The Story | AI Development + User Experience

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Director of Corporate Communications at KCR, a clinical development solutions provider for biotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations. Our company was founded in 1997 and employs around 1000 people across North America, Europe, and Australia. Our main offices are in Boston (US), Berlin (Germany), and Warsaw (Poland).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story | UX Design + Web Development, and what were your goals?

The goal was to create a new corporate website for KCR. The website was to communicate the company's offer (solutions and services) and make it stand out in Boston’s very competitive clinical research market.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

The Story agency was responsible for our rebranding in 2019, and the corporate website was a part of this project.

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

Based on the rebranding concept, The Story prepared a content strategy, researched the persona, and developed an appropriate UX Design and UI Design. We entrusted The Story with the entirety of the web development and management of the AWS Cloud. The website has also been adapted to the needs of mobile device users. Thanks to AWS, the service is available to users regardless of their geographic location, i.e., whether they are in Boston or Melbourne. Stack: - Python (Django), - PostgreSQL, - JavaScript, - AWS

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

The team of 11 people provided by The Story consisted of the Head of Design and Research, UX/UI Designers, Researchers, Copywriters, Video production team, Web developers team, and Project Managers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had and still have very positive feedback from our team and our customers. The project was mentioned in Awwwards.

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

The project timelines were adjusted to our needs. The Story used workshops to gather requirements and to co-design the website. Thanks to that, the cooperation was very effective.

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

I liked their industry knowledge, understanding of our business processes, and willingness to answer challenges. It makes them a great partner for medical companies.

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

No, it all went extremely smoothly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Digital Manager at Pfleiderer, specializing in wood-based materials production, especially medium-density fibreboard and particle board. Pfleiderer employed around 2000 people at two different plants located in Poland.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story | UX Design + Web Development?

We chose The Story company to design our new B2C/B2C platform for customers who are in the process of interior design and finishing. The platform delivers carpenters who execute a project, designers who design, and distributors who deliver materials. This project contains functionalities from different patterns of digital products: social networks, eCommerce, marketplaces, and project management systems.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We talked to several of the best-rated companies in Poland after a bad experience with the previous vendor. We were considering a lot of factors:

• Approach
• Design
• The expertise of the Lead Designer
• Contract
• Pricing

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

Scope and project steps:

• Detailed onboarding workshops
  • Deliverables: shared understanding, a roadmap of works
•  Design sprints
  • Deliverables: business analysis, UX design, UI mockups
• Technologies:
  • Figma
  • Jira
  • Zeplin

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

The team of seven people provided by The Story consisted of the Head of Design and Research, UX Designers, UI Designers, UX Researcher, and Project Manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are after user research, and we received very positive feedback from users concerning the Key Visual designed by The Story (80% of the respondents assessed the project exceptionally well (5/5), and the rest gave 4). Before the platform's launch, we plan to continue our user testing research. From our perspective, the platform's functionalities were designed according to the requirements and best practices. On-time and on the planned budget.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Story works professionally. They use many tools and operational procedures which were implemented in our workflow.

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

Speed of execution. Deliverables in UI design. Communication.

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

Of course, there are always areas for improvement, but The Story team adapted quite fast to our requirements and our needs.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Head of Design &Product at Pfleiderer, specializing in wood-based materials production, especially medium-density fibreboard and particle board. Pfleiderer employed around 2000 people at two different plants located in Poland.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story | UX Design + Web Development?

We chose The Story company to provide a User Testing service for our new B2C/B2C platform for customers who are in the process of interior design and finishing. The platform delivers carpenters who execute a project, designers who design, and distributors who deliver materials. This project contains functionalities from different patterns of digital products: social networks, eCommerce, marketplaces, and project management systems.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We decided to engage The Story in the User Testing project thanks to our excellent cooperation experience during the UX/UI design project.

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

Scope and project steps:

• Design of researchers' tools.
• Recruitment for the User Testing.
• Interviews and task tests.
• Analysis and reporting of the results.
• Recommendations for improvement.

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

The team of three people provided by The Story consisted of the Head of Design and Research, UX Researcher, and Project Manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The research was conducted seven days before the deadline. The Story recruited respondents from three different groups of users according to the protocol and inclusion/exclusion criteria. Valuable feedback was gathered.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Project management of The Story is excellent; that’s one of the aspects I like the most about them. They’re great at managing deadlines and following through with the project.

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

Speed of execution. High quality of deliverables and profound conclusions for our development process. Communication.

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

They’re great.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Inlegis is a law company that offers its services on the local market. We sell b2b and b2c legal services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story | UX Design + Web Development?

