The Gradient

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a startup email marketing automation service based in Ukraine. I’m the marketing content manager, and I was the one working with Gradient.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Gradient?

We were planning to develop a new, more advanced version of our product, and were looking for an agency which could handle our UI/UX scope. We had completely new branding, identity, colors, and features. The old version was a bit outdated, and because we were launching a completely new scope of advanced features, we decided to have brand new designs as well, bringing it more up to date.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gradient dove deep into our project from the beginning. The first task was working on the UI/UX of the prototype version. We proceeded to the marketing scope of work, including logos and landing page identity. They handled everything from prototypes to implementation.

What is the team dynamic?

Each week, we had a call with Gradient, and deliverables were based on weekly sprints. We had multiple small tasks like email design, and Gradient hired additional experts for help with these. The core team in communication with us consisted of their CEO, the marketing person, the UI/UX specialist, two designers, and two developers. In total, there were 8-10 people in charge of our project.

We were in constant communication over Slack, and had weekly calls through Skype.

How did you come to work with The Gradient?

I looked for agencies with experience working with startups. We were launching our product on the European and U.S. markets, so the partner had to have experience with those markets as well. I found Gradient in a list of top agencies in the U.S. They were one of the agencies who accepted the project, but they were also excited about it. We started the collaboration almost immediately, after several calls.

How much have you invested with them?

I am not the financial person, so I’m not sure about the numbers. I estimate that the total cost of their work was between $10,000 and $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Gradient in May or June 2017. The main scope of the project (the development of the product itself) has been completed. We are still working on some marketing tasks like the landing page and logo.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The version created by Gradient was fully approved by us. We haven’t launched it yet, so I couldn’t tell you the real results in terms of how it impacted our users or how the market reacted to it. From our side, we’re completely fine with whatever Gradient suggested and created, as well as with the deadlines.

How did The Gradient perform from a project management standpoint?

There were no problems in terms of communication or planning timelines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s hard to pick a single aspect, but I believe Gradient’s biggest strengths are in terms of UI and UX. We’ve been fine with the process from the beginning.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They had multiple experienced people on the team, and were able to provide multiple choices around whatever we asked for. Everything was fine.

UPDATED REVIEW

The review was updated on February 11, 2019, by Igor Solovyov (Founder & CEO, TriggMine). The original start ratings were: Overall - 5, Quality - 5, Schedule - 5, Cost - 5, NPS - 5. The new content is below. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Triggmine, a marketing and automation platform for e-commerce.

What challenge were you trying to address with The Gradient?

We went to market in 2017 and decided to rebuild our UX/UI shortly after that.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our platform is a user dashboard that’s similar to the frontend of any server. Gradient rebuilt the UX/UI of our platform and our landing page from the ground up. We were looking to expand into new markets, and rather than doing so with a marginally better product, we decided to start over from scratch. They built the UX/UI based on user insights regarding the old platform and interviews with new users. After building a prototype, they developed the final version using Angular JS. We built the backend in-house.

What is the team composition?

We initially met with Denys (Co-Founder and CEO, The Gradient) and Olena (Founding Partner, Product Strategy & Marketing, The Gradient), and mainly worked with them. They assigned a UX designer to the project, and I believe there were also several business analysts and project managers involved. They worked directly with our marketing team.

How did you come to work with The Gradient?

We shortlisted five companies based on internet research, and our marketing team connected with them and reviewed their portfolios. Gradient had experience building interfaces for US and Global markets, which is exactly what we were looking for.

How much have you invested with them?

The project had two parts: UX/UI and development. The former had a cost of about $30,000, and the latter, about $50,000. The whole project cost around $80,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June until November 2017. We’re about to start a new project with them as well. 

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

Issues caused by the previous interface were hurting our reputation with users. Because the new interface is better-looking and easier to understand, conversion rates and number of users have both increased.

How did The Gradient perform from a project management standpoint?

