Pixels and Sense

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a Web3 Strategist at Yolo Group, a technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixels and Sense?

We needed a company that could provide us with UI/UX design support. We were building a cryptocurrency lending platform. I’ve had the MVP app built by another vendor, but I wasn’t happy with the UI/UX design. We needed a company that could design the app’s UI/UX.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’re now at the second phase of the app’s development process, and I hired Pixels and Sense to review the app’s UI/UX design. We started the engagement by providing them with our logo and some examples of other lending platform interfaces. We also had many conversations to establish what we need to put on the app and what we don’t. They then started creating the app’s full design using Figma and an in-house design system. They’ve also designed a landing page for us.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked directly with Tim (Founder), a designer, and a developer from Pixels and Sense.

How did you come to work with Pixels and Sense?

I found Pixels and Sense through online research. I saw that they specialize in building fintech products, so we decided to give them a try.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around €20,000 (Approximately $19,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2022, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The design is great, and we're happy with it. Pixels and Sense is very good at working to our specifications and implementing our feedback. We haven’t released the product, so we don’t have any success metrics just yet.

How did Pixels and Sense perform from a project management standpoint?

Pixels and Sense has performed well in terms of project management. They’re incredibly professional. They’ve got everything laid out — whenever I ask them for an update, they’re always very precise and responsive.

We typically communicate through Slack, email, and Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re most impressed with Pixels and Sense’s professionalism, efficiency, and quality of work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of product at Yassir, a ride-hailing company in North Africa. It’s a driving and food and groceries delivery platform. We combine all the services in one application.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixels and Sense?

We needed to redesign one of our products, but we lacked the capacity.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pixels and Sense redesigned our delivery application. They used Figma, and we told them to follow our design system. The specification was to improve the UX and UI design.

What is the team composition?

They had two UX/UI designers and one project manager working on the redesign.

How did you come to work with Pixels and Sense?

We searched on different platforms, including Google. We checked about 10 companies, and Pixels and Sense was the best fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $14,000 each month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–April 2022. They’ll work on the next version, which will be in the next few months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They worked closely with our head of design, so we were happy with the work they delivered. Pixels and Sense came up with the new UX/UI, and we’re trying to implement it at the moment, so we’re still in development.

How did Pixels and Sense perform from a project management standpoint?

They stayed within budget and met the deadline. We even had eight days left at the end. Since they finished the work, they asked us if we had new stuff for them to do, so we added a little request. Moreover, they were always attentive to our questions and requirements. We provided feedback and were in constant contact. The team shared their Figma files and improvements with us.

We used Notion to have an overview, and they had access to it. The tasks were clear, and they updated them all the time. We also had weekly meetings to go over their work last week. Additionally, we used Zoom and Slack to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were attentive to everything and provided improvements that we didn’t even ask for. The team wasn’t just doing the tasks we gave; they also provided feedback on what to improve, how other companies were doing it, and what was the best solution for our market in Africa and the US. Overall, they were the best design company we’ve worked with in the last year.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we enjoyed working with them from the beginning until the end. We didn’t have problems, even when we changed the scope right in the middle of the engagement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open to communication; you can always talk to them and ask about changes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a startup lending business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixels and Sense?

We needed help in UI/UX design for our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pixels and Sense is recreating our platforms through a UI/UX redesign, including everything from the sign-up process to the dashboard functionalities. They’re doing everything basically from scratch with a little bit of guidance from our CTO and myself.

We provided them with brief wireframes to jumpstart the project, but they’ve done most of the overall work through the creative freedom we’ve given them.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been working directly with Tim (Owner)and one of their designers. In addition to that, they have teams that work behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Pixels and Sense?

I saw Tim’s work on LinkedIn, and I liked his style and specialization in fintech, which was important for me. After a conversation with him, he understood what we were trying to do, and we knew that he was the guy to help us go forward.

How much have you invested in them?

We’re spending $5,000 with them a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyone in the team has enjoyed their work, and we also have potential new investments coming from potential customers. Overall, the platform looks great, and everyone’s providing great feedback.

