Fortnight

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm an executive of a wellness and fitness experience platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with Fortnight?

I needed someone to help with custom web development for my platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fortnight to web development for us; they've coded the front- and backend from scratch and worked on mobile optimization. We already had our design when we came to them; in hindsight, we should've done the design and development with the same agency. To jumpstart the process, we had an in-person meeting in London and a Slack channel throughout the project.

The site is a booking platform, so the main objective is to ensure that the flow is good for the customer and that it is sleek and works properly. As the design was 98% there, they only had to do a small number of updates in terms of design. They did a little bit of design work, but mostly on the mobile app side of things and a little on the web, but it was predominantly a development project.

What is the team composition?

We've only been working with a developer from their team. There was also a project manager involved, but we didn't have that much interaction.

How did you come to work with Fortnight?

I found them through Clutch.

How much have you invested in them?

I've spent about £26,000 GBP (approximately $32,000 USD) with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership began in February 2022, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

The delivery has been a success — our measure of success is that we were able to launch on the day we wanted to. The developer we work with goes above and beyond to help us get everything done, which I greatly appreciated

How did Fortnight perform from a project management standpoint?

They stay on budget. Also, some things changed from our side, and they dealt with that well. Overall, we feel they're happy to work with us to facilitate our requirements as we advance.

Regarding tools, we use Slack and Zoom to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In the beginning, the price was one of the things that drew me towards them because we had much larger quotes. Also, their developer makes them stand out from their competitors; finding someone with the experience that he does was great. He didn't just put what we had in the design; he offered his expertise and suggested things as we went along, which we appreciate.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their project management. It is probably not the right agency for someone coming into it without any experience in that and expecting someone to guide them through it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear with them regarding how often you want to have check-ins. I told them at the beginning that I wanted to have weekly calls, but that was something I suggested. Also, have a clear understanding of your timelines and ensure that you are checking in with them and that everyone is on the same page.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Co-Founder & CTO of ethy, a sustainability accreditation and communications solution.

For what projects/services did your company hire Fortnight?

We hired Fortnight to completely redesign the look and feel of our website.

How did you select this vendor?

We searched online for design agencies, and created a shortlist of 10 we thought would do a good job. We asked for quotes and examples of similar work from the top 5 in the shortlist and decided based on the quality of work.

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

We had just rebranded through a different agency, so supplied Fortnight with new assets to be used, a list of our competitors, and examples of websites that we liked. Fortnight then went through a research stage and presented us with some ideas. Comms was done via Slack and Figma. We had access to the working Figma file and were able to comment and discuss with the designers throughout.

For the next stage of the project, Fortnight created wireframes, asking questions from us along the way to make sure we are happy. Many alternatives were presented for each screen and component. When we were happy with the wireframes, they created the "hi-fis". As we wanted to complete the project quickly, I was developing the website as the design was being completed. This worked quite well as I was able to ask any dev questions. Once the desktop hi-fis were finished and signed off, the mobile designs were created.

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

My team worked directly with their UX/UI designers and project manager.

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

We were delighted with the designs and released the website around a week after they were completed.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our team was able to communicate directly with the designer, commenting in the relevant places on Figma. We felt this worked really well. We added and changed pages required along the way, increasing our budget slightly.

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

The speed and quality of Fortnight's designer, Sarah. She was able to interpret our requirements and comments, and turn them into beautiful designs. Our requirements for some of the pages changed a few times, and we appreciated their patience and ability to adapt.

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

From a development point of view, describing the grid and structuring the components in a proper component library early on would have helped. I was building as they were designing so this would have possibly been done afterwards if needed.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the strategy partner at a social advertising agency. We build audiences and communities online that people care about and want to be a part of.

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

Our website was built by one of the team internally on Square Space when we first started up the agency. It lacked functionality and didn't sell us and what we do.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We searched online for vendors and shortlisted a couple who looked within our price range and had designed sites that felt modern and aesthetically aligned with our brand. We then spoke to Fortnight, who shared further examples of their work. Based on this we felt they were a good fit for our project.

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

We had a kick off meeting to discuss goals and objectives. From there, the team at Fortnight went away to work up wire frames. They were very flexible and responsive to our feedback. Halfway through the wireframe stage, we changed our branding which impacted the designs and timeline, but they handled this with patience and positivity.

They built the wire frames on Figma, which was easy to use and work collaboratively on. The site itself was built on Webflow, which Fortnight recommended we use. It is an intuitive, simple CMS so we're happy with this recommendation. Once live, the team were responsive to any bugs we flagged and these were resolved very quickly. Overall we're really pleased with our finished site. I have led on website builds in other roles and this was a much smoother process than I have experienced in the past.

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

We had a few different project managers throughout the process and a designer.

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

Too early for any measurable outcomes, but overall we're really pleased with the site and are enjoying having a website that reflects our company, ethos and work.

