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Writing from the studio: what building and running software for 23 years has taught us.

Recentposts

Fresh off the desk

Everything we've published, newest first. Browse by who it's for further down the page.

AI-accelerated delivery, demystified: what gets faster and what does not

A practitioner view of where AI tooling speeds up a software build, where it does not, and why senior judgement matters more, not less.

Seen over someone's shoulder, a hand marking a correction on a large printed technical drawing with a pencil.

Also this month

Where AI Earns Its Place, and Where It Is an Unjustified Cost

5 Common Cognitive Biases That Undermine User Research

A Complete Guide to Creating a Design System That Works

Forbusiness owners

Commissioning software

What to expect, and what to ask for, when you commission software: how briefs get scoped, where budgets actually go, and what good delivery looks like day to day.

Two people on different errands in the same building entrance: one standing to read a wall-mounted directory, the other crouched at a leaflet rack reading a booklet.

Information architecture

Designing for Two Audiences Without Splitting Your Site in Two

A person wiping one section of a whiteboard clean with a cloth, the rest of the board still covered in a boxes-and-arrows diagram.

The AI Pilot Graveyard: Why Most AI Proofs of Concept Never Ship

Gloved hands servicing a large red industrial machine with a spanner, a roll of tools laid out open beside them.

Total cost of ownership

The Real Cost of Software Is Not the Build

A person working through a tray of paper forms at a back-office counter, sorting them into stacks in front of a row of filing cabinets.

Where AI Earns Its Place, and Where It Is an Unjustified Cost

5 Common Cognitive Biases That Undermine User Research

Perception Vs Reality: How To Define Project Scope For Digital Products

User Research Workshops: It’s All About Scope

Using Trust and Transparency to Build Fintech Apps That Succeed

App Update Lessons: The Most Impactful (And Detrimental)

How Investing in Better Fintech Onboarding Pays Dividends for Your ROI

UI & Branding: User Interfaces To Win More Customers

Web Development

Don’t Be a Creep: What Is Scope Creep & How to Address It

The Anatomy of a Great Digital Product: It’s All About Purpose

Fortechnical leaders

The craft decisions

The craft decisions, written up the way we actually made them: the trade-offs, the constraints behind them, and what we'd do differently with hindsight.

Seen over someone's shoulder, a hand marking a correction on a large printed technical drawing with a pencil.

AI-accelerated delivery, demystified: what gets faster and what does not

From thearchive

The back catalogue

Older pieces that still hold up, with their original publish dates left on. Not everything ages out. Some of this is still exactly how we'd put it today.

Three iphones showing an AR application, scanning a boiler in the background

AR Repairs: Improving Self-Service With Augmented Reality

Two designers discussing a wall of pinned sketches and printouts in a studio.

De-risking Innovation: Make Creativity Work for Commercial Results

A four by three grid layout that presents various illustrations in each box. All illustrations reperesent methods of user research, such as A B Testing, and user suverys.

Top 12 Must-Know User Research Techniques

Best EV Charging Apps In The UK - A Tech Review

Embracing Excellent UX to Transform Workflow

How To Approach Cross-Platform UX Design

Grid System in App Design: A UI Essential

How Digital Design Innovation Can Drive Sustainability

How Social Media Apps’ UX & UI Are Designed To Engage… And Be Addictive

Sailboating: How This Agile Activity Can Help You Spark Innovation

How to Write User Stories That Matter

User Personas vs User Requirements: Understanding End-Use

Overcoming Product Owner Challenges in an Agile Environment

Feature Addiction: Why Too Many Features Can Ruin a Digital Product Before It Begins

React & React Native: Mastering Design Patterns & SOLID Principles for Effective Software Development

Turn User Research Data Analysis into Actionable UX Insights in 5 Steps

9 Reasons Why React is Still Popular in 2024

A Step-By-Step Guide to User Shadowing for UX User Research

How to Use MoSCoW Prioritisation to Help Deliver Better Software Products

Top 4 Soft Skills Every UX Designer Must Have to be Successful

Screen Reader User Experience (UX): The Best Practices For Accessibility

Agency Models: Retainer vs. Project-Based for Digital Product Development

Cross-platform Explored: React Native vs Xamarin vs Flutter

Agile Discovery Workshops: How To Run One & Why

Design Thinking: Empathy

Design Thinking: Define

Design Thinking: Test

Inclusive Design: Colour Accessibility

Recommendedreading

A handful of pieces worth your time first, picked by the studio rather than the calendar.

The rest

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