OAK THEORY

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Vice President of Product & Operations at a mobile advertising company.

For what projects/services did your company hire OAK THEORY?

We wanted to reimagine our platform experience for a particular personalization tool we used. With no definitive style guide and the need to build from the ground up, we needed talent that was familiar with the advertising landscape & our personalization technology, as well as the needs of the users we were looking to solve for.

How did you select this vendor?

An internal product manager who had worked with the founders of Oak Theory at a previous company recommended them. Given that their prior experience was exactly what we needed in terms of understanding the landscape and the particular problem we were solving, enlisting their help was a no brainer.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The project was to deconstruct a tool we had already had and build it from the ground up. All the while, building a new imagine and brand for the tool. They started with asking to understand what brand image we wanted and began work on the style guide simultaneously.

As we aligned on that general direction, with the expectation that we would refine it along the way, as we iterated on the actual platform, they began remapping the screens of the tool we had into a brand new, user friendly, fresh, and bright user experience. All the while, they worked with the product managers & stakeholders to continue to capture feedback, iterate, and help us with decisions on key UI/UX elements we wouldn't have otherwise known to look at.

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

Initially it was just Hannah & Vee, with Hannah participating as Product/Project manager & Vee as UI/UX designer. As the scope grew, they added two more members to support in capturing requirements & hitting deadlines.

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

We were thrilled with the prototypes they delivered and how intuitive it was. What they shared with us demonstrated a deep understanding of the original tool we had as well as a grand vision on how we can rebuild. The success was demonstrated in the ultimate deliverable, the user experience, the speed at which a user can run through a "build", and how they're able to activate their builds. This product now serves as a launchpad for future iterations of our tool.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Incredible. They dove right in & got onboarded into our Slack. They quickly met the whole team and knew who was working on what part of the project. They consistently reached out whenever more was needed from our side and were involved every step of the way. They also ran numerous feedback sessions with our product team & also demoed how to use their prototypes to our engineers.

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

Aside from being an absolute pleasure to work with, it's impressive how easy they made the entire process. We came in with a very wide open ask - help us redefine our style guide while building a new product. There were many decisions that were to be made along the way and they were one step ahead and more than willing to help us define the project in steps. Their expertise on the ultimate platform we delivered also demonstrated a deep understanding of our technology.

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

Nothing comes to mind.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of Growth Blazers, a global community for modern marketers and growth leaders sharing actionable advice and strategies for sustainable growth, business growth, and career growth. We produce multiple virtual and in-person events.

What challenge were you trying to address with OAK THEORY?

The biggest challenge that we always have is how to present our brand and to make sure that it's credible and trustworthy. With us being a new player in the field, it's important to have a very professional design. As a result, since I know one of the co-founders of OAK THEORY, I reached out to them to help us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We spent quite a bit of time outlining the core of how we want to be perceived and who we were. We communicated that to their product manager, who also helped us work directly with the creative team. After some time, we received several options and mood boards. Based on what they presented, we chose how our logo would look like and what our main colors would be.

The biggest and most important project that they helped us with was the design of the collateral and the theme design for our entire event series. We went with a special theme that they suggested. They also assisted with a little bit of copy and overall brand positioning. The team continues to support us with our branding needs.

What is the team composition?

We’re in touch with their project manager, product manager, lead designer, and junior designer.

How did you come to work with OAK THEORY?

I knew one of the co-founders of OAK THEORY for many years, not necessarily from a professional standpoint, but I knew she was a good friend of my wife. I also knew that she worked as a designer for Sephora and some other large brands like HBO while working on a different agency. Based on that, I knew that she produced high-quality work. When she formed her own agency, they were the first choice for me.

How much have you invested with them?

The project was around $50,000–$70,000, but we only paid it partially in exchange for sponsorship of our events.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2020, and the collaboration is ongoing.

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

We track the conversion rate on our website and we've noticed that with the new branding and design, the conversion rates on our website have tripled. It was really hard to provide a good representation for a virtual event through a website and through sponsorship, but their designs were so good that we were able to attract really big brands like Salesforce to join us as our sponsor. We also attribute our recent conversations with Facebook and Google to OAK THEORY’s designs.

How did  OAK THEORY perform from a project management standpoint?

