UX and UI Agency London
Plug & Play collaborate with entrepreneurs, development teams and product teams to rapidly improve user interfaces and digital products. They combine pivotal user and product insights with creative leadership to produce intuitive and impactful user experiences that promote product adoption and drive product value.
The Plug & Play UX team consists of senior designers and developers who specialise in user interface design. The UX team work closely with internal client teams, providing creative and technical direction to accelerate project deliverables and decrease time to market.
Services:
- UI design
- UX design
- Website UX
- CRM and application UX
- Frontend development
- Custom software development

headquarters
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Working From Southwark, 32 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8PBLondon, SE1 8PBUnited Kingdom
other locations
Focus
Portfolio
WWF, Mercer, Legal & General, Utility Warehouse, MyOptique Group, Emoquo, Africa Travel Resource, EightCap

A Carbon Footprint Calculator to enable the public to determine their environmental impact
We partnered with WWF to deliver a flexible and scalable carbon footprint calculator.
We delivered the calculator as a Laravel Web App with a Vue.js frontend.
As the required calculations vary depending on factors such as government policies and data sources, we developed the calculator in a way that the WWF team can upload an Excel sheet into the back-end system to update the logic.
Read the full case study on our website
https://ux-design.agency/ux-design/wwf-carbon-calculator/

Industry leading mortgage processing application for a Legal & General fintech brand
Smartr365 secure additional funding following a redesign of their customer interface.
In just 4 months, UX Design Agency redesigned and developed the Smartr365 customer interface, making it simple for customers to manage their mortgage application process.
Read the full case study on our website
https://ux-design.agency/ui-design/smartr365/

UI design to overhaul the customer service system of a major utility brand
Utility Warehouse implement a scalable solution to an underperforming system.
We provided an intuitive UI solution to improve customer service and increase efficiency of the Utility Warehouse customer service system. We did this by designing a consistent interface that enabled faster security verification of customers and structured data in an efficient way to provide easy access.
Read the full case study on our website
https://ux-design.agency/ui-design/utility-warehouse/

UX design for a mobile first digital coaching app
Emoquo takes HR Departments by storm as they help employees overcome workplace challenges.
In just 6 weeks, UX Design Agency created a conversational chatbot interface to increase engagement with Emoquo's digital coaching app. We reduced friction by rapidly identifying and removing barriers to engagement, increasing the appeal of the mobile app to HR departments and increasing product adoption.
Read our full case study on our website
https://ux-design.agency/ui-design/emoquo/

An accessible HR survey solution for Mercer
Sirota provide employer survey solutions to high profile clients globally.
We created a UI solution to Sirota's employer survey interface. Our solution supported multiple languages and character sets, and was compatible with screen readers, browsers and devices from the last 10 years.
Read the full case study on our website
https://ux-design.agency/ui-design/sirota/

A custom web app to promote sustainable tourism
Africa Travel Resource disrupts the travel industry with a safari web app offering authentic, sustainable and conservation lead trips.
UX Design Agency developed a Vue.JS web app to offer travellers a new way to plan their safari holiday online. With an innovative dynamic natural language search and interactive map duo forming the main website navigation for the site, the web app mimics the support an ATR advisor offers when building a trip.
The web app launch has improved the quality of enquiries received, increasing enquiry to sale conversion rate by 25%.
Read the full case study on our website
https://ux-design.agency/ui-design/atr/

