Better work, greater impact
In September our team joined the climate strike, and throughout the year we focussed on working with clients who want to make a positive impact, for people and the planet.
Greater impact meant working with organisations who are tackling the world’s most urgent problems, like CH4. Their goal is to reduce methane emissions from livestock by harnessing the power of a special red seaweed found in New Zealand and South Australian waters.
We made a website that made it easy for farmers, researchers, and investors to get involved with CH4 — and to make a positive difference to the world’s methane emissions.
Better digital experiences — designed with people
We upped our human-centred design to create accessible, useful digital experiences for people. One example included working with some amazing students to design a toolkit for school leavers. This project, funded by the Ministry of Education (MoE), provides students with a toolkit of essential life skills — from housing rights to mental health.
Better usability
We used technology to enable, rather than inhibit people. Our work with the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) demonstrated how we helped Kiwis use government services with ease by creating an open source design system.
The system we created is enabling digital teams to prototype, design, develop and write content for fast, flexible, and accessible websites. Time saved building websites and applications with the new system can be directed towards more important problems affecting Kiwis.
Better data-driven experiences
Better data-driven experiences are accessible ones, and we used this belief to help people understand that the earthquakes on Aotearoa’s ‘Shaky Isles’ aren’t just one-off events, but spikes in a never-ending sequence of tremors beneath our feet.
To do this, we displayed over 200 years of earthquake data on interactive screens for the visitors of Te Papa, New Zealand’s national museum. We managed to display complex data in a way that educated the public and our project won ‘Best Map Design’ at the Spatial Awards (NZSEA) for this.
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Better design
We created websites and applications that were visual, interactive, and on brand — Klim was a great example of this. We redesigned Klim’s website and established a strong and recognisable site among digital type foundries.
During our research we discovered that designers liked to review and test full character sets before making a decision to purchase. Our work incorporated these findings and the outcome was an elegant and effective browsing experience for designers that, upon release, also received international recognition from our industry peers.
A masterclass in considered interaction design, usefulness, and inspiration.
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Better cultural competency
Better understanding of cultural competency is a journey. In 2018 Springload was blessed with a new te reo Māori name, Te Pipītanga. This was a small, but important part of our journey, and in 2019 we continued to explore how we can:
- create a safe space for open conversation about cultural competency.
- provide opportunities for our team to learn and explore Aotearoa’s indigenous culture and language.
Last year our opportunities for cultural exploration included team Te Reo lessons and a Waka Tour.
We have enlisted the help of a cultural advisor, and we continue to learn from organisations such as IDIA, to ensure we create culturally appropriate, valuable, digital experiences.
Best awards
Making things that matter got even better when award season arrived. Springload received awards for our work on ACC, NZ On Air, DIA, and Te Papa.
Bron was also a finalist in both the Women of Influence awards and the EY Entrepreneur of the Year program.
Best people
Our merger with Touchtech saw Springload double in size. With additional teammates came greater opportunities to work with clients on digital products that reached hundreds of thousands of people.
Last year we welcomed 20 new faces to our team and we continue to seek out the best people in New Zealand to help us make the things that matter, better.
Better partnerships
Working towards a better future is a collective effort. In 2019 we supported some amazing initiatives — such as The Tiny Plastic Factory and Trees That Count — who in turn helped us run a better business.
Better future
It’s been a busy year and this 2019 recap is only the tip of the iceberg. In 2020 we will continue to explore how we, as a business and as people, can contribute to a better future by:
- driving change through the organisations we align with, the work we do, and the causes we support.
- being role models and showing that businesses can be profitable and also do good.
- establishing better ways to measure impact as a business.
We've got some exciting news to share over the next month too, but for now — here's to another year, and a new decade, of making the things that matter, better.
Get in touch
Let’s make the things that matter, better.
Email: hello@springload.co.nz
Phone: +64 4 801 8205