Duty Labs

Fast iteration for product teams that have unknowns

Duty Labs works as a small agency focused on fast iteration, building web and mobile applications. The agency says it works on the basis that every project contains unknowns, and that its job is to find out what those unknowns are and deal with them, whether that means building the product, scaling servers to handle heavy traffic, helping a client organise its team around support, development and innovation, or answering a wider business question.

Building the product from a prototype

The agency's method starts with a prototype rather than a long specification. It proposes a solution, builds a working prototype quickly, and then shows the client its output regularly so that the client can see progress. For a startup, the approach is to keep the first version minimal, so the company can launch and collect feedback or find its first customers as early as possible. The agency says it will adapt the working method to the client's availability and needs, and it has in-house developers and designers who can help with mock-ups where a client does not yet have designs.

End-to-end ownership of each project

Every member of the team is expected to take end-to-end ownership of each project, and the agency says it does not cut corners. It describes its quality focus as long-term and built on test coverage, documentation, communication and product excellence. Its published values include taking ownership, being proactive, being open to learning and communicating actively with clients.

Technologies the team uses

The agency works across a broad set of tools. Its listed technologies include Ruby on Rails, Node.js, React and React Native for interfaces, TensorFlow, Keras and Jupyter for machine learning work, and Hadoop and Spark for large data processing. On the data side it uses PostgreSQL, MySQL and MongoDB. For infrastructure it lists Kubernetes, AWS, Google Cloud and Heroku, with CI and CD pipelines, and for collaboration it lists GitHub, GitLab, Trello, Slack and G Suite. The agency says it is flexible about technology and will switch to whatever a customer needs.

Scaling and team support

Some clients need help handling heavy server demand, and the agency offers work on scaling servers for large numbers of requests. Others need help setting up how their support, development and innovation teams work together, and the agency offers that advice as part of the same service.

Duty Labs Academy

The agency runs the Duty Labs Academy, which it describes as mentorship and a community for software engineers who want to grow and take on more.

Email campaigns and remote hiring

Two smaller tools sit alongside the development work. One is a place to create, collaborate on and improve email campaigns, for businesses that need to send email to customers quickly. The other is a service for hiring remotely, in which the agency handles local payroll, employee benefits, health contributions and the associated administration for the employer.

Sectors the agency has worked in

Its past work has touched sports, health, logistics, online retail, advertising and weight loss.