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

We used Slack to communicate, which was much cleaner than email.

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

They gave us a site that delivered against the brief and is easy to update. They were always friendly and positive, regardless of the feedback we sent them.

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

There were a few small bugs when we first launched, which we flagged to the team.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital project manager at a free-to-enter gaming app. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Fortnight?

I hired Fortnight to redesign our mobiile application. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fortnight redesigned and developed our cross-platform native app using Kotlin. They utilized our previous design in their design process, which included designing the UX/UI. Fortnight integrated gamification and monetization features and automations. Fortnight finished the app design and is now running the QA process. 

In addition to the app design, Fortnight provides us with graphic design services. They’re developing social media assets that we post on Facebook and Instagram. 

What is the team composition?

We work with the project manager, a member of the creative team, back- and frontend developers, and the UX designer. 

How did you come to work with Fortnight?

We found Fortnight on Google. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around £40,000 (approximately $53,000 USD) with Fortnight. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Fortnight began in December 2021, and it’s ongoing. 

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

The app is scheduled to launch in April 2022. We haven’t identified any bugs outside of the existing ones Fortnight is rectifying through the new design. They’ve also improved our gamification features. In general, Fortnight has been amazing — they’re hardworking and solution-oriented. 

How did Fortnight perform from a project management standpoint?

Fortnight has excellent project management. We generally communicate via Slack and have regular Zoom meetings to discuss the project. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been really impressed with how well Fortnight sticks to our timelines and budget, which I think is rare for vendors in the industry. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think Fortnight should scale up their services. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d recommend customers hire Fortnight — their team is creative and technically talented. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the co-founder of a dating app called Thursday and we connect singles in person every Thursday through online matchmaking and offline events. The app is LIVE for 24 hours only every week.

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

Fortnight re-skinned and re-designed our app from the ground up. We had an MVP however this agency took it to the next level. They help us conceptualise our brand by building a new website, new brand and enhanced the UX and UI of the app to real bring it to life.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Fortnight had already worked with a dating app before, Bumble, which gave us confidence they were familiar with the space. We found them on Google and due to their high ratings and SEO it was a no brainer for us to instruct them.

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

Built a killer website and transferred us from WIX to Webflow. Redesigned the app in Figma and applied new branding to it.

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

We had 3/4 people working on the project from Fortnight and about 5/6 people involved from Thursday.

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

Downloads have increased by 50%

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

Communication was 10/10 and they really went all out to deliver an incredible piece of work.

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

I'm normally skeptical about agencies but I've been mind blown by the level of service from Fortnight.

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

Honestly. No. 5 stars from me.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and founder of a gin startup.

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

We were looking for a refresh of our Shopify site. We had set aside a budget for it and got some funding through the government to complete a digital boost.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We selected this vendor on previous work that looks of very high quality. The team were responsive and helpful in the introduction stages particularly Sam who helped us throughout.

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

We needed to choose, implement and customise a Shopify theme that fit with the new direction of our start-up brand. We settled on a theme and after some issues getting photography together on our end, we got it pretty much together and were very happy with the result.

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

4 or 5. It was not immediately clear who was working on the website. We had a few points of contact who were responsive enough to smoothly work through the website. We were not in a crazy rush though as we had a functional website, we were most concerned with getting it right.

If you are looking to do things with speed and on a budget, I am not sure fortnight would be for you. They do it right but they take their time which I personally preferred.

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

I think the outcome of the project was absolutely in line with what we expected and no more. I wasn't blown away but we did not really spend enough money to consider this a large scale project. We redesigned the website, they took their fee and we parted ways.

The website looked great and I was glad that Fortnight completed the project without major issues.

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

The predominant communication tool was Slack, I personally don't like slack but it was fine for the limited amount of time we actually needed to use it.

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

They worked through a particularly difficult time scale for us in relation to government funding deadlines. This was above and beyond and I am very grateful to them for pulling through on it.

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

I think giving us really clear instruction as to what they would need from us right at the start might have helped get things moving quicker. I can't say I am super well versed in web development but I do spend a decent amount of time inside of liquid coding and the code etiquette was poor. Struggled to find things as some files are not named correctly.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Graphic Designer at Digital Voices, Global Influencer Marketing Agency.

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

Fortnight brought our new rebranded website wireframes to life, consulting on the UX and UI in the design stages to ensure a smooth development.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We were searching specifically for Webflow developers due to our previous site being developed on the platform. After shortlisting 10 and interviewing 3 candidates, we went with Fortnight for their knowledge, enthusiasm and service. We're a young, creative team and so we were happy to find a studio who embodied this.

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

We had designed the desktop wireframes in line with our new branding. Fortnight consulted during the design stages to lend advice on UI & UX optimisation but their main responsibility was bringing these wireframes to life, which required complex animations and custom code. In addition, Forntight also handled the launch of the site, involving adding an additional domain and switching host.

