What happens after the intro?
During my seven years as a freelance user interface designer, I complimented an older and wiser client of mine who ran his own creative agency on how smoothly the projects went that he hired me for. In reply, he shared a nugget that’s stuck with me for years:
“Managing projects is all about managing people’s expectations.”
~ John Edmonds, Voice of the Cadbury™ easter bunny
It’s with this insight that I’m writing a brief guide on what to expect when hiring a digital product studio like ours at Input Logic.
A little context
If you’re reading this, it’s likely you’ve received a link to this article or discovered it on Medium. Chances are, we haven’t had a call yet but we’ve been introduced. Originally I meant to share this privately with potential clients, but I thought sharing it publicly would be useful to anyone researching custom app design and development or looking for tips on how to plan a software project.
Step 1 — 👋🏽 Intro
Most people come to us through introductions. Every intro leads to a scheduled Google Hangout discovery call where we digitally shake hands and cover the basics:
The story behind Input
How we got started, our specialties, products we’ve built, our process
The story behind your app or idea
How you got started, your vision, how your team works
The broad scope of your vision
A description of your project including platform and features
A rough budget and timeline
A ballpark timeline and dollar amount to get it done
We work collaboratively with all our clients, so we avoid “big reveals.” Instead, we share work-in-progress like we’re on the same team. We’ll get your feedback every step of the way—sometimes with a quick Slack design review or an InVision link—so there are no surprises.
If the intro call feels like a great fit, we schedule a project scoping workshop to dig into the details.
Step 2 — 🕵🏼 Scoping session
This is where we create a detailed digital product roadmap and define a clear scope to produce an accurate software development budget and timeline. Unlike the intro call, the scoping session includes a project manager and key team members, and we invite you to bring stakeholders as well.
In the scoping session we:
Create an object map of your product
Create an object map of your product—user profiles, ride shares, dates, recipes, you name it.Determine our level of involvement—do you need UI/UX design, front-end, API, back-end, or full-stack mobile app development?
Once we understand the features and our role, we commit to sending a detailed estimate within a few days and set up a review call.
Determine our level of involvement
With each feature in mind, we figure out if you need a hand with design, front-end, API, backend, mobile, or all of the above
Once we know what needs to be created and which parts we can help with, we commit to getting you a budget and timeline within a few days, and we schedule a call to review it.
Step 3 — ⏰ Scope, budget & timeline
With a clear picture of your goals, we create a detailed timeline, budget, and project scope, and then email it to you a day or two before our scheduled review call. This gives you time to share it with colleagues, look it over, and do any additional research you’d like to before we chat about it.
Step 4 — 🤔 Review
After you’ve reviewed the proposal, we talk it through—addressing any questions or changes. We aim to be part of your team and tailor the project management plan to your needs.
No changes? Let’s get an agreement in place and kick things off.
Step 5 — 🖋 Agreement
Once everyone is aligned, we send a standard digital product development agreement for signing. Then we set a start date and begin building something exceptional together.
Hopefully this provides a helpful preview of our client onboarding process and the steps we take before starting a project.
Ready to design and build your next app? We can’t wait to get started.