Guidea - A Theresa Neil Design Company

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

The most important thing for us was that Guidea understood the purpose of the tests. We needed to structure the final report in a way that we would require little effort on our part to send through our FDA submission.

As with any type of human factor testing, it was also key that they understood the intricacies of our product so that they could get what we wanted to accomplish with our main features. 

Guidea did a really nice job of putting in the upfront time to review documents as well as sitting through our demos and asking the right questions. That allowed them to create a testing protocol that would pull out what we needed to focus on.

How did A Guidea - Theresa Neil Design Company perform from a project management standpoint?

We had certain timeframes for our company objectives in addition to making sure that we were maintaining our timelines for the overall studies. Guidea was able to meet those commitments well, hitting their initial estimates. Recruiting was also a similar uncertainty, but they were able to find the number that we needed. It wasn’t an issue at all. 

Even within touchpoints through the project, they were communicative. We got an informal report prior to the final, and everything was very clear.

Again, I appreciated that Karen was the face of Guidea for our account. She passed on any messages that I had and responded quickly when needed. She could also move from email to face-to-face, staying flexible enough to schedule meetings on short notice.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It was the upfront effort that they took in really understanding our space and how our product was unique. Using AI to help diagnose children with autism — there’s nothing else like that. This meant that our audience wouldn’t have previous experience to reference.

I appreciated that Guidea took the time and effort to engage with us internally to build a framework before proceeding to create protocols and conduct the study.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When moving into a deal with new partners, you’ll realize that common terminology isn’t as common as you’d think. I’d suggest that both parties make sure they’re on the same page when using certain terms. A term could mean different things coming from the client side versus what they’re used to on the service side.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d highly recommend them. Not only are they easy to work with, but also I was impressed with the consistency and skill level of the team. They’re experts at what they do. My only advice would be to make sure you define the terms you use upfront so that the expectations for the deliverables are clear.

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

By putting the MVP version of the app on the market, we doubled our organic monthly active users and increased our ratings almost right away. We’re seeing significant improvements in our metrics just based on their design. Everyone was really happy with the new platform.

How did Guidea- A Theresa Neil Design Company perform from a project management standpoint?

They were wonderful, especially from the design side. They were very proactive and we rarely had to ask for anything because they anticipated what our needs were anyways.

When we got into the research phase, it was similar in that they never brought us a recommendation or anything that wasn’t thoroughly researched or vetted, so we felt confident in approving things quickly, which helped us move faster. During the eight-week design period, we were in contact multiple times a week and then during the research period, we were in contact about three times a week for about six weeks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The amount of thought they put into anything before it even came across my desk was really helpful. They just took the lead and ran with it and didn’t need attentive feedback along the way. They were doing things readily and surely, which was really great. They’re one of the best partners I’ve ever worked with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there isn't anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Having a good idea of what you want to learn and how it supports your business would be helpful because that’s really all they need to get started.

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

They delivered an effective seed deck that raised $2.6 million in investments. Their visual designs received stellar feedback from our customers, and their contributions were key capabilities that differentiated us from competitors.

Jon really put his heart and soul into consolidating the design components—he worked diligently on updates until the very day of the demo launch.

The finished product allowed our customers to gain a deeper understanding of their cloud spend. Their team internalized customer pain-points to deliver an extremely effective solution. Guidea’s commitment to their customers, and their craft, is contagious. They’re clearly passionate about problem-solving.

How did] perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was excellent. Everything was delivered on time, and they understood the fluidity of our corporate situation. They were collaborative, engaged, and always available.

Theresa always ensured that their services were effective, by consistently inquiring about feedback. She demonstrated great responsibility and ownership of her work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I would emphasize the scope of Theresa’s experience and knowledge. She’s extremely qualified and has worked with many different domains. She has an almost-uncanny ability to attract the right people by having the right professional mindset; I was very impressed by that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

While I can’t think of anything significant, I would’ve appreciated a greater degree of engagement and participation. I invited her into conversations that I felt were relevant, and I think more of those discussions would have been helpful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re not the cheapest solution out there, but you get what you pay for. They’re reasonably priced for the very high quality of work that they provide.

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

We implemented most of what they came up with to create the very first version of Silvercar which launched in January 2013 at DFW airport. That product helped us raise three rounds of funding and then sell the company to a luxury car manufacturer who continues to operate it in 25 locations across the US. It took us about five and a half years to raise all the funding and then sell the company, and we used the version of the product that they designed for us probably three of those five years.

How did Guidea (A Theresa Neil Design Company) perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management worked really well for us. They kept on top of each aspect of the project flawlessly—in fact, if anything, our team had trouble keeping up with their pace of development—but they always made sure we were all on the same page.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the things that still stands out to me when I do reference calls for them is how fast they are. Everybody on that team who I’ve ever worked with has been extremely fast and super focused. The quality of the work doesn’t suffer for the speed at all, so the speed is kind of mind-blowing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I think for any kind of product or experience design they are as good as companies get.