Rocket Insights

Please describe your company and your position there.

My name is Ben Hickman. I am the director of UX and Design at Pluto TV

For what projects/services did your company hire Rocket Insights?

We hired Rocket Insights to gather user research and lead our product team through our first design sprints.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to know how our users chose contact to watch and we wanted to learn how to integrate design sprints into our product design and development workflow.

How did you select Rocket Insights?

Our chief product officer worked with one of the program managers from Rocket Insights.

Describe the project in detail.

After some changes in product leadership, we were going to define our first large feature release. The team wanted to switch to using design sprints but had never conducted one.

What was the team composition?

Rocket insights provided a project manager, a senior designer, and a mid-level designer for the design sprint project. Then for the second project, The research sprint project, we worked with a project manager and a UX researcher.

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

Our team has adopted design sprints as an essential part of our product development workflow. Don't think that would've happened if we just all read the book and hat at it.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. Design sprints can be a big change in the way product teams work and share accountability. Having the expert guidance of an experienced team that overcommunicated and express themselves clearly was helpful in making this transition.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were extraordinarily patient and flexible.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Reporting this work up to our CEO we did have to rewrite some of the findings so they were appropriate for executive summaries.

Please describe your company and your position there.

INVIDI’s proprietary technology enables television service providers to simultaneously deliver multiple and distinct commercial streams to different households or individual set-top boxes during a single commercial break while also controlling reach, frequency and separation of the commercial assets.

For what projects/services did your company hire Rocket Insights?

INVIDI turned to Rocket in order to develop a complex piece of web-based business software.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were several fold. First, we needed to coordinate what had been separate business "products" and new functionality into a single application. Second, the application needed to be able provide a clear, unified story to both internal and external users. Third, we wanted to incorporate innovative data visualizations and contextually relevant information to support at-a-glance understanding.

How did you select this vendor?

Rocket was recommended to us by our design partner, Craft.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Rocket provided front-end UI development and well as initial API development work.

What was the team composition?

The development team was comprised of 3 primary devs, and a product owner.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Anecdotally, end users are excited to begin interacting with our services via the new unified interface. It will save time (e.g., Certain tasks today take 30hrs. The new application will allow the same tasks to be completed in 30 seconds), decrease training, and enable users to become self-sufficient in a more shorter period of time.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We had a formal project manager but it wasn't really needed, other than as a place to turn if things went poorly. As it was, there were no issues that the team couldn't handle on its own.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

In addition to their obvious technical expertise, they care about the work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No areas for improvement. The Rocket team was great - responsive, intelligent, and they cared about the project as if it were their own.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the manager of multi-platform content for a television network. I oversee digital initiatives within our marketing department.

What challenge were you trying to address with Rocket Insights?

We were looking to bring our brand to Amazon's Alexa AI voice services platform. Our goal was to create an Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) that stood out on the market.

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the start of the project, Rocket reviewed our product requirements and scoped out the project. Their team designed the ASK from scratch, providing wireframes, user flows, and suggestions for added features throughout. They built out voice commands for scheduling information of shows, special network updates, a help menu, and subscribing to our newsletter. We have a decent idea of what our fans want to hear, but we relied heavily on Rocket's team to address other topics we may have missed.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with three members: Dave (Managing Director, Rocket Insights), Jesse (Co-founder and Developer, Rocket Insights), and Joshua (Co-founder and Designer, Rocket Insights). Dave acted as our main point of contact and Jesse developed the majority of the technology. Joshua spearheaded much of the editorial half of the project.

How did you come to work with Rocket Insights?

Our VP of operations and digital marketing was at the Consumer Electronics Show about a year ago and spoke to someone working on the Alexa platform who referred Rocket to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested around $150,000 thus far on phase one of the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since April 2017 and we're just entering phase two of our work with them.

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

The ASK has been accepted with full approbation and delight within the company; our internal stakeholders are very pleased with the overall product and its performance. We're eager to see where the technology takes us in the coming months as we continue to build and optimize it.