We developed a roadmap in Google Sheets and had deliveries about once a week. They were direct about their timelines and integrated well with our internal team. This was critical, as we had to connect the frontend they produced with the backend we built internally. We did have a one-month extension, but projects like this always require more work than initially expected. Working with them was quite easy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their extensive design experience was invaluable. We’ve worked with groups that simply create graphics based on our directions, but Gradient did their own research and delivered original suggestions. They advised us on how to build the platform so it would be most useful to our users. We felt we could be open with our paint points too, which helped us build a better collaboration.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No company is perfect, but I was extremely pleased with Gradient’s UX/UI and development work. They could improve on the latter, but I know that design is their specialty.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They should be open about their own preferences and expectations at the beginning, providing as much information as possible. This will allow Gradient to do their work much better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CEO of an early stage startup with 25 years of experience in the software development industry. My startup offers an on-demand platform for a niche market in the transportation industry. My goal is to launch this new platform in August 2017—first in Canada, then in the United States.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Why did you hire The Gradient?

I was looking for an outsourcing company to do the UX design of my mobile app. I wanted a team with the skills, experience, and work ethic to do a top-notch job. While I did not have the budget to hire locally, I was still not ready to compromise on my vision or quality standards. So, I needed a partner committed to my long-term success. This is what I found at The Gradient.

What specific business or organizational challenge were they helping you solve?

The Gradient provided the UX and marketing skills that I needed to deliver my vision. They drove 100% of this work. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Gradient expanded my initial user scenarios, refining and enhancing them to enrich the overall user experience. They created sophisticated mind-map diagrams to facilitate communication and capture the critical elements needed in the detailed screen mockups. This resulted in a beautifully designed, highly usable interface for Android, iOS, and the web.

Creativity is The Gradient’s core strength. They became an extension of my 1-man team. I had a full-time senior UX designer and a part-time marketing specialist assigned to the project. They were involved for the duration of the project and provided guidance and insights.

Did the nature of your service and/or solution change during the engagement?

After a few calls with The Gradient, I quickly understood their skills in marketing and accelerating their clients’ path to success. I subsequently contracted them to do all of my product marketing. They created a set of high-impact marketing materials that should optimize my chance for success.

How did you find them to begin with?

I have been in the software development industry for more than 25 years and worked with teams all over the globe. Based on my experience, I knew a Ukrainian team would be a good fit for me. I researched teams through LinkedIn and Clutch.co and contacted 5 teams. I realized that The Gradient had the right experience, English proficiency, skills, and resources available to work on my project.

What is the timeline of this engagement?

I started to work with The Gradient at the beginning of February 2017. The bulk of the work for MVP1 was done by early June 2017. The team supports the project while we are completing development. I will continue to work with them for our subsequent releases.

How much have you spent on this engagement?

I’ve spent between $25,000 and $40,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share anything data-driven or quantitative that would illustrate the success of this engagement?

Market success is the ultimate data point, and I’m not there yet.

Can you comment on the supervision and organization of the engagement?

The Gradient uses all the tools and processes necessary to ensure we stay connected at all times. Their communication, documentation, and organization were great.  

Is there anything distinctive, unique, or surprisingly impressive about their business practice(s)?

They’re a top-notch team. Their productivity is on par with the best teams I’ve worked with in the past 25 years. No matter where you are, great UX skills are difficult to find. I really feel that The Gradient went the extra mile for me. They understood what I was after and delivered. They are truly committed to my success. 

Can you share any tips or recommendations for inexperienced buyers who might be considering an engagement like yours? 

Consider the following factors before deciding to partner with a certain provider: experience/portfolio, skills, tools and processes (i.e. the team’s maturity), resource availability, and language proficiency.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I run a technology development company. I’m the principal with 2 other business partners, and we’re based in Asia. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Gradient?

We were trying to find talented developers and designers who were able to work remotely to help small businesses scale rapidly. We mostly develop things from scratch. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The services they provide primarily involve design and frontend development. The scope of their involvement is limited to fulfilling the conceptual parameters that we set at our head office. They provide very good design services. We provide them with a concept, and they create the design for a webpage, a mobile application, or an Apple Watch app.

They’ve done frontend web and mobile development on 5–10 different projects for us. They’re very adept at synthesizing information regarding presentation. They have worked on 2 of our client projects, as well as work for our company directly. I believe there are about 6 people working on our projects. We have a product lead/project manager, a researcher, a creative director, and sometimes a frontend web developer and mobile developer.

How did you come to work with The Gradient?

