Creative Navy

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

We’re in the launching phases, so, at this point, no, we don’t have any results. Regarding aesthetics though, the design is really clean—not noisy or busy at all. From a user perspective, you can see where you need to go and how to navigate the site. There’s not a lot of explanatory wording.

People aren’t going to jump out of their chair at amazing colors, but it’s not designed for that. It’s a processing system, and it looks good for what it is. It’s definitely a step up from our existing products in terms of fidelity and cleanliness.

How did Creative Navy perform from a project management standpoint?

They set up a Slack channel, and we spoke almost daily for a while. We also had weekly roundup meetings that eventually turned into biweekly meetings.

It was evident at some points that our timescales were not aligned, which led to some delays. A few resulted from them pushing forward faster than we wanted to, as well as vice versa. Generally, everything was fine, though. Nothing was missed. They finished what we asked them to.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their grasping of concepts was amazing. They quickly understood our market and needs, and Dennis in particular had a strong hold of our problems, quickly coming up with solutions. I didn’t have to spoon-feed them anything. It took some people in our organization years to work some things out, but Dennis got it done quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would appreciate more visibility about what they’re doing behind the scenes so I could know what they’re up to a bit more. When you’re outsourcing things, you can’t say simply asks what’s going on. We’d go through periods of where a lot would happen, and then we wouldn’t know what was going on for a little bit, but then a lot would happen again. So, overall, visibility on what’s happening internally would be nice.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be really clear about what you want upfront, which is just a classic project issue. Have a lot of documentation about what you want. Additionally, make decisions and be decisive about what you want to do. Finally, if you’re going to pay for something, make use of it and give it the time it needs. Don’t get distracted.

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

We’re quite impressed with their work, as they’re committed to understanding what we were trying to solve. They have a good design understanding of the platform now and have expertise in different environments, including iOS and Android.

They’ve also been instrumental in suggesting process improvements, on at least two occasions. I really appreciate that proactive approach, and I feel it’s helped them gain our trust. We need subject-matter expertise from a design perspective, but we also need a trustworthy partner that wants to improve the product.

We had a different design methodology, and we work in an agile environment, with an offshore development team and product director. Creative Navy has really understood how to make the best of it, coordinating the times and meetings with regularity. As the project progressed, things have improved and become less scattered; introducing processes for addressing any prior concerns.

How did Creative Navy perform from a project management standpoint?

We were in communication with different team members almost every day, depending on the need. They’ve been quite adaptable in their ways of working and have made themselves available for meetings at different times. That’s really important for project delivery, and it demonstrates to me that they’re focused on the end goal of producing good designs.

I also appreciate that they treat it as an iterative process, continually improving, making suggestions, visiting our offices, and taking time talk to me generally. We have to make releases at certain times and get certain functionalities in place, so they’ve had to be adaptable.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their understanding of the platform, which is quite complex, is excellent. Their ability as designers to bring the concept to life has been impressive. They accelerated their learning, bringing the gained logic into the designs. It’s not just about colors and fonts, but about functionalities and what we’re trying to achieve.

Are there any areas they could improve?

More time and creative freedom on their side would help them make more design improvements. Although it’s impressive that they’ve understood our platform, it’s also a tricky one. A breadth of similar platform analysis could help in the future.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Ensure they are given the big picture from the word go, and the chemistry between both parties will flourish a lot quicker. There needs to be a bigger-picture understanding. I would recommend that anyone starting a project with them invest time in that and give them access to everything.

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

We were very satisfied working with Creative Navy. They had great customer service, and the team remained flexible as we faced challenges throughout the process. Although we had a strict schedule, they were able to implement numerous requirements while meeting our deadlines. 

How did Creative Navy perform from a project management standpoint? 

They managed the project well. We stayed in contact often via phone and Skype, but there were times when we didn’t communicate much because we were waiting for our internal departments to validate their work. In those cases, Creative Navy pushed us to get the necessary information and kept us on track. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Besides their flexibility, I was impressed with how reliable they were. The team delivered the project quickly, kept to the budget, and responded eagerly to our requests. I appreciated that they pushed us for feedback and answers, which prevented us from having any delays. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

No, not that I can recall. They were a good partner, and we hope to use them again in future projects. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Contact them because they are very good.