Plug and Play

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We run a test result reporting web app that’s primarily used by software development teams. I’m one of the co-founders and the lead developer of the solution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Plug & Play?

Up until now, much of the frontend design work on our app had been done by programmers who weren’t designers. We’d received a few customer complaints about the design not being up to scratch. People just wanted better. After approaching a few designers, I ended up choosing Plug & Play to help us with our web app design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Plug & Play redid the entire UI/UX of our test result reporting site. Originally, we approached them to update some of our existing pages. They quickly identified that the issue wasn’t just those pages but rather the entire flow of the app, which was something we hadn’t thought about much.

The team completely changed the global navigation, introducing consistency and improving structure alignment and padding across the solution. We went from a programmer’s site to a polished UI/UX frontend.

What is the team composition? 

I primarily worked with James (Creative Director), but there was another resource working with him.

How did you come to work with Plug & Play?

It was through a Google search. Initially, I looked at designers in San Francisco because there was a higher chance that those teams do tech application design work. However, those first engagements had high asking prices, so I turned to local companies in the UK.

I chose Plug & Play because James understood what we wanted to do right away, knew what needed to happen, and gave us tremendous immediate feedback. We were hoping to do incremental work in the beginning. But, after speaking with James, we were willing to spend more to really go with them.

They also had a beautiful site, and we liked the work that they’d done for their other clients.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost was £14,400 (approximately $20,000).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from August¬–October 2020. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re currently about to relaunch the site and are excited to see what users think. It’s a night and day difference.

Since we have a data reporting and analysis site, the new UI/UX designs will be massively helpful. Users will have a better impression of the solution, and the interface is so much better and clearer. 

The quality comes down to how they well mapped out what we’d conveyed to them. They were able to translate our requirements into something that exactly matched our needs. In fact, they suggested things that we hadn’t considered to improve and were absolutely right. What they did was excellent.

How did Plug & Play perform from a project management standpoint?

This wasn’t a massively complex project with lots of moving parts, so there’s not much to speak to. Communication was good in terms of setting up meetings, especially when we wanted to have extra meetings, and we were satisfied with how everything was handled.

What did you find most impressive about them?

This was the first time that I’d worked with a professional design agency, so I can only compare them to the others that I spoke to during the hiring process. The biggest difference was James. Having an actual designer at the first meeting to go over our needs was very helpful because we felt assured that he understood exactly what we had in mind.

With other design agencies, we couldn’t speak to the designer right away, so we spoke to sales agents. They’d give us estimates without really getting what we wanted, which was quite strange and generic. We didn’t get the sense that they understood our needs. I was afraid that they’d realize the actual scope would be different from what they initially quoted us for and then have to adjust. 

In contrast, Plug & Play was able to break down the required work into specific line items because they had a firm grasp of what we wanted. They also spoke to us in a language that we’d want to use when working with a designer, which was helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One thing that they could’ve done better was to have a shared workspace where we could access all of the various design iterations. We used email attachments and Adobe XD links to look at designs, but a single place for updated files would’ve been helpful. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I highly suggest working with James because he seems strong at his job. Try to get a meeting with him right away.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

At Assured Data Protection, we have over 100 collective years of industry experience in delivering backup, disaster recovery and business continuity as a service . As Rubrik’s leading MSP we offer our solutions as managed services tailored to individual business needs, making it affordable and achievable. As the EMEA and APAC CTO, I assume responsibility for the development of our centralised managed service platform. ProtectView enables our team to proactively support and manage our customers around the globe from a central pane of glass.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Plug & Play, and what were your goals?

We had developed an in house solution that used a variety of frameworks and design elements that had been added on a feature by feature basis. We needed to bring the platform together with a beautiful and coherent design, which as a company filled with sales and technical people did not come naturally to any of us.

SOLUTION

How did you select Plug & Play and what were the deciding factors?

After speaking with many local, national, and international companies plug and play stood head and shoulder above the competition due to their ability to listen and understand the brief and requirements. Many other agencies, even at the quote stage were pitching for the full development of the platform which, given our in-house development team, was not required. Peter, Gabrielle and the team demonstrated their abilities and understanding of the problems by being able to show previous works that were only relevant to what we were trying to achieve and didn't focus on their flagship household name clients.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The key deliverable was to produce a stunningly simple design that could be used as a framework to expand the functionality of the rapidly expanding platform. The deliverable was a CSS framework that would 'drop' in place within minimal effort from our team.

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

5 team members in all i believe.

• Peter - CEO
• Gabrielle - Project Management and project co-ordinator
• James - Creative Director
• Owen and Phillip - Developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The project was a complete success. We had budgeted for 2 days of integration time for the deliverable into production, it took 90 mins.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

They were excellent, organized, and prompt. Very often, we were the ones slowing the project down. The use of Adobe XD greatly enhanced the communication and feedback process for ADP's internal stakeholders

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

The speed and precision in which they turned around the design and development of the agreed design.

