Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about working with Furbi and our product development process.
The Strategy Process
What is product strategy?
Product strategy is the foundation of any successful digital product. It's the process of defining your product's vision, understanding your users' needs, analyzing the market, and creating a clear roadmap for building something that solves real problems. At Furbi, we help you align your business goals with user needs to create products that drive measurable outcomes.
Why is the strategy phase important?
The strategy phase is critical because it helps you make informed decisions before investing in development. Without clear strategy, teams often build features that don't meet user needs or support business objectives. Our strategic approach helps you validate your concept, reduce risks, and ensure you're building the right product at the right time.
What is user research and what is its value?
User research is the process of understanding your target users through interviews, surveys, behavioral analysis, and data collection. By gathering both quantitative and qualitative insights, we can make informed decisions about product features, user flows, and design choices. This research helps us avoid costly mistakes and ensures we're building products that people actually want to use.
What is MVP development?
An MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is the most basic version of your product that still delivers value to users. It's designed to test your core assumptions and get your product to market quickly while minimizing risk and cost. MVP development focuses on essential features that prove your concept before building out a full product.
The Design Process
What does the design process look like?
Our design process is user-centered and collaborative. We start with discovery calls to understand your business goals and brand identity. Next comes user research to understand your audience's needs and behaviors. Then we create wireframes to establish the structure, followed by high-fidelity designs in Figma. Finally, we conduct usability testing to validate our designs before development begins.
Why is the design phase important?
The design phase ensures that everyone—your team and ours—agrees on exactly what we're building before we write a line of code. It's our blueprint that prevents costly rework and ensures "nothing gets lost in translation." Once you approve the design, that's exactly what we build, so it's crucial to take time during this phase to get everything right.
What is usability testing?
Usability testing involves having real users interact with a prototype of your product to identify potential issues before launch. We observe how users navigate, what confuses them, and what they find intuitive. This process helps us catch usability problems early, saving costs on redesign and redevelopment. Testing with even a small group of users can reveal critical design flaws.
How much control of the design do I have?
You have the final say on all design decisions. While we'll provide recommendations based on UX best practices and advocate for your end users, you know your brand and audience best. We aim to create designs that match your vision while ensuring they're user-friendly and effective. It's a collaborative process where your input guides every decision.
What is Figma and how do I use it?
Figma is a collaborative design tool where we build the visual designs for your product. You'll have full access to see every page, feature, and functionality as it's designed. This gives you 100% transparency into our design process. What you see in Figma is exactly what we build—if it's not in Figma, we won't build it. Use the mouse to navigate, press 'C' to comment on specific parts, and don't hesitate to speak up about anything that looks off.
The Development Process
What are the steps in the development phase?
Our development follows a structured process: First, weekly check-ins to keep you updated and aligned. Second, we build features page by page, inviting your feedback on look and functionality. Third, comprehensive testing to ensure everything works as expected. Fourth, you'll test the product yourself to confirm it meets your expectations. Fifth, launch—the exciting day your product goes live. Finally, ongoing maintenance and improvements.
What's included in the development process?
Our full-stack approach includes product strategy, UX/UI design, development, testing, deployment, and ongoing support. Your team typically includes a Project Manager, a UI/UX Designer, 1-3 Software Engineers, and a QA Technician who work together to ensure your vision looks and functions perfectly.
How do you ensure code quality?
We follow industry best practices including code reviews, automated testing, continuous integration, and thorough QA processes. Every feature is tested across devices and browsers, and we maintain clear documentation. Our goal is to deliver production-ready, maintainable code that scales with your business.
Can I make content updates myself?
This depends on your project scope and agreed-upon level of support. We can build content management capabilities that allow you to make updates independently, or we can maintain everything for you. If you ever need help, just reach out—we're here to support you at every step.
Launch & Post-Launch Support
When is my site/app done?
Your product is officially "done" when we launch, but in reality, digital products are never truly complete. They should evolve based on user feedback and business needs. We accept feedback for 1 week post-launch and will fix anything within the project scope. For updates outside scope, we'll provide estimates.
What if something breaks after launch?
We're responsible for bugs arising from our code for one week post-launch. If a bug appears after that or due to third-party integrations, updates, or external changes, we'll fix it at an agreed-upon hourly rate or use hours from your maintenance package. We're committed to keeping your product running smoothly.
What if my site is down?
Contact us immediately, regardless of the time. We monitor our hosted sites proactively and will get your product back online as quickly as possible. If you're hosting elsewhere, we can help coordinate with your hosting provider to resolve issues quickly.
Why do I need design for updates?
For minor tweaks, we can discuss and implement directly. However, for more substantial changes, spending time in design ensures you get exactly what you envision and we understand your vision perfectly. One hour in design can save multiple hours in development and prevent miscommunication.
Do you provide hosting services?
Yes, we often host our partners' sites. We offer hosting solutions that include your live production site, a backup staging site, and allocated maintenance hours for regular updates. We handle security patches, performance monitoring, and updates so you can focus on your business.
Billing & Maintenance
How do you bill?
We use a blended hourly rate for our projects. We bill for strategy, design, and development hours. Project management, testing, quality assurance, and coordination are included in this rate at no additional charge, ensuring transparency and predictable pricing.
How can I see what I'm paying for?
We maintain full transparency through project documentation. After launch, we share a detailed log with each task listed, including time spent, date of request, and who requested it. This gives you complete visibility into how maintenance hours are being used. Minor bugs under an hour are fixed proactively.
What maintenance packages are available?
We offer flexible hosting and maintenance solutions customized to your needs. Setting up a maintenance package guarantees we have resources set aside for you at a reduced rate and ensures your product continues to perform at its best.
How many maintenance hours should I get?
We recommend 10-30 hours per month immediately following launch to get acquainted with your new product and handle any initial issues. After 2-3 months, most partners reduce to 3-10 hours per month depending on product size and traffic. You can adjust hours before the 1st of each month.
How are update hours calculated?
Every update typically involves: implementing on staging, testing to ensure it works, verifying on mobile, pushing live, and testing again on the live environment. Each update involves your Project Manager, Designer (if needed), Developer, and QA Technician—ensuring quality and completeness.
Can I make design and functionality changes?
Yes! For design changes, your designer will create the update for your approval, then we implement it according to our agreed rate. For functionality changes, your Project Manager will provide an estimate and get approval before implementation. Rates are lower when using maintenance package hours versus purchasing additional time.
Still have questions?
Get in touch and we'll be happy to discuss your project in detail.
Get in touch