Halo Lab

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Software Development Agency based in Europe I am the owner, I tend to work with clients to develop solutions, and then work with providers like Halo to get it delivered.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We initially worked with Halo on the redevelopment of our own website through GatsbyJS. I wanted to use that project to evaluate the fit for a longer standing relationship. Since then we’ve worked on 4-6 projects together and it has been a really great experience. My goals were to deliver projects at a certain price point, a certain quality and at a certain speed. They nailed it on all counts.

SOLUTION

How did you select Halo Lab and what were the deciding factors?

I posted a spec on upwork and interviewed a few freelancers and agencies. Sergey and his team stood out due to his fluency, affable manner, deep understanding of the technology and his practicality around timelines and deliveries.

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

The initial project was my own website in GatsbyJS, Follow by a client project in Gatsby. Then an internal project in NextJS/Amplify, Then another Gatsby project, We’re now working on an 11ty project and spinning up another Gatsby project next week.

Sergey and his team have moved between technologies seamlessly from Gatsby/Next/11ty/Wordpress and loads of supporting libraries like EmotionJS, Tailwind etc. Projects are always delivered on time, and their delivery checklists and PM/QA work well to assure quality.

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

Sergey has a decent sized team and between all our projects I’ve now worked with: Dev: Sergey, Misha, Igor, Eugene, Alex, Sasha PM: Anna, Dana, Alexsandra

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All the sites Sergey’s team has delivered have performed great on web.dev especially sites we’ve upgraded from Wordpress or other legacy systems. We’ve getting min 85% per category. My business has seen significant success as a result of Sergey’s help.

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

We’ve worked through Kanban and Sprints, using Clubhouse and Clickup. We’re in regular daily contact through Slack, and regular video chat through Zoom/Meet. I always have access to builds, and pull requests and I’m always confident work is being done and done to a high level.

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

Sergey is a genius, and a gentleman. He has a great manner with customers, he is polite and genuine. It is no surprise his business is growing in success. He sells very naturally by adding structure to unordered briefs, and spending the time rounding off the edges.

Everyone in the team seems to be talented. I don’t doubt the onboarding, training and support given by Sergey to his team is significant, and it shows in the end result.

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

I can’t fault Halo for anything because anything I’ve suggested to improve has always been done without a hitch or a bother. Sure there have been problems or mistakes on both sides of the fence, but we’ve correctly quickly and the quality relationship has made it easy to move on. I’ve a very high degree of trust in Halo.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm COO and Co-founder of Mighty Buildings – a stealth-mode startup working on making housing more affordable with 3DP tech and automation (YC W18).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Halo Lab?

Initially, I hired Halo Lab to launch an online ADU configurator for the beta customers. Later, they designed a complete band book package for Mighty Buildings and established high-quality standards for all of our marketing materials.

What were your goals for this project?

The main requirement was to launch the configurator by a certain timeline. We did that with a successful launch. Halo Lab has been supporting our online portal for the customers since then.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

It is the third startup where I hired Halo Lab to work on the design for web and mobile platforms.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

UI/UX design and web development. Starting from the wireframes to the final web implementation. We provided a detailed concept initially.

What was the team composition?

1-2 designers, 1-2 web developers and one project manager. The size of the team varies depending on the workload and urgency from our side.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

I think the most important validation is the appreciation of clear design and easy-to-navigate web portal by our customers that we achieved with Halo Lab.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We have been using Slack, Trello, Figma. Halo Lab is very responsive even being 10 hours away from the West Coast.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have great ideas, high-quality design standards, and are very responsive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Communicate more with US colleagues by voice.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of three companies across the tech space, telecommunications market, and healthcare industry. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Halo Lab?

I hired Halo Lab to provide front- and backend design and programming support. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Halo Lab has provided a range of services. They’ve developed the frontend of several websites, working on the illustrations, designs, flow, and layout. For the backend, they’ve created APIs and integrated several existing ones with APIs from major telecommunication carriers. They’ve also built dashboards, databases, and user systems. All of these ultimately come together to form a mobile virtual network operator that enables consumers to access and activate telecommunications services. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 4–5 people, and they have a pretty large team working on the backend of the project. 

How did you come to work with Halo Lab?

