Studio Five

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I am a board member for an organization that sources unwanted bicycles and sends them to South Africa. Transportation is an issue in that region, and bicycles really are a game changer. Our group is a chapter of a larger organization that started in Canada. It’s 100 percent volunteer, and 100 percent of the money goes to sourcing and shipping the bicycles to South Africa.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Studio 5 Innovation?

We had a four-year old website that was a blog style, with pages that were irrelevant. We needed them to redesign the website to look a little more formal and give it an action feel.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

They built the entire website from scratch. We had some written material, and lots of digital images, but they really took nothing and made something out of it. We had lots of great content, but through creative use of images, color scheme, and copy writing, he made the whole thing come alive. They did a complete redesign of the site, from what was pretty clunky to something rather impactful.

What was your process for selecting Studio 5 Innovation with which to work?

I had worked with Gregor [Schmidt, co-founder and creative technologist at Studio 5 Innovation] in the past. He did a Web redesign of my son’s cycling team here in Seattle. He rebuilt the website from again, something that was clunky to incredibly impactful and flashy, a really exciting site. That was when I first met him and was really impressed with his work. I decided to start a blog three years ago, and he created the framework and the visuals for me. Most recently, I approached him to do this favor Bicycles for Humanity and had hoped he would help us, and he did.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

He charged us $1,000, but it was mainly donated time. It was probably about $10,00 to $15,000 of design work, if he had charged us. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

The project was completed in May of this year [2014]. The website was completed in a few weeks. We had maybe a month between the time that we decided we needed a new website and our annual fundraiser. He literally got it up and running two days before that for us, so they must have worked night and day to pull it off.

Do you have any metrics or feedback to indicate the success of the work?

I haven’t looked at any metrics to see how it’s been working so far, but people have been really impressed with the site. We are super pleased with it overall. Of our peer groups, it’s really one of the finer sites. It’s not too complicated and really shows what we’re asking for: To donate money and donate bikes.

Can you talk about their performance?

They are explicit in terms of what they want and their timelines. To start the project they had me fill out a few forms, to try to get a sense of what emotions we wanted to convey, actions we were trying to get, and who our target audience was. All of that was used in terms of building a framework for the data. They were very good at defining what requirements they needed from the customer, executing on the conversation, setting up follow up, and expectations on when they needed it by.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out compared to other companies?

What I find with them that is different from most is the balance between time and return. They speak my language in terms of balancing great visual intensity with an understanding of cost impact and value for your money.

Looking back on the work, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

No. Not really. What I find really impressive is that they hit the mark right on the first take, and it was pretty much refinement after that.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

I am a business and human resources consultant. I work with companies in various stages of maturity. I help them with their business transformations, whether they're expanding internationally or domestically or they need help with their HR infrastructure strategy, or organizational development assistance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Studio 5 Innovation?

I needed to create a brand for myself and to create a website presence so that I could get the word out to help market the type of business and services I wanted to offer. I was known in the area for my HR expertise because of the technology company that I worked with for a number of years.

I wanted to switch my focus and dive into a different area. I wanted to do that with my website and my branding. I wanted it to be unique, professional, representative of me, and not be stale or fake. I wanted a website that would translate who I am as a person. I wanted my website to stand out, and not just be another HR website.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Coco [photographer at Studio 5 Innovation] did my headshots so that I could put them on my social media sites. She did my logo and business cards. We went through the process of figuring out what my branding was and what my website content might be.

What I really loved about this was I initially went in for two and a half to three hours. We had a drill-down discussion where they asked me a lot of great questions to get me focused on who I am and what I'm doing. It gave me clarity about who I am, and specifically what I am bringing to the table and offering for my services. That helped me personally to get clarity for myself, because I am somebody that can go broad with what I will do for a client. It really helped me narrow down my focus.

Their writer created first drafts of the website content. We were then able to do the iterations. From that, we were able to get the website mock-up and pull it all together. They were very quick in turning things around. It only took a few months to get everything created. I had some fits and starts on my end, but they were right there holding my hand and pushing me along all through the process. They were awesome.

What was your process for selecting Studio 5 Innovation with which to work?

