Kit list.
Short notes we would give anyone planning a product, whether or not you work with us. Filter by route or search the text.
- release
Before you submit an app
Collect store screenshots for each required device size, write a privacy declaration that matches what the app really collects, and make sure a reviewer can log in with a test account.
- release
Who should own developer accounts
Register store developer accounts under your organisation, with at least two people able to sign in. A freelancer-owned account is a common cause of lost apps.
- design
Five-person hallway test
Ask five people to complete your main task on a prototype without help. Note where they pause. The pauses are your design brief.
- design
Contrast in one minute
Body text should meet a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background under WCAG 2.2 AA. Check light grey text first; it usually fails.
- web
A website brief on one page
Write who visits, what they must find, the one action you want, and who will update the site. That page saves weeks.
- web
Domains and email: keep the keys
Record where the domain is registered, where DNS is managed and where mail is hosted. Moving any of these without notes breaks email first.
- mobile
Native or cross-platform?
Cross-platform frameworks suit most form-and-list apps. Heavy device features, graphics or platform-specific design can tip the balance to native.
- mobile
Plan for offline from day one
Decide which screens must work without signal. Retrofitting offline behaviour later is one of the harder changes to make.
- support
Turn on two-step sign-in
Enable two-step verification on email, domain registrar and store accounts. These are the accounts that unlock everything else.
- support
Describe an IT problem usefully
Say what you expected, what happened instead, when it started, which device and whether anything changed recently. A screenshot helps.