We vetted about 5–6 other companies and ended up choosing Halo Labs. 

How much have you invested with them?

I’m estimating we’ve spent around $350,000–$400,000 on their services. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since 2017 and our engagement is ongoing as we always have new updates and developments needed. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Prior to working with Halo Labs, we were not having much engagement online and our bounce rate was high. Now, our bounce rate has reduced by more than 40%, so we’re happy with their guidance and work. 

How did Halo Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done very well in managing the project. We’re relatively picky, so they’ve been great at getting the work done correctly the first time. Our communication generally takes place through UpWork. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We really value that Halo Labs does everything right the first time around. They also communicate very quickly and always give us direct answers. We’re treated like a priority instead of just a number. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind that they could improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Research what you’re looking for and find specific examples to show them. If you know how you want it to look and function, they’ll be better able to develop it the first time around. The experience is better as a customer if you arrive prepared. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of an indie software development studio. We create desktop utility apps that help people improve their everyday productivity.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Halo Lab?

We hired Halo Lab to redesign our logo, UI, and website for a major app update.

What were your goals for this project?

As our business grows, we learned more about our customers. We also added many new features in the new app version. So we'd like a complete redesign of the current visuals.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We manually searched for UI/UX service providers on Upwork, and checked their portfolios. We found that Halo's work best matched our expectations.

Describe the project in detail.

The project contained 3 parts:

1. Redesign the logo, which was also used as the app's icon.
2. UI/UX redesign to make the app look more modern, and can provide a united experience for both the old and new features.
3. New website to promote the new app to our target audiences.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a UI designer, an art director, two developers. We mainly communicated via a project manager. We used collaboration tools like Slack and Figma so we can see the work progress live.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We launched the new app version (with new logo and UI) and website for our beta testers. The feedback was very positive. The app looked more modern and became easier to use. We've met our goals.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

All the design was done in Figma so we can view the progress live and provide feedback in time. Halo was very responsive to our feedback. And they didn't just blindly follow them. They also provided better solutions which helped achieve our goals.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were very professional and responsive. They almost always provided a good initial draft and made changes quickly based on our feedback.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Since the communication was mostly done via the product manager, in some rare cases the designer and we were not on the same page. Other than this, the overall experience was quite good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a guitar and ukulele manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Halo Lab?

We needed someone to develop a new website for us as well as logos for our products. Our goal is to have an informational website that would show we’re a company making great products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we asked Halo Lab to design logos for our guitars and guitar picks. They delivered excellent work, so I asked them to make the website for me. Halo Lab designed and developed a brand-new website for us in English, including the page that introduces our company. They’re still working on the project, as we plan to create Japanese and Chinese versions of the website.

They’ve also added animation that helps us show our products to customers. Based on the pictures we provided, they make 3D maps and models for our products using After Effects, 3ds Max, and Redshift render.

What is the team composition?

I believe there are six people working on the project. We work with two animation designers and two programmers for the design and construction of the website. Halo Labs also assigned two people to handle communication with us.

How did you come to work with Halo Lab?

I did a Google search using keywords like guitar and logo. While I found a lot of designers, Halo Lab’s logo designs stood out. I emailed them inquiring about the price, and they responded with a quote that worked for me.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $49,999 on their services. Our long-term plans involve investing a lot in digital technology.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2019, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our sales are growing fast due to the release of our new products. The logos have been successful, so our investment in Halo Lab has been worth it. They quickly understand my needs and provide great solutions for our business. They’ve helped us a lot, and I trust them.

How did Halo Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

They excel at collaborating with foreigners and understand the way Japanese people work. They’re good at project management and meeting deadlines, which helps me control the progress of our project.

We communicated via Gmail while we were doing the logos. When we started working on the website, we shifted our communication to Skype to make it easier for us to reply to each other.

We don’t talk to them every day because we don’t have that much time, but they always give us quick feedback when needed. They’d inquire if a specific idea would work for us or ask what we think about the draft of a logo.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their work and creativity are quite impressive. They put themselves in my shoes and then designed the logos and website for me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re doing a good job, but it would be nice if the projects were completed faster. However, it’s difficult to find a balance between speed and quality. They could hire more designers or programmers, but I don’t know if the quality would go up or down.

