What was the scope of their involvement?
Most of our customers are professional photographers, so they’re on the go a lot. Our immediate plan of action was to redesign the desktop application, and then we used MSTQ to design a version of the new mobile app. This project originally started because we needed to solve our problem quickly. The company was losing users, and my goal was to get the company growing again. The only way to do that was to make the software more user-friendly and give it a fresher look.
When I contacted MSTQ, I wanted them to make the software 10%–20% better. We’d given them some basic designs that another designer made for us. They spent a couple of weeks trying to come up with solutions. We were worried because we were under such a huge time crunch. We had been through a couple of designers before them, so we needed something quickly. When they came back with their original designs, it was 100% better than what we had. I was pretty happy.
The original scope involved using them for a couple of months. But, when we realized how professional they were at design and UX, the project just kept growing. In 8 months, they redesigned all the UI and UX assets of the company and did a terrific job.
What are some of the main features?
Our customers use the app to deal with their incoming leads from a multitude of places, including their business website. They can send out proposals to prospective clients to get jobs. Then, they can create and send electronic contracts and invoices and also get paid through the platform. Essentially, the platform runs their entire business.
How many resources were assigned to your project?
One of the founders, Yazin, started by doing a lot of the work. Christopher did a lot of the UX/UI designs. We also worked with Devin [Director of Product, MSTQ] who acted as the product manager and assisted with developing the requirements to promote a more efficient design process.
How did you come to work with MSTQ?
They were referred to us by a developer at my company. We went through a few other designers and weren’t getting what we needed. I wanted to find a professional team that could give us something to help us grow and last for the next 10 years.
How much have you invested with MSTQ?
We spent around $200,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with them in September 2016, and the first part of the project was completed in June 2017. We needed to get through launching an MVP version of the application. After that, we’ll use them again to design additional software modules.
The redesign has just launched; user testing showed longer visit times and a clearer value proposition. MSTQ produced quality designs and valuable insights on time. The project ran into occasional obstacles, but the team’s diligence and expertise made for an overall positive collaboration.