Faction Studio

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder, creative director, and interim CEO of a sports gaming startup. We host gaming tournaments related to major sports.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Faction Studio?

Sports gaming is an increasingly competitive industry amongst well-financed media companies and casinos, overseas operators, and the American market. My company wanted to build a new gambling app that we anticipate will receive significant attention from major media partners in the forthcoming football season.

Our core goals were to reduce time to market (TTM), provide novel user experiences and interfaces, and gamify an experience that has not traditionally been gamified.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Faction Studio is helping us build an iOS and Android app from scratch. We underwent a preliminary whiteboarding phase, during which we planned how to streamline and gamify an entire category of wagering. Our teams exchanged several sketches, which Faction Studio used to build interfaces. They did such a superb job with the UI designs that we decided to have them do mobile development.

What is the team composition?

We work with a senior project manager; a UI/UX designer; and Android, iOS, and backend developers. We also work with Faction Studio’s co-founder.

How did you come to work with Faction Studio?

We ordinarily did development in-house, but my team was impressed by Faction Studio’s UI designs and their capabilities in mobile development. I’ve been involved with or invested in several other ventures, and I have often referred them to Faction Studio for design and marketing work. I also knew Faction Studio’s co-founders when they worked for a previous company.

How much have you invested with them?

My company will likely spend around $650,000 this year.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work with Faction Studio began in August 2018, and it is ongoing. We’re currently very deep in the development phase, so we’re collaborating on a daily basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Faction Studio delivered fast, clean, and intuitive interfaces. Our investors are blown away by how quickly Faction Studio is working; they’ve augmented our development speed quite dramatically, which is critical for a time-sensitive product that is dictated by the start of football season. We’re already close to being in a testing environment.

How did Faction Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Based on my pre-existing relationship with one of Faction Studio’s co-founders, I discussed larger strategic issues with him at the beginning of the project to determine what internal and external resources we’d need. He used his experience with many different products and industries to provide feedback and ideas.

We’re in the founding stages of our brand, so my team and I are very hands-on at every step of the project, from creating sketches to APIs. We work in two-week development sprints that are very iterative. Our teams have ongoing communication via Basecamp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The rate at which Faction Studio understood our product development goals was impressive; they got up to speed quickly. They’re very knowledgeable about creating fluid experiences on mobile products. We’ve also been impressed by their collaborative nature, ability to execute the specs, and ideation.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’ve been impressed across the board so far. I wouldn’t have agreed to do a feedback interview if I had any reservations.

Any advice for potential customers?

Faction Studio understands a wide variety of industries, which is why they’re so talented at building brand new products. Our app has a steep learning curve, but Faction Studio has developed remarkably quickly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are Pool, an ad agency from Stockholm, Sweden. We believe that sustainability, kindness and passion gives us courage to create cutting-edge communication that feels. I'm working as an Art Director, and am also a partner in the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Faction Studio?

We were about to make a new website, and were looking for a very easy-to-use CMS so when I found Squarespace – it was love at first sight (or site). Unfortunately, there were no web designers in Sweden at that time who had a developer license for that platform. Therefore I reached out to developers in the UK and in the States with my request.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I made a photoshop mock up to visualize our new homepage and Faction Studio took it from there. They were really helpful in finding the best solution in both interactivity and backend for easy updates.

How did you come to work with Faction Studio?

Squarespace.com lists the developers that use their platform on their website. I got estimates from 5 different companies and I think Faction Studio was in the middle of the price range. I decided to go for the cheapest one and when I called Faction Studio to inform them that I was taking the project another company, they took It really well and even gave me some recommendations for the project. After the call, I had gained so much trust and respect for the project manager from Faction Studio that I couldn't convince myself not to work with them. And so I did.

How much have you invested with Faction Studio?

We have invested about 10,000 euros.

What is the status of this engagement?

Late March 2016 to May 2016. We did some add-ons to the site after that during the summer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We just launched the site. We are an ad agency so we do not depend on the visitors of our site. It's more like a commercial for us.

