Rasa Design Team

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I lead the technology operations for a small company that helps start-ups in Israel turn their ideas into MVPs based on equity.

What challenge were you trying to address with Rasa Design Team?

We needed a UI/UX design partner to help us accomplish our client projects.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Rasa Design Team has initially helped us complete the design for an existing project, which we've launched two months before onboarding them. They've produced reliable solutions with our team, so we've decided to let them handle our entire design efforts for our clients' MVP projects.

We've done 4–5 projects with their team, each starting with a brainstorming session. We discuss multiple design concepts and opportunities to explore, and Rasa Design Team creates mockups and design elements based on our findings. They manage the prototyping and UI/UX design processes and execute all solutions via Figma.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with four resources at the peak of our project, including Rasa Design Team's CEO.

How did you come to work with Rasa Design Team?

I found Rasa Design Team online while searching for potential design agencies to collaborate with. I felt an instant connection with their CEO, and I liked their extensive portfolio that proved their years of field experience.

How much have you invested in them?

We've spent about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership commenced in April 2020. We've currently stopped accepting new projects, but we'll be working with them again once we get back on track.

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

Our main success metric for Rasa Design Team's performance is their delivery rate — they generate solutions when we need them and go above and beyond to work within our timeframes despite any unforeseen challenges. Their immeasurable creativity is the cherry on top, but we're highly impressed with their professional and systematic methods.

How did Rasa Design Team perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via email, Slack, and Zoom. Rasa Design Team collaborates effectively with our team, which enables them to execute solutions that meet our timeline and quality standards.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Rasa Design Team takes their work seriously and exhibits strong willingness to fulfill our needs and standards — they're certainly my cup of tea when it comes to anything design-related.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of any areas that need improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Allow them to adapt to your processes and harmonize with your team — the more familiar they are with your business, the more capable they'll be of delivering impactful solutions.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a small startup that creates apps for entertainment businesses. It’s a business that I do on the side. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Rasa Design Team? 

Our app was the first one we created, and we needed someone who could translate our vision into something tangible in terms of design. No one in our team was a designer,. so we hired Rasa Design for their UI/UX design services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We told Rasa Design what we had in mind and asked them what they could do. We provided general guidelines, such as drawings on paper, to show them our vision for the app. In other words, we gave them basic things, and they had to come up with a good design. Apart from that, they also handled the testing of the app. They showed it to people and did a survey to see if the design was good.

The design is finished now, and I’ve hired third-party developers to build the app. After the development, Rasa Design will provide their feedback. We also want to add a few things to its design, so we’ll continue working together. 

What is the team composition?

We work with 3–4 people from their team. 

How did you come to work with Rasa Design Team?

I used Upwork to look for and interview designers in Ukraine; I’ve heard good things about the work ethics of teams there. I went through a list of vendors and sent emails to see who were responsive and interested to hear more about the project. 

Rasa Design Team proved to be highly responsive and interested in the project. As we were telling them our concept, they finished our sentences. That was good for us because it showed they understood what we were trying to do. That was how we decided we wanted to work with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

At the minimum, I’ve spent between $5,000–$6,000 so far. There’s going to be more work for them, so we’ll invest more going forward. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2020. Though we’ve finished the design in December 2020, our partnership is ongoing. 

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

Since the app development process is ongoing, we don’t have any tangible metrics yet.  However, a lot of people ask us who designs our app. We’ve also received that question from the developers we’ve hired, who say that the design is great — I’ve interviewed 7–8 developer teams, and they’re all impressed with the app’s design. 

How did Rasa Design Team perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management skills are good, and they’re highly responsive. We have weekly ongoing meetings where we see how things are moving forward and whether we’re facing any challenges. Sometimes, we have ad hoc meetings if we want them to change something before our weekly meetings. Overall, their management is good, and they’re professional in how they work with us and conduct meetings. 

To communicate and conduct meetings, we use Google Meet. We use Figma, where they usually share their outputs. Since they’re designers, they have other design tools.

What did you find most impressive about them?

