Transfuture

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the senior director of pathways and partnerships at the Brooklyn STEAM Center.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Transfuture?

We needed to redesign our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Transfuture developed and designed a new website for our school. The team provided an opportunity for review and consultation, and built it in a way that we specifically requested for an easy handoff. The team also provided training and related utilities. Lastly, they did a product demo and a feedback focus group.

Our goal was to enhance the UX and ensure that our website matched our brand's identity, creating a new website for us. The team did a discovery phase, asked many questions, and read through over 100 pages of our material. 

Then, Transfuture proposed a project plan with additional context, provided routine check-ins every week, did multiple rounds of feedback, and went through a period where everything was published live. The team provided support if anything occurred. They built our website using Figma and WordPress.

What is the team composition?

We spoke with at least three people. Joseph, who was the digital design and strategy person; Erin, who was the developer; and Jason, who did the operations.

How did you come to work with Transfuture?

We found them through an RFP posted on our website. The three things that were clear to us were the detail of the proposal, which was related to our organization, and showed that Transfuture did their research. The second reason was that the team specifically included an opportunity for our students to be involved. The third thing was Transfuture's price.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000 and $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2022 to February 2023.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Traffic increased after the engagement with Transfuture. The team also developed a secondary portion of the website that was brand-new content and brought in a lot of new visitors. Overall, Transfuture's work met our expectations.

How did Transfuture perform from a project management standpoint?

Transfuture delivered the work on time and on budget and effectively communicated with us. We used email and Zoom for communication. We didn't have direct access to their product management plan, but they shared it with us from their system.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their personalized attention to detail was Transfuture's biggest strength.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, Transfuture did exactly what they promised and even more.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you're unsure exactly what you want, you can trust Transfuture to help you figure it out.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Design Director of STV

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are an engineering/architecture firm providing innovative solutions that connect people, places and the present to the future.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Transfuture to accomplish?

• Incorporate new brand and company messaging.
• Create a more comprehensive marketing tool for our internal teams.
• Incorporate multiple sites into one new experience.

SOLUTION

How did you find Transfuture?

Online Search

Why did you select Transfuture over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Other

How many teammates from Transfuture were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We needed to redesign our website from the ground up. Our firm had just rebranded earlier in the year and our first goal was to incorporate our new brand and messaging. Since the launch of our exisiting site, we had developed a separate site for our company's thought leadership content and our other main goal was to bring that into our main site to not divide our audience. 

One of the biggest pieces of feedback we had before was that our clients couldn't find things on our site and we wanted to simplify our user experience while also making sure that we could keep users engaged and moving through the site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We will be looking at site views, engagement rates and dwell times as our measures.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Transfuture were amazing in their project management. They were on-time, if not early with all deliverables. Any challenge that came up was met with creative solutions that exceeded all of our expectations.

What was your primary form of communication with Transfuture?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their project management was impeccable, and their ideas for connecting all of our content stood out the most to us.

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

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a media company that publishes two business titles

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Transfuture, and what were your goals?

My personal website needed upgrading immediately.

SOLUTION

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

The vendor had worked for us before.

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

Kickoff meeting to discuss goals, assets and stragtegizing, and finally delivery of final product

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

Two from the vendor's team worked with me. They were the principals, Joe and Erin

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site is live and looks beautiful and professional

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

Very friendly and professional. Listened well. Delivered as promised.

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

They were very approachable.

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

No needed improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Sales & Digital Marketing Associate for Cadogan Tate. Cadogan Tate stores, transports and installs works of art, personal belongings and furniture. We work with museums, designers and individuals from around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Transfuture?

The last iteration of our website dated back to 2014. In late 2021 I was asked to give our site a complete refresh, including streamlined navigation, improved UX and updated branding. The catch was that the entire project would have to be completed in just two months with a go-live date sometime in early January, 2022.

SOLUTION

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

I cast a very wide net, reaching out to multiple design firms both local and international. Among other things, I was looking for a vendor who wouldn't be afraid of the scope of work or the accelerated timing. Additionally, I needed someone who would be able to grasp exactly what Cadogan Tate does, what sets us apart from our competitors, and who would have thoughts and opinions on how best to bring that out in terms of design.

Transfuture won our business handily; they understood our objectives and gave me a very clear, proactive sense of how we could approach the project together and meet a very challenging deadline. In retrospect, none of the other candidates even came close to challenging their experience, insight and capability.

