WHO WE ARE
We're a design-led transformation and tech company
We’re a team of thinkers and makers that have helped some of the UK’s most successful businesses with their digital products and services.
With specialists in design, technology, product delivery, business strategy and coaching, we wrap cross-disciplinary teams around your business to drive the outcomes you need to compete.
Making things, changing behaviours, driving effectiveness.
A different kind of company, part consultant, part craft experts
Since the shift towards remote working, the roles and responsibilities across agency and client teams have never been more blurred.
When cross-business teams are working effectively, it should be hard to tell who works for who. Everyone aligned and pushing towards our clients’ ambitions.
HOW WE THINK
We believe modern businesses conform to a new set of rules
Our industry has changed dramatically since we built our first digital products back in 1999. Our attitudes, beliefs and approaches have continually changed as we’ve adapted. Years ago, we recognised we need to design our company to constantly evolve so we can always help our clients and partners with their rapidly changing customer and market needs.
We created our Studio Manifesto to describe how we think today.
Solve problems over Predefined solutions
Businesses often feel a responsibility to have the answers to their problem already defined as they approach an external agency for advice. This is often very well meaning, but it restricts the ability of the agency to consult and do the right thing over the thing that has been asked for. Instead we spend time with our client partners in the problem space for longer. Yes, it can feel like a backwards step, but often the solutions are quicker, more creative and deliver a better outcome.
"It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do" - Steve Jobs.
Experiences over Designs
Customers engage with brands over a host of media, marketing and digital touch-points. Crafting and understanding that experience such that we can persuade the individual to take the actions they want is the goal we are working towards. The visual design of course has to be beautiful and well considered, but beautiful design that is not useful can never be truly beautiful.
"We spend a lot time designing the bridge, but not enough time thinking about the people who are crossing it." – Dr. Prabhjot Singh, Director of Systems Design at the Earth Institute.
Product over Project
Software systems need to be able to pivot and change shape as your business and your market demands it. Thinking in terms of projects fundamentally hinders this ability. Projects are often fixed. Fixed scope, fixed price, fixed time. These hard parameters often lead to poor engineering standards – but importantly drives a lack of focus on what really matters. Delivering outcomes. Think instead of your software as a product which is continually improved and it will always be adaptable and drive the outcomes you need as your market shifts in the future.
"Building things is easy - building the right things is hard!" - Anonymous.
Value over Volume
Often businesses want to change a lot all at once when replacing old systems. However often we find only a fraction of the existing system holds the value to the organisation. The majority is either legacy or not used by customers. Therefore if we are change the most valuable things first, we will see a greater commercial return faster. Why change 100 things when you can change the right 10 things and see even better results?
"The Pareto 80/20 Principle; where 80% of the value comes from 20% work" - Joseph M. Juranof, Management Thinker.
Insights over Opinion
Initiatives driven by the needs and wants of internal teams need backing up with insight and evidence from your customers, your market and from your commercial data. Projects that only have an internal lens will not be as effective as those that are insight driven and based on the wider needs of the organisation and the real needs of your customers. So we strive to validate your beliefs our ideas and with real people at every point in our relationship.
"If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it!" - Ferris Bueller.
Iterative over Big bang
The history books of digital system replacement are littered with over-ambitious software projects that failed. Sometimes ‘big bang’ software projects don’t even get released because they are too unwieldy and affect too many elements of a business system. Instead modern organisations are developing architectural software approaches that allow the release of new experiences every day. Sometimes every hour. Working iteratively ensures that you are always able to respond to changes in the market and grow the business at pace.
"It's not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change" - Charles Darwin.
Adaptability over Process
Business priorities have a habit of changing all the time. Detailed scoping documentation is often irrelevant once a true appreciation of what is needed start emerge from working together. There is little value in plodding along a project plan if we are heading in the wrong direction. That’s why developing an agile mindset to delivering the most important things in the order in which we discover them is vital to driving a successful outcome.
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein.
HOW WE WORK
Why Code?
Value first approach
We spend time working on the business case to understand the goals of the organisation. This allows us to quickly assess where we should start to design and build new experiences in your digital business system to see the greatest commercial returns.
Ship fast, learn fast
Working fast in short cycles allows us to prototype and test our ideas rapidly. Getting new experiences into the hands of our users allows us to learn from our thinking, and make important improvements before we commit to software development.
We augment around you
Our multidisciplinary teams work best when they are able to augment around your people. We work together to define the problems and design the solutions we need to succeed. Working together allows us to coach by doing – leaving you more self-sufficient as we go.
Culture
Why we call ourselves Computerlovers
Our culture has always been an important part of our success. We invest time nurturing our talent and creating an environment that let’s brilliant people shine and do their best work.
Code's leadership team
Decades of experience is how we get results
Tony founded Code in 1999 and today his focus is on vision, culture and continual evolution.
Tony Foggett
CEO & Founder
Co-founding Code in 1999, today Louis' focus is on coaching and organisational design and transformation
Louis Georgiou
Founder & Managing Director
Rob has worked in the industry for 20 years, leading on product strategy for many of our partners.
Rob Jones
Managing Director
Steve helps businesses with digital transformation, design thinking and lean technology implementation through a people first approach.
Steve Peters
Business Director
More than 20 years experience, designing for brand, market, business and customer needs to get results.
Chris Heg
Design Director
Dave has been a tech leader for over 20 years for many of the UK's leading .coms.
Dave Heath
Technology Director
Mark has been with Code for 18 years and shaped our transformation from design and build agency to lean product studio.
Mark Sharp
Operations Director
Gemma is a master of several product development practices and leads Code's internal development and continual improvement.
Gemma Handley
Commercial Director
With 20 years experience in product ownership and product management in leading .coms, Claire drives lean/agile delivery at Code.
Claire Kerley
Delivery Director
Colin is an advocate of Human Centred design and applying modern design methods to tackle business challenges.
Colin Preston
Head of Design
Jess is the unfaltering voice of the customer. Passionate about the power of UX research for effective design processes.
Jessica Sherratt
Head of UX
Jamie embeds experimentation tools and practices into our cross-discipline product teams, and develops new opportunities for driving experimentation in our core disciplines.
Jamie Evawin
Head of Experimentation
Ric has been with Code for 10 years and is responsible for our financial and legal operations.
Richard Chapman
Head of Finance
Seeing the bigger picture
We are part of the
MediaCom North Group
A partnership of specialist businesses with skills to own every moment of the customer experience and build the right business for the future.
MediaCom
Media and advertising
Code
Digital product and service
Cheetham Bell
Content and creative
Events
We host digital community events
Our event space is open for any of the local digital communities to use, totally free of charge. It’s one small way we help growing digital interest groups.