We aimed to optimize our main online channel of sale - the offers presented on our website. The Story helped us with analytics and conversion optimization. We received the quantitative and qualitative analyses, exact recommendations, and design works we implemented on our website.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We talked to several of the five best-matched companies, and we were considering a few factors:

• aesthetics of works
• the clearness in UI design 
• analytical approach in UI design
• experience in the legal industry
• confidence

The Story won this competition, and we are very happy about the results of our joint work.

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

Scope and project steps:

• Detailed onboarding workshops
  • Deliverables: shared understanding, a roadmap of works
• Design sprints
  • Deliverables: analysis with recommendations, mockups (designed screens and optimized components for development)
  • Technologies:
    • Figma
    • Jira
    • Zeplin
    • Google Analytics
    • Hotjar
    • Yandex.Metrica

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

The team of three people provided by the Story consisted of:

• Senior UX designer
• UX designer
• UI designer
• SEO Specialist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

According to the Google Analytics report in comparison of two states - before and after design implementation our website increased in the following KPIs: Goal Completions (+15,36%), Click to Contact (+2,61%), Click to email (+30%), Click to the Phone number (+71,43%), Engagement to content (+15,41%).

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Story works according to our timelines. We worked according to the Scrum method. It brought flexibility and efficient use of resources.

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

These guys like what they do. They are passionate about my field, and they know it.

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

Of course, there are always areas for improvement, but right now, nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an International Recruitment Team Manager at KCR Placement, an employment organization specializing in recruitment for pharmaceutical companies. We look all over the world for candidates to fill roles in the pharmacy, biotechnology, medical technology production and clinical trials industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story | UX Design + Web Development, and what were your goals?

We have been working with The Story for several years and did not hesitate to hire them for another project. Internally, we have changed our recruitment process management system to a Bullhorn company solution. We needed The Story to support in developing a new web application which would present job offers and collect application forms for transfer to the Bullhorn system.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

The Story is a vendor we’ve been working with for several years. Together, we have implemented dozens of projects of various scopes. We are always satisfied with their level of engagement and the quality they deliver.

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

The project was implemented in Scrum. We managed to finish it in three sprints. From collecting requirements and Bullhorn API analysis to internal testing of the app. The Story implemented a two-way integration with Bullhorn, which means that the candidate data is transferred to the system, while our app imports data from Bullhorn

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

Since we used Scrum methodology, the team consisted of a Product Owner, Scrum Master, and a development team. A manager from KCR Placement took the role of Product Owner, while The Story provided a Scrum Master and the development team. The team included a business analyst, UX designer, UI designer and two web developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This app created by The Story team has worked for us for the past few years. After publication, we did not experience any bugs or warranty issues. From my teams’ perspective, the application makes our work life easier.

An app integrated with the system is the perfect combination of the candidate and Bullhorn recruiter needs. Working in Scrum allowed for full transparency. The day-to-day results in Daily Scrum, sprint planning and retrospectives have all allowed us to effectively manage problems as they came up.

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

Working in Scrum allowed for full transparency. The day-to-day results in Daily Scrum, sprint planning and retrospectives have all allowed us to effectively manage problems as they came up.

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

The Story puts quality first. They provide a full spectrum of specialists needed to create a digital product, who are well-prepared and familiar with the project specifics. In the agreed budget, we got more than what was originally offered by The Story.

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

Nothing comes to mind. The team was flexible and knew how to fulfill our needs, and I was very happy with their effectiveness.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

At Leaderna Biostructures we provide a complete “gene-to-structure” approach. Our work inspired us to create the system to manage the drug development process. I am the co-founder and the CEO of Leaderna.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story | UX Design + Web Development?

We decided to engage The Story in the User Interface development of our platform for drug development management. The agency is responsible for UX and UI design.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We chose the agency through a tender.

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

The project was carried out in Agile, using the Scrum method. It started with onboarding to the project and delivering results from the very first sprint.

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

We worked with their Head of Design, and UI designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was completed on time. It met the requirements of users. I’m really happy with the designs.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The sprints were adjusted to our needs. The rhythm and work progress also suited us very well. There was a very friendly atmosphere during the project, thanks to which the cooperation was effective.

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

Their industry knowledge, understanding of our business, adaptability, and problem-solving skills impressed us. It makes them a powerful partner for medical companies.

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

No, it all went extremely smoothly. I was impressed with how well everything worked.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

At DHL, we handle shipments and logistics. We are present in over 220 countries. In the Polish branch of the company, I am the Manager for Retail Sales and Digital Solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story | UX Design + Web Development?

We decided to engage The Story in the creation of our newest application for customer service - sending and receiving parcels. The agency is responsible for UX and UI design.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The UX research project we carried out together with The Story convinced us to expand our collaboration.

