DesignString

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the co-founders of SaaSBOOMI, a nonprofit. It’s a platform for SaaS founders.

What challenge were you trying to address with DesignString?

We had set up a website with another partner. The site looked good, but it had a lot of UI/UX issues. We realized many of our users weren’t able to get what they wanted from the website. 

The positioning of the website was also impacted. Users were taking more time and not able to find what they were looking for. It was also a challenge for us to manage the updates. We decided to look for someone who could come in and do a design audit and help us with the website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

DesignString did our site audit. They spoke with some of the user groups who use the website. Once we started getting a perspective of what the users wanted, then we started building applications. 

The site was broken down accordingly. There were multiple conversations that we had. Only once we got a satisfactory comfort that we have a decent understanding of what our users are looking for, then we moved into the design phase. 

We spent a lot of time talking to potential users and potential stakeholders within our ecosystem. Then they presented a couple of personas for the website. Once we got a handle on that, we started working on the design of the website.

What is the team composition?

There were 3-4 on our side and 4-5 people from DesignString. There was someone for UI/UX, a technology architect, an account manager, a design person, and for the first few calls, the founder.

How did you come to work with DesignString?

We approached them because they do site audits. What I really liked was they understood the domain very well. Their costs are very minimal.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $7,000-$8,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2020 and the work is ongoing.

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

They provide value to us. We’ve not gone live yet but when we do, they’ll figure out the feedback from the potential users. That’s when we’ll be able to measure the success of the project. So far, it’s been on the staging server. 

DesignString is a great team. They have a good understanding of UI/UX. They’re very humble people. They’re a partner in the work we’re doing. They understand us well which is why the output has been good. We never feel we’re outsourcing.  

How did DesignString perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management has been key for this entire project. They’ve really done a good job of managing the overall project itself. The person who manages the account is very detail-oriented. 

The team they have is really awesome. They do deep research and then come back to us. Every meeting is very well planned. You know what to expect from the meeting and you know how the meeting is structured. When they do something, they have a very good reasoning behind why they suggest it. They explain it to us.

It’s been a very good experience. I’ve worked with multiple agencies in the past, but I’ve not seen any as good at communication as DesignString. Their documentation is very good. We use Slack. We always get updates. When they need help, they reach out to us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The humility they’ve demonstrated in the project has been very good.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Now that we’re in the development phase, the testing hasn’t really started. If they could have done the testing in advance, so we could go live faster, it would have been better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend working with them if you’re looking for help with UI/UX. They have a good understanding of some of the consumer apps.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder and COO of a company doing business under gotomarketer.com.

What challenge were you trying to address with DesignString?

We had a product idea for a work management solution targeted at a specific vertical market. We sought a partner to help us design and build the solution.

What was the scope of their involvement?

DesignString helped us build a user community. Their team designed and developed the whole software solution. During the initial stages, they went through all of the use cases and built the frontend mockups in Figma. Their team created all of the screens, and then we approved them and the user flow. They then scoped all of the requirements for the development with us. Their team recommended platforms for integration and helped us configure our own Cloud environment.

They used React to build the frontend. The language enabled them to incorporate the elements that users expect into the platform such as mobile responsiveness. It also enabled them to build flexible UX frameworks. On the backend, their team used Python. It isn’t a heavy database-oriented application, but they used MySQL.

What is the team composition?

In total, we've probably worked with 5–7 people, including a product designer and a backend developer. 

How did you come to work with DesignString?

We found DesignString through a referral and then checked them out on Clutch. However, we seriously considered three agencies in total. When we finished the process and scored them, DesignString scored especially high for their design abilities. Their website suggested that their team understood the mechanisms to capture users and build great looking software products. That coupled with their strong competency in building software led to our decision.

What is the status of this engagement?

We completed the negotiation in August 2020 and started the project in September. We’re roughly 10–15 days from going live but expect our relationship to continue.

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

DesignString brings a deep knowledge of UX in the software space. They capture the essence of stories in mockups and then execute on them. Their team also brings creativity to the solution. Looking at the quality of delivery, I would easily rate them an eight or nine on a scale of 1–10. They hit milestones and deliver on their commitments.

