How we work
Seven stages.
Every engagement.
Our process is structured to reduce risk, maintain momentum, and ensure every deliverable is useful, not just done.
Diagnose
Before we build anything, we understand everything.
We start by understanding your business goals, product risk, current systems, users, technical constraints, and success criteria. This stage protects you from building the wrong thing with the right execution.
Key Questions
- What is the real problem this product or feature solves?
- Who are the users and what are their actual workflows?
- What constraints, technical, legal, time, budget, are non-negotiable?
- What does success look like in 30, 90, and 180 days?
- What are the highest-risk unknowns?
Deliverables
- Technical or product audit
- Opportunity map
- Risk assessment
- Recommended engagement model
- Stakeholder alignment summary
Who's Involved
- Product lead
- Technical lead
- Key client stakeholders
Discover
Research the problem before designing the solution.
User research, stakeholder interviews, data review, workflow mapping, competitive analysis, and technical feasibility assessment. We create the artifacts that prevent expensive assumptions.
Key Questions
- Who are the real users and what do they actually do?
- What workflow problems are we solving, not just digitizing?
- What does existing data tell us about user behavior?
- What technical approaches are feasible given the constraints?
Deliverables
- Research synthesis
- FigJam journey maps
- Workflow documentation
- Technical feasibility notes
- Requirements definition
- Product brief
Who's Involved
- UX researcher
- Product manager
- Technical lead
- Client team
Design
Evidence-based design, not aesthetic guesswork.
Information architecture, wireframes, design system, Figma prototypes, and usability testing. We test before we build, because changing a Figma file costs nothing, and changing production code costs a lot.
Key Questions
- What is the right information hierarchy for this user and task?
- Where does user understanding break down in the workflow?
- What component patterns scale across the full product?
- What does usability testing reveal that we didn't expect?
Deliverables
- Information architecture
- Wireframes
- Figma high-fidelity prototype
- Component library
- Design system
- Usability test results
- Developer handoff documentation
Who's Involved
- UX designer
- Product manager
- Developer (for technical feasibility)
- Client stakeholders
Build
Clean code, documented systems, no shortcuts.
Frontend, backend, database, integrations, and cloud deployment. We write code that your team can maintain, extend, and understand, not clever code that only works if we're in the room.
Key Questions
- Is the architecture designed for the scale we need in 12 months, not just today?
- Are all integrations tested against real data, not just mocks?
- Does the data model support the business requirements without requiring rewrites?
- Is the deployment pipeline reliable enough for the team to use independently?
Deliverables
- Working product
- API documentation
- Infrastructure setup
- CI/CD pipeline
- Environment configuration
- Technical documentation
Who's Involved
- Frontend engineers
- Backend engineers
- DevOps
- QA (concurrent)
Test
Systematic risk reduction, not random clicking.
QA, automated tests, user acceptance testing, performance testing, and accessibility testing. We test the system, the edge cases, and the things users will definitely try that weren't in the spec.
Key Questions
- What are the highest-risk user flows that must work?
- What edge cases exist that aren't in the happy path?
- Does the product meet accessibility requirements?
- What is the performance profile under realistic load?
Deliverables
- QA test plan
- Automated test suite
- Bug reports with severity ratings
- Accessibility audit results
- Performance benchmark
- Release readiness checklist
Who's Involved
- QA engineers
- Frontend/backend engineers
- Product manager
- UAT participants
Launch
Production-ready, not just technically deployed.
Production deployment, analytics setup, monitoring configuration, error alerting, and stakeholder training. A launch isn't done until the team can operate the system without us.
Key Questions
- Is monitoring in place to detect problems before users report them?
- Does the team know how to operate the system independently?
- Are rollback procedures defined for critical failures?
- Is the analytics setup measuring what actually matters?
Deliverables
- Production deployment
- Launch plan
- Deployment documentation
- Monitoring setup
- Alert configuration
- Analytics configuration
- Team training session
Who's Involved
- DevOps
- Product manager
- Client ops team
Improve
Launched is not finished. It's the start.
Analytics review, user feedback synthesis, iteration planning, feature expansion, and optimization. The best products are shaped by real usage data, not launch-day assumptions.
Key Questions
- What is real user behavior telling us that we didn't predict?
- What are the highest-friction points in the current product?
- What features have the highest impact per unit of effort?
- What technical debt should be addressed before the next major feature?
Deliverables
- Usage analytics review
- Improvement backlog
- Performance report
- Roadmap updates
- Optimization recommendations
Who's Involved
- Product manager
- Analytics
- Engineering
- UX (for iteration research)
Engagement models
How we engage.
Product Build
End-to-end product delivery, from discovery and design through engineering, QA, and launch. Right for teams building new products or platforms.
Full process, all stages.
Sprint Collaboration
Embedded team members working in your existing sprints, design, engineering, or QA. Right for teams that need to accelerate delivery without rebuilding their process.
Stages 03–05 typically.
Technical Audit
A focused engagement to assess your current architecture, design system, QA coverage, or AI readiness, with a prioritized improvement roadmap.
Stages 01–02 typically.
Ready to start?
Tell us where you are in your product journey. We'll recommend the right engagement model.