Thought

Our thoughts and approaches about Business, Technology, Design, and Marketing

The Brand Framework Series: Sensory Branding, Designing Brands Across the Five Senses

Business

The Brand Framework Series: Sensory Branding, Designing Brands Across the Five Senses

The Brand Framework Series: Brand Experience (BXP), Designing 4 Dimensions You Can Measure

Business

The Brand Framework Series: Brand Experience (BXP), Designing 4 Dimensions You Can Measure

The Brand Framework Series: Customer-Based Brand Equity and the 4-layer pyramid that diagnoses brand strength

Business

The Brand Framework Series: Customer-Based Brand Equity and the 4-layer pyramid that diagnoses brand strength

The Brand Framework Series: The Elements of Value, a 30-Element Pyramid That Makes Value Measurable

Business

The Brand Framework Series: The Elements of Value, a 30-Element Pyramid That Makes Value Measurable

The Brand Framework Series: Challenger Brand Archetypes and how to change the game instead of playing theirs

Business

The Brand Framework Series: Challenger Brand Archetypes and how to change the game instead of playing theirs

The Brand Framework Series: The Brand Gap and ZAG, escaping the price war through radical differentiation

Business

The Brand Framework Series: The Brand Gap and ZAG, escaping the price war through radical differentiation

The Brand Framework Series: StoryBrand SB7 and the seven elements that make customers understand your brand instantly

Business

The Brand Framework Series: StoryBrand SB7 and the seven elements that make customers understand your brand instantly

The Brand Framework Series: The Golden Circle and why communicating from Why before What builds deeper loyalty

Business

The Brand Framework Series: The Golden Circle and why communicating from Why before What builds deeper loyalty

The Brand Framework Series: Brand Personality Spectrum and how to turn brand voice into a measurable system

Business

The Brand Framework Series: Brand Personality Spectrum and how to turn brand voice into a measurable system

The Brand Framework Series: Brand DNA Model and how to decode brand identity as a system

Business

The Brand Framework Series: Brand DNA Model and how to decode brand identity as a system

Root Cause Analysis Series: Fixing Corporate Website Delays with the Fishbone Diagram

Business

Root Cause Analysis Series: Fixing Corporate Website Delays with the Fishbone Diagram

Root Cause Analysis Series: digital project management runs on uncertainty, use FMEA to rank risks before they become problems

Business

Root Cause Analysis Series: digital project management runs on uncertainty, use FMEA to rank risks before they become problems

Root Cause Analysis Series: Change Analysis for problems that started after a change

Business

Root Cause Analysis Series: Change Analysis for problems that started after a change

Root Cause Analysis Series: Diagnosing the "Fast Results" Problem with Fault Tree Analysis

Business

Root Cause Analysis Series: Diagnosing the "Fast Results" Problem with Fault Tree Analysis

Root Cause Analysis Series: When Digital Marketing Depends on Someone Else's Platform, Use Parent Analysis

Business

Root Cause Analysis Series: When Digital Marketing Depends on Someone Else's Platform, Use Parent Analysis

Root Cause Analysis Series: When Time and Resources Do Not Match Scope, Use Management Oversight

Business

Root Cause Analysis Series: When Time and Resources Do Not Match Scope, Use Management Oversight

Root Cause Analysis Series: The 5 Whys for untangling digital product problems

Business

Root Cause Analysis Series: The 5 Whys for untangling digital product problems

Root Cause Analysis Series: when briefs do not deliver the real information, use Barrier Analysis to unblock marketing planning

Business

Root Cause Analysis Series: when briefs do not deliver the real information, use Barrier Analysis to unblock marketing planning

How to add AI to your web app without building AI yourself: API, tokens, and the security choices to make

Technology

How to add AI to your web app without building AI yourself: API, tokens, and the security choices to make

One project, three audiences: how we communicate with developers, designers, and clients

Business

One project, three audiences: how we communicate with developers, designers, and clients

Why we still start with wireframes (even when tools make it tempting to skip)

Design

Why we still start with wireframes (even when tools make it tempting to skip)

Reaching specific audiences through local social media: when local platforms beat global ones on engagement

Marketing

Reaching specific audiences through local social media: when local platforms beat global ones on engagement

Understanding how AI token pricing works: the three-tier framework that decides cost

Technology

Understanding how AI token pricing works: the three-tier framework that decides cost

Building web animation for engaging interaction on websites and digital products

Technology

Building web animation for engaging interaction on websites and digital products

How to build an MVP without overbuilding it, the seven-step process and the AI tools that cut weeks off the timeline

Technology

How to build an MVP without overbuilding it, the seven-step process and the AI tools that cut weeks off the timeline

Answer Engine Optimization and how to write content that AI engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity actually quote

Technology

Answer Engine Optimization and how to write content that AI engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity actually quote

When a website builder is enough and when you actually need a custom build

Technology

When a website builder is enough and when you actually need a custom build

When feedback comes from everywhere: the five-step process we use to consolidate it into a single action list

Technology

When feedback comes from everywhere: the five-step process we use to consolidate it into a single action list

Before the first commit: the four development infrastructure decisions that prevent most production bugs

Technology

Before the first commit: the four development infrastructure decisions that prevent most production bugs

Beyond likes and followers: the KPIs that actually drive results for digital businesses

Business

Beyond likes and followers: the KPIs that actually drive results for digital businesses

How problems actually work: the four-axis framework we use before solving any business problem

Business

How problems actually work: the four-axis framework we use before solving any business problem

