Software

We develop software through a user-centered agile development process.

In our experience, this approach offers the following advantages:
    Because you are always in control of your budget, there isn’t any of the ‘slippage’ seen in projects where estimates are made early based on a vague set of initial requirements
    Because usability testing is integrated with the process, usability issues are found early in the overall process, before they are expensive to correct
    Because each iteration is complete and viable, you can launch initial iterations immediately, learning from those iterations to refine your needs for later phases

Initial setup for a project involves:
    Planning – together, we set broad timelines, budgets, and determine what usability methods are appropriate.
    Analysis – we conduct initial usability and do any baseline analysis on existing software.
    Infrastructure – we create the WIKIs, servers, RSS feeds, etc. that we use to keep in regular communication with you.

 Our Agile UCD Process
(the storyboard)

    Story Creation – we create the initial set of stories that the developers will use to write your software and then developers review and estimate the stories.
    Story Prioritization – you prioritize the stories that you want first and group them into the first iteration of the software.
    Development – we develop your stories one at a time, checking in with you or conducting testing with your customers if there are questions. At the end of the iteration, you have a functional piece of software.
    Review – after we’ve tested the mechanics of the initial iteration, you review the working software. At this point, you can ask for usability processes, change what you need, revise the priorities, or start the next iteration.