Clay

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

Our engineering team is starting to work on actually implementing the design, but in the user testing that we have done, everyone has been thrilled with it. Their cost is high, but we’ve continued to find that the value they provide is worth it. I’m keen on using them again in the future as new and different needs arise.

How did Clay perform from a project management standpoint?

We interacted with them once or twice a week, depending on where we were within the project, as well as via a private Slack channel. Having the time to chat live was really helpful in walking through their latest iterations and giving immediate feedback.

We didn’t have strict deadlines. There were a few situations where we weren’t quite satisfied with what they had done, but they were more than happy to go back to the drawing board and iterate. Similarly, there was another point where they wanted to spend a little more time on a specific area to iterate and work on it. As we weren't schedule driven, we were flexible and taking an extra two or three days was not critical. We were more focused on the overall quality of it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Overall, I am extremely satisfied. They helped us arrive at a solution and an interface that we are extremely proud of and are very much looking forward to getting into our customer’s hands.

We continue to be impressed by their ability to dive into a problem area or space that they may or may not be familiar with and pull out the essence of what our challenges are, or what we are struggling with, then really help us map out what needs to be done.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re very receptive to feedback. If they deliver something that you are not happy with or you feel it isn’t solving one or more of your requirements, be willing to communicate that with them. They hold themselves to a very high standard.

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

Clay was very helpful. We worked collaboratively on UI and they set the initial groundwork, proposing a number of ideas for the application. While we ended up going with a different solution, our final product was heavily informed by Clay’s thinking and findings.

How did Clay perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication was very efficient while I was working near Clay’s San Francisco office. After returning to Europe, however, the time zone difference added complications. Still, they were willing to work with us and communicated outside their normal office hours.

Despite Clay’s efforts, working with remote teams can be difficult. The project wasn’t moving as quickly as we hoped, so we shifted the project to our in-house team to improve efficiency.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very proactive designers who conducted thorough research and contributed a number of innovative ideas. Their team is tech-savvy and familiar with market trends, so they offered valuable insights. We communicated clearly and they had an intuitive understanding of our goals. They felt like members of our team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their creative director became less involved as we moved into the design phase, which caused some communication issues. If their ideas had been presented directly by the creative lead, it may have led to a better solution.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients shouldn’t interfere with the design process too much. Clay knows what they’re doing and should be given room for creative freedom.

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

We’d worked with a number of UI designers, but the application Clay provided was the best. Anyone can create an attractive design, but their team took user experience into consideration and provided recommendations for improving navigation.

The platform averaged 500,000 views per month, which was fairly successful given that we were a specialized business. We timed roughly 18 million runners in the United States alone, so a sizeable portion of our audience utilized the application.

How did Clay perform from a project management standpoint?

One of our biggest priorities was to work with a vendor that could operate without day-to-day oversight. Clay’s independence allowed them to get the job done without a lot of handholding. They worked in two-week sprints and I only spoke with them twice during each sprint to give feedback and make any necessary adjustments. Their self-reliance was one of the key reasons we decided to let them to build the product in addition to design.

They were easy to work with, responsive to feedback, and met every deadline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were a small company, and even though Clay has worked with some of the biggest tech companies in the country, their CEO still took time to get to know our brand. They were engaged, down-to-earth, and had strong communication skills.

I also appreciated their focus on both UI and UX. Lots of vendors say they focus on user experience, but ultimately rely on the client to provide rote design instructions. Clay helped us fine-tune a UX strategy and pushed back against any flawed ideas. That’s what we wanted, a partner to think deeply about the problem and provide an effective solution.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It was sometimes difficult to communicate with their overseas developers, but their CEO always stepped in to provide translations whenever necessary. Their developers were highly skilled, so I was happy to work through these very minor communication issues.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It can be difficult to describe design ideas over the phone, so I recommend starting any project with a face-to-face meeting to go over the initial details. I met with Clay in-person at the beginning and the rest of the project was done remotely, which worked very well for us. This is a strategy I use in my current position when working with remote employees.