Darko Skulj

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of PaperKarma, a mobile application that helps people unsubscribe from postal junk mail.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Recent Work?

After I required the rights to the app— it was functional but very buggy—I had an independent developer look into revamping the technology. We learned that we needed to totally rebuild of the app's frontend, which was based on 2012 iOS design standards. We wanted to revamp the UX, have a more seamless flow, and make it faster and easier to use.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did research on the current app and came up with new InVision sketch-boards, which we used to develop a prototype to beta test. We spent four to six weeks coming up with a unified design for Android and iOS. It was a pretty simple application—maybe 40 screens in total.

What is the team composition?

We worked two designers and one other resource.

How did you come to work with Recent Work?

I was familiar with one of Recent Work’s lead designers from working together at several companies in the past. He’s a famous European designer that worked with Rosetta Stone, so I was thrilled to have someone of his caliber on board. My developer also recommended him so we fast-tracked the consideration process.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $5,000–$6,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from July until September 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app’s rating in the app store has increased significantly since the redesign. We’ve double our number of subscribers, and, since they’re paying subscribers, revenue has doubled on a run-rate basis. We’re still growing now.

How did Recent Work perform from a project management standpoint?

We used email and Google Hangouts to communicate, plus InVision boards where we could comment on and edit designs. Frequency wise, we had different cadences at different times. During the research component in the beginning, we were talking every day or every other day, and they were very accessible.

As we moved into design and iterations, I would get weekly updates where we’d go through what had been accomplished. After week four, when we’d nailed down the basic design, they started talking to our developer about how to implement their designs. They talked directly and I was briefed once or twice during the two-week period.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re spot on in terms of creating clear, clean designs that are dead simple to understand, from an end-user perspective. There’s a lot of clutter and feature creep nowadays, but they took the time to understand potential pain points. They got their hands dirty and learned how to simplify the app, getting rid of as many clicks as possible. We were left with a clean, intuitive product with—what I consider to be—a beautiful, clean, modern design.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m maybe a little disappointed that they’re so selective with what they work on. I’ve asked for additional work that was somewhat outside the scope—helping create visual designs for Pitch Decks and PowerPoints—but it’s really not in their wheelhouse.

Any advice for potential customers?

I would just tell you to hire them.