Ramotion

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of OctoBird, an advertising agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ramotion?

We wanted to change some designs on our webpage.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, Ramotion was just hired to make some design changes to our UI. However, we decided to have them completely change our design, UI/UX, and landing page.

What is the team composition?

I worked with two people directly. There were also more designers working on their end.

How did you come to work with Ramotion?

I found them online and liked the reviews and samples of their work that I saw.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent €30,000–€40,000 (approximately $36,000–$48,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2016, and we wrapped up in May 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were professional. I was able to explain what I wanted, and they quickly understood without needing me to micromanage every step.

How did Ramotion perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a good job. We used Skype, emails, and Bootstrap.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really listen, and they’re very easy to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you need a design agency, go with Ramotion.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Open Colony is an executive advisory group of, by, and for innovators. Open Colony is a home to experts. We spur innovation through human capital by matching our Colony members, industry leaders, and trusted company partners to solve complex challenges in new and unknown territories.

Our proprietary methodology and accomplished advisors guide entrepreneurs and companies at any stage of their growth—regardless of industry, product, or market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ramotion?

Entirely new website design and frontend development of that. We had a new brand (mark and system) which they applied and evolved as well.

What were your goals for this project?

As a result of a year of strategy, we hired Ramotion to help us relaunch our company brand, grow our audience, and introduce new services.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were referred to them by one of our advisors who had hired them in the past. He validated their design expertise, competitive pricing, collaborative working style prior to us hiring them.

Describe the project in detail.

Six month project roughly half in design (including new content) and half in front end development (including adjustment/refinement of design and copy).

What was the team composition?

We worked with Denis for project scope and pricing a with tremendous Creative lead, Michael Chu, who was our primary project lead through both phases. He adjusted design and development resources as the project evolved, particularly in the design phase. Both Denis and Michael are great communicators, direct, kind and flexible.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Project was on time and on budget and included some custom illustrations and a highly customized design and UI/UX.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Terrific. They communicate largely through Trello with calls when needed. They are extremely effective despite a largely remote team in eastern Europe.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I'd highlight their bang for the buck and their communication strengths.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We went with a time + materials structure which matched up well with their initial bid. It would have been nice to have a fixed bid option but net net this worked well and was very reasonable for what they delivered.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Senior Marketing Manger for Mozilla. Mozilla is the company behind Firefox, Pocket, and more. We create products used millions of users around the globe every day

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ramotion?

Mozilla has been investing in several emerging technologies. We had new products and technologies across several fields including VR, AR, IoT, Speech, and more. We needed a new website that would showcase these latest innovations.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a website that was easy to update on our own, followed our existing brand and style guidelines, and targeted a specific type of audience.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Ramotion had recently completed an important design project for a different team at Mozilla. When I chatted with Ramotion, it was clear that they understood our company values and our mission.

They also were reasonably priced with a strong portfolio. That, combined with the recommendation from a different Mozilla team made them the clear choice for the project.

Describe the project in detail.

We needed a complete design of a new marketing website that would have about a dozen pages, custom illustrations, navigation, and a custom logo. We also needed to build the website, and have it ready to host on our own servers. Vendor provided all UX, Design, Creative Direction and development, and handed off to us for hosting.

What was the team composition?

For the design phase, I primarily interacted with the creative director, who would then work directly with his designers. For the development phase, I was give a single point of contact (a senior developer)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website traffic has been growing month over month since the launch date. Stakeholders, and executives are happy with the project. It is an effective channel for telling our innovation story, and it is easy to update and keep current.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We are a small team, and we asked them to take on the responsibility of setting up the process for communication and project management. We had a kickoff where we discussed goals, and went over the project details. Ramotion then set up a trello board, as well as several documents that would track everything so that we could always follow progress and provide daily feedback.

We checked in 1-2 times a week on video chat as needed. I also received a recorded screen cast 1-2 times a week from the creative director that would go over latest changes. They also handled development of the project. They set up staging servers, and sent us daily updates that we could provide feedback on.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The speed of the design iterations, and the quality of those designs is what was most impressive to me. For one part of the project, we asked for a custom logo/mark. They came back within 2 days with 20 sketches/options for us to review and discuss. The illustrations they provided were also very high quality.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The development phase was fast, but there were a few stability issues for the first day (they worked quickly with us to resolve, and it has been steady ever since).

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president of a financial services firm. While being customer-centric, I focus on IT and strategic business development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ramotion?