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

James's home internet could use a speed boost :-)!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Respondent 1: We’re a furniture company. I’m the director of brand development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Plug & Play?

Respondent 1: Specifically, they were hired to deliver a website redesign that was not only in-line with our high-end brand identity but would also improve the user journey for our various constituents: consumers, interior designers, and furniture retailers.

At the same time, they were also tasked with improving the style and functionality of our frontend dealer portal.

Respondent 2: They did our design work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Respondent 1: They did the styling and design for a virtual showroom, as well as the UX/UI for a product configurator. The design was delivered in Adobe XD.

Respondent 2: Their scope included the frontend user journey, functionality, and ease of use for logged-in and frontend experiences.

What is the team composition?

Respondents 1 and 2: We started with Peter (Managing Director) and then we worked with Nathaniel (Senior Account Manager). There were also Willem (Digital Designer) and James (Creative Director).

How did you come to work with Plug & Play?

Respondent 2: We did a very extensive search. This was a new undertaking and we wanted to be aware of what was out there. I used Clutch for some of it, and I found Plug & Play when I started looking at design awards. They won a major UX design award in the UK for their work with an interior design firm. We really liked that site. We did nine interviews—three rounds for each of our three finalists. At the end of the day, their aesthetic was superior and matched our stakeholders’ affinities.

Respondent 1: We were very impressed with their unique UX as well.

How much have you invested with them?

Respondent 1: We’ve spent between $40,000–$50,000 so far and are going to invest more in this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

Respondents 1 and 2: We’ve been working together since September 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Respondent 1: We were blown away by their initial designs. There was little rework and few edits to be done. They got “it” and us, almost on the first pass.

Respondent 2: That’s very unusual, for a vendor to get “it” so quickly. We were able to deliver the project on time.

How did Plug & Play perform from a project management standpoint?

Respondent 1: They were very strong in that area. Communication was frequent and timely. We had no issues.

Respondent 2: The time difference between us wasn’t an issue. We could communicate and get an answer back relatively quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Respondent 1: I could easily say their creativity, but it’s more just their grasp of our brand and our objective. Second, they have a great design aesthetic.

Respondent 2: Part of the design aesthetic is their knowledge of the most forward-thinking UX trends. They solve business problems with an elegant design.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Respondent 1: I can’t think of anything.

Respondent 2: They’ve been really great to work with. If anything, we want more from them. It’s nice that our partnership is moving to the next stage into a long-term relationship.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Respondents 1: Trust in their UX/UI solutions. They brought new verbiage (bag vs. cart, for example) and we accepted all their changes. Have confidence in their suggestions, even if they’re out of the box or not what’s typically done in your industry.

Respondent 2: Spend the time teaching them your history and your brand. It’s continued to pay off for us. It’s allowed them to deliver well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a nonprofit grant-giving charity mainly working with individuals in poverty in the UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Plug & Play?

Our first project was to develop an app that could calculate charity obligations for Muslims, also known as Zakat. There are specific calculations involved in terms of how much is to be paid, based on various criteria.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Plug & Play developed an online calculator that takes users through the giving journey. There are various choices in terms of how people allocate their funds, and there’s the payment process itself.

They worked with us on developing wireframes and the design, which was followed by the actual development. They also built a WordPress brochure site about the application.

The app was mainly done in Laravel PHP, and it has a one-way CRM integration for feeding data.

What is the team composition?

There were 7–8 people from Plug & Play involved over the span of the project. Their CEO and head of operations were involved at certain stages, along with UI/UX designers, front- and backend developers, and a QA person.

How did you come to work with Plug & Play?

We went through an open process and considered a number of possibilities. Plug & Play’s quote was beyond what we wanted to spend on the project. We’re a charity, and we’re relatively limited in terms of budgeting, but we decided to go for it.

How much have you invested with them?

The whole project cost us £150,000–£180,000 (approximately $194,900–$233,880 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The first phase ran from October 2019–March 2020, and the second phase ended in April 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The feedback was mixed. There were lots of technical issues initially with what we were being shown. I felt that we were doing a lot of the QA work for them. Plug & Play agreed to a tight timeline. They knew that it was ambitious, but they never said that it would be undeliverable. We didn’t meet that timeline, and part of the reason was that we had lots of technical issues with the payment provider integration. They hadn’t worked with this payment provider before and were putting a lot of the blame on them.

Even outside of the payment issues, I felt that the deliverables they were giving us initially were too rushed. There were a lot of problems that were easily identifiable, and we ended up spending lots of time listing all the issues and getting Plug & Play to fix them.

