Func

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am together with Egor Spirin the organizer and host of the student initiative "Future of University Spaces" - a conference focused on the future of learning forms and its spaces.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Func?

We had world-class speakers and needed thus, an outstanding website to host our conference. We did not only need an appealing and young design, but also the possibility to embed our stream, contact the attendees and present the speakers' work.

SOLUTION

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

After looking for different web designers, we found Func. From our first email, they were responsive, listened to our needs and were completely reliable.

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

After our first meeting, where we described our ideas and needs, the Func-Team sent us a pallet of different themes as inspiration for our website. After choosing one, they prepared the layout and design elements for us to edit the content using Tilda. Func also helped us to interlace the website with Mailchimp and to add the event to the attendees' calendars. They gave us access to Figma to include the same design language in our social-media strategy.

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

We worked with three team-members.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We reached a great participation with Func's design, achieving 853 site visitors, which is great for one 1-day event.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had a great communication with Func! All team-members responded quickly to our requests, were punctual and detail-oriented.

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

We loved, how fresh, young and creative Func is! They know, what designs create an impact on people and could deliver a product that isn't easy to forget. We were also blown away that they delivered such an outstanding, world-class product for a student initiative.

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

We loved everything from our experience with Func. If you are looking for great web-designers, you can stop searching.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Bambaleo is a restaurant and bar marketing aggregator primarily focused on promoting specials or deals. I am the CEO and Founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our original design and code was a bit amateur, in need of updating and modernization. We hired Func for a multi stage project which included UX/UI design, web application development, backend database creation and support, and Mobile App development for iOS + Android

SOLUTION

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

After vetting several vendors we decided on working with Func because they quoted us a reasonable price with an aggressive timetable that fit with our launch timeframe. They also had an impressive portfolio which helped in the decision.

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

The project was divided into three phases.

Phase 1 was initial discovery where we reviewed branding and high level layout ideation.

Phase 2 consisted of the web and mobile application design primarily using Figma. The Func team expertly turned our ideas and feedback into a professional aesthetically pleasing design.

Phase 3 consisted of application and backend development. We collaborated weekly using technologies Webflow, Bravo, and Airtable.

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

We worked with a dedicated Project Manager, an Art Director, UX/UI Designer, Frontend and Backend developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team at Func delivered an MVP of web and mobile app with full backend support within 10 weeks. They assisted in setting up needed developer accounts and created instructional videos to help guide us o using any technologies my team weren't familiar with.

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

Func supplied my team with a dedicated project manager that kept us informed of updates and was diligent about maintaining the timeline. We used collaboration features in Figma, primary communication through Telegram, and Zoom for meetings.

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

They have adapted to our ideas and integrated them with current UX/UI best practices. We also had several meetings with the co-founder and CEO. Very professional and easy to work with.

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

None. We will continue to use Func for future iterations of our product and features.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm Pavel Goryachev, and I'm Head of PR in football club Fakel

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our goal was to reimagine the way the Club is represented in digital and create a system that will remain relevant for a long time.

SOLUTION

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

We selected Func to handle this task, as they are among the best in their field and had already solved similar tasks for other clubs in the top leagues. Func understood precisely our challenges and offered solutions that work for us specifically without duplicating existing solutions on other Clubs' websites.

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

Func was responsible for the whole digital ecosystem: Analytics and UX Design, UI Design, Front-end development, Back-end development, QA, maintenance. They used modern and proven technologies like PHP / laravel, vue.js, and many more.

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

Depending on the specific stage or task, different specialists were involved in the project. The core of the team is as follows: project manager, system analyst, UX/UI designer and 4 developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's hard to say because we'd had an old website before that didn't perform well, so there is no point in comparing. Now we've got a modern system that helps us do what we want to do, and it's a win for sure. Feedback from fans and partners is positive, so everything is perfect.

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

We used Microsoft Teams, Active Collab, Google Drive and Notion as primary tools. The team was responsible for every process in the project, which was notable in the partnership. We had weekly meetings and project timelines in the Gantt chart.

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

Func's expertise in sports is unique since they work with different clubs in different leagues. It's not easy to find another team who is good at both digital and sports. And it's great when you click with every person in the team, and you are always on the same page.

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

As always, with unique products, deadlines can be stretched. The product was delivered later than anticipated because we've gone through several design concepts. But in the end, everything turned out great, and it was only a few weeks past the deadline.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Digital marketing specialist.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Func was responsible for developing a SaaS platform for our distributors' network. We wanted to give our distributors a simple and effective tool for launching their websites with an eCommerce solution. At the same time, we wanted to retain control of our online presence and have access to managing any aspect of each site at any time. Now our distributors can create their websites with eCommerce independently without any specific IT experience. As administrators of the whole system, we got control of every website through one interface.

