KOTA

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Commercial Director of tanooki

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Tanooki Technologies Ltd has released its first product, tanooki, a platform which brings content creators and their teams together with a suite of tools and features that enable and enhance collaboration. tanooki is designed for teams of all sizes to meet, review and log content from anywhere, in a virtual environment that aims to mirror the flow of real world production.

tanooki’s education module provides a springboard for industry entrants and aims to level the playing field by giving them access to industry standard tools and practices in their learning environment, as well as connections to work placement opportunities. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Website for Saas product

SOLUTION

How did you find KOTA?

Online Search

Why did you select KOTA over others?

Company values aligned

How many teammates from KOTA were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Website design and launch.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We launched on time and on budget.

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

Yes - project hit all milestones.  Slight issue with the original project not taking into account the Bank Holiday which meant an earlier go live date than originally laid out.

What was your primary form of communication with KOTA?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The design was great, and they were quick to make changes. The back end Wordpress was very easy to work with.

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

No - very happy.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder of Floan Ltd.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Tech company providing a point of sale finance solution for purchasing flights.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Branding
• Website Design
• Tone of Voice

SOLUTION

How did you find KOTA?

• Referral

Why did you select KOTA over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned
• Love their previous work

How many teammates from KOTA were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Scope of work:

• Develop the brand identity, logo and ancillary branding assets
• Delve into what the brand is and who we are to define tone of voice and website copy
• Design the UI and UX of the website

Deliverables:

• As per above

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The overall project was a huge success... At every step of the way each team member delivered their product as promised, on time and to perfect quality. the progress was demonstrated in their timely delivery and completion for a very happy customer. The success is demonstrated in the delivery of a finished product that is just so perfect and we are so over joyed with.

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

Everything on time, and with a great amount of chasing of us, when we were slowing tasks down! They were always available and communicative to discuss briefs and amends.

What was your primary form of communication with KOTA?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their creativity. Nothing was too big of a task, idea or feat for them to try and make work. Their ideas were fresh and exciting and every round of notes came back with yet more exciting ideas, vision and concepts.

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

We were so happy with the whole overall process and wouldn't change anything if we could... just wish we could use more of the design concepts we had to leave on the cutting room floor!!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Digital Marketing Manager of a Design Consultancy

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Delivers design consultancy services alongside running a design thinking training academy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Design and Launch 2 New Websites

SOLUTION

How did you find KOTA?

Online Search

Why did you select KOTA over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fits our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Having in-house teams for both design and development

How many teammates from KOTA were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We contracted Kota to design and build two new websites as part of a company rebrand covering both our design consultancy (DK&A) and our training academy (Design Thinkers Academy London). As a design agency, we carried out some user research alongside creating the new sitemaps and low-fi wireframes, and then supplied these to Kota along with our new brand guidelines so that they could bring the brand to life across the sites. 
We needed the website of our consultancy to operate as a shop window, explaining our services and inspiring users to get in touch. For our training academy we needed a website with full e-commerce functionality on top of this. Additionally both websites needed to be clearly unified under one brand while being separate entities. 
Kota recommended building the consultancy website on Wordpress and the training academy site on Shopify. The key deliverables were the designs of both websites (including interactive elements and animations) and the development and launch of both sites.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The design and build of both websites

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

We had a dedicated project manager, Maja, who was excellent. At any point we had questions or concerns, we were able to raise these and they were dealt with quickly and effectively. Work from Kota was delivered on time, and their team worked with us to help make any necessary adjustments.

What was your primary form of communication with KOTA?

Email or Messaging App

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

Really good communication between designers and developers, meaning that creative solutions could be found to pretty much all issues. The team was very responsive to our questions and always took the time to explain anything if there was any confusion.

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

It might have been useful to see more options for the designs of both websites in the early stages of the project, so that different approaches could be weighed against each other.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Art Director of a design company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

I am an art director and design consultant

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Redesign a corporate website for my client
• Redesign and rebrand corporate identity for the same client

SOLUTION

How did you find KOTA?

Online Search

Why did you select KOTA over others?

