Selecto

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're an upcoming, forward-thinking, and human-centric Fintech from Dubai, UAE. I'm the co-founder and CXO.

For what projects/services did your company hire Selecto?

UI/UX design for a payments web app that is responsive and super-fast! Using existing style guides and brand guidelines. Redesign and update of our corporate website.

How did you select this vendor?

We chose Selecto for the quality of their current and past work. More specifically work that included dense web apps that needed to be human-centric and user-friendly. We then met the designer on the team to make sure it was a good fit, it's been an absolute delight to work with him. Price also played a significant part of the selection process.

While for a early-stage startup like us Selecto is not cheap, they have gone above and beyond and worth every penny because their work speaks for itself.

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

Design sprint that included Selecto visiting our HQ in Dubai. This was useful for us in away to get to know the team but also to begin deep research into our company, product and the target audience. The design sprint was then turn into a product requirement document. Work started immediately from low-hanging requirements while building the design system, then into more sophisticated features and functionality.

While the project has launched the product continues to grow in design of new features. This work will continue with Selecto for the foreseeable future.

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

We started off working with a PM and the designer but felt that our own PM internally was sufficient. Today, we are working directly with our assigned designer from Selecto and our own internal PM, frontend, and backend developers. All of whom have attested to the great work ethics and style of the Selecto team.

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

The project was broken down into bi-weekly sprints, we have launched multiple iterations and continue to develop more complex features with the support of Selecto. Our users love the product and credit goes to Selecto for continuing to build on the great work our team had started internally.

A year on we find Selecto and our assigned designer an extension of our team and are delighted to work with him, even during the most challenging of times, they have shown an incredible amount of professionalism and courage.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent, the team at Selecto have excellent command of English, which their founder mentioned was a prerequisite at hiring, which we truly appreciate, as it allows us to understand each other quickly and move through iterations much faster. The collaboration has gone from strength to strength where by we feel that Selecto truly understands and own our expectations, design approach and the radical alignment to solving customer pain points.

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

We find that Selecto never complains, we often switch context, going from one design to another in a short period of time, while we want to make sure we are not doing this too often, we find that our designer is incredibly patient and able to navigate multiple requests and iterations in away that is mature, professional, kind and compassionate. The quality of Selecto's work makes them the best agency we worked with to date. Incredibly patient and always at hand to resolve issues.

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

I'd like to see Selecto grow, and move to Dubai, UAE! A small but high-quality team would go a long way in this region.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of projects at Afro-Stream, a streaming services company. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Selecto?

We built our app’s first version in-house when we were developing its MVP and proof of concept (POC). The mobile version was working well, but its quality wasn’t at par with the standards of competing apps. In 2019, we started to restructure the app to high standards. It involved completely redoing its UI/UX design and upgrading its front- and backend technologies for iOS. Android, and web. However, we didn’t have any UI/UX designers or app developers. As a result, we hired Selecto to help us. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Selecto designed and developed our new web app. The idea was to build a platform hosted locally to deliver low-cost services to mobile service providers and pass them on to end users. 

Our first step was to bring the server into the data centers of the various operators working with us. Then, we ensured that all end users and subscribers went through a local network without using the intranet. Users could pay via their service providers or via an e-wallet on their mobile devices. 

Once we had those in place, we started building the app. Selecto started with its UI/UX design, concept, and front- and backend development. They then collaborated with operators to integrate content; we had to integrate a massive amount of local, regional, and even international content with high local consumption on the platform. From there, we created a marketing strategy. To be clear, Selecto didn’t work on content promotion or marketing. 

At present, we’re still working on this project with Selecto. Their resources are working on the animations integrated with the UI/UX of the app. 

What is the team composition?

We work with two project managers, two designers, two iOS developers, two Android developers, two backend engineers, and one business analyst. 

How did you come to work with Selecto?

When we were searching for a vendor, we asked around and Selecto came up; that was how we found them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $200,000–$250,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2019, and the engagement is ongoing. 

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

We’ve received good feedback from customers and acquired contracts with bigger operators. 

