providing access to the current app in development. From there, they assign us a designer who created the work flows, wire-frames, etc..

What was the team composition?

We had a project manager and lead . There were also other supporting members that stepped in for their area or when there was more depth needed.

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

We are on target to launch the application. The design looks great. We really appreciated the time the UI/UX lead took in understanding the application goals, re-working the the flow, seeking & including feedback from other users.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Great, their team ran with the project and reached out whenever there were questions or major design decisions to be made. The use Figma which worked well, especially in calling out areas or sections to discuss. The pass-off to the development team was flawless and they kept involved with the project through development.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We hire experts for a reason, with other vendors - they require constant direction and signoffs on the most minor details. However, with Cinnamon, we really appreciated the attention to details and the ability to run with the project. They struck the right balance of when to ask or confirm something and when to follow their own lead.

Are there any areas for improvement?

As always, it would be nice to be done faster. But the quality was worth the wait. On our next project, I will use them for the development in addition to the design.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Managing Director of a business development and financial planning consultancy firm headquartered in Brooklyn, NY. We hired Cinnamon Agency to undertake a strategy, user experience and user interface design and a prototyping project for a fintech mobile application.

For what projects/services did your company hire Cinnamon Agency?

We had to identify the right human capital resources and expertise to bring a mobile application to market.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to understand how to build a financial planning mobile application.

How did you select Cinnamon Agency?

Our company went through about 7 candidates leading up to our decision to engage Cinnamon. Their breadth of experience within our targeted industry, positioning as a turnkey solution, human capital options and genuine ease of engagement proved to be the deciding factor.

Describe the project in detail.

We kicked off with a discovery meeting to analyze the competitive landscape, iron out deliverables and delineate a realistic timeline to project completion with structured deliverables. Once we kicked off the initial UX exercise we iterated on the path to completing high - fidelity wireframes, complete the UI and arrive at a branding story with a full working prototype.

What was the team composition?

We had one PM, one UX/UI lead and a supporting designer.

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

We are on target to launch our application as a result of the clear direction established through this initial engagement of the project.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our project manager was a pleasure to work with and available as needed. We received frequent updates and communicated seamlessly throughout the entire engagement. Overall, I was impressed with the ability to meet deadlines, quality of work and ease of experience.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was blown away by the quality of the work, ease of workflow, and constant updates towards completion. Their people are top notch and genuine experts in their field.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that I can think of.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief medical officer for a health tech company. We’re a startup focused on rapid cancer diagnostics. The other focus is the digital health platform which is more focused on data, analytics, and providing new biomarkers that help clinicians to do a fast diagnosis or optimize treatment.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cinnamon Agency?

We needed additional domain experts for specific languages we use for our digital health platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We work in collaboration with them on our digital health platform. The main focus is to have high-quality structured data input, data analytics, and the means of new biomarkers. They worked as part of the team. They were contributing to all deliverables. They did 100% of the design.

What is the team composition?

They have front- and backend developers, domain experts in Angular, domain experts in GoLang, a QA person, and a designer. We scale up and down as needed. At the moment, there are two people working with us. At the maximum, we had five people.

How did you come to work with Cinnamon Agency?

They had a project in Switzerland and we had an informal meeting with them. We realized they could help us with their services.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2019, and the work is ongoing.

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

They respond really fast to our needs and provide the domain experts we need in a short time. We can adjust the dynamic of the project in a very agile way. We have regular one-on-one meetings on a monthly basis and the internal team provided positive feedback about them. Their deliverables per sprint are very good.

How did Cinnamon Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication is excellent. Mladin (Managing Partner) is our contact. Communication is very prompt. We get quick responses because they’re very proactive. They’re completely embedded into our team. The project management is done completely within our company.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They find candidates very quickly and are proactive. They do pre-screenings so we don’t have to go through the whole hiring process. It saves us time. Their hourly rate is very competitive. They provide flexibility.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Maybe they could have a strong professional development for their people to acquire new skills. Our programs have a steeper learning curve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you clearly know what you want, they will provide you better service. Have regular meetings. We have at least one monthly progress meeting. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the communications manager for the Beary Group, an internet media company based in Southeast Asia.