How did Pixels and Sense perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re fantastic in terms of project management; they’ve always met deadlines and have constant communication with us. We also have weekly meetings to catch up, and their development team reaches out to us daily to solve questions and make immediate changes if needed. 

Regarding tools, we use email, Slack, and Figma.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their market understanding and the quality of their work are outstanding.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on — they’re great!

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understand what they need to complete and guide them through. If you don’t have enough preparation, they’ll struggle with the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a fintech company, and we focus on building mobile apps.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixels and Sense?

We needed to design a website and a mobile app as fast and professionally as possible.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pixels and Sense provides complete and effective UI/UX design for us using Figma. They also deliver good wireframes for the design assets, respond to our change of scopes and questions, and also adapt to our tight timelines and budgets.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been working with around three people from their team, including Tim (Founder).

How did you come to work with Pixels and Sense?

We found them on Upwork. Tim was generous with his time during the discovery phase, and I chose them because it seemed like he was taking his time to understand our business and its needs.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $13,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been responsive, professional, and effective throughout the partnership — we’re impressed with their work, and they’ve done exactly what we need.

How did Pixels and Sense perform from a project management standpoint?

Their timekeeping has been excellent, and their approach to meeting deadlines has been superb. They gave us a detailed chart at the beginning of what they’d deliver, and their team has stuck to it. In terms of communication, we have weekly calls and chat via Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their professionalism as designers and their systematic approach are what stand out the most about their work. These guys are a machine for producing great designs with a disciplined orientation.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear idea of the brief and establish a clear point of contact within your team who takes ownership of the discussions throughout the project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a Silicon Valley FinTech firm applying AI to give our SME users an Unfair Advantage in the marketplace.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pixels and Sense?

We used (what we thought were) good design principles to create our AI Insight Reports. Of course, consistent feedback from our users was that our baby was ugly. We closed a new round of funding and decided to give the product a complete rethink based in user-centered design.

SOLUTION

How did you select Pixels and Sense?

We interviewed a lot of designers. In the end, Pixels and Sense distinguished themselves in two ways: - They asked smart, incisive questions around what we are ultimately trying to do: The goals, strategy, business model etc.

They produced insightful low-fi mockups even before we awarded the contract, which showed they are thinking clearly and originally about our solution-space.

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

We required a complete, first-principles re-think of how we're presenting our insights to the user. This calls for a special type of understanding of business, strategy, UX and design.

How many resources from the Pixels and Sense team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked primarily with Tim, the principal though also spoke with other staff members.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Tim worked fast and we're very pleased. We're in the throes of marshalling resources to implement the new designs.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very good - we used Slack, and Figma, which worked fine.

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

Clean, simple, logical UX design. Very clear and focused. Their communication and responsiveness were top rates.

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

No recommendations in terms of improving the quality or nature of the service. One suggestion is to have a few top-rated developers on hand, or to recommend, to deliver on the designs once they are complete. Ditto for logo artists.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a blockchain engineering company, and we help develop decentralized financial systems such as banking apps.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixels and Sense?

We hired Pixels and Sense to design our web and mobile design applications.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pixels and Sense provides UI design services, and they specialize in building financial interfaces. The team builds key designs for desktop and mobile applications. They also make sure that we have all the functions we need while keeping our applications beautiful and stylish. To ensure there is no discrepancy between the design and implementation, they communicate with our internal frontend developer and they work closely with our internal product manager.

At first, Pixels and Sense needed to learn our market first. After that, they laid out all the requirements that our specific product had in the markets. They also studied our competition and determined based on that how our UI should look like. Furthermore, the team checked the top features that were relevant in our industry. 

What is the team composition?

We only communicate with Tim (Founder). He handles everything, and he shows us their team’s progress. 

How did you come to work with Pixels and Sense?

I knew Tim for a long time and he created very good designs. Since I worked on design projects with him before, I knew that he was an expert in developing fintech designs. As a result, he was a very good fit for what we needed. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in January 2021, and we continue to collaborate.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t launched what we're working on so we don’t have users yet. However, from the team’s current progress, everything looks good and on a different level. One of our internal teammates thinks that Pixels and Sense’s work is exceptional, and he’s very happy with the team’s progress.