Their team set an aggressive schedule, and we knew their schedule was aggressive. Although they didn’t hit all of the deadlines, the project’s largely finishing on time. In many instances, we made changes that caused slight delays in the project.

How did DesignString perform from a project management standpoint?

DesignString is serious about collecting feedback in multiple forms. They're rigorous and relentless about giving us and receiving from us monthly surveys about the process. We know that they take feedback seriously because their leadership team asks about the results of our surveys. If I make a suggestion, I see it quickly acted on.

There are constant communication streams. They’re willing to engage in conversations via email, Slack, or Zoom. Their project’s principal is also willing to bring additional teammates on board to support solutions. They not only maintain course but also aren’t overbearing. They’re flexible on every front. Their team’s professional and nice.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It takes a lot of practice and time to figure out software development. The time you invest in the initial stages of the project pays off at the end. It’s like building a house. If you don’t plan and measure upfront, you’ll have a door that doesn’t fit in the frame at the end of the project. There’s an old saying, measure twice, cut once. That’s where DesignString shines. They were extremely patient with us during the beginning of the project. Their team supports our desire to get this project right. We’re looking at all of the pieces come together, and it all fits well. That’s due to the time we spent on the frontend.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have anything to say about improvements. Their pricing’s fair. We only had to change one line of code and it wasn’t a big deal. That’s pretty amazing to me.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Spend a lot of time on the frontend working through your ideas. Before we engaged DesignString, we worked with another agency to build a proof of concept. That clarity helped guide us forward on the right track. As I said, measure twice and cut once. Spend the time upfront and do your homework. Document your own ideas rather than wait for them to extract them from you.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of brand marketing at a venture capital firm based in the U.S., India, and Europe. We’re primarily investing in startups in the very early stages.

What challenge were you trying to address with DesignString?

We were trying to build a website. We'd already worked on building a website but had multiple issues on the UX side. We needed someone to fix the entire website's UI/UX.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Understanding our needs, they completely revamped the whole website. That involved them coming up with a new user interface and experience for our site. They took care of designing wireframes and all site components.

Then, they shipped out the final prototypes of the new website. We’re now working with the development team to create the second version of the website. DesignString is helping us manage the development process. They work very closely with the developers in building the website.

What is the team composition?

The engagement started off with conversations with the founder. I’m also in contact with the head of design, one junior designer, and the product manager.

How did you come to work with DesignString?

They came to us as a very strong referral. Since we’re a venture capital firm, we work with several startups. One of the founders, who is one of the top designers in India, recommended them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent just over $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2020, and the work is ongoing.

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

The product is not yet live. All internal and stakeholder feedback has been positive. They appreciated their work in revamping our image. We’re happy so far.  

How did DesignString perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management has been outstanding. We’re happy that we extended the relationship with them for the next six months or so. In our communications, use Notion, Slack, and email. Whenever we say something, they quickly iterate on it and make the changes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their project management and communication have been their strong points.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We don’t have any complaints about them. We’re very happy with how they’re doing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We’ve recommended them to multiple people. They can really help you only when you’re very clear on what you’re looking for. Then let them do their job.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

BookMyShow is a ticketing service that provides a platform where people can buy tickets to movies, events, concerts, and plays. We also have an entertainment content section for our users, so they can engage with the platform beyond ticketing.

I’m a group product manager for the company, handling a few vertical and horizontal products. Along with that, I lead a team of five product managers. My primary work is with UX designers on user research and with UI designers to create low- and high-fidelity wireframes. I work with the engineering team to roll out features and with the stakeholders to set expectations. Finally, I work with end customers, to ensure that product adoption is done as per expectations.

What challenge were you trying to address with DesignString?

The product design community is small with very skilled people. We weren’t able to hire the best of talent in terms of design, and that was reflecting in our product. Either the product rollouts were delayed, or the products were shipped with suboptimal UI/UX quality.

