Super User Studio has 20+ years of experience designing for & partnering with enterprise software teams. Through a pragmatic approach that combines a tailored Advisory service with a range of product design capabilities, we accelerate our clients progression towards the next generation of their software experience.
We sit uniquely at the intersection of Product Management & Product Design, unblocking inefficiencies & creating alignment between teams. This helps enterprise software providers to truly leverage the strategic value of design & accelerate their transformation. To date, our clients have achieved more $1 billion in value through M&As following our Vision-led approach.
Who do we partner with?:
We work with executives & managers in Product, Technology & Design to transform or innovate how they’re working and their platform's experience:
Large & Small enterprise software companies - Capita, Gartner, Cloud8
Business & Professional Service consultancies - Gain Theory, Darwin
VCs & PEs
Key Services/Capabilities:
All our Product, UX, UI & Research practices are adapted to fit your context.
Product Design Coaching & Leadership
Product Discovery & Strategy
Product Vision
Product Design Direction
UX & UI Design - BAU & Innovation Sprints
Experience Design Strategy
User Research Strategy & Sprints
Design Systems
Starting points:
Advisory - enable existing teams to make effective decisions aligned with business goals & customer expectations
Product Ops & Experience Healthcheck - benchmark your platforms & identify how to reach business goals
Product Vision Accelerator - co-create a Visiontype, get aligned & test new ideas
Product Design Direction - choose a suitable framework and set product design direction
Product Design Delivery - UX & UI design delivery in an easy to integrate sprint based model
ProductDiscovery - find out new opportunities for growth
User Research Direction - establish a strategy & guidance on how to deliver research insights
$25,000+
$150 - $199 / hr
2 - 9
London, England
Founded 2008
2 Locations
London , England
Bath , England
Total Reviews
9
Average Referral Rating
4.9
/5
Most Common Project Size
$200,000 to $999,999
$XX,XXX – $XXX,XXX
Focus
No data have been added yet...
Highly Rated Similar Providers
Super User Studio Review Insights
Overall Review Rating
4.8
Quality
4.8
Schedule
4.3
Cost
3.9
Willing to Refer
4.9
Top Mentions
Review Highlights
Personalized Approach
Their small team size allows Super User Studio to offer a personalized touch to their projects. Clients feel that the team genuinely understands their needs and tailors their expertise to provide customized solutions.
Impressive Industry Knowledge
Despite not always having prior experience in a client's specific industry, Super User Studio quickly learns and adapts, asking the right questions and applying their extensive UX/UI knowledge effectively.
Strong Project Management
Super User Studio is noted for their strong project management skills. Clients appreciate their organized, detail-oriented approach and their ability to manage timelines and deliverables effectively. They maintain clear communication and are upfront about any potential delays or changes.
Positive Impact on Business
Several clients have reported significant business impacts due to Super User Studio’s work, including increased user engagement, reduced customer support calls, and new business opportunities. Their design improvements have led to tangible benefits.
Challenges with Discovery Process
Some clients felt that the discovery and research phases took longer than necessary, leading to delays in deliverables. They suggest that Super User Studio could streamline these processes to avoid extended timelines.
Effective Knowledge Transfer
Super User Studio is praised for their effective knowledge transfer processes. Clients have successfully built up their own internal design expertise thanks to the structured and informative guidance provided by the team.
Prod Design Strategy & UX/UI Design for Cloud Migration Co
UX/UI Design
Confidential
Dec. 2022 - Feb. 2023
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
4.5
Cost
4.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
"Super User Studio was very responsive and flexible to our needs."
Mar 7, 2023
Senior Product Manager, Transvault
Sam Reynolds
Software
United Kingdom
11-50 Employees
Online Review
Verified
Super User Studio executed UX/UI design for a cloud office migration company. They provided a UI framework, wireframes, and a UX prototype; they also advised the client on their design direction.
Super User Studio successfully delivered the project on time. They worked around the client's schedule and overcame external issues to meet the deadline. The team communicated well and engaged multiple stakeholders in the process. Overall, the client enjoyed working with them.
The client submitted this review online.
BACKGROUND
Please describe your company and position.
I am the Senior Product Manager of Transvault
Describe what your company does in a single sentence.
As the problem solvers of Cloud Office Migrations, Transvault exist to make complexity feel refreshingly simple for our customers.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What specific goals or objectives did you hire Super User Studio to accomplish?
Set the design direction for UX for our product set
SOLUTION
How did you find Super User Studio?
Referral
Why did you select Super User Studio over others?
Great culture fit
Company values aligned
Other
What was the size of Super User Studio’s team?
2-5 Employees
Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.
As part of our constant improvement program we were looking to set a new direction of UI/UX for our product suite, this is to improve our current users experience and to future proof our software going forward. Some key deliverables were:
Identification of UI framework
Guidance on future design direction
Example wireframes
Functional UX prototype
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
UI framework identified
Framework for future design direction
Wireframes
Functional UX prototype
Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?
Super User Studio was very responsive and flexible to our needs. There were a couple of instances when scheduled sessions couldn't happen however they were due to our issues and SUS worked with us to ensure that we were able to deliver the project successfully in the required timeframe.
What was your primary form of communication with Super User Studio?
Virtual Meeting
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
The way that SUS ran all of the sessions and brought along disparate parts of the company on the design journey. There were many team members who had never been involved in any projects like this and they thoroughly enjoyed the experience and felt very engaged with the process.
Are there any areas for improvement or something Super User Studio could have done differently?
A greater explanation of what each session was aimed to achieve so that we could ensure that we always had the correct people in the sessions.
RATINGS
5.0
"Outcome was exactly what we needed and we are looking to continue our engagement with SUS."
