Xfive

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Multimedia Producer of a media company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Media company specializing in long form journalism

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Design our subscription site
• Design our website

SOLUTION

How did you find Xfive?

Referral

Why did you select Xfive over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Xfive were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Project Overview: XFive was tasked with redesigning and revamping your magazine website to improve its user experience, modernize its design, include a subscription feature, and enhance its functionality. The goal was to create a visually appealing, responsive, and user-friendly website that aligns with your magazine's branding and engages visitors effectively. 

Discovery and Planning: 

• Requirements Gathering: The team conducted thorough discussions with us to understand our specific goals, target audience, content structure, and desired features. 
• Competitor Analysis: The team performed an analysis of competitor websites and identified industry best practices to ensure our website stands out. 
• Information Architecture: They created a sitemap and wireframes to outline the website's structure, layout, and navigation flow. 
• Design and Development: 
  • Visual Design: XFive crafted a custom design concept for the website, including color schemes, typography, imagery, and other visual elements, to align with our magazine's identity. 
  • Responsive Design: They ensured the website's design and functionality adapt seamlessly to different screen sizes and devices, providing an optimal user experience on desktops, tablets, and smartphones. 
• Content Integration: The team integrated our magazine's existing content into the new design, ensuring it's organized logically and presented attractively. 
• Custom Development: Custom features, such as article categorization, search functionality, and user registration, were developed to meet our specific needs. 
• CMS Integration: XFive integrated a content management system (CMS) to allow easy content updates and management. 
• Interactive Elements: Interactive elements like sliders, carousels, and multimedia features were incorporated to engage visitors and enhance user interaction. 
• Testing and Quality Assurance: 
  • Browser Compatibility: The website was tested across different web browsers to ensure consistent performance and appearance. 
  • Functionality Testing: The team thoroughly tested all interactive features, forms, and user interfaces to ensure they work as intended. 
• Performance Optimization: They optimized the website's speed and performance, ensuring fast loading times for a better user experience. 
• Launch and Deployment: 
  • 13. Staging and Review: A staging version of the website was set up for final review and approval, allowing us to provide feedback and make any necessary adjustments. 
  • Data Migration: XFive company assisted with migrating existing content from the old website to the new one. 
  • Launch Preparation: Final checks, including proofreading, broken link checks, and cross-device testing, were conducted to ensure a smooth launch.
• Training and Support: 
  • User Training: XFive provided training sessions to familiarize us with the content update process. 
• Ongoing Support: The company offers post-launch support to address any technical issues, bugs, or questions that may arise.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Increase in average session duration on the website. 
• Increase in the number of pageviews per session. 
• Decrease in bounce rate, indicating improved user engagement. 
• Improvement in mobile responsiveness, measured by reduced bounce rate and increased mobile traffic. 
• Positive feedback from users about the improved mobile experience. 
• Decrease in average page load time, leading to better user experience and lower bounce rate. 
• Positive impact on search engine ranking due to improved site speed. 
• Increase in the number of newsletter sign-ups, subscriptions, or other desired user actions. 
• Tracking of specific conversion rates, such as the percentage of visitors who complete a contact form or make a purchase. 
• Collection of user feedback through surveys or feedback forms indicating higher satisfaction with the new website design.
• Favorable comments on social media or other platforms about the improved user experience. 
• Improvement in organic search engine rankings for key target keywords. Increase in organic search traffic to the website. 
• Increase in the number of social media shares for articles and content. 
• Higher engagement rates (likes, comments, shares) on social media posts linking to the website's content. 
• Measurement of user engagement with newly introduced features, such as interactive sliders, video content, or user-generated content sections. 
• Increase in the average time users spend on the website. 
• Improved navigation behavior, measured by a decrease in the number of users leaving the website from the homepage.

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

XFive's project management approach was truly commendable, showcasing their commitment to delivering a successful and well-executed project. They consistently demonstrated their prowess in keeping things on track and meeting deadlines. 

Throughout the project, XFive's adherence to timelines was particularly impressive. They had a knack for setting realistic but ambitious milestones, and remarkably, they consistently met or even exceeded them. Their dedication to delivering on time not only instilled confidence but also ensured that the project progressed smoothly. 

