Module Alphacrowd

Over the last 3 weeks we have seen one of our startup clients take on the challenge of Equity Crowdfunding via local platform Alphacrowd. Equity Crowdfunding offers investors the chance to be involved with high-growth potential companies that are not of a scale suitable for listing on a more traditional platform such as the stock market, or are of a sufficiently high risk such that conventional investment is not suitable, or would dilute the company too early. 

The Decibel wireless speaker by Module aims to address the entrenched problem of planned obsolescence in consumer technology products by empowering consumers with the ability to repair, upgrade, and ultimately truly own the device they purchase - rather than having the product for but a brief period of time before some component renders it unusable.

We are truly stoked to be involved with a company that has the foresight to address this fundamental issue in the way consumer products impact the world in which we inhabit. We wholeheartedly encourage anyone who feels that the way many products are consumed and discarded on this planet needs to change, to jump on board the crowdfunding campaign and help us change the way humans engage in consumerism.  The barrier to entry is so low, yet the potential gain for investors, the environment, and the ecosystem of product consumption so high. Head over to Alphacrowd to invest. 

https://www.alphacrowd.co.nz/offers/module

Indemic a finalist in the BEST awards!

We've been at this gig for a good while now, not just as Indemic, but as in-house designers in other teams around New Zealand, and previous consulting roles. It was nigh-on 5 years ago when Indemic first started that Nick was handed out his first best award for the Trublue Auto Belay. 

The nature of our work here can be quite variable, from being a part of an overall development project, to taking the reigns and leading the charge. Sometimes we might be just commissioned to help validate an idea, or step through a few iterations of a prototype, other times we are shooting for a full-blown disruptor. Not often however, are we tasked with the job of taking a product from an initial concept through a full funding,marketing, branding, manufacturing, logistics and strategic process and delivering to an end customer. And it is with this we thought it high time we set the tone and established the full spectrum of capabilities that lie here within - and of course got some real skin in the game!

Our internal Malt Mechanics brand was just that. We took an early concept, created MVP, got a bunch of paid-up users on-board, tested, iterated and redesigned our way to a finished product. We developed a brand and a social media following along the way, and then took the plunge into crowdfunding via kickstarter to see whether the thing had real legs - and it did. We ran it lean all the way through, validated our ideas with our end users and used the power of design strategy to drive our overall offering, message and produce a compelling brand that our end-users love. It was an incredible mountain to climb, as all the while we still had to keep the kids fed and watered. BUT, how good does it feel to have recognition from our peers that the effort wasn't all in vain? Bloody good we say!

Cheers @bestawards and the NZ design community, we are in fine company indeed!

Just a little bit famous..

So we were interviewed by Channel Magazine last month, a local rag here in Auckland with a circulation of around 25k people. Thanks Bridget for taking the time to find out a little about us, we feel a bit spesh! For those who missed it, or aren't local, check out the article here. 

http://www.channelmag.co.nz/features/business/indemic/

Time warp juggernaut

Being a designer can be a bit shit sometimes. Particularly when you have to deal with stuff that isn't design, like admin. I dont mind a bit of i-dotting and t-crossing but sometimes the tools require that you actually carve the damn letters out of stone.. (i am probably better at stone carving than i-dotting) ..I digress..

The reason for today's post is to celebrate my relentless search for the tool which just does what I want (which of course may not be the same as what you want) , and works seamlessly with my other tools. Like the proverbial Estwing to my nail, I today have found a company which understands usability, simplicity and integration (as in Xero integration). The team at Minutedock have done a fantastic job on their time-tracking product, so good in fact I felt the need to share. But moreover, they stepped away from the other solutions to create a product which just addresses the simple, functional elements a business may need when time-tracking, tackling the problem in a very lateral way. Open the page, punch in the barest minimum of information into the one-stop dock at the top of the page, in almost any format you choose, and in a smart-ass kind of way it simply accepts said inputs and designates them to the appropriate job. I can then get on with my day. Great usability trumps anything else in a SAAS product (and most any other product for that matter), and designing for usability and the end user is ever more important when there are 1000 other products out there trying to do what you do. Good on you Minutedock, I look forward to our time together....no pun intended ;)

The value of design

Here is a great article which expresses the value of design, if somewhat lacking in substance, the stats should certainly be of interest to those who as-yet have not embraced design for all the opportunities it offers

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soren-petersen/when-designers-get-togeth_b_5701916.html

All over it!

Largely owing to my aversion to shameless self-promotion, combined with a lack of time to work 'on the business', it has only taken us the better part of 3 years to finally define our place in the vast expanse of cyberspace.. thanks for coming to check out what we do.

It is our sincere hope that the blog becomes a bit of a outlet for us, the way we think, work and play, and the kinds of stuff that gets us all fired up, maybe even a repository for the endless stream of ideas that surface from the fabric of the universe on a daily basis...

We love designing stuff, for ourselves and others, but we also love a whole lot of other good things in life too, and we hope to be able to share some stories and experiences here too which shape us as people.

Cheers, and welcome. Nick and Em