How did Faction Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Really good. I never felt left alone, and was always informed about the project status. We mainly worked in basecamp.

What did you find most impressive about Faction Studio?

Their ability to work very fast turn a rough idea into a buyable solution. The project manager that I was working with, Kristy Curry - was the main reason why I changed my mind in the first place to tell them that they didn't get the project. Her kindness and guidance won me over.

They respond directly. Even if they don´t have the answer right away they let you know that they are working on it. Faction Studio is devoted to their work, they really want to deliver their best at any moment.

Are there any areas Faction Studio could improve?

I don't have cons about Faction Studio. I loved working with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Freetopia, a mobile marketplace for giving away and receiving free items. It’s something similar to eBay, but all of the items are free.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Faction Studio?

I was trying to get a prototype built for my app so that I can take that and pitch it to investors. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Faction Studio worked on the app for me and they did the whole interface, the UX design. It’s an iOS app. The actual prototype that they delivered is called a Flinto version; it’s just a tap-able version of the prototype. All of the branding, logos, and different symbols used within the app came from Faction Studio. They also built the website. For that, they created the home page, the about page, and a contact page. To show you how it actually works, they added some screenshots of the app. That’s what they did for the website. In addition, they created a PowerPoint pitch deck presentation for me. I just gave them the direction I wanted to go with, some of the content that I wanted, and they made it very visual. They created graphs for all the slides and made sure that the color scheme matched up and everything.

How did you come to work with Faction Studio?

I found out about them through Google; I was just Googling a bunch of companies. I spoke with Jason and then had a Skype call with him. They just seemed to be the best that I can find.

How much have you invested with Faction Studio?

We did $15,000 for the prototype, the website, and the pitch deck.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began in early August or late July, and we ended about 2 weeks ago. It lasted about a month and a couple of weeks. After I get the money that I need, I’m going to come back to them so they can finish the final version of the app. Then they’ll also be available for support after that’s built.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

In the beginning, I wasn’t quite sure if they understood everything I wanted in the app. Faction Studio had me create a story around a typical Freetopia user. When I saw the first draft of the prototype, it was better than what I had even imagined. That was really mind-blowing for me.

How did Faction Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

That was really easy. They used a program called Basecamp. All the questions I had they answered flawlessly and almost immediately. Communication was great and they made it really easy the whole time.

What did you find most impressive about Faction Studio?

I was impressed by their attention to detail. They also gave useful tips and helped me think about the app’s features in a different way. They also sent me a lot of helpful articles that they had read, so I thought that was cool.

Are there any areas Faction Studio could improve?

None that I can think of off the top of my head. It was pretty much a great experience. I can’t really think of anything that they could’ve done better right now.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company connects brands to college students through on-campus scavenger hunts. My position is CEO and co-Founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Faction Studio?

We were looking for a team to help us build a more comprehensive mobile application and web back-end. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a really good idea of what we wanted to create since we had a previous application that we made ourselves. Faction Studio helped us narrow down the technical aspects. They made a really comprehensive back-end for the iOS and Android mobile apps. Our student ambassadors can use a web application to run the scavenger hunts on their campus. Faction Studio helped us create that. I don’t think that Faction Studio has ever made something quite like our app before, so it was a totally unique process every step of the way.

How did you come to work with Faction Studio?

We were browsing around online and found several firms. We had serious talks with many companies in Manhattan and even in other cities across the country. We had about 3 or 4 really serious conversations and Jason was, by far, the most sincere. It was an easy choice for us to go with Faction Studio. The company seemed like it would just be a really great fit for where we were at the time.

How much have you invested with Faction Studio?

