Starlight.io

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and formulator of Pure•ly Mei Skincare, and it’s an organic skincare line. I won’t be launching this product until May 1st of this year, 2021.

What challenge were you trying to address with Starlight.io?

I’m not a very tech-savvy person, and when it comes to coding or websites, I’m clueless. I needed a company to help me design my website. However, I didn’t want to just use the theme on Shopify, even though it seems a little too challenging. That's why I needed a service to help me build the website and create an aesthetic that’s appealing for a beauty skincare line.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Starlight.io provides me with their web development services. In a way, the project is a work in progress, because I haven’t launched a few adjustments that I’ve made here and there. Viktoriia (Head of Design & Lead UX Designer) was able to create a way for me to update new photos, or new text to the product pages easily — she basically established the account on Shopify.

What I provided was my vision for the website — not just for the looks, but also for the functionality and performance. Initially, we started a payment plan and I started sending Viktoriia ideas of other websites because I liked the way that their site looked. She then sent me documentations, like a contract, to indicate the timeframe of what was going to be laid out. 

From there we remained in communication and she would engage with me, showing me color palettes, and things of that nature. It’s a pretty cohesive relationship and I feel like I always have the opportunity to give her feedback as we progress.

What is the team composition?

I’m just working directly with Viktoriia, because I didn’t need anybody else. I’m not sure if she has a team, but I think she's the only one who's primarily working on the project.

How did you come to work with Starlight.io?

I saw Viktoriia in a female beauty founders group on Facebook, where she had posted about her former client, and the website she had upgraded. I was impressed with her work, and once I made contact with her, I found that she was pretty organized and she sent me an invite to do a video call. She’s in Poland and I’m in the US, so we had to coordinate our timing, but then once we had our discussion, I felt really comfortable with her.

I felt like she understood what I was going for, and since she already has experience working with other founders, I got pretty confident.

I thought her being in Poland and me being in the United States would be an issue, but it never was.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost for her to create the website was $1,200.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2020. Though she has completed everything that I needed, she’s still available for me if I have any questions about something. As we get closer to the launch date, I would definitely still be in communication with her.

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

I gave her a list of things that I wanted to see on the website, and then she went ahead and delivered all those requirements. Working with her, being able to give feedback, and then see the changes being made has been a pretty flawless experience. I’m very happy with Starlight.io, and very happy working with her.  I don’t know too much about the coding, but she made it pretty easy for me to go in and make changes later on.

One of the things that I feel confident about working with Viktoriia, is that she’s very knowledgeable and she’s able to respond to my questions quickly.

How did Starlight.io perform from a project management standpoint?

We have several forms of communication. We mostly communicate through Facebook messenger, because it was through a Facebook group where I originally met her. We also communicate via email, and she left it pretty open for us to communicate in different ways.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What we found noteworthy was their quick turnaround. Any time we have questions, they’re quick to respond to it, and it made me feel pretty confident that my questions are being answered in a timely manner. I could address the issue, and know that I would get some kind of resolution for it right away.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything that I’m dissatisfied with at this point. I think I got what I hoped for and I’m excited to see what will happen once we launch. As of now, everything is satisfactory.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as organized as possible to really get an idea of what you want. The more details and information you can provide, the better chance you have of your ideas coming to fruition. Additionally, be open to hearing other ideas as well.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder / owner of a small, indie (eCommerce) beauty brand in the UK which sells mostly direct to consumer.

For what projects/services did your company hire Starlight.io, and what were your goals?

I've been using a basic Shopify platform for the last few years and though the functionality was fit for purpose, I wanted something more visually appealing and with some additional functionality that avoided the use of too many paid apps.

How did you select Starlight.io and what were the deciding factors?

I came across Victoria via an online group for female entrepreneurs where she'd shared a case study of her work. We arranged a call and talked through my requirements. The main deciding factors were the fact that Victoria was very solutions-focussed, and her enthusiasm and creativity shone through. The price point was also reasonable for the amount of work involved. I also appreciated the fact that Victoria promised to be my key point of contact throughout the project (and was), which helped further build trust.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

After an initial call to discuss requirements, Victoria wrote a detailed proposal outlining the scope of work which we worked through in a modular format. Victoria and her team produced mock ups which I was given the chance to review and feedback on, then did the coding. I was then able to test everything before it was set live. Victoria sought out apps where it didn't make sense to code something from scratch and I really appreciated this flexibility.