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
Schedule
4.5
On time / deadlines
Cost
4.0
Value / within estimates
"Weren't the cheapest of options"
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
UI/UX Design & User Interviews for Software Development Firm
UX/UI Design
$200,000 to $999,999
Jan. 2021 - Ongoing
4.0
Quality
4.0
Schedule
4.0
Cost
3.5
Willing to Refer
5.0
“What they’ve brought to the table in terms of knowledge is hard for anyone else to match.”
Jan 26, 2022
Product Director, AMT-SYBEX
Stuart Potchinsky
IT Services
London, England
10,001+ Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Super User Studio has designed the UI/UX of a software development company’s app. The team has also conducted discovery sessions and user interviews while creating wireframes to help develop the product.
The company is impressed with the quality of Super User Studio’s work. Their internal staff has also learned a lot from the team. They’re highly organized, and their processes are well-structured. Overall, their resources’ experience and expertise have contributed to the engagement’s success.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the director of product management for AMT-SYBEX, a software development company. My work is focused on enterprise mobile solutions for field work management. We work with large utility infrastructure companies that have large field users and assets distributed widely across their territory. Our company provides them with software that helps them manage and execute their daily work.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Super User Studio?
We recognize many changes in the marketplace both in terms of technology and how users are redefining the way they use software products. One challenge that our customers face is executing daily work as efficiently and productively as possible. Many of them have large workforces with thousands of engineers dispersed across large territories.
At the same time, we want to use data to make strategic decisions around predicting upcoming work of demand. Moreover, the cost of running a business is higher, so the demand for faster and more efficient use of the software is driving our approach. With these in mind, we’ve engaged Super User to help us design a product that addresses the challenges we face.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
Super User has worked on designing our products. One product was driven by geospatial mapping, while another looked at forms and scripts that end users might utilize. Strategically, we decided to bring these two products together, which entailed the design and development of a new UI for our customers. In terms of requirements, we wanted to understand how mobile field users approached their tasks; we also needed to make things simple while still giving our target users the information they needed.
Moreover, we had a user-centric approach, so most of the work that Super User did was around discovery and user interviews. This was where we needed their expertise since our organization wasn’t great at discovery. As a result, their team conducted discovery sessions and interviewed end users. This process helped us uncover the real pain points of our customers.
We went through a series of interviews, and we then used the users' feedback to create multiple iterations of interactive wireframes. After that, our teams conducted more user interviews to validate the work we’d put together. Then, we passed the wireframes and designs over to our development team, which then started building the software.
At present, we’re still working with Super User. Our intention has always been to transfer their design knowledge back into our team. We aim to build up design expertise and experience within our organization. So far, the team’s involvement in our ongoing projects has diminished considerably. That’s mainly because they’ve done a knowledge transfer to our own internal teams.
What is the team composition?
We’ve worked with a core group of 4–5 individuals, including the two founders and owners of the company. A full-time researcher is also involved in managing the research elements of the project. He’s conducted many of our early user interviews while producing prototypes and proof of concept. A UI/UX designer lays out the wireframes and works closely with us to manage design inputs. Moreover, 1–2 other people are also working behind the scenes.
How did you come to work with Super User Studio?
Our CTO at that time had worked with Super User in another company. When we embarked on this program, we needed to bring in some external UI/UX expertise because we didn’t have it within our organization. Meanwhile, our CTO was pleased with Super User’s work in their past engagement, so he referred them to us. Our team spoke to them, and we ultimately decided to hire them for this project.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve invested between £350,000–£400,000 (approximately $470,000–$540,000 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
We started our discussions with Super User in October 2020 and formally kicked off the project in January 2021. The engagement is ongoing.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The wireframes and all of Super User’s design inputs are incredibly high-quality. These deliverables have gone a long way in helping us validate our strategy and approach to end users. In other words, the quality of the product is above and beyond anything we’ve produced before.
Moreover, our team has learned a lot from what they’ve done. We’re now doing things by ourselves, and when we share such processes with our customers, the feedback is incredibly positive. Overall, we’re on the right track in terms of understanding the key elements of a user-centric design process. The engagement has had an impactful effect on the way that we deliver software to our customers.
How did Super User Studio perform from a project management standpoint?
Super User has a strong project management performance. We’re working with both owners of the company, and they’ve had highly specific processes in place. They manage the timeline of the project effectively. If we need to make any change or adjustment, they’ll raise that issue to us. Simply put, their process has been well-structured and organized as it aligns with our original plans.
Moreover, we’ve also had open and frank conversations about deliverables and timelines. The results aren’t always satisfactory, but everything is always managed in a professional way. On top of that, the team is upfront and open about any changes or delays that we need to address.
In terms of tools, we’ve used Miro boards and ActiveCollab. ActiveCollab is our main tool for sharing information. We use it to track our work and everything else. Meanwhile, we’ve used Teams for regular meetings, video calls, conversations, and updates. Our teams have also used emails to share information.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their experience, expertise, and knowledge are impressive. It’s clear since day one that this isn’t the first time Super User has run a project of this kind. They’ve done this before, even though they admittedly don’t have much experience in our particular industry. In other words, the team learns quickly, and they ask the right questions to understand our space. Overall, they conduct themselves truly professionally, and what they’ve brought to the table in terms of knowledge is hard for anyone else to match.
Are there any areas they could improve?
As much as discovery and research were critical to everything we’re doing, we'd taken a long time to move through such processes. We spent too much time on them. We’ve lost days or weeks because of our attempts to stick to the discovery process. We could’ve made decisions to bypass certain things and move forward. If we did that, we wouldn’t have been delayed in some deliverables.
