Create Ape

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of retention marketing at MuteSix, which is a digital performance marketing agency based in Los Angeles.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CreateApe?

We outsource an employee at CreateApe to perform a large portion of our email development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They implement different designs for a variety of email service providers (ESPs) and different platforms. Our team provides designs for our clients. CreateApe takes those and encodes them into whatever ESP the client uses. Sometimes, they design the email itself. They add a combination of image blocks and other features to the email.

What is the team composition?

Two developers and two project managers work on the project. Alessandro (Founder, CreateApe) also works on the project.

How did you come to work with CreateApe?

We were referred to them by one of our clients. Our COO had been familiar with Alessandro’s work and had used CreateApe in the past. I restarted the conversation with their team, which is how we started working with them again.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2019. We’ve just renewed the contract for another year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re amazing and extremely flexible. The flexibility is important for our agency because things are always changing. They are able to dive into different platforms very quickly, even if they aren’t familiar with it. You’re dealing with real people who work very quickly but also don’t make mistakes.

All of the designs they create are responsive to different platforms. They have a QA testing process to make sure everything works and looks good across different inbox placements. The QA system ensures that emails land in inboxes as fast as possible.

How did CreateApe perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly talk to Alessandro or one of the project managers. They’re amazing and we love working with them. Responsive and on top of everything, they provide everything we need in terms of communication style. We’ll either talk to them on Slack or they’ll use our project management system for us. They’re flexible, responsive, and easy to work with. If we need quick changes, they can make them for us.

They have a really good process for project management. The manager takes ownership of the project and works directly with their developers. That person then works directly with us to cut down the number of hours used.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their speed, responsiveness, and flexibility are their most impressive traits.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing that comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re awesome! We pay them hourly, so we try to maximize efficiency with hours. If you are working with someone on an hourly basis, make sure you are on top of how you want them to use your hours. Giving them a streamlined process for them to work within is the best use of your time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice-president of product at MediKeeper. We provide a platform for companies to support corporate wellness initiatives.         

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CreateApe?

We were looking to develop a new UI/UX for existing modules and components. We didn’t have the bandwidth to handle doing the design work in-house.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were redesigning our health risk assessment system, which is one of our largest and most complex components. For the existing module they are revamping, they came on site and we walked through high-level demos of our platforms. We then broke down the specific components that we wanted them to focus on. Our team deeply explained the functionality and flexibility of the program, but we also gave them information so they could to future-proof the new design. 

They went away to map and answer design questions. After this, they created low-res wireframes. We walked through several iterations of the wireframes with different user flows. From there, we moved to high-fidelity wireframes that our developers could use. They are also leading a user testing initiative so that we can determine the appropriate UX and user flow to make the project intuitive and user-friendly.

What is the team composition?

We have a dedicated project manager that focuses on deliverables and providing the necessary information. She’s our point person. We also have multiple designers on the team who work on all the user testing calls and feedback. Alessandro (CEO, CreateApe) has been our lead in terms of the path forward and we work with him closely.

How did you come to work with CreateApe?

Our CEO brought them to me, but we looked at several of their competitors. We liked that they’d have a dedicated team that for MediKeeper would be working with us locally. Other firms we spoke with were not local, which would make face-to-face meetings challenging. We were very impressed by their portfolio, both in terms of design and clientele. We got along well and had a similar agile, communicative approach.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work began in July 2019 and is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There was some added pressure because we were getting feedback from our internal team and our clients. However, the good news is that our clients have been very receptive and liked all the design work. There has been no negative feedback. The client wanted to move forward and continue with more design aspects, which shows how strong their work is.

How did CreateApe perform from a project management standpoint?

