Great Digital Workspaces Begin with Real People
With more than 20 years of expertise in the evolving world of web technologies, PixelMill is a leader in enterprise UI/UX research, design, and development. We specialize in building customized communication and collaboration portals and sites using Microsoft 365, SharePoint Online, Teams, and Azure. Our team is committed to developing solutions that are in line with our clients’ unique company cultures, organizational goals, and end-user’s needs.
Who We Are
We are technologists, researchers, and artists working together to create functional and beautiful tools to help make your team better communicators and collaborators. Hailing from our headquarters in Davis, CA, our diverse team has found that every successful solution includes a little art, a little code, and a whole lot of empathy. The PixelMill team also includes remote employees, so we understand the challenges that the digital workplace brings to company culture. Our personal experience working with Microsoft tools, combined with the knowledge we’ve gleaned from more than 20 years working with organizations of all shapes and sizes around the world, arms us with a primed perspective on how an effective digital workplace can transform your organization.
Meet the team behind the magic…
OUR APPROACH
- Discovery
- Design
- Development
- Deployment
- Support
What We Do
We create custom communication and collaboration solutions that your team will use and love. We believe that empowering employees with the tools they need to collaborate and communicate effectively extends your culture digitally and fosters trust throughout the organization.
Just like any successful brick-and-mortar business, a company’s digital workspace must attract users, make them feel at home, and encourage them to stick around.
We focus on user adoption of intranets, extranets, and public-facing websites among businesses and organizations of all shapes and sizes. Over the last 20 years, we’ve worked with technology companies, corporate entities, and government agencies across numerous industry verticals.
Discovery
- Project Consultation
- User Experience Research
- Site Analysis & Assessment
- Portal Planning & Strategy
Design
- Mobile-friendly & Responsive Design
- Brand Identity Integration & Direction
- UI/UX & Visual Design
- Style Guide & Creative Assets
Development
- User Interface Development
- Front-End Branding Implementation
- Custom Webpart Creation
- Third Party & Social Integration
Deployment
- Site Deployment
- Refinement
- Usability Testing
- Post Deployment Support
Support
- User Training & Adoption
- Focus Group Campaigns
- Case Studies & Documentation
- Ongoing Maintenance Support
DISCOVERY
Starting with an initial project kick-off, we work with your team to define the unique needs of your business. Next, we conduct a comprehensive review of your current site. Our team completes a full Business Analysis using a variety of techniques, including interviews, surveys, and usability tests. Through research and follow-up assessments we generate a roadmap in-line with your requirements, budget, and timeline. Finally, we craft a solution that offers an intuitive and efficient user experience.
Services provided:
- Project Consultation
- User Experience Research
- Site Analysis & Assessment
- Portal Planning & Strategy
DESIGN
During this phase, we design mockups that incorporate cohesive branding, including various design elements (i.e., colors, fonts, images, and graphics) to match your company’s culture. Once all mockups are approved, the user experience is re-validated in a clickable prototype. At this point in the design stage, our team will assess the overall look and feel of the site, along with user-friendly interactions and functionality.
Services provided:
- Mobile-friendly & Responsive Design
- Brand Identity Integration & Direction
- UI/UX & Visual Design
- Style Guide & Creative Assets
DEVELOPMENT
Our Web Developers follow a clean and modular coding framework that is fully compatible with SharePoint. All branding is integrated within the SharePoint platform to maximize performance and features. In this stage, we will provide custom SharePoint Master Pages and Page Layouts that incorporate unique webparts, plug-ins, and third-party features. Following site development, we ensure that your new site is responsive and mobile-ready.
Services provided:
- User Interface Development
- Front-End Branding Implementation
- Custom Webpart Creation
- Third Party & Social Integration
DEPLOYMENT
In this stage, the solution will undergo the last round of compliance and user testing. We will review and refine site pages and page elements to confirm each feature works with ease and embodies the true end-product. Once the solution is production-ready, we will follow your team-specified process to implement a successful launch.
