Discovery

Start with clarity. Build on insight.

Research

Before embarking on a new project with you, we examine existing research, data, and knowledge to ensure we understand what has come before. We review information architecture, analytics, content, competitors, and research to begin to build a full picture of your digital landscape.

Workshops

Our collaborative workshops set the scene for how your project will run and helps us to define what we need to deliver to ensure it is a success. We come together to define your audience needs and your business objectives in a tried and tested series of workshops, that cover:

  • Goals and measures 

  • Customers and key tasks 

  • Information architecture 

  • Features and functionality 

  • Journey mapping 

  • Technical requirements

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User research

Validate. Refine. Succeed.

User-centred testing methods

The key to success in any project is understanding your users. We engage with real users to understand how they interact with your digital environment, where they experience friction, and how they expect to interact with you in the future.

Outcome-focussed

We offer both quantitative and qualitative research activities to gather the knowledge we need to deliver better outcomes for your users. We use purpose-built research tools to engage with users effectively and efficiently. Our user research phase concludes with clearly documented findings and actionable insights.

Design

Design with purpose. Deliver with impact.

Wireframes

The process of producing pixels begins with low-fidelity wireframes, which are essentially the skeleton of your site. Wireframes capture key page templates and components that will make up your site. Wireframes can also evolve into interactive prototypes, enabling us to test and validate the intended user experience.

Concepting

Through a series of custom visual design concepts we explore different ways to capture your brand, and your desired look and feel for your website. These initial concepts give us a shared starting point to discuss what works, what doesn’t, and why, helping us to land on one clear design direction for your website.

Design systems

We ensure every element on your website shares a consistent visual language by creating a comprehensive digital style guide that outlines your colours, typography, spacing, and other website components, linked together by your overarching Design System.

Visual designs

We deliver final high-fidelity user interface designs that showcase every page template and component in full colour. Every detail is crafted with your users in mind, ensuring a seamless experience across all devices. We take the time to explore on-brand interactions that create moments of delight for people interacting with your website.

Pre-flight check

The design phase concludes when we deliver website designs that are ready–for–dev, however, the designer’s involvement does not end here. Our designers stay involved during development to ensure implementation matches the signed-off design.

Web development

Now we have designed a beautiful website, it’s time to bring it to life. We utilise the Umbraco CMS to deliver content managed web solutions.

Flexible, responsive and intuitive websites

We specialise in building flexible, responsive, and user-friendly websites. Our goal is to deliver a seamless, on-brand solution that exceeds your expectations.

Our approach

Our Agile web development process is an iterative approach that emphasises collaboration, on time delivery, and adaptability. We ensure that every development cycle produces working software that meets your needs. This approach allows us to efficiently navigate uncertainties and consistently deliver high-quality web applications, ensuring that each deliverable aligns with your strategic goals and business objectives. This enables your team to respond quickly, manage uncertainty, and deliver high-quality web applications.

"The team take care to scope projects in detail to provide an accurate cost estimate. They have consistently met the project brief on deadline and within budget."

Abi Loughlan, Project Manager
Land, Air, Water, Aotearoa (LAWA)

This enables your team to respond quickly, manage uncertainty, and deliver high-quality web applications.

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System integrations

We develop robust integrations to streamline your processes and drive your business forward. Through understanding your goals and wider digital eco-system we can identify system integration opportunities that streamline business processes, help increase productivity and ensure data consistency.

Whether it's implementing a CRM form on your website, to a full mapping integration for 16 regional councils, we know how to get your systems talking to each other.

Click here to find out more

Continuous Effect

We will work with you to make sure your website never goes out of date.

Support and maintenance

Support and maintenance are critical services to ensure that your website runs smoothly.

With us you will stay on track, enjoy access to all security upgrades that ensure the smooth and secure operation of your website, and have the flexibility to add new features whenever you need them – putting you ahead of the game.

Maintenance

The web is constantly evolving. Our ongoing technical maintenance plan keeps you up to date with upgrades (Umbraco CMS, JavaScript libraries, etc), bug fixes, regular security audits, and other day to day “keep the light on” activities. This will also keep you in line with your roadmap and ensure you receive any necessary security patches.

Retainer

Effect offers a second support option that focuses on enhancing your website's design elements, adding new features, and reviewing your organisation's roadmap to ensure alignment with your goals. This option allows you to select a set number of hours suited to your business that you can draw down on for these services.

Our proactive approach to both Maintenance and Retainer contracts ensures that your websites remain in peak condition, and we strive to be a trusted partner throughout your digital journey.

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Total Effect

Our 24-7 offering is the Total Effect, a premium support offering. Our ‘follow the sun’ support and development plan is designed especially for Umbraco projects that need more resources. We're more than just a service; we’re a team that understands your world and is here to enhance your success with our unique blend of expertise and reliability. Think of us as an extension of your team, that can do the night shift.

"We believe that the true long-term value we offer lies in our ability to keep our clients up to date with ever changing needs in the digital space."

Edel Sweeney-Lee, Chief Customer Officer, Effect

Find out more about our Total Effect offering

Audits and assurance

Support and maintenance are critical services to ensure that your website runs smoothly.

With us you will stay on track, enjoy access to all security upgrades that ensure the smooth and secure operation of your website, and have the flexibility to add new features whenever you need them – putting you ahead of the game.

Maintenance

The web is constantly evolving. Our ongoing technical maintenance plan keeps you up to date with upgrades (Umbraco CMS, JavaScript libraries, etc), bug fixes, regular security audits, and other day to day “keep the light on” activities. This will also keep you in line with your roadmap and ensure you receive any necessary security patches.

Retainer

Effect offers a second support option that focuses on enhancing your website's design elements, adding new features, and reviewing your organisation's roadmap to ensure alignment with your goals. This option allows you to select a set number of hours suited to your business that you can draw down on for these services.

Our proactive approach to both Maintenance and Retainer contracts ensures that your websites remain in peak condition, and we strive to be a trusted partner throughout your digital journey.

Hosting

Let us help you sort your website hosting out. (needs changing)

At Effect, we offer flexible hosting solutions tailored to your needs, whether you require dedicated infrastructure, shared resources, or integration with your existing cloud tenancy. Our solutions leverage secure, scalable, and high-performance environments to ensure reliability for your digital platforms.
We offer: 

  • Azure Dedicated Hosting 

  • Azure Shared Hosting 

  • Specialised CDEM Hosting 

  • Bring Your Own Cloud 

  • Umbraco Cloud Hosting 

Read more about our hosting solutions

Our preferred tools

We rely on Umbraco CMS to create and manage exceptional content experiences for our clients, while Microsoft Azure offers reliable and scalable hosting solutions for our web applications.

Umbraco

Umbraco offers you the best CMS platform on which to build flexible, responsive and intuitive websites. As the only Wellington, New Zealand Umbraco Gold Partner, we work closely with Umbraco to ensure the best outcomes for your project.

Why choose Umbraco

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Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure allows us to rapidly develop and deploy quality software.

Read about Microsoft’s cloud platform

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Silverstripe CMS

Our extensive knowledge of Silverstripe CMS means we can deliver development, ongoing support, and project consultancy for your digital projects.

How we build with Silverstripe

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How can we help you?

Contact us today to find out how we can deliver your next project that matters.

Get in touch