They were always willing to communicate with us, whether that was by email, picking up the phone, or pulling up a screen share so there weren’t any roadblocks in creating new wireframes. Alessandro came onsite and met with us regularly. In terms of tools, they use InVision to share wireframes with us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re incredibly responsive. The turnaround time is quick and they welcome our feedback. Any time I get new user feedback or data, they’ll find time to respond that day. It’s a pleasure to work with a team that makes you feel like you’re their only client.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think if we’re getting iterations very quickly, getting feedback to them takes us more time than we expect. It’d be nice to have more external milestones planned out ahead of time so both teams are aligned with how quickly we should get feedback.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understanding the goal of what you want to accomplish is important. If you’re doing a redesign, you need to understand the functional requirements before you get into design work. You should clearly share those requirements with CreateApe so that they understand what the backend needs for the design to work on the frontend.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of Mulligan Funding. We are a small–medium-sized commercial lender.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CreateApe?

My company had a variety of UX needs related to internal systems and external websites. We hired CreateApe to help drive UX design for some of these projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CreateApe delivered a high-fidelity design for a variety of UIs. We started with some on-site sessions to meet with users and stakeholders, and then we moved into a remote iterative process. We went through feedback sessions based on their concepts before signing off on the final design.

What is the team composition?

We primarily worked with two individuals, a developer and a project manager. There were occasionally some others.

How did you come to work with CreateApe?

I did some research online and looked at a bunch of different firms. I liked what I read about CreateApe, so I reached out to Alessandro (Founder, CreateApe) and decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

I think we spent about $3,000 per month. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work with CreateApe lasted from May–October 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although we haven’t launched a big part of their work yet, everybody loves what they’re seeing. The feedback has been great. Our internal team thinks it’s a substantial improvement.

How did CreateApe perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was fairly informal; we didn’t set up a formal project plan or use any specific tools. Internally, we have our own development boards that we work against, but for these projects, we primarily managed the work via email. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Alessandro was very easy to work with, whether that was discussing how to structure the agreement or breaking down the project requirements. It was clear that he was very good at his job and willing to work with us on any sort of request. As a team, CreateApe was always very responsive and capable of turning things around. Although our timeline was aggressive, they were very good at working toward it.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

If I had to say one thing, it would be that the team was largely remote. We did a couple of onsite sessions, and I think adding some more would’ve been beneficial to us. However, this wasn't detrimental to the final product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner at a web development company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CreateApe?

My company doesn’t do design. When we’re taking on new projects, sometimes the client has a designer in-house. If they don’t, we work with an external design resource to do that work for us. 

Although we’re not designers, we know good design. It’s really important for us to have a go-to design partner that we can rely on to produce great work, hit deadlines, and remain in communication with us. This partner needs to make us look good from a client standpoint and handle a pretty wide variety of projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CreateApe helps us with the design component of client projects. We usually start projects by sending them robust wireframes or stacks. Then, my team runs through what we’re looking for. If there’s a design or style guide, we also go through that. CreateApe asks good questions and comes up with ideas and suggestions over the phone, and then we go from there.

They’ve done website redesigns and general upgrades. They did UI/UX design for our e-commerce app. We usually do between 6–10 projects each year, with something going on every month.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is a project manager, and she’s been a good fit for us because she makes sure that things get passed along, whether that’s a file we’re missing or feedback we need to send. She also provides ideas about timelines and when we can expect things. She’s good about filling in the gaps if we miss something. We also work with Alessandro (Founder, CreateApe).

How did you come to work with CreateApe?

I believe Alessandro and his team were referred to us. We’d already been through a bunch of people before finding them.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent close to $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work with CreateApe commenced in November 2016, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Because of the nature of our business, we’re always under a time crunch. CreateApe is great about delivering what they say they’re going to. Unlike other designers we’ve worked with in the past, they deliver quality results that meet our expectations. 

We’ve gotten really good feedback from clients. CreateApe’s work is always really solid, and they bring a unique perspective to the table. They’re our go-to resource, and they deliver at the end of the day. In the long run, their work saves us time, since it looks nice and works well.

How did CreateApe perform from a project management standpoint?