What truly stood out, however, was XFive's responsiveness to our needs. They possessed an innate ability to listen keenly to our requirements, making us feel truly understood. Whenever we had questions, concerns, or new ideas to discuss, their team was always ready to engage and provide valuable insights. 

Their responsiveness extended beyond just addressing inquiries. XFive was proactive in their communication, providing regular updates and progress reports. This level of transparency reassured us that our project was in capable hands and allowed us to provide timely feedback, resulting in a seamless collaborative process. 

In instances where we requested adjustments or modifications, XFive's flexibility shone through. Rather than being rigid, they embraced our suggestions with open arms, integrating them seamlessly into the project plan. This adaptability not only showcased their versatility but also demonstrated a genuine desire to meet our vision. 

In a nutshell, XFive's project management was marked by their punctuality, responsiveness, and willingness to adapt. Their client-centric approach left us with the impression that our project truly mattered to them, fostering a sense of partnership rather than a mere business transaction. We can confidently say that XFive went above and beyond to ensure our project's success.

What was your primary form of communication with Xfive?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What truly set XFive apart was their exceptional attention to detail and their unwavering commitment to excellence. Every aspect of their project management approach was executed with meticulous precision, leaving no stone unturned in their pursuit of perfection. 

One of the most impressive aspects was their ability to seamlessly blend creativity with efficiency. Their designs weren't just visually appealing; they were strategically aligned with our brand's identity and goals. It was evident that each design element was carefully chosen to resonate with our target audience, creating a harmonious blend of aesthetics and purpose. 

XFive's communication skills were nothing short of remarkable. They had an innate ability to translate complex technical concepts into easily understandable terms, making it effortless for us to grasp the intricacies of the project. This open and transparent communication fostered a strong sense of trust, ensuring that we were always on the same page. 

Adaptability was another standout quality. Even as the project evolved, XFive was quick to adapt to new ideas and requirements, seamlessly incorporating them into the project without missing a beat. Their flexibility showcased a deep understanding of our evolving needs and their commitment to our project's success. 

Perhaps what impressed us the most was their genuine passion for their work. It wasn't just about completing tasks; it was evident that they were invested in our project's outcome. Their team approached each challenge with an enthusiastic mindset, turning obstacles into opportunities for innovation. 

But beyond all the technical prowess, it was the personal touch that truly left a lasting impression. XFive treated us as partners, not clients, which created a collaborative and supportive atmosphere. They took the time to understand our vision, and their enthusiasm for bringing that vision to life was palpable in every interaction.

 In a world where mediocrity can often prevail, XFive's commitment to going above and beyond in every aspect was genuinely impressive. They turned what could have been a typical project into an extraordinary journey, leaving us not only with a remarkable end product but also with a lasting admiration for their dedication and skill.

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

Nothing too noticeable.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a news and media network.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xfive?

We needed someone to design and develop our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Xfive has designed and developed our WordPress website from scratch, using Figma as their main tool.

What is the team composition?

I mainly work with a project manager from Xfive's team, but I can contact anyone else on the team if I want to.

How did you come to work with Xfive?

We stumbled across their parent company, which had worked with a major company. We contacted their parent company, who put me in contact with Xfive because they were their division dealing with smaller companies like ours.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we've spent over $200,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2022, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I've been delighted with the website that Xfive created because they've been able to keep it simple.

How did Xfive perform from a project management standpoint?

Xfive's team meets deadlines and communicates with us via email, Jira, and Figma, which are the main tools they use.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Xfive has delivered what I need. They've been able to create solutions for each one of my requests.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their ability to understand our wants and needs during the discovery phase, which can save some time. In addition, we're in different time zones, which is not too bad, but it's still a factor.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend partnering with them because they're a good team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a Digital Humanities project stationed at Leiden University in the Netherlands, working under the European Research Coucnil framework on a 5-year research project titled 'Open Philology.' I am one of the key project members, and a post-doctoral researcher at the University.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

A key goal of our project was to develop an open-source digital web-based application for the production of scholarly editions of historical documents. The editing application takes the output of a collation of multiple text witness files produced by the script CollateX and permits editors to select a main text, establish lemmas, determine if variants attested in witnesses are significant or insignificant, offer emendations, make multi-user col-laborative comments, and output the result in a form suitable for the production of a critical edition, online or in print. It is for the development of this web application that we hired Xfive.