• Great culture fit
• Excellent website

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

As a freelance design consultant and art director, I was asked by a major client to find an agency to redesign and relaunch their website and corporate identity. Some research led me to Kota and I immediately felt they would be a good fit. Kota updated the corporate logo and branding including typography and colours, and developed a brand guidelines document. This involved a series of meetings with the client and myself to work on mission, vision, brand values, tone of voice. 

They redesigned and relaunched the corporate website, working closely with us at all times.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The client was completely happy with the website and corporate rebrand. The client is an international group of companies, and personnel all around the world were completely positive about the outcome of the project.

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

Kota's project management was excellent. We started the process with in-person meetings to work on the corporate messaging, but our main contact on the client side was impatient and unwilling to invest much time in discussion, so we quickly moved to a different way of working, with me as the communication point between Kota and the clients. I relayed feedback and queries in both directions. 

I was in constant touch with Kota, particularly using Slack, and I had good access to the client, so the system worked well. It was a pleasure to work with Kota, as the team had clear ideas and a great vision, but were willing to discuss and adjust as circumstances required. They delivered everything on time and within budget.

What was your primary form of communication with KOTA?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I am a big fan of Kota's work, in terms of design. I love their aesthetic. And I really appreciate that they are respectful and straightforward in dealing with clients. This can be surprisingly rare in creative agencies!

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

Not really!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Branding Section Head of Hassan Allam Holding

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Hassan Allam Holding is a leading group in Egypt, with a special focus on engineering & construction, and investment & development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Create an impressive and visually stunning website that reflects Hassn Allam Holding's brand identity and values.
• Ensure a seamless user experience and intuitive navigation for visitors, enhancing engagement and interaction with the website's content.
• Implement a responsive design to optimize the website's performance across various devices, including desktops, tablets, and mobile phones.
• Deliver the project on time, meeting all deadlines, and exceeding expectations, ensuring a successful and timely launch of the new website.

SOLUTION

How did you find KOTA?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select KOTA over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from KOTA were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The scope of work with Kota for Hassn Allam Holding's new website was extensive. It involved understanding the company's requirements and objectives, creating a visually appealing design, integrating a user-friendly CMS, implementing SEO best practices, rigorous testing, and successful deployment. The collaboration resulted in an impressive website with seamless user experience, easy content management, and a strong online presence.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project with Kota for Hassn Allam Holding's new website yielded measurable outcomes that demonstrated significant progress and success. The website experienced a substantial increase in traffic and user engagement, thanks to its visually appealing design and user-friendly navigation. Improved search engine optimization efforts led to higher organic search rankings and increased organic traffic.

The website's responsiveness across various devices contributed to a seamless user experience. Additionally, the project was delivered on time with minimal issues, and positive client feedback indicated high satisfaction. Overall, the measurable outcomes showcased enhanced website performance, user engagement, and brand perception, affirming the project's success.

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

Kota's project management was exemplary throughout the collaboration with Hassn Allam Holding. They displayed a high level of professionalism, delivering items on time and adhering to the agreed-upon timeline. Their responsiveness to our needs was outstanding, as they promptly addressed any queries or concerns that arose during the development process.

Kota's team actively listened to our requirements, ensuring a thorough understanding of our vision for the website. Their consistent communication and accountability made the project flow smoothly, instilling confidence in their ability to deliver a successful outcome. Overall, their efficient project management and attentiveness to our needs played a significant role in the project's overall success.

What was your primary form of communication with KOTA?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What I found most impressive and unique about Kota was their unwavering commitment to excellence and their ability to truly grasp the essence of Hassn Allam Holding's brand. Their team of professionals demonstrated exceptional creativity and attention to detail in creating a visually stunning website that perfectly aligned with our company's values and objectives.

Additionally, Kota's seamless integration of a user-friendly CMS and their dedication to delivering a bug-free and responsive website further showcased their technical expertise. However, what truly set them apart was their exceptional level of responsiveness and communication throughout the entire project.

Their prompt and attentive approach to addressing our needs and concerns ensured a smooth and successful collaboration, making them a standout choice for any organization seeking an impressive and impactful online presence.

