The Ethos of Engineering

We’re all about building exceptional software quickly.

At Significa, our vision is to be the best digital product agency—not the biggest, but the best. As a developer, it’s important you understand that we’re design-driven.

We expect you to bring the same level of curiosity and critical thinking that our designers do. You're not just here to execute code; your insights matter to us and our clients. Question the process — think beyond the task.

Always keep your eyes on the prize: creating unforgettable experiences.

Which characteristics do we value in developers to achieve this?

Only two, but both are essential, and one doesn’t exist without the other: quality and speed.

Quality

Quality is a catch-all that should guide your day-to-day work. Never settle for half-hearted solutions. Always ask yourself, "Is this the best solution for the proposed problem?" At Significa, we are all critical thinkers—this mindset shouldn't stop with designers.

Once you’re confident in your solution, ensure it works—and not just for the immediate problem. Consider edge cases.

• Always consider "what if…" — What if there are no items? What if there are thousands of items? What if the person's name is huge? What if new data arrives after I first fetched it? What if…

• Finally, make sure it sparks joy. Will users enjoy interacting with this solution? Emotion plays a key role in functionality, helping bring users back and fostering acceptance of any potential errors.

Here, the bottom line is that critical thinking is fundamental to producing quality.

Speed

We want you to achieve incredible quality quickly. That may sound contradictory, but it’s not. We can have quality and speed. Speed allows for iteration, enabling you to do things quickly, pivot, and improve. There are a few things that can help us achieve optimal speed:

• Agile thinking: Embrace a mindset of efficiency. Look for shortcuts and the simplest solutions to your problems.

• Don't reinvent the wheel: If you need a button, reuse one that worked well in a previous project and adapt it. Most challenges you encounter have likely been partially solved before, so foster discussion and seek quick solutions rather than spending too much time reinventing.

With practice, you’ll find yourself thinking faster and more critically, and soon you'll be the one providing those solutions.

Focus your time on solving the most impactful issues. Remember the 80/20 rule: dedicate 80% of your efforts to addressing the 20% of issues that will have the greatest impact.

Now, head over to Technical elements of quality to explore the specifics of how we implement this ethos in our work.