SOLUTION

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

Ours was a rather unusual software development undertaking, and most other development companies that we had contacted before finding Xfive showed little interest in our specific technical objectives. Xfive stepped in and handled the challenge brilliantly. Right from the start the team demonstrated a confidence-inspiring willingness and ability to understand our unique needs, and the discovery process convinced us that Xfive was the team that would enable us to attain our goals. In addition, business-wise, Xfive were transparent, fair, and realistic: the cost estimates we received were reliable and allowed for confident budgeting on our side, which further encouraged us to work with Xfive.

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

Xfive developed for us a web app for philological use. Work began with a meticulous discovery process that resulted in a comprehensive Figma prototype. Development proceeded in 2-week sprints, punctuated with video meetings between our team and Xfive. The meetings focused on any issues that would arise in the process of development, and on ideas for improvement either side would come up with in the time between meetings. The end result is powerful web application that allows multiple users to collaborate on creating, processing, and discussing scholarly editions of texts in multiple witnesses.

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

Six people from the team worked with us: UX designer, Product Manager, Backend Developer, two Frontend Developers, Account Manager, QA Tester.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Collaboration with Xfive put our project on the fast track. Deadlines were met, despite the high complexity of our project and despite the occasional unavoidable complication, to which Xfive allocates extra resources in order to ensure timely progress.

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

Management was transparent and fuss-free. We communicated mainly through Zoom, occasionally through Jira. The project managers were quick to adapt to our language and way of thinking, which was humanistic and not technical, and successfully translated that into technical concepts for the development team.

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

One of the great strengths of Xfive is that the UX design and the software development are both done in-house as an integrated process, which ensures swift resolution to any functionality issues that are bound to crop up in the development process. Working with the Xfive team has been a consummately enjoyable experience from day one: each member of the team, in addition to technical prowess, showed flexibility, compassion, and sense of humor.

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

We do not see much room for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I own a gifting e-commerce company. We specialize in corporate gifts for companies in all sectors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Most of our business comes from corporate clients, and we needed a better solution for managing their bulk and custom orders. We also wanted to give website visitors a way to offer gift choices to their own clients right through our site with an app that felt custom, seamless and brand-able. And at the end of the day, everything had to be easy and connected to Shopify on the backend.

SOLUTION

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

I interviews three firms, and despite my initial preference that the firm be in the U.S. (for time zone purposes), ultimately I decided on XFive because of their impressive portfolio and grasp of what I was looking for.

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

We had a kickoff meeting and a discovery process, and then we moved right into design. XFive created a 100% custom app that solved virtually every problem I had and resulted in fun, engaging and valuable tool for our clients. Clients can now design their own gift pages with custom imagery (they even gave me 15 custom illustrations for background choices), logo, text, and gift selection that ties into our Shopify inventory.

When their recipients select a gift, it automatically creates an order in our system and relays tracking information back to both the customer who placed the order and their recipient. Orders can be uploaded via CSV by both us and the recipient, and they added tons of little features that delight our customers.

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

My primary POC at XFive was their Head of Design, who was an exceptional partner in every way. He wasn't just a fantastic designer, but he was also an invaluable partner as far as brainstorming ways to make the product as intuitive as possible for our users. He also re-designed our product pages and several pages on our site, which leveled up our entire look significantly. The developers we worked with (both to code the custom app and to do custom work on our Shopify site) were exceptional.

There were remarkably few bugs on the very first iteration, all of which were fixed at warp speed. Tweaks and edits were made almost in real-time despite the nearly opposite time zones, so that I always felt confident about addressing customer needs quickly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've already onboarded our biggest customers to the app, and we've acquired multiple new customers through the site because of this product - and it's only been life a few weeks! It's robust but easy and fun to use. The design and the code are both exceptional.

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

We primarily communicated via Slack. Developers and designer were extremely quick to respond.

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

The quality of the deliverables and the accessibility of the team were impressive.

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

The discovery process could have been smoother.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of administration at the University of California, Berkeley. We’re one of 10 universities within the system, and I represent three departments: African American Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, and Ethnic Studies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xfive.co Pty LTD?