They could sell some logos on their website because sometimes, I just need a logo and don’t have a lot of very specific needs. It would be more convenient for me to select from premade logos.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The language isn’t a problem, but you can work with Halo Lab better if you’re available at night. I’ve had some difficulty with the time zone difference.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Fusebit provides Embedded integrations tailored to SaaS vendors and delivered on demand. My role is Head of Product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Halo Lab?

We needed a brand identity and a website developed quickly and professionally to support our outbound sales motion. This would give our startup credibility and improve our success rate at B2B sales. We were too small to support an in-house design team, so we sought out an agency to help us.

What were your goals for this project?

Deliver a brand identity and website design that was professional and appealed to our target buyer.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We evaluated a few designers and agencies that we were referred to. We had worked with Halo Lab in a previous company and they offered a full range of services: logo design, UX/UI design, illustration, and motion graphics all in-house. That made it an easy decision versus hiring individual specialist designers and a project manager.

Describe the project in detail.

For our brand, I wrote a quick brief describing our target company and buyer, and they pretty much took it from there. They led the logo design, brand color selection, typography, and pretty much all other aspects. We were presented with multiple options at every stage and we narrowed it down to what worked for us.

For our website, I developed an overall idea of the content pieces we wanted, and we also provided a list of websites we liked and did not like. Halo Lab did its own research of our industry and proposed a wireframe. We worked on copy to fill it out and then moved on to the UI design phase. After we iterated, we also brainstormed what illustrations we wanted, and they pretty quickly came up with a concept that we liked, and which they implemented.

What was the team composition?

We worked with an account manager and a project manager for the most part. A designer, illustrator, and art director were all involved, but we worked through the account and project manager for the most part. Most communication was written via Figma and Slack.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After the design phase, we implemented the website in React and rolled it out. We've also rolled out the brand identity across social media and in presentations. So far, the feedback has been positive and I think we met our goal of putting forth a professional and attractive identity for the company.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Most communication was managed via Google Docs, Figma comments, and Slack. We had one or two in-person meetings. Overall communication was good and they were very responsive... letting us know when they would be off for holidays, etc. Sometimes we found it difficult to communicate ideas in writing, which led to some wasted effort -- in the future, I would prefer more in-person meetings to avoid miscommunication and wasted work.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

My favorite part is the variety of skills Halo Lab brings under one roof. They are skilled at logo/brand design, UX/UI design, illustration, and motion graphics. They also do application design, which we didn't use for this engagement. That made it super easy for me to know that my needs would be taken care of. Artistically they are very strong and creative and the work they turned over was top quality. Halo Lab frequently surprised us with unique ways of handling problems.

Are there any areas for improvement?

As I mentioned above, communication can be improved in certain cases. When things get more complex, Slack and Figma comments frequently don't capture the nuance, which can cause the designers to waste effort. I would prefer in-person meetings directly with the team in such situations, to help resolve things quickly before work starts and effort is wasted.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and head of product for a technology company. We work on enterprise software as a service solution for qualitative research including audio and video data.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Halo Lab?

We had marketing needs for our website as well as design needs for the product in the application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Halo Lab redesigned our simple website. Their team created and added pages, integrating more functionality. While maintaining our brand image, they also rebuilt existing pages. Their team also built or reshaped every flow in the platform including the upload, registration, exporting, and analysis processes.

From scratch, Halo Lab also designed the marketing components of the platform. The website consists of the application that’s accessible to users only as well as the main, public site. Their team created the publicly accessible part of the platform, including the homepage, services, and about us sections.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with two teammates, usually a project manager and a designer. We had a main point of contact, but also communicated with the designer. Our team had access to both people at all times. Different people have worked with the team to support the project too.

How did you come to work with Halo Lab?

Our team was looking for design help, which we posted online. Halo Lab applied, shared their portfolios, and completed a smaller task for us successfully. After that, we decided to bring them on for the entire design project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $25,000–$50,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began collaborating in October 2018, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re very happy with Halo Lab. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback, especially on the marketing site’s aesthetics, which their team designed from scratch. At this stage, we don’t have any metrics for the website.

