DePalma Studios

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

The work was exactly what we asked for, and I was proud to present the work to our investors. 

How did DePalma Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was great. They were very attentive and their project manager did a great job. I traveled to their offices in Nashville and met them personally. DePalma Studios was extremely accommodating. We communicated via slack and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team was very communicative, keeping me abreast of what was going on and any changes they made. Since this was a creative process, there was a lot of back and forth communication, which I certainly appreciated.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing that stands out particularly, and they did a good job. I had do have one nitpicky comment which is that there were some misspelled words on the UX screen. There was definitely a language barrier with some of the UX developers. If I had to pick anything, that would be the only one. Other than that, it was a really good experience. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them, communicate a lot, and definitely do a site visit.

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

We have retrospectives and KPI calls. They’ve been responsive as well in taking constructive feedback and making course corrections, or giving internal rewards when good work was done.

How did DePalma Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, the team at DePalma Studios is extremely excellent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team has a boutique mindset when it comes to UX. They understand the design operation process well, adapting and evolving based on the best practices. Because we have such a strong understanding of the overall process, output and creativity become part of it. We operate in a new field, so there’s a slow maturity when it comes to working with large enterprise clients.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve been improving based on our retrospectives. Their team could have more UX-led innovations and ideas around that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re great for all clients, especially ones that have DesignOps processes in place. Their team’s talented resources can add capabilities to any organization. The services that come as an outcome are amazing. They’re open to feedback and have a quick turnaround time.

The team at DePalma Studios integrates well within its toolchain and their client’s tools. From a relationship perspective, everyone participates in calls. They also have an open culture that’s quite rewarding. We know almost everyone. In terms of transparency and openness, they’re excellent.

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

We’re extremely pleased with their work and so are our clients. DePalma Studios creates wonderful UX/UI that translates beautifully into full-fledged products. They’ve allowed us to be a few steps ahead in the market in regard to our UX/UI.

How did DePalma Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a lean and rapid turnaround, completing most projects in three months or less. We use Jira and Slack to constantly remain updated and informed. They offer project status reports and take timeliness seriously. They’re a great balance between speed and quality.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have the passion, insight, and experience to push the envelope and do extraordinary things. They have an impressive skillset, great project management, and a fantastic work ethic. The entire team thinks outside the box and produces excellent products. Unlike other firms, they let us know if something won’t work or could be better.

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

DePalma is one of the best partners I've ever worked with. This strong working relationship was truly a fantastic experience. I regret that internal decisions canceled the project. They had nothing to do with DePalma. We had to realign with our parent company’s new business objectives, which tends to happen in this space. The principal owner willingly adapted as our company changed course internally. I know they absorbed the price when items took longer than they anticipated to complete because we never had cost overruns.

The designers we interacted with were absolutely first-rate. As an engineer by trade, I can make a functional product, but design isn’t my specialty. DePalma Studios has the right mindset and artistic skill to give products a wonderful, embracing customer experience. It takes a special kind of person to develop the consistently superb artifacts they did. If we had questions or requested any changes, they refactored and redesigned it exactly as we wanted. The turnaround was always quite prompt, and everything they delivered was top-notch.

How did DePalma Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

DePalma Studios was incredibly responsive. We had no problems with communication despite a minor time zone difference. The team was even available to talk while on vacation. They always ensured we had the proper people engaged in the task at hand. I have the principal founder's personal phone number. If I called him right now, I know he'd pick up even though we haven't worked together in over a year and a half. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

DePalma Studios blew everyone out of the water during our formal RFP process. As a boutique vendor, we didn't know how they’d fare against teams with highly recognizable industry names. Every other contender designed a slightly better version of our existing application. They were hoping to impress us with their knowledge of our insurance model. 

While DePalma was limited in that space, they knew everything about customer experience. They developed a unique website prototype with a modern, elegant UX that received unanimous support from my team. DePalma Studios showed the innovation and creativity that no one else brought to the table.

Are there any areas they could improve?
    
As they went through a period of growth phase and internal transformation, there was some personnel turnover. We’d prefer to have kept the same resources throughout the project. That’s probably an impossible ask since there are so many opportunities available and you can’t force employees to say with your firm.

I understand they have to manage their business the best way they see fit, but these changes caused a bit of pressure. Sometimes onboarding new hires set us back a small step, but the new designers they brought in were always top notch. We never saw a reduction in quality, just with the team’s continuity.