Verse

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing and communications for eStar Truck & Van, a Mercedes-Benz franchise dealer. We’re responsible for the sales of trucks and vans.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Verse?

Our old website was very outdated, clunky, hard to use, and didn’t adhere to our brand guidelines. Hence, we hired Verse to completely redesign our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the beginning, Verse spent a lot of time understanding our business, brand, and requirements. After that, they proceeded with the work, handling the entire redesign process of our website. They implemented all the features we requested, including a more user-friendly backend.

Their team has already completed the site, and we’re currently relying on Verse for maintenance and marketing support. This involves conducting SEO efforts; in fact, they’re doing a lot of work now on keyword research.

What is the team composition?

We work with several people from their company, including Christian (Chief Commercial Officer, Sean (Co-Founder & CEO), Hayley (Customer Success Manager), and Emma (Digital Producer). 

How did you come to work with Verse?

We found them through a Google search. We decided to work with them because our values aligned with theirs, and they had a really flexible working approach.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent about £46,000 (approximately $53,000).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2021, and our engagement is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received positive feedback from internal stakeholders about how better-looking and easy to navigate our website is. As a result, we’ve noticed a lot more customer inquiries coming in through the website. Overall, the website that they’ve built for us doesn’t just look nice but also has a real end purpose and functionality.

How did Verse perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been brilliant in this regard. They keep us in the loop at all times and use a variety of collaborative tools, such as Google Docs, to give us visibility and access to anything that we need. They also use Figma to create designs. For communication, we interact through email and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Being a non-technical person, I’ve been really impressed with their ability to explain technical concepts in a simpler way — especially when talking about the website. They also spend a lot of time understanding our business, which shows us that they genuinely care about our project’s success and want to make a difference.

Are there any areas they could improve on?

No, they’ve been wonderful to work with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open and honest with them about every element of your business; the more information you provide them, the better their outputs will be.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am currently the Digital Manager at Sanderson Design Group. We have a strong and broad portfolio of powerful brands, each with clear market positioning. Iconic heritage brands such as Zoffany, Harlequin, Sanderson, Morris & Co, Scion, and Clarke & Clarke are all brands under the Sanderson Design Group umbrella, marketed via the tagline live beautiful.

The Group designs, manufactures and markets wallpapers and fabrics as well as a wide range of ancillary interior products such as paint. Our business is centred around two manufacturing businesses: fabric, textile and wallpaper printing, along with a World Wide distribution centre based in the UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Verse?

With a recently new direct to retail website, we wanted a UX audit to help us with conversion and with a 'Big Picture' overview of how is the site meeting our user needs across the homepage, basket/payment, FAQs and product/service pages.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We have used Verse previously and so they knew of the business, and compared a few similar businesses before granting Verse the task of UX review

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

This is where Sanderson partnered with Verse's team of experienced designers to audit and revamp our Archive website, including an analysis of: 

• 'Big Picture' overview: how is the site meeting user needs across the homepage, basket/payment, FAQs and product/service pages, e.g.
• User journeys and flows 
• Friction points and pain points
• Navigation 
• Drop-offs, cart abandonment and pages with high bounce rates
• Low on-page time or visitor numbers
• Search
• Visitor-to-lead ratios 
• Analytics implementation problems, such as high self-referrals
• Slow page load times
• Five Second test
• UX Checklist
• Accessibility check

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

My team worked with Verse's UX/UI technical lead, plus we had a Project Manager on hand throughout the process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The audit highlighted many areas for us to improve upon, and making these changes meant our conversion rates improved and mobile usage was prioritised based on the Verse feedback.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Working with Verse on our UX alignment was a pleasure. We came together as a team and developed practical and detailed solutions that reflected the brief perfectly.

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

They understood our complex business quickly. We have multiple brands, offering limited retail, and mostly B2B processes. Majority of our sites offer a sample service only, but some offer a mix of sample and retail for various products such as paint. So for a company to take that complex user jorney into consideration was the bigest chalange to overcome and they did a great job of that.

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

Was happy with everything from Verse.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of DnA Hub, a consultancy company for digital transformation projects focused on data migration. We’ve produced a novel way for project people to engage with digital transformation projects. Our product aims to demystify many of the complexity around these projects, so everybody has a single space to view information where users can collaborate.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Verse?

With our limited capabilities and skill set, we produced a web-based product. We hired Verse to bring the UI/UX design on board and do a complete end-to-end review of our product to make some recommendations and provide actionable insight to improve our product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Using various methods, Verse assessed our product's usability and helped us identify our ideal client and user profiles. The team also evaluated how different personas would interact with our product. First, we had an introduction where my business partners and I gave Verse an overview of our company and what we hoped to achieve with the product. Then, we gave them a tour of our product and access to it within a test environment. 

Our product is split into navigation, lists, a detail area, and a solution map. They installed a heatmap tool called Clarity to identify hotspots within the application — where people click the most — and how much time users spend in particular screen areas. Then, they revised the user personas and types of users and produced a heatmap scorecard. 

They took the data collected through Clarity, which consisted of UX reports, and provided us with recommendations for what worked well and what needed improvement. Verse had key concept findings where they provided around six points of recommendation. They also gave us 6–7 points on other areas, including design tips, screen positioning, and consistency. 

Our product focuses heavily on the solution map potion. Verse gave us ideas of how the user might want to interact with that feature, including zooming, panning around the map, and showing areas of interest. The team also included some navigation elements in their suggestions. Using Figma, they put together sketches, wireframes, and other imagery of what our product could look like. In total, Verse gave us about 20 action points and recommendations to improve the product. 

What is the team composition?

We spoke to 5–6 teammates from Verse. The regular team was three people, including a hybrid project manager and QA person, a product development specialist, and a UX expert who was the main driving force. 