We were seeking a partner who could provide comprehensive web development and management services to two of our academic departments. Our university offers an independently managed platform with a standard, more vanilla layout that can be easily replicated. However, we wanted to develop unique sites for our departments to showcase our mission effectively.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Xfive.co has developed two websites: one for our African American Studies department and another for our Ethnic Studies department. They’ve used Web5 and WordPress to create the websites, which are subdomains that branch off our existing infrastructure. They’ve also linked the sites to our social media platforms.

Within our contract, we have access to a certain number of troubleshooting hours, so Xfive.co has continued to answer questions and help us whenever we’ve had issues with either site. They’ve also been responsible for training our new staff members. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with Stano and one other teammate from Xfive.co.

How did you come to work with Xfive.co Pty LTD?

The partnership with Xfive.co predates my joining the institution, but I believe Xfive.co came to us as a recommendation through our university network. 

When our team searched for development partners, we wanted to engage a service provider who could work within our existing infrastructure. Xfive.co provided the most cost-effective and innovative bid aligned with our requirements, so we moved forward with the engagement.

How much have you invested with them?

We invest about $1,600 with Xfive.co per year. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with Xfive.co since January 2016; we just renewed our yearly contract.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Xfive.co has developed high-quality, user-friendly websites, and we’ve been pleased with the partnership. They’ve genuinely managed the whole kit and caboodle; they just let us know when they need action on our end. 

They’ve also offered us the opportunity to grow our pages within WordPress, which our original website didn’t allow for. When the campus changes the internal infrastructure or wants to run maintenance, we can still update our website in real time, which is great.

Since working with the Xfive.co team, we’ve been able to easily update the sites ourselves without needing to engage a development partner, which has been excellent. Overall, we’ve had a great experience.

How did Xfive.co Pty LTD perform from a project management standpoint?

Xfive.co has been a fantastic partner from a project management standpoint. They’ve never turned us down when we’ve had questions; their availability is fantastic. The team has consistently met deadlines; they’re actually better at following deadlines than we are, so they keep us organized. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we had some staff turnover, and Xfive.co was willing to work through questions and troubleshoot with new staff, which was helpful. Xfive.co was very supportive during a difficult time; they trained our team and made themselves available during off hours. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been most impressed with Xfive.co’s professionalism and responsiveness. Despite the time difference, they’ve gotten back to us promptly, even when we’ve reached out during the middle of our day and their night. We’ve been very happy with the partnership.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’d be great if they could move to San Francisco, but other than that, I have nothing they could improve on. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I advise going into the Xfive.co partnership with a clear idea of your goals. Web development can be an enigma for many, and companies can sometimes get stuck in unsustainable contracts, so try to go in with questions and clear expectations. Try to set guidelines for your needs so you can purchase their services from a knowledgeable position. 

On the other hand, I truly believe that even the least tech-savvy person could engage Xfive.co’s services and walk away with a quality product they’re proud of. Fortunately, my predecessor had web development knowledge and decided to work with Xfive.co.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a company developing a digital platform that connects families caring for an elder individual to senior care professionals and guides them through that journey. The platform also provides some assistance for individuals in this position.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xfive?

We needed a company to build a web application for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Xfive is developing our web application using Ruby on Rails for the backend and JavaScript for the frontend. We’ve worked closely with the team on everything from the design to the UI/UX and the back- and frontend development. We provide a conceptual understanding of the app, and the Xfive team provides technical expertise.

They work with Figma for the UI/UX design. We have designers on our end who also create designs and go back and forth with their team. Currently, we’re close to the end of the MVP’s development and still have feedback loops.  

What is the team composition?

Our team comprises about five people from Xfive who work part-time because they’re also balancing other projects. 

How did you come to work with Xfive?

We went through an extensive research process to identify the best firm. Our team made a list of about 20 providers, and we went through some internal reviews and emailed several to get proposals, including Xfive. Clutch was one of our key resources in choosing a partner due to the richness of the information compared to other platforms. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $115,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around October 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Xfive’s work, we’ve seen success from a technical standpoint, and we’ve been able to get interested users. Our project has met several key milestones with Xfive’s support.

Additionally, we’ve showcased the app to over 25 individual families, and they’ve really liked it. Although it’s still early and there are many issues to fix, our test users are excited about the product. We’re currently working on building our following in a small town, and once we do that, we plan to expand.