Anecdotally, Selecto has been amazing from the start even if it’s a little difficult to explain what we do. We need more simplicity than complexity since smartphones in Africa aren’t the most advanced. They also have smaller screens, and we have to ensure the app is suitable for such devices. Given these, I’m truly amazed by their level of attention to detail and focus. They quickly replicate what we’re asking for, and their business analyst has been excellent. 

Overall, the Selecto team has a perfect understanding of our needs, and they’ve been patient with the changes that we’ve had to make along the way. 

How did Selecto perform from a project management standpoint?

Selecto’s project management has been great. They’ve been willing to discuss with our existing users. In fact, they’ve interviewed 20 of our users without us — this has helped us gather plenty of feedback from our customers. 

To communicate, we use Slack and Zoom calls. We also have group chats. Meanwhile, their development team uses GitHub. Their resources were flexible, so we also have discussions on WhatsApp, Telegraph, and phone calls. Overall, their team has been highly proactive. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We continue to have a fantastic experience with them. Most of the people we work with from their team are better than our best people. Overall, they’re a partner that tells us what we need to do and not just do things that we can do by ourselves.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Selecto’s development process can be done faster, although I understand that they like to be thorough. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Selecto has a great business analyst. Most of the time, you’ll want a project manager, but their analyst has been helpful in breaking down ideas and making it easier to speak for designers and developers. Remember that they’re good at what they do, so give them as much information as you can. If you do that, they can make great recommendations. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

Elise is a first-ever e-car booking app in Switzerland. The platform allows to rent an electric car (mostly Tesla) in Geneva from anywhere in the world. Users could book a car in advance, unlock it within a click and just go, without any face-to-face contact. I am a co-founder there.

For what projects/services did your company hire Selecto?

We were looking to launch a digital only car sharing service offering only electric cars rental (app based).

How did you select this vendor?

One of my colleagues had previously worked with their team on several projects and had recommended them. After a review of multiple providers in Switzerland and abroad we decided that Selecto was the best provider for this project.

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

Their team started off by studying our business landscape and gathering stakeholders requirements. Based on the research they created a product roadmap and started working on design and then development (currently the app is for iOS only). They also built a landing page for our service. We are currently planning to create a version for Android and have started the analysis phase.

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

We worked with two UX designers and iOS developer. We also engaged a project manager and a tester on a part-time basis.

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

We’re happy with how the product looks and how it is presented online. Based on the client positive feedback, we believe that the product has been validated by the market and users.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication was clear - they kept us well informed. We communicated directly with the design team and a developer.

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

What I just can’t fail to mention is the quality of the design delivered. A lot of our ideas came from them. And they were willing to contribute not just with design but with the overall idea of the product.

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

I think their scheduling during the development stage might have been a little better. But in terms of design they were accurate.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Sr. Product Manager at Audantic, a real estate investment analytics company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Selecto?

We wanted to unify and update the designs of multiple tools that we offer. We asked Selecto to create a full redesign of the sites along with a Design System and Style Guide.

How did you select this vendor?

We found Selecto on a Clutch search and were impressed with their rating and examples of past work.

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

Their team met with us to understand the current designs and page flow. They then worked on multiple designs for us to choose from. Once we narrowed in on a design we liked they then recreated all our pages on Figma with the chosen design. We met with them once or twice a week and communicated via Slack daily to give feedback and for them to ask questions. Once the Figma was complete they delivered the Guide System and Style Guide.

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

We worked with the CEO, head of design, two designers and a PM.

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

The designs look great. I demoed the Figma to clients at a conference we attended and they were very impressed.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective workflow. Their communication is excellent. We communicated via Slack daily and once or twice a week via Zoom.

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

We were impressed by the quality of their work and the speed at which they got it done. They were also very receptive to feedback on the designs and made changes quickly.

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

Not at all.

Please describe your company and your position there.

RediLink is a platform for real estate professionals. It is aimed to provide them with useful data, industry news, courses and events, networking opportunities and access to the online community of Real Estate.