Apart from that, Super User could also improve the overall management of costs, which have been above what we budgeted. While I perfectly understand that changes have been made throughout the engagement, the project has proven to be quite an expensive undertaking.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Be open and upfront in terms of the project’s scope. Then, rely on Super User’s expertise and knowledge. At the same time, make sure that you manage the overall progression of the project with them. They have access to resources that can add a huge value to the project, but the scope needs to be focused for the project to stay on pace. On top of that, avoid navigating away from the plan unless something huge derails it.
RATINGS
4.0
Quality
4.0
Service & Deliverables
Schedule
4.0
On time / deadlines
Cost
3.5
Value / within estimates
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
Product Strategy & UI/UX Design for Marketing Consultancy
UX/UI Design
$200,000 to $999,999
Nov. 2017 - Ongoing
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
4.0
Cost
3.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
"They’re incredibly detail-oriented and have a rigorous methodology for approaching UX design."
Jul 8, 2020
Product Owner, Marketing Consultancy Firm
Anonymous
Advertising & marketing
New York City, New York
51-200 Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
After going through strategy and requirements phases, Super User Studio designed prototypes and high-fidelity wireframes. The team also did the UI design and ensured that the vision aligned with user needs.
Thanks to Super User Studio's robust design work, the business has been able to license the product to several clients. Their project management skills and ability to work on and complete tasks rigorously are noteworthy. The team also goes above and beyond, continuously providing valuable insights.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
We’re a marketing effectiveness consultancy. We’re in the marketing analytics space, and we deliver and measure marketing performance on behalf of our clients. I’m a product owner for one of our technology solutions.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Super User Studio?
We were going through an assessment of our current toolset. We realized that we needed to not only articulate and define a vision strategy for our product, but also pivot to make that product much more intuitive, scalable, and robust.
We also needed to ensure that it met the needs of our users and that it became a usable and intuitive application that catered to our user needs and end-user experience.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
During our first collaboration, we mainly engaged in a lot of what would be called business strategy and vision definition activities. Super User Studio got to understand us, and they had us articulate the product vision and strategy.
We went through a requirements gathering session, where they tried to understand what we envisioned for the product and helped us see what the challenges were and what the vision would need to be, given some of our ambitions for what we wanted to deliver through this product.
We then moved on to conceptualizing prototypes and design activities. We also did high-fidelity requirements definitions and prototyping. From there, we moved onto the UI design. Super User Studio then handed it over to us for the development, which was done with our internal team.
They helped with the upfront piece of the process, ensuring that we had a well-articulated product vision and that we understood the needs of our users, tying those to our product.
What is the team composition?
We worked with Stu (Founding Partner, Product Strategy & Design Director) and Odette (Managing Partner, Experience Research & Strategy) at the start. They brought in some product and graphic design resources as we were getting into design production.
We had at least one additional person there. More recently, they’ve also brought in a project manager/business analyst to help with the articulation and clear definition of user requirements and to facilitate the design work.
How did you come to work with Super User Studio?
We made an open online search to see who the UX design players were. We were specific in wanting someone based in the UK, because that’s where our development team sits. Even though I and the product strategy team are in New York, development and tech resources all sit in our UK office.
So, geography was one of the core considerations, along with having a UX design team that could work collaboratively and closely with our development team. We cast a wide net, but only within the UK and Europe.
Super User Studio came up in top UX design consultancies lists in the UK. They were one of three agencies that responded to our request, and we kicked off a formal RFP process. Super User Studio was one of the more expensive companies we looked at, but we assessed them as being top-quality.
How much have you invested with them?
The engagement has cost up to $500,000 at this point.
What is the status of this engagement?
We first engaged with Super User Studio in November or December 2017. The RFP process ran from summer to fall of that year, and we selected them in late-fall. The start was more about getting to know each other, defining what we were looking to achieve, and determining how they’d be able to help us.
The official launch of the redesign was in December 2018. We did all of the design conceptualization and validation through user research, and Super User Studio facilitated all of that. We were in development during the latter half of that year.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We’ve licensed the product to 10 or more of our clients off the back of this redesign, and the list has continued to grow at a higher rate over the course of 2020. That probably has more to do with our sales strategy and incorporating the product inside the package of what we sell.
The reason we’re able to do that is that we have a nicely-designed product that’s very easy to sell. That’s a result of the design work done by Super User Studio.
How did Super User Studio perform from a project management standpoint?
They were incredibly detail-oriented and had a rigorous methodology for approaching UX design. Along with that, they were just deliverable- and task-oriented. The team was really good at project execution, communicating timelines, statuses, delays, and scope creeps, and putting together a project plan and tracking against it.
It was a really important requirement for us to make sure that we could run a well-organized project and meet pressured deliverables and timelines. We communicated at least once a week during the course of a project, depending on the phase.
There were phases where we were in a lot of active workshops, just going through design concepts or user requirements and research, and we would talk every day during those.
What did you find most impressive about them?
It’s the rigor behind their approach. As I mentioned, they have a rigorous methodology for how they approach UX design. Our company’s building home-grown tools. The core of our business is consultancy in the marketing analytics space, and not software product development.
Even though we’ve been developing products for 20 years, those products weren’t focused on UI/UX design, but rather the technical and functional aspects. One major contribution from Super User Studio has been training us to think about UX design properly, and enabling us to define it through a rigorous methodology that’s user-led.
They have a framework by which they stress the importance of user testing, early prototyping, and validating concepts with end-users through user feedback and research. While doing those tasks can seem quite tedious, what comes out of it is Super User Studio making what feel like very strategic recommendations.
We get a lot of great insights from them about what they’ve been able to gather from a set of user interviews around what they see as the main pain points and challenges of a user, and translating that into a design for our solution.
When we were at the same user interviews listening in, Super User Studio was always able to conclude different insights and make recommendations that we wouldn’t have. That’s the real value of what they bring.