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

I only had direct contact with Victoria (CEO) but I was aware she had an assistant working with her on the coding.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

I'm really pleased with the work that's been completed so far (some of it is ongoing as I've extended the scope since the initial project). The website combines better functionality and visual appeal, and now incorporates more content alongside the more transactional aspects of the store. I've also had customer feedback that the website looks great, and still easy to navigate.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

Victoria used ClickUp for project management which allowed us to keep track of the status of each activity / project task. She is extremely responsive to comments and questions and goes out of her way to help.

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

As a small business, it's often hard to find partners that will suit your specific needs, but Starlight have a very personable approach to working with you which I really appreciate - I felt like I was being treated as a person rather than as "just another project". I felt that Victoria really cares about doing a good job and goes above and beyond, her suggestions and recommendations come from a lot of research she carries out. They've been an absolute pleasure to work with and we will continue to engage their services!

Are there any areas for improvement?

None I can think of.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a beauty tech startup.

For what projects/services did your company hire Starlight.io?

We needed to incorporate our brand refresh into our site so it had the new look and feel and also to just generally update the UI/UX of the site as well.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals for the project were to make sure our new brand identity came across well through out site so it had a cohesive look/feel and that the site was more user friendly.

How did you select Starlight.io?

I saw her work online and liked the clean, thoughtful design.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we started working with Viktoriia, she understood exactly what we wanted to accomplish and exactly how to incorporate our new look and feel. She made thoughtful suggestions on how to improve our site's UI/UX. We would schedule calls to go over the wireframes and she was incredibly fast with the edits.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with Viktoriia on this project.

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

As we prepare to launch our new site, I'm confident that it has a look and feel that directly reflects our brand.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was easy - wasn't a ton of back and forth but she was quick to make edits and we would chat through everything to limit miscommunication.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were impressed by how quickly the team was able to take our brand deck and translate that into the website. She got it immediately. Made the process so easy and seamless. She has a really good eye.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No areas for improvement regarding our project.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Neo the founder of Uhuru Botanicals which is a natural skincare brand.

For what projects/services did your company hire Starlight.io, and what were your goals?

I had asked Starlight.io to create a ecommerce website for me. The goal was to complete it by November 2020.

How did you select Starlight.io and what were the deciding factors?

I selected Starlight.io because of the services they were offering. The deciding factor was that they would teach me how to use the website after developing it.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had an initial discussion. We agreed on the scope of work, costs, and timescale. They started creating the website and asked me for my input along the way. They also provided a photograph service which provided me with brilliant photos for the website. We worked together along the way and I am happy with the work they have done.

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

One person worked with me, Victoria. She is the website developer.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Clients have reported that the website is faster and it looks clean.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

They communicated really well, using Watsup texts, emails and phone calls.

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

Excellent customer service and they always had time for questions and changes.

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

I cannot think of anything. Victoria did everything I had asked.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder and CEO of LUXE Botanics is an eco-luxury skincare brand powered by the planet's most transformational botanicals, leading edge green tech and giving back.

For what projects/services did your company hire Starlight.io, and what were your goals?

Starlight.io helped clean up our shopify backend, created custom kit selections on our product pages, and implemented conversion rate optimization strategies to drive traffic and conversions on our shopify site.

How did you select Starlight.io and what were the deciding factors?

I was recommended Starlight.io through a friend. The deciding factors were their fast response time, interest in our industry and excellent project management skills.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Initial phase was the clean up of the backend code on our shopify site which had been handled with multiple different developers previously resulting in very messy code.

Once this was cleaned up Starlight.Io implemented ways for us to update our pages and products in the front end without having to code changes. Second phase was creating a custom kit page for our products to allow customers to create their own brand discovery kit.

Third phase is ongoing work to update the website to drive traffic and improve conversions through constant data monitoring and testing.

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

2 people, both web developers.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Starlight.io provides excellent customer service, efficient project management and completes projects on time, no matter the advance notice given. They always have great ideas on how we can approach challenges and tasks.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

Their communication is fast, responsive and understanding of our challenges. They were able to manage our project via our project management tool - Asana - instead of Trello which we are unfamiliar with. All projects were completed early or on time.

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

Their attitude - they are always very willing to work with you to find a solution.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None

Please describe your company and your position there.

Belegebox.de is a cloud-based document management system that gives small businesses all the necessary tools for business digitization. We are based in Germany and have more than 20 years experience in the field of digitalization. I am a CTO of the company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Starlight.io?