For what projects/services did your company hire Cinnamon Agency?

We engaged Cinnamon Agency to bring our mobile app idea to life. They worked on the project right from the start, which included early-stage brainstorming to UX/UI design to mobile app development (which is currently ongoing).

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal is to develop a communications platform for users to engage with one another. Our primary focus is on the social impact that the app is able to generate.

How did you select Cinnamon Agency?

The team canvassed various providers and asked for references. We ultimately decided to hire a few companies as part of a 'test' to see which company would work best with us. Cinnamon Agency was the best of these.

Describe the project in detail.

In essence, there was a kickoff followed by milestones for the project. Cinnamon was very organized and their designated project manager would ensure that everything was on track.

What was the team composition?

There was a project manager and two designers during the design phase. We are currently assisted by a team of developers for the mobile app development phase.

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

The app is still under development but the early feedback from focus groups on the moodboards and app design seem to resonate well. We are satisfied so far with the quality and speed of their work.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Overall, things were very smooth. It is pretty clear from our personal experience as we had the opportunity to work with a few different firms in the past.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Cinnamon stands out with their effective communication. In addition to using tools to give us a sense of overall progress (e.g. Trello), the team would always give frequent updates.

I also like that we are able to interact directly with individual team members if required in order to better understand the dynamics of the project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

So far so good

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the managing director of a road sector company based in Finland. I manage the company and oversee a small team working on a service package to the public sector road asset management.

For what projects/services did your company hire Cinnamon Agency?

We hired Cinnamon for the development project of the MVP for our company, a crowd sourcing App for data collection on road defects.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to develop an MVP, which is reliable and enables us to deliver a pilot project for our first customer. We also wanted the App to be a delightful user experience.

How did you select Cinnamon Agency?

We found Cinnamon after searching through different platforms where freelancers and agencies advertise their services on software development.

Describe the project in detail.

The project kicked off with a session where we defined the deliverables and Cinnamon Agency listened to our needs. After this the developers got to working. Once the App was ready to be tested, we started carrying out tests and doing troubleshooting to get rid off any bugs. Finally Cinnamon Agency published the App on our behalf in Play Store.

What was the team composition?

From Cinnamon Agency we had a project manager, Android developer, backend developer, QA tester, and a project director in the team.

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

We received a well-functioning, cool, and more than adequate MVP. We are about to start our first project with it and we are more than happy with the end result. After the first phase of the development was finished we immediately engaged in negotiations for another round of development with Cinnamon Agency.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was fantastic. A large thanks for that goes to the wonderful project manager, Sven, who did a great job. Good, timely communication throughout the process and Sven went the extra mile more than once for us.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are a very professional company that provides good communication. The process was quite stress-free, even though the App itself is somewhat complicated.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There was a small miscommunication on the timeline in the beginning. However, Cinnamon Agency put in some extra hours to catch up with the time. A good example of excellent customer service from their side.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the e-commerce manager for Play&Go, and we are a children’s toy brand.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cinnamon Agency?

The challenge for us was to develop a platform that supported improved performance in B2C and B2B sales.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team significantly built out our website, focusing on the addition of the B2B section so that we could expand that side of our business. They also allowed us to add integrations displaying estimated shipping time and cost information on the product page to help decrease the site’s drop-off rate. The site itself is built on Magento, and they handled both front- and backend of the components they worked on.

What is the team composition?

We had contact with 3–4 people from their team, including a UX designer, a programmer, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Cinnamon Agency?

I found them on Upwork, and our initial interviews went well so we decided to move forward with them from there.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost of the project was around $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in May 2020 and are continuing to work together.

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

The project is going very well, and we plan to launch the new website components in three weeks. Because we’re still working on the project, we obviously don’t have any formal performance metrics, but the design files have all been finished on time and we are very optimistic about the quality of the final product.