The principal of the Gradient is an exceptional person. I was looking for development teams in Ukraine, and I came across a provider who actually recommended The Gradient. I got on a call, and I thought their principal’s background was quite interesting. I liked that she was entrepreneurial, and her design skills were very good. We started with a small project, and they executed that very well. It was amazing. So, we continued to work with them with escalating scales of difficulty.

How much have you invested with The Gradient?

We’ve done projects with them as small as $1,000 all the way up to $30,000. In total, we’ve spent $50,000–$200,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our partnership in November of 2016, and our relationship is ongoing. I think we’ll definitely expand our business with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I would have no problem showing The Gradient’s work to Fortune 500 companies or any major bank or government. The quality of their work is that high. Our company works primarily with major insurances companies, banks, and inter-governmental organizations. We have no problem showing any of The Gradient’s work to clients or investors. They’re always impressed.

How did The Gradient perform from a project management standpoint?

That is where they excel. The founder of that company, beyond her design capabilities, excels in her ability to manage projects, her insights around user experience, and her ability to cross-culturally communicate. Those are the major reasons why we continue to work with them.

What did you find most impressive about The Gradient?

I think where they’re located in Ukraine is a very interesting area. There’s a high level of talent. For small businesses, especially in this globalized world, it’s reasonable in terms of pricing for the level of service and quality you’re getting. The engineers, developers, designers, project managers, and even research analysts are the same quality you’d get in New York or Silicon Valley or London, but at a fifth of the cost. They’re well-positioned to provide a high level of comprehensive service.

Are there any areas The Gradient could improve?

They are a growing small business, and the banking infrastructure in Ukraine is not great. Getting payments to them is problematic. So, administrative control is an area of improvement. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The company is a consumer software company with an application that helps people connect with others in their area that have the same interests as them so they can make new friends. I’m the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Gradient?

The greatest challenge was replacing the UI/UX designer that we lost and finding someone to do that good or better. In addition to that, we're in the process of a redesign, so we were trying to create a more aesthetically pleasing user experience than the previous versions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It was a complete redesign of the entire app from the entire UI/UX standpoint and everything else that embodies that. We gave them a full wireframe with a screen-by-screen of every feature. The development team had a much easier time developing out their design because of this. Onboarding was awful before, but the new UX from The Gradient really helped with that process. More than one person from The Gradient worked on this, but I wasn't well aware of the specifics, nor did I care to be aware of it.The app is currently on iOS and Android.

How did you come to work with The Gradient?

The designer that we had before was part of a third party. I was recommended to The Gradient by the people who used to develop the app. We really didn’t consider other providers.

How much have you invested with The Gradient?

It’s between $5,000-$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership with The Gradient began January 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All of our users and investors are very happy with it. Feedback is that it looks a lot more professional. The onboarding process helps the people out with a warm and friendly welcome when they first sign up. They did a good job.

How did The Gradient perform from a project management standpoint?

Very well. I had no problems communicating with them or getting specific results that I wanted to accomplish through them. I worked primarily with one of the founders.

What did you find most impressive about The Gradient?

You don't feel like you’re one of many clients of theirs. They care a lot about your satisfaction. They also have a lot of their own vision, which is nice.

Are there any areas The Gradient could improve?

It's to be expected, but anytime a company works with someone overseas, it usually creates problems with grammar or spelling within a design or something they developed. It'd be nice if they had an in-house proofreader that could go through that, so I don't end up being the proofreader. It’s been like that with our development team as well. There were several occasions where there was something that they had designed—a feature or a button or an error message—that had poor grammar because English isn’t their first language. That's understandable though.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Binary Studio is a custom software development agency with a focus on long-term projects. We leverage exceptional Ukrainian engineering talent to build world class solutions for tech companies. In the company, I'm responsible for operations and marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Gradient?

We operate in a market with literally thousands of competitors in dozens of different countries. And our website being one of our main acquisition tools, had to stand out and clearly reflect our advantages.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started the cooperation with a concept design. Our website at the time was outdated and needed a drastic redesign. Within weeks the guys at The Gradient developed an amazing home page which by far outdid what other agencies had to offer. The rest of the work we divided into several milestones which were completed within two months. We divided the work into four iterations; each contained 4–5 pages of the website. As soon as we were done with the first milestones, we moved to the next portion of pages.