For what projects/services did your company hire Selecto?

We had a vision and wanted someone to map out how the product should look like. We were looking for a team to build a product concept that could be used to present the idea to investors and validate it with potential customers. To design a working prototype of a mobile application and think for the best UI/UX features to develop.

How did you select this vendor?

Recommended by another happy customer

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

Design the prototype: Full discovery process including jobs to be done, value proposition canvas, competitor screening etc... Daily interaction on UI/UX designs and close collaboration. It was a very collaborative process.

We began with a discovery phase where they studied everything - from our vision to the business landscape to users' needs and pains. They’ve delivered a visual identity for our product and a first clickable prototype with all the features.

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

8 people - Project managers, business analyst & designers

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

As for now, we have a clear understanding of where we are heading to. They helped us define the roadmap and shaped our vision into a product prototype. I think we would be able to share some tangible results after the conference where we’re going to present the concept.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project was well-planned and well-structured. As said before, it was a collaborative effort. We worked closely, so that it felt like co-creation, not like management of an external team.

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

The team is product-oriented. They think in terms of the performance metrics rather than short-term tasks. They approached the research phase very thoroughly and delivered a modern UX from the first iteration.

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

No, the work delivered was great, team friendly and deadlines met so nothing to add :)

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a product manager at a logistics company. Since 2011, we have been providing freight services across the US and Canada.

For what projects/services did your company hire Selecto?

For years, we’ve been using dozens of external services and tools that required paying additional fees. We were looking for someone able to help us digitalize our business processes. We also strived to build a solution that simplifies communication between our departments and reduces the paperwork.

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended to us. And they had an experience in the logistics domain.

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

They started with an internal audit of our company and the market research. Through the discovery phase, we found new market needs and started working to fit them. We aimed to build a solution to make the process of transportation easier. Selecto developed the UI/UX design for our mobile applications and transport management system, and we continued relying on their engineering expertise, as well.

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

Initially, we engaged a design team of Selecto. After research and first concepts, we decided to scale the project scope and thus the team that now counts around 20 members.

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

The solution they have provided so far takes our workflow to the next level, which helps us to be more efficient. We reduce the cost of external resources since we have our own solutions and there is no need to use them. Also, our partner companies are going to try to integrate our software as a SaaS solution into their workflow.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our primary point of contact is their project manager, they handle project management well. We communicate every day, so we are always aware of the progress of the project and their plans. They’re always available for calls despite time zone difference. Also, their design team visits our offices in the US one-two times a year for research and user tests.

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

They conducted the research thoroughly, offered insights and came up with a number of ideas in areas we haven’t looked at. With the right strategy and roadmap, we have created a modular product that we can now use as our own SAAS platform and provide its value to other logistics companies, making their business more efficient.

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

I couldn’t think of any. We continue to be impressed by their proactivity and ability to map out what needs to be done.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of an organization in the English-language learning space. We provide content and are working on providing a technology solution to help English learners around the world.

What challenge were you trying to address with Selecto?

We’d been testing out different third-party platforms to help us solve a particular problem that language learners faced. It became apparent that those solutions weren’t going to meet our needs anymore. Our business wasn’t able to scale and serve as many customers as we wanted to serve so we engaged Selecto to build a custom SaaS solution.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Selecto is providing UI/UX design for a complex web-based platform. They conducted a competitor analysis, a user-flows analysis, and empathy mapping. Their team designed the UI followed by the UX and prepared all the design files for our development team. The technologies used are Miro and Figma.

We’re finalizing the last stages of the MVP. Selecto has designed the web interface, and they’re moving on to the responsive format for mobile and tablet use. There’s a lot to be done but it should be finalized in the next couple of months. We plan to keep going with Selecto for version 2.0.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with their design lead, two business analysts, three UI/UX designers, and one project manager.

How did you come to work with Selecto?

I was browsing through a lot of the online-portfolio marketplaces like Dribbble and Behance, and we also conducted Google searches. I found Selecto on Dribbble, and they stood out to me by way of their clean designs and well-thought-through user flows and interfaces.