They’re really clued in on how to translate user needs, challenges, and pain points, into a really useful UX design that’s going to address those main pain points and challenges.
Are there any areas they could improve?
We’re very much in startup mode with our product, and there’s a long road ahead of us in product development. We’re three and a half years into building out this redesigned product, and, when I look at the backlog of everything we have to do, I see that we have a long road ahead of us.
I think that we’re trying to do things very quickly, and our challenge is in trying to balance the rigor of the methodology with speed. That’s not necessarily a criticism; it’s a matter of figuring out how we can ensure that we can be really rigorous in our UX design while doing it at speed and without cutting corners or losing design quality.
Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?
With the user-led design approach that Super User Studio takes, from the client-side, it’s a matter of ensuring that we can provide access to all the right stakeholders that need to participate.
As the product owner, I’m not the only stakeholder that needs to interact with Super User Studio. They want to interact with actual end-users and with the business leadership in order to tie product strategy to business strategy, and product vision to business long-term vision.
My advice is for clients to make sure they can coordinate that process and provide the appropriate access to Super User Studio.
RATINGS
5.0
"We’ve built a great rapport over the course of these three and a half years. They’re good people, and they’re really invested in our success."
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
"They do exemplary work and consistently overdeliver upon the ask."
Schedule
4.0
On time / deadlines
"They’re good at defining tasks and timelines. However, they’re still a small shop, so there’s been a lack of resources at times."
Cost
3.0
Value / within estimates
"They offer great value and insight, but when it comes to cost, they’re much higher in comparison to our own rates."
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
"They’ve proven to have great value through the insights they give us, which go beyond the product we’re developing.
Reconceptualization of an Employee Benefits Platform
UX/UI Design
$50,000 to $199,999
June 2017 - Ongoing
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
4.0
Cost
4.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
“Super User Studio feels like an extension of our team.”
May 24, 2019
CEO, PES
Ian Rummels
Software
Bristol, England
501-1,000 Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Super User Studio is helping to improve an employee benefits platform’s user experience and technologies. They’ve helped develop ideas into prototypes. Currently, the team is building a new frontend.
Super User Studio’s efforts have attracted investors and created profitable opportunities. The team is simultaneously professional and personable, facilitating an effortless collaboration and smooth project management. They provide actionable ideas and satisfy time and budget requirements.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the CEO of PES. We’re a small technology business in the UK focused on creating a range of services and solutions for employers to create a fantastic employee experience.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Super User Studio?
My company wanted to improve existing technologies and provide the best experience for employees. Our primary focus had been employee benefits, but we hoped to move into other areas that are relevant to employees, such as communication and financial well-being. We needed a vendor with expertise in the wholesale UX and UI space.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
First, we focused on improving the user experience. Super User Studio did an extensive review of the technologies we had in place. They also spoke with customers and internal stakeholders and looked at industry practices. Super User Studio delivered a report with focus areas and suggested improvements.
Then, we shifted our attention to future technologies. Super User Studio led workshops to help us develop our ideas into working prototypes. They tested some of our ideas with clients and created a list of working prospects that we could show to investors.
Now, Super User Studio is working on building a new frontend. They’ve created designs and assets.
What is the team composition?
We work directly with two people, but more team members are working behind the scenes.
How did you come to work with Super User Studio?
We found 3–4 vendors in the local marketplace. When one of those vendors didn’t have the capacity to take on our work, they recommended Super User Studio. We ultimately chose them because they’d worked with one of our competitors before, which meant they already understood our market and what we did. Their knowledge and insights were a big plus to us.
Our engagement began in June 2017, and the work is ongoing.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We haven’t launched our new platform yet, so that impact is yet to come. However, we’ve secured some investors as a result of the work Super User Studio has done for us. My company has also been invited to pitch for a couple of large projects. Winning these pitches would be transformational for us, and we wouldn’t have these opportunities without Super User Studio’s help.
How did Super User Studio perform from a project management standpoint?
Project management has been excellent. I know they use a project management tool, but I primarily communicate with them via emails, phone calls, and meetings. During the peak of our work together, we spoke every day. Now, we communicate every couple of weeks.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Super User Studio feels like an extension of our team. They’re professional while also being approachable and friendly. They propose fantastic ideas and are incredibly knowledgeable. The team always fulfills requirements on time and on budget.
Are there any areas they could improve?
The only slight challenge is that they’re still a relatively small business, so they’re navigating how to handle multiple projects and clients. Once or twice, they haven’t been available when we’ve needed them; this has never been a major issue, but I suppose it could become one down the line if we continue working together.
Any advice for potential customers?
To get the most out of the engagement, embrace Super User Studio’s style and view them as an extension of your team. If you do that, you’ll get huge value for your money.
RATINGS
5.0
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
"Because of their designs and ideas, I believe we’ll have the best product on the market."
Schedule
4.0
On time / deadlines
"We’ve had scheduling issues once or twice because they’ve had other priorities, but nothing has derailed the project."
Cost
4.0
Value / within estimates
"They’re not the most costly or inexpensive option. You get what you pay for in terms of experience and services."
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
"I’ve already referred them.
UI/UX Redesign and Training for Data Analytics Company
UX/UI Design
$10,000 to $49,999
June - Sep. 2018
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
4.0
Cost
5.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
“They over-delivered on many fronts and helped shape the way we design our products, now.”
Oct 22, 2018
Head of Ventures, dunnhumby
Kyle Fugere
Advertising & marketing
New Hampshire, United States
1,001-5,000 Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Super User Studio offered critical counsel on best UX practices, including optimal team structure, design guides, and processes. They assisted with workshops and also identified a new global head of UX.