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

One of the best things about working with Transfuture was the fact that they understood Cadogan Tate so easily and quickly. This was essential, because we didn't have room for a prolonged discovery process. Once we'd had a chance to meet, clarify goals and messaging, and review schedule, Transfuture assembled a revised site map that managed to distill the best of what we already had and greatly simplify navigation for the end user.

After that we launched into the design process, and Transfuture delivered a brilliant re-imagining of our company mascot (a butterfly) that updated our image without abandoning any of our unique history. Once wireframes of the various pages were assembled we collaborated on images and text for several weeks. Transfuture were responsive and diligent throughout - even during weekends and major holidays.

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

I personally worked with a total of three people:

• Joseph - Managing Partner
• Erin - Creative Director
• Jason - Solutions Architect

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Transfuture was the ideal partner to work with on this project. They were fast, dependable, and inventive. They were also able to deliver a kind of "X factor" that seemed to be missing with other vendors we'd worked with previously. It's difficult to quantify, but Transfuture were able to listen to our ideas, translate our goals into actual design decisions, and add their own extremely valuable input that took our initial thoughts to a level we hadn't previously thought possible.

Everyone in the company was thrilled with the results and, again, the fact that all this was possible within, essentially, the span of two months (with Thanksgiving and Christmas sandwiched in just to keep things interesting) is astounding.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Highly effective. I enjoyed collaborating with the team at Transfuture because, apart from their professional expertise, they are delightful, personable individuals who actually listened to our needs and concepts. Joe, Erin and Jason are the genuine article.

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

Transfuture really did pull off a miracle with our project. Several of the vendors I reached out to initially told me things along the lines of: "Sorry, this can't be done." Transfuture somehow managed to hit the bullseye of the project management venn diagram where speed, quality and reasonable cost overlap. I can't recommend them highly enough.

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

Not that I can think of; Transfuture's work on our project was exemplary.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder and owner of a strategic consulting firm focused on helping life sciences (biotech, medtech, synthetic biology) grow through the use of communications and content.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Transfuture, and what were your goals?

We worked with Paris-based Core Biogenesis to choose a firm that would create a web site that reflected the company's strategy and would help them with recruiting.

SOLUTION

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

We asked our collective networks to recommend web design shops and interviewed several. Transfuture appealed to us because of their aesthetic, timeline, willingness to learn, and responsiveness. Price was also a factor but not the primary one.

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

We started with a kick off meeting to discuss goals and objectives. Transfuture followed up by gathering assets. For those assets that were missing, they worked with us to identify a designer that would create the visual assets. The messagingLAB team created the content that would go on to live on the site. We conducted meetings every other week to gauge progress.

Throughout the process, the Transfuture team kept us on a timeline; when we didn't meet a deadline, they explained the implications. Within a month, we had a working draft site (on a staging server) that contained all of our content and draft images. It would take another month to get the images finalized, but we quickly launched after that.

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

There were two: project manager and development lead.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received a very handsome website as well as praise from the client. Everyone was pleased with the process.

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

Overall, the project management was very professional. The Transfuture team kept us on task and assured that the project move forward in a timely fashion. We all appreciated this because we were all juggling separate projects on deadlines.

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

Their ability to keep us focused, plus the quality of the final deliverable.

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

When we first launched the site, it wasn't showing up on Google. Transfuture quickly reset one of the wordpress settings and Google was able to start ranking the site. We appreciated the quick turnaround on this.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the assistant director of development at Bard Early College. We’re a division of Bard College, a liberal arts private institution in upstate New York. We provide liberal arts education to high school students that would traditionally be barred from it, whether it be because of barriers of cost or traditional access impediments. We have a large urban environment, and we serve over 3,000 students across five states.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Transfuture?

Our program is about 20 years old. A couple of years back, we had a website launch. We had a couple of iterations when designing this site, but we really had no one to help us design a website outside of a basic WordPress template.

We were looking for someone that could take ownership of our website and help us maintain it. We needed to keep its information up to date for our different audiences.

We have a lot of constituencies, including students, families, alumni, public funders, and governmental officials. It was necessary for us to create a more dynamic web presence and move away from the standard WordPress template.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Transfuture helped us create a new website. The project started as a redesign, but we took it as an opportunity to start fresh. We have a network of sites, so Transfuture had a lot of information and framework that they could reference for organizing the site map.

Accessibility was one of the biggest requirements for the new site because we have a lot of different audiences. In some cases, English might not be their first language, and in others, they might have learning disabilities. We wanted to make sure that our information, especially around our application process, was visible.

We also really wanted to make the site more dynamic and feature more human interest stories to bring people to the front. We were looking for student and alumni spotlights and other features of that nature. 