How did Cinnamon Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

I have been surprised by the speed of their responses and general communication. When we ask questions, we always hear back within 12 hours, and they have never hesitated to make a change that we requested within the terms of our agreement. We’ve been very pleased with their performance so far.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team’s design skills definitely set them apart from any other companies that we’ve worked with. They do excellent work in all areas of the project, but it is specifically their design work that puts them head and shoulders above the rest.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I honestly don’t have anything negative to say. Every aspect of the experience has been great so far.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Careful Apps primarily produce apps and websites for pharma industry. The management have background in healthcare, pharma industry and the communication industry.

For what projects/services did your company hire Cinnamon Agency?

Cinnamon Agency help us update our app and website SSY Engine, which is a medical device used by eye doctors all over the world.

What were your goals for this project?

Develop a safe and usable tool for our clients. We are very happy with the communication and cooperation we have with Cinnamon Agency, they are all very responsive and professional.

How did you select this vendor?

Cinnamon Agency approached us at Linkedin. We met up in Stockholm and we really liked the offer they had.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Mainly translation of the app and website to additional languages.

What was the team composition?

Team composition is dependent on the tasks we have.

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

Since we started working with Cinnamon Agency we feel that we have more control over our product, which feels really good and safe. Cinnamon are very good at responding quickly if anything occurs or we need help in any way.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We are invited to the Trello board which gives us a very good overview of where Cinnamon is in the process. We also do hangout calls and old fashion emailing. Over all a very good and effective project management.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their communication skills and the rapid growth of the company were impressive. :)

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can think of..

Please describe your company and your position there.

International organisation, programme coordinator.

For what projects/services did your company hire Cinnamon Agency?

Web design, development, and maintenance.

What were your goals for this project?

Keep current websites functioning well, launch brand new website for one piece of our work.

How did you select this vendor?

Found them via Upwork, through a competitive procurement process.

Describe the project in detail.

New website should use the current visual identity, designed by another agency. Content is based on an existing section of another website, which needed a comprehensive re-think about how to organise and communicate

What was the team composition?

Project coordinator, design team, dev and QA team

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

We are only now launching the final product but it's such a massive step forward in design and organisation that I'm confident our target audience will more easily find the information they need to make system change in their home countries.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Super. I had one point of contact who was super tuned into all the details of the project and lead the whole thing from beginning to end with professionalism and efficiency.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Once the project coordinator was in place, everything went very efficiently and smoothly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

n/a

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of Krome Photos. We provide image creation and editing services to families and businesses. Customers submit an image (photo) and we make recommendations on how to design that image. The customer can visualize their photo in the new design and submit a request for our crowd-sourced team of editors to create the final perfect image.

For what projects/services did your company hire Cinnamon Agency?

We needed UX/UI designs for both mobile and web apps. Our designs were dated, the flow was causing confusion, and we were rolling out several AI-based features. They would make it easier and fun for families to use our service.

What were your goals for this project?

We set out to improve conversion rates from start to finish and lower drop-out rates across the board as customers progress through the app’s ordering process.

How did you select this vendor?

We’d used two vendors before but we weren't happy with their designs, costs, and delivery. We did a test with Cinnamon, and they did a great job at a cost-effective rate. We switched all our UX/UI work to them.

Describe the project in detail.

Cinnamon typically provides sketches with different ideas for us to review and select a direction from. The chosen version is then expanded into a set of finished designs and assets (images, buttons) and is delivered to the developers. The finished app looks identical to the designs.

What was the team composition?

We meet with a project lead twice a week, and a team of designers worked out different solutions. Several times we would ask for two or three different versions, or even end up going with a designer who had a different idea than the main group.

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

After one of our previous projects with them, we saw constant conversion rate improvement. We also introduced new features that changed how customers perceived and interacted with the service. All metrics improved significantly.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We have Skype calls twice a week. Before meeting with the developers, we share screens to pass ideas back and forth in a timely manner.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Working with a group of people when it would normally be one resource significantly improves the results. They provide different perspectives and designs. Their European perspective has also helped modernize our UX/UI.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that I can think of. We’re using them to make major updates to our apps.