With their extensive experience working with enterprise-level product businesses, Super User Studio had strong insights into effective UX approaches. Their recommendations increased the internal UX team’s output quality and refined processes. They were straightforward and always met deadlines.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
dunnhumby is a global data science platform for enterprise-sized retailers. We help clients turn their transaction and customer data into insights and, subsequently, products. In my role, I lead our venture capital group and have also acted as the interim head of UX.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Super User Studio?
We’ve been going through a transformation over the last two years as we’ve pivoted away from consulting work into more of a software business. However, we had a small UX team that wasn’t as familiar with more modern practices. As a result, our software products weren’t as user-friendly as we would’ve hoped. Super User Studio leveraged their expertise to help us formalize our UX design processes and identify a new UX head to take over our team.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
When we first engaged them, we were in the process of merging a few different UX teams. We held a three-day workshop and invited Super User Studio as a third-party observer to ensure that the sessions stayed on track. They brought their expertise to the table, discussing what worked well in the market for their past clients and helping us formalize new internal processes.
We engaged them again to help conceptualize a new UI for one of our core products. For the most part, it was a thought exercise to help stretch our own approach and expand the boundaries of what we knew to be possible. Their method would inform our strategy as we update our style guide and define a new UI.
Recently, Super User Studio supported us as we hired our first global head of UX. By that point, they’d already spent a fair amount of time with our team and had a sense of our future goals. They provided a set of recommendations for optimum team structure, gave insights into best practices, and helped us interview and identify our new head of UX.
What is the team composition?
We worked with two points of contact.
How did you come to work with Super User Studio?
Our new chief product officer had worked closely with them in the past and recommended them to me. After evaluating them, I felt comfortable moving forward with the project.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent roughly £15,000 (approximately $19,000 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
Their work lasted from June–September 2018. They completed the workshop in a few days, whereas the UI exercise took about three weeks. Selecting the new head of UI involved around a week’s worth of work, including the interviews.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Since their initial involvement in the workshops, the quality of the output from our UX team has increased remarkably. The teams came together well and formed a strong internal process. Super User Studio was also invaluable in identifying a new global head of UX who could lead our team.
How did Super User Studio perform from a project management standpoint?
They always delivered on time and remained realistic about what they could achieve. At times, we wanted to squeeze more into the project, but they advised against it because they didn’t think it was the right approach. It’s a level of honesty that I definitely appreciate. In terms of communication, we would touch base as often as necessary depending on the project. Though they had several other ongoing projects, they consistently made sure to be available when we needed them.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They had a wealth of experience working with enterprise-sized product companies, which they leveraged to identify best practices. Their knowledge played a crucial role in informing how we would organize our own UX team.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Because they’re a smaller team, they’re able to have an involved, personal approach to projects. However, this can also result in bandwidth challenges when they’re in high demand. There were a few times when we’d hoped that they could do something on a short time frame, but they just didn’t have the manpower.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Rather than coming into a project with a predefined mindset, work with them to identify an approach to the problem. Clients often want to rush UX projects based on their desired final outcome. But it’s worth it to talk to Super User Studio and let them guide the process.
RATINGS
5.0
"We often gave them vague guidelines and directions, but they were able to execute within our parameters."
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
"They over-delivered on many fronts and helped shape the way we design our products, now."
Schedule
4.0
On time / deadlines
"If we gave them enough notice for projects, they always delivered on time."
Cost
5.0
Value / within estimates
"They were a bit expensive, but I haven’t worked with other similar firms to compare."
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
"I built a strong personal relationship with the founders and appreciated their honesty.
Web Design & User Research for Broadcasting Network
UX/UI Design
$200,000 to $999,999
Jan. 2011 - Jan. 2013
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
5.0
Cost
4.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
"They’re a small agency, but they knew their stuff."
May 5, 2017
Former Product Manager, Channel4
Sarah Rogers
Media
London, England
1,001-5,000 Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Super User Studio facilitated a website overhaul involving redesign, UX, business strategy, persona development, competitor reviews and prototyping. They also helped run focus groups and stakeholder meetings.
Super User Studio is a trustworthy firm both in terms of deadlines and quality of work. They don’t accept more than they can achieve, and they’re personable and experienced. The many roles their team can cover, from business strategy to UX to stakeholder relations, make them a well-rounded partner.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I was a product manager at Channel 4. At the time, I was working on the Film4 proposition, on the digital side.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Super User Studio?
We had a website already, which didn’t necessarily reflect all the different parts of our business. At Channel 4, we had a channel, but also a production company that makes films, and the site had reviews as well. None of them were really working together, as they had different objectives. We wanted to bring someone in who could facilitate that a little bit, but also to talk to our users, run user experience, help with strategy, do competitor reviews, and then go on to do the design and UX for the site.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
We had an initial six-to-eight-week exploration period with the goal of coming out with the objectives we wanted to achieve. Within that, we talked to users for our survey, which was put together with Super User Studio. We also did some focus groups, which they ran at their offices. They built a prototype as well, based on some of the feedback we were getting. I think we did two rounds of talking to the focus groups. We went back with something to show them the second time. In that phase, they also did a full competitor review, which was presented back to us. They were very involved in all the stakeholder meetings I had, often helping with facilitation.
They did work on personas as well. I think we already had personas at Channel 4, but we didn’t have any that were specific to film. Super User helped us to define three key personas for us. Once that was done, they went on to looking at concept designs, once we knew what the site was going to be. That was run in quite a waterfall way, because we had to get a lot of buy-in across different stakeholders to get to the branding, which is very sensitive and important. That was the next process we went through, and we got to the point where we agreed on a high-level concept.
Then it was very much about working on the design and UX in much more detail, going down to wireframes, and then eventually designs as well. That process probably took a couple months, and they worked with our internal tech team. We mainly focused on the website, but we were looking at a responsive design that would work across anything. It needed to look good on mobile and iPad as well.
