From user research and Figma design systems to React 18 frontend engineering and Core Web Vitals optimization, we design and build interfaces that real users actually understand, navigate without friction, and return to by choice.
Beautiful UI that fails usability testing is expensive decoration. Softcom bridges the gap between design and engineering, from user research that uncovers real behavior to React components that implement design tokens with pixel fidelity, accessible by default.
We build Figma-based design systems with atomic design principles and design tokens exported to CSS/JSON/iOS/Android via Style Dictionary, React 18 component libraries documented in Storybook, and WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility enforced in CI with axe-core and validated manually by screen reader experts.
Key differentiator: Design tokens are our bridge between design and code. One change in Figma propagates to CSS variables, iOS Swift constants, and Android XML resource files simultaneously, ensuring visual consistency across web, iOS, and Android without manual synchronization.
The specific tools, methodologies, and engineering practices behind our UX/UI practice.
Contextual inquiry and moderated usability testing via UserTesting and Lookback, unmoderated studies with Maze for large-sample behavioral data, tree testing with Optimal Workshop for information architecture validation, and card sorting for navigation design. Jobs-to-be-Done framework interviews, empathy mapping, and persona development grounded in behavioral observation, not assumptions. First-click testing and preference testing for design validation.
Figma-based design systems built on atomic design principles, atoms (buttons, inputs), molecules (form fields, cards), organisms (navigation, data tables), templates, and pages. Design tokens for color, spacing, typography, and shadow exported via Style Dictionary to CSS custom properties, JSON, Swift constants (iOS), and Android XML resources. Storybook for component documentation and interactive examples. Chromatic for automated visual review and stakeholder approval workflows.
High-fidelity interactive prototypes in Figma with auto-animate transitions, micro-interaction design for feedback states (loading, error, success, empty), and complete user flow mapping. FigJam for collaborative journey mapping, service blueprinting, and stakeholder workshops. Variable-driven prototypes for multivariate design testing. Interactive prototypes shared with stakeholders for review before any engineering begins, eliminating costly late-stage design changes.
React 18 with concurrent features (Suspense for data fetching, transitions for non-urgent state updates), Next.js 14 App Router for SSR/SSG/ISR with React Server Components, TypeScript in strict mode for type safety. TanStack Query for server state management with background refetching, Zustand or Jotai for lightweight client state. Tailwind CSS utility-first styling with design token integration. Vite for fast development tooling with HMR.
ARIA landmark roles, live regions for dynamic content announcements, focus management in single-page applications (focus trapping in modals, focus restoration on close), keyboard trap prevention in complex widgets. Color contrast analysis using APCA algorithm (preparing for WCAG 3.0). Axe-core integrated in Storybook stories and CI/CD pipeline with score threshold gates. VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) documentation produced for federal procurement requirements.
Lighthouse CI integrated in GitHub Actions with LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift), and INP (Interaction to Next Paint) budget enforcement, PRs blocked if performance budgets are exceeded. Next.js Image for automatic WebP conversion, lazy loading, and responsive sizing. Bundle analysis with Webpack Bundle Analyzer to identify and eliminate bloat. Code splitting with dynamic imports. Edge deployment on Vercel or Cloudflare Workers for minimal TTFB globally.
Great UX emerges from research, not assumptions. We invest in understanding users before designing for them, then prototype and test before engineering, so feedback is cheap and changes happen in Figma rather than in production code.
Our UX researchers, designers, and frontend engineers work as a unified team, designers write CSS variables, engineers participate in usability sessions, and both are accountable to the same accessibility compliance metrics.
Contextual inquiry interviews with real users in their work environment, usability testing on existing systems to identify friction points, and Jobs-to-be-Done analysis. Affinity diagramming of research findings. Persona development backed by behavioral data, not demographics. Heuristic evaluation against Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics.
Design token architecture established, color scales, type scales, spacing scales, shadow tokens. Figma component library built from atomic primitives. Style Dictionary configuration for cross-platform token export. Storybook scaffolded with accessibility addon (axe-core) and design token documentation.
High-fidelity interactive Figma prototypes for key user flows. Moderated usability testing with 5+ representative users per flow, yielding 85% of usability issues per Nielsen's research. Design iterated based on test findings before any engineering begins. Stakeholder sign-off on final prototype against acceptance criteria.
React component implementation with design-to-code fidelity review. TypeScript interfaces match Figma component properties. Accessibility implemented from first component, ARIA attributes, keyboard handling, focus management. Performance budgets enforced in CI from first sprint. Chromatic visual review gates for every PR.
Final WCAG 2.2 AA audit with manual screen reader testing (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver). Lighthouse CI performance score validation. Cross-browser visual regression check with Chromatic. VPAT document produced. Post-launch monitoring with Core Web Vitals via CrUX and RUM (Real User Monitoring) via Vercel Analytics or Datadog RUM.
Concrete examples of UX/UI engineering delivering measurable user experience improvements.
Redesigned a federal agency's benefits portal for WCAG 2.2 AA compliance serving 800,000+ monthly users. Research revealed 34% of users relied on keyboard navigation or screen readers. Restructured heading hierarchy, added skip navigation links, fixed 180+ aria-label violations, and redesigned color contrast across 60 page templates. VPAT delivered and Section 508 certification renewed. Task completion rate increased 43% for assistive technology users.
43% task completion improvement for AT usersBuilt a comprehensive Figma and React design system for a Fortune 500 financial services firm with 300+ components across web, iOS, and Android. Design tokens propagated via Style Dictionary to all platforms. Storybook with Chromatic visual review deployed for designer and engineer collaboration. Feature development time decreased 3x for new screens using the component library. Visual consistency score improved from 62% to 97% across the product portfolio.
3x faster feature development with component libraryRedesigned a hospital system's patient portal used by 2.3M patients. Contextual inquiry with 24 patients revealed appointment scheduling required an average of 14 steps, reduced to 4 steps after redesign. Job-to-be-Done analysis repositioned the portal around patient goals rather than system capabilities. User satisfaction (CSAT) increased from 2.8/5 to 4.7/5. Support call volume for portal issues dropped 52%.
CSAT: 2.8/5 to 4.7/5, 52% fewer support callsRedesigned a B2C fintech app's investment onboarding flow, user research showed 68% of users abandoned during identity verification. Cognitive load analysis led to step decomposition (12 fields across 3 pages to 1 field per page). Micro-interaction design for real-time validation feedback reduced form errors 71%. Next.js 14 App Router with React Server Components delivered LCP under 1.2 seconds on 4G. Onboarding completion rate increased from 32% to 79%.
Onboarding completion: 32% to 79%Start with a UX Consultation, we assess your current application usability, identify the highest-impact redesign opportunities, and deliver a design roadmap anchored in real user research.