Having a lot of different hands in the cookie jar over the years, it becomes messy. Zero standards. We hired Ramotion to design and define a functional UI design kit. We needed a design system that was the single source of truth of all aspects of the business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It was a collaborative effort. After a user research phase, the production of the UX wireframes and applying the UI standards began. Their team worked through understanding what needed to be done and defining what needed to be applied.

Ramotion built a design system, facilitating all the guidelines, components, and patterns. They worked to understand the tone and voice of who we are as a business. The system is a component library with a high-reusability factor. Instead of building elements twice, it only has to be created once and put inside an inventory. They built all the guidelines and standards around how and when it should be used.

What is the team composition?

In total, we worked with three of their team members. My main point of contact was Michael (Creative Director, Ramotion).

How did you come to work with Ramotion?

I’ve used Clutch for a few past vendors and had great success. I went back to Clutch and looked for the leading and best-reviewed UX/UI agencies that sounded knowledgeable. We talked to several agencies and looked around their websites and portfolios. Ramotion seemed very skilled, so it was an easy decision.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost between $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Ramotion from April–August 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have a high standard when it comes to UX/UI design and practices. Their quality of work is excellent. Ramotion surpassed our expectations. They had good pushback. We had a great working relationship. 

How did Ramotion perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management style was great. I wish we had a stronger schedule put in place, but there are many unknowns inside of the methodology we used. There was a lot of learning to do. We used Slack and Dropbox Paper for communication. I also had morning stand-ups through FaceTime.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team is extremely thorough, making sure communication is open. I’ve worked with past vendors where the communication wasn’t nearly as there. One thing that sets Ramotion is their high standard and communication.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s always a learning curve when working with new people. Sometimes there are setbacks when it comes to direction. It’s not necessarily a Ramotion problem; it is just working with new people and understanding personalities. Their team could give a better timeline and look into the future a bit more. But overall, it is great working with their talented team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clients should make sure everything is documented. Before reaching out to Ramotion, understand what you want. Push them to see what their limits are. Also, have a set deadline so you can move forward and make sure there is a good roadmap laid out for the project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder and CEO of a firm that works with digital payments infrastructure, specifically built on blockchain tech.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ramotion?

We hired them for company branding, landing page web design, and frontend development.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a complete overhaul of our brand through a formal process, and we wanted to use the new brand to dictate the design for our new landing page, which would showcase our various products.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We accumulated a list of vendors by recommendation from other startup founders. After some preliminary research on each, we narrowed it down based on their portfolios. We chose Ramotion following a phone interview.

Describe the project in detail.

They executed a branding campaign for our company, then did web design for our landing page along with frontend development.

What was the team composition?

We initially worked with a project manager and a designer for the branding and web design portion. We then had a frontend development team and a project manager for the actual implementation of the designs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They hit all of our goals and delivered on the schedule they originally proposed. They accommodated the changes in our initial requirements as we needed them and quickly adapted. We got what we wanted out of this engagement.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our workflow was highly effective. We used a shared Dropbox Paper document to share details and feedback and track progress. The team was also available by video call to discuss more complex feedback. They always responded to our messages within 24 hours.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their speed and ability to do good work with changing requirements made a difference.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of Vendefy, a social e-commerce platform for iOS and Android. The platform displays merchandise and supports in-app purchases. We have a feature called re-merch, which allows users to earn credit for successfully referring products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ramotion?

We originally built the app with a different company and we had a negative experience due to poor project management. They used an Ionic framework and there were lots of UI/UX limitations. We needed Ramotion to design user-friendly and intuitive functionality for the platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided them with a modest build because we already had a live version of the app. We proposed that I would handle most of the UI and they would tweak it and then do all of the frontend design. We ended up splitting the UI work evenly. They also did all the backend design, which went beyond the original scope of their involvement. The team redesigned our re-merch feature. In the previous build, when a user referred an item and the referral led to a purchase, the user received credit within the app. Now the credit is paid to the user’s bank account. They’ve also built machine learning algorithms and image recognition to make shopping easier.

What is the team composition?

I work primarily with Juri (CTO, Ramotion), the frontend lead and product manager. We also work with a UI developer and a UX team.

How did you come to work with Ramotion?

They have great reviews on Dribbble, a peer-sharing UI/UX site. I reached out to them because I found their work appealing.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in May 2017 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve put in a lot of time to finish something we’re proud of. This will be more than just an app; it will be almost a storytelling device. Users will keep returning because of how much fun it is to play around with the app.

How did Ramotion perform from a project management standpoint?