We primarily do design reviews and kickoffs over the phone. My company has an internal project management system that Alessandro and his team have used every now and then, but the majority of our work is done via email and over the phone.

We generally go through a couple of rounds of design iterations. If there’s a design change, they’re good about calling us and talking through it rather than trying to go back and forth via email, which can be challenging. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Not only are their designs really good, but they make sense for the web. It’s one thing to have a good designer; it’s another thing entirely to have a good designer who knows how to design for web and mobile. It’s hard to find a designer who understands this, so the fact that CreateApe’s designs always work on the web says something.

They understand that we’re going to take their designs and translate them into working web apps or websites, and they bring a lot of experience and real-world application to what we’re doing. The team also accounts for change; for instance, we might need to put four blocks of content in a space where we’d originally planned to put two. Their work helps us redefine our customers’ online presence.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. They deliver what we ask them to deliver. We’ve figured out a good way of working together, and it’s obviously worked well for us since we’ve been going to them for almost three years.

Any advice for potential customers?

For any web project, you need to do your due diligence ahead of time and have a good idea of what you want. Go into the process expecting that Alessandro and his team will provide good feedback. They’re going to ask questions and want to know the background of your business, which is great. Once that’s done, ask for a delivery time. There will be tweaks and change, but you can expect that the final result will be really good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an online and mobile real estate brokerage. Buyers use our platform to search for homes, schedule tours, and write offers. We refund them 50% of the commission at the close of escrow.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CreateApe?

My company had already developed our platform’s backend and web app, but we needed help designing the mobile app’s UI/UX. We wanted the design to resonate with millennials, our primary demographic.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We presented CreateApe with our vision and had a whiteboarding session. They designed the UX and UI from scratch and built wireframes, which they delivered to our engineers.

We've continued to engage CreateApe on other projects. They've done some rebranding, such as implementing a new color scheme.

What is the team composition?

We primarily interact with CreateApe’s founder, who does the majority of the UI/UX work, and a copywriter.

How did you come to work with CreateApe?

Our product manager determined that we needed UX support, and he recommended CreateApe based on their skill and ability to deliver. Based on our product manager’s experience in the tech space, my team valued his opinion. We explored a few other vendors, but we ultimately chose CreateApe.

How much have you invested with them?

Our initial budget was $5,000 per month, and it’s now closer to $10,000 because we continue to expand the scope of the engagement.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in March 2019, and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered the UI/UX that we needed to get the app to where it should be for version one. We’re very close to launching the app because of CreateApe. The app wouldn’t have the look and feel that we wanted if we’d tried to do the UI/UX internally.

We’ve received great feedback regarding the new color scheme. Their design insights have helped improve the presentations we make to investors.

How did CreateApe perform from a project management standpoint?

Our work with CreateApe is incredibly collaborative. Rather than merely presenting them with the specs and waiting for them to deliver, our teams shared ideas and feedback throughout the app design process. The copywriter helped us choose the tone and language that would resonate best with our millennial users.  CreateApe is attentive to our needs and our experience within the real estate industry, which has allowed them to provide great design insights.

CreateApe uses InVision, which my team has access to. Stakeholders and investors are always impressed by the app demos that I show them from InVision. Our teams communicate via Slack and have conference calls over Zoom. CreateApe is responsive and provides frequent updates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

CreateApe has become part of our team, and that isn’t something you can buy. We continue to increase our monthly budget with them because we see so much value in their efforts. They do what they say they’re going to do. Every vendor says they’re going to deliver great results, but very rarely do they live up to those standards in the way that CreateApe has. They also deliver on time, which is unusual in the tech space; in fact, they often outpace time estimates and deliver more than what they promised. They also adhere to our budget.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I honestly don’t.

Any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about your requirements but also remain open to the idea that they have many capabilities beyond what you may initially be contracting them for. They can become a part of your team. It’s worth having an investigative phone call with them to see if there are other ways they can help you grow.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and chief product officer at GĒR, a sports media and e-commerce platform that connects athletes around the world to equipment, apparel, and each other.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CreateApe?