I was referred to Studio 5 through mutual business contacts. I met with Gregor [Schmidt, digital strategist with Studio 5 Innovation] for a business function, and I loved talking with him and hearing his initial ideas on how they approach their work. He thinks outside of the box. Then, I met Coco and the rest of the team, and they were a very different type of team. I knew I wasn't going to get just a regular '"website in a 'box" type of product. They really had something different to offer, and they were very creative. I also knew that they were going to work with me and what I wanted, and not just go with what they wanted because they thought something was cool. They would work with me and what was good for my business.

Can you provide a cost estimate or work hour figure for the size of the work that they've done for you?

Around $5,000, which I thought was very reasonable. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

The site was successfully launched at the end of July of 2014. I am extremely pleased with the outcome of the website. I have had a ton of feedback from my contacts who have commented on how it looks beautiful, professional, and clean, that it's easy to navigate and that it reflects who I am.

One of the things about myself is that I really like the color pink, but it's not something that you want a ton of in a business consulting website. We subtly put some pink in a tasteful way, and people who really know me well saw that and commented positively on it. They also thought the photography was very tastefully done. There were really good comments that have been sent my way, and I'm very pleased with that so far.

Now, I have a better marketing tool when I'm at events. I've been to two events so far, since it's launched, and have been able to point people to my website rather than saying my website is coming. That has been super helpful. One person, for example, that I'm having coffee with for potential business has said, 'I've looked at your website. It looks great, and I'm looking forward to meeting you.' So, that's awesome.

Could you describe their performance and your relationship working with them?

They are very responsive. They did a great job project managing me, which I needed and I expected, because I'm running around trying to do my small business. I really liked Gregor's direct communication about what he needs from me. Coco was very creative. I really enjoyed working with them immensely. They're a great pair, and their other staff [members] were super helpful as well: Their writers [and] their search engine people.

I had a unique situation where I had to change the name of my company. I went in with one name, and they started doing some searches on that name. While the name was cleared and nobody else was using it, the name itself is considered a bad word in some Asian countries. They called me on a Saturday and said we had a problem. By Sunday afternoon, we had a new name for my company. They were just on top of stuff like that.

We found a name that didn't detour from what I wanted to say for my company. I wanted the name of the company to showcase my Scandinavian background, and we were able to do that without it being an offensive word in other cultures. This was especially important because I tend to do a lot of work Asian cultures and countries.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

The one thing that I really appreciate about them is that they were willing to come meet you anywhere that you were at. They just didn't sit in their nice little funky offices, which they have and I love their offices. Sometimes, you can get an air of arrogance when you're dealing with creative design type, but they would come to me wherever I was at. If I was at a client's, they would come there to meet me to keep things moving along, or they would come to my office.

They were really flexible and would go wherever necessary to make things happen and keep things moving along. They would come with great ideas that they would want my feedback on. I didn't come with any preconceived ideas, and I really appreciated their guiding me and helping me with all these great ideas while maintaining my identity.

It didn't turn into a Studio 5 thing, as in, "This looks like a Studio 5 website or a Studio 5 business". It is a Sheryl Peterson business, and oh, by the way, the website was done by Studio 5 and doesn't it look great.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

I had some fits and starts so, in hindsight I would try to eliminate those and plow through. When I didn't get back with them in time, there were a couple times when my project got pushed because I didn't make my deadlines and they had other projects. They communicated well, and I missed some windows of opportunity on my end. It's really important for clients to understand that they're giving you timelines, and they are real. They do stick to their schedule. It's not something they need to improve on. The client needs to be realistic, but I'm sure they deal with that all the time.

BACKGROUND

Could you provide a brief description of your company?

We sell sustainable seafood and deliver it door to door to people in the northwest. We’re also getting into doing some mail order.

Are you the owner?

Yes, the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were trying to address?

We acquired the business a little more than a year ago. The current website while it had good information, it looked too homey in a way. You had to create an account in order to order and it didn’t have any capability to do shipping outside of the local area. So, we wanted to modernize it and give it a little different look and feel as we tried to expand outside of our local area. 

SOLUTION

Can you describe the scope of the work that Studio 5 Innovation provided?