SOLUTION

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

We were looking for a company specialising in digital products development for both b2c and b2b because our product was at the junction of these two segments. Of all the companies we considered, Func offered the most suitable format for implementation as a SaaS platform and took care of all the work from scratch, including maintenance program and post-launch development

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

1. Analytics and UX Design. The key deliverables: UX prototype, Software requirements specifications
2. UI Design. The key deliverables: UI layouts in Figma
3. Front-end development. The key deliverables: front-end on a staging server for our testing. Technologies used: html+css+js+Vue.js
4. Back-end development. The key deliverables: the product on a staging server ready for the QA stage. Technologies used: Symfony+MySQL
5. QA. The key deliverables: final version of the product
6. Product launch. The key deliverables: the product that launched on a production server

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

t was a project manager, a system analyst, 2 UX/UI designers, 2 front-end developers and 3 back-end developers. Also troughout the project we were in touch with CEO & CTO

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

— Now it is possible to launch a web service (website, online store and marketing tools) for distributors who are not familiar with IT (some don’t even have a laptop, but now they can launch a website, online store and manage them from their phone); — The implementation of the changes requested by Tikkurila on the distributor's website has decreased from several weeks up to several minutes (now they can manage the content of all websites launched on the platform on their own)

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

Throughout the project phase, we had an updated plan and a project manager from Func. There were technical difficulties during the project and Func acted quickly to resolve these issues

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

A unique technological solution and the quality of management and communication.

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

There is always room for progress, and Func is constantly adapting to our new requirements

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Head of Digital Projects and Communications at Ilim Group: the Russian pulp and paper industry leader and one of the industry leaders globally. Since 2007, International Paper has been Ilim Group’s strategic partner within the joint venture.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our key objective was to set ourselves apart from the competition and create one of the best websites in the industry. We chose Func because they have excellent experience in b2b in general and the manufacturing industry in particular. We were tired of the same corporate faded websites and wanted to do something completely new while maintaining our image as market leaders in digital.

SOLUTION

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

Func was very responsive, and they show us how deep they could dive into our specific and find great solutions. They show that they could handle all our goals with a complete thorough process.

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

We worked in a traditional software development process, from the business analysis phase to the UX/UI stage, leading to the development and QA stages. Func used PHP, MySQL, twitter-bootstrap, vue.js. The key deliverables were websites' layouts in Figma and source code in GitLab. In addition to that, there were many intermediate artefacts like informational architecture in mindmap, SRS in pdf, etc.

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

It was 6 people back than. IT project manager, UX designer, 2 designers (UI and graphic one) and 2 developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It is hard to compare with the previous website, but the new one made by Func make it well. We have a low bounced rate and more than 3 minutes of session duration. We still receive fantastic feedback from our users and partners related to our website, so we enjoy the result of Func's work

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

An essential aspect for us was the fact that Func's owners were involved in the negotiation process as well as the project manager. That made us confident in the result and that all agreements will be implemented. Talking about the website creation itself, it was as good as it was presented. Every week we were given intermediate results and an updated timeline. It was nothing but calmness and confidence throughout the whole development process.

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

For sure is vast expertise. They are equally good at both our industry and digital design. It is a fantastic feeling that your digital partner has all the answers that you might ask

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

I wish things could be done faster, but I guess if you don't want to sacrifice quality when creating such unique products, it's hard to achieve

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am CTO at Edoque where we find and deliver the best groceries, ripe fruit and delicious vegetables to home and office.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Func?

Since the majority of our website traffic is from Instagram and other social networks we needed to a stable, fast, and intuitive mobile-friendly website. Thats why we hired Func

SOLUTION

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

I had already worked with Func before this project so they were my first choice. They good at b2c digital products and you can rely on them

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

They did UX, UI (illustrations including) and front-end development. Source code we received as a GitLab repository (Vue.js as the main framework), UX/UI was delivered as a Figma file.

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

We worked with 4 people: project manager, UX/UI designer, graphic designer (for the illustrations) and front-end developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Feedback from users has been excellent. All-important metrics have gone up, as well.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project manager coordinated all those involved in the project, including our part of the job. Func delivered the project later than promised, but the reasons are clear, and the guys made sure that this did not affect our company's plans

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

As I mentioned, I think Func is good at b2c digital products, so this is their most impressive strength.

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

There is room for improvement in planning accuracy and managing change as the project progresses. It is not something crucial, but you always want to have results as soon as possible

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

DataArt is a global software engineering firm. We help clients create custom software that improves their operations and opens new markets. I am a director of communications here at DataArt.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Func?

It's not the first time I personally and DataArt in general work with Func. Before, as editor-in-chief of FC Zenit, I hired Func to design and develop an official website for one of the largest football (soccer) clubs in Eastern Europe. When I came to work for DataArt, we hired Func to re-design and re-develop our websites for job markets, and they did it in the best way possible. Now we hired them again to do all front-end development for our new corporate website for both job markets and clients markets, as well as to create a UI Kit for us.

SOLUTION

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

I met the founders of Func when working with another design agency. The guys seemed smart, fast, very reliable. They valued their clients' time, understood me at a glance, and were focused on what matters rather than on formalities. Besides, their services were reasonably priced. So I would say that they proved themselves very reliable and comfortable people to work with.

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

Our internal team provided initial designs for the websites. Func looked at them and gave us an estimate for the project as well as suggested the timeline. They pushed our internal team to think through all the details, which has an additional value. They started with designing and implementing UI Kit, when they then use to construct our new websites. The process will help us to be consisted with new designs and to verify that the UI Kit is comfortable to work with.