We wanted to have a functional prototype for fundraising and needed to outsource the UI/UX design of our mobile app. Our intended users are professional and everyday athletes, sports fans, and leagues, so the design needed to be quite encompassing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CreateApe did UI/UX design in the frontend of our iOS app. My team provided them with our logo, a basic set of brand guidelines, and a few design templates. They provided suggestions based on these materials, and we collaboratively decided on a design.

What is the team composition?

My team worked with 5–8 people. We had one main point of contact.  

How did you come to work with CreateApe?

We researched several different vendors on Clutch. We interviewed a short list of companies and felt that CreateApe best fit our needs, based on their experience and our interview with them.

How much have you invested in them?

My company invested between $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2018–May 2019. They still fix issues or make changes if we ask them to.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They helped us reach the goals that we set out for this project. We’re going to start presenting the prototype soon, and we feel that we can tell a story and bring it to life rather than just pitch an idea.

How did CreateApe perform from a project management standpoint?

They adhered to our needs and were conscious of them. Communication was great; we used Basecamp and had weekly video conferences. They were timely in their responses.  

At the beginning of the project, I requested an in-person meeting with CreateApe’s team, and they obliged. Knowing who I was working with made the project much easier. At another point, I asked to meet with them because my team was overwhelmed with the workload and needed to reprioritize some goals. Their team traveled to meet with us. CreateApe became an extension of our company. We always felt like a top priority.

The CEO was very involved in the project, from start to finish. The team always followed through on what they said they were going to do. I’ve found that designers often take their time and like to do things their own way, but that was never the case with CreateApe.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to look at the scope of the work and articulate what would or wouldn’t work was impressive. CreateApp not only did all of the work but served as consultants, and that was one of their strongest qualities. The team utilized relevant examples to support their recommendations. They helped us create the UI/UX design that we wanted based on their experience and objectivity. Their capacity for teamwork was great; they put our goals at the forefront, and we collaborated to achieve those goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The materials in Basecamp became a bit disorganized and confusing. When I recommended using one folder on Google Drive or Dropbox, they created one within hours. If I did this process again, I’d ask for that folder upfront, so I wouldn’t have to scroll through Basecamp to see the latest designs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I must say that it’s very rare for me to leave a review. CreateApe is like an extension of your team that genuinely cares, looks at things objectively, and provides all types of feedback.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of product strategy at Mosaic Network which is a software tech company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CreateApe?

We needed to develop some prototypes quickly, particularly in terms of help with UX design and creative work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They initially created some clickable prototypes for us in a really rapid timeframe, actually during a conference. There were a lot of changes, and we worked with them remotely. hat clickable prototype eventually translated into the work for the live product, for which they collaborated with our dev team on some of the frontend aspects.

After that, they developed an app for us, also in a tight timeframe. They took a very wordy online experience survey that needed a lot of guidance in terms of user interaction and turned it into a really lovely experience. They also did the design that helped to integrate the frontend work.

What is the team composition?

We interacted with Al (Founder, CreateApe), as well as a couple of people in project management and design. We also worked with someone in marketing who helped us define our campaigns and with developers who integrated the frontend work with our backend development.

How did you come to work with CreateApe?

I’ve worked with Al before, so I already knew his work ethic and collaborative spirit. It was a no brainer to work with them on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in July 2018, and the work is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The mobile app they developed for us is a school readiness app, to be delivered by a teacher in a classroom setting. It’s really important for the experience to be seamless, as in prior apps, teachers had to take notes by hand and then teach them online.

Instead, CreateApe developed a streamlined tablet experience that teachers can enter and exit while teaching. It’s a much more organic experience overall, and it keeps data more accurately and more easily. It’s definitely brought our offering up to date and to where it should be. People are really interested it is ease of use.

