Space Between

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Senior UX/UI Designer at the British Heart Foundation, a charity that funds over £100 million worth of research into heart and circulatory disease.

For what projects/services did your company hire Space Between?

We wanted to gauge the emotional response of users regarding our newly redesigned Conditions pages.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to use Space Between's innovative approach to testing to improve the content and usability of the Conditions pages.

How did you select this vendor?

Space Between approached the BHF with an offer of some pro-bono work for the charity. We had an upcoming project that would benefit from Space Between's involvement so we whole-heartedly accepted.

Describe the project in detail.

Our site's pages with information regarding heart and circulatory conditions had not been updated for many years. We wanted to engage our users to understand what they expected from these pages and how best to present them with this information.

What was the team composition?

Initially we discussed the project with the director of development, then as the project progressed our point of contact was changed to another director who would be able to give us greater assistance with the project.

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

The testing sessions were immediately effective in helping us amending unknown issues with the page designs. The biometric testing equipment the team provided helped us identify faults which would not have been identifiable using traditional testing methods.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Marcus, Luke and the rest of the team were brilliant to work with. They were friendly, informed, passionate, and patient!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team are using innovative testing equipment and techniques that are uncommon within the industry. These methods dig deep into the user's actions, highlighting behavioural indicators that help identify otherwise overlooked design flaws.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The team worked fantastically well with a fluctuating timeframe and I thank them for the passion and knowledge they brought to the project!

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a lead UX designer at COOK Trading Ltd. We’re a national frozen food retailer with 90 shops in the UK, including e-commerce and home delivery businesses. Our food is handmade with quality and care at our kitchens in Sittingbourne, Kent.

For what projects/services did your company hire Space Between?

We wanted to run user tests on our website to make improvements to the user experience. Space Between executed the testing and provided detailed consultation afterward.

What were your goals for this project?

Our objective was to have a list of site improvements that we could make along with a roadmap for further testing and development. Ultimately, we wanted to improve the UX on our site and increase conversion rates.

How did you select this vendor?

Having gathered quotes from four agencies, we chose Space Between because they demonstrated a vast knowledge of user testing. They also showed us an example of how they would present their results, which other agencies didn’t do. This gave us actionable insights that allowed us to plan for after the project.

Describe the project in detail.

Space Between visited our offices to talk through the project and pull together the specs. Both sides had a very clear view of what we were testing for, and we agreed upon the brief from the outset. Their team then organized everything for the testing, including finding the venue, getting the participants, setting up all equipment, and planning the tasks and post-testing analysis. 

Following the testing, they presented their findings in a workshop to a large team from our business. They offered recommendations and insights, answered questions, and provided five printed packs that displayed all of the information clearly.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with Luke (Director of Customer Optimization, Space Between) from the outset, with Marcus (CTO, Space Between) and Alan (Lead UX/UI Designer, Space Between) running the testing on the day of. All three joined us for the workshop.
 

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

We’ve only just finished the project and have started to run A/B tests for their findings. The testing has given us a huge list of insights that we will be able to use, not just to make UX improvements, but also to inform our wider e-commerce strategy. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Space Between was responsive and had a very effective workflow. They took on all of the organization for the tests, which freed our team up to focus on the strategy and outcomes. During the workshop, they answered all questions, listened to our business considerations, and offered consultations where needed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Everyone we worked with at Space Between had extensive knowledge of UX design/research, development, and technology. They were able to use their experience with other case studies to inform our project. We were all impressed with their delivery at the workshop, and we gained comprehensive insights. Having a printed pack was also really impressive and showed how professional the company is.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, nothing comes to mind. We were very happy with the work from Space Between.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Merlin Entertainments. We are the second largest visitor attractions company operating globally. I am the head of marketing at one of our specific theme parks in the UK. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Space Between?

We were implementing a new platform on our website and needed to understand the existing implementations, user journeys, and how to optimize conversion rates online through qualitative research. Space Between contributed their UX expertise to help us improve our website. 

Over the last two years, we rolled out a new booking engine. We've tested it on three of our main brands. Our online business had experienced challenges due to factors like the overall demand. The UX wasn’t converting as many online visitors into actual customers as it could be. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our first meeting was relatively open-ended. We presented our main challenges without asking for a specific answer. Space Between went back to their offices to answer our brief thoughtfully. We assessed their approach and agreed to a date to conduct user testing at one of our theme park locations. I got to observe how they interacted with our customers. 

They collected a massive amount of data and compiled a document with an overview of their analysis. They presented their findings during a three-hour debrief meeting to answer our questions. Furthermore, they pinpointed issues we hadn't considered along with viable recommendations to fix them. Space Between's in-house user experience team created these solutions via new designs, user journeys, and pages. They simplified all the steps it took to achieve our goals. 