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

While the collaboration with Kota was overall successful and impressive, there are a few areas where improvement could have been made. One aspect that could have been enhanced is providing more frequent progress updates during the development process. Although their responsiveness was commendable, receiving more frequent status reports would have further increased transparency and allowed us to stay more closely informed about the project's progress.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I oversee the marketing at Little's Coffee – a small, family-run business based in the South West. We primarily produce flavoured instant coffee and coffee pods that are sugar free and additive free, in plastic-free packaging.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our website was over 5 years old and we needed a new website that would support the business growth and really simplify the user journey to convert more sales

SOLUTION

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

We had briefly worked with Kota on past projects and knew they would nail the brief we set them. We asked two other agencies to pitch and decided Kota understood the business and our challenges the best.

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

We knew we wanted to move across from Wordpress to Shopify and Kota helped us at every step. They approached the site from a UX perspective initially, with a focus on mobile. Once we signed off the initial sitemaps, they presented us with some designs (which we loved so much, there were very minimal changes needed). They built the site over the next few weeks and presented us with a really polished site. The whole process felt pretty seamless.

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

2–3 – primarily Maja, project manager, Bekah, developer, and Alex, SEO. Jonny, the MD worked with us at briefing stage, too.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While it's too early to see any measurable outcomes, we're confident that our new website will convert more sales over time – in thanks partly to the team's UX work and the Shopify checkout process. We've had so much positive feedback and the website feels much more like it represents us as a brand. From our point of view, making updates to the site and managing the CMS is so much easier and clearer, too.

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

The team was really responsive and great at keeping us up-to-date on their progress. They were really flexible and were happy to work to our timelines.

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

It was just easy to work with the team at Kota. They're a super creative and super smart bunch – nothing was too difficult for them (particularly from a development point of view) and we didn't have to make too many compromises on our vision.

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

Not massively but if I'm being really picky I would say a little more support or expertise sharing with some of the Shopify set up would have helped speed up the end of the process to getting the site live.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Adams & Butler is a private travel designer based in Ireland. We work with international clients, many of whom are celebrities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KOTA?

We had three websites selling to Ireland/the UK, Africa, and other parts of the world. However, we were very unhappy with them because they weren’t database-driven and used proprietary software. Our goal was to amalgamate our sites under our brand so that people would know we covered multiple areas instead of one.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

KOTA created a brand new website in WordPress, doing everything from the redesign to the logo update. For the logo, we’d done focus groups with clients to collect feedback. People liked our old logo, but we were a bit bored with it. KOTA helped us keep the overall look while giving it a little burst of light.

As for the site, we needed to make it more user-friendly and intuitive. Some of the included features were embedded videos, easier blogging capabilities, and improved quoting. Previously, B2B clients couldn’t use information from our site because our branding was all over it. KOTA’s changes allowed us to print off pages with our without labels, which saved us time when process inquiries.

What is the team composition?

Jonathan (Managing Director) was our main point of contact, and we also worked with Maja (Digital Project Manager) and James (Creative Director). 

All of them were good at dealing with people of different nationalities and cultures at our office — I’m a shoot-from-the-hip type of person, while others were more subtle, but KOTA was very easy to work with.
 
How much have you invested with them?

The project cost was £40,000 (approximately 48,000).

What is the status of this engagement?

The website was built between April–October 2020, but KOTA is still making some tweaks. They gave us three months to play with the site and see how we liked it. Now, we have a set amount of complimentary work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The process evolved between us along the way. They eventually started to understand when we needed more time to do something and where our strengths lay. Now, the traffic we’re getting is double what we saw before. We rank highly on searches for “Jewish tourism” and “ghost tourism Ireland.”

How did KOTA perform from a project management standpoint?

KOTA had an in-depth process, and it worked. We got the results we wanted on time because of how detailed they were. 

They used a Gantt chart, which detailed what our responsibilities were and whom we’d talk to in their team. James was in charge of design, Johnathan was our overall contact, and Maja was our day-to-day contact. I enjoyed that because it meant that we didn’t waste time talking to too many people and reexplaining things. 

