Merge Development
Merge Development is a Ukrainian UI/UX design and development agency. Merge helps businesses with UX, development, and scaling of their digital products.
Merge Development works with startups from the USA, Australia and Europe. Merge specialists have gathered a wide range of competencies by combining various experiences. Thanks to this they became experts in creating beautiful interfaces and high-quality functional applications, based on:
- Focus on UX
The agency creates digital products that are loved by users.
- Design-thinking
Merge specialists focus on the problem and finding the best possible solution.
- Client's goals in the centre of attention
Merge cares about the success of clients and helps them achieve their business goals.
There are many well-known companies among the agency's clients. One of them is Mural. It is a startup with millions of users around the world that develops a digital workplace for remote team work. Merge Development designers have been helping the Mural product lab to test new hypotheses for more than two years. Together they have made significant progress in improving the product.
The founder and CEO of Merge, Pavlo Tseluiko, created his first website at the age of 15, and at 17 he already founded his own company. Pasha talked about the history of Merge Development and his principles of team management in an interview with Happy Monday. Pavlo has a Telegram channel where he shares business advice. He also hosts a podcast about entrepreneurship in Ukraine directly from the people who shape this field.
During the full-scale war, the company launched an online school, Merge Academy. Its aim is to teach Ukrainians the professions of the new economy. Four courses are currently available at the academy:
- Webflow.Basics
- Front-end Developer
- UI/UX Design (Middle)
- Figma
Fully remote work, free schedule and transparent communication
The Merge Development team works completely remotely. You can live in any city and be part of the agency. The work schedule is flexible: each employee manages his/her own working time. The most important rules are to work for the result and not to miss work calls that are scheduled in advance in the Google calendar. If there are no calls, you can go for a walk or to the gym during the day, and work early in the morning or in the evening.
For internal communication and task setting the team uses Slack and Notion. Designers and developers have everyday online meetings within their teams. During these meetings they set tasks, discuss projects, analyze performed work and share professional successes and failures with colleagues. These calls give employees a feeling of constant connection with the team and understanding that you will always be supported when you need it.
Once a month all employees gather for a joint call, where the CEO answers their questions (they can be asked anonymously) and introduces new team members. At the end of each month employees receive a letter with the company's results for the current period. And once a quarter the CEO reports about the dynamics of the company's development in accordance with the set goals.
Care for the health and development of employees
Merge Development employees have 20 paid vacation days and 10 sick days per year. Also, if necessary, you can always take an additional day off. You just need to agree this with your manager beforehand.
Quarterly each employee receives $200 for expenses on physical and mental health: gym, doctors and psychologists consultations, sports uniforms or equipment, massages, meditation courses, etc. This money can be accumulated and used to equip a comfortable workplace. An installment option is also possible: the company pays the full cost of the laptop, and then counts out fixed shares from the employee's salary during some time.
Each specialist receives $1,000 per year for self-development and training. This money can be used to pay for courses, training sessions, conferences, educational literature and other classes or materials for professional and personal development. Also you can attend corporate online English lessons with native speakers for free.
Merge Development is a young actively developing company. In 2022 they want to expand the team from 50 to 100 employees, so there are many opportunities for career growth in the agency. Every six months each employee determines career goals based on his/her wishes regarding professional development within the company with the manager. If you put in the effort, you can eventually grow to a team lead, tech lead or art director. Of course, your salary also will increase.
Core values for Merge Development employees
Merge Development has some key principles that help the team to be on the same page and move in the same direction.
Partners, not clients
Being client-first company Merge treats clients as partners. This approach allows them to focus on building long-term relationships based on trust and mutual benefits.
Honesty
Being honest and open is the standard in communication between Merge Development colleagues at work and in everyday life. You can feel it from the very first day in the company.
Passion, curiosity, growth
These are the three things that drive the company forward and make employees better with every challenge they solve and every design they create.
Action and reaction
At Merge, employees don’t wait until someone tells them what to do. Being experts in their fields, they go out and propose the solution first, and get feedback second.
Failures are fingerposts to success
Those who fear making a mistake create with boundaries in mind. Merge Development promotes out-of-box thinking under the supervision of a mentor to nourish creativity.
Merge Development's contribution to the Ukrainian victory
In a difficult time for Ukraine, the Merge Development team does not stand aside and supports the Armed Forces of Ukraine and people affected by the war in every possible way. The company donates part of the profit to the army. And each employee transfers his birthday gift from the company ($1000) to one of the charity funds.
The company is also preparing courses for developers and designers. Students of these courses will have the opportunity to join the Merge Development team. The agency believes that such an initiative will help people who lost their jobs because of the war to get a new profession and start a career in IT.
Hiring process and adaptation in the team
Depending on the position there are 2 or 3 stages of candidate selection. For example designers need to have a portfolio, pass an interview with a recruiter and Head of Design, and complete a test task. For other positions, it is enough to go through two stages of the interview: with the recruiter and the team leader, and sometimes complete a test task.
The agency works only with foreign clients. That’s why the most important requirement for candidates for all positions is to know English at a level B1 (Intermediate) or higher. Designers also need to know how to use the graphic editor Figma.
During the first weeks HR and the team leader support and coordinate the newcomer. They introduce him/her to the course of affairs, consult on certain issues, explain tasks and goals. Workload increases gradually and depends on how a person adapts.