Their spacious and minimalistic designs appealed to me and it seemed that they’d done work that could be related to the solution we were building. They’d covered all the features we needed, such as video chat and scheduling. Some of the illustrative qualities of their designs resonated with us.

Selecto just seemed really professional from the outset, from the discovery call to the promptness of producing a proposal for us. They had good attention to detail, asked good questions, and were straight to the point.

How much have you invested with them?

The total so far is about $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Selecto around August 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

I’m not a technical founder so I rely heavily on my dev team and senior developer for feedback on the output from Selecto. So far, we’ve had very few — if any — complaints from our dev team. There’ve been some minor adjustments to make, but by and large, the feedback from our team has been really positive.

We were hesitant at first to over-document or overdesign some features, but it’s turned out for the best that we did. It’s reduced the number of questions and pushback from our dev team, so I’m saving a lot of time on that side. They’re able to jump straight in. I

t’s sort of like having a solid set of engineering and architectural plans to work from. It’s removed a lot of the guesswork. I also rate the companies I work with on how proactive they are, and Selecto is highly proactive. It’s rare that if something becomes a problem, they won’t have already come to me first.

During the early phases, we weren’t too satisfied with the illustrative style and branding workshops we did with them, but that wasn’t a fault of Selecto’s process or people. It just wasn’t a fit for us. No one on our side would say that Selecto wasn’t talented or on top of their game. It was more of an aesthetic misalignment between what we like the look of and what they did. I’d do it all over again. I don’t know what I’ll get next time, but it may very well work out.

In terms of delivery, they don’t muck around. The amount of progress being made every day and every week is phenomenal. Because of their attention to detail and because everyone from Selecto has worked on our project as if it were their own, I feel that they’re always thinking for us, as though they were part of our team.

We feel very much that they’re a part of our team that we took the time to have t-shirts with our branding shipped over to them. They took a photo in those and sent it back to us.

How did Selecto perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re all in communication on a daily basis and have been since the very beginning. There hasn’t been a day that’s gone by where we weren’t in communication. I like to give feedback quickly so I’ve been part of the workflow creation and project tracking. I explained what works well for us, and Selecto had no issues falling in line with how we do things. Everything they’re doing is as I want it, and they seem to be enjoying our way of working.

They submit work for review, do any revisions that are needed, and get our approval. We try to make that as quick as possible, and we’re quite proactive about it. If there’s a perceived issue or if I want to talk about something, we’ll conduct a meeting via Zoom within the week. If they have the same need, they get in touch with me about a meeting.

They have a project manager who oversees and connects everyone so if I need to say one thing to the whole team, I can just tell her. She’ll distribute the information to every relevant person. We primarily use Slack for one-to-one discussions and for team chats about ideas. We track tasks and overall progress using Monday.com.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s their dedication to the outcomes and goals we’re trying to achieve for the people we help. They share our vision and resonate with our mission. Because of that, we’re all heading to one place, which is bigger than the project and bigger than us. Everybody’s there. We all get out of bed and work on this project because we’re here to empower women around the world. Everybody feels that and wants to be part of it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They have a lot of questions for you as the client; it’s all in order to really dig deep. Therefore, it’s important to not be too prescriptive about how you want things to unfold. However, before working with a company like Selecto, it’s important to have a clear vision of the final outcome or result to be achieved for our customers — and to be strong about that.

Otherwise, Selecto’s questioning and digging deep may lead us in some random directions. If we know where we want to go and want to find out the best way to get there, then Selecto will help one hundred percent.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a founder and CEO at Roundlaw. Our platform helps lawyers to present themselves and advertise their services in an innovative way.

For what projects/services did your company hire Selecto?

We were developing a new product and wanted their expertise. We aimed to create a digital experience for our clients - lawyers, through which they could reach their audience in an easier and more engaging way.

What were your goals for this project?

Our primary goal was to get modern and intuitive design for the product. Also we wanted to bring our platform on the web, which in turn required assistance with the design and development.

