Crafting Success:
Our Human-Centered Methodology
We're your single partner for the entire journey, using proven processes to navigate complexity and deliver tangible results.
Flexible, Usable, Right from the Start
At Tonic3, we believe successful implementation (even for AI projects) isn't just about the tech—it's about a clear, human-centered approach. We're your single partner for the entire journey, from the first strategy session to full-scale deployment.
Whatever combination of teams and tech fits the problem, we approach your needs with flexibility, so you gain momentum, and cut the drama.
Our field-tested methodologies ensure we engineer every experience right from the start, giving you the confidence to move forward, knowing we’ll navigate the complexity so you can focus on the results.
A Structured Framework for Success
Vision Workshops
▶
Together we understand your overall product and how it adds value to various stakeholders including the business.
Heuristic Evaluation
▶
We share an understanding how your product is working today relative to best practices.
Competitive Analysis
▶
We look at similar brands in your segment to help identify patterns and trends that may exist.
Comparative Analysis
▶
We examine additional side markets where your brand could cross into and evaluate any potential new audiences or brand elements.
Audience & Segment Identification
▶
We examine your current brand audience and its consumption of brand content to help establish a clear vision of your target audiences.
Initial Audience Interviews
▶
By speaking to customers, we build a knowledge base about what drives them in general, and what motivates them to use your product in specific.
Personas
▶
Combining audience insights with your team's collective knowledge, we create user profiles to keep their goals, motivations, and needs front and center throughout design and development.
Task Analysis
▶
We identify and break down the tasks users will complete going through your experience.
Definition Workshops
▶
A joint workshop to gain insights into features that would be valuable to customers.
▶
We will identify core workflows in relation to how people expect to use your product.
▶
We build feature epics and user stories that will influence the next stage of design and development.
▶
We will meet with stakeholders to verify direction and review epics and user stories as we prepare to move into design.
Sketching Wires
▶
Our team takes the information from the workshops and begins to work on low-fidelity sketches to help fine tune direction.
Moodboard
▶
We create a series of moodboards to express the brand feeling, emotion, and possible stylistic elements like typography and color.
Wireframing
▶
Using sketches, or low fidelity designs, we begin putting together more details for the associated views. Content can be blocked out at this point as well.
High Fidelity Concepts (UI)
▶
We create designs that include selected colors and typographic treatments.
Prototype
▶
We deliver an interactive prototype that helps to work out the flow between views.
Screening and Recruiting
▶
Current customers or prospects? Avid or light users? What are the important characteristics of your target audience? We make sure this is the person whose voice is heard.
User Testing Script
▶
Balancing more open-ended exploration with focused tasks, our scripts work to determine clear and specific, yet holistic design direction.
Facilitation and Recommendations
▶
We stay flexible on how we collect the data, but we're careful not to lead the jury and probe beyond surface-level validation to understand exactly what and why something works, or not.
Asset Creation
▶
Leveraging the finalized prototype, we break out and prepare assets for the development team.
Prototype Specs
▶
We provide a link to the final interactive prototype which includes visuals, colors, fonts styles, fonts, and more.
Vision Workshops
▶
We use our Design Thinking toolset to discover what new value proposition, business offering or experience could open up new audiences and revenue generating opportunities.
Business Strategic Assessment
▶
We examine your current business, the value you offer, and where your competitors are currently positioned to determine how to deepen current customer relationships and create new ones.
Audience & Segment Identification
▶
We examine your current brand audience and its consumption of brand content to help establish a clear vision of your target audiences.
Initial Audience Interviews
▶
By speaking to customers, we build a knowledge base about what drives them in general, and what motivates them to use your product in specific.
Personas
▶
Combining audience insights with your team's collective knowledge, we create user profiles to keep their goals, motivations, and needs front and center throughout design and development.
Market Analysis Report
▶
Comprehensive analysis of market trends, competitive positioning, and growth opportunities specific to your industry.
Trend Forecasting
▶
We identify emerging trends and prepare strategic recommendations for long-term market positioning.
Strategic Recommendations
▶
Based on our research and analysis, we provide actionable recommendations to capitalize on market opportunities.
Implementation Roadmap
▶
A detailed roadmap outlining next steps and priorities for executing your market strategy.
Initial Meeting
▶
We learn more about you, your developmental goals, challenges and pain points.
Followup
▶
After our initial meeting, we will do an initial investigation and ask a small round of clarifying questions to ensure we understand the main objectives and issues clearly.
Initial Assessment
▶
We do a comprehensive evaluation of skills, capabilities, languages, stakeholders, and technical approaches necessary for your project.
Team Recommendation
▶
From the Initial Assessment we identify and quantify your development needs and detail a team composition best suited to your needs and budget.
Backlog Planning
▶
We analyze the large scope items that will make up epics for your user stories.
User Story Writing
▶
We break down the features of your products into manageable chunks for the team to prepare for sizing complexity.
Release Planning
▶
Using the User stories, we look across the entire product and determine where there are complexities and combine what with team composition to estimate time to completion (# of sprints and velocity).
