Pain Killers.
We discover and build what your customers really need.
Vitamins Don't Work
This xkcd comic makes fun of university websites by highlighting the frequent disconnect between what customers really need and what they get.
Vitamins focus on features. They make you look good, but mostly increase costs and don't help your customers.
Pain Killers focus on customers and delivering value. They increase revenue, cut costs or both.
Using our Pain Killer Program we'll develop the right solutions for your customers by asking:
- Who is your customer?
- What do they need to have done?
Now we know who, it's time to get innovative and figure out what.
Innovation is Hard
Ideas are not innovation. An innovation satisfies a real need or solves a real problem. An innovation is useful, different and better.
Being innovative takes guesses, experiments, failure, learning and switching direction quickly.
Compared to traditional business processes innovation is messy. It's no surprise that all businesses struggle to innovate.
As software engineers we're used to responding to changing requirements. To stay efficient and keep on track we apply systematic development methods.
We've taken our development experience and combined it with the latest lean startup approaches in a simple two phase Pain Killer Program.
Get started quickly and see what happens. In the battle between planning and action, action wins.
Minimal Solution
Our Pain Killer Program is based on Steve Blank's proven customer development process and tailored specifically for micro and small businesses.
Using a business model canvas we map the flow between key components of your business. Unlike traditional outdated business plans your model is a flexible guide and scorecard.
The model contains guesses about jobs your customers need done. We test these guesses and find facts.
With facts we set priorities, build a minimal solution, and invite selected customers to try it and give us feedback.
We check feedback against the model and if results look good move on to building sales. If not the model needs adjusting.
Get More Customers
In the same way the business model sets your business direction, a sales roadmap helps find and sell to the right customers.
First you must get ready to sell. Preparation includes working out positioning, channel planning, and developing sales materials.
Now you get out of the building! Customers are out there and you need to know them.
A structured interview process validates our guesses and gives better knowledge about customers needs and ways to improve sales activities.
And just like the business model we adjust the sales roadmap as we learn.
You are now a continuous innovator, routinely applying the Pain Killer process to satisfy customers new needs.
Test on the fly: "Are customers buying?", "Is the problem fixed?". Yes, good. No, what can we do differently?
Our Work
Digital AD Services (Japan) produce complex catalogs. The revision process is complex and time consuming, requiring extensive client liaison. Our solution uses HTML5, JavaScript and nifty server-side processing. Now revisions are easy and efficient.
We built Business Model Fiddle, a playground for creating and sharing business models.
Pain Killer Program
Developing pain killers requires a good business relationship, generally that means:
- You are enthusiastic, professional, and take your business seriously.
- You have the time and energy to work together. If you want instant answers we don't have them.
- Results take time, research and effort. If you're in a hurry, or on a very tight budget, we can't help you.
- You're here for innovation and implementation. If you know exactly what you want we're not right for you.
- You have taken the time to create a Business Model Fiddle to communicate your business or idea.
Let's Get Started
If this sounds good send Johan an email with your Fiddle link and outline your requirement, timeframe and budget. You can expect a reply within 1 business day.
Business models enable new products and technologies and help solve entirely new customer problems.
Alexander Osterwalder
The way to succeed is to double your failure rate.
Tom Watson, IBM
Contact us today and we'll help you uncover and solve the problems your customers really care about!
Technology
Our solutions are fast, minimalist, and responsive so a single design works across screen sizes from mobile to desktop.
Our development principles are:
- Design for mobile first
- Focus on content, design with data
- Do the hard work to make it simple
- Do less, if it exists use it
- Develop digital services not websites
- Create distributed experiences
We use open-source technologies including AngularJS, HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, CouchDB, MongoDB, NodeJS, MySQL and Railo.
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Do less than your competitors to beat them. Solve the simple problems and leave the hairy, difficult, nasty problems to the competition.
Jason Fried
No matter how cool your interface is, it would be nice if there were less of it.
Alan Cooper
Our guarantee is to provide practical solutions that deliver value to your business and customers.
Johan Steenkamp
Owner / Founder
About Orbital
Orbital is a small team of experienced web application software engineers. We know how to make the Web work in business.
We've been in business for more than 12 years. We are small, efficient, and like Getting Real.
I enjoy working at the intersection of business and technology with emphasis on business model innovation and building simple and innovative solutions to real problems.
Follow me on twitter, Google+, and occasionally tumblr.
- Orbital Limited, +64 3 359 4290, johan@orbital.co.nz
- 3 Kilmuir Lane, Harewood, Christchurch, 8051, New Zealand