Excited

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the lead UX designer for a SaaS company in the insurance technology market. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Excited?

Excited works mainly as the UI/UX design arm of our company. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the beginning, Excited worked through design initiatives for our platform. At first, I simply observed their work for a couple of weeks. Then, I gave them guidance from a UX standpoint. For context, Excited was already working with our company when I came on board. As a result, they already had a regular cadence in terms of meetings with our CEO, who was the acting product owner and head of engineering. 

At present, they provide UI/UX designs, prototypes, and marketing illustrations for our company. We’ve recently finished a project with them, and we’re about to kick off another one soon. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with Oleksandr (Co-Founder & Design Director), who also serves as the project manager. We also initially worked with Andrii (Product Designer), but since our workload has become more complex, we’ve swapped Andrii out for Oleh (Product Designer).  

A third designer has also worked with us. Moreover, our team works with their illustrators when we need illustrations. 

How did you come to work with Excited?

Our CEO likely solicited several vendors to work with us until we landed on Excited. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $90,000–$100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in April 2020, and the engagement is ongoing. 

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

Excited’s turnaround times and deliverables have exceeded our expectations. For instance, when we expect them to spend 2–3 weeks on a task, they turn it around in 2–3 days. On top of that, the quality of their work is top-notch. In other words, they deliver quickly but not at the expense of quality. 

Moreover, their communication has been outstanding; we haven’t had to chase them on anything because they’re extremely communicative. Apart from that, I don’t have to teach or train them heavily. They know what they’re doing, and they take minimal guidance from our team to get them where they need to be in terms of deliverables. 

How did Excited perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve only started formalizing the project management process. Our team usually asks Excited about their progress through meetings, but we’ve started using Jira’s ticketing system to track the items they handle. So far, they’ve been extremely responsive to it. To communicate, we use phone calls, emails, and texts; we also have biweekly meetings. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m personally impressed with their speed and quality of work. I’ve worked with a lot of other offshore agencies, and I’ve had the best experience with Excited. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. We’ve been working so seamlessly well with Excited. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust the partnership. Excited comes on board as a partner, and they treat you as if you’re their only client. That’s been our experience: we never feel like we’re fighting for their time and attention. They’ve been extremely attentive to the projects they’ve worked on with us. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Senior Designer at BuildDirect, the first technology platform for the home improvement industry.

For what projects/services did your company hire Excited?

We wanted to improve our experience and add new features to our website to make things easier/more intuitive for the user and improve our conversion. We hired them to analyze our website, our data, propose new approaches, create a new design system and recreate ours flows, components and pages.

How did you select this vendor?

We searched online, asked for quotes and had video calls with more than 3 UX agencies.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Initially, we hired them to recreate key pages on our e-commerce. After receiving the deliverables at the end of that project, we decided to hire them on an ongoing basis to analyze the website properly, our data, propose new features, work on landing pages, emails, and recreate the whole experience.

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

1 Design Director and 1 UX/UI Designer

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We were pleased with the deliverables and the new ideas they brought to improve our e-commerce. The delivery time is great, and the communication is easy and clear.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Both people were easy to communicate with and proactive, even though we were in completely different time zones. We exchanged messages through slack + emails and got quick replies.

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

The quality of their work, attention to detail, people, and price are commendable.

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

No. I appreciate how they dealt with everything. When we needed a specific task or report, they were always willing to support us or improve something based on the feedback.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Timeero. We provide time-tracking software for businesses.

What challenge were you trying to address with Excited?

We needed to redesign our website from scratch.

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, Excited consulted with us about UI elements, asking questions to determine what was best. They came up with the full design and build of the website from start to finish. The website is built on Webflow. They also did some design improvements for our mobile app that was already built.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a UI designer, a website builder, and a product manager.

How did you come to work with Excited?

They were referred by my friend, and I had seen some of their work that I liked.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $14,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work spanned from March 2021 to May 2021.

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

The new website hasn’t launched yet, but, so far, everything looks good. I had others look at it and give feedback on the design; The feedback was positive. The website is easy to use, the look and feel are smooth, and it’s extremely fast and responsive. We have run SEO tests, and we’re pleased with the results.

