Discovery services

We will ask ze questions that cause “Oh Sh!t” moments

Problems are guaranteed. The question is when you find them. Discovery surfaces those problems when they’re cheap to fix. Skip it, and you’ll find them when they’re expensive. Discovery always pays for itself.

What actually goes wrong
(and what it costs)

Here are real problems we see on projects that skip discovery. Each one costs thousands to fix. Discovery catches all of them upfront.

What goes wrong
Cost of being wrong
Discovery prevents
Building features users don't need
€8,000 in wasted development
Wrong tech stack (rebuild required)
€15,000 rebuild cost
Missing critical requirements mid-build
€5,000 in rework
Poor UX assumptions (redesign needed)
€6,000 redesign
Unclear scope causes scope creep
€7,000 budget overrun
Integration problems with existing systems
€4,000 emergency fixes
What goes wrong
Cost of being wrong
Discovery prevents
Chose WordPress when custom CMS needed
€12,000 complete rebuild
E-commerce added after launch
€8,000 to retrofit
Mobile responsiveness not planned
€5,000 redesign
SEO structure ignored from start
€4,000 + months to fix
Wrong hosting for traffic expectations
€3,000 migration + downtime
Multi-language support discovered late
€8,000 to add properly
What goes wrong
Cost of being wrong
Discovery prevents
Database structure needs complete rebuild
€15,000 migration + data risk
User permissions missing from plan
€8,000 to add after launch
API integrations discovered mid-build
€6,000 emergency development
Scalability not planned (crashes at 1000 users)
€12,000 architecture overhaul
Real-time features added as afterthought
€7,000 to retrofit
Compliance requirements (GDPR) discovered late
€5,000 legal + technical fixes
What goes wrong
Cost of being wrong
Discovery prevents
Built native when cross-platform would work
€15,000 duplicate development
App store requirements discovered at launch
€4,000 fixes + 3-week delay
Offline functionality not planned
€8,000 to add later
Push notifications missing from architecture
€5,000 to implement
Platform differences assumed (iOS vs Android)
€6,000 in rework
Backend API not designed for mobile constraints
€10,000 rebuild

Discovery is not a waste of money. Skipping it, is.

Pricing

Discovery finds problems when they’re still cheap. Here’s how:

Prevents expensive rebuilds

Catches wrong assumptions early. Wrong tech stack, missing requirements, and poor UX decisions get surfaced when they’re still quick fixes, not costly rebuilds.

Aligns everyone

Wireframes and plans everyone can see. Your team, stakeholders, and future developers all reference the same documented vision instead of making different assumptions.

Gives you confidence

Know what you’re building before you build it. You’ll make decisions based on research and validation, not guesses and hopes.

Discovery tiers

Essential

Timeline: 2 days

500 €One-time payment
What's included
  • Align & de-risk feasibility so you can move without guessing.

Just Right

Best Value

Timeline: 1 week

1 500 €One-time payment
What's included
  • Align & de-risk feasibility so you can move without guessing.
  • Add user evidence and channel strategy to shape direction.

Complete

Timeline: 3 weeks

3 000 €One-time payment
What's included
  • Align & de-risk feasibility so you can move without guessing.
  • Add user evidence and channel strategy to shape direction.
  • Position to win, finalize delivery, and plan launch & growth.

Ready to start?

Discovery turns ideas into plans. Let’s figure out what you’re building and how to do it right.

Not sure which tier you need? Contact us and we’ll help you decide.

What’s included in each tier

Here’s the complete breakdown of activities included at each tier level:

Essential
Just Right
Complete
Context
Strategic alignment & goals
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Assets & content
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Scope & functionality
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Technical requirements
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Audience & user experience
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Non-negotiables & constraints
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Market & competitor context
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Project operations & risk
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Research
Technical feasibility research activities
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Existing website analysis activities
Essential
Just Right
Complete
User research activities
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Content strategy activities
Essential
Just Right
Complete
SEO & keyword research activities
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Competitive research activities
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Market context research activities
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Design context research activities
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Strategy
Technical strategy & architecture
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Structure
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Performance & goals
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Project planning & management
Essential
Just Right
Complete
User research
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Content & messaging
Essential
Just Right
Complete
SEO & organic visibility
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Content migration plan
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Conversion optimization
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Visual & brand strategy
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Quality assurance & launch planning
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Post-launch strategy
Essential
Just Right
Complete
Security & compliance strategy
Essential
Just Right
Complete

We work with the most advanced tools and technologies on the market.

