How we actually work
Every engagement runs through six phases. We write the steps down so a new client knows what to expect, and so a new member of the team can join an engagement halfway through and not have to ask twice.
Six phases, named
In order. Skipped on rare occasion. Never collapsed.Listen
A first conversation has no slides. We come with questions and a notebook. The output is a short written summary that becomes the basis of any later proposal.
Locate
A paid two-week discovery, ending in a written brief that pins down audience, scope, and the things we will deliberately not do.
Direct
Two or three key surfaces designed to a finish. We commit early so that we have something concrete to defend or change, not a moodboard to hide behind.
Extend
The remaining surfaces, components, and edge cases. The boring half of design work, which is also the more important half.
Build
Engineering by the same studio that did the design. There is no handover that requires a translator.
Stay
After launch we stay close at the level the work needs — a retainer, a block of hours, or a quiet shoulder to ask a question over.
Things we hold to
A short list.Examined regularly.
Write everything down.
Briefs, decisions, tradeoffs, post-mortems. If it is not written, it did not happen, and the next person to ask will be told a different version.
Commit early.
Two or three key surfaces designed to a finish in the first sprint, so we have something concrete to defend or change. Endless iteration is a tax on the work.
Ship the boring half.
Empty states, error states, edge cases, the small print. The boring half is where most projects fail; it is also where most studios stop paying attention.
Measure with field data.
Lab metrics and synthetic tests are useful. Real users on real devices are the metric. We instrument before we tune.
Hand over with intent.
A live training session, a recorded walkthrough, and a written field manual. We are explicit about what we are no longer responsible for.
Say no for the right reasons.
A budget that does not match the brief, a tool we do not believe in, a deadline that is theatrical. We say no. It is rarely received warmly. It is always received accurately.