How did Xfive perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project manager is doing an excellent job keeping everyone on track and communicating back and forth. We’ve gone slightly over budget, and the deadlines have sometimes been tight. However, this is not necessarily their fault; it has to do with learning and expanding as we build. In this type of project, it isn’t easy to anticipate what’s needed, so, although this aspect hasn’t been perfect, they’ve done a good job.

We use Trello for project management, and our primary form of communication is Slack. We also email occasionally, collaborate through Figma, and organize Zoom sessions. Our internal team is very hands-on, so we’ve frequently met with them throughout development.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with Xfive’s high-quality talent. I spoke to some other vendors who just check the boxes and don’t care much about the project. Meanwhile, Xfive’s team wants to perform well, so they bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the project.

Moreover, they go above and beyond in terms of their deliverables. They don’t just do what we tell them; they cross their t’s, dot their i’s, and sometimes do extra work beyond our requirements.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As a startup, we always want to move fast, and we could benefit from Xfive moving quicker and being more aggressive about deadlines. However, I’m unsure if this issue is on our side because our expectations are high or if they’re moving a bit slowly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to do as much work as you can upfront to define the scope of work. Try to design your product and describe what you want the UX to be. This approach will help minimize the time it takes for Xfive to get off the ground and reduce your spending. 

Every design they come up with is billed for, so your project will be more expensive if you have an undefined scope. If you have design tools and a skills teammate, use them to create initial designs. These concepts don’t have to be perfect; Xfive can improve them later.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of creative and web development at Ignite Visibility, a performance marketing agency. We provide marketing services including paid media, conversion rate optimization (CRO), SEO, email marketing, Amazon marketing, and digital PR. We’re located in San Diego, California.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xfive?

We hired them to handle our web development projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We outsource our website development projects to Xfive, and they handle smaller sites for startups up to more complex enterprise model sites for our large clients. The technologies they use include WordPress, HubSpot, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and WooCommerce. They also work on a lot of API integrations with third parties like MailChimp and Google Maps.

What is the team composition?

Their team composition depends on the type of project they’re working on, but around 3–7 people support us per project.

How did you come to work with Xfive?

I worked with them at my previous agency, so I brought them in when I started with Ignite Visibility. Xfive was really one of my preferred development partners.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably spent $150,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership began in May 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Retention rates of our customers are high. We haven’t had any clients that have been unhappy with the work that’s been delivered through our partnership with Xfive. On tactical metrics, they’ve consistently hit the mark on site speed and core web vitals.

How did Xfive perform from a project management standpoint?

Their strong project management skills are one of the primary reasons we work with them. We’ve had the same project manager since day one. As a team, they’ve been very active in our Slack channel. We use Monday.com for our project management, and we utilize Jira to access their day-to-day progress. 

Every two weeks, I receive a report on how they utilize their time, which allows me to see how efficient they’ve been with our specific solutions and requests. Above all, they consistently meet or go under our estimated budget, and they’re very true to the timelines they provide.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They do a very thorough job of documenting for estimating purposes. I’ve worked with developers in the past who has given me one-page estimates with no details of the project. Compared to that, Xfive prepares multiple pages of research and discovery on top of their actual cost and timeline, which is one of the things I really appreciate about them. 

Furthermore, I really like that they’re flexible. We’ve had some challenging projects where the scope has changed or deliverables have changed, but the team has been able to do a really good job of shifting teammates and timelines.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I don’t have anything negative to say about them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Provide clear documentation on deliverables and expectations. They work best when you engage them at a time when you’re ready to start a project because they’re always ready to hit the ground running.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My organisation is an international organisation with member countries around the world. I am analyst and product manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We provide research, resources, and services to public sector organisations. We often draft key findings and recommend for governments. We wanted to create a new way to work in the open and get feedback on our findings and to hear from voices that may not normally be considered.

We decided that we should built a public engagement platform to provide a conduit for discussion and input. We found an free and open source solution that could serve as a good start; however; it required extensive customization before it could meet our needs. In addition, we needed the platform to use the same registration and login as our website, necessitating the need to move to a SSO solution.

We hired Xfive to strategize and execute this customization and authentication integration through a new SSO solution.

SOLUTION

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

We reached out to a handful of development agencies tat we found on Clutch. We selected Xfive because of their mix of skills and experience around Ruby on Rails development (for new platform development), WordPress development (for integration to the new site), and Auth0 (for single sign-on). Other agencies did not seem to have this mix of skills and often focuses on just one system (Ruby of WordPress).

