PLATFORM

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a financial literacy video-sharing social platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with PLATFORM?

We hired them to design our first MVP for our team to implement and release on the App Store.

What was the scope of their involvement?

PLATFORM did web and app design. There was little development work, but it wasn’t even 5% of the project. After the initial discovery stage, we mapped out our needs for the MVP and the different variations of it. They built concepts for the future rather than just addressing the immediate needs.

The core functionalities were mostly the video feed and onboarding process. They focused on the UX rather than just the UI, so they really thought about the whole process that someone goes through when they hear about us, download the app, and create their account. The team managed both aspects.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Lukas (Founder & CEO), who also acted as project manager. I also worked with Patrik (Project Manager) and Gabriel (Senior Designer). I think they had a few more people on the team, but they were working in the background.

How did you come to work with PLATFORM?

I went on a website called Dribbble. I was looking for designers — either an agency or freelancer that had experience with social platforms and similar apps. I contacted a few, and they all got back to me.

I got in contact with Lukas. He sent me a message about other projects he’d worked on, and I recognized one of the names. It turned out that my boyfriend’s very good friend had already hired PLATFORM. Then, I asked that friend what it was like to work with them, and they said it was wonderful.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $25,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from July–October 2021.

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

We haven’t gone live; the development team is working on it, and we’ll be releasing the MVP in seven weeks.

However, many people have looked at it and felt that the brand is solid. It looks very professional. Sometimes when you hire a freelancer, the work is good but it misses that additional factor that pushes the brand. PLATFORM was able to translate that, and it worked well.

How did PLATFORM perform from a project management standpoint?

They took feedback very well and knew exactly what we meant, which is difficult because the feedback in the design space is ambiguous and subjective. Nonetheless, PLATFORM delivered every single time, which showcased their skills really well.

We communicated daily through Basecamp and had constant streams of messages with the team. We also had weekly calls. Overall, the communication was strong, so we were able to deliver and improve on every aspect of the design.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were hyper-focused and diligent and stood out for their attention to detail. Moreover, they took this as a personal project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, I didn’t feel that there was anything to improve at any point in the process. Any project has bumps in the road, but they were great at taking constructive feedback and always made sure that they rose to the occasion. Also, the team was eager to please us and make sure we were happy.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If my experience seems good to you, you should probably go with PLATFORM.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of RealVNC here in the United Kingdom. We offer a software platform to monitor and take control of remote devices from anywhere.

For what projects/services did your company hire PLATFORM?

We have are building a new product brand and we wanted a modern website that would serve the brand well. We have an internal marketing team, but not a dedicated web team and so outsourcing seemed like a perfect option. We do have designers and developers in-house, however, so we were able to work together very well.

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

I look for a web designer that was more focussed in the tech sector and was more than just a marketing agency. I wanted a team that understood UI/UX from an application perspective and really understood what modern web visitors are looking for, and how they think.

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

The project was broadly split into three stages - Discovery, Design & Development. The discovery phase was to help the team understand our business and objectives, as well as our brand values. The design phase was the more creative aspect, building the look & feel. The development phase was actually building the code behind the website and getting it hosted.

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

We worked directly with a core of team of 4 people including 1 project manager, 1 designer, 1 developer and an advisor coming from a more marketing perspective. We met other members of the team along the way and it was clear to us that there was a broader bench of expertise supporting the front-facing team.

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

We work in an environment where everybody has an opinion, and I've been impressed at how widely respected and accepted the new site has been amongst our staff, advisors and peers. It's really a step up from anything we've ever done and I'm really proud of what we've been able to achieve.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We were always kept in the loop and the use of Basecamp was very helpful as a communications tool. They used some great tools to show us their progress frequent e.g. Figma etc. We were also sure to have at least 1 stand-up per week to unblock anything that needed unblocking and keep momentum. It was a very good process.

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

We were pleased by how patient they were throughout the entire process. At times, we were the bottleneck but they always kept a positive mindset and occasionally reorganized their own priorities to suit our ability to deliver.

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

If anything, they could have perhaps anticipated some of the scope creep from our side and got in front of that earlier. That was our weakness though, and we've ended up with something that exceeds our expectations.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a medical device platform. We’re creating a wearable EKG device.

What challenge were you trying to address with PLATFORM?

We worked with PLATFORM to create a website, mobile app design mockup, and some animations.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially engaged PLATFORM to actually create our app. When we were creating our crowdfunding campaign, we realized we needed some clickable prototypes to use in our explainer video, as well as a website to use as a landing page.