What is the team composition? 

We interacted directly with Luke (Director of Customer Optimization, Space Between) and Alex (Head of Customer Growth, Space Between). Luke designed and oversaw the project. Five additional employees worked in the background and evaluated data. I met the broader team when they were conducting research.

How did you come to work with Space Between?

Competitors offer similar albeit less sophisticated services due to the technology at their disposal. Space Between has an eye tracking measurement tool with facial recognition that can discern anger or excitement based on expressions. There are only two of these machines in the U.K. As a theme park entertainment brand, this was especially important. We try to sell experiences online. 

Our final decision came down to the team’s credibility and the brands they've partnered with in the past. From a personal perspective, working with them has been effortless and quite exciting. We didn't find that dynamic with other vendors. They seem to genuinely understand the entertainment sector. Our companies have a similarly young, fresh, and less corporate work ethos. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent £15,000 (approximately $19,400 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017 while our parks were still in season. Space Between completed the project in December 2017, right before Christmas. The entire project took about 8-9 weeks total.

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

I don’t have specific metrics to share, but we’ve seen our desired increase in conversion rate and a decrease in bounce rate. The user journey flows much more smoothly. Since we implemented Space Between’s findings, users we capture in the booking funnel have been more likely to convert. Even though we only researched three of our specific businesses, we've rolled out the findings to our entire company. We’ve seen these improvements uniformly across our brands.

How did Space Between perform from a project management standpoint?

It was effortless to work and communicate with Space Between. We knew what we could expect at any point, and they delivered accordingly. They flexibly accommodated our schedule and locations.

Luke and Alex facilitated project management and served as our points of contact over email and phone calls. Throughout the project phase, we spoke between 2-5 times per week. They kept us in the loop about progress and timing. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The debriefing was a massive eye-opener for our business. Space Between came up with extensive and useful findings within a single day of research. They gathered an expansive amount of data from just one of our locations and transformed it into an insightful analysis. The debrief alone could have easily been a two-day workshop. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to sit down with Luke and Alex. Their enthusiasm for data, research, and their company is refreshing to see. Meeting them face-to-face is definitely worth it. Space Between could probably provide even more services than they list on the about section of their company's website. They have a strong team in the background that can support a wide variety of efforts. I suggest giving them as open of a brief as possible. They'll return with answers you never could have conceptualized.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the creative director of a new company that sells branded apparel online.

For what projects/services did your company hire Space Between?

We required assistance in setting up a Shopify account to sell our products.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to get our company up and running as quickly as possible, as we had procrastinated in our last stretch.

How did you select this vendor?

Shopify recommended various Shopify experts we could use. We reached out to some and Space Between replied to us quickly. We liked the sound of their offer.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Space Between set up our payment, policy settings, shipping rules, and taxes. Their team consulted us on connecting various apps and plug-ins to our site to scale our business.  They also set up Google Analytics, reviewed our software, and helped set up a mailing service. We worked together to connect our online store to our social media accounts for a seamless shopping experience.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly and soley with their business development manager.

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

The shop is all set up and ready to launch. Space Between ended our business' lull, as we now have a better understanding of how to strengthen our online store for the future. We can now maximize the use of our social media accounts, reviews, and Google Analytics to bring in new e-commerce. As a business, we now feel more confident knowing we can always consult and work with Space Between to scale our business.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We were offered a breakdown of all the services they could help us with. Then, we chose certain services according to our current budget, with the intention of hiring additional services as we grew. We agree upon the scope and budget, and we paid for half the cost with the rest to be paid upon completion. They worked quickly and efficiently. There were only delays when our party had to send information or documents so Space Between could move forward.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their in-depth industry knowledge, quick and responsive communication, great customer support, and genuine interest in our business. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder of Cucumber Clothing. We produce luxurious and revolutionary thermo-regulating leisurewear and nightwear.

For what projects/services did your company hire Space Between?

We needed them to conduct an audit of our website.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted our website to be easier to use visitors, increase time spent on the website, and increase our conversions.

How did you select this vendor?

We were recommended to them by an industry insider.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Space Between walked through our website and listed improvements that needed to be made. We are currently working with them on additional reviews and planning out improvements.

What was the team composition?

We work with their co-founders.

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

It's too early to say, but the advice they provided so far is excellent. The improvements they want to make are clear and make sense to us.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Their project management is excellent.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The knowledge and attitude of the company are impressive. They are generous and go above and beyond our original scope.