It was a much better experience with the WordPress site. It was a simpler proposition, in that the site was static and less sophisticated technically.

Plug & Play stayed committed to the project and they put in the hours to get everything right eventually. We discovered that there were lots of items from our early wireframing discussions that weren’t necessarily factored in or thought through. It was a bit of a letdown in that regard, but the positive side is that Plug & Play definitely stayed with it.

I always kept a positive engagement relationship with Peter (Managing Director), and I sometimes had more confidence in his leadership than in the technical capabilities of the team. The project was eventually delivered, and it was fine, relatively speaking.  

How did Plug & Play perform from a project management standpoint?

They tried sticking to deadlines, but the quality of the work wasn’t brilliant initially. The WordPress side of things was more solid, being delivered efficiently and effectively. The earlier parts of the project ended up getting stretched out, and Plug & Play definitely overpromised in terms of timeframes.

Communication was mostly through email and Google Hangouts.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The issues we were raising were acknowledged and taken seriously by their director and head of operations, and they made an effort to fix those things. That was definitely welcomed.

Initially, I felt that they weren’t necessarily thinking on our behalf. They were delivering what we said but weren’t coming back with better ways to do things. It felt like we were doing a lot of project management initially, but it was a lot better during the second phase.

They brought on Gabrielle (Operations Manager) during the initial phase, to get on top of things, and it helped a lot. She was very effective in helping pull the project through. I did appreciate their acceptance of the issues. 

We were very happy with the eventual outcome, and we got good feedback on the final product. There were some teething problems on the payment processor side of things, but the overall user experience was eventually delivered to a high standard.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think that they didn’t go through proper QA before sharing things with us, and it would’ve been better for them just to ask for more time. There were issues that anyone could have easily picked up. One can accept the fact that there were technical challenges, therefore more time was needed, but ignoring technical issues and delivering the work hoping we’d accept it is worse. I remember us spending many hours as a team cataloging all the issues. We came up with a spreadsheet listing 80 bugs and issues around mid-December 2019, which was close to the deadline. It took another couple of months for all of it to be cleaned up. Basically, the interdependencies were not being thought through properly.

It was a fixed-price project, so we didn’t incur any additional cost for the overruns, and Plug & Play eventually delivered.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

For projects with a lot of technical, complex components, everything should be specked out thoroughly at the start. There are always changes that we’ll identify during the project, and I advise agreeing beforehand that those should be addressed as part of the project and not as extra work.

In addition, Plug & Play is a premium agency, so it’s definitely worth shopping around when it comes to simpler work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO at Flex Legal Ltd. We are a platform for connecting flexible workers with law firms and in house teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Plug & Play?

We wanted to launch a tool to help manage companies' compliance with the changing IR35 regulations. We wanted top-notch UX and a really smooth onboarding flow and found Plug & Play whose portfolio and approach really impressed us.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted them to come up with a set of designs that were readily implementable that solved companies' challenges with compliance with the new IR35 regulations.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I reviewed and met a number of UX agencies in London. I also met several for initial discussions and Peter and his team felt like they got what we were looking for - good UX and product design rather than a marketing website.

Describe the project in detail.

We met the team who would be working on the project - James Nixon led the project and was great. We would start each sprint with a couple of longer scoping meetings.

The team would then do initial designs we would then provide feedback on these and test if needs be with users. This feedback would then be incorporated into the designs.

What was the team composition?

The team was a lead UX designer (James Nixon) along with several of his team supporting him as and when needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With the onset of COVID and the delay of the regulatory changes by the government we have paused the project at this stage. However, the feedback we got from the designs and showing them to clients was excellent. We got strong engagement and the designs both looked good and felt very usable.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was good - unfortunately having an external UX team isn't quite as good as having an internal one but the team was happy to come along to review meetings, sprint planning sessions, and stand-ups as we needed and pretty much always delivered on time.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Both Peter and James both seem to know what they are talking about, how to breakdown, and deliver a project. They have a very much had a can-do attitude and very friendly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It would be good to have been able to build slightly more domain knowledge for them but on a 3-4 month project that's a hard ask!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our team support our clients to achieve their goals, making use of our expertise in business change, technology and agile delivery techniques to deliver sustainable business improvements. We work collaboratively with our clients to solve every aspect of their lead to cash challenges, from pipeline management to compliance and customer support.

Our agile approach to project delivery means that we focus on adding value at the earliest opportunity, while ensuring that your team are left with a legacy that can sustain long-term business improvement.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Plug & Play?

To migrate to a more user friendly CMS and redesign the site in line with a rebrand.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had a rigorous selection process of which Plug and Play came out on top.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They migrated us from Silverstripe, an out dated and non user friendly CMS, to Wordpress. On top of this, they provided new designs and taxonomy of the website which when then implemented.