Sizing & Scoping
▶
Each new sprint begins with a look at the scope size to make sure burndown metrics are lining up with the initial estimated user story complexity.
Capacity Planning
▶
We validate that the team has the needed capacity and take into account last sprint completion velocity to help ensure the team can complete assigned stories. We validate current team velocity and ensure the capacity is correct to complete the next round of assigned stories.
Daily Scrums
▶
The team meets daily (you are invited) with the scrum master for 15 minutes to discuss work from yesterday and on-tap for today; and also identify potential roadblocks.
Sprint Iteration Work
▶
The team works through the user stories assigned to the sprint maintaining efficient communication throughout.
Sprint Demo
▶
At the end of each sprint cycle (typically 2 weeks) the team will share the work that was completed with you.
Sprint Retrospective
▶
At regular intervals during the project the team will meet to discuss what is working, what is not, and how to improve - you are invited!
Deliverable Code
▶
Each sprint will deliver potentially shippable code, though typically this will only be a portion of what is to be developed.
Iteration Planning
▶
We regularly monitor the team velocity and do "backlog grooming" to adjust future stories and sprints.
Project Assessment
▶
Periodically, we will review the development project as a whole to understand where we can optimize in process, composition, structure, etc.
Consultation
▶
Engage in open forum discussion to get a better understanding of your team structure, needs and desired outcomes.
Discuss Options
▶
We will share some of our best managed service practices and share how they fit your vision.
Roadmapping
▶
With your guidance and approval, we will come back with a plan of action on how to move forward and meet your goals.
Recruiting
▶
Our recruiting team will proactively engage with and qualify the talent needed to lead your expansion team. Designers and Developers will meet with a Tonic3 SME.
Fit
▶
If desired, this is your chance to have a conversation with teammates we are ready to assign to ensure cultural fit.
Onboarding
▶
Our HR team handles the heavy lifting, completing background checks and the hiring process.
Expert Direction
▶
Our SMEs work with you to establish KPIs as well as best-practice team structures and rhythms.
Delivery Manager
▶
A Tonic3 Delivery Manager works with your team to seamlessly integrate our teammates in your process, setting up smooth provider-to-client project integration.
Measurement
▶
We provide quarterly performance updates including KPIs, timesheets, feedback, and other data assessing our team's effectiveness and your satisfaction.
Formal Reviews
▶
Our custom 360 tool drives bi-annual performance reviews incorporating your feedback. Action plans are then developed based on this data.
Personal Training
▶
Every teammate has a personal training budget to spend based on their tenure and 360 action plan.
Retention
▶
We keep retention and performance high through regular 1-1s, team satisfaction surveys, team building, and other high-touch disciplines.
Vision Workshops
▶
Together we understand your overall product and how it adds value to various stakeholders including the business.
Heuristic Evaluation
▶
We share an understanding how your product is working today relative to best practices.
Competitive Analysis
▶
We look at similar brands in your segment to help identify patterns and trends that may exist.
Comparative Analysis
▶
We examine additional side markets where your brand could cross into and evaluate any potential new audiences or brand elements.
Audience & Segment Identification
▶
We examine your current brand audience and its consumption of brand content to help establish a clear vision of your target audiences.
Initial Audience Interviews
▶
By speaking to customers, we build a knowledge base about what drives them in general, and what motivates them to use your product in specific.
Personas
▶
Combining audience insights with your team's collective knowledge, we create user profiles to keep their goals, motivations, and needs front and center throughout design and development.
Task Analysis
▶
We identify and break down the tasks users will complete going through your experience.
Definition Workshops
▶
A joint workshop to gain insights into features that would be valuable to customers.
Workflows
▶
We will identify core workflows in relation to how people expect to use your product.
Epic user Stories
▶
We build feature epics and user stories that will influence the next stage of design and development.
Design Alignment
▶
We will meet with stakeholders to verify direction and review epics and user stories as we prepare to move into design.
Sketching Wires
▶
Our team takes the information from the workshops and begins to work on low-fidelity sketches to help fine tune direction.
Moodboard
▶
We create a series of moodboards to express the brand feeling, emotion, and possible stylistic elements like typography and color.
Wireframing
▶
Using sketches, or low fidelity designs, we begin putting together more details for the associated views. Content can be blocked out at this point as well.
High Fidelity Concepts (UI)
▶
We create designs that include selected colors and typographic treatments.
Prototype
▶
We deliver an interactive prototype that helps to work out the flow between views.
Screening and Recruiting
▶
Current customers or prospects? Avid or light users? What are the important characteristics of your target audience? We make sure this is the person whose voice is heard.
User Testing Script
▶
Balancing more open-ended exploration with focused tasks, our scripts work to determine clear and specific, yet holistic design direction.
Facilitation and Recommendations
▶
We stay flexible on how we collect the data, but we're careful not to lead the jury and probe beyond surface-level validation to understand exactly what and why something works, or not.
Asset Creation
▶
Leveraging the finalized prototype, we break out and prepare assets for the development team.
Prototype Specs
▶
We provide a link to the final interactive prototype which includes visuals, colors, fonts styles, fonts, and more.