We have spent $50,000 to $200,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

Jason and Faction Studio were the first development company we worked with. The project began in May of 2014 and is still ongoing. We still are in touch with Jason to this day. Over the summer, there were a couple of different things that we wanted to add for this year. It’s really maintenance and just checking in to see how everything was going. In the summer of 2015, we did a rather large update to our app. We added a bunch of features, including chat, and we were in touch with Jason about that.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Tons of students, users, and student ambassadors work for us. We’ve worked with several brands, startup snack brands. We’re also working with Pepsi, Popcorner, and Chipotle. For many of those brands, our software is their go-to marketing approach for the college market. They are reaching college students through our platform. When the CMO or brand marketing managers think about their college game plan, our product is a huge part of that. Running this whole platform is a lot for my partner and me, and we also manage a team of over 200 students on the ground. None of it would’ve been possible without the help from Faction Studio. We have just over 10,000 downloads. We track our ratings. We have pretty good ratings in the App Store and Google Play Store.

How did Faction Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

I believe that we’ve used Basecamp. Basecamp was super helpful. Other project management tools I’m not sure about but always really good email back and forth, phone calls, etc. We worked with Jason, but now we work a lot with Edward. In terms of deadlines, it was always good.

What did you find most impressive about Faction Studio?

I’ve never used another agency for this, so I don’t know what to compare Faction to. But they’re just really overall great people. Jason really seemed to care about what we were doing, not just about the project. He really showed sincere interest in what we were building and he continues to show that. One of their developers is out in Russia. When he came to New York, we had lunch with him and had a little talk. I found it really nice that I actually got to sit down and meet him face to face. I know some people who work with overseas developers might never get to see them. It really made the connection a lot different. Jason invited us into his home in New York City when we were first getting started and we met his wife and his dog. I can’t imagine other people doing that. Maybe other development agencies do that, but it’s such a great feeling.

Are there any areas Faction Studio could improve?

None.

BACKGROUND

Please introduce your business and what you do there.

Rosetta Getty is a high-end womenswear company. We produce everything from women's ready-to-wear garments to some shoes and accessories. We are based out of New York, although Rosetta lives in Los Angeles. I am the director of sales in charge of all international business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Faction Studio?

We needed to update our website platform to accommodate links to larger platforms, thus providing us with broader visibility and increased interaction.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our old website was using Squarespace, and we needed to move that to Shopify. Faction Studio did everything from moving the back-end to improving some of our design elements. They handled all of that for us and got us fully operational on Shopify. What we were trying to do was get our e-commerce up to a level that would be functional.

How did you come to work with Faction Studio?

I actually was not a part of the selection process. However, I believe Faction was the original developer that created our website on Squarespace, so it was an easy decision to get them back on board to help us get to the next level.

How much have you invested with Faction Studio?

We have spent something more than $10,000 working with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

I think the project took about three to four weeks total. We engaged them in July [2016]. Our target was to be operational by August 1, and we definitely hit that goal. Overall, it took about a month to get everything up and running.

Faction has agreed to help us with the next part of our integration with a larger website, Style.com, so they will be coming back in to help us integrate with that platform as soon as the plug-in is available.

They have been very hands on and readily available to us. IT [Informational technology] is not my background – although I have been managing this process – and they have been amazing in stepping in and answering my silly questions. They've done an excellent job.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We gave them a very aggressive timeline, but they were pushing us to be ready on our end more than we had to push them. They were incredibly quick and attentive to every detail. The new site is just operational, so I don't have any metrics, but I will say that Faction has been fantastic in the way they have attacked the project.

How did Faction Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very patient and very clear in laying out the steps that were needed. They were quick to explain things to me and help me to understand why we were doing things the way we were – or why things weren't functioning the way I needed them to. Then, they were very quick to fix those things. Their patience and guidance along the way was phenomenal.

What did you find most impressive about Faction Studio?

The best thing was just how easy they were to work with. They made everything very understandable for me. They were super attentive. They would answer my phone calls any time of day or night. They were very quick to respond, and they were just lovely to work with. I can't say it another way – they were just great to work with.

Are there any areas Faction Studio could improve?

I don't think so. They provided everything I was hoping for.

