Thinking · Est. 2021
How we work,
in twelve sentences.
A working agreement between us and anyone we ship with — written down so we can be held to it.
HOW WE THINK
Howweactuallydecide.
BEFORE CODE
Find the real problem first
Most briefs describe a fix, instead of the thing that needs fixing.
Week one we ask the questions that get us to the real problem together — usually a smaller, sharper version of what was originally asked for. The brief stays; we just sharpen the target before any code runs.
Design for the person using it
Start from the one-page version
PICK YOUR WEAPONS
Boring tech wins
Sharpen the v1 before adding to it
Ship the spine first
INSIDE THE BUILD
Break it before they do
Call bad news fast
The quiet version ships
HOW WE THINK
How we actually decide.
Find the real problem first
Most briefs describe a fix, instead of the thing that needs fixing.
Week one we ask the questions that get us to the real problem together — usually a smaller, sharper version of what was originally asked for. The brief stays; we just sharpen the target before any code runs.
12 PRINCIPLES · WITH RECEIPTS
Twelve principles, with the receipts.
Every principle below ships with a number or a scar. Hover any card — we’ll show you where the rule was bought, not just written.
— If we broke one of these, we owe you coffee. We’ve owed a lot of coffee.
IN PRACTICE
Three things we tell every new client on day one.
01 · Scenario
“The deadline is too tight.”
We'll show you the v1 that fits.
You'll get a smaller version of the product that ships on time, plus a clear roadmap for everything that didn't fit. You decide what makes the first release.
02 · Scenario
“We find a problem mid-build.”
You hear it the same day.
By Slack, then by call. Never inside a weekly status report, and never on the morning of a demo. The 30-minute version is a conversation; the four-day version is a crisis.
03 · Scenario
“The project isn't a fit for us.”
We'll say so in the first week.
And we'll introduce you to two teams we'd trust with your project instead. We've sent real money to other teams — and we'd rather do that than take on a build that would be bad for either side.
One right connection
can redirect an entire trajectory.
The work is the relationship.
The code is just how it gets delivered.
If that sounds like the right team —Tell us your problem