How did you come to work with Super User Studio?
We did a proper request for proposals. I think there were four companies. I don’t know how we initially found them. We went sent out a brief, and they had to come in and present to us. We were just really impressed with them.
How much have you invested with Super User Studio?
I know it started off at about $60,000 for the initial stuff, and then the larger piece of work was about $120,000. The total might have been somewhere in the $200,000-250,000 range, but I’m not 100% sure.
What is the status of this engagement?
The project started in August of 2011. The main website they were working on went live in November of 2012, but they continued to work with us. Following the launch, we did some testing, and then we did a few more sprints in 2013 for improvements. I think we did some multivariate testing with them as well. I think the last paid work they did with us was in 2013, but I kept in contact with them after that.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?
Our site was nominated for a Broadcast Digital Award. We increased repeat visits, and there was definitely a positive uplift in engagement. I don’t know if we grew the user base particularly because it’s quite a specific group of people who are interested in film.
There was a lot of feedback from the users at the time over Twitter. We had quite vocal users of the site, and people are very passionate about film. They really liked the site. A lot of people said it was nice. Internally, people were very happy with it. The fact that people didn’t want to change it, to a certain extent, showed how happy they were with the design. It still looked modern for a long time. Things can change quite quickly, but the site kept its ground for a long time, which was good.
How did Super User Studio perform from a project management standpoint?
They were always on time. Sometimes with agencies, you feel they’re struggling at the last minute and trying to get extra time. Super User Studio was always very organized. I always had complete trust in their timelines. I knew they would never sign up to anything they couldn’t achieve. When they did need to put in extra work, they always did, so I was really happy. They were quite good at knowing what the steps should be and how to manage us to help with that as well.
What did you find most impressive about Super User Studio?
They’re really nice people, and I really got on with them. I thought they were very personable. Also, they are quite experienced. There are a lot of agencies where people are in their early twenties, and that’s completely useful for other things as well. Super User has been in the TV industry before, they’ve been in this industry a long time, and they had really good knowledge, experience, and things they could teach us. I think that was very good. They were just quite strategic. They covered design, UX, and a little bit of business strategy as well. They’re a small agency, but they knew their stuff. They could cover quite a lot of bases and roles within what they did. They were also very good at presenting and facilitating meetings with lots of stakeholders, which can sometimes be quite difficult.
Are there any areas Super User Studio could improve?
Not really. I was always very happy with them. I personally didn’t have any problems at all. I think they were great.
RATINGS
5.0
"I quite enjoyed that project. They helped to make a difficult project easy and enjoyable."
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
"They delivered everything they said they would to a very high standard."
Schedule
5.0
On time / deadlines
"They were very clear about that. We were never in a position where we had to move meetings because they couldn’t make deadlines. It was always very clear."
Cost
4.0
Value / within estimates
"They were pretty much the same as everyone else. A lot of agencies are quite expensive."
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
"I already have referred them to people.
SaaS Interface Redesign for PR Company
UX/UI Design
Confidential
Jan. - May 2016
4.0
Quality
4.0
Schedule
4.0
Cost
3.5
Willing to Refer
4.0
"They were able to tailor their expertise quite well to the situation."
Apr 28, 2017
Former Head of IT, Vuelio
Simon Ingram
Media
London, England
51-200 Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Super User led UX of a communication database software, as well as a full relaunch after a major acquisition. Their work included competitor analysis, user interface redesign, and company aesthetics rebranding.
Super User excels in creative UX redesign, needing only minimal direction. They’re organized in terms of deliverables and timeliness, and their small team allows a personal touch on every effort. They are an attentive team, searching for the best methods instead of taking a formulaic approach.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
Vuelio is a software-as-a-service company. They provide software to the PR community and the corporate communications community. People use it for managing their interactions with the media. Part of what the system supplies is a media database based in the UK, and there’s an option to buy an international database, and also media monitoring services. I was the head of IT when I worked at the company. I covered all of product development.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Super User Studio?
We were in the process of merging three companies together. One of the things we needed to work on was the user experience of the user interface. We also wanted to relaunch the company following the acquisition and the merger. We needed a facelift to the product.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
The timeline was aggressive. The focus was around the user interface, the design, and the aesthetics. Super User Studio laid out a program of work that started off with an analysis of the current system and compared it to other competitor products. Then they proposed two different approaches to concepts for the new look and feel. We favored one of them but we asked them to incorporate some of the elements of the other one and Super User Studio came up with the final design concept that was adopted. From that, they produced the digital assets. They didn’t do the development work because we had people who could do the HTML work and put it into the actual product. They produced the icons and the overall design concepts and the PSDs. They looked at the landing page which has the navigation elements. The site is a series of modules but a lot of the modules are similar in look and feel in that they have a search message, filtering, you can see a record, you can search a number, you’ve got a data entity form. We didn’t need them to do every single module in the system. We just picked a couple of the modules. They looked at the overall framework as well and how that was laid out. They moved the whole menu navigation from the left-hand side to the top. I worked mainly with Stewart, but he had a couple of people working with him.
How did you come to work with Super User Studio?
We did our own research in the market through Google. I think we went through one round and we didn’t find anybody suitable. And then we reached out to about three or four others. Some of the firms struggled to quote for the work because they thought we hadn’t gotten the project laid out in terms of what our requirements were. Super User Studio was able to work with a lower level of direction initially and put together a reasonable proposal in terms of both their portfolio and how they intend to service our needs.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with them in January 2016 and was completed in May 2016.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?
I don’t know any of the metrics. The implementation and release came after I left the company.
How did Super User Studio perform from a project management standpoint?