As for communication channels, we worked on Zoom, Teams, and email in addition to weekly meetings. If anything urgent came up, we’d call them. I’ve even asked Johnathan for advice recently, which he was happy to provide.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I just loved the way that KOTA just got us. James was the first designer I’d come across who didn’t try to take over as if he knew best. He listened actively and was empathetic. Even though our fields were totally different, he got where we were coming from.

Some of the things we wanted to do weren’t practical, but they’d find other ways of accomplishing our goals without charging extra for unnecessary add-ons. They were clearly empathetic to our needs and how we wanted to position ourselves. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of. They’re very talented, and we highly recommend them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an award-winning consultancy disruptor that deploys teams from its expert network, The Change Society, to solve the challenges companies face when undertaking change.

Founded in 2016, S&S was born as a rebellion against ineffective change management practices. I'm the Head of Digital there and I oversee the digital strategy of the company across branding, marketing and creative.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire KOTA - Creative Digital Agency, and what were your goals?

I actually designed our website when the company first launched in 2016. While it managed to do the job for a while, we were in need of a freshen up - a new front end design, a highly editable backend and a robust content space.

The main challenge was that we needed it to be released in line with a large promotion - and it was only 5 weeks away.

SOLUTION

How did you select KOTA - Creative Digital Agency and what were the deciding factors?

I'd had a look at some of their past work and was impressed with some of the sites they had developed. That along with their approach and the 'art of the possible' attitude made me believe that they could get this done despite the uber-tight timeframe. They were also just a good bunch of people who I knew I could work with.

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

Basically we needed to give KOTA all of our content that we wanted built into the site for them to start creating a design prototype against. We then spent a week with them going back and forward on the front end design, tinkering with bits and pieces using easily sharable links from Adobe XD.

A client Slack channel was set up which made the feedback loops super quick and they were always on hand. We all knew we had to be quick with responding considering the time constraints, so the sense of urgency was always there which expedited the process.

Once design was signed off, they went into development and built the site in Wordpress. They then sent a beta link and we ironed out the bugs in the last few days before the go-live.

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

The main points of contact included: Jonny Bradford - MD Maja Fulconis - Digital Project Manager James Huse - Senior Digital Designer Aleksandra Matwiejczyk - Marketing Manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The only outcome was getting a great looking website up and running in the short time that we gave KOTA. This was achieved and managed to the millimetre the whole way through to ensure we were on track. It's now up to us to drive the world to our brilliant looking site.

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

As mentioned above ** A client Slack channel was set up which made the feedback loops super quick and they were always on hand. We all knew we had to be quick with responding considering the time constraints, so the sense of urgency was always there which expedited the process.

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

Just a really nice approach with a great bunch of people to work side by side with. No request was ever too hard and this created an innovative and positive vibe in the project team.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Integrate Agency. We’re an outsourcing company for the government. Our emphasis is on working with social enterprises and businesses to provide services in the community.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kota - Creative Digital Agency?
Our goals were to communicate our offerings more effectively and to do a directory of our members on our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We already had a branding kit established. Kota came in and developed our website. We’re a difficult company to define and therefore explain our services online. We had a process to understand what we do. Kota interrogated me to distill our offerings into something simple and understandable. They didn’t implement the directory but were very effective in working with the third party who did.

How did you come to work with Kota - Creative Digital Agency?

They came highly recommended. I had heard great things about them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about £18,000 (approximately $26,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in August 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I had a high expectation, and they met that and more. People were blown away by the website — that’s exactly why I approached Kota. Our feedback has been universally fantastic. There were little subtle things they did that were way better than what we thought we’d get. The little details made a big difference. That’s what separates average developers from companies like Kota.

How did Kota - Creative Digital Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very flexible in working with me to meet deadlines. The biggest threat to the timeline was me personally because I’ve got a million things to do. Nothing was ever too much trouble. The project has been a start-stop situation. Kota has been very professional in how they get things done. We communicate through emails and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They did a number of very subtle things on the website that added flair. They gave us more than we wanted, and we’re delighted.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. We’re really happy.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust in their expertise. If you go in with a fixed view, you may not get the most out of their talent. They achieved better than what I wanted. Give them the space to achieve those extra details that’ll surprise you.