Holycode

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of hiphopadellic

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We create a music industry platform called dellic where creatives can connect, sell and buy music industry related services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire EtonDigital to accomplish?

• App & Platform Specifications, Discovery and Estimates MVP

SOLUTION

How did you find EtonDigital?

Referral

Why did you select EtonDigital over others?

Great culture fit

How many teammates from EtonDigital were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Official Launch Release features 4 Business Model 5 Project scope 6 Discovery workshops 7 Ideation and prototyping phase (deliverables) 7 User flow Diagrams (Information architecture) 8 Product backlog (features specs) 8 Data model 10 Technology stack 10 Integration research 11 Cost estimate and proposed tech stack for the product build 11 Refinement and iteration 11 Key Personnel 12 Notes 12 Timeframes 13 Discovery costs estimates

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are now ready to develop the platform in detail. Everything is specified in detail and we know how much money we have to raise to go to the market with the first MVP beta version.

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

They work really professionally and communicate clearly if something takes longer. We were really happy with their work—finally, we found a good team for this huge project!

What was your primary form of communication with EtonDigital?

Virtual Meeting

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

We really felt comfortable with the whole team, and the project manager handled the work like it was his own project. We were really impressed to see and feel how much they love the project, so you can really feel "your baby" is in good hands! Big shoutout to Milos for showing major love to our project!

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

To be honest, there’s nothing negative to say at all! The only thing we believe could be improved: we were a bit confused when we agreed to the proposal with Holycode, but then continued the process with EtonDigital. We're not sure if we missed that information, but we believe it’s important to communicate clearly from the beginning that another team/company will be responsible for the process and development.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Marketing of a financial services company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Transformation consulting in financial services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Eton Digital to accomplish?

• Total rebrand - design and implementation
• New asset library, brand guidelines and roll out
• New website

SOLUTION

How did you find Eton Digital?

Referral

Why did you select Eton Digital over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Eton Digital were assigned to this project?

15

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

• Our Branding Objective: Clearly defining who we are, what makes us unique, and what we stand for to everyone, both internally and externally, is crucial. Our brand must powerfully reflect our DNA and our personality, as well as make us stand out in a crowded market. The growth we have seen over the past few years has put us in an excellent position to build on the strength of each entity’s gravitas in their particular markets, to create a brand together that pools our resources, utilises our strengths and represents the future. 

We ultimately have two goals for our rebranding strategy:

• Firstly, differentiating ourselves in a crowded market with many competitive consultancy firms. We believe we bring the best of both worlds to our people and our clients, with the structure, expertise, and qualifications of an established organisation alongside the innovation, creativity, and culture of a start-up. Our space is saturated with ‘corporate’ (boring!) brands, and we want to make a difference with how we look and feel in a way that authentically represents us.
• Secondly, creating one cohesive identity born from six companies merging, by solidifying the practices internally and externally through our branding. Since the Buy & Build strategy, our story and brand is now complex and confusing. The business has moved in a new direction but we lack one cohesive identity to sit behind. We need to change our identity to reflect who we are today and for the future, by getting clear on how we come across to both our clients and people. 

Expected Deliverables:

• Brand identity creation
• Full spectrum brand guidelines 
• Asset library (including social tiles, email banners, Microsoft suite templates, digital business cards, event banner designs etc.) 
• New ProjectiveGroup website with focus on Practices: 
  • including redirect of old brand websites to new site 
  • including SEO advice and support 
  • including content switchover 
  • including translations where required

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Fantastic feedback from internal teams and stakeholders, everyone is now bought into the brand and re-energised. Our external audience has also positively responded to the rebrand, we have noticed an uplift in engagement with our audience both digitally and directly from account managers. We have experienced more proposal invites and won a client project.

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

The team were brilliant at keeping us on schedule. They were always understanding about our own deadlines and were very flexible with us. All items were delivered on time and where needed, they worked around the clock to deliver excellent work when we needed it.

What was your primary form of communication with Eton Digital?

Virtual Meeting

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

The team genuinely felt like an extension of our own team. Nothing was too much trouble. They were always positive, upbeat, and creative; they brought a valuable and engaging perspective to our dynamic. They manage to balance understanding us and who we are as a company, with pushing us outside of our comfort zone to get the best outcome.

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

No - they were brilliant!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the web manager for the ITF. We strive to improve the working lives of transport workers globally. Through campaigns and lobbying, we help our members to secure rights, equality and justice for workers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

When we hired Eton our websites were out-dated and nolonger met the requirements of the organisation or our audience. As a small team we needed a technology partner who could not only provide us with a robust future facing platform but would also provide ongoing support while our sites and organisation evolved.