PLATFORM redesigned our app, and implemented the clickable prototypes complete with animations and new screens. There’s a main screen, which, when the app is live, will be a live screen which displays EKG readings from our device in real time. There are other tracking screens, including a calendar, different graphs, and other features to get a comprehensive view of the wearer’s health. 

The team is now working to create the actual app, which is built in Principal, and the initial designs were done in Sketch. They also used React Native and Node.js.

What is the team composition?

I worked with about five people. I initially worked with Scott (CXO), but our actual project manager was Patrik. There was also a designer, animator, and a developer. 

How did you come to work with PLATFORM?

I found them after doing an online search. I saw one of their projects, and thought the app they made looked pretty cool, so I reached out for an initial call.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The initial project, with the animation and website design, took about a week, as did the actual website implementation. They’re still on board helping us with updates and maintenance.

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

The work was completed very recently, so it’s hard to see results so far. Anecdotally, friends and users have all said our video looks great and the app looks awesome. PLATFORM’s contributions have really legitimized our campaign.

How did PLATFORM perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication was great. The team was really responsive, even though we were nine hours apart. We used Basecamp to track the project and emails and phone calls to keep in touch. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their design skills are excellent, but their turnaround time is what sets PLATFORM apart.

Are there any areas they could improve?

After they finished the website implementation, they didn’t really give me any steps to follow to be able to make changes. That became an issue if I had to make rapid changes, because we’re nine hours apart. So, it would’ve been nice to have an initial guide to consult. But everything is fine now, and I have everything I need.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Depending on how technical you are, it might help to create the website on a templated platform, rather than a customized one, so it’s easier to make changes.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Union is one of the most innovative and complex insurance company in Slovak republic with more than 600 employees. We offer travel insurance, vehicle insurance, health insurance, life insurance and property insurance for people and companies.

We also created Onlia - the first pure digital insurance in Slovak republic. I am Product owner of team responsible for our portfolio of websites, e-commerce platform and mobile applications.

For what projects/services did your company hire PLATFORM?

The current website of Union was created in 2013. As the company is growing and digital market is changing, we need to improve our digital presence so that our customers and partners can use our digital solutions more easily.

Our challenge is that the website is for many different type of users (students, families, employees, employers, doctors, accountants, media etc.) and covers lot of commercial products and also public health insurance regulated by the government.

 Lot of users are lost on the website without finding information and contact us with phone or e-mail which is too expensive, or buy an insurance from an agent, which has a commission for it.

What were your goals for this project?

We want to increase lead generation, number of online insurance policies, speed of the website and ranking and also improve responsibility of the website.

How did you select this vendor?

1. Selecting the list of companies we recommend or our shareholders work with (up to 10 companies from Europe market) 2. Deciding factors was mainly references (redesign for digital leading bank in Slovakia), speed of creating and approach to the project.

Describe the project in detail.

We had a few business discussions and than we decided to do 4 discovery phase each for the most important product segment. Each product segment has quite different users and needs.

That why we believe that this is the best way how to start. I was a product owner who created connection with stakeholders and kept feedback consistency so that the final output has a great quality.

Platform creates the new design and also helps with strategy how to sale our products to customers.

What was the team composition?

6-8 professionals from Platform based on the phase of the project. Project managers, lead designer, UX/UI designer, designers.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Workflow was very effective. Our expectation was morning calls everyday, lot of meetings or cooperation in one office most of the time.

The reality was much better. The way how Platform works allows us to work on other projects without stoping them or slowing down.

They have arguments to their outputs and they do not change them just because the client asks for this if it is not correct for the business or/and users.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and managing director of SkipCash, a mobile payment app.

What challenge were you trying to address with PLATFORM?

Our main challenge was to motivate the industry around mobile payments and teach them how our product will help them solve their daily inconveniences in purchases and shopping.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we had a two-day workshop and discussed several ways to implement the mobile payment itself, and we decided on iOS and Android applications. They also helped us understand our business model as a startup, as well as the proper flow of the payment process and interface.

The next challenge was building a clickable demo, which we then presented to the merchant and the local banks around us to help them understand what our app was going to do. Based on the market value we demonstrated, 14 merchants signed a letter of interest with us. We had discussions with seven banks, and four of them were interested in continuing the discussion with us to do a partnership agreement module. We’re now implementing the actual development of the application.

