Lepshey

Please describe your company and your position there.

I oversee the branding department in a fintech company with focus on financial services and investment.

For what projects/services did your company hire Lepshey?

We needed a UX team who is experienced in our industry to help develop UX/UI for our new loan application portal and website. And 2 months after working with Lepshey, we decided to get them to overhaul our parent company's website too.

What were your goals for this project?

A simple customer experience and flow for our loan portal A forward-thinking look and feel for the website

How did you select this vendor?

We evaluated at least 5 vendors and based on their experience and portfolio, we felt that Lepshey was the right partner and we have never since looked back!

Describe the project in detail.

Lepshey had a very thorough process to guide us thru the development process to make sure everything. We started with sharing our needs which they accurately develop a prototype for us.

And for the design feel, we were given selection of sites to determine our style preference before they proceeded with the design. We were given 2 designs to choose from eventually (both were spot on) and based on our final choice, they developed the site in accordance, adhering to our requests for tweaks here and there.

What was the team composition?

We wanted to reach our internal deadlines, so the speed of the development process was very important in our case. Lepshey managed this issue without any problems. We worked on two projects in parallel with 2 UX- designers, 2 UI-designers and 2 HTML-developers. All communications were managed by one project Manager who is awesome!

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

Due to the pandemic situation worldwide, we managed to only launch the website recently and hence there is not much quantitative data to share. From a qualitative perspective, the site won praises from many customers and stakeholders.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent. The project manager assigned to the project did a fantastic job of ensure timeline are met, requests are accurately conveyed to the development team and constantly manages everyone's expectation on the job! Kudos to her!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their strict adherence to timeline, excellent project management team (skills), and fast turnarounds stood out.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not really. The experience has been very awesome and great.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO at LeadsGate, an online payday loan affiliate program that provides an innovative monetization platform. We focus exclusively on the American online short-term loan industry, selling our offers effectively through affiliate traffic streams. 

For what projects/services did your company hire Lepshey?

Our dashboard and website had not been updated since their creation more than five years ago. We hired Lepshey to refresh the UX/UI and improve usability. 

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was a brand new design for the website with a data-rich, user-friendly dashboard. 

How did you select this vendor?

We had worked with Lepshey before and were satisfied by their quality and approaches. The dashboard’s design was paramount, and we knew Lepshey could deliver the absolute success we needed.

Describe the project in detail.

During our initial planning phase, Lepshey suggested we work on both of our tasks (web design and the dashboard) in tandem. One team developed the site’s design while the second team implemented the dashboard’s UX/UI. 

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of two UX designers and two UI designers as well as an HTML developer and a project manager. 

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

Lepshey was aware of our time constraints and provided us with enough designers to meet the deadline. Though we are still busy with the dashboard’s backend development, the website’s UX/UI has received positive feedback from our focus groups. Moreover, the new design has increased leads and conversions, with over 30% of visitors turning into customers, so our stakeholders are happy. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Lepshey’s proactive approach was one of our main reasons for working with them. Their solution to our parallel projects allowed them to work smartly and quickly, producing fast results. Working with such a responsive, thoughtful team that was able to get a job done well in the shortest time possible was a pleasure.

Communication flowed smoothly and all questions were discussed in real time without hindering the project’s progress.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They adapted seamlessly to our needs, even on a tight schedule, to deliver an effective and aesthetically pleasing product. They do more than just create beautiful designs; they always consider the business value as well. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

We had no negative impressions while working with Lepshey. This was a rewarding and productive experience that fulfilled all of the terms of our agreement. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the owner of Contrebute Tech LLC. We’re a financial service that provides micro short-term loans to permanent employees in Oman and the Middle East.

For what projects/services did your company hire Lepshey?

We had just started our business and wanted Lepshey to help with the UX/UI design for our finance application.

What were your goals for this project?

Most of our customers are not advanced internet users. Therefore, our main goal was to make a user-friendly application with easy to understand financial services. Customers also had to be happy to use it and willing to recommend it.  

How did you select this vendor?

We started our research online and focused on companies that had sufficient experience in FinTech design. We then put four companies on our short list. Based on Skype interviews and the companies’ portfolio, we selected Lepshey.

Describe the project in detail.

First of all, Lepshey researched the Omani FinTech market and provided portraits of our credible customers. The second stage was UX, including a detailed customer journey map. Then, we moved to the design concept. From that moment, our app started to have a real face.

As Lepshey was only responsible for the design part of the project, it was very important to develop an idea of the dynamic behavior of the screens. Their designers animated some steps, and it helped a lot. We were going back and forth with our end consumers to test the design, and Lepshey was very quick to make the changes to mockups and semi-final stages of the design.

What was the team composition?

My contact person was a project manager, but three designers were involved in the project as well (one UX and two UI designers).