From the first call, Rasa Design’s professionalism has been impressive. They’ve given us examples of what they’ve done before, and those things are great. I work with a lot of people on my day job, but this engagement has been different because I don’t know what to expect. They’re designing my app, so I rely on their experience — I’m lucky to have their good team. Our interaction from the hiring process all the way through now has been great. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m in New York and they’re in Ukraine, so we’re in different time zones. It’s better if they use a tool like Slack or MS Teams to communicate. When we use emails, they see the message in the morning of their time, and that's the time they respond. However, Slack is more direct. That being said, we’ve never had a problem in terms of communication; this is simply something we can do better and easier. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know exactly what you want. Give plenty of details and make sure that you do your research about design and development. This will help you avoid design errors. In other words, you have to know your app and be familiar with design and development. If you don’t, make sure that someone in your team knows the ins and outs of such processes. 

In our engagement, the developers have suggested a scenario that can address a potential error in the design — I didn’t know that I should've mentioned that scenario to Rasa Design, but when I did, they worked on it. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Tuo, a telecom solution that gives social media influencers or personalities their own phone number to interact with fans. It would also have a marketing part on top of it that bulked messages, turning SMS into a powerful tool for targeted conversions.

What challenge were you trying to address with Rasa Design Team?

We already had the infrastructure to support Tuo but we wanted to build a slimmer MVP, so we hired Rasa Design Team to build the UX and UI.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They knew the mechanics of how we wanted the solution to function (how leads get into the system) and we let them know what we wanted to do from a messaging and analysis standpoint. We explained what data was important and how we wanted to use the data and then set them, truthfully, an aggressive deadline and budget. They delivered on both those things.

They took over the whole process, from building out a mood board that we could communicate through to delivering the wireframes and the UI on top of that. They handle that process for both our desktop and mobile solutions

What is the team composition?

We worked through Rosty (Co-Founder & CEO), who’s our main point of contact. We’ve logged into Figma a number of times and seen a handful of people working on the project. They’re good at bringing in whatever resources are necessary based on our needs.

How did you come to work with Rasa Design Team?

We found them on a freelancing platform like Upwork.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $3,000 for the UX and UI.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March until May 2020.

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

It’s a little tough since we’re still in development, but everyone I’ve shown the UI too has loved how the data is laid out, from a demographic analysis standpoint.

How did Rasa Design Team perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done flawlessly. It was a quick turnaround, and I think that speaks volumes about their experience and communication. Since they were design-driven, we collaborated on Figma. We also use Slack for interpersonal communication. Rosty was our main point of contact, and he did a great job passing along our communications to his development team, although some of them were on our calls as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their understanding of the product stands out. They don’t just go in and build good UX/UI, but they’re also skilled at understanding what the product is supposed to do. This results in a phenomenal UI.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any constructive feedback. They’ve done great on all the projects we’ve worked with them on, which is why we continue to pass work along to them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust their process. Rossi is going to do what’s necessary to understand the goals of the product and ensure the design is aligned with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The Casurnal is an interactive educational web platform for women. We’re based in Ukraine, and we launched the platform in multiple languages, including Russian, English, and Ukrainian. We’re also looking to provide French and Italian versions.

Our product is an interactive journal about psychology, finance, technology, style and fashion, and health and beauty.

What challenge were you trying to address with Rasa Design Team?

We worked with them on the development and branding of our website.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Rasa designed our website from scratch. We also had a team of graphic designers that refined our brand. They gave us brand ideas based on audience analysis and the format of our project.

We had a main landing page, but we had to create entire stories inside. Rasa analyzed how to design the site so it would be suitable for users. They designed it as an interactive board, with different colors for each category. Each page of the site is interactive, and they’re responsible for text, embedding videos, linking the podcast, and more.

What is the team composition?

Their team consisted of copywriters, graphic designers, web designers, and marketers. We also worked directly with Rosty (Co-Founder and CEO).

How did you come to work with Rasa Design Team?

It was really hard to find the right team for this project. Our investors are France-based, and we were aiming to create something international with great quality.

We started asking the people we knew, and a friend of a friend told us about Rasa. We gave them a try, and we were really satisfied. It was intensive and very difficult work, but the result was exceptional. They knew what they were doing. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent more than $6,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

It took us five months to develop everything. We started working with them in July or August 2019, and we launched the site at the end of January 2020. We’re still working with them to create each new edition of the journal and to create new website functionalities.

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

Before working with them, I had no clue what the website would look like or how it would feel to customers. Rasa Design Team aimed to create a simple and understandable design, while still retaining our DNA. It was very important for us to create an international product, and it turned out well.