PLATFORM also helped us with the identity and branding of our startups. They’ve done a huge amount of work for us, providing us with several options to choose from. We chose one of their designs for our logo and branding. We also asked them to do the landing page, and they showed a lot of talent there. We’re now looking to do the final design of the wireframes of the actual apps.

What is the team composition?

There are seven people. There’s one QA person, one project manager, and five developers distributed in different areas like database, coding, and FinTech development.

How did you come to work with PLATFORM?

They worked with us to make sure we understood the nature of our business before we engaged with them. They sent us their proposal and discussed the different topics we’re trying to achieve. They also shared their portfolio. They did all of this without any prior engagement or commitment.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $500,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2019, and the work is ongoing.

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

We keep engaging PLATFORM because of the quality they deliver. They designed the interface very well, and the colors and flow are good. We like the look and feel of our branding as well.

The outcome of the apps has been great as well. We let the merchants and consumers give feedback, and all we get are positive comments.

How did PLATFORM perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication is smooth. We have bi-weekly progress meetings with the developers to engage our team in technical discussions and learn more about the development of the front- and backend. We use Basecamp for sharing daily updates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They actively engage with us, which differentiates us from other companies. We feel like partners now.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing I’d have them improve.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a large developer in Slovakia. I'm head of marketing, in charge of all our marketing and PR initiatives.

What challenge were you trying to address with PLATFORM?

We are currently in an expansion mode, and we needed help to develop our online process in Slovakia, Slovenia, and two other markets. Our previous website was much too simple, with no mobile responsiveness and weak leads. We needed to relaunch, and we turned to PLATFORM for help.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired them for two concurrent projects. One was a website to promote our latest developments in the housing market, and the other was our corporate website. As we move into new markets, we needed a high-class corporate website to demonstrate our strengths. They provided everything we need for these new websites, from design to development.

The first website is already live but is entering a campaign phase. They're building new landing pages and preparing subpages for videos. The second site is still in development and has yet to launch.

What is the team composition?

We are in close contact with our key account manager, and we speak with their CEO every two months or so. At the beginning, we were also communicated with their development team to ensure precise data tracking through our CRM and other search party services that support automation.

How did you come to work with PLATFORM?

I met their CEO by chance while visiting another agency. I knew they had a design and web development team, but I wasn't aware of their size and their capabilities. They were a good firm, and they were working on a new website and customer portal for one of the best banks in Slovakia.

When we made enhancement our number one priority, we started a tender process. Their references were fantastic, though their prices were the highest among the vendors we considered. The level of their presentation and explanations were so much richer than any other company. Based on the scope and detail of their services, we gave them the green light for both projects.

How much have you invested with them?

As of now, we've spent close to €100,000 (approximately $110,000 USD), and we estimate that work in the next three to six months will cost between €50,000-€60,000 (approximately $55,000-$66,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2019, and the work is ongoing.

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

All the feedback for the projected website is positive. PLATFORM gave the first project a new identity, and the relaunch was very successful. They recommended an excellent marketing agency, and the quality and volume of leads increased considerably. They make sure that our campaigns work, and all their suggestions are good.

How did PLATFORM perform from a project management standpoint?

Our main point of contact is very organized and pays strong attention to detail. We had multi-party meetings with all our vendors to streamline the data and connectivity to all our systems. We use Basecamp to manage the project, and most of our meetings are via the information exchange in Basecamp or by phone. Early on, we had intensive meetings every two weeks, but that is less necessary now that we're all on the same page.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their work stands out from anything else we've seen before. We keep a close eye on all our competition, and PLATFORM's work for our corporate identity sets us apart from the rest of the market. Their design is clean, easy to navigate, and very distinguishable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They don't always give us accurate budget assessments, and their level of flexibility could improve. Even simple changes can drive up the budget, and we hope they reserve more room for adjustments in the future.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a sports investment platform. We’re looking to create a stock market for sports teams.

What challenge were you trying to address with PLATFORM?

We engaged PLATFORM to design the UX of our mobile application’s MVP. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave PLATFORM the autonomy to design the UI/UX, wireframes and user flows with minimal input. I provided them a mood board based on apps, platforms, and aesthetics that I wanted the app to reflect. The app needed a clean, low-information design with bright colors to display football products. PLATFORM first had me fill out documents that helped them understand my business and project more thoroughly. We frequently communicated until we ended up with a prototype that closely matched my vision.

What is the team composition?

I met the CEO a few times, but over time I collaborated mainly with the primary designer, the COO, and a few other design people. There was also a larger team behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with PLATFORM?

