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 the CEO and lead designer at Kitsu, a social network that helps anime and manga fans track, share, and discover new content.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ramotion?

We were rebranding, so we needed a vendor to help us design a new logo.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, they created some high-level drawings. I'm very particular about designs, but they were very calm and established a smooth workflow. They were responsive to my feedback throughout the whole process, from the early pencil drawing stage to a polished logo design.

What is the team composition?

I mostly worked with their CEO and one other team member.

How did you come to work with them?

We found them on Dribbble. I liked the work they had done for other companies and their pricing seemed reasonable, so I gave them a chance.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2017 and the project was completed in February 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our brand sets us apart from our competitors; the logo Ramotion created captures that brand perfectly. There is a correlation between our success and the quality of their design. Our users and community embrace our brand and enjoy creating fan-art homage to it. Also, our logo has been stolen multiple times, so it must be good!

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

I was the project manager, but they were a very organized team. They were responsive to my feedback and gave me a timeline I needed to meet. I was very satisfied with both the process and end result.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their work is amazing. When you look at the logo or any of their other designs, it's obvious how much time they spent on it. Their work represents a consistent pattern of excellence, which is why I wanted to work with them in the first place.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Look at their whole team and find the designer whose work you like. Talk to them before you start the project and find out how responsive they're to your feedback.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was the head of product design at Speakeasy, a small tech startup that produced sales software for inside sales account executives. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ramotion?

We hired them to help us with visual brand design, illustrations and iconography, and UI/UX design for web and mobile.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to develop product concepts for our mobile and web clients and craft a brand design direction that supported our marketing and product functions.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We selected them based on their portfolio, aesthetic, and good reputation with past clients. 

Describe the project in detail.

There were three main outcomes: brand, web, and mobile. Addressing branding first, we established guidelines that included a color palette, typography, and iconography. The web product focused on creating a more functional workspace where sales representatives could sync their notes to Salesforce and share their screens, among other capabilities. I provided design and project management guidance and established initial design concepts for further development. Ramotion was responsible for creating mockups, animations, and style guides that included detailed UI/UX design decisions and explorations of additional visual and UI directions as requested. A companion to the web app, the mobile app allowed people to quickly connect to conference calls without a PIN and interact directly with their clients.  

What was the team composition?

The team included a product director and design head from Speakeasy and two contractors from Ramotion who served as animators, illustrators, UI designers, and creative directors. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The completed application has generated positive customer feedback. Our intended metric--the number of salespeople logging their calls on Salesforce--was based on qualitative feedback. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective. They had a good understanding of our needs and the types of problems we wanted to be solved, and they knew how to engage us. They were overall flexible, fluid, and adaptable. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were most impressed by their speed and quality of work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO and one of the co-founders of Wyre. Our company specializes in cross-border and foreign exchange payments built on top of the blockchain.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ramotion?

We hired them to do a full rebrand.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to have slick, fresh, and polished branding. We wanted to work with someone who knew the leading design principles and had a strategic approach to the overall theme.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We chose them out of a number of top-tier teams from a leading design platform. Our former designer was also a high-quality resource with a strong following on that site. We liked Ramotion’s style and the professional way they prepared and presented their work to us.

Describe the project in detail.

Our company had numerous products that had to be consolidated into a new, all-inclusive brand. They did a full rebrand, from the color palette, logos, and icon, to stationary and other marketing swag.

What was the team composition?

A team of 12 worked on this project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've been trending on the front page of leading design platforms multiple times. Our in-house senior designer, who has exacting standards, thought that our branding was one of the best that he has seen online.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was great. Our back-and-forth interaction was quite easy, as the team was really responsive and communicative.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They took ownership of the project, accepting our input in line with what they had in mind. It’s great that they didn’t say “yes” all the time.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It’s hard to critique them, as the pricing was really fair. I think that they gave a lot of value for what we spent. However, they could provide an added service by guiding additional in-house designers that come on board. It would help to have a one-hour strategy session to make sure everyone’s familiar with the style so that no one goes in the wrong direction.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

If you're hiring a design team, odds are you’re not a designer, so just let them do what they do best.