The Gradient was entrusted to do the design, while the implementation and coding were done by us on our side. The Gradient supported our frontend engineers and guided them throughout the whole process to make sure the animation, colors, fonts, proportions, spacing, etc. were correctly reproduced. The main feature of our website is the interactive design, which differentiates us greatly among our competitors. When coming up with the brief and when we started communicating with The Gradient, we placed a special emphasis on the originality component. We didn’t want to have a new design that reminded users of a template. We wanted to be as unique in our design of the website as possible. The Gradient's team has dealt with the challenge very successfully.

How did you come to work with The Gradient?

When looking for a contractor, we considered a dozen of design agencies, both local and European. We ultimately chose The Gradient because of their vast expertise in design, the track record of successful projects, and their perfect understanding of our business domain.

How much have you invested with The Gradient?

We have spent between $10,000–$50,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in September and the website launched in December 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Gradient delivered an awesome design which has already helped us to significantly improve several of our website metrics like increased time spent on the website, reduced bounce rate, double numbers of applications through the website, etc.

How did The Gradient perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication has been great. The designer I worked with has always been within reach and responds quickly. Any problems were solved very efficiently. I’m quite happy with The Gradient's project management skills. They are mature, professional, and efficient. For communication, we mainly used Trello and Skype.

What did you find most impressive about The Gradient?

I guess we are lucky to have discovered The Gradient because they are a true find. The Gradient has exceptional designers with profound expertise in IT, they have ambitious professionals who can think big, and at the same time, they are nice and cool people to work with.

Are there any areas The Gradient could improve?

I hope The Gradient grows fast and adds more talented developers to the team with no compromise on quality. We wanted to work with them on our corporate branding right after the website, but they turned out busy with new upcoming projects.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a new fintech business with plans to develop innovative, market-leading, and mobile-first financial products. We plan to spearhead our products in the UK before launching into selective European markets. I am one of the company directors and co-founders. I am in charge of product design and ensuring that our users get the best experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Gradient?

We were using different vendors, but I realized that I needed more user-centric design work from a more hands-on partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Gradient supported us initially in defining the brand strategy and creating an animated video that showed the app. They later helped us refine the user front-end experience by developing flows and app screens. We were happy with the results, so we continued the work with them. It worked well to combine the initial brand strategy and product design in the same team environment. This ensured that we were truly customer focused. We put together a “reason for being” in the form of three proposition pillars, as well as the drivers for delivering on those propositions. Eventually, we ran several prototype tests to capture feedback from users.

How did you come to work with The Gradient?

Since we are a startup, we decided to outsource development in order to have a quick start. I did some research and came across The Gradient. They expressed a great attitude and were culturally ready to work with a person like me. I've worked with Ukrainian companies before, so I know the culture there. As a Norwegian, I like to speak directly and work based on trust.

Another reason for choosing The Gradient was that they had good app design skills. Instead of working with numerous environments and people, we could essentially have the same team take care of the user experience and our initial marketing message.

How much have you invested with The Gradient?

The cost of The Gradient's work has been between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with The Gradient in April 2016. The project was put on hold for a bit due to internal reasons. Our last funding round has been successfully closed, so we are ready to engage The Gradient to develop the second version of our app. It will have our testing as a basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We put together a test app and a video aimed at getting investors on board. The Gradient's team has done a tremendous job with it. Investors were impressed and surprised by how far we've progressed after we showed them a quick demo. We have also received very good feedback from our banking partner, who saw our group as a best practices center for user experience. We would not have been able to do this without the efforts demonstrated by the Gradient Team.

How did The Gradient perform from a project management standpoint?

We have changed our scope constantly, but The Gradient has been flexible and patient. The approach we've found has allowed us to fine-tune the scope as we went through sprints. We are doing this in a unique way, compared to other companies I've worked with. Instead of safeguarding, I told The Gradient that we needed to trust each other and reevaluate our progress and needs all the time. I'm very happy to be working with The Gradient and not with a big, prestigious agency. I want good people who are able to focus.

We document our processes using MindMeister and a task master. We use another platform for developing the app, which is an Agile way of making releases. For everything else, we use Google Docs.

What did you find most impressive about The Gradient?