How did Excited perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re available and responsive despite the time difference. We had weekly meetings, with additional meetings as needed. We used Slack, as well as Zoom video calls. They were punctual for meetings, gave great updates, and completed work on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deliver what they promise, which is rare compared to other providers I’ve experienced. They’re a great team that I would recommend to anyone. I plan to work with them again.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t know of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

To save on discovery time, know what you want ahead of time.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of InsuredMine, an all-in-one CRM, sales, marketing automation, and analytics tool.

What challenge were you trying to address with Excited?

We needed help redesigning our CRM.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have a CRM platform, and they updated the design and UX. They evaluated all of our product processes, user experience, and the flow of the design. Based on that, they recommended a newer and cleaner design that could be updated in our current product. They delivered the solution on Figma.

What is the team composition?

There were 4–5 people. One of the co-founders was involved in the project from day one.

How did you come to work with Excited?

They were referred to us by one of our clients who had used them in the past. When they showed us their work, it looked pretty good. They have a good understanding of design which is why we started to work with them.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in September 2020, and we wrapped up in March 2021.

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

Although we haven’t rolled it out yet, we’ve been happy with their services.

How did Excited perform from a project management standpoint?

They were good at meeting deadlines most of the time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a deep understanding when it comes to design thinking.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We could have done a more aggressive rollout. Our work took a little bit longer because they were trying to do too many things. I’m sure if they were our dedicated resource, we could have had a more disciplined and aggressive rollout.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to have a very clear scope document and understanding of what you want to get done.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of a company called Countd. It is basically a meal planner mobile app. Users can order food through the app and they can also track.

What challenge were you trying to address with Excited?

We needed someone to do the design for our delivery application.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed the full MVP for us as well as the user flow and user journey. They sent us a Figma link and we were able to see them working live. We also had access to their schedule at all times.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people from their team.

How did you come to work with Excited?

A friend of mine had told me about them.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent almost $15,000.

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

We’re very happy with Excited’s work. We gave them our business vision and they knew how to execute it in a well-designed user experience.

How did Excited perform from a project management standpoint?

I am happy with their communication and how they meet deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They designed the UX very well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I am quite happy, to be honest.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear understanding of what your product code map is before going into the design.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Versured, an insurance company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Excited?

I needed a solid UI/UX design team for a new venture.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They took the project from A to Z. They took some of our renderings and ideas and used Figma to create the UI/UX design for our WordPress website.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Oleksandr (Co-Founder & Design Director), and Mark (Product Designer), a designer.

How did you come to work with Excited?

We were on the hunt for a UI/UX team when Oleksandr reached out to me on LinkedIn. I went to their website and was impressed with some of their work. I talked to him about what we needed and he sent me a proposal that was reasonably priced. They clearly outlined what they could do for us and it was clear that they were a great fit.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our initial call was in June 2020 and we’ve retained them for other projects.

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

Their deliverables are on point. Excited never delivers something that isn’t satisfactory. Our development partner has been able to implement the designs that Excited created. Consequentially, users have thoroughly enjoyed the product.

How did Excited perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication is so sound; it gives us the utmost confidence in our partnership. We’re always able to get ahold of Oleksandr and his ream is always responsive even though we’re in different time zones.

Excited always outlines the project schedule and specifies the date tasks should be completed. They always stick to that date, and if it’s not fully completed, they deliver what they have so we can request revisions.

When we’ve received feedback from users, we’ve submitted revisions to Excited and they continue to iterate on it until we’re happy with the final solution.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by their organization.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Invoicing and billing could be improved. I receive them in one Google Drive folder, but they could upload proposals so they’re easier to follow. Once I told them about this problem, they fixed it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

In the initial meetings, new clients should paint a picture of what they want. Give them all the information and let them go to work.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a community platform for people to explore space via online telescopes.

What challenge were you trying to address with Excited?

We design a complex experience where people engage with telescopes in a highly technical way. It’s also social and community-driven. 