How did Pixels and Sense perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly check-ins every Wednesday where our project manager walks us through all the changes they’ve added to the design throughout the week. We can also track their progress in real-time using Figma. Our internal product manager also often communicates with them to discuss details about the project. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a really good consumer experience in UI design, and they’re also friendly. We highly appreciate that they specialize in modern financial apps or in developing technology that serves younger audiences. The team's work fits very nicely in what we’re looking for  — a user-friendly app wrapped in complex functionality. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I honestly can’t think of anything. I’m very happy with our partnership, and we trust their services. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very knowledgeable about your market and know what you want to achieve. Realistically, have a staged plan or step-by-step of the details you want to achieve. Once you have that, communicate it clearly to the Pixels and Sense team. That way, you’ll achieve great results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Chief Product Officer at BestEx Research. Our company build algorithmic trading solutions for institutional investors in global Equities, Futures and FX

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pixels and Sense?

We wanted to create a web-based dashboard for our product that would give our customers transparency into our trading software and also allow them to manage their own settings

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to build a easy to use web-based solution for our clients that required no installs and also provided them with an easy way to manage their orders and settings

SOLUTION

How did you select Pixels and Sense?

We interviewed a bunch of firms that we found online. After the interviews, we selected a handful of firms, presented them with our problem statement and asked them to tell us how they would approach building the product.

We went with Pixels and Sense because they provided the best understanding of our vision, were willing to work within our timelines and budget and also will to work within the limitations of our front-end technology stack

Describe the project in detail.

The dashboard product is a complex product with multiple screens and workflows. So, everything was done in an iterative manner. We started off with the first few most important screens, got them fully designed and built out in the first few months. After that, we have been adding new workflows and features to our product every couple of months iteratively.

What was the team composition?

Tim who is the proprietor of Pixels and Sense was our main contact person throughout the project. We communicated all our requirements through him. I believe that he was also the lead designer on our project

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before Pixels and Sense, we worked with a few other designers but never found someone who understood our requirements well. As a result, we were always unhappy with the outcome.

With Pixels and Sense, it was the exact opposite. We were extremely happy with the outcome from the very beginning and were always able to get our product released in time with complete satisfaction

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was very effective. It was great to work directly with the lead designer himself to ensure that nothing gets lost in translation. He always understood our requirements very well, asked a lot of questions and challenged our notions when he saw fit to ensure that we get the best possible outcome. Also, all our timelines were always adhered to.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have been very efficient throughout the process, from requirement gathering all the way to final product review. We will most certainly continue to work with the company to keep adding new features

Are there any areas for improvement?

None

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of DATATILE. It’s a startup serving people who deal in research for raw data, such as statistical data analysis, dashboards, data integration, and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixels and Sense?

We were looking for a design team to partner with us in all things design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pixels and Sense drafts all of our interfaces, graphs, and website designs. They’ve done a sophisticated interface for our website design.

What is the team composition?

I interact with Timothy (Founder & CEO) and his chief assistant. They’re both designers.

How did you come to work with Pixels and Sense?

A partner of mine recommended them and introduced us to one another.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $50,000–$60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around January 2015, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They provide exactly what we need. Their team uses advanced approaches to produce complex, intuitive design.

How did Pixels and Sense perform from a project management standpoint?

Pixels and Sense meets deadlines and is willing to work overtime to finish if something is urgent. We communicate via Telegram chat, Zoom, and Webex. We’ve used a few project management tools, including Basecamp and Jira.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re honest, transparent, and professional. It’s a long-standing partnership, and communication is very effective, requiring minimal explanation for them to understand our needs. They work quickly when we ask them for something, including changes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I highly recommend working with this team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO at Bid Theatre, a demand-side platform. We’re a SaaS company that provides a media buying platform and tools. Our clients are primarily media agencies and advertisers that want to display banners and videos and native ads online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixels and Sense?

We needed someone to improve on the UI/UX of our software. All of our clients use the software in a browser and we needed it to look good and be user friendly. We weren’t quite satisfied with what we already had.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a consistent look and feel for the entire product. They made things function and work more intuitively: changing button location and appearance, data format and layout, etc.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people, including Tim (Founder). There was a team under him that handled various tasks as well.