We usually have bi-weekly calls, and we use ClickUp to track everything. One person on our team communicates with our assigned project manager. The team uses Figma for the design. Once in a while, we also have review meetings with their lead designer or junior designers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team's creativity and quality of work are impressive, which allows them to create unique designs. Their lead designer also understands and quickly absorbs what we’re trying to go for. Overall, they’ve done a great job, and we’re very happy with their work.

At a previous company that I worked at, we had a larger operation and I was running a conference with a larger budget. We spent over $100,000 with another agency and there was a month-long process just in creating the brand and doing all of the exercises. However, OAK THEORY’s accomplishments within two weeks represented us better than what the previous agency created — even though we paid much more to that agency.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everything has something to improve. I know that they’re struggling to attract new talent because they have such high standards. Perhaps, they should lower their standards a bit so they can bring in more people and scale faster because in some cases they're unable to take on more work. With our specific scenario, they’re doing pretty well. However, I know every small agency is struggling with that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don't underestimate the fact that they're a small team. They might not have dozens of people executing tasks, but they’re able to accomplish a lot. More importantly, they can deliver work that some enterprise-sized agencies will charge double for.

In addition, don't think that their prices are too high. You should definitely keep in mind that you're paying for the quality of work so don't look at the size of their agency. Instead, look at the talent that you'll be working with. I also know that they do a really good job with software applications, which I believe is their specialty, based on the feedback from other friends that I referred them to.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

EigenPatterns develops collaborative anomaly detection and pattern recognition systems that blend machine learning and human insight to deliver powerful real-time monitoring capabilities.

What challenge were you trying to address with the vendor?

We are building an application to proactively identify and classify anomalies in large systems such as natural gas pipelines and payment processing, using proprietary algorithms, to provide sufficient time for mitigation.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

OAK THEORY helped us design an intuitive workflow and frontend for alert management and pattern classification.

What is the team composition? 

On our side we had a product, analytics, and engineering team. OAK THEORY had a product and design team. 

How did you come to work with the vendor?

We identified multiple vendors gathered from online lists and interviewed them. OAK THEORY seemed like a very smart, talented and motivated team. They seemed to have a solid mix of technical and product skills, and an impressive list of prior clients.

How much have you invested with them?

The value of the contract was around $40,000–$50,000

What is the status of this engagement?

OAK THEORY has completed and delivered the workflows and frontend.

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

As an outcome of the project, we now have a solid understanding of the key workflows, data, and user actions. We are now building on this by developing the application backend. 

How did the vendor perform from a project management standpoint?

OAK THEORY is very easy to work with. They were flexible with the start date as I secured funding. They helped drive the project forward and had clear timelines, which they were able to meet. OAK THEORY was proactive in understanding the business requirements and we built a roadmap early on.

They mapped the process flows in detail and delivered solid design. They created a detailed plan that accommodated my timeline and delivered on schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The founders seemed to take a personal interest in the project. The team was very motivated and invested time to understand the business need/technology beyond their immediate focus, which I think helped build a superior interface and workflows.

OAK THEORY was easy to work with and the team was very smart and highly motivated. They bring cutting edge tools, an excellent design sense, and good product intuition. And, it was a fun experience to work on the project with OAK THEORY!

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of 800CashToday, which is an online lead generation service provider nationwide.

For what projects/services did your company hire OAK THEORY?

Design and develop a strong website creating a national brand identity. Our loyalty and relationship with Oak Theory continues as they assist in developing online and offline marketing campaigns. We anticipate a very long and beneficial business relationship.

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

First and foremost, an amazing team of ladies with each having an exceptional skill set. After several interviews with Oak Theory and multiple other contenders, it quickly became obvious Oak Theory was the team for the job.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

After several meetings to discuss our market, customers, and industry rom initial concept to brand identity to site design, format and target marketing - they took the reigns and seamlessly provided an amazing website and brand that is second to known in our marketplace.

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

The entire team of seven was available anytime with short notice.

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

Exact, detailed, specific, and efficient — one cannot ask for a more well-run operation.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Seamless and flawless.

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

Creative as all can get. They provided several options (all very good) to choose from and provided enhancements to boot. They are a very smart group of ladies.

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

Any advise I would give would not improve their services. They were very impressive, and they worked hard to prove their capabilities.