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

We’re still busy with the backend, but we presented the UX/UI design to our focus group and have been satisfied with their feedback. Their design reflected excellent color choice and a minimalist approach.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

In general, it was easy to work with Lepshey as they were very open and proactive. They gave us many useful suggestions, provided the scope without any delays, and finished the design even faster than we agreed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The quality of the design and the ability to go the extra mile were outstanding. They also agreed to make some major changes to the final designs as a result of focus group feedback. We wanted to keep all the required info on one screen, and they provided smart solutions without cutting corners. Their price was affordable too.  

Are there any areas for improvement?

They are very good, and I don’t know exactly what to improve. There may be slight hiccups in the process or suggested elements, but the same can be said of any design process. They should also sustain their quality and affordability.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of Comprado, an online comparison marketplace.

For what projects/services did your company hire Lepshey?

We needed help designing a prototype of an iOS app from scratch.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to have a ready-for-production app prototype.

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended to us by a partner company.

Describe the project in detail.

First, we set up a project team and a work process, then submitted a brief product description. Lepshey led a 3-month design initiative that included regular video calls and deliveries at least once a week. They produced final screens after multiple iterations of changes through trial-and-error, two-way dialog, and consultations with developers.

What was the team composition?

We primarily worked with their project manager and designer. Their CEO participated in the advisory team.

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

The project ended successfully. We’re happy with the final prototype design.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

While deliveries were fast and efficient, the communication was limited and formal. Lepshey functioned best when given specific instructions.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The speed of delivery was excellent. They gave us high-quality material with minimal delay.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Their English skills could be better, although they performed well-enough to deliver the project requirements. Team skills training would also be beneficial. The individual team members were great specialists, but clearly not used to cross-border teamwork.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of ID Finance, an online vendor focusing on consumer finance. We operate in 7 different countries. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Lepshey?

We use them for design work. They’ve designed our website 4 or 5 times. They helped with our mobile application design as well as numerous other projects that we have done internally. We didn’t have anything before Lepshey. They’ve been our main provider.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us optimize our funnel and did all the design work from scratch. We gave them a brief that they completed. Sometimes, I would draw the mockup by hand on a piece of paper and mail it to them. They would make my sketch into an HTML design template. In addition to web design, they also assisted with presentations, business cards, and templates for documents. But, 70%–80% of the work they’ve done involved web design.

I don’t know which technologies they used. They’ve been doing the work for our portfolio company from Georgia, as well as for our Spanish and Brazilian subsidiaries. Overall, they’ve handled quite a lot of work.

I worked with Michael [Founder and CEO, Lepshey] and his lead designer, Alex.

How did you come to work with Lepshey?

We looked at a few companies, and Lepshey was the most reasonable in terms of price. It was easier to explain what we wanted, and they understand our goals. They’re quite business-friendly and easy to deal with.

How much have you invested with Lepshey?

We have spent $200,000 in the past 4 years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May of 2012, and the work is ongoing. 

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

We gained a lot of recognition from the MoneyMan brand that they helped us build. We definitely enjoyed a lot of above-the-line help from that. When we did the redesign, we had a 10% CTR [click-through rate] increase. We’ve been A/B testing the main page for a while.  

How did Lepshey perform from a project management standpoint?

I communicated with Alex on a monthly basis. They are better designers than they are project managers. They’re happy to take a lot of guidance in their work. The team was very responsive, and the turnaround is rapid. They understand things quickly as well. If something is urgent, they can tackle it on the same day. We used email to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about Lepshey?

They understand the domain now quite well. They’ve been with us for a long time, so working with them is easy. They really know what we need. There’s no bureaucratic processes; everything is simple and seamless. I can draw something on a piece of paper or just take a photo with my phone and send it to them, and they’ll have the design ready in a day.

Are there any areas Lepshey could improve?

I don’t think their people speak English that well, which complicates their ability to get business outside of the Russian-speaking world. When we’re dealing with business in Spain or Brazil, it’s more difficult for them to manage the relationships with our portfolio.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Lepshey?

They’re a great team. We use them ourselves, and we can only lead by example. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a cofounder of HES, a fintech product development company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lepshey?

We needed assistance with UI/UX design. We don’t have in-house resources because we find designers to be special creatures, and we consider ourselves to be a development company. We were looking for a reliable partner for this facet.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have sent Lepshey a few projects, starting with the design and development of our corporate website. They provided complete graphic design from scratch, and created our logo. They also created much of our printed collateral like company profiles, leaflets, business cards, templates, and so on. Lepshey also handled HTML and JavaScript slicing. They worked on landing page design, including banners.

We have also involved Lepshey in client projects. We specialize in fintech development, around which they designed user interfaces for the landing applications. There are many complex details, including numbers, graphics and other elements which need to work together. Lepshey helped us define the logical interactions and paths through complex screens, ensuring that the information was well-presented and readable. They made some clever designs that simplified our users’ experience.

We haven’t used Lepshey for marketing, but they have designed the marketing materials we distribute through different channels.

We worked with two or three resources from Lepshey, including their founder. I wasn’t involved with all our projects, but I believe that we used a main designer and another one.

