How we work
One team, one roadmap, from the first conversation to the product you're still running in year two. Here's exactly what each phase involves.
Discovery
1 to 3 weeks
We turn what you already know, plus targeted research, into decisions the whole team can build against: the product definition, the core flow, a prioritised feature list, and a costed build plan.
- Stakeholder and user interviews
- A focused market and competitor pass
- The core flow mapped end to end, including failure states
- A prioritised feature list with a clear “not now” column
- A build plan with phases, timeline, and a real cost range
Design
2 to 4 weeks
Every state of the core flow, designed properly, tested with real users, and backed by just enough of a component system to hand over cleanly to engineering.
- Flows and wireframes for every screen and state
- Visual design in your brand, or a brand we build alongside it
- A clickable prototype tested with real users
- A lightweight design system engineering can build from
Build
6 to 11 weeks
Built on a stack another developer could pick up without a translation layer. Boring, well-supported technology, instrumented from day one so you can see what's working.
- Front end, back end, and the integrations your product needs
- Analytics on every meaningful step, not bolted on afterwards
- Staged rollout to a small group before a full launch
- A codebase documented well enough to hand over
Launch
1 to 2 weeks
The two weeks after go-live are where you learn the three things no amount of testing would have caught. We stay close for exactly that reason.
- Monitoring and rapid fixes in the first fortnight
- A read on the data: where people drop off, what they actually use
- A short, prioritised list of what to change next
Care
Ongoing
Most products need 20 to 30 percent of their build cost each year just to stay healthy. We offer that as a standing arrangement, not a surprise invoice.
- Hosting, monitoring, and security patching
- A monthly allowance of fixes and small improvements
- Priority access to the team that already knows your product
Every phase above has a founder or senior lead attached from the first call to launch, in your weekly calls, not cc'd on the notes. We take on fewer projects at once than we could, because that's the only way “founder-led” stays true past the pitch. Read more on what that actually means.
Common questions
- Do we have to start with discovery?
- No. If the scope is genuinely small, or you can already hand us a brief that survives hard questions, we can go straight to design. If you're not sure which applies, that's usually a sign discovery is worth the one to three weeks.
- What do you need from us each week?
- One decision-maker who can be in the key sessions and reply within a day or two. Projects move roughly twice as fast when feedback doesn't sit in an inbox.
- What happens after launch if we don't take a Care plan?
- Nothing breaks immediately, but most products need ongoing attention: security patches, small fixes, hosting changes. Without a standing arrangement, that work gets quoted and scheduled project by project, which is slower and usually costs more over a year.
- Can you join partway through an existing build?
- Yes, though we'll usually ask for a short paid discovery first so we understand what exists before committing to a timeline on top of it.
let's work together
See exactly where your build would start. Book a free consultation and we'll tell you which phase you're really in.
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