Our approach

We use a design-led approach in our work. This means that we start design exploration as early as possible, test prototypes with users and other stakeholders, and gather insights from research to inform further design iterations.

Working in this way allows us to consider many options before rapidly increasing design fidelity. All that while keeping a steady focus on understanding and meeting user, business, and technical needs.

See how it works in practice

When to work with us

We can bring value at any stage of your project roadmap. From early proof-of-concept demos to fully-featured prototypes, our design processes ensure products are user-centred and meet business needs.

This is when companies usually ask us to work with them:

1To formalise an idea

We design and build a MVP demo to align stakeholders to one vision of the product or to win investment.

2To develop features

We prototype features and explore them in user research to test and evaluate key functionality for users.

3To design for production

We produce high-fidelity designs and specifications for a handoff to development teams leading to product release.

4To evolve a product

We identify new and unmet user needs, and opportunities for product refinement through explorative design-led research.

How we collaborate

There are many ways in which we collaborate with our partners. In the past we’ve formed successfully funded consortia within academia, consulted for industry and non-profit organisations, and provided design knowledge exchange for collaborators looking to improve in-house design capability.

Consultancy

We lead design on agreed components of a partner’s software tool. They retain all IP to the outputs of our work.

Knowledge exchange

We work to build design capabilities within a partner’s team by sharing working principles, processes, and techniques.

Joint venture

We collaborate with a partner organisation to build a new tool or service. IP is shared between partners.

Funding partnership

We work on a tool or service as co-applicants to a third-party funding scheme or grant.

Project structures

We plan short and long projects using three basic modules: workshops, design sprints, and research sprints. With these few elements every collaboration can be tailored to specific project requirements, goals, and budgets.

Design workshop to review UI and UX and provide design advice.

Kick-off workshop followed by a design sprint to deliver a prototype (for example a demo).

A design sprint to build a prototype for a design-led research sprint, and a final workshop to report back the findings.

Iterating a design prototype through two rounds of design-led research sprints, followed by a design sprint to build a demo or a handoff to developers.