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My thoughts on remote working (8 tips)

Remote working can be a dream job setting and a very tempting scenario. It’s also an increasing global trend that found fertile ground among Millenials and UI&UX designers. Even though comfortable and productive, remote work isn’t only a bed of roses. Reason? Human nature.

I’ve worked remotely for some time now, and here’s my take on this:

you can sleep in for a little longer. But if you really want to be efficient, waking up 5 minutes before the time scheduled for work won’t do the trick. The transition is crucial here. And while the daily commute and change of places can help do that, it’s hard to achieve the same level of mode switching just in your head (and in only five minutes).

Like a pro

Remote working allows you to work on your couch in your pajamas and eat a greasy toast while finishing important tasks. Sounds great? No one will notice your peculiar outfit on slack, just your insightful comments. If you’re an early bird, you can kick-start the day closing all the necessary tasks and then have a whole afternoon for yourself – go to the movies, pick the groceries, cook a 5-star meal, and enjoy some reading.

It’s wonderful. As long as everything goes according to the schedule (yup, you need to make one), the reward is precious. If some accidental idleness takes over, though, let’s remember that time is at stake here. YOUR TIME. So in a way, you’re like your own boss. But in a way, you can become your own victim too. Especially because we’re prone to distractions in our private space. Suddenly, even doing laundry sounds like a perfect idea compared to work.

What I’ve learned for the past half-year is that:

Remote working is about the discipline. And being honest with oneself.

At the end of the day, we’re the only people who know how much work we’ve done. Furthermore, it will be entirely up to us if we have a good night’s sleep or fall into restless insomnia thinking how many tasks still need to be finished (or started for that matter). We need to trust in our capacity to manage different projects while maintaining a bit of distrust not to allow ourselves too many wasted hours.

At the beginning, it can be tough to acquire such high level of organization. Especially because, as humans beings, we tend to let go when no one’s watching

Luckily enough, we can learn from our mistakes too. Here’s the set of rules that really worked out for me:

  1. Embrace the privilege and convenience that come from not going to the office from 9 to 5.
  2. Appreciate the freedom you have and make the most of it (use the free time for a new hobby?)
  3. Slowly progress with your organization skills and remember it’s not only helpful for work but also builds a strong character.
  4. Become your best friends with your agenda, write down all your goals and plans, even the simplest ones. The excellent planner can make the excellent freelancer.
  5. Wake up 15 minutes earlier to enjoy the new day.
  6. Check your mailbox within previously fixed hours.
  7. Organize space designed for work only
  8. You don’t need to stay at home all day long. Go to a nice cafe and get work done in a refreshing environment.

Everyone has their own methods according to their needs and private life. You just need to focus on what’s important to you and what would make you feel and perform best. It’s all about finding and keeping the right balance. When you’re able to do that, you can make your remote work the Oscar-winning, best scenario possible.

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Why choose glueglue?

We are a digital product agency with more than 10 years of experience and highly specialized skills in both design and development.
Over time, we have consolidated an agile and effective method to work best with all types of clients: from the start-up that needs some kind of support to the multinational corporation that wants to integrate a team with design and executive agility, our most appreciated peculiarity.
We are positioned in a medium-high market segment and are able to offer excellent value for money. Direct supervision by glueglue's founding partners of each project ensures the highest quality of service and finished product. We are on the top list of the best User Experience and digital product agencies on Clutch, the most widely used database of digital consulting agencies in the world.

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How does glueglue work and what are the areas of expertise?

We always start with a careful analysis of the customer's needs considering not only the product needs but also the medium and long-term business objectives.
As a first step, we often deal with the visual identity, evaluating the positioning by analyzing the competitor and identifying areas for improvement in terms of branding and image.
Then, we move on to the UX/UI area: we study the user experience of your product or service through a UX Review with 3 dedicated professionals to identify the points which it is necessary to act to improve the usability of the site or app examined.
In the following phase, we design the User Journey Map, i.e. the map of all the paths that the user follows, interacting with the product and the brand . Identifying all the contact points is of strategic importance in order to immerse ourselves in situations of real use and understand where value can really be created for the end user and therefore for the product.
We will then move on to the phase of creating the wireframes, with the sharing of an interactive prototype that will define the functionality and structure of each single page and interaction of the product.
Once the wireframes have been consolidated, we will move on to the design phase of the graphic interface, with attention paid to the smallest details in so as to ensure a positive and truly satisfying user experience.
At this point, our developers come into play for the implementation part. We use the most current technologies such as React, Flutter, Gatsby JS, Symfony, Node.JS and others to create products with high standards of quality and stability, working and pixel perfect.

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What distinguishes glueglue from other top design or product agencies?

To offer maximum value, the glueglue team works on a limited number of projects. In this way, our professionals can dedicate an uninterrupted focus to always obtain excellent results.
Each project is managed on the basis of precise deadlines and intermediate meetings with the client. We take care of the unique needs and potential of each product and consequently, each solution created is exclusive and highly customized.
Thanks to the experience of 10+ years in the digital sector, we have developed a successful method to achieve the highest goals in the areas that matter: strategy, design and development.

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Can you do web design?

We work on all types of digital products, from iOS and Android apps to webapps and complex platforms.
Furthermore, part of the team specializes in creating marketing websites, i.e. websites totally focused on promoting the product or services.

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Do you also do branding or should I look for another agency?

Being a full-service agency, we also offer branding services such as naming and logo design. Among the products we create for our customers, the brand guidelines stand out, i.e. the detailed guidelines document for the corporate image. We are totally comfortable working on existing guidelines or in collaboration with a branding agency.

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How much does it cost to entrust you with a digital project?

We like to always be as transparent as possible and we believe that talking openly about the budget is important to understand how to get added value from the partnership for both parties. Given this, since each customer has its own peculiarities and presents different challenges, we do not use a price list, but we invest time to understand the customer's reality well and provide a specific approach and an appropriate price.
Indicatively, the price of user experience and graphical interface design projects can vary in a range between €10,000 and €30,000, depending on various factors such as the client's needs and the complexity of the project.
The cost of the projects in area Branding is positioned between €5,000 and €15,000, always taking into account any possible peculiarities.
As regards the more technical part, the cost for the development of iOS and Android web and mobile apps ranges from €20,000 upwards .
Website development starts from a minimum of €10,000. Our average hourly rate for single consultations is €60 per hour.
If you want to get to know us better, you can schedule 30 minutes free by appointment.

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Do you also work with early stage startups, therefore with limited resources?

Of course, we love startups! Over time we have met many enlightened and highly talented entrepreneurs.
We have invested in some startups, preferring work for equity. Our experience has always been positive, contributing to the achievement of various rounds of investments for a total value of over 30 million Euros.

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