I went through the entire process with my team, and together we redid our entire site, including refreshing all the copy and sourcing new images. The site was still developed in WordPress since Transfuture specializes in this platform.

What is the team composition?

I primarily interacted with Joe (Owner) and Erin (Senior Software Developer), but they had other people behind the scenes helping to build the website.

How did you come to work with Transfuture?

I was placed in charge as project manager, and I just looked at some different references. We went online and did some research into some design firms that could help us with these goals.

Transfuture always replied to me in a timely fashion. I really liked that they differentiated in what they could offer us, and they were willing to work with us on the cost. As we’re a nonprofit organization, we rely on public funding, and it has been a tough year. Transfuture totally got that right away.

I also liked that they’d worked with such a diverse range of clients, including some from the nonprofit and educational sphere.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2020, and they finished the project in March 2021. The site is now up and running, and part of their contract is that they’ll circle back to us in around six weeks to make sure everything is working properly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyone from our network that I’ve interacted with, especially around our school community, has complimented our site. My network team, school staff, and school leaders agree that the site has really good visuals and an aesthetically pleasing identity. We’ve been able to navigate through it pretty easily.

How did Transfuture perform from a project management standpoint?

We didn’t use specific tools for project management, but we had standing quick Zoom check-ins once a week.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Transfuture was very responsive and courteous. I liked how they presented themselves and the type of clients that they’d worked with. Their portfolio really ran the gamut — they didn’t just work for corporate clients.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This project had a learning curve for all of us, especially on the accessibility front, on what meant to be a level AA website, and on meeting the requirements in the New York State.

Both I and Transfuture had to adapt to that learning curve and understand everything that was involved in the accessibility front. Now, Transfuture will be able to take all that knowledge to their next client.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It's important to know your audience and who you’re trying to reach when you go into a project of this nature.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager for a sound effects library. We create sound effects and software for sound artists and media creators to make their projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Transfuture?

We needed help with web development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Transfuture created a WordPress landing page for a new software product. I gave them a reference to work off of, as well as content and copy. The team uploaded it with the product’s branding, too.

There’s a features section on the page that we wanted to incorporate animated clips we developed with a different vendor. The GIFs were too coming up too large; Transfuture was able to set them up and make them look great.

The page shows off the product, its features, and imagery. It also has a video that people can watch about the product. There’s a button to download the app on Mac or Windows. If you’re a visitor on desktop, the download button automatically downloads the app for you. If you’re on mobile, it triggers a popup form.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Aaron (Senior Software Developer) and Joe (Owner).

How did you come to work with Transfuture?

One of my colleagues found their site and thought they’d be a good fit for our needs.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2020, and the page fully launched in March 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been getting a lot of compliments about how great the page looks.

How did Transfuture perform from a project management standpoint?

We presented the outline in a Google doc. From there, we kept in touch by email. Their communication was always good. With a lot of other contractors, I end up having to do the project management. It was nice that Transfuture kept on top of the communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team does high-quality work that looks good. They have a process that’s effective and established.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The first draft that they sent wasn’t as modern-looking as we were expecting. After giving them feedback, the next round was much better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to write up a document with the details that you’re looking for. Provide references, too.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an educational nonprofit that focuses on sustainability in the built environment. We develop educational programming and other resources for real estate, architecture, engineering, etc. My role is the senior associate of communications and programs, which means that I help develop and deliver all of the educational programming we do. I also oversee the communications apparatus and that includes our website presence. So, I manage the website and get all of our programs and other resources up on the website in digital form.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Transfuture?

We needed someone to create our e-learning platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Transfuture acted as our web support team. They did all of our website-related work, like WordPress work. The most recent project they did, and probably the largest in scope, was developing this e-learning platform. It’s completely independent of our main website, where our event calendar and all of our other resources live.

They were involved in the planning and discovery phases and figured out how we wanted things to look and operate. In the design phase of the website, they made a whole string of mock-ups and static versions of the website. Then, they developed the WordPress side of the website. A significant portion of the work was a fine-tuning and quality assurance period and then troubleshooting of the platform and of some of the reporting features to make sure we were able to deliver credits.

What is the team composition?

We typically worked with two people, Erin (Creative Director) and Joseph (Managing Partner), but they pulled in another person for this project to do some work related to integrating with some of our CRM and Salesforce stuff.

How did you come to work with Transfuture?

We worked with another web development agency; they were sort of moving their focus towards branding and design work. Because of this, the company referred us to Transfuture. We met with Transfuture, hit it off, and it has been a great experience ever since.

How much have you invested with them?