Fact-Based Thinking: how we adapt The McKinsey Way for decisions that actually solve the problem

Marketing

Fact-Based Thinking: how we adapt The McKinsey Way for decisions that actually solve the problem

The design vocabulary guide: what UCD, HCD, UX, UI, and the others actually mean (and why alignment matters)

Design

The design vocabulary guide: what UCD, HCD, UX, UI, and the others actually mean (and why alignment matters)

Why we show clients two design directions, not one or three

Design

Why we show clients two design directions, not one or three

Why? and Why not?: the two questions that shape every project we run

Business

Why? and Why not?: the two questions that shape every project we run

How slow websites leak revenue, and how we fix them: web performance optimization end to end

Technology

How slow websites leak revenue, and how we fix them: web performance optimization end to end

Scrum Master vs Project Manager and how the two roles actually fit together on Agile projects

Technology

Scrum Master vs Project Manager and how the two roles actually fit together on Agile projects

Seven signs your website needs a redesign and the five-step process that makes the investment pay off

Technology

Seven signs your website needs a redesign and the five-step process that makes the investment pay off

How to prepare for a pitch and win the work, the research and presentation discipline that decides outcomes

Business

How to prepare for a pitch and win the work, the research and presentation discipline that decides outcomes

Project time management and the workflow that keeps delivery on track

Business

Project time management and the workflow that keeps delivery on track

When business workflow changes, the digital product has to change with it

Business

When business workflow changes, the digital product has to change with it

Why technical documentation matters for digital product development

Technology

Why technical documentation matters for digital product development

Deep market research for effective marketing planning, the seven-step process SUFFIX uses

Marketing

Deep market research for effective marketing planning, the seven-step process SUFFIX uses

Why project delays usually come from client inputs, not execution: the four things we chase and why

Business

Why project delays usually come from client inputs, not execution: the four things we chase and why

Beyond Meta ads: the digital marketing channels we recommend when one channel isn't enough

Marketing

Beyond Meta ads: the digital marketing channels we recommend when one channel isn't enough

How we built our company knowledge base: structure, content types, and software that actually get used

Business

How we built our company knowledge base: structure, content types, and software that actually get used

How we organize project files so the team can find anything in seconds (and onboarding takes minutes, not days)

Business

How we organize project files so the team can find anything in seconds (and onboarding takes minutes, not days)

The four back-end decisions we make early: CMS, database, hosting, and APIs

Technology

The four back-end decisions we make early: CMS, database, hosting, and APIs

Brand guidelines aren't a design system: the five components we build for every digital product

Design

Brand guidelines aren't a design system: the five components we build for every digital product

Beyond the happy path: the four UI states that define professional design

Design

Beyond the happy path: the four UI states that define professional design

The marketing tech stack, layer by layer: how we connect research, execution, and measurement

Marketing

The marketing tech stack, layer by layer: how we connect research, execution, and measurement

How we prevent "nobody told me" on our team: the SMART framework repurposed for communication

Business

How we prevent "nobody told me" on our team: the SMART framework repurposed for communication

Before you scale spend: how we test digital campaigns to learn what actually works

Marketing

Before you scale spend: how we test digital campaigns to learn what actually works

Before we write any code: how we choose the right tech stack for a digital project

Technology

Before we write any code: how we choose the right tech stack for a digital project

Why long-form content is an asset, not just content: the case for still investing in it

Marketing

Why long-form content is an asset, not just content: the case for still investing in it

Culture Fit vs Culture Add: the honest answer depends on where your team is right now

Business

Culture Fit vs Culture Add: the honest answer depends on where your team is right now

Accessibility isn't a compliance checkbox: what accessible design actually requires

Design

Accessibility isn't a compliance checkbox: what accessible design actually requires

Why most email marketing campaigns fail, and the four things the ones that work do differently

Marketing

Why most email marketing campaigns fail, and the four things the ones that work do differently

How we run Agile Marketing when brand and agency are separate teams

Marketing

How we run Agile Marketing when brand and agency are separate teams

Why interviews aren't enough: the role-specific work samples we use to test skills before hiring

Business

Why interviews aren't enough: the role-specific work samples we use to test skills before hiring

The three types of checklists we use on every project: Daily, Project, and Deliverable

Business

The three types of checklists we use on every project: Daily, Project, and Deliverable

How we estimate project timelines: two timeline types, granular task breakdown, and estimates grounded in historical data

Business

How we estimate project timelines: two timeline types, granular task breakdown, and estimates grounded in historical data

Details and key elements of designing a cookie consent banner

Design

Details and key elements of designing a cookie consent banner

Why "the marketing budget" is the wrong unit, and the five-function split we use with clients
 

Marketing

Why "the marketing budget" is the wrong unit, and the five-function split we use with clients  

How we run client meetings that actually move projects forward, and why most don't

Business

How we run client meetings that actually move projects forward, and why most don't

The blind spots only outsiders see: when to bring in external digital expertise

Business

The blind spots only outsiders see: when to bring in external digital expertise

"It doesn't feel modern": why we don't act on client comments until we know what kind of comment they are

Business

"It doesn't feel modern": why we don't act on client comments until we know what kind of comment they are

Three types of design automation that earn their place in a UI workflow: Generative, Validation, Testing

Design

Three types of design automation that earn their place in a UI workflow: Generative, Validation, Testing

How we run fully-remote at SUFFIX: the three systems that actually matter

Business

How we run fully-remote at SUFFIX: the three systems that actually matter