My tech advisor researched multiple vendors and came up with a short list of 5–6 firms that I then interviewed. I considered each firm based on their experience, reputation, and portfolio. We wanted a design partner with in-depth knowledge and a similar aesthetic sense to our envisioned platform. PLATFORM’s past work matched the minimalist aesthetic we were looking for, and our initial conversation assured me that they could execute the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–February 2019.

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

The prototype is finished, but the app is still under development. PLATFORM’s UX designs helped inspire a beta March Madness product that we’ve recently launched. We plan to use the prototype app to attract vendors in our next seed round and to serve as a blueprint for our future engineering and development team.

How did PLATFORM perform from a project management standpoint?

Reliable and timely, the team met all deadlines. Any delays came from my side. At one point, they recognized congestion in our information flow; as a result, they let me take a week to review the most recent updates and come back with a clear action plan. I appreciated their flexibility in accommodating my schedule. 

We received daily updates in Basecamp and could easily schedule video calls in Zoom and Google Hangouts. They were able to communicate fluently and frequently from start to finish.

What did you find most impressive about them?

PLATFORM offered a highly professional, prompt, and patient team. Honest and creative from start to finish, they translated my vision of the product using spreadsheets and descriptions into a full prototype.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I had an outstanding experience working with their team. Any complaints I have are minor preferences.

Any advice for potential customers?

If you have a strict vision of your project and highly specific wireframes, consider another designer that will take your orders without question. PLATFORM excels at relying on their technical expertise and experience to advise you on the best ways to bring success to your project.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Sponsor.Online, an exclusive platform that connects teams and brands across the world. Currently, we’re focused primarily on football and are trying to orchestrate sponsorship opportunities for the teams.

What challenge were you trying to address with PLATFORM?

We wanted to have a unique UI design that our customers would like and be able to use smoothly.

What was the scope of their involvement?

PLATFORM created designs for data we needed to display on our platform. The biggest challenge was to make the data easy to comprehend. The team made changes based on our feedback and then recommended another agency to implement the designs on the webpage. Currently, we’re finishing the project’s initial phase.

What is the team composition?

I interact with the project manager, who has a team of three designers. I also spoke with the general manager when we were going over user flows and UX design.

How did you come to work with PLATFORM?

I personally knew about the company prior to this project and our higher management also recommended them. We then talked to PLATFORM and immediately knew they were the right for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between 50,000–60,000 EU ($58,362–$70,034 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2018 and the partnership is ongoing.

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

Our team is showing the design at numerous client meetings and has gotten very positive feedback.

How did PLATFORM perform from a project management standpoint?

PLATFORM has updated us daily with a new design and then implemented our feedback. The team links to the InVision screens in Basecamp, which makes everything easy to track. We’ve had great communication via frequent phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a professional approach and pay attention to detail. PLATFORM does a good job explaining the complexities behind screens and then implementing those visually.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I enjoy working with PLATFORM because they take time to understand our business and translate our ideas into designs. We plan to work with them during the next phases.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It helps to integrate PLATFORM early in the design phase—creating wireframes and going over initial mockups. Also, hold in-person/video-call feedback meetings to quickly iterate over the possibilities and utilise the full potential of the partnership.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner in a global executive search company. Together with my partners, I’ve established a new startup for digitalizing CVs.

What challenge were you trying to address with PLATFORM?

We needed someone to make business designs, and were looking for strength in backend and frontend IT development. We had the idea, we knew the business, and we knew the potential revenue streams, but we needed the development assistance.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a web application, including its backend. They worked on the frontend and all the designs. We have two applications: a B2C one and a B2B one. We needed them to do designs for both, and to synchronize them on the backend. They did it all, going from design, to development, and back to design.

For now, we’re budget-limited, so we needed to develop firstly for iOS, even though they could’ve built an Android version as well. We needed to see how the app worked first. They also made a landing page and synchronized it with the application.

What is the team composition?

Lukas (CEO, PLATFORM) has been helping with the project and we also have a project manager leading the project. There are some design architects and two backend developers. There are roughly six people on their side.

How did you come to work with PLATFORM?

We heard of them from magazines and other media, and were following them on social media. When I started looking for a strong design company, I reached out to them. After I spoke to Lukas, I found he had experience within the HR tech, so we started to collaborate.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2017, and the project is ongoing. They’re helping us with updates and new releases, and with social media marketing. We’re not done with them yet—we could have ended the collaboration, but we don’t want to.