How did Rocket Insights perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a very symbiotic process. Despite being on opposite coasts, their team is available to us any time of day through Slack and email. While we utilize Jira for ticketing issues, most of our communications are on an ad-hoc basis as we tackle each new feature separately either via email, instant messages, or phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm most impressed by their high degree of flexibility and, unlike other vendors, they're receptive to our ideas and provide invaluable feedback. When it comes to Alexa AI, they're leaders in this space.

Their communication is also fantastic—we can reach them at almost any time. They're just great guys to work with in general and very understanding of the nature of our industry.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I would encourage them to continue doing exactly what they're doing: building great products.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a good sense of what you want to build and create a bucket list of actionable items. I definitely suggest working with Rocket, because they're incredibly informed on the latest technologies in the market. You'll get a high level of follow through, project scoping, and flexibility by working with their team.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at an online video platform that supports media and digital marketing companies in delivering video. I was the vice president of global services when I worked with Rocket Insights.

What challenge were you trying to address with Rocket Insights?

We needed to augment our staff because, for some projects, we didn't have enough professional services resources.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Rocket Insights was involved in numerous projects, big and small. We'd bring them in to help complete projects either ad hoc or they would be onsite staffed. Projects varied from designing an Apple TV product to delivering large scale over-the-top [OTT] projects. Rocket Insights are often the technical experts behind the scenes. We’ve had one of their developers onsite for over a year, and he’s almost become a de facto member of our team.

For the Apple TV product, our limited resources meant we needed someone to create the design, and Rocket Insight led that process. They worked directly with our lead designer, but their team provided all the hands-on-work for the UX design. For the larger project, Rocket Insights did architecture, development, delivery, and even a bit of project management and strategy. It was as if they were almost like a pseudo-CTO.

What is the team composition?

Rocket Insights usually provides a range of options, and then we can choose which developer fits our project best. They give us as much say in the team selection process as possible.

How did you come to work with Rocket Insights?

Our company had worked with them before in a different department, and they were well-regarded, so I reached out to them about the Apple TV project, and we’ve worked together since.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $1,000,000–$5,000,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked with them since August 2015. I’m not in a position that interacts with them anymore, but they still work with the company.

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

The Apple TV project was actually one of the most successful projects with the services group. Like any other software developer, they had some bugs, but they quickly remedied them. Rocket Insights’ work was definitely above what other vendors or partners would deliver.

How did Rocket Insights perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. We have managers on site that work with them, but they also provide their own team of project managers, as well, who are consistently on our Slack channels. They’re good at communicating, and we’ve never had to question their availability or transparency. Besides Slack, they also used Basecamp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The caliber of their technical talent is incredibly high. They have smart employees who bend over backward to help us. They’re not the cheapest, but their rates are definitely competitive and you get more than what you pay for. They under-promise and over-deliver, always meeting deadlines and budget requirements. Overall, they’re a dependable services team that delivers high-quality products.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing really comes to mind. They have plans to move their office to a more central location, which will be nice.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Rocket Insights is easy to work with, so be transparent and upfront about what you want. They can be a great partner if you approach them like that.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work with the marketing group at a video streaming network.

What challenge were you trying to address with Rocket Insights?

We wanted to develop a skill for the Amazon Echo to promote a specific show on our streaming service. We hadn’t done something like this before and hired Rocket Insights to provide guidance on planning and to build out the skill itself.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a meeting to discuss our major goals. After going back and forth, they came back to us with ideas on building out the various elements of the skill, and worked with us until they had an actionable development plan. They managed all aspects of development and worked closely with us and other vendors to make a successful product.

What is the team dynamic?

There were several developers on the team, but our primary point of contact was the project manager, Dave Wooding.

How did you come to work with Rocket Insights?

They came highly recommended by a colleague who had worked with them on various development projects in the past.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March/April 2017, and completed the project in July/August 2017.

How did Rocket Insights perform from a project management standpoint?

Very well. All parts of the project were delivered on time, and we never had issues with communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very attentive and seemed to be dedicated to producing something of high quality.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I think they were a great partner.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Production Manager at Humongous Media. We are a video production company, but we handle a lot of other services as well.

What challenge were you trying to address with Rocket Insights?

We had to create a working app for a major cellular carrier’s devices over a very short period of time. We needed the app developed from scratch.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Rocket Insights started by designing a look and feel for the app, a home screen, tile options, and icons. Once we had those approved by the client, we went through a few rounds of feedback and then they created the app itself.

