Fortnight

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a car leasing platform which offers CMS and backend services for car dealers and leasing brokers, as well as website and marketing services for them. I’m the founder. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Fortnight?

We're trying to get the full brand developed, as well as the designs from a UI/UX perspective done for the website and the mobile application.

The website is a backend system that has been set up for leasing brokers that sign up with us, which is only accessible on registration. There are a few parts to it as a marketing landing page, which is built on Webflow, and then there's a custom developed website which is based on React.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started by trying to understand the industry and the environment — the automotive industry is a fairly old-school one. They're trying to find a balance between reaching those old school contacts, but with a modern design and a defined approach that is coming from outside of the automotive industry.

What is the team composition?

In total, 5–6 people work with us. We had the initial contact with a project manager and then I believe there are two designers and two developers involved. 

How did you come to work with Fortnight?

We had a few common contacts and then we found them on Dribbble. We chose them based on a mixture of looking at the work online and seeing social media posts, and we also have a few strong contacts in the industry who we heard of them from.

How much have you invested with them?

The amount comes to about £65,000 (approximately $85,400 USD) at the moment.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2019 and we are still working with them.

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

Delivering on time and budget is always a big KPI for those projects and communication along the way worked really well, so that is great. We're really pleased with the design.

There aren’t any hard metrics at the moment that we have in terms of total conversion rates, because it's too early to have enough quantitative data.

The feedback was done with user testing people in this industry and it was a standout point that the branding and design were so spot on.  Their team is fairly informal and focused on getting things done, which is great.

How did Fortnight perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Notion to break the work down into milestones. For branding, for example, they worked through it in a couple of weeks. They used a sprint approach to really set specific milestones and expectations and plot the design work. That was great.

That's just allowed us to have a constant view of what's going on and to be flexible in moving things around, which is essential for a big project where things are always changing. 

They read into the material in terms of understanding the industry and what's needed and competitive as well as what we are trying to bring across and to make sure that the branding aligns with that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I would point out the communication and their focus on getting things done rather than being too bogged down. Project management and the iterative, flexible approach have been really great. That approach to design where it's fairly practical or focused with a specific goal in mind is great. 

Parts of the design have been particularly good for the branding and design element, which was really spot on from a UI/UX perspective. The development was great as well, but that's what really stood out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could have spent more time on user testing, although that wasn't really a requirement from our side. Maybe if they already had a test setup for a big group that they can use for that.

That might be a different field altogether, though. Other than that, I can’t really say we would have done anything differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I definitely recommend their services and I would recommend getting them involved quite early on. They're quite good with the initial design concepts and understanding user flows in the industry.

Even if you’ve only got an idea or haven't got the product fully fleshed out, it was really helpful to talk to them about it and then steer in that direction. I wouldn't wait too long and then just use people like them for delivery. 

Get them involved in the discovery process early on, which helped us a lot with efficiency afterward, because they were involved from the beginning and have done a lot of research in the industry as well, so that was quite good.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder Kikiart, I set up the business in 2018 and it was initially a platform to sell large abstract paintings and interiors; cushions, pyjamas, table cloths etc. The following built very quckly and it has become more of a lifestyle brand focusing on the healing properties of colour and Mindfulness. Fortnight have helped me to realise the vision for the brand moving forward.

For what projects/services did your company hire Fortnight?

We wanted to create a website that conveyed the vibrant tone and self-love and care mantra of our brand, also an effective eCommerce platform to sell our products. We liked the idea of an App to enhance this but we had no idea how/what was possible...we loved the idea of creating something like Headspace but had no idea how we could pull this off in an original way that linked to the brand.

What were your goals for this project?

To create something interactive and vibrant that we were proud of for our launch to market.

How did you select this vendor?

I have a friend who had previously worked with Fortnight, they recommended them and the project to project basis they work on.

Describe the project in detail.

We worked closely with Fabio and Rico to reimagine our digital offering, we kind of just gave them a wishlist and they were super straightforward in terms of what was/wasn't achievable within our budget. We are a bunch of creatives and have no concept of tech so we started with a brand discovery workshop and then committed to the website and App.

What was the team composition?

Initially, we had a discovery session with Fabio and the team which was incredibly valuable in terms of reimagining the brand and how it will translate into product. We have been in regular comms with our project manager and Fabio about the UX/UI.

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

We are launching a website and App that we are incredibly proud of and couldn't have imagined it would look this slick.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They are in constant comms, we use slack and it has been seamless. We like that they are straight talking and tell us how it is, it feels very authentic, we have been burnt my larger agencies in the past who have promised the world and then been very difficult to reach. I must say, Fortnight have been very invested in the projects and we feel that enthusiasm which is great.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The above, we like that they understand what it means to be a startup, they break things down into manageable chunks and they have an ability to explain design and development in a way that is tangible to non-tech savvy people.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Overall we are really happy with this partnership thus far.

Introducs your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a Mobile App allowing users to send personalised cards from their mobile

What challenge were you trying to address with the vendor?

Brand creation, brand positioning, mobile app design & development, website design and development, app launch

What was the scope of their involvement?

Full involvement in creating the brand, designing and developing the website and mobile app

What is the team compisition?

myself, UI/UX designers, developers, project managers, brand designers, illustrators

How did you come to work with the vendor?

Found their designs online and contacted them because I liked their style.

How much have you invested with them?

$90,000

What is the status of the engagement?

brand created, website created, mobile app created and launched, future optimisation work planned

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

app and website are now live with great user feedback and reviews. the brand is beautiful and stands out

How did the vendor perform from a project management standpoint?

great communication and reporting - very easy to work with

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their design skills and communication. Always making sure I was happy with the results

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the co-founder of Heal Ventures, a venture studio building products in the mental health and wellness verticals. Previously I co-founded Archbolt which I sold earlier this year. We've worked with Fortnight during both studios.

For what projects/services did your company hire Fortnight?

We hired Fortnight to support our team on the UX/UI for startups that we collaborated with.

What were your goals for this project?

To create a easy to use experience for early users of our products keeping human design principles in mind.

How did you select this vendor?

We reviewed tons of freelancers and agencies via dribble and Clutch and eventually picked Fortnight.

Describe the project in detail.

There are many projects we've collaborated with other vendors on that we've had to micro manage the whole process, from discovery through delivery. We chose Fortnight because we understood early on that they understood our needs and did very well to fill our gaps. Because they work with many startups, they focus on understanding the data and designing quickly and collaboratively rather than packaging designs into presentations, etc. We liked that.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with the designers.

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

One our collaborations now has millions of views. The other projects were prototypes that have gone on to raise cash.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. Communication was key and they were on top of it.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Collaboration, communication, speed

Are there any areas for improvement?

We were happy with Fornight all around.