SOLUTION

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

Agencies were asked to provide a written proposal and then to present their approach to a panel. We liked Eton Digital for the depth of their knowledge and breadth of experience. Many of the other agencies we encountered were high on the gloss factor (and cost) but limited on tech knowhow.

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

Eton use agile project methodology. The work is conducted in two-week sprints and we are provided with a summary of activity completed for each sprint by the project manager. The work is available to review on a staging server and we communicate with the project team using Redmine. The majority of our sites are built on Drupal but we do use WordPress for microsites.

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

• three backend developers
• two frontend developers
• two project managers
• two QA analysts
• designer
• system administrator

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After relaunching our site, we had a significant uplift in traffic. Our analytics showed that users were spending more time on the site and exploring content that was previously overlooked. Our site is available in eight languages and Eton’s development vastly improved the management of language pages for our translation team and content editors. They were able to work with us to drive out previous complications in content creation.

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

We use Redmine for both development and day to day support needs. We have found this works exceptionally well for communicating changes and as a resource for retrieving old tasks. The team are always responsive and have acted quickly to our occasional, urgent and unexpected requests.

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

Eton have a great work ethic, it's clear that they are passionate about what they do. I specifically like their no nonsense problem solving ability. The team are good natured and easy to work with, they very much feel like a part of our organisation.

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

I would struggle to answer this question because they are far and away the best agency we have partnered with, so no, we like them just the way they are :-)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was the CEO of a content platform for the investment industry worldwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

To create a professional network and content platform of institutional quality for professional investors worldwide.

SOLUTION

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

I searched for Drupal developers with experience in building professional networks. I discovered that Eton Digital was a large, experienced, professional organisation, with good experience in building professional networks, and with a reasonable cost structure.

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

I had a good idea of how the site should work, so delivered a very detailed specification. Eton interpeted this, we discussed the best ways of achieving the objectives and their designer began creating site pages, which we then iterated to find the final solution before development began.

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

The website has been very successful and we continue to work together today, ten years on. At most times there was a team of around six Eton staff working on the project:

• Project Manager
• Frontend Developer
• Backend Developer
• 2 QA specialists 
• A developer dealing with AWS-related issues.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site now hosts over 60,000 professional investors worldwide, and has been the cornerstone to a company which has grown from one employee to twenty employees today.

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

Most communication has been online, which works well. Most comms have been conducted via Redmine, a project management tool for website development.

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

The site is complex, with many different features and modules. Most developers who have worked on the site have stayed on the project for several years, and they have a great understanding of how to make changes on our platform.

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

We specify new features and improvements on a regular basis. We pay Eton an hourly rate, and when we specify large functional changes, Eton will quote us an estimated number of hours for completion. The reality is that the work normally takes more hours than estimated. Nevertheless, it still works out as good value for money.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Individual consultant in the media, advertising and marketing sectors focused on data, audience and monetisation strategies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I wanted a new website which could present my services but equally importantly my approach and values, including my blog.

SOLUTION

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

Eton Digital immediately fully understood my needs and objectives and the values and nature of my proposition, and extremely clear in presenting a project plan and roadmap.

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

After a kick-off call, Eton Digital delivered a clear and detailed proposal. As my mind changed on a certain aspect of the site, they were very flexible in quick in adapting the proposal. The proposed approach was to build a website using Wordpress.

The first phase was about the design. We have an initial call/interview where their designer wanted to understand my preferences and ideas, from the logo, to the colours and overall look and feel. A few options were submitted for approval (they were always very flexible in making changes and adapting the design based on my feedback).

Phase two was about development, which went very smoothly. At this stage too they were very flexible in considering my feedback and thoughts. Prior to launch, testing was very thorough and professional.

Overall they have been very patient with my many questions and feedback. The whole end to end project, from requirements collection to delivery was managed by a senior project manager

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

One project manager, one designer, one developer, with the side support of the administration team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I didn't own a website for my business before. Now I have a single collection point that represents me, my business and my publications. It is too early to give metrics, but it has made already a difference in making the sales process much easier.

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

The project manager was in constant touch with me along the whole project. The designer was very flexible and able to perfectly understand the brief. The developer was very reliable and precise. Timeliness and professionalism were impeccable.

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

Their support, flexibility and professional approach have been of the highest standards. Not a single time they made me feel that my doubts and questions (i.e. last second additions or changes of mind) were "too many" for them.

