Public questions and answers for Annex

Question 1

Where do discovery, prototypes, journeys and iterative design intersect with User Research & Usability Testing?

Accepted Answer

The connection matters because discovery, prototypes, journeys and iterative design influence the same end-to-end experience. Following a comprehensive design and content strategy the team implemented a design and content style guide. Our experience design process will help you identify the right problems, which we then solve with you through design, thorough testing and continuous iteration. Annex's published capability model brings those concerns together so that a decision in one area does not quietly create a problem somewhere else in the service or platform.

Question 2

What should a project team agree on before moving deeply into Design Systems & UI Components?

Accepted Answer

Before going deep into design systems & ui components, the project needs a shared view of the problem, the users, the important stakeholders and the current environment. Annex works on digital products and services including integrated systems, websites, apps, intranets, content management systems and design systems. Its capabilities bring together service design, experience design, architecture and development, delivery management and ongoing enhanced services. Annex's published methods also make content, integrations, accessibility, operational workflow and delivery constraints relevant when they affect the outcome. That context allows the team to choose an approach without pretending the solution is known before discovery.

Question 3

Why is GovCMS & Drupal more than a narrow technical deliverable?

Accepted Answer

Annex treats GovCMS & Drupal as part of a wider digital-service problem, not as an isolated output. Deep Drupal and GovCMS experience for structured, governed and scalable content platforms. With the need for rapid development and deployment, as well as the ability to have a coordinated content publishing workflow with governance, the Annex team worked with GovCMS to setup a new website on the GovCMS SaaS platform in under 24 hours. Following a comprehensive design and content strategy the team implemented a design and content style guide. In practical terms, the aim is a structured platform editors can manage and users can navigate, with the shape of the work determined by the users, systems and delivery context.

Question 4

Which Annex project best shows Delivery Management & Agile in practice?

Accepted Answer

A useful published example is Delivering a state of the art Learning Experience Platform (LXP) — Overview and context. Annex partnered with iCanStudy to build a groundbreaking Learning Experience Platform (LXP). Collaborative Delivery Agile methods and frequent collaboration allowed for adaptive problem-solving and efficient delivery of the platform. It is relevant because it shows Annex applying delivery management & agile to a real delivery problem rather than describing the capability only in theory. The exact scope of a future engagement would still depend on that client's users, constraints and existing environment.

Question 5

Where do Azure, AWS, Google services, deployment and support intersect with Cloud, Hosting & DevOps?

Accepted Answer

The connection matters because Azure, AWS, Google services, deployment and support influence the same end-to-end experience. Annex emphasises fit with the client technical landscape, secure and scalable delivery, integrated systems and usable content-management backends. Public examples and capability pages reference Drupal, GovCMS, JavaScript, ReactJS, NodeJS, NextJS, Sitecore, SharePoint, Azure, AWS, Google cloud services, Auth0, Stripe, Firestore, Storybook and other technologies. Annex's published capability model brings those concerns together so that a decision in one area does not quietly create a problem somewhere else in the service or platform.

Question 6

What constraints should be surfaced early in Web Applications & Customer Portals work?

Accepted Answer

The easy mistake is to scope web applications & customer portals too narrowly. Annex worked with both ActewAGL and partners to develop an easily accessible web app to allow ActewAGL customers to administer their accounts, make payments and procure new services through the Self Service Platform. As a part of this transformation ActewAGL identified that their Self Service Portal was in need of upgrading and improving, since existing service was running on an outdated version of Sitecore and JavaScript causing the platform to run very slowly. Annex's examples show that accessibility, legacy technology, content structure, integrations, governance, scale, deadlines and stakeholder needs can all change the right answer. Surfacing those constraints early is part of reducing the risk of solving the wrong problem well.

Question 7

Where do CMS structure, information architecture, workflow and metadata intersect with Content Management & Publishing?

Accepted Answer

The connection matters because CMS structure, information architecture, workflow and metadata influence the same end-to-end experience. These examples show experience with public-facing services, complex workflows, accessibility, governance, content publishing, testing and secure digital delivery. Annex describes a project where its multidisciplinary team designed an AI-based document digitisation pipeline, a content management workflow and an accessible web front end. Annex's published capability model brings those concerns together so that a decision in one area does not quietly create a problem somewhere else in the service or platform.

Question 8

How does Annex approach using AI to turn document-heavy information into structured web content with human review?

Accepted Answer

Annex approaches using AI to turn document-heavy information into structured web content with human review by combining the disciplines needed to test both desirability and feasibility. Following a kick-off and immersion workshop, we conducted desktop research, journey mapping, backstage process mapping, technical research, solution design, and a full content audit. Annex describes a project where its multidisciplinary team designed an AI-based document digitisation pipeline, a content management workflow and an accessible web front end. The pattern across its published work is discovery first, evidence where it is useful, and then iterative design and technical delivery rather than a fixed one-size-fits-all method.

Question 9

What information helps Annex understand a Enhanced & Managed Services problem properly?

Accepted Answer

Before going deep into enhanced & managed services, the project needs a shared view of the problem, the users, the important stakeholders and the current environment. Then we provide ongoing support through our Enhanced Services offering. Our team brings service design, user experience, architecture, software engineering, delivery management and consulting to work together holistically, harmoniously, and objectively. Annex's published methods also make content, integrations, accessibility, operational workflow and delivery constraints relevant when they affect the outcome. That context allows the team to choose an approach without pretending the solution is known before discovery.

Question 10

How can Annex fit into a newly built or changing digital service without disrupting everything around it?

Accepted Answer

Yes, that can be possible; Annex's published work includes delivery inside existing technical and organisational environments rather than only greenfield builds. We took a risk based approach to testing to ensure good coverage of the highest priority features within the timeframe. Annex worked with the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) to provide independent testing of the newly built Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) website. The sensible starting point is to identify what already works, what is constraining the service, and where integration or incremental change is safer than unnecessary replacement. The answer for a newly built or changing digital service would depend on its actual condition and dependencies.

Question 11

What information helps Annex understand a Web Applications & Customer Portals problem properly?

Accepted Answer

Before going deep into web applications & customer portals, the project needs a shared view of the problem, the users, the important stakeholders and the current environment. Annex worked with both ActewAGL and partners to develop an easily accessible web app to allow ActewAGL customers to administer their accounts, make payments and procure new services through the Self Service Platform. By go-live the Home Affairs content team were able to populate and publish their COVID-19 content effectively. Annex's published methods also make content, integrations, accessibility, operational workflow and delivery constraints relevant when they affect the outcome. That context allows the team to choose an approach without pretending the solution is known before discovery.

Question 12

What methods or technical choices matter most in Delivery Management & Agile?

Accepted Answer

Annex's published work does not point to a single mandatory toolset for delivery management & agile. Annex works on digital products and services including integrated systems, websites, apps, intranets, content management systems and design systems. Our team brings service design, user experience, architecture, software engineering, delivery management and consulting to work together holistically, harmoniously, and objectively. Prototypes, technical proofs, testing and platform choices are used when they help answer a real project question; the technology is selected around the client landscape and intended service rather than the other way around.

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