BACKGROUND

Please introduce your business and what you do there.

Mrs. Sizzle is a blog that raises awareness about rescued animals. I am the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Faction Studio?

I needed to build my website from the ground up. I knew I wanted to use Squarespace, so I searched for New York City designers that could use that platform and came across Faction Studio.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had an initial meeting with Faction Studio, mainly about the design and functionality of what my website would be. I was in the very early stages of thinking about this project, and they helped develop and code the back-end of the site, then helped me with graphics, illustrations, the layout, the flow – all those kinds of things.

The only thing the site does not need is a shopping site, but it definitely is connected to all of my social media platforms – Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Now, I have another social media platform called Take It To, which it's compatible with. Faction Studio set up all of those features in a logical and systematic manner. They were involved in helping me organize the project.

How did you come to work with Faction Studio?

I knew I wanted the website to be on Squarespace, which is based out of New York. Squarespace has a list of referrals to various companies. I just liked what Faction had to offer, so I reached out to them.

How much have you invested with Faction Studio?

I have spent something less than $10,000 working with them. Faction is very willing to work within a limited budget, which is what I had as a startup company. They were very willing to work with me within my means, which was helpful.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in May 2014, and I think took only a month. As the site grew and developed, Faction consulted with me through all the changes I was making.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I think with a blog it's difficult to measure the effectiveness of any design since content is so much of what a blog is all about. They just made it accessible on social media platforms. Whatever they were doing was fantastic, but it's just not something that is necessarily measurable. Their capabilities are so much broader than what my needs were. I've recently been working with them on a social media app they developed. I think what I used them for is only a small part of their actual capabilities.

How did Faction Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They were fantastic. Working with Faction was just such a breeze. They understood what my needs were and were able to speak to those needs.

What did you find most impressive about Faction Studio?

They are intuitive about what people's needs are, and they didn't try to oversell me on things I didn't need. They are in tune with what they can provide within a budget.

Are there any areas Faction Studio could improve?

No, not at all. In fact, I wish I had had more needs because they certainly could've met those if I had them.

BACKGROUND

Please introduce your business and what you do there.

My company is Blisfix, a technology company in the healthcare space. I am the vice president.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Faction Studio?

We needed the help of Faction to design our entire online presence.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed both a mobile and a web application. In order for the system to work, we needed two versions of the app – an in-house version and a customer version. The app was designed for iOS. After that, they developed a website for us as well.

How did you come to work with Faction Studio?

The reason why we started working with Faction is their experience with technology startups. My company is made up of myself and two other partners, one of whom had experience working with Faction, so he suggested using them.

Faction was helpful in developing the app itself and in the process of getting approval from the App Store. They knew the industry inside and out. They were well rounded, which helped with the entire process. I just felt like they had many resources for us to pull from, so that was very helpful to us. They had much experience and good connections. They didn't just build something for us and leave. They built something for us, and then showed us how to leverage it.

How much have you invested with Faction Studio?

We have spent something in excess of $50,000 working with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in the first quarter of last year [2015], but we actually didn't get our approval from the App Store until August. Actually, I think today [August 2016] is our anniversary in the App Store. We still work with them to do our maintenance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Two things stand out. First, when we submitted the app to Apple, it was accepted in literally a few minutes. It was so well done that once it was submitted, the approval and turnaround process with Apple was immediate. Second, the feedback has been very positive, and people love the app because it is very user-friendly. I've heard that a lot.

How did Faction Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent. If there was any problem with them running late, they would let us know, but usually that wasn't an issue. They have a good team over there and using Basecamp was a real help.

What did you find most impressive about Faction Studio?

I don't have much experience working with other app developers, but I was impressed with their follow up, which was exceptional. If I had a question, they usually had an answer for me right away. It wasn't just about them building something and leaving it to us to figure out the details of every step along the way. They created a whole experience for us by helping us as a partner. They were also very accessible to us.