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

The project was carried out in Agile, using the Scrum method. It started with identifying the business requirements and user needs by a business analyst working together with a UX researcher. UX and UI Designers have created a new interface style for us based on new brand guidelines implemented throughout the DHL Group.

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

We worked with a business analyst, UX researcher, UX designer and UI designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was completed on time. It met the requirements of users. It was also made very meticulously and met all new design guidelines.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The sprints are adjusted to our needs. The rhythm and work progress also suit us very well. There was a very friendly atmosphere during the project, thanks to which the cooperation was really nice and fruitful.

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

New design guidelines always raise many problems. Thanks to getting to know them thoroughly, The Story offered us the comfort of cooperation. Simply put, we did not have to check if their design met our new guidelines. They did it themselves. The conscientiousness of their work made a great impression on me.

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

We are pleased. Everything was really fine

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

MATURI is a company that produces off-road trailers. We operate in the automotive industry. At MATURI I am the Marketing Director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story | UX Design + Web Development, and what were your goals?

1.  For what projects/services did your company hire The Story? Our goal was to create a website that would create our image and actively sell our products. We wanted the website to show that our products are particularly useful in the times of a pandemic. We wanted to work with a company that feels off-road tourism and can present mobile homes on the Internet.
2. What were your goals for this project?
 
Creating a clear brand image was our main goal. We believe in our product. The idea was that the customers would also believe in it. We wanted to gain new customers through the website. An important condition for us was also the completion of the project before the industry event, for which we wanted to be ready in every aspect.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We thoroughly reviewed the portfolio of potential contractors. This convinced us to The Story. They have already cooperated with start-ups and completed their tasks on time. Quality and keeping the deadline was the most important for us. Both of our conditions and requirements have been met.

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

We decided on the Fixed Price cooperation model and it was a very good decision. We started working with The Story with only the logo and the general concept of the brand. We ended the cooperation with a sales and image service, a coherent, convincing brand concept, a strategy for its promotion and presentation. Thanks to this collaboration, we finally know how to convincingly talk about our product.

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

We worked with the team of Lead Designer, UX/UI Designer, Lead Developer, Python Web Developer, and DevOps.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Firstly, thanks to the cooperation, we got the digital product on time. The website fully meets our expectations, and we are working on the content.

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

It is a great comfort to be heard and well understood. Thanks to good understanding, they quickly implemented all solutions. They prompted and gave us a choice. Their ideas surprised us and made the cooperation very successful.

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

I guess the freshness of the approach to the project made the greatest impression on me personally. Besides, they were not passive, only The Story itself offered many solutions. We could count on them. They advised us on technological and business matters.

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

Honestly speaking, they could make a stronger coffee ;-) And seriously, I don't see anything that they would need to improve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a manager in a consulting company that supervised the creation of a fintech startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Story | UX Design + Software development?

The Story has designed for us over 400 screens of application that offers a subscription service. They were also responsible for the design system based on components and developed several dozen user stories resulting from business requirements and user needs.

The scope of work also included the creation of information architecture, UX consulting, user journey mapping, web UI design (RWD). In addition, we entrusted them with work in the field of prototyping and testing. The scope of work was therefore very wide, including competencies from very different areas: Business analysis, UX design, UX research, UI Design.

SOLUTION

How did you select The Story | UX Design + Web Development and what were the deciding factors?

Many factors were decisive, but two of them seem crucial to me. First of all, we have already cooperated. The Story agency has done branding and product design for us. We were satisfied with this cooperation. The second factor was the settlement formula they proposed. Fixed prices suited us very well.

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

We wanted to receive an interface and a prototype that would constitute a comprehensive and reliable basis for the programming work to be performed by the web development team. UX/UI Design was a part of The Story's larger task to develop a detailed Software Requirements Specification (SRS).

How many resources from The Story | UX Design + Web Development team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We had the pleasure to work with a business analyst (he was also a scrum master) and a UX designer, UI designer. Also with the UX researcher.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They created a very detailed prototype of the application for us, which allowed us to carry out tests on users. First of all, it allowed us to check if all our requirements and business goals were taken into account.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The work was carried out in the Scrum methodology and the final effect was achieved after 10 sprints. Everything was within the predetermined budget. I must admit that the work was very smooth and effective.

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

They had a really great approach to the client and their work. I think they really like to design, research and test. I was impressed by the demonstrative animations they made. They showed very precisely how the given functions should work, how the real product would work.

I remember an animation showing the effect that pressure on a button should have. The interface was also designed with the pleasure with which it should be used in mind.

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

Nothing comes to mind. Everything was ok. Despite the wide scope of cooperation, we managed to complete the work quickly and precisely.