Duo Process

Process

We approach your needs in a manner that blends proven methods with innovative client- and project-driven solutions. We understand that not all projects are created alike—which is why we work with you to figure out exactly what it is your business needs to determine how to best adapt our methodologies to suit those needs.

Sometimes a small, well-timed, targeted effort is all it takes to push a business initiative over the top of a wall. Sometimes there’s a broader scope that needs to be broken down and refined into the realities of user expectations in addition to business needs. What’s most important is that you know that every project receives the same level of focus and top-quality effort from our talented team.

Define

At the outset of a project, we prepare a realistic assessment of your objectives and the resources required to realize these goals. Together, we map out the scope of the work and lay the foundation for your website or interactive tools. We create a content strategy based on your existing data, and we determine what’s missing. From there, we work up sitemaps to illustrate the structure and flow of the proposed site, and form wireframes that offer a clear picture of the necessary tasks on the road ahead.

We then present you with this information, taking care to ensure you understand every aspect of the proposed design, before formalizing our agreement on each of these elements. This process ensures that all parties are knowledgeable about the planning and ways of collaboration, and provides a basis for responding to the inevitable adjustments that appear along the way.

Design

In the Design phase, we explore user interaction. We focus on the ways you would like to relate to your clients and customers, and the ways you want them to interact with you. From creative brief to final comprehensive theme design, we work with you create an overall digital experience that captures the attention of your clients and customers and encourages them to engage with the content on your site.

User experience is a key focus here--it’s important that the desired elements of engagement and interaction are in line with the capabilities and expectations of your users. Even the flashiest site can have its aesthetics work against its functionality, which is why we take care to balance content and appearance while keeping in mind the high value of a positive user experience.

This stage includes follow-through on the concepts detailed in the wireframes. Tied closely to the Develop phase of the project, this broader effort is broken down into a series of steps that include mockup presentations, reviews and approvals, all to ensure that no detail goes unaccounted for.

Develop

During the Develop phase, your website is brought to life. Key steps at this point include application setup, configuration, customization, and integration with third-party applications and tools. The work completed during the Define and Design phases of the project minimizes the need for step-by-step approvals and enables us to focus on implementing agreed-upon elements. Simultaneous front-end and back-end development also allows us to ensure that the entire system supporting your website is fully integrated and functions smoothly.

Refine

With the system built and in place, the Refine phase enables us to conduct extensive quality assurance testing of your website and associated applications. We don’t just look for what’s working, we also look for what doesn’t work. (This is where it gets fun!) We attempt to “break” the system, to uncover and correct any programming errors, memory leaks and performance issues. Cross-browser and cross-platform stress and usability tests are just a few of the many assessments we conduct to ensure that your site functions flawlessly. We want to find and fix any hidden problems before they could potentially be disruptive for you.

Review

In this final phase in the Duo process, we deliver your completed website and/or custom functionality, and provide necessary training for site administrators. We also conduct thorough analyses of the project deliverables — site launch, employment of search engine optimization and establishment of analytics reports — and of the project itself. How well did we work with you? What can we both learn from the engagement in order to ensure an even smoother process the next time?