Catalyst Resources
User Interface and Rapid Application Design for
Financial Services & Software as a Service (SaaS)
A "visual blueprint" for how to build your application - all in 100-120 days
Rapid Application Design is a unique service in which Catalyst will rapidly design all of the functionality in an application - everything that a user would experience. The end result is a complete functional definition of the application UI - a buildable visual blueprint. And we do this all in 100-120 days so you can then deliver your software project on time and on budget.
Catalyst is highly experienced with the complete process, from putting a multi-disciplinary team in place, to setting up a series of on-going user validation sessions, to systematically defining and designing all aspects of the application in terms of everything that the user experiences - what they see, what they do, what information they can access.
Clickable simulations with the working UI kernel and dynamic data
As part of the buildable blueprint for Rapid Application Design, Catalyst typically provides a full clickable simulation model using dynamic data of exactly what that software will be like when it is released. Clickable models provide development teams, customers and potential users with a rich understanding of the experience and functionality a software application will provide.
Reusable and Modular UI Libraries
We re-factor UI designs into a customized library of UI components, data, and actions. When your distributed development teams have access to this UI library of modular, reusable code, they can save 85% in application front-end development cycles. The added benefits include increased consistency of function across applications, a standardized look, easier adherence to regulatory compliance standards and reduced QA time.
The Catalyst Advantage
- We enter a project at any point in its design - from the early idea stage with no documentation, to a project with well-defined requirements
- Provide a multi-disciplinary team that uses rapid iteration to facilitate definition of the application
- Develop clear estimates of costs & timing
- Identify and focus resources on scenarios that produce the greatest returns
- Improve adoption and virtually eliminate rework costs through on-going user modeling & validation
- Define the best AJAX, Flex, Java,or RIA technology to increase performance and user experience
- Provide clickable models to create an unambiguous visual blueprint for development
- Create modular reusable UI components to reduce development and QA times
- On-going implementation support throughout the development cycle
Selected Client Work in Rapid Application Design
Augmenting venture capital with expert application design
Catalyst Resources regularly works with leading VC firms and emerging companies not just to develop the interface and look-and-feel of an application, but also to reduce the time necessary to get the software right. Instead of developing blind, our iterative and user-validated rapid design approach helps companies deliver what users actually want.
What you get with the Catalyst Rapid Application Design approach
The Catalyst Resources Simpatico™ Rapid Application Design approach provides our clients with a 3-person Catalyst UI engineering team that delivers a series of specific documents and code - all within 100-120 days:
On-going
- User validation sessions throughout the application design and development cycle
Phase 1: Understand
- Ethnographic studies and persona definition
- Identification and modeling of scenarios that produce the greatest return on investment
- Definition and validation of relevant real-world conceptual models
- Refinement and simplification of key business processes
Phase 2: Design
- Screen flow map to streamline work flows and performance
- Functional schematics
- Visual design and branding (the look and feel)
- Visual design applied to key screen views
- Clickable model with dynamic data to simulate the final application
Phase 3: Develop
- UI library of modular, reusable components
- AJAX, Flex, Java,or RIA toolkit to match project requirements
- Validation of database schema to UI components and data elements
- Buildable UI spec that includes modular development kit components, custom components, and data elements
- On-going implementation support throughout the development cycle
- Optional: coders to augment your in-house development team
Catalyst reusable UI libraries
For large and extensible applications, typical in financial services, Catalyst designs reusable UI component libraries. These user-validated components can be propagated across multiple applications or used to add new application services. They deliver dependable functionality with drastically reduced development and QA times. Reusable components can be built using any technology including AJAX, Flex, WPF/E, Java, and .Net.
Contact Us to Discuss Your Project or Request a Confidential Briefing
To discuss your project, or request a confidential briefing on case studies relevant to your own project, we ask you to complete the following form. The specifics you are able to provide will allow us to respond accurately to your request. We will respond to you shortly and look forward to discussing your inquiry.
Your information is protected by our Privacy Policy.
Contact Info
You many also email us directly at:
Or contact us via phone:
New Business
1.650.678.6743
1.800.313.7874