They helped us quite a bit. They helped us do the logo and got us in touch with a company that put it on our van. They designed the look of the website, and it was night and day difference of what we had before. They also did great photography for us for the products.

Did they develop an entirely new website for you?

Yes. There’s some existing content, but totally new. It’s a new platform, a new host and everything. It is a WordPress site, using WooCommerce as the shopping cart.

How long did the project take?

It took a long time, but a lot of that was due to us. It took about a year. We had an existing site that was still working, so it wasn’t like we needed something immediately. It went live the first of June [of 2014]. We just finished our first live month for customers’ orders.

Why did you choose Studio 5 Innovation with which to work?

I liked the looks and design of what they’d done previously. Also, we were pretty weak on social marketing, and I thought that that was one of the things that we could use some help with. We’re now at a point where we can go forward with something in that area. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they’ve delivered?

I don’t have metrics yet. The biggest challenge is just that all our customers have to create a new account. Some of them are struggling with that concept even though it’s pretty easy to do. They thought they would just be able to log in with their old log in. But, they’ll get that. It’s just the first month.

From my point of view, the website is drastically easier to use. One of things we wanted to try to accomplish is to customize packages. There are four different values of packages that we sell. What our old site didn’t allow us to do is to make any changes to those or to order a la carte. Now, if you don’t like what’s in a package, you can order what you want to. As long there’s a minimum amount, we deliver for free. We had about eight or nine people do that this month, which is really good, because it’s a whole lot less headache for us.

How would you describe their performance?

When we were able to get on the same schedule, it was pretty good. They were responsive, and flexible within the constraints of the shopping cart WooCommerce that we picked. They’re small. Once you get to work with them, they’re pretty fun to work with.

We’ll do some more work with them. We’re going to get our toes into the social media world a little bit, hopefully in September, which I really think is their strong suit. That’s the part that I’m looking forward to more than working with them on the website frankly.

Is there any area that they could improve on or that you would do differently?

Maybe just laying out the timeframe more clearly. It would have been helpful to say that if you do this by this date, then we can do this. I would have liked a little more specificity in terms of what I needed to do versus what they needed to do at the beginning. That would be the only criticism I have.

BACKGROUND

Can you give a brief description of your company and your role there?

I work  [with] a commercial real estate company in Bellevue, Wash. We are licensed in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Besides brokerage, we do property management and some construction. I am the director of marketing here. I oversee all marketing related projects as well as research and managing our database. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

When you approached Studio 5 Innovation, what was the business challenge that you were trying to address?

We first contacted them a few years back to help develop a construction website for us because we were trying to grow that division within our company. They did a great job with that, and then about a year and a half later, we hired them to rebrand our entire online image. We went from one website platform to having one corporate website plus five different websites for each division of Summerfield. 

SOLUTION

Did their work include design, development, training, and support?

Yes. They were hands-on for the entire process.

Why did you select Studio 5 Innovation to work with in the beginning?

I wasn’t happy with our web developer at the time. So, I went on an Internet search and just looked at companies throughout the greater Seattle area. I looked at reviews from their clients and reached out to each company to help with our project, asked for an estimate on what it would cost, interviewed with some people I liked and narrowed it down. They were my favorite choice.

Can you give a sense of the size of the project either in a cost range or personnel work hour figure?

Every website was built differently. I believe it was a little more than $10,000 for the six new websites we ordered.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of the results of the project, are there any metrics or feedback that you can share that indicates the effectiveness of the work?

Everything has been going great. We’ve had good feedback from our clients. Everything looks good. It’s much more user friendly, a lot more professional, modern, and definitely an upgrade from our previous website. Everyone here likes it.

Is there anything unique or special about them compared to other companies with which you may have worked?

They just were nice people to work with. Gregor [Schmidt] and Coco [co-founders of Studio 5 Innovation] are both very friendly and outgoing, very kind and hardworking people. They’re a smaller business, but their personalities and the customer service and what they provide, I thought, brought them above their competitors.

On the other hand, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you would do differently looking back?

I thought they got a little busy at times with other projects. Sometimes, it would take a day or two to get back to a phone call. That’d be the only issue.