How did Halo Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve used Slack to communicate, which has been important for integrating their team into our workflows. Figma and Vision have also been helpful project management tools. They’re always available and have communicated frequently. Their team has been responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Halo Lab works hard to produce good results at a reasonable price. They care about the final deliverables.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could provide more structure to our team because we’re small and not always focused on design. It could be helpful, but that would be them trying to fill our gaps.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As with anything related to design, give good guidance and feedback. Optimize their capabilities. Take advantage of the collaboration because the Halo Lab team is good at their work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Mobalytics, a company that provides analytics for gamers. We help people understand their strengths and weaknesses and how good they are in a specific game. Then we give them advice on how to improve. We’re a coach for video gamers.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Halo Lab?

We needed help designing the first version of our gamer coaching platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Halo Lab designed the first version of our product from scratch. They were primarily responsible for the design, but they provided us with some interesting ideas in terms of the UI, as well. They completed much of their work using Sketch and Photoshop.

What is the team composition?

We worked mostly with a project lead and a designer, but the team grew to accommodate our needs. For instance, when we needed to design icons for the interface, they added one more designer who specialized in icon designs.

How did you come to work with Halo Lab?

I found them on Dribbble and liked their portfolio.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000-$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June 2016–February 2019, but we still go to them with small requests when necessary.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our users have said that they like our design and are excited about the product. Many industry experts have said that we have the best design when compared to our competitors.

How did Halo Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated easily using Slack. Though there is a significant time difference for our teams, we never had any problems. Halo Lab was always extremely professional. They were willing to get on a call with us whenever we needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was most appreciative of their ability to provide us with designers for specific needs. They are talented professionals who are ready to propose their own ideas, which made for an exciting work environment.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they accomplished everything we asked of them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understand what it is that you want to achieve. You need to have goals in mind, along with some type of vision. Being able to articulate what you’re trying to achieve will save you and the designer a lot of time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of Need/Want.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Halo Lab?

We hired Halo Lab to provide ongoing support for various design projects. Ultimately, we wanted someone who we could depend on for a regular basis. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Among the multiple projects Halo Lab supports, they design entire websites for us, doing the interface design and illustrations. They also help create the graphics for our packaging and do photo-editing for our e-commerce needs. We assign them a task and they return with a final product according to our requirements.

What is the team composition?

We’ve consistently had one main point of contact who we communicate with and assign tasks to. However, other key members handle projects depending on the expertise needed. 

How did you come to work with Halo Lab?

I came across Halo Lab after looking through various portfolios. We really liked their style and, after setting up a meeting, enjoyed their communication approach. They were the right mix of price, talent, and style. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spend between $1,000–$2,000 per month, on average. Over the two years, we’ve spent in the $10,000–$25,000 range. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in June 2017 and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Having their support has allowed us to have a lean team with plenty of talent. Their efforts have been critical for us to operate and continue having ongoing projects for our business. 

How did Halo Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

Working with one main point of contact makes the process run smoothly for us. They liaise with their internal team and delegate tasks as needed. Primarily, we use Basecamp for all communication. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The value we get from them and their quality work set them apart from others. We get high-quality work from their team for a great cost. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I’d suggest they improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with their team as much as you can. If they know the exact style you’re looking for, they’ll be able to replicate it. If not, they’ll produce something else amazing but in the wrong direction. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a serial entrepreneur in the media and IT sector.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Halo Lab?

We hired them to create the UI/UX and web design of an e-commerce gift shop.

What were your goals for this project?

To achieve a creative, trustworthy, and unique online gift shop.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We checked the portfolio of various companies, looking at 3–4 different firms. We chose Halo Lab because of the personal touch we received from the beginning, and the skill sets their portfolio reflects.

Describe the project in detail.

I worked along with Halo Labs on the wireframes. They then did the UI/UX and web design of our e-commerce shop.

What was the team composition?

I had constant communication with the project manager and lead designer. On their end, they had a team of people they contributed creative ideas and further design elements.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Halo Lab did amazing work. However, I never proceeded with that particular project as a couple of more appealing business opportunities came up that required my full attention.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was excellent. We used Slack and Basecamp.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their communication and adherence to time commitments.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I don't have anything particular in mind.