Our approach
Apps that Learn, Grow and Connect
In practice: software that gets better from how people really use it, starts with what you need now and has room to grow, and works with the systems and people you already have.
Learn · Grow · Connect
What the three words mean in practice
Learn
We learn how your work happens before we build, and how people use what we built once it is live.
Measure
Simple analytics show which screens people use, where they give up and what they never find.
Ask
Numbers show what happened, not why. So we also ask the people who use it, with short feedback forms and conversations.
Improve
We change one thing at a time and check that it helped, instead of guessing.
Grow
We build what you need now, in a way that leaves room for what comes next.
Start with the main job
A first version that does the most important job well goes live sooner than one that tries to do everything.
Ready for a mobile app later
Your data and rules are kept apart from the screens, so a website can later gain a mobile app that uses the same data, without starting again.
Add when the need is real
New features come when people need them, not because they were on the first wish list.
Connect
Software should work with the tools and the people you already have.
Your systems
When the booking tool, the spreadsheet and the accounting package do not talk, someone retypes information between them. We connect them, so people stop being the integration.
Your people
Members, volunteers, parents, clients: profiles, groups and discussion connect them to each other, not only to you.
The idea behind IBIS
Our own product, IBIS, is built on it: one connected system for operations, finance, people and growth.
Areas of specialisation
What we build
Four kinds of work, and our own product.
Estimate your project-
Websites
Sites that say clearly who you are and what you do, quick to load on a phone and, if you want, easy for your team to update.
Estimate a website -
Web applications
Tools your people log in to and use in a browser, such as bookings, records, applications and reports, shaped around how your organisation works.
Estimate a web application -
Mobile apps for iOS and Android
One app, written once in React Native, that runs on iPhone and Android. Worth it when people need it in their pocket, with notifications or offline use.
Estimate a mobile app -
Client journey design
We map the path a person takes, from a first visit to staying connected, and shape the site or app around that path.
Start an estimate -
Business systems: IBIS
IBIS, our Integrated Business Intelligence System, brings operations, finance, people and growth into one system. If you need a business system rather than a custom app, start there.
Visit IBIS
Process
How a project runs
Six steps, from the first conversation to looking after it once it is live.
Conversation
Book a consultation and tell us what you are trying to do, and for whom. You do not need a technical brief.
Estimate and scope
The estimator gives you a ballpark to plan with. After the consultation we confirm scope and price in writing.
Design
We design the main screens and how people move between them. You see them before anything is built.
Build, in small pieces you can see
You try each piece as it is finished, so changes happen early, while they are still small.
Launch
We put it live, check it on real phones and connections, and show your team how to run it.
Care and growth
If you choose, we can look after hosting and keep it updated, backed up and monitored after launch, and use what we learn to improve it.
How we work with you
Documentation and tests
Every feature ships with written documentation and automated tests, so whoever works on it next, including you, can change it safely.
Your content and data
Your content and your data belong to you. We agree ownership of the code in writing before we start.
Plain-language updates
We tell you what was done, what is next and what we need from you, in words you can pass on to your team or board.
Questions
What people ask before they start
Can you design the path people take through a site or app?
Yes. Client journey design maps that path, from a first visit to staying connected, and we shape the site or app around it.
Do you work with NGOs and non-profits?
Yes. We build for South African founders and for social-impact organisations, NGOs and social enterprises among them. See our NGO work
How do estimates work?
Choose what you need in the estimator and you see a ballpark in rand. The build is a one-off. Hosting, if you add it, is recurring. It is a planning figure, not a quote. We confirm scope and price after a consultation.
Do we need to be in the same city as you?
No. We are based in Bloemfontein, South Africa, and we also work with organisations in other parts of the country, over video calls, email and WhatsApp.
What happens after launch?
You choose. If you want, we host it and keep it updated, backed up and monitored. Or you look after it yourself, with the documentation we hand over.
Next step
Tell us what you are trying to do
Get a ballpark for your project, or book a consultation and talk it through.
Or send a WhatsApp message to +27 71 426 7016.