DabApps

DabApps, a software and AI studio based in Brighton, says its work starts with the problem a client is trying to solve rather than with the technology it would like to use. The firm presents itself as a partner with more than fifteen years of building and scaling software systems, and it says it designs and builds bespoke software that makes a business work better and reaches its users.

Discovery before anything is built

The first stage of a project is a discovery process, in which the studio's designers and engineers explore a client's ideas and business goals before committing to a design. The firm says it looks at the bigger picture, testing assumptions early so that the product direction is clear before money is spent on development. For a client that is at the first stage, it offers help with development strategy, the technology choices and the ideas that come before them, adjusting its advice to how much the client already knows.

AI engineered into existing systems

The studio's AI work is aimed at connecting artificial intelligence to a business's real systems, data and day-to-day workflows. Its site says AI delivers most value when it is wired into those things rather than run alone, and the firm points to its experience of designing software as the reason it can do this. Its machine learning and optimisation work covers decision-support tools and forecasting, so that a team can act on the numbers its software produces.

Compliance software for dental practices

The studio has worked with Agilio since 2015 on iComply, an application that helps dental practices in the UK navigate compliance. The firm's site says more than 18,000 dental professionals rely on the product, and that the work has helped it evolve alongside its customers' needs.

Research, charity and legacy systems

Older case studies on the site show a broader range of work. One describes a charity that aims to improve wellbeing for people with dementia and for their families, using playlists chosen to suit each listener. Another describes a research organisation whose outdated legacy system was redesigned to improve the quality of its work and to meet the latest data compliance guidelines. Both illustrate how the firm approaches projects where the existing system is the problem to be solved.

Small teams and long partnerships

The firm says it works in small, focused teams to deliver projects on time and within budget, and that it treats the relationship as long term rather than a single project. It describes its designers and engineers as seeking the best solutions through discovery, and its services cover business analysis, product envisioning, technical design, development and project management. A client can bring a new product idea to the firm or ask it to extend and support a system that already exists.