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

We had an initial scoping meeting and then they provided a line-item estimate and proposal for work. We generated a contract on our side and began work. We mostly work asynchronously through Trello and Slack, which worked well. The workflow felt solid and involved a nice QA process on Xfive's side that minimized the time I needed to spend doing my own reviews (which has sometimes been a struggle with other companies).

Xfive delivered a functional version of the engagement platform and fully integrated the authentication with our WordPress website and Auth0. Since then, Xfive has carried out a number of additional customizations on an as-needed basis.

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

Throughout the whole process, there was mainly two people -- an account manager and a senior developer. There were also some other developers doin work behind the scenes (e.g., for QA) that I didn't interact with. Having just a couple points of contact helped keep interactions efficient.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The final deliverables were excellent. We are slowly rolling it out to more internal teams as a new way of doing business.

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

We worked asynchronously through Trello and Slack.

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

As noted, I was originally impressed with Xfive's mix of skills. SInce working with them, I have also been impressed by their thorough project management, development and QA processes. It seems to strike of nice balance of getting the hands-on development work done without too much time spend on overhead.

They provided new ideas to enhance the product in ways that we had not thought of before.

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

Not really -- we've been happy with all of the work so far.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing for Van Cafe, an automotive parts reseller and manufacturing company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xfive?

We hired Xfive for their website development and design services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Xfive used Figma for our website’s UI/UX design. From there, they went into developing the e-commerce portion of our website through BigCommerce. The team made design suggestions, and we worked together during the design process. I sent them ideas of things I liked, but they ultimately came up with the site’s overall design. 

For core features, the website had a homepage, product page, account page, and various subcategory pages. It also had a search functionality.  

At present, the project is nearly completed. We’re working on a couple of things here and there. We don’t use their maintenance services yet, but if we experience issues with the themes or e-commerce platform’s updates, we might use them once in a while. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with four people from Xfive.

How did you come to work with Xfive?

Xfive was a partner of our ERP consulting services company. That was how we found them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $50,000–$100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Xfive in July 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website has already been launched, and people have responded positively to it. The design is wonderful, and our order processes have improved. The same goes for our product pages and descriptions — everything has improved. Overall, we’re 100% satisfied with Xfive’s work; they’ve exceeded our expectations.

How did Xfive perform from a project management standpoint?

Xfive’s project management is great. They’ve gone a little over our budget, but that’s okay because they’re on time for everything and even ahead of schedule at times. To communicate, we use Trello and Slack; we also have weekly meetings.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their designs are exceptional and their communication is great. They also do things in a timely manner, which is amazing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know that Xfive takes care of everything, and working with them is exceptionally great.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Brand Manager at a sports tech startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Xfive?

We'd noticed that our website was not performing as hoped. Bounce rates were high and time on site was low, so we needed to create a simpler UX experience that gave consumers the info they needed while providing easy paths to drive conversion.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had worked with XFive before on a previous project focused on SEO. They were great to work with and did a really nice job.

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

The first step was to have XFive review and analyze the site to determine any UX and design issues. After their analysis, we reviewed their insights and the provided design templates and initial wireframes. We selected the design that felt most on brand, while providing XFive the new copy sections needed for the redesign.

XFive then went into development, creating the new theme in a dev platform that we reviewed regularly with them while in progress. After we agreed on final design and functionality, XFive pushed the theme live and we finished any final tweaks needed from QA.

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

There were 4 or 5 team members we worked with, including UX and design leads, developers and project managers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It has only been a week since the new site went live, but our team is incredibly happy with the new design and overall experience. Initially, bounce rates are down on the homepage which is a promising outcome. More time is needed to understand results, but we are currently very happy with the new website.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was relatively strong throughout. XFive worked with us to push the workflow to hit a Feb 1 deadline which we appreciated. Their developer was an especially good communicator, keeping us updated on new changes and needs, and going above and beyond to help us meet our deadline.

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

We appreciated their ability to quickly understand our problems and create a better experience for our consumers.

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

Early on in our process our team wasn't quite clear on expected timeline, but we kicked off the project right around the holidays which is difficult to manage. We thought XFive overall communicated project updates clearly and worked with us on timeline following the holiday to help meet our needs.