Why we're different

Developing software is a team effort: it can't be done well without communication.

When we build software, we keep dialogue open with you, so that we can share prototypes, exchange ideas and make sure we stay on the same page at all times. Before each iteration, we formalise requirements together with you, so that there are no big surprises on delivery day.

Consultation is always free: we don't believe in charging you before you know if we're the right fit.

It's easy for software developers to adopt the 'car mechanic' approach and keep you in the dark about how hard something is or why something costs what it does. Honesty is so important to us: we want to make sure you understand why and how things work, both in terms of development and in the way we do business.

We're huge fans of Plain English, and this is reflected in our communication style and even our contracts.

Part of why we're in this is to have fun, and we want you to have fun working with us too. So apologies in advance for all the Twin Peaks and Kate Bush references.

Software isn't finished when the first version is delivered. Every release adds new features and functionality.

That's why regression testing is so important to us: we build automated tests into every iteration of a product so that you can be sure the old features are still working whenever we create new ones.

You can read more about this on our blog.

When you're running a business you need to know it can cope as your userbase grows. Software designed on a small scale is often useless once you reach thousands of users and results in costly rewrites.

We build web applications to the Twelve-Factor specification, which means they are designed to grow as your userbase grows, without the need for rewriting. Applications built to this specification are also highly portable, and can equally run on the tiniest virtual server or a scalable cloud like Heroku.

We don't believe in big six-month projects with all the requirements agreed up-front. With software, it's hard to know what comes next until you and your users have seen and used what's been done so far.

We develop iteratively, typically doing around 35-40 hours' work on a project at a time. At the end of a phase, you'll have working software you can play with and give to your users, and then we can design the next phase together.

This also helps us charge appropriately: when a small set of requirements for a phase has been agreed up-front, we can also set a fixed price for that phase, so there are no nasty surprises at the end.

A piece of software is a living work: development doesn't stop when you launch it to customers. There will always be updates, new features and new customers.

Code written by third parties can be very unpleasant for future developers, especially if the original developer is expected to leave the project immediately after being paid.

We're extremely aware of this and so we try to create the most reusable and portable code possible, following practices like convention-over-configuration, the Twelve-Factor specification and behaviour-driven development, all of which will help anything we make for you be as comfortable a fit for future developers as it can be.

A swanky website isn't going to cut it when you're picking a developer for your next big business idea. You need evidence that we are who we say we are.

And for that, please take a look at our extensive portfolio. We've done work from the smallest tweaks through to entire applications that back tech businesses; work grounded in over 15 years' industry experience.

In 2017, main developer Quinn was chosen as one of ten finalists in the IPSE Freelancer of the Year award.

"Quinn is unlike any other developer we have ever worked with, in that they have that rare combination of technical excellence, crystal clear communication and customer empathy."
— David Rose, CEO of Noiiz

We make no secret of our political convictions: we're here to make software that benefits humanity, even in small ways. We're not going to sell ourselves out, and that means we're not going to sell you out either.

It's said that software reproduces oppression unless it is explicitly designed not to. It's easy to miss things like systemic bias or inaccessbility when designing software, and we'll be there trying our hardest to point them out when we see them in designs, or to consult with the affected group.

We also believe government should be there to protect the vulnerable, and to that end we pay all our taxes, whether or not they are spent wisely by the people in power.