Juri serves in an informal project management role. The arrangement is efficient because there isn’t always an intermediary between the client and the engineer. We communicate through email and Slack; I text him if there’s an emergency.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ramotion tackles projects from the perspective of the user, and they look for ways to fully engage potential customers. They go the extra mile to deliver something that puts a smile on one's face. Their attention to detail is extraordinary and they're not just working on the bare bones and core functionality. I notice the small UX designs that they make—those which I imagine most users will notice only subconsciously.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I genuinely can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

At some point, the client should let them take the reins. They know what the client is doing from an industry, company, and user standpoint.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a media company. We’re creating a marketplace to connect creators—social media influencers and category experts—with brands. We produce high-quality videos with the creators, then give them to the creators to distribute on their social media channels. Brands pay us for product placement within the videos, and we have a revenue share agreement with the creators.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ramotion?

We needed to outsource a team of UX designers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We tasked Ramotion with assembling an engaging experience for our customers. We provided their team with some rough wireframes to help them understand our vision. During an ideation phase, Ramotion looked at our proposal from their expert perspective. After a couple of weeks of back-and-forth conversation, we started to put together both low- and high-resolution mockups that illustrated our updated idea. Then, we transitioned into an iterative conception process where we worked on finalizing one detail at a time. Once we approved a specific component, we’d hand it off to engineers and continue collaborating with Ramotion on the next element.

The final product is a digital marketplace for both the creators and brands. Because we’re catering to two different audiences, the UX needs to feel cohesive but address the needs of both parties. Ramotion is helping us create a well-rounded and engaging experience for all of our customers.

What is the team composition?

I’m mostly in contact with a lead UX designer, who heads a background team. On occasion, I’ll speak with the other designers. They feel like part of our internal team, and we have a great working relationship.

How did you come to work with Ramotion?

We considered several different vendors and researched each of them thoroughly. Someone on our team came across Ramotion, and we reviewed their work on GitHub. We liked what we saw. They have a lot of experience in the mobile space, specifically with animation and graphic design. Based on that, we felt they’d be a good fit.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2018, and it’s an ongoing project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, we’ve completed several significant milestones with Ramotion. Based on the feedback we’ve received so far, users find the UX design clean, simple, and intuitive.

How did Ramotion perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been exceptional. The team hits deadlines and provides regular updates. Usually, we get a report, a new file, or a mockup every two days, along with an overview of their current work. Their level of communication is exactly what any company would want from a remote partner. We can count on them to consistently and frequently deliver materials.

To overcome the time difference, Ramotion works during our night and shares a screencast, written summaries, mockups, and visualizations for us to see the next morning. I’ll review them during the day and put together a screencast and some written feedback to send back to them. If necessary, we’ll discuss any concerns in a phone, video, or Skype call. That generally happens about once a week. We also use Dropbox Paper and Zeplin as an exchange point for files and designs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team has depth. When we need more resources, they’ll provide an additional designer or team lead to handle our requests. Right now, I’m actually working with two lead designers on two different elements. This is extremely beneficial from our perspective because it allows me to scale our work in a way that I couldn't with an in-house designer.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t really think of anything. At this point, I know they’re experts, so I ask their opinion on a lot of aspects of the project. Initially, I had to draw feedback out of them, but we’ve since developed an open and collaborative relationship. If anything, Ramotion should be bolder in expressing their opinions earlier in their future partnerships.

Any advice for potential customers?

Speaking specifically from my experience with Ramotion, I recommend an iterative approach. We’re creating a great solution by working together on each element. I don’t know if the outcome would have been as impactful if we weren't working in such an integrated manner.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of design at HackerRank, a leading platform in screening developers. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ramotion?

We needed extra developers to supplement our internal team for a short campaign.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The whole collaboration started as a short, month-long project. They were very easy to work with, so we expanded the contract to six months and added resources. They did UI/UX web design and frontend development in HTML and JavaScript. In the first part, they worked on landing pages. The second part was much more collaborative and built on the work we did in the previous phase.

What is the team composition?

For the first project, we worked with two designers. One focused on UI, and the other specialized in UX. When we moved into the larger project, we added a creative producer and another frontend specialist.

How did you come to work with Ramotion?

Originally, we found them on Dribbble. We checked with colleagues who may have worked with them and got favorable feedback. Their rates were acceptable, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

The total came to around $120,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in Q2 2014. We eventually hired an internal team but worked with Ramotion for about six months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The whole process for the first project was so smooth that we decided to hire them for the second, larger project. We had no issues with any of the landing pages, and everything met our requirements.