How did Rasa Design Team perform from a project management standpoint?

I give them full marks. As a startup, we sometimes had to work overnight before the launch, but they were more than willing to put in the effort. Rosty even sent his main graphic designer to our office to work in-person. 

The communication was awesome. They tracked each task, and they gave us feedback straight away. It was easy to follow up on what they’re doing. I’m grateful because we didn’t have this kind of communication with previous vendors.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The diversity of their work is impressive. They have multiple designers in one team, who can provide different styles to choose from. They don’t have one particular look that they push. They look for something suitable for our project.

Second, their communication is outstanding. I felt that they care about the client. They always hear us and understand our preferences.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They even gave us a startup discount, and they were interested in our project. They’re flexible for startups, and I’m grateful for that. We’re satisfied, and we’ve retained them for future work. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They should keep doing the work they’re doing. They have a nice portfolio.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the principles of a company that provides voice-over solutions for small businesses.

What challenge were you trying to address with Rasa Design Team?

Our goal was to create a fluid UI/UX for the technology that we used for the backend.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially developed a schematic of a competitive landscape, our desired features, and ideas on the technological expertise needed to develop the front- and backend. They handled the interface and experience that tied all these factors together in an intuitive manner. We also introduced new features, so we needed them to incorporate those into the design without it being confusing to the user. After giving them a list of features and technology analogs detailing what we were hoping to provide to the market. From there, they developed everything from scratch, handling wireframes, screens, and prototypes.

The product allows a business owner to select a phone number to build out a virtual phone system with call and text flows. A call flow allows users to route calls to either an individual or a directory. We also set up a text flow that follows a similar process. They primarily use Figma for presentation and prototyping.    

What is the team composition?

Depending on the milestone, our team size varied.  

How did you come to work with Rasa Design Team?

We found them on Upwork while interviewing design agencies. They set up a call with us to review all of our materials. Then, they took a few days to digest what we told them, returning to us with a comprehensive proposal that broke everything down in an organized fashion. It was thought-through, so our decision was a no-brainer. 

How much have you invested with them?

To date, we’ve spent $15,050 on their work.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in April 2019, and it’s ongoing.

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

They made the development component as seamless as it could be by delivering pixel-perfect designs. We also have style guides and proportions for different screens. It’s thorough and allowed for the easiest development processes possible. In addition, they captured our vision very well. We plan to work on additional projects with them.   

How did Rasa Design Team perform from a project management standpoint?

They handled everything in a smooth, incremental process. Walking me through their work, they communicated effectively throughout. They’ve been able to stay within the milestones and timelines they initially proposed. We used Zenkit as well as Slack for communication. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication, attention to detail, and overall quality of work are the best things about working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything negative to say about them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They more organized you are on your end, the more you’ll be able to get from their team.

This review was updated by Mitch Breslow (Principal, Wocky) on March 12, 2020. New content is below:

Project summary: 

Rasa Design Team is providing custom illustrations and designs for the cross-platform mobile application of a location sharing and social startup, working from function requirements to create unique user flows.

Feedback summary: 

Thanks to the attention to detail and creative instincts of the individuals at Rasa Design Team, the application has received highly positive feedback from internal and external parties leading up to its launch. Their team is dedicated and highly organized, communicating constantly to ensure progress.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our organization is a decentralized technology company, and I am a principal at the company. We are building a mobile application that ties together location sharing and social interactions with real-world applications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Rasa Design Team?

The challenge that we were seeking to address with Rasa Design Team was to deliver a fairly complex concept through a series of intuitive screens and an overall interface that users could engage with without getting confused or frustrated.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their designs are strictly for the mobile application on both iOS and Android, which is a unique concept with very few direct analogs. We pretty much just laid out a set of features that we needed, and they created the entire flow from start to finish. They also provided custom illustrations for certain elements of the design.

What is the team composition?

I’m not sure how many people were working with us at any given time because they adjusted the team size depending on how much work we needed to get done to stay on top of our milestone timelines.

How did you come to work with Rasa Design Team?

We initially found them on UpWork and had worked with them for a previous project that went very well, so it was an easy decision to bring them in for this one as well.

How much have you invested with them?

To date, we’ve spent almost exactly $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project began in November 2019 and is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We recently began to circulate our prototype through some of our social circles, and people appear to be really excited about it. They were able to really capture our vision in a way that we had never achieved before.