How did you come to work with Verse?

I knew one of Verse's co-founders through a previous consultancy. Since we knew and trusted our contact, and he'd moved on to Verse, we reached out and asked them to give us an overview of their services. Their answer aligned well with what we were trying to achieve. Moreover, we're a startup business and knew the work they'd done with existing clients. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about £6,000 (approximately $7,200 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–July 2022. Once we raise some capital, we plan to reengage them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Regarding the outcomes, we're very happy with what Verse achieved — I'd give their work a high rating. We've made some improvements based on Verse's report. So far, we've actioned about 50% of their recommendations, which have been very effective. We plan to implement about 80%–90% of what they told us. In terms of how their work has impacted our leads, it's hard to say right now. However, our early adopters have noted that what we're doing positively impacts their projects. 

How did Verse perform from a project management standpoint?

They stayed on budget and were quite flexible with our timescales. We met with them once a week for a couple of hours. Our communication was through Zoom calls, email, and Microsoft teams, and we used Calendly for scheduling meetings. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Verse's main strength is that they were a very people-first organization — they made us feel very important. The team understood our business before making any assessments or recommendations. They immersed themselves in our company to understand what we stand for and our vision. 

Additionally, they were very flexible. They have a core service offering and made that bespoke for our particular needs. The team was also very conscious of our tight budget at the time and gave us a lot more time than other companies would. They weren't just trying to sell us something; they made it very clear from the outset what we could get from them. Overall, Verse built trust and a relationship with us, so we see the potential for an ongoing partnership with them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We could have done more to establish a group to test our product, which was a bit limited during the project. In addition, we should have focused on a review of 1–2 areas instead of an end-to-end review of our product. That way, we could have gotten more focused and achievable areas to improve. All these issues were more on our end, though. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear understanding of your ideal customer profile and a description of your business' vision and mission statements. I'd also suggest doing research upfront about your competitors and where the opportunity and niches are. You should understand your market and ensure that you allow Verse to understand you fully. Additionally, give them free rein and access to your product so that they can critique it most effectively.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Head Designer for Top100 Attractions. We publish a range of Travel Guides for areas throughout the UK. I am responsible for designing the Books and also creating pages on the Website & App.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We originally build the website about 7 years ago through SCK Works which eventually became Verse. We needed to update the content management system as it was extremely outdated and slow. Our search functionality was also antiquated and needed a redevelopment.We approached Verse to do this for us.

SOLUTION

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

As our existing Vendor, Verse understood the complexity of the development and what our needs were. For this reason we decided not to go elsewhere.

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

As the Top100 Attractions website had over 4,000 businesses in it, to take the data(some of it years old) and transfer it over to Craft was a complex and long process. The problem we had too was the site was in excess of 10GB and had to be streamed down. Each of the businesses had between 8 and 20 images for each page.

The work also included a total design of the Search functionality . The idea was to be able to search any postcode or town in the UK and then choose an accommodation provider, Attraction or eating out. we wanted to be able to also add Tag categories ie if a stately home was a historic building or if a Pub was for example Pet friendly. Verse then designed some 9 icons that we needed.

On top of that, Verse also designed a new page design using the designed icons.One of the additional features we needed was to hide URLs behind some of the icons like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The Management System Craft was used which has given us much more flexibility if we need to add functions later on. This can now be done in house with maybe some help from Verse.

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

We had approx 4 people working on the project. We had a project manager, 2 developers and a designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was indeed quite a challenge. It started in May 2021 and we as a company were not in a rush as we knew how complex it was. I had multiple meetings with the team and the project manager was incredibly helpful and was reassuring if I had any issues. The final sign off was May 2022 after we made some final tweaks.

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

The Project Manager was a joy to work with. He had a very relaxed style and reassuring if I had concerns. We communicate via email and phone calls. He would always get back to me and I enjoyed working with him and his team.

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

I think having someone I could talk to about the issues and needs that we had was good. It personally gave me confidence in the company as every issue in the complex build was sorted in a timely manner.

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

when we did launch, there was an issue over the weekend where he site was not loading properly. I did have to wait till Sunday evening before the problem was sorted. Partly my fault as I did not email the support desk. I emailed the project manager.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm Senior Admin/Marketing Manager for a historic house which is a wedding venue, open to the public, has a tea room and holds corporate/theatre/music events.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We are always looking improve our business, and with digital marketing key to any marketing strategy we wanted a full review of our current social media/marketing and then advice on improvements. Goals were to grow our audience, and in doing so increase business across each area here.

SOLUTION

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

We have worked with Verse in the past, and they were behind the re-haul of our website during COVID. Since then, they have only grown as a company and are extremely professional, knowledgeable and importantly - friendly.

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

The two leads on the project travelled to where we are based to spend an afternoon giving an in-depth presentation on our current standing in the social media world. Following this, a strategy was developed and discussed with us before being put in place, with all our goals in mind. Facebook, TikTok and Instagram are central - but Pinterest, LinkedIn etc. are also relevant. The Verse Team came to spend a day with us creating content for all the above in-line with our strategy. They also did some separate development work on our website, pulling together a creative (fairly vague!) vision from our end and making it actually happen inline with what we wanted.

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

Minimum 2, as I'm sure the design team were working away in the background for Website but the lead was Verse's Customer Success Manager & Team Leader, working alongside their Digital Marketing Strategist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Every bit of advice has been invaluable and has helped us achieve what we wanted to.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We communicated by emails, and had scheduled meetings. It wasn't too overbearing and fitted in particularly well with my work schedule.

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

They're incredibly professional and undoubtedly know what they're doing - much, much more than I do!!

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

Not off the top of my head.