How did you select Selecto?

We had previously worked with Selecto. At that time we were extremely satisfied with the outcomes so we had no doubts we wanted to hire them for this project.

Describe the project in detail.

The main distinctive aspect of the product had to be a design. And with the help of Selecto, it is. After the first version had been successfully launched, we decided to rely on their expertise to improve the conversion rate and augment the platform with new features.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a multifunctional team of product designers and developers.

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

The first tangible proves of that are both the positive feedback of our users and media coverage.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

These guys were superb when it came to openness, communication, and managing the project. If we had any changes, they adapted quickly. From the very beginning we were working in close cooperation, having daily calls which were always fun. Also they adapted to our time zones and felt just like our in-house employees.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most impressive aspect is their human side. We went together through ups and downs, and this is what we were looking for in our partners and what each startup expects from people working on the product. Till the end of the project we felt much more like friends, not just partners.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It was a pleasure to work with them again. What had to be improved has been improved.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Product Project coordinator at Vezeeta.com, a digital healthcare powerhouse that serves and empowers patients in every step of their healthcare journey through data and technology

For what projects/services did your company hire Selecto?

We engaged them for a complete revamp of our whole product line - seven connected products that make experience of getting healthcare services much better.

What were your goals for this project?

We were looking for a partner not only to create a modern design and UX for the new functionality of our products but also to seamlessly integrate it into our ecosystem. We needed someone to constantly research and make improvements to Vezeeta.

How did you select Selecto?

We found them on a list of the top UX agencies on Clutch. After interviewing several vendors we decided to continue with Selecto, as their approach looked the most suitable for us.

Describe the project in detail.

Vezeeta is a huge product ecosystem splitted into separate products and epics that needed a complete revamp. Their team started with examining the product and interviewing our stakeholders to set the common ground. For starters, they updated Vezeeta’s home page - the team created several design options for internal A/B tests, which showed us impressive results. Now Selecto is engaged in designing the whole product line, and works closely with all of our departments as a prefered design vendor. Each of 7 products is being designed for web, desktop and mobile (iOS and Android).

What was the team composition?

We’re working with 2 senior UX designers, design director and business analyst

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

A proactive work of their design team and tight collaboration with our product management and development departments is what helped us to be highly productive from the very start. Selecto is a huge part of why we've been able to bring forward our product release dates.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They perform great in terms of project management and communication. We have daily meetings, they’re always available for calls so we see no barriers despite working from different continents.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

A great toolkit of approaches for all scenarios we’re bumping with during the product design process. Also, they are very proactive, and not only do they do good work, but they strive to ensure a perfect user experience for the end-users. And we all together can’t wait to introduce the new version of Vezeeta to the world and celebrate our common success.

Are there any areas for improvement?

As with any vendor, it has taken some time for Selecto to onboard and get into our product details and all the processes before any deliverables.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder of a startup productivity software company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Selecto?

We hired Selecto to think through what it would take to build this product. That required understanding the needs of the end user and the many flows that they could take, and then wireframing what that could look like through a clickable prototype.

What were your goals for this project?

Our primary goal was to determine the cost, feasibility, and direction for our initial concept. Selecto accomplished all of those goals and was very thorough in thinking through them with us.

How did you select Selecto?

We literally went through hundreds of designers on Dribbble, and Selecto was the best by far.

Describe the project in detail.

Our project was to prototype a minimum lovable product that would give users an extraordinary amount of clarity in their lives and workflows. We started with a discovery phase to explore user needs, and then wireframed a clickable prototype inside of Figma that can be used to design the initial UI. We also spent some time on branding and positioning, and what features to include in a first release.

What was the team composition?

Two UX designers, a project manager, and graphic designer.

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

We finished this first project with a clear estimate of costs, timelines, and product direction.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Despite being on the other side of the planet, Selecto communicated very well and often about our direction, and the reasoning behind their decisions. They very much felt like a member of our team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their design skills are top-notch, and they run very quickly and thoroughly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We were very happy with the work on the first iteration of our product, and would highly recommend.