A new CRM interface to increase customer service and call centre efficiency
MyOptique Group accelerate 'time to resolution' in call centres by overhauling their CRM interface.
We collaborated with key user groups to develop user-centric solutions to pain points in the existing CRM interface. We overhauled the order management, customer management and glasses management systems and introduced split screen views to enable staff to resolve calls more quickly, boosting efficiency and reducing wait times for customers.
We provided UI design services and React Development to produce significant business outcomes for the client.
Read the full case study on our website
https://ux-design.agency/ui-design/myoptique/
Reviews
the project
Web Design & Development for R&D Construction Program
"They were able to deliver for us a more effective ‘virtual front door’ for the programme."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
We are a major four-year R&D programme in the construction sector run by three partners. I’m the Head of campaigns and brands for the programme.
What challenge were you trying to address with Plug & Play?
Our existing website experience was not functioning as a strong communications and engagement platform. We were looking for a unique and memorable website experience that could help users navigate to the content most valuable to them in the clearest steps possible. We also had to ensure budget invested in the website development piece created the most value for money as we are a government-funded programme.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We started with an analysis phase with Plug & Play. We gave them a brief, and together we aligned our expectations on what we could do with the site in the future. After we agreed on the scope, we moved to wireframing and strategy.
We gave them clear requirements on the landing pages, menus, and functionalities we wanted. Plug & Play built the site in WordPress, and designed it to be easy to use for our comms team. Also, they ran two training webinars with us, taking us through the whole CMS and every part of the website. Plug & Play also migrated all our content from the old site, including press releases and articles.
Finally, they helped us launch the site and are now providing monthly support to the team as required.
What is the team composition?
I worked with Peter (Managing Director), Emma (Marketing Manager), Gabrielle (Operations Manager), and the senior developers.
How did you come to work with Plug & Play?
I attended an event in London on marketing communication in construction around February 2020. Peter was presenting, and I really liked the information being shared. Plug & Play was invited to be part of the tender process and was selected among other three companies.
How much have you invested with them?
We paid approximately $80,000 USD for the project, training and ongoing support.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with Plug & Play in May, and we launched the site on November 1st, 2021.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
In May 2021, we had 13,000 views, 64% bounce rate and our average session duration was 01:41. Between November - December 2021, our bounce rate was 29%, and our average session duration went up to 02:27. We haven’t increased our visitor count yet, but I know that we’ll see a spike after our next big launch.
How did Plug & Play perform from a project management standpoint?
The process was relatively easy to follow, so it was very easy for me to update the team on my side. The approval process involved several people — all the meetings with Plug & Play were recorded to share them with everyone else, including our senior management.
They did everything they said they would, and they did it on time. They were never late or unprofessional. They kept everything under control, and there were no disagreements. Also, Plug & Play explained everything in a way we could understand. They could go from high level to detail and then back again.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They were able to take my nontechnical brief and turn it into what we needed. Moreover, they always advised us on our needs. We didn’t say yes to everything they suggested, but they advised us what we should do, always considering best results for us.
Are there any areas they could improve?
We’re a government funded organisation, they understood our position and arranged something feasible for us. Website work requires investment.
Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?
Try to bring clarity from your end on what you want.
the project
UI/UX Design for Fintech Startup
"Overall had a great experience and would recommend working with them."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
Product Manager at Fintech startup
For what projects/services did your company hire Plug & Play?
Building UI for a new product we are launching
How did you select this vendor?
based on multiple calls with the founder
Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.
Involved replicating the UI mocks shared ahead of the project start and iterate on a few design elements. A few pages needed fresh perspective on information layout. did the wireframes over couple iterations followed up with polished designs in line with provided style guide and few custom animations for items which are not available in standard material design
How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
James worked with me closely and Peter was also involved
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
We are pleased with the deliverables from the team.the work involved many complicated flow and data visualization and the team was able to turn mocks into functional designs.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
James was easy to work with and had great UI/UX sense when working with mocks. Many of the workflows are niche and complicated and tied to how the assets we work with and he was able to ramp up on the nuances quickly
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
they were patient and willing to adjust the scope by swapping out items from the original scoped projects for equivalent amount of new items.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
Overall had a great experience and would recommend working with them. The only constructive feedback i can think of is that I wish we had more and regular touch points within the week sometimes things were getting lost in translation. Their project manager was quick to resolve the issues quickly, so it worked out in the end.
the project
UI/UX-focused Web Redesign for Computer Software Agency
"The project was huge, very visible and handled very professionally."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the Group Head of Marketing for Elecosoft.
For what projects/services did your company hire Plug & Play, and what were your goals?
Our website had grown through acquisition and integration of new products. It was cluttered and the user journey was confused. We wanted to show a balanced portfolio with a clear journey for users.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
We searched online and met P&P at a conference. We received and score carded several agencies and their creds, projects and data driven mindset awarded them the project.
Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.
We took this from a blank sheet of paper to a full e-comm site in one year. Starting with defining detailed scope, including future phases to create regional language variations. We created detailed wireframes in XD. Created offline content and built the site with P&P. With weekly supporting calls with the account manager and developers/designers when needed.
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
A project manager, developer, designer and agency MD were all involved. Towards then end we also brought in their Digital Marketing expert.
Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?
We are still reviewing the first month analytics. Our shop took a sale during the site migration with no issues, redirects planned worked as needed. Feedback on the design is good with only minor tweaks to help support lead gen for sales.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
Weekly calls, sometimes daily ad hoc meetings to discuss specifics and keep pace. We used Basecamp for screengrabs and project messaging. Timeliness were always made clear to implement changes/ support our requests.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
Team has great energy and tech skills.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
Nothing really. The project was huge, very visible and handled very professionally. The only tiny gripe could be the length of some of the Basecamp threads made tracking actions hard.
the project
Custom Software Dev for WWF
“Our internal team was impressed by the quality of their work. It was a really positive experience.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the senior digital product manager for WWF UK, an environmental NGO.
What challenge were you trying to address with Plug & Play?
We needed to redevelop our carbon footprint calculator, one of our most important tools. The carbon footprint calculator is a 28-question questionnaire that asks users about their lifestyle regarding travel, home, food, and consumption. Using that information, the calculator outputs a score to show how much of their carbon budget the participant is using. It also estimates the tons of carbon their emitting. It also provides tips on how to reduce their carbon footprint in those categories.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We had a clear idea of what we wanted to achieve, but Plug & Play helped us work through the brief to add more details that we hadn’t thought about at the start of the project. Then they worked on the backend and implemented APIs that allow us to grant access to partner organizations.
Prior to the project, the underlying data model and the frontend of the calculator were closely entwined in the code. Plug & Play helped us update the underlying data model by separating those elements, making it easier for us to update the underlying data model so we can provide a more accurate and resilient tool for our users.
They worked primarily in Laravel and a pilot tool that allows us to load the data model from a spreadsheet to create the required code.
Once they completed the project, they provided documentation and handed it over to us. Then they led us through a technical walkthrough so our development team could ask questions.
What is the team composition?
We work with a managing director and were in touch with the head of technology. They also had a team working behind the scenes on the project.
How did you come to work with Plug & Play?
We took the brief out to several agencies that we had worked with before, but one of the agencies we talked to recommended Plug & Play. Their response was very strong. They clearly understood the brief and had the right skill set to complete the project.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent just short of £30,000 ( approximately $42,000 USD.)
What is the status of this engagement?
The project lasted from November 2020–February 2021.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
They successfully delivered all of the elements outlined in our brief. Our internal team was impressed by the quality of their work. It was a really positive experience. We developed a great relationship with them. We’ve ended up with a better version of the product than we started with. It’s scalable and more robust and it’s enabling us to partner with other organizations in a meaningful way. We would like to work with them again on other projects.
How did Plug & Play perform from a project management standpoint?
They provided excellent customer service. We defined milestones and had about 3–4 regular catch-ups meetings. I had every confidence that they would deliver what we needed because they demonstrated what they were working on in each call.
They may have completed the project a few weeks late, but they still completed everything in time for us to launch the tool to our audiences.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I thought that communication was very good. They were also very reliable.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Feedback from our technical team said that some of the documentation didn’t have what we needed. We weren’t clear enough in our briefing. We wanted to hit the ground running once we got the documentation, but it took a bit more work on our side before we got it to where it needed to be. Hopefully, in future projects, we’ll be able to avoid this problem by being more clear in our requirements.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
As with any digital project, having a clear understanding of what you’re briefing will make the process easier.
the project
UX/UI for Test Results Web Application
“They were able to translate our requirements into something that exactly matched our needs.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
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.
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.
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.
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.
the project
Web Dev for Data Protection Agency
"They were excellent, organized, and prompt. Very often, we were the ones slowing the project down."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
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.
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.
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
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 :-)!
the project
Web & Frontend Admin Portal Re-Design for Furniture Company
"It’s nice that our partnership is moving to the next stage into a long-term relationship."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
Respondent 1: We’re a furniture company. I’m the director of brand development.
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.
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.
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.
the project
Wireframes & App Dev for Grant-Giving Nonprofit
"We were very happy with the eventual outcome, and we got good feedback on the final product."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
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.
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.
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.
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.
the project
IR35 Compliance Solution for Legal Services Firm
"They have a very much had a can-do attitude and very friendly."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
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.
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.
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.
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!
the project
UI/UX for Digital Coaching Web Application
"They met the deadlines they said they would meet, and they did the job we expected them to do."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the CPO of Emoquo, a digital coaching app and people analytics platform.
What challenge were you trying to address with Plug & Play?
We wanted to redesign our app to have a more attractive and usable interface.
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.
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.
Plug & Play successfully delivered a quality website, which already has generated a positive impact. The bounce rate decreased from 64% to 29%, and the analytics significantly improved in just one month. Overall, the team stood out for knowledge and advice. They were professional and well-organized.