Our client had a new phone coming out that is compatible with a voice activation app. The app has our videos embedded into it, which was challenging, and explains all of the new functionalities to customers in the physical stores who weren't aware of the features.

What is the team dynamic?

We worked with five or six individuals from Rocket Insights over the course of the project. We communicated with a project manager and during short turnarounds, we communicated with the developers directly.

How did you come to work with Rocket Insights?

We were aware of their work because Ashley Streb (Co-Founder, Rocket Insights) had worked with one of our employees in the past.

How much have you invested with them?

Between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2017, and they delivered the finished product in July 2017.

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

We loved working with Rocket Insights. They put in a lot of late nights and we had a very involved client. It was a challenging project and we had some unforeseen issues. We really appreciated them working very closely with us and the client to make sure that we could deliver the way the client wanted us to. We really appreciate their expertise, and they delivered the product on time without any critical bugs or defects.

How did Rocket Insights perform from a project management standpoint?

We didn't use any project management tools. They were very responsive to emails and they gave us their phone numbers. We had a lot of same day turnarounds during our project, and it was easiest to pick up the phone and call them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are really good at what they do and they really like doing it. It never felt to me like we were hassling them whenever we called them to make last minute changes or revisions. It was great that they seemed to enjoy the project so much.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not during our project.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The company is the largest global weight loss services, provider. We focus on helping people live a healthy lifestyle. I’m in the marketing department and oversee our social media department.

What challenge were you trying to address with Rocket Insights?

We used Rocked Insights to support a couple of acquisition focused campaigns we were doing over a years’ timeframe. They were also leading efforts to build a supporting website for a photo generation campaign that we were doing. We wanted to drive word-of-mouth and user generated content sharing across social media platforms.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We built the photo generation as a mobile responsive website. We provided the UX and design but they partnered with us on that. Users can go to the website, upload a photo, and edit it the way they want to. They can then share the photo on social media and email. There was a photo gallery on the site where users could view other users’ photos.

How did you come to work with Rocket Insights?

They were actually brought to us as part of a relationship we had with our creative agency at the time. Our creative agency came up with the campaign and the photo activation, and then they looked for a partner who could build it out. I believe they had a previous relationship with Rocket Insights. After six months, we were no longer with the creative agency but continued to work with Rocket Insights directly.

How much have you invested with Rocket Insights?

The cost of the project was $10,000 to $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

In total, we’ve had a relationship for over a year and we continue to work with them.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The functionality worked from launch date on both campaigns we ran with them. That has been a challenge with development partners in the past, where the project is late or they don’t have the features and functionality that we agreed on. They were great partners to work with.

How did Rocket Insights perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered everything on time and to the specs we were asking for.

What did you find most impressive about Rocket Insights?

They’re very thorough in asking questions and figuring out the scope before they start. In the course of the project, when we needed changes, they were flexible in adapting to that.

Are there any areas Rocket Insights could improve?

The second project was easier because we were working directly with them. We’re very happy with the work they’ve done so far.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are Craft, a product design studio that works with startups and large organizations to help them implement design strategy and product design into their company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Rocket Insights?

When we have engagements where we are providing product design services, they help us from an engineering standpoint to launch new products for clients.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They work with us from a product perspective (engineering and creating the product) and a front-end web development perspective.

How did you come to work with Rocket Insights?

I worked with them at a previous company for many years. That is how I connected with them, and that is why I want to continue working with them.

How much have you invested with Rocket Insights?

We have spent between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It is ongoing.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Every project I have done with them has been met with rave reviews from both the clients we are working with and consumers. In terms of the work they have done, from an engineering standpoint, it has been completely sound and well received.

How did Rocket Insights perform from a project management standpoint?

What I like about them specifically is the fact they are very easy to get along with and talk to. In addition to being great engineers, they are nice guys. From my perspective, that is really difficult to find. When you are working with them, they can communicate what they plan to do in plain language since not everyone will understand what they are talking about in engineering terms. That is a real value that they bring.

What did you find most impressive about Rocket Insights?