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

The product is currently live, but there are some budget limitations on our side. Our aim is to educate people and push them to adopt the process. We’re not selling a product that’s already been on the market, which people know how to react to; we need to educate them in this regard, and we know that we can’t do it with the 40+ demographic; we need to focus on Gen Z and Y.

Within 4–5 months, we will try to build a B2B application, which will synchronize with the B2C one. After that, we can talk about revenue. The companies will force the candidates into this model.

If I had to start the project again from scratch, I would make the same choice and ask PLATFORM to build it.

How did PLATFORM perform from a project management standpoint?

They met deadlines perfectly and they communicated with us on a top level. Anytime we needed to update something or get information, they provided us with that information. We use Basecamp as a project tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I don’t know of anyone from a design and IT company who has experience with modern HR. Many people say that they have experience because they’ve been a part of the recruitment process, but it's not the same. PLATFORM has experience with HR apps and they know what companies and candidates need.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could bring more people onto the team; they’re really busy.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It depends on the project being done. They have tons of experience with different segments and companies, but nothing specific comes to mind.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of Product Design for an interactive map startup.

What challenge were you trying to address with PLATFORM?

We launched an application for 3D city modelling—based on which were developing a social network application—and we tasked our in-house designers to work on it. Unfortunately, they lacked some systematic thinking, so we decided to outsource the work to a design studio.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We demonstrated our fundamental feature requests to their team, and then they drew a clear, integrated picture of what the application should be. Since we had previously designed screens, PLATFORM focused on polishing our designs. They provided us with full-fledged style guidelines and example screens, and they followed atomic design principles, which produced good examples. In terms of deliverables, they provided three example screens during the discovery period, thirteen screens during the third phase, and other design work including icons and source files.

They also helped educate our junior in-house designers to follow their style guidelines, making sure they’re qualified to wrap up the work. Going forward, PLATFORM is going to do a final round of reviews on the work our designers do.

What is the team composition?

I’ve connected with quite a few of their designers, including their director, an icon designer, UI designers, a map designer, and a motion designer. We also worked with a project manager, a deputy project manager, their CEO, and their COO. In total, around 8 people were involved, though not all on a full-time basis.

How did you come to work with PLATFORM?

We searched our app’s keywords on the best-known platforms for designers, like Behance and Dribble. We connected with two or three studios and individual designers, and went to their headquarters, to meet them face-to-face.

We researched the providers’ rankings on Dribbble and Behance, and our boss decided to give PLATFORM a short test during the discovery phase. They did a good job during their two-week discovery work, demonstrating a great information flow and three proof-of-concepts. We were all satisfied, so we upgraded their contract.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $67,775 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since January 2018.

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

We haven’t launched the project yet, but after we’ve had a first round of user reviews, we plan to go back to PLATFORM with the feedback.

How did PLATFORM perform from a project management standpoint?

We use email and Basecamp to record all our communications, and we’ve also had a few video-calls on Skype. We have a tool to track our work hours and we share common documents through Google Drive, which demonstrates our tasks and requests and marks them as complete and incomplete. The source files were delivered through email. We’ve also visited their team in Bratislava twice so far, and they sent their designers to our location for two weeks.

We’re a domestic Asian company, and the biggest obstacle for us was to communicate with PLATFORM in English. I’m almost the only one able to speak fluent English, so the communication didn’t go as smoothly as we’d expected. This was mainly our problem, thought, not theirs; all of them speak great English. We changed our scope from time to time, but they accepted our requests and understood our basic requirements quickly. Any delays came from our side.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They stand out from many European and North American design studios in terms of their credibility and predilection to follow the rules strictly, but without any tradeoffs. Customers in our market aren’t usually satisfied if rules are kept so rigidly, but PLATFORM is exceptional. Another thing that makes PLATFORM stand out is that they always do things systematically, and always try to follow design principles. They set a good example for our in-house designers.

A Warsaw team we considered engaging did a great job, but they treated the customer as just another project, and their salespeople only talked to us for 30 minutes, even though we’d flown 20 hours to meet them. PLATFORM both demonstrated their hospitality and worked closely with us. They helped us with our in-house designers, and they addressed any issues we had, even with how to use our tools, which had nothing to do with the project itself. They enjoy working closely with the customer, and they like to maintain good, ongoing relationships.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Although I’ve only given them positive feedback, I’ve done it objectively. Of course, there’ve been some conflicts and discussions in-between, but that’s a normal part of the business. I didn’t know PLATFORM before the project, but, after a half-year collaboration, I’m more than satisfied with their progress and work style.