Empire Ants is a studio of designers, strategists and engineers that builds the brand, product and strategy behind early-stage businesses, working from one research base so nothing gets lost between handoffs.

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Product Development

We design and build first versions of products: what to build, how it should work, and the working software. The research behind each decision is still within reach when the code gets written.

Who it's for

Founders who need an MVP, a redesign before scaling, or a product that matches a new brand.

Sound familiar?

  • You have an idea and a deadline, but no agreed scope.
  • The product grew feature by feature and no longer hangs together.
  • Design and engineering keep losing context between handoffs.

What we offer

Product discovery & validation
Product research, idea validation, product-market fit testing, MVP scoping
UX/UI design
User flows, wireframes, interface design, prototypes
Web & mobile app development
Websites, mobile apps, SaaS products, custom software
Backend, APIs & integrations
APIs, databases, payments, third-party integrations, AI features
Launch, analytics & iteration
Testing and QA, launch, analytics setup, ongoing improvement
AI automations
Automations to make your company processes efficient

What you get

  • Product research base: users, their jobs and competitors, each finding sourced and dated
  • MVP scope and roadmap
  • User flows, UX and interface design
  • A design system
  • Web and mobile builds [CONFIRM wording]
  • Launch support and analytics setup

How it runs

  1. Research
    We talk to users, study competitors and read your data.
  2. Insights
    What users need, separated from what we assume.
  3. Ideas
    Scope options and prototypes, tested before they're built.
  4. Execution
    Interface design and working software, shipped in steps.

Timeline

[CONFIRM: typically 8–12 weeks for a first version]

Price

[DECIDE: from $10,000]

Start with a Research Sprint. Two weeks, fixed price [DECIDE: from $1,500]. We build the research base for your question: your market, your audience and your competitors. Every finding is sourced and dated, and our reading is marked as ours. If you carry on with us, the sprint fee counts towards the project. [CONFIRM]

Start with a Research Sprint →

Questions

Do you build, or only design?

Both. Our engineers build from the same research base the designers use.

Can you work with our developers?

Yes. We can design and hand over, or build alongside your team. [CONFIRM]

Case studies

Tweaq

Product Development, Brand Development, Business Strategy

Pandemonium

Product Development

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