This project is actually a relaunch of something we attempted to develop several years ago, and one of the shortcomings of that project was its lack of intuitive design, so hearing the feedback about how much that has improved was really satisfying.

How did Rasa Design Team perform from a project management standpoint?

They operate as if they are principals in our company when it comes to their work ethic, attention to detail, and consistency in every regard. They map everything out in an incredibly thorough, calculated manner, and communicated wonderfully along the entire way.

We had steady meetings, regular presentations of their progress, and ongoing discussions of pretty much every aspect of the design. For those purposes, we make use of Slack, Sigma, Skype at times, and all of the Google applications to stay on top of all of the work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are just wonderfully thorough in everything that they do. They deliver all of their work in a thought-through, clean, and comprehensive manner. I’ve been involved in a lot of projects over the years, and this is one of the best working relationships I’ve ever had.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve yet to find a single thing that I don’t like about them. I really have no complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more organized you can be with what you want from them, the more you are going to get out of the project.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a global, mid-sized design and development company founded in Lviv, Ukraine in 2011. We create quality software and beautiful designs for our customers.

For what projects/services did your company hire Rasa Design Team?

We offer a HR management tool that includes integrated applicant tracking (ATS), onboarding tools, e-signatures, time-off tracking, and performance management, with easy reporting and a convenient mobile app for employees.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to free HR departments from the data management spiral and enable them to become more effective, more efficient, and more personable.

How did you select this vendor?

We chose Rasa Design Team after visiting their website and receiving their quote and timeline. They were the most cost-effective option, and they provided a shorter timeline than the other companies we researched and interviewed.

Describe the project in detail.

We started with a two-week rapid ideation session to determine the necessary functionalities and produce wireframes. When it was ready, we switched to a visual concept. Since it’s for internal use, it did not require much gloss, but they still made every pixel perfect. Our managers were pleased to use this product every day. In the end, we got clear style guidelines and successfully moved the project into development.

What was the team composition?

We worked with two or three designers, and were always in touch with their design director and business analyst.

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

We are currently testing the beta version and working on additional functionalities. We plan to release the first version in a few weeks. The work quality is high. When there are issues or bugs, they are very quick to help us resolve them and substantially minimize their impact. If we find an issue, we can usually resolve it within one or two business days.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The collaboration was completely remote, so we only communicated online. Their team was highly responsive whenever we had inquiries; they answered our emails in a few hours or less, depending on the urgency of the matter. We gave feedback on their deliverables, which they effectively incorporated into the revisions. They were also very helpful in suggesting how to tackle certain issues and display the designs.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was blown away by their productivity and impressed by their communication skills, which contributed to the project’s fast delivery. Additionally, they were willing to adjust meeting times whenever necessary. They had a great work ethic and attitude about this project. We knew we were in good hands, and will definitely be working with them again!

Are there any areas for improvement?

They could improve their design documentation. Sometimes it was hard for us to determine which changes had happened, and when, but this was a minor issue. We were completely happy with the Rasa Design Team and their performance.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the product responsible for a practice management service in Germany.

For what projects/services did your company hire Rasa Design Team?

We know that using a software with a bad ui/ux is an everyday hassle for everyone who has to work with the software. So for us it was clear that we wanted to have a feel good design directly from the beginning and that we need an expert for that.

How did you select this vendor?

At the beginning we tried to do the UI/UX by ourselves. But Rasa was contacting us and convinced us very fast to include them into our development process to elevate our design.

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

Their team was working with us daily directly from the beginning. They created user questionary based on the findings we already had. Created wire mocks, screen design, and prototyping.

Together with our customers we tested the results, and they iterated the feedback to create user journeys and better matching screens optimized for the needs of our customers. In the last 10 month we created that way a software which is earning a lot of positive feedback

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

My team worked directly with their UI/UX designer in an agile model.

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

Currently, we're still in development of the MVP, but the feedback of our future customers is already amazing if they are getting the prototype demonstrated.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

In the beginning we had someone by Rasa who was translating between us and the UI/UX designer but later on we worked directly together. The synergies by this working model were really strong.

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

They really understand how to make a beautiful and effective UI/UX design.