How did you come to work with Lepshey?

Someone in our network recommended them.

How much have you invested with Lepshey?

The cost of Lepshey’s work has been between $10,000 and $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Lepshey in June 2013. We continue to work with them on a couple of large projects. We’re happy with Lepshey overall.

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

We have appreciated Lepshey’s ability to work under pressure, with tight deadlines. They provide quick turnarounds, which helps us achieve our goals. For example, the first version of the landing page for our company was published within two weeks of starting the project.

How did Lepshey perform from a project management standpoint?

They are a small but well-organized company. We’ve always had an assigned project manager from Lepshey’s team, to whom we could present all our needs, and who acted as a single point of contact. If necessary, we can work directly with the designers to provide some feedback and explain our requirements. Lepshey uses tools like InVision for presenting results, which provides sufficient online collaboration. If needed, they will also come to us. We’re quite happy with how project management procedures are organized.

What did you find most impressive about Lepshey?

We’ve tried different designers over time. Not all our projects were successful, but we found that we share a similar understanding of design concepts with Lepshey. We like what they do and never required multiple iterations in order to make designs final. Also, they never failed to meet a deadline, and always did what was promised.

Are there any areas Lepshey could improve?

They need to grow as a company and attract more customers like us. The question is whether Lepshey will be able to maintain its well-organized structure when the team will be three or four times bigger than what it currently is. I can’t think of particular areas for improvement. We’re quite happy with the results we have.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Lepshey?

My advice is for customers to give Lepshey a chance. They are a very reliable provider for us, compared to the other five companies we’ve tried. I believe that potential customers won’t be disappointed.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the head of products for RecruitLoop.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lepshey?

We needed help in developing our marketing website. We had tried several designers but were not satisfied with their quality. Lepshey demonstrated to have great design skills and an understanding of what clients need.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Lepshey was in charge of the design and coding phases. There were two developers working exclusively on this project. The website development was split into phases, with updates between each one. We used Photoshop and Illustrator for the design, as well as some tools for the HTML and JavaScript coding. We received the code once it was ready to integrate into the website.

The work was template-driven. We have a responsive website and so we focused on it scaling well between desktop and mobile devices. Lepshey also created some JavaScript animations.

We developed the search engine optimization content and wireframing ourselves, while Lepshey was in charge of the design, prototyping, and delivery.

How did you come to work with Lepshey?

A friend of mine recommended Lepshey. We had gone through three or so developers before them, but we got the feeling that they didn’t understand our needs. Lepshey was able to deliver more than we expected.

How much have you invested with Lepshey?

The cost of Lepshey’s work has been close to $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Lepshey in April or May 2012. There was a six-month period of intense work, followed by maintenance and small feature builds. We have stayed in touch with Lepshey, and they continue to help us. We finished our latest big project around December 2016.

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

We were very satisfied with the results. Lepshey has allowed us to become comfortable with our public facing website. They were able to convey our ideas in terms of what we offer clients, which was critical for us. We have important meetings and pitches and need to be up to date. User experience is also important to us since it contributes to a positive impression. Lepshey’s work has presented us as a solid company which follows best practices. This makes a big impact on how the industry and clients perceive us.

How did Lepshey perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve stayed with Lepshey for so long because they really understand what we’re after—they ask the right questions and think much better than other partners we’ve had. They can come up with solutions and ideas, and help us dig deeper into what we’re trying to implement.

What did you find most impressive about Lepshey?

They deliver well-done outputs. Our interactions are very productive; Lepshey has helped us improve the product and have a satisfying outcome.

Are there any areas Lepshey could improve?

I didn’t identify anything negative. We’ve had a good experience and have continued to go back to Lepshey.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Lepshey?

From my experience, in order to get the best out of the team, it’s better to scope the project beyond abstract requirements. It’s important to make some wireframes and come up with a content structure. The more thoughtful the input is, the better Lepshey will be able to help. It’s not a magic box where we can place anything and get a good result.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the VP of marketing for a software development company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Lepshey?

We hired them to redesign and redevelop one of our corporate websites, then continued working with them on an ad-hoc basis for various design tasks.

What were your goals for this project?

To build a modern style and user-friendly website that attracts leads.

How did you select this vendor?

We had a tender through which we selected about 15 design companies, then shortlisted with four others. After their final presentations, we decided to go with Lepshey.

Describe the project in detail.

We worked closely together to define the design strategy, so each page of the website has a unique design. We then did multiple reviews of each page, so the process was quite long, but ultimately a success.

What was the team composition?

We had an account manager, a designer, an HTML coder, and a developer.

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

The first phase of the project took us about nine months, but we were really satisfied with the results. They developed a website that stands out among its competitors.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was very effective. The engagement required a lot of communication, so all the issues were resolved quickly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their proactive approach impressed me—they brought many ideas that we really liked.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It was a complex project, but our minor issues were resolved quickly.