Services provided:
- Site Deployment
- Refinement
- Usability Testing
- Post Deployment Support
SUPPORT
Once site deployment is complete, our team will stay actively involved in the user adoption process. We will provide necessary documentation that details the use of each new feature. We will also meet with your training resource team to demonstrate the functionality of your new site. Through ongoing mentorship and maintenance, we will reassure that each part of your new site is working correctly and efficiently.
Services provided:
- User Training & Adoption
- Focus Group Campaigns
- Case Studies & Documentation
- Ongoing Maintenance Support
Discovery
Starting with an initial project kick-off, we work with your team to define the unique needs of your business. Next, we conduct a comprehensive review of your current site. Our team completes a full Business Analysis using a variety of techniques, including interviews, surveys, and usability tests. Through research and follow-up assessments we generate a roadmap in-line with your requirements, budget, and timeline. Finally, we craft a solution that offers an intuitive and efficient user experience.
Services provided:
- Project Consultation
- User Experience Research
- Site Analysis & Assessment
- Portal Planning & Strategy
Design
During this phase, we design mockups that incorporate cohesive branding, including various design elements (i.e., colors, fonts, images, and graphics) to match your company’s culture. Once all mockups are approved, the user experience is re-validated in a clickable prototype. At this point in the design stage, our team will assess the overall look and feel of the site, along with user-friendly interactions and functionality.
Services provided:
- Mobile-friendly & Responsive Design
- Brand Identity Integration & Direction
- UI/UX & Visual Design
- Style Guide & Creative Assets
Development
Our Web Developers follow a clean and modular coding framework that is fully compatible with SharePoint. All branding is integrated within the SharePoint platform to maximize performance and features. In this stage, we will provide custom SharePoint Master Pages and Page Layouts that incorporate unique web parts, plug-ins, and third-party features. Following site development, we ensure that your new site is responsive and mobile-ready.
Services provided:
- User-Interface Development
- Front-End Branding Implementation
- Custom Webpart Creation
- Third Party & Social Integration
Deployment
In this stage, the solution will undergo the last round of compliance and user testing. We will review and refine site pages and page elements to confirm each feature works with ease and embodies the true end-product. Once the solution is production-ready, we will follow your team-specified process to implement a successful launch.
Services provided:
- Site Deployment
- Load Testing & Refinement
- Usability Testing
- Post Deployment Support
Support
Once site deployment is complete, our team will stay actively involved in the user adoption process. We will provide necessary documentation that details the use of each new feature. We will also meet with your training resource team to demonstrate the functionality of your new site. Through ongoing mentorship and maintenance, we will reassure that each part of your new site is working correctly and efficiently.
Services provided:
- User Training & Adoption
- Focus Group Campaigns
- Case Studies & Documentation
- Ongoing Maintenance Support
Why PixelMill?
We ask the hard questions.
“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”- Henry Ford
While the jury is still out on whether Ford actually uttered this, he did live it, and we do too. We’re not interested in building you what you want; we build you what you need. This often means asking questions and proposing options you may not have thought about.
We listen to your users.
“Build it and they will come” simply doesn’t apply in the digital world. We must build a solution that addresses your users’ needs. Empathy in analysis and design are crucial to creating a digital workspace that your team loves to use. This leads to greater user adoption, higher efficiency, and a better ROI for your bottom-line.
We’re the bridge between art and code.
Your company culture and brand are unique, so should your portal. Our UI/UX designers are artists and SharePoint experts. This means you get a beautiful solution that plays nice with the platform.
You own the code.
That’s right. It’s yours. We don’t lock you into a monthly licensing fee or restrict your customizations. You can rest assured that you own your site and are able to maintain it with or without the support of the PixelMill team.
We follow Microsoft’s best practices.
Our custom design and development strategies follow Microsoft’s best practices and embrace the platform’s native features. This means you’re investing in a solution that takes advantage of the platform you choose, and reduces the risk of unnecessary maintenance.
We build for the future.
There’s no such thing as future proof, but we get darn close. Our President is a Microsoft MVP and Regional Director, which gives him access to insider information coming from Microsoft. He may not be able to share it all (some info can be hush hush), but he ensures our team is always planning, designing, and developing with the future in mind. This means you get a solution that is ready for what’s ahead.