We needed a design firm that could work off an existing template style guide and help us expand the platform. We needed help with the dashboard of a new multiplayer online game layer that was put into our platform’s product experience.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went to them with ideas for new pages and experiences that needed to be developed. We had one massive project to redesign the first screen that new members would come to. We walked through the requirements with them and the experience we were trying to create. 

We described how we wanted the page to look, and they came back to us with sketches of layouts and storyboards of ways that it could look and work. We had a productive series of iterations weekly to evolve those storyboards and sketches into UI screens, which they polished all the way down to specific iconography. 

We worked together in Figma. Excited was also involved in a new administrative interface that we’ve been building for teachers that allows them to track and monitor student progress and perform assessments. 

What is the team composition?

I interfaced directly with two teammates, including a project manager, and they had other people working behind the scene. 

How did you come to work with Excited?

We had been working with someone in New York who was talented but expensive. We were looking for a way to reduce our costs without compromising on quality. We’d already worked successfully with another Ukrainian firm, so we had faith in that community. 

Excited found me on LinkedIn and told me what they could do. We worked with them on test projects and quickly gained confidence in their capabilities. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in March, and the pages went live in October 2020.

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

Excited was able to deliver the final designs in Figma, which was everything our engineers needed to turn those into functioning screens. Our website was of high caliber design before they got involved, and they were able to maintain that standard and perhaps even exceed it in some ways.

We shared the product with a sample of our most avid users, and they love it. They love everything we do, but they definitely thought this was amazing. I personally believe that it has a lot of integrity and craftsmanship. Excited knew what they were doing as designers, and they had a lot of skills with the tools they use.

How did Excited perform from a project management standpoint?

They were extremely organized and reliable. They never missed a call and were never late to deliver anything. I give them the highest marks in terms of building trust and coming through on what they say they’re going to do. 

I found them to be really good at listening to feedback and taking whatever comments and criticisms and coming back with productive enhancements and no hurt feelings. It was just all in the spirit of teamwork.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Excited combined artistry and creative personality with production reliability. It’s rare that creative people stick to deadlines, but this team did that repeatedly for us. That showed that they were well-organized and professional.

I didn’t have to deal with the struggle that they went through behind the scenes to do the work, which I’m sure any creative process requires. They kept that well hidden, and they just came through.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The team could start to incorporate more frontend engineering capabilities. I see that as an opportunity for them and something that could add value to their services.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Iterate with them. Don’t define everything to the nth degree and go off. It was a productive, collaborative, and iterative process, and they were very transparent in their work so that we could course correct all the way throughout. They were very good at that. Some artists only want to deliver their vision without any feedback. 

That's not the process we went through with them, and I would strongly encourage taking advantage of the fact that they're committed to the work, but they don't take protective ownership over what they're doing. There are lots of opportunities to give them quality feedback and reveal your own thinking.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing at Versured, an insurtech company. Our online service compares home and auto insurance quotes. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Excited?

We reached out to Excited because we needed somebody to revamp our website. Our existing site was very low quality. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Excited redesigned our website.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people from Excited.

How did you come to work with Excited?

Our CEO found them online. I know he saw Excited on a few agency websites, one of which may have been Clutch. We looked at some reviews and saw that they were really good overall. 

How much have you invested with them?

The approximate cost was about $6,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began at the end of May or beginning of June 2020. They’ve finished everything for our site as of July 2020, but they still keep in contact to make sure it’s running smoothly. 

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

Their work was very high-quality, and it exceeded my expectations. They were very clear in how they described everything. They are based out of Ukraine, and I know language barriers can be difficult, but everything was clear with them. It felt like we didn’t really have to explain too much about our product; they just got it and understood our vision.

We’d actually hired two other developers before Excited. After going through that, we were very satisfied with the product that Excited delivered. Overall, it was an incredible and positive experience.

How did Excited perform from a project management standpoint?

Excited managed deadlines very well. They always got tasks done on time or ahead of schedule. Our predicted timeline was pushed back, but that was on our end because we kept wanting to test the site and then make changes.

