Measure twice. Code once.
The most expensive change you can make to a project is the one you make after it's been built. Time spent on the brief makes the build faster and the outcome better — so we start with a conversation, not code.
This is a standalone piece of work. It ends with a document you own and can take anywhere, whether or not the build happens here.
What's included
Problem → solution → service areas. One package, not parallel products.
You're building for “everyone,” and the site isn't landing with anyone.
Who you're actually talking to
- User Research
- Audience Strategy
Research into who uses the thing you're making, what they came for, and where they give up. We segment the audience and hand back findings you can act on — not a report that sits in a folder.
Example: A wellness brand that thought their site was for “everyone interested in health” — research showed three distinct visitors (skeptical first-timers, returning clients, and referring practitioners), each giving up at a different point.
People land on the site and still can't tell what you do or why it matters.
What your site should say
- Brand Strategy
- Copywriting
- Content Strategy
The message, the order it arrives in, and the words that carry it. Copy strategy is decided before layout, because the layout exists to serve what you're saying.
Example: A Johannesburg consultancy whose homepage led with process jargon; we rewrote the message order so a first-time visitor could answer “what do you do / who is it for / what happens next” in under ten seconds.
You're about to pay for look-and-feel before you've tested whether the flow even works.
Where it goes on the page
- Interaction Design
- Information Architecture
Page structure and user flows, drawn as interactive wireframes you can click through. You see how the thing behaves before it looks like anything, which is the cheapest possible moment to change your mind.
Example: Clickable wireframes for a multi-step enquiry flow — the client changed the order of three screens before any UI was designed, and cut a step that was asking for paperwork too early.
You're being pushed toward a custom build and you're not sure you need one.
The right tools for the job
- Technology Consulting
Which stack, which platform, which off-the-shelf tool — and where the honest answer is that you don't need custom work at all. Sometimes the recommendation is a R400-a-month subscription. You'll get that answer straight.
Example: A sole operator asking for a custom booking app; the recommendation was a R400-a-month tool plus a thin branded site — documented in the brief so they could take it elsewhere or come back for the build later.
The other lines
For clients who are not yet sure what to build.
Tell us where you are. We'll recommend the right starting point — including when the work shouldn't be custom.