How did you come to work with Pixels and Sense?

I put a job description on Upwork to do this project and received several applications from freelancers. Pixels and Sense stood out as the most professional and best one. Tim had apparent experience from building administration UIs too. He was used to dealing with our kinds of challenges. A lot of people can make good-looking websites but they can’t handle expert tool situations.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $20,000 in total across several initiatives.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together on various projects since May 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s hard to quantify how good the work is since it’s a design project. We’re not a big enough product to collect metrics that describe design effectiveness. We’ve been very happy with their work, though, on a qualitative level.

How did Pixels and Sense perform from a project management standpoint?

We had email communication and regular meetings to go through their intermediate work and give feedback. This system has worked very well. We haven’t had any communication problems. There’s been one point of contact, and we use standard software to share graphical work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m not an expert in the field but their experience with expert systems and UIs stands out. They’re not just a website design firm. They’re experienced with building interactive tools to manage things. They’ve also been professional in terms of communication and deliveries. They’re always timely.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We asked them to put together PowerPoint templates to present the product and the result hasn’t been super. That was partly on me, however, because our requirements changed as we went along. We followed up asking them to do more work related to that since it hasn’t turned out the way we hoped. It’s not their main focus as a company either.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It pays off to define requirements and specifications as well as you can. Especially with the look and feel.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Minted, a tech platform that makes investing in gold easier, more secure, and more affordable. We’re looking to introduce other commodities that people can invest in in the future.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixels and Sense?

We’d just launched our brand, and we wanted some web design and development work done.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pixels and Sense designed our frontend website and a backend customer portal for transactions. They’ve also done the designs for an Android and iOS app, which we’re in the progress of developing.

The app is comprehensive, with a whole range of features. We have a load of different pages for people to buy, sell, and manage their settings and plans. There’s a gamification element where users can rank up and get rewards, and there’s going to be a store where people can buy gold products. They factored in different scenarios like lost connections.

What is the team composition?

Tim (Founder) has been my single point of contact. I don’t know how many people are on the team.

How did you come to work with Pixels and Sense?

We were looking for companies with fintech experience. We took a look at some of the design work Pixels and Sense had done, and we felt they were definitely a team we could work with. We had some initial discussions, and we started with a limited scope, initially for the website and web app. We liked what we saw, so we extended the work to the mobile app.

How much have you invested with them?

I’d have to speak to the finance team, but I believe we paid them £20,000 for the UI/UX work.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Pixels and Sense around January 2020, and it’s ongoing. We have a lot of upcoming iterations for the mobile app.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The apps haven’t gone live yet, but we presented the designs to our focus group, and we’ve gotten positive feedback from everyone that’s had exposure to the designs.

How did Pixels and Sense perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly calls booked where we recap the previous week, discuss any challenges, and plan for the next week. That’s been the basis of our communication, and we schedule ad hoc call if needed. There were a couple of options on how to go about things, where Tim needed a decision from us, and we arranged calls accordingly. He would then manage the project with his team. Our meetings have been primarily to expand on the requirements from our side.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tim doesn’t just have an eye for design. He has a clean, modern design aesthetic, but he also has the ability to grasp business concepts, flows, and logic, and he may even challenge some of the ideas we have or talk about scenarios that hadn’t been covered. He can delve deep into the business model and understand flows, and he can present actual solutions, not just designs. That’s a different skill set altogether, and he uses it very well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We’ve very happy with the experience all-around. Tim is pragmatic in his approach to the work, and his way of dealing with clients is at the highest level. I’m really happy to be working with him.  

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s important to have requirements well-defined initially, just to make sure that the scope and timeframes are within budget. Clients should take a look at other suppliers as well, just to appreciate the quality of what Pixels and Sense delivers, as well as their pricing.

We looked at different providers out there and what they were charging, and we found that Pixels and Sense was a really good fit for us. For an app outside of fintech, a provider more in line with that industry may be more suitable. This is something to consider, but I’ve been very happy with this project overall.