Zagreb, April 3rd, 2019

Based in Croatia, Bornfight is a digital innovation company that focuses on creating amazing ideas and solutions. The agency describes itself as passionate about technology, learning and sharing digital knowledge, trying to decode the unknown and the known.

Bornfight works out all the digital spectrum, including mobile apps, software, blockchain platforms, advanced websites and interactive installations. They organize different activities such as meetups and weekly training for their diverse and multidisciplinary team.

In an interview with TIA, Mario Šestak, head of design at Bornfight, described the daily work at the agency, focusing on the discovery process.

Can you describe your agency in a few words?

Bornfight is a digital innovation company that creates progress by designing and developing custom software, digital products, mobile applications and websites.

How did you get started in the industry?

From the early age I was drawn to all things visual. In the primary school, with the help of my teacher, I discovered that I really enjoyed creating, especially the creative process, finding the best way to develop an idea and “watching” it unfold.

During my time in high school, after learning all bunch of historical info about printing machines from the age of Gutemberg, I was introduced to visual communication and graphics. Through the use of graphics software, I started learning about the design basics. After I laid my hands on Photoshop 4 at that time and did the first layouts, I never looked back.

I started doing print design as a graphic designer, designing posters, brochures and magazines. After some while, I slowly expanded my interest to World Wide Web. In 2005 as a freelancer, I created my first commercial website using Flash and Actionscript. That was the beginning of my involvement in digital and exploration of different web technologies available at the time.

Why is discovery important for a designer?

I believe that discovery is not only important for designers but is important for all the people affected by the process called creation. It is fueled with collaborative force of various people working on a common goal. Discovery should be a DNA of every project — commercial or self-initiated. I look at discovery as a compass that steers solution in the right direction.

What role does the discovery process plays on your daily work?

Discovery is not just part of the process, it is a continuous way of operating. It is a mindset or a framework for creating things. Broadly, discovery is a way to inform your decisions, shape direction, explore and validate possible ways of solving problems. I strongly believe that discovery is not dependent on the start or the middle of the project. Rather it is a continuous mechanism of finding answers to various arising questions.

How is that process carried out at the agency?

At Bornfight we don’t have the same way of approaching projects. Business and user needs are always unique, and they are means for a different approach and a way to find a solution. This is the main reason why the discovery is not just a part of the process that you plug and play. It is something that is carried out continuously.

Whenever there is a need to solve a particular problem, we are using discovery to get information. Firstly, we need to understand it, before we can solve it. Maybe it doesn’t’ need to be solved in the first place. By doing discovery we are asking questions and learning more about it. Later on, we are framing that information, validating it, to see if the proposed solution is the right one. No matter how small the project or assignment is, we will always use some kind of a discovery. Even if it takes less than an hour.

What are the steps you take?

If we are talking about a completely new product, from the very first contact we are trying to gather as much information as possible. We are asking lot of questions to find the answers.

We are trying to understand “the why”. The idea is not only to get what we are going to create, but also to understand why we are creating it in the first place. Who are we going to create it for, is there anything similar already created and why it should be relevant for the users and the business?

At any lifespan of the project, when there are uncertainties, we are always using discovery to frame the problem, understand it and explore possible solutions. Some of the steps include talking to people (users, stakeholders, team members), doing competitive research, looking how people are using existing or similar products. We are trying to find patterns and visualize the problem. This really helps to spark conversation within a group. It helps us to describe possible scenarios and refine ideas together.

From there the goal is to prioritize the most feasible solution, based on validated assumptions which align with the needs of the users and business goals.

What outcomes can be obtained thanks to the discovery process?

The most important outcome is knowledge. That knowledge informs your decisions, navigates the production in the right direction and lowers the risk of building something that nobody wants to use.

Discovery provides us a context, what are the constraints of the solution we are designing and building. It provides us with a clear objective and gives us direction how we can achieve it. Most importantly, it serves us with valuable insights and is a source of validation for the whole team whenever we are faced with assumptions. It provides us meaning and it is a pathway to innovation.

What do you like doing in your free time?

I love to travel. Not only that I like coming to a destination or exploring a new city, but I really enjoy the act of traveling and the whole journey. Traveling provides me with opportunity to detach from day to day routine and time think and reflect. When I am not traveling, I like to bike and hit the gym as often as I can, to feel healthy and more energized.

What piece of advice would you give a recent grad looking to work in digital?

One piece of advice would be to work really hard for the things you believe in, even if others don’t see it. Follow your gut. Take every opportunity to learn and expand your network. To be really good at something you need to invest crazy amount of time and persistence. It takes a lot of sacrifice and patience. Be patient, be very patient. Have a dream and a plan how to achieve that dream. Doing the things that takes you closer to that dream every day will create small increments of progress. Over time they will stack up and you will be closer to that dream.

Thanks Mario!

Learn more about Bornfight

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CreativityCroatiadesign processDiscoveryInnovationMario Šestak