Two models for buying a web project

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What is the focus in your web (renewal) project? Are you looking for something completely different and brand new? Or are you hoping to find a stable and modern CMS on which you could build the features of your web site in a cost-efficient manner?

North Patrol is a consulting firm specialized in the design of digital services and information systems. We shape ideas into a vision and service concept, find the best architectural and technological solutions, design a functional user experience, and compete to find the ideal partner for implementation work. We do not sell implementation projects, nor do we sell licenses; we are genuinely on the side of the customer.

24 November 2014

Virpi Blom

When anticipating the results of the web project, is your main concern the look & feel, innovative user experience and wow-effects? Or are you mainly concerned about the functionalities and smart usage of the features of a suitable CMS?

Answering these questions is a starting point for choosing the right vendor for your web project.

When the focus of the web site is on functionalities and farsighted solutions, it is usually wise to implement the project with one, committed partner that designs and implements the web site as a whole, applying all the value-added features of the CMS they know thoroughly. This we call a “function-driven web project”.

When the focus is on look & feel or innovations in user experience, the project can be called a “form-driven web project”. In this case, the system integrators of function-driven web projects are usually not that strong. When you are looking for ingenious UX reformations, you might need another kind of partner that could help you restructure the service strategy, user experience and visual appearance of the web site. On the other hand, these partners are seldom very strong in implementing the system: so you need another partner for technical implementation.

Taking the path of the form-driven web projects means that you need to find an innovative design partner first. That partner helps you realize all the fancy ideas you need for the fresh outcome – a prototype helps demonstrate and test the vision. And then you choose the cost-efficient technical partner for implementing the vision.

On the path of a function-driven web project, you define your requirements for the web site and relying on those, you find a long-term partner for specifying the requirements, designing the web site and implementing it as a functional, practical whole.

These two seem to be most common project models in vendor selections – choose the one suitable for your needs!

Virpi Blom

M.A. Virpi Blom is an expert on web concepts, content strategies, user experience and overall planning of web projects.

Virpi consults on matters of concept design and strategic roadmaps, as well as on designing and documenting the functional requirements.

She has over 15 years of experience with web sites, intranets and extranets from the viewpoint of their planning, defining, design, copywriting and usability testing. She has specialized in ensuring the positive user experience, regarding both form and function.

Previously, Virpi has been working as a managing consultant, senior consultant and user experience team leader in various software vendor companies.

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About North Patrol

We are a team of ten consultants, all of whom are experienced designers and technology experts. Every year we design and prepare over 50 different online services and information systems. Our customer satisfaction is very high (9.5 out of 10), and we have helped many customers transform their digital services.

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How we differ from our competitors?

  • We specialize in digital service design

    We specialize in high-quality design and requirements specification of digital services. Our mission is to help customers succeed in their software project by creating the best possible foundation for implementation – whether it is an agile implementation done inhouse, a project done with a partner, or a publicly tendered project.

  • We don't sell coding or licenses

    Many software companies recommend software solutions that they also implement themselves. We don’t do that. We don’t do software implementation projects or have partnerships with technology providers. Our perspective on the software market is broad, as it should be for our customers. Our goal is always to find the best possible software solution for our customer, whether it’s a custom-built solution, a SaaS service, an open-source platform, or a combination of these.

  • We are realistic and forward-thinking

    We design digital service concepts, implementation methods and architectures that are sustainable and can be further developed. We place great importance on the feasibility of software solutions, the availability of good partners and the predictability of costs.

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