How We Work

Product success is not just about technology. It's about understanding human behaviour.

how we workThe most successful organizations deliver products and services that people really use. And people really use products that are simple and compelling. Perception is reality and those organizations that ignore the customer's end experience do so at their peril. Today's smart organizations are focusing on delivering simple and compelling user experiences that engage customers, build trust and loyalty and strengthen their brand.

When meeting business goals depends on product success, then it's critically important to take a rigorous and disciplined approach to the science of human interaction and human factors. At Macadamian Usability, we're in the forefront of matching how people actually behave with how a product should actually be used in a way that delivers on business goals. Our key difference to how we deliver our services is in our DAViD methodology:

Our DAViD methodology is designed to address the giant problem of ensuring that organizational goals are met while simultaneously delivering a compelling user experience. With our proven methodology, we bring scientific objectivity and a rigorous process that ensures results that are measurable and repeatable.

Diagram showing the key phases of our process

Rather than simply offer a long menu of services, we choose instead to deliver services within the context of our DAViD methodology because we know that this approach will bring our clients top results.

The flexible and objective structure of Macadamian Usability's DAViD Methodology combined with the scientific expertise of our practitioners allows us to address a number of different product types, not just websites. We've built best-of-breed user experiences for successful products in such areas as

DAViD Methodology Overview

Macadamian Usability's DAViDT Methodology has formed the foundation of all of our successful interaction designs. Based on a logical series of steps that answer key questions at each stage, the process-driven DAViDT Methodology starts with the organization's goals and then designs to meet those goals. This approach differs considerably from that used by most other user experience companies in two key ways:

  1. First, many user experience experts focus on "usability" as an end in itself. At Macadamian Usability, we understand delivering a compelling user experience takes more than simple "usability" and that business goals drive product decisions - regardless of whether the product is a physical good or a service such as a website, software application or call centre. Macadamian Usability's DAViDT delivers when a great user interaction experience is needed to achieve hard business targets.
  2. Macadamian Usability believes that the user interaction experience has to be assessed in the context of the organization's goals. While "usability testing" is often believed to be the first task, we first strive to understand your business objectives for the product and the interaction goals needed to meet the business objectives. Then, and only then, do we move forward with assessing whether the current user interaction experience is achieving those goals and objectives. The result is a far more accurate and actionable plan in return for our client's investment.

DAViD is based on a four-step process that answers four key questions:

  1. Discovery: What is the organization trying to accomplish and what are the business goals and objectives for the product or service?
  2. Assessment: Does the current user interaction experience deliver on those goals and where are the gaps?
  3. Visioning: How can we best close those gaps to create a user interaction experience that will help meet the business goals and objectives?
  4. iDesign: How will the actual end product/service behave and does it in fact close the gap?

The success of the DAViD Methodology is based on a logical series of steps that begins by clearly establishing the client's key goals. From there, each set of outputs acts as the foundation for the next stage's necessary inputs. In this way, the result is cohesive and based on known and measurable objectives against which ongoing success can be measured.

Supporting the process are elements such as training, change management and ongoing monitoring and adjustment, elements that can make difference between a mediocre result and an excellent result.

The flexibility of the DAViD Methodology allows us to either work with clients through the end-to-end process to build a "whole product experience" or deliver only steps depending on the client's needs and budgets.