They work in tandem and they were very attentive. They always made themselves available to come into the office, or available for a Skype call to go through progress and to check where we are and validate the work. I was happy with that. We used Basecamp for project management.
What did you find most impressive about Super User Studio?
I haven’t worked with many other providers in that space. They’re reasonably small which means they can give a very personal touch to the work. They were able to get a good understanding of what we needed rather than just giving us a formulaic approach. They were able to tailor their expertise quite well to the situation.
Are there any areas Super User Studio could improve?
There were more issues on our side than theirs.
RATINGS
4.0
Quality
4.0
Service & Deliverables
"It’s professionally delivered."
Schedule
4.0
On time / deadlines
"Any delays were because of our team. If they weren’t going to meet a deadline, they would always let us know."
Cost
3.5
Value / within estimates
"I don’t have much to compare them to. They weren’t cheap but they gave a reasonable service."
Willing to Refer
4.0
NPS
User Experience Optimization Projects
UX/UI Design
$200,000 to $999,999
Jan. 2009 - Jan. 2015
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
5.0
Cost
4.5
Willing to Refer
5.0
"The reason I chose them in the first place is because they actually challenged my thinking."
Apr 28, 2017
Director of Solution Management, Questback
Scott Heyhoe
IT Services
New York City, New York
201-500 Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Super User Studio analyzed UX for several websites. They focus on improving the user journey, increasing follow-through rates, and visualizing that data in order to advise and improve business decisions.
Super User challenges UX expectations by finding new and creative ways to enhance the user journey. They are clear about their role and timeline, while remaining flexible. The team brings up good questions, and their innovation is what really makes the difference between good and great UX.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
Questback provides feedback platforms for large enterprises. We gather feedback from employees and customers of companies and generate insight from that, so that they can take action to improve their business. I’m the global director of business solutions.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Super User Studio?
They worked on two different UX projects for the two previous companies I worked with.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
The first time I used Super User Studio was eight years ago. The company I worked for at that time was called Thomsons Online Benefits. We provided financial products to employees in the workplace like private medical insurance and childcare vouchers. The issue that we had was that lots of the employees of our customers were just not completing their sign-up registration journeys. They were logging into the system and were being asked to make choices around how much money they wanted to put into their pension or their 401(k). They didn’t have information at their fingertips to do it, and they’d have to wait until they got home. That sort of broke the journey, and the number of incomplete journeys was around 80%. I brought Super User Studio in not just to change the user interface, but have them think about the whole journey and help employees through every step of that journey. Super User Studio was able to accomplish that goal and, as a result, the number of dropouts went down to 20% or 30%, so the improvement was dramatic. The project lasted two years.
The second time I used them was with a company called SHL that provides workplace assessments for companies that are recruiting new staff to ensure they were hiring the right people with the right skills, background and future capabilities. It was also a way of gauging how to help current employees develop as individuals and leaders. We were finding that you get the best benefit from using a system like that if sit down and start the journey and complete it, end to end. We were finding that people were getting stuck halfway along the journey. Once they stopped the journey, they had to restart. Once we’d collected all of the data, we needed to share it with different senior individuals inside the business, whether that was inside the human resources function or the finance function or even up at the board level, where they wanted to see the metrics and the outcomes of all of this data. They could see what sort of people they were hiring, how long they were staying, and what kind of improvements they could make. The other part of the work that Super User Studio did was not only to connect the employee journey, but also to visualize the data that was collected in such a way that directors could immediately understand where there was an issue and navigate to the root of the problem.
For both of these previous companies, we had in-house developers. Super User started even before the wireframing because they ran focus groups with employees and customers to try to understand the journeys and concerns they had. They would then wireframe them up. One of the things that helped a lot was that they would prototype the wireframes and populate them with some data. We were able to give the sales guys clickable demos on the system. In the background, the development teams were building it on the system for real.
How did you come to work with Super User Studio?
The first time I used them, we published an invitation and there were seven or eight respondents. I shortlisted the list to three and then took an active part in having them come in and do demos. They could explain what they could do, have a look at our requirements, and explain how they might go about that. And because it was an area for which I was directly responsible, it was me that made the choice to bring Super User in on that particular one. When I moved to SHL, it was another part of the business that I could see needed some help with their user experience and their user journey, so I recommended Super User Studio. At SHL, they also had other bids and Super User won it. Having my recommendation certainly helped to get them onto the short list in the first place.
How much have you invested with Super User Studio?
The cost for both projects was between 100,000 and 200,000 pounds ($129,000 - $257,000).
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with them at Thomsons in 2009 and they continue to work with Super User even though I left in 2011. The project at SHL lasted 18 months from 2013 to 2015.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?
With Thomsons, the number of employees that were dropping out of the journey before Super User’s work was 84%. After their work was completed, that dropped to 37%. That was a 57% improvement of people actually getting through and completing the journey. That also had an impact in that we were getting far fewer calls into our contact center because the journey became intuitive. If anybody got stuck, they got help right away, from logging on and lost passwords, all the way to the submit button at the end. We saved the equivalent of two full-time employees in the contact center.
The first time Super User came in to demonstrate the new user experience, I had the sales director in the room to have a look, and he actually never got to the end of the meeting. He wanted to leave the meeting to tell people about it right away. For me, in many respects, that was almost the best result, having the director running out of the room halfway through the demo. It’s a great anecdote, and it just shows how, in an instant, it made a difference. It was about six months before the competition started to wake up to what had happened. It felt like we were closing more deals in the following six months until the competition thought about what they were doing. It certainly gave us some competitive advantage in the market.
How did Super User Studio perform from a project management standpoint?