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

Our main point of contact was Sam, their Marketing Manager who displayed nothing short of excellence in terms of service. I also worked with a few of Fortnight's developers, namely Nic and Tom who were really co-operative and took into account all of our requirements.

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

The site hasn't been live enough to gain accurate metrics, plus our company has had exponential growth independently to our website so unfortunately we don't have any conclusive data. We have had numerous compliments from new clients and old on the usability and user-friendliness of the site.

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

We had numerous calls to discuss goals, expectations and budget prior to starting any work. Once confirmed, there were frequent calls with Sam & the development team to both consult on our designs and to bring those designs to life. Fortnight utilise Slack in their workflow, a great communication tool which we also use at Digital Voices; this meant communication outside of calls was simple, quick and effective.

As a result, we never had an issue with punctuality or deadlines that we had agreed on but it's worth noting that we had to wait around 4 weeks until Fortnight had the capacity to start (although this was mainly due to us taking too long with our rebrand)

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

Fortnight was a knowledgeable, and friendly group that was really easy to work with. Working with these guys felt like an extension of our own team. I can't say they offer anything particularly unique but the combination of experience, efficiency and service made the experience of launching a new website a lot less stressful.

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

As we only presented Fortnight with desktop wireframes and not fully responsible mockups, we were hoping that they would adjust them to work well responsively to cater to all devices. Whilst they did achieve this, the mobile version of the site was still far from the standard of the desktop site and involved additional developement from our end.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Programming Manager at an ISP based in Las Vegas. We serve homes and businesses in Nevada, Arizona and California.

For what projects/services did your company hire Fortnight?

Our website had become very outdated. We have minimal in-house design expertise so we hired Fortnight to redesign the website.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I have worked with Fortnight on a previous project and liked the responsiveness, work quality and multidisciplinary approach.

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

We exchanged information via email and Zoom. They then produced wireframes and shared them with us via Figma where we added our comments. Then we moved on to high fidelity designs, of which there were a few iterations, all shared and commented on via Figma.

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

We mostly worked directly with one of their designers and had occasional contact with a product manager.

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

The website looks a lot better and captures all of our requirements and preferences. It's too early to comment on conversions etc.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had updates almost every day via Slack and Figma. They were extremely responsive and communication was excellent.

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

Communication and work quality. They communicated almost every day and shared updates in real-time. They worked at a good pace and met the timeframes we discussed. The quality of their work was really excellent - few designers are able to produce work as detailed, aesthetically pleasing and distinctive.

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

No areas for improvement.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Head of Propositions at a company that provides SaaS based open-architecture software to help lenders and brokers in the Mortgage, Lending and Savings sectors.

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

We hired Fortnight to help build our webflow CMS website with very tight deadlines.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We searched the approved list of Webflow CMS developer list

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

To complete the build of the Webflow CMS website

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

One main point of contact and two developers

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

The website was completed and launched on time to great delight from the company exec team and clients alike.

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

Communication was via Slack and video calls

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

The team was able to respond to our needs at very short notice and turn around the build of the website under extremely tight timescales and shifting requirements. They went above and beyond, working late evenings and weekends to meet our deadline.

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

Better communication. Although in fairness it was pretty chaotic on both sides as the project scope changed a few times.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing & Communication Manager for Hearth and Green Consult Global ltd, We offer a range of energy efficiency management services for the UK domestic market.

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

We hired Fortnight to help us establish our branding for our new company Hearth. Our aim was to have our branding be clear, modern and communicate effectively what it is we do.

How did you select this vendor?

We had a look at a number of branding & design agencies before we made the decision to go ahead with Fortnight. We loved their website as well as their immediate warm professional approach.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

We started out with an initial video call to get all our ideas out there and so we could meet the team and communicate what it is we were looking for. they prefer to communicate Via Slack & Figma. After our video call they went away and created a bunch of initial design ideas, in which we got to really narrow down our desired direction for the logo.

We found this stage incredibly helpful, going forward was a process of elimination and re-design until we managed to whittle it down to our final options. Our final deliverables included, logo's in color & black/white, Brand Guidelines, Typography, Banners & Buttons for our social profiles.

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

We worked directly with two members of the team for the majority of the design experience, Nic & Sarah. Main initial communications had been managed by Sam, Marketing Manager.

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

We are soon to launch our sister company - however the branding has been loved by everyone thus far and we have yet to receive a negative comment.

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

Most of the communication during the design faze was managed trough, Slack, Figma and Video Call.

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

We felt like they genuinely wanted us to love the final design. They were very committed to the project.

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

As we were new to using the two platforms of Slack and Figma as a mean for communication, we found it slightly inconvenient, but they were flexible with the video calls and that was very appreciated.