The IconProcess is a four-phase, iterative process for developing the most effective and innovative digital solutions. The IconProcess adapts the four phases defined in the Unified Process because those phases and their associated milestones — modified for the Web — are proven best practices.

During the first phase of the IconProcess, Inception, a comprehensive business strategy is established or evaluated from any existing strategy. Depending on project needs, the business strategy may include developing a business plan, marketing plan, and brand strategy. Using competitive analysis, enterprise analysis, user research, usability benchmarks, and the client's brand strategy, we create a vision for a new e-business, intranet, extranet, or other web-based application. This vision allows us to develop a project plan outlining the scope, timing and costs of the project.

Next comes Elaboration, focusing on the visible user experience and the less visible yet critical technical software architecture. We design a compelling user experience - the total impression left by interacting with the application's varied attributes: visual design, features and functional behavior, content, information layout, usability, and reliability. By building a user interface prototype based on requirements, information architecture and the creative concept, usability tests are conducted early and frequently, refining the user experience. The team designs and codes the software architecture in order to address risks and build the essential pieces of the application. We produce a working web-based application within each iteration of the Elaboration phase, extending and refining it over time.

During the Construction phase, we design, implement, and test the remaining functionality. Deployment plans and marketing campaigns are finalized. Each iteration continues to produce a working version of the application, increasing functionality and quality until reaching the agreed to scope.

The Transition phase is where clients perform final acceptance testing, marketing campaigns are run, and the web-based application goes live. This phase includes monitoring and evaluating the live site, and fine-tuning for optimum performance and results.

The graph below (which is based on the Rational Unified Process® (RUP) 'humpback' chart) shows the two dimensions of the IconProcess: the phases representing time are shown horizontally and the disciplines are shown vertically.

Team members work toward the milestones that mark each phase's completion by performing activities organized into nine disciplines.