This project cost about $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in the summer and wrapped up around October 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So, the platform hasn’t had a hard launch yet because our team is still developing content. However, we’ve received a lot of positive feedback from our friends and family at the organization and the platform works smoothly. We’ve been able to track user progress, so it functions as it should. We’ve met all of the expectations and needs of the organizations that funded it.

How did Transfuture perform from a project management standpoint?

I think they did a great job of meeting expectations and keeping up communication when that was important. They stuck to deadlines and treated this project as a tag-team effort. We had standing meetings at least once a week to follow up on updates. They were really on top of that, very helpful, and always got back to us no matter how many little questions or concerns we had.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provided very creative solutions and I think they benefit from being a smaller and tight-knit organization. Because of that, it isn’t siloed in the way that some of the larger web development companies. They were able to deliver on requests in creative ways and were able to take non-technical requests and deliver on them in ways that made our lives pretty simple. 

Not only were they really strong with programming and technical stuff, but I think they also had a good sense of branding and visual identity, which is one thing we take pretty seriously at our organization. When we gave them a project, they always had a clear sense of what the end product should look like and that is really such a valuable quality because it means we don’t have to double-check all of the work or spend time clarifying. They just get that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I think it’s worthwhile to spend as much time as you need in the discovery phase of things and spend a lot of time communicating your needs and your vision for the project upfront. The better and clearer image you have of what you need to be done, the more efficient your time will be spent throughout the process, and the better chance of staying on schedule and consoling the needs of your scope.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and co-managing director of Forestreet. We’re a market analytics company that does technology research for large corporations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Transfuture?

We were looking to refresh our website to make it more representative of the work we had done. We also wanted to prepare it for some marketing campaigns.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Transfuture provided advisory work in terms of what we should incorporate within the phases of work. Through a creative process, they came up with ideas and worked with us to understand how they could present our products effectively on the web. We gave them suggestions of what we liked and effectively relied on them to be the creative engine.

Transfuture came up with recommendations and concepts in terms of the style and text. We worked in an iterative process. The final piece of the execution was building the structure and content of the WordPress website in agreement with what we had worked through.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Joe (Managing Partner) and Erin (Creative Director).

How did you come to work with Transfuture?

We found them a third-party broker. They shared a proposal across their network, and we made a shortlist of providers. After all the providers presented, we selected Transfuture because of their speed and responsiveness. We liked their case studies, and they were head and shoulder above their competitors.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $20,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement was from July–October 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

If a potential client looked us up on the web, they’d be impressed because we’re presented in a way that portrays us as capable of serving a smart and sophisticated client. The site has a good representation of our product and credentials. We were absolutely pleased with the output and felt that it addressed the challenge we tasked Transfuture with.

We made the right choice in choosing Transfuture and we’re delighted with them. Their team was easy to work with. They brought a strong creative capability that was different from what we brought to the table. We’ve received positive feedback from our internal team members, peers, and potential clients.

How did Transfuture perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was very good. They talked us through the process, explaining that it’d feel slow at the start and then accelerate. The important thing was to get the fundamentals right. After we agreed on what the design principles should be, everything was built very quickly. We occasionally found ourselves pushing them to put updates in the diary. Their team was always responsive. They always came back to us with an answer and suggestions. They excelled in the client service element and expectation management.

Our feedback to them would be to provide dates in the calendar from the very beginning of the engagement in an effort to let us know when to check-in. Overall, they were great at guiding us through the process. That was greatly appreciated on our side. It built trust and helped us have confidence in the final output.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They listened to the brief much better than the other potential providers. They weren’t trying to put us into a cookie-cutter mold. The quality of their output successfully aligned with the expectations we set. There were some challenges around dynamic components of the website, and they handled those very well.

Additionally, we really appreciated the honesty of their responses. They gave us very candid and helpful advice on SEO. Their team built our site with optimization in mind and could’ve taken more money for it but didn’t; that was really appreciated. We’d go back to them if we needed more work to be done because they definitely generated that trust.

Are there any areas they could improve?

From their point of view, it’d be beneficial if they could map out or provide suggestions on where we could go next to improve things further. That’d be helpful for us to understand and helpful for them in terms of their business development process.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Listen to their advice about starting slowly. It’s critical to get the right creative ideas and concepts before pushing too hard to see pages and hard content being produced. Transfuture has a great creative capability that you should lean on.

They’re better than their competitors. Give them examples of what would impress you. Their team won’t just make a replica of it, they'll analyze those examples to create something compelling and valuable. Work with them and give them space to do what they do best.