Vision Workshops
▶
We use our Design Thinking toolset to discover what new value proposition, business offering or experience could open up new audiences and revenue generating opportunities.
Business Strategic Assessment
▶
We examine your current business, the value you offer, and where your competitors are currently positioned to determine how to deepen current customer relationships and create new ones.
Audience & Segment Identification
▶
We examine your current brand audience and its consumption of brand content to help establish a clear vision of your target audiences.
Initial Audience Interviews
▶
By speaking to customers, we build a knowledge base about what drives them in general, and what motivates them to use your product in specific.
Personas
▶
Combining audience insights with your team's collective knowledge, we create user profiles to keep their goals, motivations, and needs front and center throughout design and development.
Market Analysis Report
▶
Comprehensive analysis of market trends, competitive positioning, and growth opportunities specific to your industry.
Trend Forecasting
▶
We identify emerging trends and prepare strategic recommendations for long-term market positioning.
Strategic Recommendations
▶
Based on our research and analysis, we provide actionable recommendations to capitalize on market opportunities.
Implementation Roadmap
▶
A detailed roadmap outlining next steps and priorities for executing your market strategy.
Initial Meeting
▶
We learn more about you, your developmental goals, challenges and pain points.
Followup
▶
After our initial meeting, we will do an initial investigation and ask a small round of clarifying questions to ensure we understand the main objectives and issues clearly.
Initial Assessment
▶
We do a comprehensive evaluation of skills, capabilities, languages, stakeholders, and technical approaches necessary for your project.
Team Recommendation
▶
From the Initial Assessment we identify and quantify your development needs and detail a team composition best suited to your needs and budget.
Backlog Planning
▶
We analyze the large scope items that will make up epics for your user stories.
User Story Writing
▶
We break down the features of your products into manageable chunks for the team to prepare for sizing complexity.
Release Planning
▶
Using the User stories, we look across the entire product and determine where there are complexities and combine what with team composition to estimate time to completion (# of sprints and velocity).
Sizing & Scoping
▶
Each new sprint begins with a look at the scope size to make sure burndown metrics are lining up with the initial estimated user story complexity.
Capacity Planning
▶
We validate that the team has the needed capacity and take into account last sprint completion velocity to help ensure the team can complete assigned stories. We validate current team velocity and ensure the capacity is correct to complete the next round of assigned stories.
Daily Scrums
▶
The team meets daily (you are invited) with the scrum master for 15 minutes to discuss work from yesterday and on-tap for today; and also identify potential roadblocks.
Sprint Iteration Work
▶
The team works through the user stories assigned to the sprint maintaining efficient communication throughout.
Sprint Demo
▶
At the end of each sprint cycle (typically 2 weeks) the team will share the work that was completed with you.
Sprint Retrospective
▶
At regular intervals during the project the team will meet to discuss what is working, what is not, and how to improve - you are invited!
Deliverable Code
▶
Each sprint will deliver potentially shippable code, though typically this will only be a portion of what is to be developed.
Iteration Planning
▶
We regularly monitor the team velocity and do "backlog grooming" to adjust future stories and sprints.
Project Assessment
▶
Periodically, we will review the development project as a whole to understand where we can optimize in process, composition, structure, etc.
Consultation
▶
Engage in open forum discussion to get a better understanding of your team structure, needs and desired outcomes.
Discuss Options
▶
We will share some of our best managed service practices and share how they fit your vision.
Roadmapping
▶
With your guidance and approval, we will come back with a plan of action on how to move forward and meet your goals.
Recruiting
▶
Our recruiting team will proactively engage with and qualify the talent needed to lead your expansion team. Designers and Developers will meet with a Tonic3 SME.
Fit
▶
If desired, this is your chance to have a conversation with teammates we are ready to assign to ensure cultural fit.
Onboarding
▶
Our HR team handles the heavy lifting, completing background checks and the hiring process.
Expert Direction
▶
Our SMEs work with you to establish KPIs as well as best-practice team structures and rhythms.
Delivery Manager
▶
A Tonic3 Delivery Manager works with your team to seamlessly integrate our teammates in your process, setting up smooth provider-to-client project integration.
Measurement
▶
We provide quarterly performance updates including KPIs, timesheets, feedback, and other data assessing our team's effectiveness and your satisfaction.
Formal Reviews
▶
Our custom 360 tool drives bi-annual performance reviews incorporating your feedback. Action plans are then developed based on this data.
Personal Training
▶
Every teammate has a personal training budget to spend based on their tenure and 360 action plan.
Retention
▶
We keep retention and performance high through regular 1-1s, team satisfaction surveys, team building, and other high-touch disciplines.
We are certified Microsoft AI partners!
By joining the ranks of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Network, we strengthen our ability to deliver exceptional solutions leveraging the power of Microsoft technologies. We will be ensuring quality implementations by combining our Microsoft AI expertise with agile methodologies to connect technology with your business needs.
Our high-performing teams are ready to scale your capabilities with AI-driven solutions, adapt to market changes with agility, and elevate your business to the next level.
