UI/UX Design
Design work is deciding what the product does and in what order, before anyone writes code. The visual layer comes last. Most products that feel confusing were not designed badly — they were never designed, only assembled.
How we approach it
Watch someone do it the old way
The current process — even if it is paper and phone calls — tells you more than any workshop. Real constraints show up here.
Structure before surface
Flows and screen inventory first. Choosing colours before knowing the screens is how projects redo the colours.
Build a system, not screens
Components, spacing and states, so the twentieth screen is consistent with the first and developers stop guessing.
Test with people who were not in the room
Five users outside the project find most of what is wrong. Everyone who helped build it has been trained not to see it.
Common questions
What is the difference between UI and UX design?
UX is what the product does and in what order — flows, structure, the decisions a user has to make. UI is what it looks like — layout, colour, type, states. A beautiful interface over a confused flow is still a confused product.
Do we need design if we already have developers?
Developers make design decisions whether or not a designer is involved; the choice is whether those decisions are deliberate. Design work in advance is usually cheaper than rebuilding screens once users are confused.
What is a design system and do we need one?
A reusable set of components, spacing rules and states that every screen is built from. Below roughly ten screens it is overhead. Beyond that it is what keeps the product consistent and stops developers reinventing a dropdown each time.
Often paired with
Talk it through
Tell us what you're trying to do and we'll tell you honestly whether this is the right way to do it.