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_____________________________________________________________________pro fileis conducive to producing great work. We spend rather a lot of time and eff ort getting the people we employ up to the standard we need that fits with the work we do.
“And as we use the agile design process we need people working full time to meet a project’s objectives using this method. We do use freelancers for specific jobs. If we have a project that requires a particular direction, we will bring in one of our trusted designers to work up some ideas. Or perhaps we have a heavily technical project for which we have people that we can call upon.
“However, when we can we will stick with our full-time staff as they know how we work, and as eff iciency is at the core of our business, we find full-time staff are the best way of achieving the levels of eff iciency we are looking for. We also want to promote an open environment where everyone learns from everyone else. We like to think that if someone wants to progress, they can within our of personal development.”
best way of approaching them? “I think one of the biggest headaches for agencies is staff ing,” said
people that have done interesting work in the industry. This is why it’s vital to have high quality work out there to be found. We may not have a
touch with them, as we liked their work.
note just to say I liked their work and perhaps ask how they achieved a particular eff
hold open chats were we talk about what is happening in design and development. These events are informal but it’s a nice way to start relationships and build a community that could benefit us in the future. And if a project comes in that doesn’t meet our business or strategic objectives we will often recommend another agency or designer we think could help. We have built a rapport with these people over a time and are confident with our recommendations.”
And what is Browser looking for in the people it employs? René explains what talents make him sit up and take notice: “The quality we are looking for first and foremost is enthusiasm with the craft and also within our community. Many of the people we have employed are also avid bloggers, or networkers who have understood how to market themselves. When you do come across someone with an inner thirst for learning, that really does shine and they are the kind of people we want to work with. We also actively go out to universities and present to
WEB ... www.browserlondon.com
FOUNDERS ... Julian Morency ...and René Morency
YEAR FOUNDED ... September 2008
CURRENT EMPLOYEES ... 12
LOCATION ... Shoreditch, London
SERVICES
> Digital strategy and innovation
> Digital design
> UX and UI
> Web applications
> Mobile applications
For the past year and a half, Browser has been using Agile for both its design and development processes. Taking this approach has allowed the design and development to take place in tandem during each sprint, meaning Browser can move quickly from sketching out design ideas to having a working solution in the browser. A benefit of this is that it enables user testing of new features early on in the design process. Browser can do this quickly and often, as well as being able to gain client feedback – clients can add new content for a user story at the end of each sprint, so content evolves as the project progresses.
The website design for Workshop Coffee (www.workshopcoffee.com) is one of the most recent projects to receive the Agile treatment, and is Browser’s most refined example of it. After initial scoping, Browser mapped out the user stories and then organised them into phases and sprints. From start to finish the agency held weekly consultation meetings with Workshop Coffee to make sure that what it was working hard on was exactly what Workshop needed. This approach enabled Browser to tweak the project as it went along, rather than making costly, time consuming changes at the end.
Browser is proud of the result. As well as producing a nice responsive site, it managed to throw in some advanced design features, such as an off canvas design, more commonly found on native apps. To achieve smooth animation and great performance for the off-canvas navigation, it utilised CSS transforms and transitions rather than a JavaScript/jQuery solution. This achieved a great and engaging result. The sepia CSS
Workshop Coffee
students. We have close links to our old universities (Solent and Bournemouth) and we are building new relationships all the time. And we don’t just present about the work we have done, but also talk about the methodology we use.”
Browser is an agency on the move. The fact it has clearly defined business and strategic objectives is often missing from other agencies in this sector. With an order book that is full until the summer, René concluded by outlining what the future holds: “The business has grown year-on-year. What we are particularly proud of are the processes we have now defined, which enable us to work eff iciently. We have just taken on a new business director who has a lot of experience, and we have new members of staff starting shortly. What’s more, with an order book that is full until the middle of the year, including some interesting clients in the enterprise sector, 2013 is looking like a great year for us.”