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

There is every time something you can improve, but we handled the improvements really well together on a weekly basis in our retrospective.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Newberry Consulting works with non-technical software founders to help them save time and money building their software products. We specialize in early-stage concept validation and prototyping, project management, and post-launch product management.

For what projects/services did your company hire Rasa Design Team?

My client was seeking to a firm to evaluate an existing product's UI/UX design, identify areas for improvement, and execute a new design for the product.

What were your goals for this project?

Improve the usability and experience for the product in a way that would improve user adoption and use while also modernizing the look and feel.

How did you select this vendor?

We found Rasa via Upwork. We engaged several firms for the first part of this project, the evaluation, and Rasa's team demonstrated the strongest understanding of our goals and needs.

Describe the project in detail.

We began the engagement with a consulting-style project where Rasa was hired to review and evaluate the product and submit a report with recommendations. After reviewing the report and deciding which recommendations to act on, we engaged Rasa to complete the design changes.

After the designs were complete, we engaged Rasa to build a clickable prototype to help with demonstrating the new design and communicating it to our development team.

What was the team composition?

We interfaced only with the CEO, Rosty, throughout the project. This was a good experience and all work and change requests were received and completed in a timely manner and at a high level of quality.

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

We believe that Rasa's design work reflected the input from multiple parties very well. They were tasked with interfacing with myself, my client (a non-technical founder), and our development team. The result was an attractive design that we believe achieved the functional goals for the project.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective and efficient. Emails were responded to promptly despite the time difference and we were able to schedule video conferences easily.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Communication, a firm grasp of design fundamentals, the ability to interpret our goals and translate them into the finished product.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Only very minor things: delivery of design files, coaching on the use of Figma could be improved.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the managing partner of LegaSystems, an enterprise technical solution provider specializing in a variety of technologies ranging from professional services in business productivity and virtualization to security and cloud services. We partner with industry leaders in the technical field to bring our customers cutting edge solutions. Our mission is to craft and integrate innovative solutions tailored to unique business model in order to improve efficiency, reduce risks, and save money. 

For what projects/services did your company hire Rasa Design Team?

I hired them to help with specific elements of web design for two platforms, legacloud.com and legasystems.com.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted modern, visually appealing websites.

How did you select this vendor?

We liked both their previous work and the innovative ideas they offered, and we were happy with the mock-ups they created. They were the best choice. 

Describe the project in detail.

Rasa Design created web components and design features for both websites. The design, which was built from scratch, was unique and fit well with guidelines and standards of our e-commerce platform.

What was the team composition?

They provided several designers, who worked well as a team with our developers. 

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

The best feedback is the positive customer compliments and feedback we receive on both the printed materials and the website’s usability, Our team is happy and our customers are happy; what more can you ask for? 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They really took initiative in moving the project forward. When we came upon an obstacle and did not know how to proceed, they offered valuable suggestions. Working with the Rasa team was easy. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

There are none I can think of.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are software development company. We offer comprehensive software discovery, development, and auditing services to help businesses conquer the markets and deliver outstanding technology solutions.

For what projects/services did your company hire Rasa Design Team?

We needed a vendor with UX expertise to handle all the design aspects of our client’s web application for product lifecycle and manufacturing management, with a focus on electronics. The client was in the B2B space and needed a more creative and user-friendly product.

What were your goals for this project?

The client wanted the app to be highly-functional for users that use it for several hours per day. The design needed to be modern and beautiful to attract new users.

How did you select this vendor?

We shortlisted several agencies and spoke to each one. We chose Rasa Design Team because they had a collaborative approach and strong design skills. The founder was very professional and assuring. The whole team had great ideas as well; they provided us with the most complex and detailed offer.

Describe the project in detail.

They designed the app’s UX/UI. Rasa Design Team provided our developers with clear mock-ups and guidelines for the cloud-based product. We then implemented their ideas in-house.

What was the team composition?

The founder and art director was our main point of contact. He had a four-person team working behind the scenes.

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

Turnaround time was quite short and the client had high expectations, but Rasa Design Tam delivered an excellent product. Our client appreciates the design; they find the product functional and modern.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They stayed on top of everything and always keep us informed. We used Basecamp, Dropbox, and Slack to communicate. They were extremely responsive and never missed deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were easy to work with, honest, and open. We had a fluid experience and great relationship.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of anything. They definitely do a great job managing expectations and performing well, from start to finish.