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

I don't have anything to suggest or complain about.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m co-founder and technical director at Aura Life, an end of life planning website. We have a tool with a number of features to help individuals and their families celebrate life and manage death.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Eton Digital?

As a small team, we needed a development partner to create our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Eton Digital helped build our web platform. Their development work was full stack, and they helped our in-house designers with the platform’s branding. They created our logo and brand guidelines based on our specifications. Their team also helped with the platform's UX design. They built three features and uploaded a lot of content to the platform.

They built the website with SEO initiatives in mind. However, we’re not working with Eton Digital’s marketing team. Rather, we work with their development team.

What is the team composition?

We work with two frontend developers, two backend developers, a project manager, a QA analyst, a designer, a database manager, and a few other team members. There are about 10–11 people from Eton Digital who regularly work on our project.

How did you come to work with Eton Digital?

We searched for a website developer and found Eton Digital on Google. We met with them and started our partnership with a smaller project. They built a promotional website to help us raise money for developing our website, and it was a success.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent more than £100,000 (approximately $138,000 USD) on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our partnership in February 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Eton Digital goes above and beyond our expectations for a web development partner. Working with them has been an absolute joy. They give valuable advice and have our best, long-term interests at heart.

How did Eton Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

We use email, Slack, and video calls. Their communication skills are exceptional. Damjan (Project Manager) effectively communicates our messages to his team. They also speak exceptional English. As they’re super organized, we can see their progress. We arrange specifications for sprints, and then their team executes the specifications in two-week sprints.

Their team follows a great process for moving a project from an idea to a finished product. When we have an idea, they create a design for us and then put it onto a staging service for us to review. Once it’s approved, we put the design onto the live platform. That process works well for us. Eton Digital also quickly turns around results. If the platform needs a fix, they’re responsive even if it’s slightly out of the scope.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We launched the website and received extremely positive initial feedback on it. We’ve had thousands of signups, which is a great indicator of successs. People also complimented its look. Even though the initial response to the website is exceptional, we’re improving it. For example, they optimized its speed, so it now loads quicker. Their team deals with the website’s complexity and makes it as simple as possible for the user.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are times when we would like them to make changes or fixes quicker. For example, there may be words that need to be changed, which could be updated quickly. However, it may take them a few days to turn it around. We discussed that with them, and they presented options that we’re exploring.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ensure that you have clear goals. They can help you achieve your goals and will give you more than you expected. They’ll also give input but it’s important to first establish your goals. We couldn’t recommend them more to anyone.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing operations manager at a publishing house.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Eton Digital?

We needed a website redesign.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our websites need to be refreshed every few years to be competitive and functional. We want to continue to provide excellent services to our customers while staying up-to-date with technology.

Not only did Eton Digital redesign our website, but they also completely changed the site’s backend, which is in Drupal. We continue to work with their team on ongoing development projects.

What is the team composition?

I have one main point of contact. 

How did you come to work with Eton Digital?

Someone else at our company found them. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The website relaunched in October 2018, and we’re still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Eton Digital’s quick responses and turnaround time, a lot of our projects can move forward a lot faster than our previous systems. That’s been really fantastic. 

We’re very happy with the quality of the website and the team’s responsiveness. Both are important when working with a website agency. Our users were complimentary of the site’s new look once it was launched

How did Eton Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m very happy with the system they use. Our project manager is extremely responsive. He’ll triage my requests and assign them to the right member. They also have a good online system to review tickets. I sometimes have contact with the person doing specific tasks, but the PM is always available no matter what. It works really well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their efficiency, clarity, and quality of work stand out to me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind. When I work with Eton Digital, I know that the work will get done promptly and well.

Any advice for potential customers?

Don’t be afraid to get in touch with your project manager: they’re very friendly and helpful. Also, be clear in your requirements, and Eton Digital will figure out a way to make it happen.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of Sagacio LLC, a company that's in the process of creating startups online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Eton Digital Ltd.?

We needed to find a developer to help us create an e-learning platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Eton Digital helped us flesh out the design of our educational platform and provided full development, working on both the UI and backend architecture of the website. They also integrated APIs such as Vimeo and a payment system and provided input on ways to improve the site. 

What is the team composition? 

We mostly communicated with Stanislava (Creative Director, Eton Digital), who managed the project exceptionally well. There were about 8–10 others working on the project as well at various stages. 

How did you come to work with Eton Digital Ltd.?