They have worked with many big companies, including companies out of Silicon Valley, so we were impressed by them. Their experience is just phenomenal, and they bring that with them to whatever project they're working on. They're experienced, and they made the whole process easy for us.

Are there any areas Faction Studio could improve?

No. I don't have anything negative to say about them.

BACKGROUND

Please introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a bespoke custom men's suit shop in New York City. I'm the founder and owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Faction Studio?

We needed to overhaul our website. I had worked with two different developers who were not doing what I wanted done. One was referred by Shopify, and the other was an acquaintance that was just trying to help out. Unfortunately, they were unable to clean things up, and the site was still unresponsive and buggy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After beginning my collaboration with Faction Studio, they were able to go in and retweak the site aesthetically and bring it up to something that I felt was more beautiful and functional. They made it more responsive and fully functioning.

Nonetheless, so many problems and bugs remained with the site that they ended up fully redoing the site, based aesthetically on what I had built. Although Shopify provides an e-commerce component, it's not a huge focus of what we do. Primarily, the site is about enticing customers to come in and see what we do in person.

How did you come to work with Faction Studio?

I was going to go back to the firm that had originally developed the site. They had been the ones that had built this app, so, given all the problems, I wasn't sure going back to them made much sense. We had already worked with them but had been unhappy, so it made sense to start with someone new.

We found Faction Studio through a mutual friend that had worked with them on something else. We connected and just started opening a conversation. They looked at our website and just started in.

How much have you invested with Faction Studio?

We have spent something less than $10,000 working with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project went on for six months, but much of that time was spent with me getting everything together. It took a few months of me just dragging my feet organizing everything before we actually started working on the site. Faction took four to six weeks to do everything and wrap everything up. They brought in help with photographers who were shooting content. There were multiple things happening throughout the process. We started at the end of May [2016] and wrapped everything up by the second or third week of July.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I don't have any hard data, other than just being happy with my site. It looks good.

How did Faction Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. I run a small business here, and we're juggling so many different things. They kept me on point. They were more pushing me to hit deadlines than I was pushing them. They just needed me to do my part. I felt like they actually forced me to finish rather than the other way around. That's much better than other places I've worked with where it's me begging them to finish.

 Communication was good. I worked with one of their cofounders for the first half of the project. During the second half involving smaller details, I worked with a project manager who did the final tweaks.

What did you find most impressive about Faction Studio?

The biggest thing for me was having a nice mix of a high case level and the ability to deliver something, which in the past has been a real challenge for me. I've worked with others who were capable in programming, but didn't have the case level needed to execute the project. I felt that, working with Faction, I was able to have a good vision, but also able to execute what we talked about – improving the aesthetic side and executing. That mix was what made it for me.

Are there any areas Faction Studio could improve?

No, everything was great. I have nothing to complain about. It was just an all-around simple process, which was nice.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company is a tech startup that helps consumers manage their careers using executive coaching tools. These resources are delivered on-demand through technology. I am the sole founder, sole investor, and CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Faction Studio?

Our company had two challenges. Faction Studio helped develop our first product. It's a web application that mimics the experience of working with an executive career coach. The web app is a fusion of content and process. Second, we needed to essentially brand or build a store on our content marketing website. This was a separate deliverable for Faction Studio.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Faction Studio developed all the front-end aspects of the web application. Specifically, they helped with design, user flow, and user experience. Faction Studio then built the app and successfully delivered it. They handled the project management, programming, and testing associated with the web application.

For the website, Faction Studio did the design, implementation, and coding. Then, they transferred those assets to us. All the content was ours and Faction Studio was our technical implementation team. The site is coded in Ruby, and the database or the back-end is a Heroku for the web application. The site itself is on Squarespace.

How did you come to work with Faction Studio?

We didn't have any previous existing relationship with Faction Studio. They were referred to us. We were looking and had been talking to a number of different vendors. We did a request for proposal with Faction Studio and several things set them apart. Faction Studio is based in New York and had worked with many other smaller companies and startups before. They were affordable from a market pricing perspective, and the quality of their work seemed current and progressive.

