DEVELOPMENT
Web services, apps, and business software, from planning through development and improvements after launch. We define the users and purpose, then test working prototypes.
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FLATBITSTUDIO — DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
FROM IDEATO RELEASE.
Original services, developed in-house.
Product design for clients.
Based in Shima, Japan, we conceive, develop, and run our own web services and apps. Our client work spans watch and musical instrument interfaces, physical products, and brands.
DESIGN
UI/UX, products, packaging, and brands. We consider information, interaction, materials, and construction to design for the way each product will be used.
View detailsDIRECTION
We set design direction and priorities around business goals. Our support includes design reviews, quality oversight, an external CDO role, and the development of in-house design teams.
View detailsORIGINAL SERVICE
WORDS. MUSIC. CONNECTION.
FORTUNE
Original service | Concept, UI/UX, development, operation
Words and music, for someone you haven’t met.
Send a short message anonymously to one person somewhere in the world, with optional music. The recipient can tap a heart to return a thank-you card. We conceive, design, develop, and run the service ourselves.
ARTIST PROJECT
MUSIC BUILDS A WORLD.
DST61
Original project | Concept, music, visuals, web, social expression
Music, characters, and film in one world.
An artist project crossing cyberpunk, metal, electronic music, and pop. We create and share music, characters, films, web, and social content as parts of a shared world.
DEVELOPMENT / DESIGN / DIRECTION
WORK WITH US.
Service development, product design, and design consulting. Our approach draws on both in-house projects and client work.
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES & SOFTWARE
We plan and develop web services, apps, and business software. UI/UX design and prototypes let us test features and interactions before implementation. AI supports this work, which continues through launch, operation, and improvement.
- Service planning and requirements
- UI/UX design and prototypes
- Web services, apps, and business software
- Launch, operation, and improvement
DESIGN
PRODUCTS & EXPERIENCES
We design information and interaction, materials and construction, and how brands communicate. Our work spans UI/UX, products, and packaging, with graphics, film, and spaces shaped to suit each medium.
- UI/UX and web design
- Product concepts, product design, and prototypes
- Packaging, brand, graphic, and print design
- Film, content, and spatial design
DIRECTION
STRATEGY & DESIGN SUPPORT
We clarify design direction and priorities around business goals. We support project reviews, quality oversight, and in-house design teams, through focused consultations or an ongoing external CDO role.
- Business and design consulting
- Design reviews and quality oversight
- External CDO and design strategy
- Practice development, training, and hiring support
UI/UX FOR REAL-WORLD USE
EXPERIENCE IN PRACTICE.
Watch-face readability and power use, operation on stage, and control of AV equipment. The conditions of use inform our interface decisions.
Watch-face UI/UX design considering brand expression, readability, and battery life.
App interface design considering use on stage and simpler customization.
UI/UX design for a professional AV controller app, with advice on content structure and an emphasis on intuitive operation.
BROWSER & DESKTOP
TOOLS FOR EVERYDAY WORK.
Browser tab management and Mac window layouts. We also develop software for the work we do every day.
GRIDCUE
A Mac app for saving and restoring grids and window layouts. Recall a layout from the menu bar or a shortcut to suit the task. Preparing for release.
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JOURNAL
FROM THE STUDIO.
We document the methods we test and the decisions we make in service development, UI/UX design, and work with AI.
A SMALL MESSAGE. AN OPEN WORLD.
Fortune sends anonymous words and optional music to one person somewhere in the world. We explore the reasoning behind its simple interface, separation of language and imagery, and use of AI in visual production.
A FLAT VIEW. A SHARP EYE.
Begin with a flat view. Read the details. Choose the method the work needs. Now in our fifteenth fiscal year, we reflect on the name Flatbitstudio and how experience, analysis and technology shape our design practice.
DST61. A WORLD YOU CAN HEAR.
DST61 brings music, characters and moving images into one world. We write about its three distinct identities, the details of bodies and instruments, and the choices that shape our AI-assisted production.
BASED IN SHIMA, JAPAN
DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY.
For 15 years, Flatbitstudio,Inc. has designed for regional businesses and companies operating worldwide.
We bring this experience to our own services, using AI alongside design and engineering, from prototype to implementation.
CONTACT
LET’S MAKE IT HAPPEN.
A new web service or app, interface or product design, or a question about design strategy. Get in touch, even at the idea stage.