I met Stanislava at an event in New York and we got to talking about what her company specializes in, which we happened to have a need for–it was serendipitous. Her intelligence and the way she talked about how she would approach creating our website inspired a lot of confidence in me to hire them.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested over $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

They worked on the project from September 2018–March 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They put together an innovative, user-friendly website that's exceeded expectations. We don't have any metrics to report yet, but everyone is very impressed with it overall.

How did Eton Digital Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

We met regularly throughout the scrum process, going over demos and next steps through Skype. They were very responsive and inclusive throughout the engagement, collaborating closely with our team. Each decision or change to the website they made took into consideration what was best for the business in terms of the value it would add.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team is intellectually inspiring, rigorous, and flexible. Their process is also seamless; they were thoughtful about incorporating our feedback and good about coming up with creative solutions to meet any objectives that presented a challenge.

They were also one of the most dynamic groups of professionals I've ever worked with, and I look forward to working with them again in the future. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, no. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be honest about project goals and objectives. They're extremely communicative, thorough, and solutions-oriented so I'm confident they'd add value to any project. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the product manager at The EverLearner. We offer an online learning platform, generally for UK-based schools or schools across the world that follow a similar curriculum. We sell directly to schools, and they provide access to students and teachers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Eton Digital?

We previously worked with a different development company to build our platform. That vendor did a lot of valuable work for us, but we engaged Eton Digital because we needed a larger development firm with more resources.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Once we began with Eton Digital, we tasked them with ridding the platform of the existing bugs left over from our previous developer. Their process of fixing and polishing took about six months. Once that work came to an end, we transitioned their team to focus on building features from scratch, primarily with Symfony.

The most prominent feature they’ve added to this point is a dashboard that offers user analytics for students and teachers. Our first panel did not function as we had hoped, so we presented Eton Digital with our original concepts of that feature. They fleshed out our ideas and took the dashboard through the design phase, and we ended up with a feature that works as we intended.

What is the team composition?

We work with a project manager, a few full stack-developers, some frontend and backend developers, some designers, and their QA team.

How did you come to work with Eton Digital?

I am unsure of how we initially found them—likely a search for UK-based agencies. We met them and felt comfortable with the team. They had the manpower we were looking for, and they seemed to have a professional approach. Eton Digital also billed themselves as specialists for education projects and Symfony-based projects.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about £80,000 (approximately $104,400 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in July 2018 and remains ongoing. We’ve scaled back a little bit as of late as we dedicate resources and money elsewhere while we continue our growth strategy, but Eton Digital has been very accommodating as we’ve done so.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work with our dashboard is the most significant indicator of their success. Our initial dashboard struggled to process large data sets, which caused occasional server crashes and site lag time. Once Eton Digital made their improvements and launched our new version, our site’s performance improved dramatically.

How did Eton Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re worthy of perfect marks for how they managed our project. They are communicative throughout our two-week sprint cycles, and it’s rare for them to not deliver within the timeframe. We interact efficiently through a Slack channel and our weekly video calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate their efficiency and their expertise. I think they enjoy working on our product because they hold many of the same values we do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They are not an inexpensive agency, but there is a level of security that comes with that. They deliver on their promises and provide good quality. The value is worth it. There is nothing they could do vastly different to improve our engagement. As we progress, I have no hesitation to keep giving them work because they’ve been very good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Future clients must be willing to work in a very structured way. Also, part of Eton Digital’s team is in Serbia, and while many members of their team speak English well, the possibility of a language barrier must be something that other customers will have to consider.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and founder of Coinaphoto, a platform where users can buy locally sourced, user-generated content—specifically photographs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Eton Digital?

We hired Eton Digital for a range of tasks that included website development, iOS development, marketing management, infrastructure optimization, and website administration.  

What were your goals for this project?

We hoped that once our website was complete, we could become the leading marketplace for this kind of content.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We created a short list of global vendors, reviewed their portfolios, and asked for cost estimates. We determined that Eton Digital was well-suited for this project.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Eton Digital designed and developed our website, made recommendations for cloud services, and developed our iOS application. They continue to provide SEO services and other marketing support.

What was the team composition?

We have worked with a project manager, front- and backend developers, a website designer, a DevOps manager, an iOS developer, and an administration team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Eton Digital delivered a functional website and mobile app. Our platform is live and has a community of more than 200,000 members in more than 170 countries.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We worked in two-week sprints using an agile method. We operated well within Jira, and Eton Digital managed to deliver on all of their commitments.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are committed to building strong and healthy relationships with their clients. The ownership team is engaged with the project, and they ensure a transparent and communicative partnership.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, nothing specific for their team. We chose to leave product testing to our marketing team, which cost us time, so I’d recommend that testing be defined and included in the scope of any project.