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Process January 5, 2025 7 min read

From Sketch to Shipped: Our Full Project Process

We've refined our project process over 12 years and 150+ projects. Here's exactly how a Studio Nova engagement works from first call to launch.

Why Process Matters More Than Talent

Every studio has talented designers and engineers. The difference between good work and great work — delivered on time — is almost always process.

Phase 1: Discovery (Week 1–2)

Before we open Figma, we spend serious time understanding the problem. This means stakeholder interviews, competitive analysis, user research, and alignment on success metrics.

Phase 2: Design Exploration (Week 2–4)

We explore 3 distinct directions before converging. This sounds like extra work but it consistently produces better outcomes than going straight to execution.

Phase 3: Design Execution (Week 4–8)

With direction locked, we build the full design: every screen, every state, every edge case.

Phase 4: Development (Week 6–12)

Development overlaps with the tail end of design. Engineers start on the design system and static pages while final screens are completed.

Phase 5: QA & Launch (Week 12–14)

We run functional, accessibility, and cross-browser QA. We fix. We launch. We stay on for two weeks post-launch for rapid bug fixes.

S

Sofia Andreou

Design & development studio based in Athens.

$55