What was the team composition?

We had an account manager, Nate, who handled everything really well. On top of this we had access to any necessary party whenever we needed them through Basecamp.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They are a highly intelligent group of people that provide a high quality of service.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CPO of Emoquo, a digital coaching app and people analytics platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Plug & Play?

We wanted to redesign our app to have a more attractive and usable interface.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Plug & Play redesigned the UI/UX of our platform. We had some initial wireframes and ideas that their team redesigned. They also worked with us to create a storyboard. Plug & Play then went on to build a prototype of the new UI/UX independently.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 2–3 people. Our main point of contact was a designer.

How did you come to work with Plug & Play?

We were looking for a company that could grow with us and that we could work with more than once. I did a lot of research into various companies, and Plug & Play seemed like a good fit. They looked like they could do what we needed, and they were also local. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about £25,000–£30,000 (approximately $32,000–$39,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together a year and a half ago. The project has wrapped up, but we still do ad-hoc projects together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our app’s usage has increased by 25%. For a web app that’s not mandatory, that’s a very high metric. We contribute part of that to Plug & Play’s design. We’ve also received positive feedback on their UI/UX work.

How did Plug & Play perform from a project management standpoint?

Plug & Play did a good job based on how the project ran. They met the deadlines they said they would meet, and they did the job we expected them to do. We met face-to-face a few times, but once the project started, most of our follow-ups took place over the phone or through Google Hangouts or Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were able to deal directly with Plug & Play’s creative team without account managers stepping in. That’s the way we prefer to work; when a middleman gets involved, things sometimes get lost in translation.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Plug & Play charged expensive day rates for their work, but we expected that.

Any advice for potential customers?

Have a very good and specific idea of what you’re looking for. Let the creative team at Plug & Play work within the boundaries you set, giving them the freedom to experiment. They’re pretty good at delivering what you want to achieve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of Smartr365, a platform as a service (PaaS) for mortgage brokers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Plug & Play?

We were looking to rebuild the entire frontend of our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided Plug & Play with specific specs, and their team moved the platform’s MVC code into Angular. They created wireframes and repurposed our code to rebuild the frontend of the website. Some functions were kept exactly the same, but they also built out new features over the course of a few months.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact was Peter (Founder, Plug & Play), but I worked with 3–4 front- and backend developers.

How did you come to work with Plug & Play?

They were a recommendation from within the network.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $420,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2018, and it’s an ongoing engagement as they’ve continued implementing additional functionalities. One of their developers is currently embedded in our own team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve proven to be extremely competent. The team’s work has laid the foundation for us to be able to enter the market. Plug & Play was great at collaborating and working with our team; they really took ownership of their work. Their deliveries are consistently high-standard, and their products are always well-received by our customers.

How did Plug & Play perform from a project management standpoint?

Their developers integrate with our agile teams and will sit in on our daily calls. I interface regularly with Peter, who serves as the account manager. If any issues arise, they’re dealt with fairly swiftly. We can always come to a sensible, mutual agreement in the face of any challenges or disputes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They've integrated into our own team outstandingly well. Even though they weren’t in our office, it never felt like they weren’t part of our team. The quality of their work has been top-notch, as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything in particular.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to clearly identify your deliverables, and to set your scope before the work commences.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner at our event company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Plug & Play, and what were your goals?

We had to turn our events online due to COVID-19 and wanted to build a bespoke event platform to suit our needs.

SOLUTION

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

A previous CTO recommended Plug and Play.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

P&P took our wireframes and built a scaleable event platform that is fully branded onto AWS.

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

Account manager Senior Web developer Systems Architect.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The platform was built on time and efficiently.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

P&P worked with our project management tools.

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

Flexibility and professionalism.

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

no

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're a software company providing a CRM system and web integration services to the not-for-profit sector. We have a 30 year heritage and proud to serve the sector. I am the Sales Director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Plug & Play?

We hired them for a user interface refresh for CRM.

What were your goals for this project?

Create an amazing user interface for our customers!

SOLUTION

How did you select Plug & Play?

Recommendation and after a detailed presentation/pitch and follow up sessions with Peter and James.

Describe the project in detail.

Project started with a detailed review of the current CRM interface with James and me. James went away and worked up some design options and formats. These were presented to our project team. We went through a couple more rounds of discussion and agreed upon the design format and colours.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with James Nixon, Creative Director.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

James and his team created an amazing design interface which we are now coding into a real-world solution. We are all delighted!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective and included regular calls and screen share sessions.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team was excellent at understanding our brief and getting under the skin of what we wanted. He also did a great job handling some very complex areas of CRM and creating a design that really works!

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that we can think of!