We realized that we needed to change our hiring strategy and work with design agencies in the market that could help us with skilled resources. We were also hoping to decrease our onboarding time through that process. This is where DesignString came into the picture.

What was the scope of their involvement?

BookMyShow is a platform that lists events and movies for customers to buy tickets to. There were a bunch of problems that we wanted to solve, and one of those was the process of listing items on the platform. The entire process of onboarding partners and event creation used to take close to a week, and we wanted to reduce it to a matter of hours to increase the number of listings on our platform.

We worked with DesignString to refine the problem statement, after which the product designers and managers worked with internal stakeholders to create an end-to-end user journey. Once we were done with user research, we went to the drawing board to discuss solutions for each part.

The product designers created low-fidelity wireframes, which our stakeholders reviewed. DesignString finally came up with high-fidelity wireframes, which we tested on a much larger partner base. Once we had good feedback, we sent the wireframes to development.

The product designers worked with our engineers to help them understand our expectations. Once development was complete, DesignString was involved in the user-acceptance testing, and the product was finally rolled out.  

What is the team composition?

We worked with two senior product designers from DesignString.

How did you come to work with DesignString?

I’d worked previously with their founder. That’s where the conversation first started. We wanted to find experienced people and optimize cost. We picked DesignString over their competitors based on these factors.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested more than $30,000 with DesignString.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with DesignString in August 2020, and the project was rolled out in December of that year.

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

They have some experienced product designers that have worked for various companies. Onboarding a new in-house designer would usually take months, and we were able to take that down to a few weeks in our work with them. Their product designers were working from the second week onward.

Product adoption is our key success metric, and we’re measuring this with new partners being onboarded on the platform and the number of listings going live on a weekly basis. The project is in the very initial stages, but the early numbers are quite encouraging. We’re hosting close to 60 events per week with this particular product, and we’ve onboarded close to 200 partners on the platform so far.

How did DesignString perform from a project management standpoint?

We expected to have senior people that had experience with product companies, and that showed in how they took our feedback. DesignString took ownership of the deliverables assigned to them. We never had to repeat something in order to make them understand a particular process or expectation. Having such a level of maturity is something that we really admire.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very receptive to taking feedback. Other design firms we've worked with believed that whatever they’d done was the optimal solution and weren’t keen to understand our side of the story. The two designers from DesignString took our feedback and churned out additional designs and flows based on it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could share beforehand the profiles of the designers that will be assigned to us to give us the ability to choose product designers from their pool of talent. DesignString assigned us our two designers who would be working with us.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

The organization should set expectations clearly with DesignString. Each organization has different needs and might want the designers to work in a different way altogether. For instance, a startup company will want hands-on designers, while an established organization will want designers that can handle bigger teams. My advice is that both parties should be clear with expectations when entering into a partnership.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the SVP of product at a cybersecurity training company.

What challenge were you trying to address with DesignString?

Our website — the portal to access all of our training content — was built a while ago and targeted people already familiar with cybersecurity. We wanted to expand our base and attract beginners to cybersecurity.

What was the scope of their involvement?

DesignString redesigned the website to talk to audiences less familiar with cybersecurity. Their team also redesigned the website to show that if people want to learn about cybersecurity, they should come to our website. DesignString showcased our content. It was also part of a rebranding exercise because we wanted to message our movement to security in general. Although the design’s complete, their team is also helping with the frontend implementation.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a senior project manager who was also our account manager. I also worked with the UI/UX design team lead and a couple of other designers.

How did you come to work with DesignString?

I previously worked with DesignString, so that’s how I knew them. I had a couple of discussions with them and a few other design agencies but DesignString’s approach was the most methodical. Their team was clearer about their ideas.

How much have you invested with them?

The approximate cost at this point is $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the latest project in November 2020, and it’s not completely done yet. We’re almost through to the end.

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

The design meets our expectations, and we’ve been able to go through many feedback loops with them.

How did DesignString perform from a project management standpoint?