How much have you invested with Faction Studio?

We have invested $10,000 to $50,000 in our project with Faction Studio.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Faction Studio started in the middle of September 2015. We went live with the app on May 1, 2016 and, up until last week [July 2016], they were doing some upgrades and enhancements.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Our website has earned positive reactions from prospective customers and people in our network. Even though we're a startup, the website made us look very professional and buttoned-up. We also have very positive feedback on our web application. Students from general assembly in a UI/UX [user interface/user experience] program did testing for our web application. In addition, the app was tested by 15 people from our network and the UserTesting consortium. There's still a lot of room for improvement, but the web application received very positive reviews overall.

How did Faction Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Faction Studio did not perform very well in terms of project management. The project management for the website was much better than it was for the web application. Faction Studio generally had a pretty good attitude and are good problem solvers. However, they are not the most structured in terms of managing scope and projects. This was one of our biggest challenges while working with Faction Studio.

What did you find most impressive about Faction Studio?

We appreciated the fact that Faction Studio is flexible and open, which was very helpful. In particular, they are very knowledgeable about Squarespace and its capabilities. I don't know if I'd hire them to make a WordPress website, but when it comes to Squarespace, it's something that they know very well. There wasn't a learning curve, so that was a big advantage.

Are there any areas Faction Studio could improve?

Definitely on their project management. Our schedule was off by several months. I think our total project span ended up being multiples of what was proposed. They need to improve their project scoping and estimation, project management, urgency, client relationship management, and communication. We're a startup, but we were pretty mature, and we were outmanaging Faction Studio. Faction Studio didn't have much of the design leadership, if you will. They were responsive and would do what we asked, but they weren't pushing our thinking typically or implementing it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

MAKE is a design-driven, prestige beauty and skincare brand with an ecommerce flagship at makebeauty.com.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Faction Studio?

We wanted to streamline our website with a more refined, brand positive image that was mobile-friendly and easier to shop. To implement a better user experience, we retained Faction Studio to design and create the site using Shopify as the platform. As a young brand in beauty with no brick-and-mortar flagship of our own, it was important to us to launch a site that we could personalize fully.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Faction handled the design, wireframes, and implementation of launching the site. We provided Faction with design concepts and inspiration while explaining our needs, and they created a template based on a design from our previous website. They also used layouts from our design team and prepared a few different options for our review.

How did you come to work with Faction Studio?

They were recommended through a friend in the e-commerce space. After considering other firms, we selected Faction based on their past work, flexibility, and genuine enthusiasm about our brand.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The total cost was between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We met in early December 2015 and began the process on February 1, 2016. We launched the site on June 15, 2016 and spent another month making final changes and refining details.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

While the site is still new, conversions have increased, and we're generally very happy. The site is mobile-optimized and streamlined with a better user experience. Faction Studio created a site that offers a straightforward way to shop while elevating the look of Shopify templates, making it easier and faster for the consumer to shop our site.

We personalized all of the templates and Faction had to design many features from scratch, so this isn't your basic e-commerce Shopify site. It's more of a bespoke version, which is what we wanted. We're using Shopify as the base, but they designed a much more elegant face, and we're happy with it.

How did Faction Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

The Faction team has been very responsive any time we experienced an issue. They have done a great job of communicating effectively and managing our expectations throughout the process in a timely manner. We used Basecamp to manage projects and had occasional conference calls to touch base about more abstract concepts or needs related to templates. We have only met two or three times in person to ideate.

What distinguishes Faction Studio from other providers?

Faction felt less like an agency and more like an individualized service. We developed a relationship with the team and appreciated how straightforward and professional they were. We foresee this being a long-term relationship, and we would do business with them again if we need another website. Many agencies charge higher rates and continually add to the cost, but Faction Studio's services were cost-effective.

Is there anything Faction Studio could have improved or done differently?

No. Their work has met our expectations.