How did CreateApe perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re a fantastic department; really communicative, proactive, and always hitting tight timelines. We used Slack and email to communicate, while at the beginning of our engagement, we brought Al on site so he could really understand our business and its strategies.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The talent that they bring as well as their incredibly collaborative spirit is the most impressive. They’re always ready to respond positively at the last minute, even when tasks have complex design challenges. They always have a ‘yes’ attitude.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I wish them success and hope to work with them again.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

A little bit more breathing room than we had would allow everyone to apply the right processes, but in our case, it didn’t their work. We’ve handed them things with little notice and on tight timelines.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of ARK Crystal LLC. We sell healing crystals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire CreateApe?

We needed a new e-commerce website.

What were your goals for this project?

The site needed to align with our brand and vision.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A third party recommended CreateApe.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

CreateApe designed and developed a Shopify Plus site to replace our older one. They added custom upgrades. The team did testing prior to launch and now monitor the live site.

What was the team composition?

The team comprised a designer, project lead, and a developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The engagement positively impacted our company by raising the bar with our brand and marketing.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The partnership was a true collaboration. The project manager was flawless despite the occasional hiccup. We met every Monday to discuss the project’s status.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

CreateApe was knowledgeable, dedicated, and committed to success. They felt like part of our development team—and still do as they monitor our site. We couldn’t ask for more.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Some minor communications issues arose during the project—as to be expected—but the team handled these quickly and appropriately. The team was great and couldn’t have performed any better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of media buying for a marketing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CreateApe?

We didn't have any in-house designers, so we engaged CreateApe for web and email template design services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CreateApe designs email templates, landing pages of our websites for multiple products, and other creative as needed (i.e., banners).

What is the team composition?

We've worked with a few different people on their team, including the founder, a project manager, and a designer.

How did you come to work with CreateApe?

They've been on retainer with us since before I came onboard. When I started working at the company, our design needs expanded.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since June 2014 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

CreateApe designs clean templates that effectively get our message across to subscribers. We continue to be very happy with their efforts.

How did CreateApe perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very organized and responsive, using Basecamp to stay on top of tasks and keep communications in one place.

What did you find most impressive about them?

With minimal direction, they're able to transform an idea into effective designs. They create clean products that require little to no iteration that are unique and follow best practices.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything at the moment.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them a clear idea of what you're looking for and as much direction as possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a media company with a SaaS product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CreateApe?

We were creating a compliance system for large content donors from major motion picture studios. It was a SaaS product that would collect a lot of data from the internet and present the information in an easily consumable format. We engaged CreateApe to design the interface.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed the user interface for our SaaS product, going through multiple iterations before delivering the final PSD files. It was a complex dashboard that needed to convey a lot of charts and data in a comprehensive way. Our internal development team then used the design to build our product. We would approach them again for additional graphic design work, including printed and marketing materials.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Alessandro (Founder & Creative Director, CreateApe).

How did you come to work with CreateApe?

I stumbled on them along with other vendors while researching online. At the time, I was looking for design firms that had experience building complex user interfaces that needed to display a lot of data. Out of all the candidates, CreateApe had the most convincing understanding of both design and user experience.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The initial project lasted from September 2016–March 2017 with additional smaller products for the marketing materials.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They designed our entire user interface for our SaaS products, and the results are solid. Customers have responded well, and the UX is excellent.

How did CreateApe perform from a project management standpoint?

Whenever we need to speak, Alessandro immediately scheduled the calls and sent the invites. We communicated via Skype calls and coordinated the project using Jira.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Aside from the excellent final product, nothing specific comes to mind.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Although the final product was strong, there were instances when I had difficulty conveying specific business requirements that weren’t always captured in the initial iterations. We had to go back and forth a few times to arrive at the final result.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When working with a team within the UX/UI space, it’s important to have a strong product owner that understands what the final outcome should be. Know how you want the product to feel and what your users should experience.