I'm not looking for people who need to be spoon-fed, but rather ones who are smarter than me and can tell me what to do. I've been very pleased with The Gradient's ability to challenge me. They stick to their beliefs, which makes me feel that the project is on track. Instead of only caring about money, The Gradient has a vision for our work beyond what I tell them to do. This means that in the initial stages, we can work out of London without a local design team and have the same progress. At the end of the day, The Gradient understands our work. They think like Western assets, which is important when managing teams remotely.

Are there any areas The Gradient could improve?

The Gradient is based in Ukraine, which means that we've had to involve some additional local marketing people for handling matters related to culture and written language. The Gradient's members know what they're doing, but if we are to ensure that we also have the cream above the coffee and create a UK-centric product, we need additional resources.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Very Good Group is building a set of core products and APIs with reusable infrastructure, components, code and services for companies in the fintech and security industries. I am responsible for the operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Gradient?

Although our company is known in the United States, it did not have a complementary brand image in the European talent market. We needed a separate strategy for attracting talent in European countries, this is why we approached them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided research results from a focus group. Based on their research, they built the landing page and created its design and content to recruit and target talent we were interested in. After iterations of feedback, we launched the landing page.

How did you come to work with The Gradient?

Before The Gradient, we approached several agencies. I approached them afterward because of a referral from a friend, and I described the challenges that we faced. They came up with a better proposal than the other agencies, and they had the most knowledge of the European market. Their pricing was acceptable for us and within our budget. I liked their approach and responsiveness with us; they listened to what we said and asked smart questions about the challenges that we faced.

How much have you invested with The Gradient?

Under $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It started in September 2016, and we launched in October 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have gotten positive feedback from the candidates we approached after the website’s launch. The whole process of recruiting became smoother. We had about 100 candidates who submitted their resumes through the site. We also hired very prominent people in the first two months after publishing the website.

How did The Gradient perform from a project management standpoint?

I liked their project management approach. Our requirements were gathered in a consistent way, and we were provided with a time frame for each part of the work. They were always in touch. I also want to note that the communication on their side is brilliant.

Their project manager is amazing from the viewpoint of project management. She is responsive and gives clear expectations. She usually brings up ideas on changes or upgrades or on what needs changing in the scope. I am very happy to have worked with her.

What did you most impressive about The Gradient?

I have worked with agencies that can provide great designs, deliverables, websites, and research experiences, but what I like about The Gradient is their outstanding responsiveness and excellent time to market. I would like to work with them in the future when we have other projects.

Are there any areas The Gradient could improve?

At first, viewpoints were different on how the design elements should look like on the website, but they eventually listened to us and moved forward with what we attempted to do with our initial suggestions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

A banking and financial education platform for the youth.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Gradient to accomplish?

• UX/UI design of app

SOLUTION

How did you find The Gradient?

• Online Search
• Clutch Site

Why did you select The Gradient over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from The Gradient were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Scope included rebranding of existing brand, re-designing our app and website

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Successfully completed website design, rebranding and app design.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The team was extremely responsive and delivered all requirements as promised.

What was your primary form of communication with The Gradient?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The team assigned to the project were dedicated and went quite deep into the category and really treated it as their own personal project.

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

I think given that we had to design an MVP, they could have been more proactive about limiting designs for an MVP and come up with suggestions from their side re what an MVP could/should be.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Cofounder & CEO of Happy Companies

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

HR and SAAS Technology Platform

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Gradient to accomplish?

• Develop our entire SAAS application & user interface
• Deliver the project on time and on budget

SOLUTION

How did you find The Gradient?

• Referral
• Clutch Site

Why did you select The Gradient over others?

The delivered an outstanding proposal

How many teammates from The Gradient were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The Gradient was hired to do the UX and UI for a complex HR and business technology application, including user research. It was a very complicated project that includes creating a lightweight and easy to use interface for a complex set of objectives.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Gradient shipped the project on-time and on-budget at an extremely high level.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Gradient delivered virtually all of the project on time. They were highly responsive.

What was your primary form of communication with The Gradient?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their commitment to quality and delivering at a high level despite complex obstacles and challenging requirements was impressive. Communication was absolutely outstanding.

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

There was some minor communication challenges associated with different in cultural understanding or norms between the United States and Europe. It was overcome.