How did Ramotion perform from a project management standpoint?

All the project management was controlled through one point of contact. Communication was easy, and the whole process was seamless. We used Trello, Insight, and Jira for tracking and used an agile methodology. Anytime we needed to speak with them, we could reach out.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The flexibility and talent were better than what we could have found locally at that price. In the design industry, bringing in a company from another country adds a level of exoticism and interest, even if they only do something normal to their local market.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The price tag was a little high for our taste, but I think we may have been one of their smaller clients.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior employee at a firm running a blockchain project focused on developing the required protocols to allow other parties to tap into the system. Some of the projects we’ve integrated include wallets and coin-based trusts. We also have 10 different reserves contributing liquidity into the platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ramotion?

We needed branding help. Our logo didn’t have a specific color or image that could represent our brand as a whole. Because of this, we wanted a more versatile logo that is easy to read and print on merchandise. Additionally, we needed other branding materials.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They began the project by giving us logo suggestions that aligned with our company’s message. There was a lot of experimentation in the beginning, including starting over from scratch when we weren’t fully on-board with some of the designs. Along with developing the logo, they revamped our existing site to match the new brand image they were creating. In addition to this, their team created a short animation to showcase the new logo, once they completed it.

What is the team composition?

We primarily interacted with the dedicated project manager from Ramotion.

How did you come to work with Ramotion?

A designer in our company compiled a shortlist of candidates that she found online and coordinated the interview process. She judged the designs and preferred Ramotion’s work.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project in March and finished in May 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In a logo design project, it’s hard to find quantitative metrics, but it has been well-received by our community. We’re also pleased with the final product they produced.

How did Ramotion perform from a project management standpoint?

We gave feedback through a shared Dropbox file. There wasn’t a need to call or email each other too often because they understood everything through text. They were easy to communicate with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were great to work with; it was a smooth, enjoyable process. Additionally, we valued their flexibility when we had to change directions and add to our timelines.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an internet company and our main product is a video calling app. I am the product manager of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ramotion?

We have designers, but they are not very familiar with the preferences of international users in terms of color and style. The initial logo, layout, and color scheme of the platform were designed by our internal team. After reaching 10 million users, we decided to focus on branding.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We explained the core values around the app to their team. Based on this, they helped us create our new branding. The redesign was intended to reach more people and bring a more professional image to our company. Although our platform is Chinese, it’s aimed at connecting people from around the world. We discussed the core difference between our app and other products on the market, and why users choose ours.

They also designed a new logo for us. They initially proposed altering the old version, making it more colorful, and giving it a more 3D look. After an internal discussion, we decided to develop a different logo altogether. Designing it took two months, during which time we had constant communication with Ramotion. They updated their designs based on our feedback.

What is the team composition?

They mainly interacted with me, given that our other team members don’t speak English. I only communicated with their team leader, so I don’t know how many designers were involved.

How did you come to work with Ramotion?

We found them at the Facebook F8 Developer Conference held in San Jose. They have designed logos for many well-known apps, including Bitmoji. Our CEO met with them at their office and reviewed their past work. He determined that their work was on par with what we wanted.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $20,000–$30,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Ramotion in June 2017. After the main project ended, we bought an additional 120 hours from them. The main branding and design work has been implemented, but we’re continuing to make modifications based on user feedback.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t received a lot of feedback for the new logo, but we consider it to be a good choice.

One of our competing apps had a logo change that received a lot of negative feedback from users on app stores and was a bit of a disaster for them. We haven’t encountered this problem, but there also haven’t been many positive comments about the logo. We haven’t seen a dramatic change in terms of statistics, either. Our shareholders, however, have said that the new logo looks more professional.

How did Ramotion perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via email and used Dropbox for document exchanges. Given that we were rebranding an existing app, we didn’t set up strict timelines. The old version was still usable, so we let them work at their own pace. The budget wasn’t exceeded.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

We haven’t worked with other design firms, but we appreciated their ability to deliver multiple design options. We received 13–14 alternatives to choose from and we were asked to provide reasons for our choices. We found their approach to communication to be impressive—it’s different to that of Chinese teams.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We gave their design team the freedom to create certain parts in any way they wanted. There were also some parts that we wanted done in particular ways, with no room for deviation. We’ve had to repeat certain requirements a couple of times to them. It may have been a problem with the communication, given that we couldn’t talk over the phone. The emails we sent them may not have represented our needs fully so it’s not entirely their fault-it’s a limitation of having an email collaboration.