Google Cloud Platform
Adobe Creative Cloud
Atlassian Jira
Bitbucket
Digital Ocean
Amazon Web Services
Hubspot
ActiveCampaign
SalesForce

How it works

Discovery happens in three stages. Depending on your budget and project type, we’ll adjust the depth.

{01}

Context

We listen. You tell us about your business, goals, users, constraints, and what you're trying to build. We surface mismatches early.

{02}

Research

We dig deeper. Competitor analysis, market landscape, user behavior, analytics review. We show you what we found and what it means.

{03}

Strategy

We make it tangible. Wireframes, user journeys, technical plan, content strategy, budget, and timeline. You see exactly what you're building.

Learn the complete details of how our discovery process works.

What You Get

At the end of discovery, you’ll have a complete blueprint:

  • Clear understanding of what you’re building and why – Documented requirements and goals that prevent scope creep and misaligned expectations later. Everyone on your team sees the same vision.
  • Wireframes showing structure and flow – These map out how users navigate your product before we design anything. Not final design—just the skeleton showing what goes where and in what order. Think of it like an architect’s floor plan before interior design.
  • User personas and journey maps for your target audience – Research-backed profiles of who you’re building for and how they’ll interact with your product. These guide every design and development decision to match real user behavior, not assumptions.
  • Technical plan covering platform, tools, APIs, hosting – Technology stack recommendations and architecture decisions. We’ll specify what framework to use, which third-party services to integrate, hosting requirements, and why each choice makes sense for your project.
  • Content strategy and messaging direction – Page structure, navigation hierarchy, and what content belongs where. You’ll know what copy you need to write and how it should be organized before design or development starts.
  • Budget, timeline, and roadmap broken into phases – Exact costs and realistic timelines with no surprises. You’ll see the full investment required, what gets built when, and what can wait for phase 2 if budget is tight.
  • Confidence to move forward without second-guessing – All your questions answered, risks identified, and decisions validated before you commit to building. You know it’s the right solution built the right way.

You’ll know what comes next, what it’ll cost, and why every decision was made.

Want to see detailed breakdowns of each deliverable?

What Our Clients Say

As a satisfied client, our collaboration with the talented team at okto—digital for our nationwide podcast competition exceeded all expectations. Their expertise in design, website development, technical solutions, and strategic communication proved invaluable.

Michaela "Ryža" Lacina — CEO @ Shtoodio - podcast boutique

Ready to start?

Discovery turns ideas into plans. Let’s figure out what you’re building and how to do it right.

Not sure which tier you need? Contact us and we’ll help you decide.

Frequently asked questions

Here’s everything you need to know before working with us.

Essential (€500, 2 days): Context only. Quick alignment, basic review, scope definition. Best for small, straightforward projects where requirements are mostly clear.

Just Right (€1,500, 1 week): Context + Research. We dig into competitors, users, and market landscape. Best for most projects—gives you validated insights without full strategic depth.

Complete (€3,000, 3 weeks): Context + Research + Strategy. Full market analysis, detailed UX planning, MVP scoping, psychology application. Best for new products, complex systems, or high-stakes launches.

You’ll have a complete blueprint and know exactly what comes next. Most clients move to one of these paths:

After an initial conversation, we’ll recommend the tier that makes sense for your project. Factors we consider:

  • Project complexity – Simple website vs. complex web app
  • Budget constraints – What you can afford upfront
  • Uncertainty level – How validated your idea already is
  • Risk tolerance – How much you’re willing to risk building without deep research

You’re not locked in—we’ll guide you to what fits your situation.

Yes. Discovery is priced separately because some clients do discovery with us and then develop elsewhere, or discover the idea won’t work and stop there.

If you proceed to design or development with us after discovery, the discovery cost is already paid—it’s not added on top of development costs.

Key stakeholders who understand the business, users, and requirements. Typically: decision-maker (owner/CEO), someone who knows the users (sales/support), and anyone with technical knowledge (if you have a CTO or IT person). We’ll guide you on who we need in each session—usually 2-4 people maximum.

Yes. Discovery is a separate service. Some clients do discovery with us and then develop elsewhere, or take the blueprint to their internal team. The discovery deliverables are yours to use however you want. If you do proceed with us for design or development, the discovery cost is already paid—it’s not added on top.

That’s exactly what discovery is meant to catch. If research shows your idea won’t work as planned, you’ve saved tens of thousands in development costs. We’ll show you why it won’t work and often suggest alternative approaches that will. Some clients stop here (and saved €40K-€50K), others pivot to a better approach. Either way, you learned it early when it’s cheap.