How we partner
We use an iterative design process that encourages our partners and clients to be actively involved throughout the development period. We prefer to have frequent meetings and review periods to ensure that our work is in line with expectations and budget.
OVERVIEW
The process begins by defining the parameters of the project - audience, objective, and scope. Then we storyboard your concepts or ideas to narrow down the aesthetic, design, and main interaction points for the project. After approval of the storyboards and design documents, we begin to design the first iteration of the software, and enter "the loop" of testing, implementing, evaluating, and refining the project.
AUDIENCE
Defining the target audience for the project is one of the most critical steps because it helps inform a number of technology choices that must be made early in the design process. Thinking about these audience questions early in the process will help guide our technology choices about back-end systems for scalability and delivery methods.
OBJECTIVES
Once the audience has been determined, the next step is to think about the objectives that should be achieved through the user experience. Wherever possible, the objectives should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reasonable, Trackable.
ESTIMATES AND PROJECT SPECIFICATION
Once these details have been determined, the UCSIM team will work with you to create a Proposal & Estimate document that, once approved, provides the basis of the Project Specification, Service Level Agreement, or Contract that formalizes our understanding and agreement about the work to be performed.
DESIGN & "THE LOOP"
Once the overall project parameters are well defined, the real design work begins with the storyboarding of key frames, scenes, user interface elements, and action points, after which, the UCSIM team begins to develop your project or application and we enter "the loop" of testing, implementing, evaluating, and refining the project. This process ideally occurs in two-week springs, with frequent points of feedback to keep the project on track, on time, and on budget.