We were looking to create a simple, secure and inexpensive DMS cloud solution in the DATEV data center. It starts with collecting and optimizing the documents, then goes through approval processes to the tax advisor and archiving the documents.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a user-friendly DMS with custom features that no other solution was offering, such as optimization of files, remote file transfer and synchronization, Canon-Copier integration, DATEV integration, bring the paper documents into Belegebox cloud with cell phone, scanner and even a copy machine, and so on. This will allow us to become a leader in the digitalization market in Germany.

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended to us by a friend who used their services in the past. After a brief conversation, we realized we are a perfect match to do this project together.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They started with UI/UX design and prototyping. After everything was confirmed, we moved to the development stage. Starlight team developed both the frontend and backend of the application. They also provided us Devops to deploy and secure our application. In addition, Starlight team also developed a web app for Canon MEAP technology enabling smooth file transfer from scanner to Belegebox. We had weekly meetings to review the sprints and performance.

What was the team composition?

The team had 4 developers, 1 UI/UX designer and a project manager. We mainly communicated with the project manager, but also had direct access to the team members.

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

We're still on an early stage of the launch of the app but so far we have received positive feedback from our customers, partners and a management team.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We had a wonderful project manager, who would respond to our questions/calls even on weekends and after work hours. He divided the project into the sprints and we would have weekly calls to go over the progress and future features.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Working with Starlight, you feel like you are working with YOUR OWN team. They are extremely motivated and ready to work day and night to deliver the product you desire.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing to think of.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO and founder of a sports analytics company. Our company does data science on different sports, such as the NBA.

What challenge were you trying to address with Starlight.io?

We needed UI design for our sports analytics company.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Starlight.io’s work was primarily for the design on the frontend. I had some very minimal designs and they helped me to actually have an interface that is much better for actual user flow.

What is the team composition?

I worked with two people, but only contacted them through our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Starlight.io?

I have another company and we also had to do some kind of UI design for financial analytics. I had used them at that time, so I decided to use them again for this project.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started at the beginning of this year in January, and it has since wrapped up in May. We were given the product, but there were some final adjustments that needed to be done.

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

Their work has been well received and we are satisfied.

How did Starlight.io perform from a project management standpoint?

Good, they met deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very responsive. I asked for a lot of adjustments along the way, and they did that for me. I was satisfied with their customer service.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, it was good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

For UI design, they are good and people should check them out.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder and CEO of a multi media platform to share and market geo content.

For what projects/services did your company hire Starlight.io?

We hired Starlight.io to build the MVP of our web and mobile app. This involved unique IP of mapping technology with extensive social functionality; of which we were not equipped to build internally.

What were your goals for this project?

We used Mapbox, Google Maps and Openstreet Map APIs with a React/PhP/Python stack. We offered it as an open beta web app with agile building techniques, which if successful would lead to the launch of a SaaS platform and mobile app powered by UGC.

How did you select this vendor?

4 other dev teams/software houses were considered in the selection process. Starlight.io was chosen because their team quickly comprehended the project vision, were great to communicate with, reliable and the price was very reasonable for the value gained.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We submitted detailed user stories and wireframes for all major functionalities, but no technical specifications.

What was the team composition?

1 project manager, 1-2 frontend devs, 1-2 backend devs, 1 designer.

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

We wouldn't have a business without it. This was the first step in starting a new startup. We've had exceptionally positive feedback (in design, UX and functionality).

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We regularly coordinated via Slack and WhatsApp to make sure vision was aligned and deadlines were met. We're a US based company. There were no issues with a language barrier; both team leads at Starlight.io have excellent English skills. Very responsive given the 8 hour time difference, no communication issues due to different geographies.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their ability to quickly understand and execute on my vision. They're clearly seasoned IT professionals who know how to take ideas from customers with a range of technical literacy to build beautiful, usable products.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Can't think of any. I will use them again for future development and can't recommend them highly enough.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Beauty Brand CEO

For what projects/services did your company hire Starlight.io, and what were your goals?

Web design/development services for brand's content blog

How did you select Starlight.io and what were the deciding factors?

Had worked with the team before and had an excellent experience.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Web design, mockups, help with layout, designing content, etc.

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

1, CEO

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Fast, thorough and excellent experience. Her process is easy and stress-free for the client, and allowed us to focus on content. She has a beautiful eye for design, is transparent, and really turns into your partner through the whole process, providing you with insightful advice and recommendations. The design was gorgeous and we are very happy and the development process was stress-free.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

Very communicative, fast, and proactive.

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

The speed and great price, without cutting any corners. They can compete head to head against any large web development firm and come out the winner. Just incredible talent here.

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

Nothing! Worked really fast, which I loved but a few tech unsavyy brands may want to go slower (though I can't imagine why they would).