Their number of years of development experience, matched with their experience with business-to-business and business-to-consumer work is difficult to find.

Are there any areas Rocket Insights could improve?

Not that I can think of right now.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We have developed a new kind of wine bottle which uses software and electronics. We have a 15 person team. I am the chief technology officer [CTO] of the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Rocket Insights?

Because we're building an aspirational consumer product with a high aesthetic standard, we quickly got to the point of surpassing our staff's ability to make interface decisions. We needed to start designing interactions with our wine bottle and website through an experienced user interface and graphics team.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Rocket Insights has provided design services for our company. We have talked about using their team for other tasks. We have broken our scope into multiple small pieces, so we constantly have at least one active task, designing the next flow or set of screens.

How did you come to work with Rocket Insights?

Rocket Insights was recommended by my peers in a CTO circle that I frequent. Technical people are always looking for designers who can hit aesthetic standards, but who are also skilled enough to understand the layout and workflow of the app being built. Rocket Insights gets high marks on both points.

We talked to a range of companies with varying prices, and we had also been using an offshore firm with design capabilities, but my inclination was towards Rocket Insights from the beginning. They had good references from people whom I trust. Rocket Insights clearly understood the goals we were after and knew how far they could go within our budget constraints.

How much have you invested with Rocket Insights?

The cost of Rocket Insights' work has been between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Rocket Insights 3-4 months ago. We're currently working through our remaining portions and building more depth into the user interface.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We had an existing user interface, as well as a conceptual design input created by a big design firm in Boston. We gave Rocket Insights all of this material, together with a written document for the makeover we wanted to make, detailing how many screens we were willing to revise in a certain period of time. Rocket Insights came back with a user experience which really hit the nail on the head.

How did Rocket Insights perform from a project management standpoint?

From the beginning, we were paired up with a designer from Rocket Insights who took part in all of our meetings and had a hand in making sure things were working right. Rocket Insights was easy to approach whenever we wanted to make a change. I've heard from their CEO regularly, and have come to know the whole team well.

What did you find most impressive about Rocket Insights?

Their changes were lean and easy to implement. We were able to have multiple iterations over the course of our project.

Are there any areas Rocket Insights could improve?

With any project like this, costs will be relatively higher than having a designer on staff. I'd like to see some long-term models for an affordable engagement from Rocket Insights.

Some small details have been lacking. We were always able to catch them through a second or third iteration, but Rocket Insights should have paid more attention in these cases. We've had a good collaboration overall, so I don't have other criticisms.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Play Impossible is an active entertainment system. We are adding electronics and sensors to sporting goods and toys in order to turn the real world into a video game. I am the chief executive officer and a co-founder of the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Rocket Insights?

We connect our sensors to an app, which is where our collaboration with Rocket Insights began. We are looking to ship our product at the beginning of 2017, so we needed top-end app engineering talent on a deadline.

What was the scope of their involvement?

When hiring engineers, either full-time or on a contract, we've looked for problem solvers. We assign individuals to the technology stack best suited for their abilities. Rocket Insights' team was an iOS candidate, which has higher priority than our other platforms. Rocket Insights can provide deep backend and client experience as well, but we have focused on iOS first.

How did you come to work with Rocket Insights?

Our chief technology officer is working out of the East Coast and had a past relationship with Rocket Insights. This hasn't been an important consideration for our group, but it has helped to have Rocket Insights in the same time zone.

How much have you invested with Rocket Insights?

The cost of Rocket Insights' work has been between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Rocket Insights 6 months ago, and plan to have a long-term collaboration.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Rocket Insights' check-ins were of the highest caliber, which has resulted in successive builds of our product, as we're iterating towards a final market version.

How did Rocket Insights perform from a project management standpoint?

Rocket Insights made it easy for us to get started, continually improving on a weekly basis. Our project debriefs and ramp-ups were delivered by Rocket Insights.

What did you find most impressive about Rocket Insights?

Rocket Insights has integrated quickly into our virtual office startup environment.

Are there any areas Rocket Insights could improve?

We always try to gain efficiencies without sacrificing quality, but there isn't anything I could mention about Rocket Insights. They've been outstanding, and I would jump at the chance to work with Rocket Insights again.