What We Do
EightShapes collaborates with our clients to design web sites and other interactive products using user-centered techniques and the latest methods for documenting design.
Design
Design includes the site’s underlying structure, the interface behaviors, and the visual aesthetic. EightShapes also develops front-end code. We conduct frequent usability testing throughout the process to incorporate the user’s voice into the design.
- Concept sketches, interaction models, and design strategy
- Roadmaps for user experience and phased design plans
- Wireframes, flows, maps, and functional specifications
- Visual design and style guides
- Interactive prototypes demonstrating rich functionality
- Standards-based HTML/CSS front-end development
Research
EightShapes establishes a vision for the project based on user research, stakeholder discussions, and our collaborative brainstorming sessions. We develop a plan for doing detailed design activities that align with project parameters. We typically produce:
- User research reports and one-page executive summaries
- Usability testing
- Research plans
- Personas
- Mental models and user models
- Stakeholder interview summaries
- Cost-effective recruiting strategies
Teach
Design teams like working with EightShapes because our processes involve teaching designers how to be better, more efficient and adept with contemporary tools and techniques. Our job is not done when we hand in a deliverable (as nicely formatted as it might be). To teach design teams, our projects include:
- Collaborative brainstorming and design sessions
- Workshops that address various aspects of the design process
- Documentation about processes (in addition to design)
- Frequent working sessions for hashing out design concepts
We can also…
- Write content and establish an editorial process for your web site
- Mentor your design team to improve their processes and documentation
- Plan for a content management system (CMS) implementation
- Facilitate brainstorming sessions to help define your product ideas
- Establish guidelines and design standards for ongoing growth