Wabi-sabi.

In order for a rich Web 2.0 experience to support a productive workforce, a user-centric design and development approach must be followed. And at the core of this pattern is a principle that can be summarized using the term wabi-sabi.

This term represents a comprehensive Japanese aesthetic view of beauty in natural simplicity, among other concepts. In a user-centric design and development approach this is manifested in an elegant yet simple design that is highly usable and intuitive, and is maintained with constant quality improvement as the primary, ongoing focus.

Goal-oriented.

Our user interface designs are attractive and focused on user tasks and goals. We talk about the death of software products due to poor design. The implication of that statement is that an ugly design can kill a product. But we are also keenly aware that a beautiful design with poor usability can also kill a product. Our team designs beautiful, intuitive, highly usable software.

Avoid skeuomorphism.

You're undoubtedly asking yourself what this title even means. Excellent! That means we've got your attention. In a nutshell, skeuomorphism is the practice of making something new look like something old, and in the case of digital design, making something on-screen look like something in the real world, like making an on-screen calendar look like a paper one.

But the point isn't so much that we entirely avoid this practice. There are certainly times when we may want to use this practice ornamentally. And providing visual comfort in the familiar is an oft used tactic in the digital realm. But as a general rule, it is unwise to try and shoe horn a digital user interface into a physical construct. That approach confines the usability of the digital user experience to that of the physical, without the benefit of physical interaction. In the example of a paper calendar you miss out on the feel of the paper, the ease of paging with your fingers, the convenience of holding it in your hand or hanging it on your wall.