Software built around real work.
Most of my clients are organisations with real work to run and tools that no longer keep up. Below are the problems I'm usually asked to solve, each with a project that shows how I've handled it before.
Sometimes you don't need another website.
An organisation that asks me for a website is often asking for something else. The website is the part of the problem they can see. Behind it there is usually a spreadsheet or a WhatsApp group doing far more work than anyone intended, and that is where I prefer to begin.
You’re living in spreadsheets.
Most spreadsheets start as a simple list. Over time they become the organisation’s real records, and usually only one person fully understands them. I can turn that into a proper application without losing what the sheet already does well.
See: DukaKonnect · RentKonnect
The same work gets done by hand every week.
Some repetitive work needs a person’s judgement, but a lot of it does not. I help separate the two, then automate the part that doesn’t need you.
See: PostKonnect · Daftari
Your real records live in WhatsApp.
Payment confirmations and orders tend to sit in chats that nobody can search or total. I have built tools that read those chats and turn them into proper records.
See: Daftari
Your information is scattered.
When information lives in inboxes and in people’s heads, it is usually only missed once someone leaves. A searchable database or an internal portal often helps more than a new website.
See: LughaKonnect · Usalama Voice
Your website can’t keep up with your work.
If changing a sentence on your website means calling a developer, the sentence rarely gets changed. I build sites on an admin your team can run themselves.
See: Cheche Za Nuru Foundation · Golden Eagle Insurance Agency
You’ve outgrown your tools.
There is seldom a good reason to rebuild everything at once. I would replace the weakest part first and leave the rest until it is needed.
See: Usalama Voice · DukaKonnect
What I build, with the evidence.
Each one links to a project where I have already done it.
Information systems
Software for the records and processes an organisation depends on from day to day.
Proof: Usalama Voice · Cheche Za Nuru Foundation · LughaKonnect
Web applications
Tools that run in the browser, built for one specific job and the people doing it.
Proof: DukaKonnect · RentKonnect · PostKonnect
Dashboards & portals
Screens that show each person the information their role needs.
Proof: Usalama Voice · Cheche Za Nuru Foundation
Workflow automation
Repetitive manual work turned into a dependable process, with a person still involved where judgement matters.
Proof: PostKonnect · Daftari
Data & reporting
Turning messy information into records that can be checked and reported on.
Proof: Daftari · LughaKonnect · RentKonnect
APIs & integrations
Connecting your systems to each other, and to outside services such as M-PESA or SMS.
Proof: Usalama Voice · PostKonnect · Golden Eagle Insurance Agency
Websites & CMS
Public websites your team can update without calling anyone.
Proof: Cheche Za Nuru Foundation · Golden Eagle Insurance Agency · Florider Insurance Guide
UX & product design
Interfaces designed around how people actually use them.
Proof: DukaKonnect · Florider Insurance Guide · The Test Card
Deployment & support
Getting a system live and secure, then looking after it once it is in use.
Proof: every project here, still running
How a project tends to go.
Talk it through
Before writing any code, I want to understand the problem properly, so I ask a lot of questions. Sometimes the honest answer is that you don’t need new software at all, and I would rather say so early.
Start with the project briefMap it out
I sketch the structure and the main screens first. Changes are cheap at this stage and expensive later.
Build in the open
I work in short cycles. At the end of each one, there is something you can open and try.
Ship, then stick around
Most real problems show up a few weeks after launch, once people start using the system properly. I stay on for that.
Delivery stages.
01 · Discovery
Understand the organisation and the problem as it really is.
02 · Mapping
Document the current workflow and who needs access to what.
03 · Design
Agree the interface and the technical approach before building starts.
04 · Build
Develop in short cycles, each ending in something you can try.
05 · Test
Test with real users wherever possible, including security checks.
06 · Deploy
Set up the live system, with backups and monitoring in place.
07 · Handover
Provide documentation and training for your team.
08 · Support
Maintain and improve the system after launch.
Working with institutions.
I respond to tenders and requests for quotation where the scope suits a small practice.
For larger tenders, I am glad to join a bigger firm as its technical partner or subcontractor.
Capability statement
A two-page summary for your files. It prints cleanly or saves as a PDF.
Tell me what isn't working.
Describe the problem as it is, even if it's messy. I'll come back with how I would approach it and what it would take.