They’re great. There are two parts to it. One is, they’re very clear in terms of statement of work roles, responsibilities, and deliverables from the beginning of the project. They’re very flexible. The nature of these projects has an element of discovery. They prototype things, and they’ll try them out with customer focus groups. They showed those to us and we give them feedback. They were also good about sharing their suggestions in ways that were creative. They had good control over the timelines and deliverables and were flexible along the way in order to meet my expectations.
What did you find most impressive about Super User Studio?
The reason I chose them in the first place is because they actually challenged my thinking. We had a fairly linear user experience. It felt a little bit like you were filling in a 20-page form. And actually what I was expecting, and what the other two shortlisted bidders provided, was a way of making that it all appear a little bit slicker and a little bit nicer, whereas what Super User did was provide an engaging user journey. They thought about how the user would use it and what would encourage them to move from one step to the other, and where they might need help, and how we can build knowledge into the workflow to help them to complete that. They’re challenging on the one hand, and they’re very user-centric on the other. They tie those two things together to help the user get through the journey. Our company received a benefit from their work.
Are there any areas Super User Studio could improve?
Nothing comes to mind. They’re challenging, and they’re flexible. Both projects were successful.
RATINGS
5.0
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
"They delivered on time and went above and beyond what I was expecting."
Schedule
5.0
On time / deadlines
"They met every deadline."
Cost
4.5
Value / within estimates
"They were more expensive than other firms but we got more value from them."
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
UX Design for Employee Benefits Software Solution
UX/UI Design
$50,000 to $199,999
Nov. 2011 - Ongoing
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
4.5
Cost
4.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
"They have the ability to understand highly technical requirements, and they’re able to convert that into a simple user experience."
Mar 16, 2017
Product Manager, Thomsons Online Benefits
James Amner
Software
London, England
201-500 Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Super User Studio redesigned an employee benefits software. They performed a market analysis to create a modernized and competitive UI and formulated a design language.
Their frontend design increased user engagement. Super User Studio displayed a rare skill for a UX design team: they understood business challenges and technical requirements. They used Basecamp, Zeplin, Trello and Excel to effectively manage the project.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m a Product Manager for Thomsons Online Benefits, which is predominantly a software company. We produce software solutions for global corporate clients in the employee benefits market. We provide administrative capabilities for managing benefits. Employees can access our portal when researching the benefits a company may offer and making choices from the benefits available to them.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Super User Studio?
We wanted a fundamental redesign of our user experience. Up to that point, we didn’t have any UX [user experience] design involvement in our software; it had just evolved from internal development expertise. We decided we needed to bring in experts.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
We wanted to create a whole new frontend for the software. Super User Studio helped us through every aspect of the redesign process. They worked on persona development, wireframing, and user interaction flows. Since the first redesign project, we’ve also used them for smaller projects here and there.
Recently, they’ve completed another redesign of the software. This project involved a bit of wireframing, but it was a lot more heavily focused on UI [user interface]. Our goal was to achieve something that is responsive and a market-leading user experience. We asked them to do an independent market analysis to assess what our design approach should be from an UI perspective. The review included our specific market and similar types of software applications in the more general market. They gave us a holistic feel for the direction we should take. They then took that to the next step, formulating a design language for the whole application. They worked together with the internal UX team we've hired since to hand everything back over to us. They’ve really helped us through two complete evolutions of our frontend.
How did you come to work with Super User Studio?
Their name came up when we searched for consultancies covering London. We went through a short tender process with several companies, and Super User Studio stood out as being very capable. They took the time to understand our industry in ways we didn’t see from the other firms. They also presented prototype designs that really resonated with us. Most importantly, we felt that they bonded with us in that process. I came away with a sense of comfort. They demonstrated that they could manage the project and stick to deadlines.
How much have you invested with Super User Studio?
We’ve spent between £50,000 and £100,000 a year over the course of our six-year relationship.
What is the status of this engagement?
We first engaged with them around November of 2011, and the relationship is ongoing. The most recent project was completed about three months ago. Now, we’re looking at ways they can help us extend the capacity we’ve got right now.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?
The work they’ve done has primarily been around our employee-facing frontend, so we look at engagement statistics. We’ve got evidence more that employees are completing our key user journeys as a result of the changes they've suggested. We’re delighted with their work.
How did Super User Studio perform from a project management standpoint?
Although they’re not local to us, that has never been an issue. We’ve used a variety of tools with them. They’ve used Basecamp, which has worked fairly well. They’ve also used Zeplin quite heavily as a distribution tool for working designs. We’ve used Trello at certain points to help with prioritization and Excel to manage project timeframes. They have always been outstanding at holding to deadlines they've set; these only ever change when we change the scope and that's clearly communicated.
What did you find most impressive about Super User Studio?
They have a bit of a niche in the enterprise business software market, particularly in SaaS [Software-as-a-service]. What we’re delivering is very much B2B, and that is where we see their strength. They have the ability to understand highly technical requirements, and they’re able to convert that into a simple user experience. That’s really the heart of our business, and that skill is not one that you find in any UX team. They take the time to really understand our business, and they work particularly well in that HR-centered market.
Are there any areas Super User Studio could improve?
Sometimes, they focus too much on exploring a particular avenue when it’s not something we think we might get around to delivering.That said we always welcome their creative thinking around alternative approaches. We’ve learned to manage this on both sides of the fence. Being absolutely clear on the scope would have helped at times.
RATINGS
5.0
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
"Most of their work only goes through one review process, and then they absolutely nail it. That ability to get it right is part of why we continue to work with them."
Schedule
4.5
On time / deadlines
"Their project management is excellent. The only times we’ve slipped is where we’ve had scope change. Their ability to produce the deliverables within the given timeframe is unparalleled with any third party I’ve worked with."
Cost
4.0
Value / within estimates
"They’re not the cheapest, but we get what we pay for. It would be great if they were cheaper, but that’s just fine if they continue delivering quality."
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