Build · Digital Products
UX & product design
User research, service design and accessible interfaces that make complex institutional services simple to use.
The challenge
Institutional services are often designed around the organisation's structure rather than the person using them. Forms ask for information the organisation already holds, journeys cross departments without explanation, and the result is abandonment and avoidable contact.
Design is frequently treated as visual polish applied late in delivery. By then the expensive decisions about process, data and scope have been made, and design can only decorate them.
We bring research and design to the start of the work, test with real users including those with access needs, and produce design systems that engineering teams can build from directly.
Our method
How the work is done.
- 01
Research
Interviews, contextual observation and analytics review with real users, including people with disabilities and low digital confidence.
- 02
Service mapping
End-to-end service blueprints showing user steps, staff activity, systems and pain points across channels.
- 03
Prototype and test
Rapid prototypes tested in rounds with users, refined until key tasks can be completed without assistance.
- 04
Design system
Accessible components, patterns, content guidelines and design tokens maintained in step with the code library.
- 05
Support delivery
Designers stay embedded with engineering through build to resolve detail and protect the tested experience.
Deliverables
What you receive.
- Research findings and user needs statements
- Personas or user groups grounded in evidence
- Service blueprint for current and future state
- Tested interactive prototypes
- Design system with components, tokens and usage guidance
- Content and microcopy guidelines
- Usability test reports with prioritised recommendations
Engagement options
Ways to buy it.
- 014–6 weeks
Design discovery
Research, service mapping and tested concepts to inform a build decision.
- 026–12 weeks
Design system build
Creation or consolidation of an accessible design system and code component library.
- 033–9 months
Embedded design
Designers and researchers working within a delivery team across releases.
Standards
Frameworks we work to.
- WCAG 2.2
- ISO 9241-210 (human-centred design)
- EN 301 549
- ISO 9241-11 (usability)
Questions
What buyers ask us.
Do you research with real users or only with stakeholders?
With real users. Stakeholder input shapes the questions, but the evidence comes from the people who will use the service.
How many users do you need to test with?
Small rounds of five to eight participants per user group, repeated as the design evolves, find most usability problems efficiently.
Can you work within our existing brand?
Yes. We extend your brand into an accessible digital system and flag where colour or typography choices would fail accessibility requirements.
Will the designs match what gets built?
The design system is maintained alongside the code library and designers stay involved through delivery, which keeps the two aligned.
Related services
Often delivered together.
Build
Web & mobile apps
Native-quality apps for iOS, Android and the web, engineered for low bandwidth, older devices and accessibility.
Build
Product engineering
End-to-end delivery of web platforms and internal systems, from architecture decisions to a stable production release.
Build
AI integration
Practical, governed use of large language models and machine learning inside existing services, with privacy and evaluation designed in.
Discuss ux & product design.
A senior engineer reviews every enquiry and replies within one business day.