They used a software called Figma so that we could receive updates on their work and see the site as it was built. That was very helpful and useful for us. Their communication was very clear and concise. They were very organized in the way that they built our website.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their natural eye to design was impressive. Their design team was really good and understood the flow. Also, the way they organized each of their products and the product that they gave to us was super clear. When they handed it over to us, it was very seamless. Their design and organizational skills were very well done.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I typically try to provide feedback or some form of criticism, but I really don’t think so. They did better than what we expected them to do.

Any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise them to become familiar with Figma, or at least have one person from their team do so. Our team was somewhat familiar with Figma. I’m sure Excited would be more than happy to show them how it works.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO and CISO of HealthBridge.

What challenge were you trying to address with Excited?

We built a fintech and InsurTech platform, and we engaged Excited to help us with our UX and user design for both our internal-facing application and our external-facing member application.

What was the scope of their involvement?

After gathering the product requirements, we wrote them up in words, and then we worked with Excited, who took us through a mind-mapping process of how everything should move through the system or the website.

Once that was nailed down, the team came back with more detailed designs based on the previous feedback. Additionally, they designed and developed our current website. The first version didn’t sit well with our COO, but the team took a step back and provided in-depth changes. 

What is the team composition?

I initially worked mostly with one teammate, but he mentored another teammate, Yurii (Product Designer), who has taken on more of the design work. 

How did you come to work with Excited?

I joined the company in July 2017 as employee number three, so I needed to engage an external partner to help ramp up a significant staff quickly. That involved development, QA, and UI/UX support, which is how I met one of Excited’s members when he was working at his previous employer.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in July 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

Excited’s design and vision have been critical to our success. They are in the top three companies I’ve worked with. When I show our website to potential investors, they’re always incredibly impressed. Additionally, our users are very happy with the member website and the admin has never had any issues. 

How did Excited perform from a project management standpoint?

We follow an agile methodology. We sometimes experience a little bit of scope swing, but overall, they are rarely the reason why the development team can’t start their work because the designs aren’t done. 

Excited is great at prioritizing and communicating. When we communicate the work and the order in which it needs to be done, the team always has a good sense of how to organize and orchestrate the work to keep the machines running. 

We use RingCentral, so we talk to them all the time. They communicate well in English, and their ability to convey complex concepts has been very good. We also use Slack, and we use email when needed. Excited uses Figma to help us visualize. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the things I enjoy about working with the team is their desire to do what they believe is right. Sometimes when we give them feedback, they disagree, stand their ground, and show us why their way is better. And every time, they’ve been right.

Excited’s guidance, vision, and leadership have been invaluable. The team is incredibly easy to work with. They’re fun, laid back, and, even when deadlines and expectations are unreasonable, they do their work with a smile. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no suggestions. Excited gets the job done and stays ahead of the team, so I don’t have any significant comments. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Listen to the team. Explain your goals and vision, and let Excited craft the best visual and UI/UX to achieve that. When it’s appropriate, they are very good at pivoting, and they’re there to make sure that you are as happy as can be.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of a startup building a decentralised identity mobile application. Our technology is based on global standards and enables users to manage credentials, own their application data and easily sign into dApps.

For what projects/services did your company hire Excited?

Our company required designs for a new mobile application that simplified processes that are currently cumbersome. It's essential the application has an intuitive interface that helps educate new users on the available functionality. These designs will then be used to develop a new mobile application for iOS and Android.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted high fidelity screens that have a modern / clean design that could be taken by our mobile app developer to implement. This project is a critical piece in a larger suite of applications being developed by the company.

How did you select this vendor?

I have previously worked with Excited who have produced high quality results, on time and on budget.

Describe the project in detail.

I provided Excited with a project brief, including a list of user stories and some low fidelity mockups to help articulate some key pain points. We then had a call to discuss the project and clarify any questions around the scope of work. Excited suggested additional design work that will be required for the Apple / Play stores and quickly came up with appropriate designs.

What was the team composition?

There was a Project Manager and Lead Designer working on the project.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

It's too early to share progress on the mobile application as it's currently being developed, however we are very happy with the final designs.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. We used Figma to easily comment on designs and clarify any questions. When required we scheduled ad-hoc calls to discuss any more complex feedback or UX flows.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I am continually impressed with the quality, communication, and value they consistently provide.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing comes to mind.