We track the deliverables through Google Sheets. They’re responsive and their team was close to delivering on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

DesignString is incredibly methodical in their design processes. Their team is also responsive to feedback. Unlike a lot of design agencies that take a brief and implement it without question, DesignString actually researched our challenges and came back with suggestions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s not required for the project but it would be helpful if they had a visual designer on their team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with them. They’re responsive and don’t take feedback negatively.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Head of Digital Marketing at a financial services company. However, MyoPal is a personal project which seeks to create awareness about Juvenile Myositis amongst the general public and medical fraternity by providing convenient access to understanding and conducting the CMAS test. 

For what projects/services did your company hire DesignString, and what were your goals?

For the development of MyoPal web application. Goal was to get an application with flawless experience across devices.

How did you select DesignString and what were the deciding factors?

Through Referral and then subsequent discussions.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

DesignString Scope of Work - Design and Development of MyoPal web application which included: Phase

1. Overall architecture including structuring Phase
2. Design Theme (UI) Phase
3. Wireframe/Prototyping via Figma Phase
4. Development Phase
5. Testing and Debugging Phase
6. Beta Roll Out Phase
7. Review and iterations Phase
8. Final Delivery Phase
9. Handover Technology: React JS and Google Firebase.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

6 People in total:

• 1 - Project Manager
• 2 - Designer (1 main and other support)
• 1 - Backend Developer
• 2 - Frontend Developer (1 main and other support)

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Live app which can be accessed via: https://myopal.app/ MyoPal was unveiled by Dr. Sujata Sawhney in an international conference on myosotis. And it was very well received and specifically a few international doctors mentioned that in the days of the pandemic and telemedicine tests like this will be very useful and the way forward.

All of the experts worldwide are looking forward to use the same.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

DesignSrting works on Agile methodology and we use to communicate frequently at every stage of development. Tools - Figma, Emails, Google Sheet & Phone calls. Timelines - 3 Months

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The most impressive thing for us is their thorough professionalism and excellent domain expertise. It was an incredible experience working with the entire DesignString team who ensured the successful delivery within strict timelines.

Starting from Yashwanth (Founder), Nitish (Project Manager) to every member of the team ensured the task is well understood, shared their suggestions at every stage and got the iterations made wherever required which finally resulted an application with fantastic UX (user experience).

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Improvement is a part of the evolution, so I believe they'll be the best to introspect and improve on their shortcomings. For us as a client, it was an under-commitment and over-delivery done by the team.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the head of operations for a startup that creates UAV traffic management systems and software to analyze UAV and drone flights.

What challenge were you trying to address with DesignString?

We needed help building tools we needed to keep investing in our market.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve employed them three times. The first time was to build a mobile app for the tools we’re developing. They made modifications and enhancements to that mobile app in time to build a drone registration website.

How did you come to work with DesignString?

We found them through other contacts in the company we spun out of. They’d worked with DesignString in the past.

What is the status of this engagement?

We probably started with them in December 2019. The most recent project was completed in September 2020.

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

The one metric I can think of is how fast the mobile apps were accepted into the Android and Apple app stores. We also had several internal and external users test both the mobile app and the registration website. We went through a pretty detailed process with them to find issues, which they then resolved. I think they are very responsive, and, out of that, we got a much better app.

How did DesignString perform from a project management standpoint?

For the most part, from the project management side of things, I would say they do fairly well. Their communication with their customers is terrific. They are always bringing up issues when they see them. They make sure that we discuss things with them and that we are covering all the different pieces we’ve talked about in the project. We typically use email to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I would still go back to them. They are very timely and write up quick responses to questions. If we’re starting an initial contract, as well as during the contract negotiations, the president will get back to me quickly with his responses. They are easy to work with and. In fact, we have work that we are probably going to employ them for shortly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were a couple of things they missed contract-wise last time. They weren’t too big of a deal but when I mentioned it to them, the president immediately made it right and took it as something they knew they did wrong. He fixed it immediately and I was very happy with that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No, nothing more than I have already mentioned.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of an online art marketplace called Artflute. We promote independent artists and help customers discover art. 

What challenge were you trying to address with DesignString?

We acquired a brand with an archaic website and needed to build a custom platform to meet our specific needs.

