Consulting for web-centric projects

We offer full service web and mobile consulting right from the initial stages of a project.

Strategy

Be it to assist in discussions on project concepts, business models or technology selection – we relish the opportunity to get involved in projects at an early stage. We’ve worked with a number of startups to hone their service offerings prior to full scale implementation and commercialisation.

Strategy isn't only important at project initiation however. Many of the startups have since matured into well established businesses who we still work closely with. And strategic technology decisions are critical for larger enterprises too. We thrive on feedback that, as one client put it, "we change the way they are able to do business".

Research

Not much excites our team more than the invitation to investigate new technologies and assess their applicability to a particular project. With a strong handle on the fundamentals, we pride ourselves on our ability to rapidly build up the relevant skills and industry expertise to deliver a high value solution.

Internally, we do a lot of research too. Weekly knowledge sharing sessions, tech conference attendance and a healthy appetite for reading keeps us sharp and up to speed on the latest trends.

UX

User Experience is an umbrella term used to describe the many factors that contribute to a user’s overall perception of a software system.

• What are the core problems that the software needs to address?
• What is the simplest way to solve these problems?
• What metaphors and terminology will make the system easy to understand?
• What information and interactions will make the application easy to use?
• What colours and imagery will make using the system a pleasant experience?

We like to compare software user experience to a melody that flows through a musical composition. Although the a melody is supported by complex harmony and rhythm, the melody is what people remember and what makes the music a pleasure to listen to.

Architecture

We enjoy the challenge of mapping out a high level conceptual model into a scalable, robust and ultimately successful software architecture.

Web application implementation

We have years of experience in the many facets of web application development.

Interface

We usually start new projects with paper interface sketches that evolve into Photoshop mock-up designs. These mock-ups help us elicit early feedback from stakeholders and drive the development process as they are ‘sliced up’ into HTML/CSS and then ‘hooked up’ to databases and business logic.

Database design

We have vast experience in designing robust databases that are flexible to changing requirements and can scale as a system grows.

Rapid prototyping

Producing software prototypes helps us and our clients to asses risks and opportunities relating to a software system early on and without significant investment. Certain aspects of a new idea can only be assessed through interacting with some form of prototype.

Coding

The ever changing web technology space keeps our developers on their toes as they are required to constantly learn new techniques and hone their core skills. We focus on solutions that are based on Microsoft’s .Net framework or the open source PHP alternative.

Mobile integration

Mobile application development

Through our Mobenzi Researcher product, we have built significant competencies in mobile application development – particularly on the Java platform.

Web optimisation for mobile

Designing interactions and formatting content for the myriad of mobile devices available is a significant challenge. We have experience in the design and implementation of various features relating to the publishing of WAP and XHTML content for mobile phones.

SMS

The ability to integrate SMS communication into web applications unleashes tremendous potential to connect with users and customers. We have extensive experience processing high volume messaging requirements and integrating to the major gateway providers using a range of protocols.

Areas of focus

Data visualisation and project dashboards

We are passionate about extracting information from data and effectively visualising this information to support business decisions.

Field research management systems

We have worked with various universities and research organisations on projects that integrate to the Mobenzi Researcher API to support management of field research operations.

Custom ERP and CRM systems for SMMEs

Off-the-shelp ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) or CRM (Customer Relationship Management) solutions are often too expensive or too rigid for specific business requirements. We can assist from early conceptualisation through to development, training and support stages.

Manufacturing execution systems development

Our solid experience with web technologies often affords us the opportunity to work on integration projects to open existing systems up to distributed access via a web-based application.

Our products

Our flagship product, Mobenzi Researcher is a research and data collection platform which leverages the web and standard mobile phones.

Mobenzi Intelligence is a software service that empowers people to earn money by completing simple tasks on their mobile phones. These tasks involve certain types of problems that are difficult for a computer to solve without assistance from a real person.

Out of an internal need for a solution to assign and track incoming support and sales emails, we developed a web based application that we use daily and are continually improving.

Please contact us if you would like to find out more.