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

I personally work with 1 person, who is the director of the company. Sometimes, he brings his colleagues to our calls, when specific expertise is needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I cannot share the results of the ongoing project just yet, but I am willing to do so at the beginning of the fall.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I would say that very effective, both on the engineering side and on the administrative side.

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

They are truly client-oriented, very comfortable to work with, great quality of code and of design work. Apart from that, they guarantee that in case any bugs appear after the project is over, they will fix them free of cost.

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

Can't think of something else right now. For a company of their size, I would say they are some of the best I worked with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'am co-founder and act as a managing director primarily for partnerships and product development initiatives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Func created a PaaS platform that automates our business processes. Our aim was to scale the company by automating processes. Func was responsible for the full cycle of creation from the analysis phase to product launch and maintenance .

SOLUTION

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

We were looking for a company that creates not just websites, but digital business solutions. The key factor in choosing Func for our task was precisely their experience in creating digital products. Their positioning and experience was the best fit for our mission and our idea of the right vendor.

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

Func was responsible for the whole process: Analytics and UX Design, UI Design, Front-end development, Back-end development, QA, product launch and maintenance.

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

It was a project manager, a system analyst, a UX/UI designer and 3 web developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We got a product that automated all the routine operations and helped standardise the interaction between several parties involved in the process.

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

We used Slack for rapid communication. All dis ussions regarding project cost and documents were held by email. There was also a Gantt chart to consider during the work process. Once a week, we had a call to discuss the work done in the past week and the plan for the next week.

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

Func offered a simple and straightforward process as well as a modern technological solution that was done in consideration with all the features of our product and plans for further development. Perhaps the unique feature of Func is its ability to create products for both b2c and b2b markets.

Usually, companies specialise in either one or the other, but Func perfectly combines qualities from both approaches, resulting in such excellent products.

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

They follow clients guidelines and manage expectations in order to fit clients vision with proper expertise that will not damage the concept and product itself.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Insurance broker malakut credit insurance. One of the leaders in the organization and maintenance of accounts receivable insurance programs in Russia and the CIS. Our clients are large global and Russian manufacturing and distribution companies from all sectors of the economy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Func?

The project is to create a system for automating the work of an insurance broker. The system provides access for three entities: a broker, a client, and an insurance company. The main purpose of the system is data storage, acceleration of the processes of collecting and processing tender results, accounting and control of the insurance policy during its validity period.

SOLUTION

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

A tender was held among 5 companies to select the development team. Simplicity and convenience of the interface, modern user-friendly design, fast and high-quality business process analytics. All these are the main criteria that allowed us to choose the Func team.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

The Func analyst has been carefully studying the business processes of our company for a couple of months. Then the layouts were created and the technical task of the project was prepared. Next - the calculation of the project cost and the duration of work.

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

Business process analyst and coordinator at the beginning of the project. Then programmers and testers joined in. The team worked efficiently and responded promptly to all our wishes. It was clear that the creation of the project inspires the team as much as it inspires us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is still at the development stage. At this stage, the layouts and technical specifications of the future system are available to us. At this stage, we are satisfied with the process.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication takes place within the designated timing in Teams. During the communication, it is possible to discuss everything important and not get too tired of it

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

I really like the responsible approach of the employees to the process. In the process, I felt the professionalism of the team and, most importantly, I began to trust their opinion and vision.

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

The project is not yet fully completed. Time will tell. So far, I'm happy with everything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of digital at a beauty products company in Russia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Func?

We wanted an app with AR functions for testing our beauty products, specifically makeup.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Func designed our mobile app’s UI and created its architecture for both iOS and Android. They've created unique designs and also provided analytics. The app has e-commerce features that allow you to test some products on your face through AR functionality. We only provided Func with our brand book, detailing who and what we are, as well as an exhibition of our products. Using this information, they designed some textures for the products and created information about the brands we manage. At this point, they're providing monthly support for another brand of ours' website.

What is the team composition?

About six people were involved in our project. I only dealt with our one contact person, though.

How did you come to work with Func?

Another partner recommended Func to me. After that, we went through a tender process during which they delivered the best proposal. They demonstrated a strong understanding of good design and development elements for makeup brands. They also described the scope of their work in detail, including the project steps, key points, the technologies they proposed, and so forth.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent ₽20 million (approximately $268,000 USD) so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With the app, they did a great job of creating a unique technological solution. They have high-quality management and whenever something goes wrong, which can happen often, I’m always sure that they will solve it.

We ran into issues at points throughout the process. Some were due to our internal servers, some were tied to the app analytics, and others were related to the AR functionality malfunctioning. Regardless of the cause, Func can solve any problem in a short amount of time.

How did Func perform from a project management standpoint?

They missed many of our deadlines due to the complexities of the app's AR functionality. We didn't properly account for this in the project setup phase, though. We use Trello and Figma to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They delivered an intricate solution built from scratch.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think they could improve their communication and design skills.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you want a technologically advanced solution, you should definitely work with them. If you work as partners, they will deliver great results. Remember that they're human.