What was the scope of their involvement?

DesignString developed a custom website from scratch using PHP. They managed frontend and backend development. Following our requirements, their team built the platform to support scalability. They also implemented features.

The website enables customers to create and manage their profiles as well as purchase reproductions of original art pieces, choosing from different sizes and price points. There’s also a function to support our subscription program.

What is the team composition?

My primary contact was Yashawanth (Founder & CEO), but I also interacted with two developers and a UI/UX designer.

How did you come to work with DesignString?

We found them through a referral by one of my co-founder’s contacts.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $8,000–$9,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June 2014 – April 2017.

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

Initially, we focused on the project’s timeline. We also looked to have seamless transactions on the platform. We were pleased with DesignString’s work. 

How did DesignString perform from a project management standpoint?

They usually met deadlines. As part of the feedback loop, we had a few delays. Their team was always responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

DesignString acted as if they owned the project. Their team had an absolute investment in making the business successful. They wanted to try new ideas and better our experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They occasionally attached themselves to an idea, which led to biased decisions. Over the course of the engagement, their team improved and made more balanced decisions.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be specific with your priorities and preferences. Take the time to understand the advantages and disadvantages of different technologies to make informed decisions.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a healthcare platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with DesignString?

We needed a company to design and develop our platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us to build our prototype and the early version of our platform using PHP when we started the company. They were involved with designing, product thinking, and development. 

It’s a healthcare app that gives out information to various healthcare professionals and other healthcare companies. They helped build it to send content related to a particular disease condition or a particular therapy. 

What is the team composition?

There were 3-4 people including a project manager. We didn’t generally interact with the development team.

How did you come to work with DesignString?

A few friends referred them to us. We heard good reviews about their high levels of service. We knew they’d have a good team that would understand our objectives.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between 30-40 lakhs rupees. (approximately $39,900–$53,200 USD)

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from July 2016–July 2017.

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

We received what we needed — they had both speed and quality. We felt we were in a good place working with them, and we weren’t really measuring their success. 

How did DesignString perform from a project management standpoint?

They were almost perfect as far as project management. They were a really reliable team and stayed with us throughout the process until we were absolutely satisfied. Their team was constantly in touch with us and were proactive in seeing if there were any changes in the flow. Both of our teams were proactive in communicating. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They took ownership to ensure we meet our business objectives.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We were only looking for an early-stage level, but if we were looking for scalable architecture, that would have been something we’d like for them to do. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We just went with the flow, so keep talking throughout to avoid any miscommunication. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Design Capital, a design consultancy.

What challenge were you trying to address with DesignString Solutions?

We needed a tech team to collaborate on development and design projects.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I’ve hired DesignString to support multiple projects. On one project, their team provided iOS, Android, and web development services. They also provided design services.

On another project, we collaborated on a chat-based payments product. Their team continues to help with a few projects.

What is the team composition?

I communicate with Yashwanth (Founder & CEO) and Nikhil (Chief Design Officer).

How did you come to work with DesignString?

A colleague knew of them. I also considered hiring full-time development employees. It decided to hire DesignString because of Yashwanth's commitment. He was committed to delivering what he said he would. He was spirited and hardworking.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about ₹2 million Indian rupees (approximately $26,500 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership began in August 2016, and it’s ongoing.

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

While they’re primarily a tech company, their team has started on design services too. It’s not easy to transition from development to design.

I’ve had an excellent time working with Yashwanth and Nikhil. Both of them strive for the best quality. They built a good team. They’re also open to feedback and exploring ideas.

How did DesignString perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via phone every couple of days. We also meet face-to-face because we're in the same city. When we have an active project, we meet once a month.

DesignString delivers on time. They respond to our requests quickly. Their team's also open to feedback and exploring new ideas. Even if a feature's slightly off,  they grasp the problem with little guidance and fix it easily.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They hunger to provide the best possible work. DesignString wants to improve and raise the bar.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’d be nice to see senior talent come into their team. That would really take them to the next level.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No, I can’t think of anything.