Today I’m going to share with you something we’ve never really talked about outside the walls of MindSea. It’s the secret sauce that has helped us become one of the top-rated app agencies in the world. It’s a source of inspiration that has played a significant role in our ability to design apps that our clients and their customers love.
That inspiration is one of the world’s most influential brands:
Disney.
The company that gave the world Mickey Mouse, Disneyland and “Let It Go” has shaped the way our app agency thinks about serving clients. In this blog post, I’m going to give you a behind-the-scenes look at our app development process and how we’ve injected a bit of Disney magic to create a customer-centric app agency.
We Embrace Standards & Processes
At Disney theme parks, all Cast Members are trained to write character “autographs” to resemble the ones written by their character’s previous portrayer. That’s right: Whether you got an autograph from Goofy in 2001 or last week, that John Hancock will look the same.
Consistency is important for an app agency as well.
We need to consistently develop great apps, consistently meet our clients’ needs and consistently stay up on the latest trends. We believe that every client we work with deserves an app designed and built to win.
For that reason, we’ve created a standard set of processes. Our Blueprint process, for example, takes clients regardless of their size through a set series of steps. These steps include developing a comprehensive app strategy, creating a build-ready user experience and constructing a roadmap for turning their idea into a reality.
Everyone On Our Team Sweats The Small Stuff
Every employee at Disney parks—from janitors to research assistants—is obligated to pick up any piece of trash they see. This commitment to carefully maintaining their magical atmosphere is one we’ve embraced too. We sweat the small stuff. We care about communication. And we care about creating meaningful relationships with the people we work with.
One of the things we pride ourselves on is our commitment to our clients’ success. And we believe that’s why we’re consistently ranked amongst the top app agencies. An example of this commitment: The team members who manage a client’s app project are usually the same people who are designing or building the app. This continuity ensures that messages delivered to the design team aren’t watered down by an account manager, and it gives our team a chance to build even stronger relationships with our clients.
We Offer An End-To-End Experience
The thing that has always impressed me most about Disney is the strategic thinking that went into creating an amazing end-to-end experience for all their customers. In the late 1950s, Walt Disney drew what was at the time the business model for the entire Disney corporation:
Fascinating, right?
The TV shows would promote the park, the park would promote the movies, the movies would promote consumer products—the entire experience was thoughtfully designed from end to end.
Consider the parks themselves, which have become the model of a totally immersive experience. From the parking lot to the entrance plaza to the rides to the fireworks show to the hotel you spend the night at—Disney has carefully planned out every detail.
At MindSea, we think about our client projects in a similar manner. We offer a full end-to-end experience, from the Blueprint process that helps clients get a clear picture of what they want, to our development process that helps clients actually build and launch their apps.
Along the way, we’ve meticulously designed the entire experience.
We don’t just build apps and walk away—we equip clients with everything they need to ensure that their launch is successful and their customers are satisfied. We’ve given pointers to startups on how to pitch investors and even helped design their pitch decks. We’ve done research to help media companies better understand industry trends and create apps that open up new revenue streams.
All of this is part of that end-to-end experience. Our senior leadership has set standards and processes in place so that our team can serve clients at every step of the app design, build, launch and even beyond.
Wrapping It Up
If there’s one word that summarizes how Disney has shaped our thinking it’s experience.
From the way we think about designing our company to the way we think about designing apps, it’s all about great experiences.
If you’re interested in learning more about how MindSea can help you create a great app experience, get in touch today.
