Pacific Aviator
Design Labs
Workshops
Web & Mobile
Apps
UX & Product
Design
APIs &
Cloud
Work With Us
How you build great products is more than just a process: it's a business strategy. At Pacific Aviator, we believe in building products that are useful and valuable. Our "fail-forward" mentality inspires us to embrace the unknown; to learn through experimentation & iteration, and to push the envelope of what's possible. As developers, we know that the pursuit of perfection can sometimes be the enemy of done. And as designers, we're not afraid to be wrong — because that's the fastest way to learn.
Our rapid experimentation methodology and product-led principles are about more than just delivering code. We'll work with your team to develop a product-first culture where we design, build, ship, and validate assumptions continuously, so you make better data-driven decisions and ship more user-centric value — faster.
Brainstorm & Ideate
Generate ideas by brainstorming, then distill them into specific problems that are worth solving and prioritize based on impact, complexity, and feasibility.
Experiment & Learn
Discover what problems you're solving and who you're solving them for, then define rapid experiments and measurable goals to validate your hypotheses.
Measure & Refine
Use prototypes to test with your customers and measure viability, then iterate and adjust course based on the results. Learning is what matters; don't be afraid to fail.
Build & Launch
Ship fast, ship often. Get your product into the hands of your customers as quickly as possible, then use the same experimentation cycle to deliver value, continuously.
We have a passion for
Web Development
Shipping modern, high-performance, responsive web applications that are built to run seamlessly on any device. Powered by the latest technologies and frameworks like React, Next.js, and Gatsby.
Product Design & UX
Building value-driven products your users will love with our design-first approach. We use design thinking, rapid prototyping, research, and iterative experimentation, to craft well-designed, user-centered solutions.
Rapid Experimentation
Creating value and limiting risk by iterating on product ideas and validating assumptions — fast and often. We'll help you develop product experimentation processes & strategies so you can test quickly and learn at scale.
APIs & Backend Dev
APIs & microservices that power the modern web. Whether you depend on data-centric languages like Python or event-driven, real-time platforms like Node.js, we develop highly testable, mission-critical platforms that scale.
Design Systems
Express your brand with a design language that is cohesive, consistent, and beautiful across all your products. Transform your design process with reusable, modular components that are easy to maintain and update.
Growth & Opportunity
Sparking product-led growth by identifying and executing key opportunities. Work with us to deepen your understanding of product-market fit, and to drive user acquisition, engagement, and product stickiness (retention).
iOS Development
Using Swift and SwiftUI to build high-quality native apps for Apple devices that are fast, beautiful, and a joy to use. For our enterprise clients, we'll handle integration with your existing systems, and support or help you migrate legacy Objective-C.
Visual Design
Breathing life into your brand and turning it up to 11. Make a lasting impression with our full brand packages, or sit down with us and explore bespoke logos, typography, color theory, illustrations, and print media.
Cloud Platforms
Digital transformation as a foundation of your business. Using cloud platforms like AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure, we can help you migrate your existing infrastructure to the cloud, or build new systems from scratch.
Accelerator Workshops
Rapid Experimentation Crash Course
1-2 Days
Introduce your team to rapid product experimentation — this intensive workshop is for teams trying to validate or accelerate an existing product or feature, or for teams that are just getting started.
From $1,600Book NowIntroduction to experimentation in product development
Hands-on generation of experiment ideas & hypotheses
Learn how to measure success, gather feedback, and iterate
Launch, then plan and prioritize next steps
Group Q&A session with facilitator
Design Thinking for Product Development
2-5 Days
Understand your product and its market, then build & run experiments — this comprehensive, hands-on workshop is for high-performing teams focusing on well-defined problems.
From $3,200Book NowDeep dive into product experimentation methodologies
Analyze case studies of product launch failures & successes
Understand your market, target audience, and their needs
Prototype & build experiments through design thinking exercises
Launch viable prototypes, measure the results, then iterate
Product Experimentation Strategy and Launch
4+ Days
Design & build experiments to test with your customers, then adjust course based on the results — this immersive workshop is for teams that are ready to launch, but want to move faster & build smarter.
Contact us for pricingWaiting ListExplore how a culture of rapid product experimentation can drive growth & higher product stickiness
Analyze product launch failures & successes from comparable organizations
Understand your market, target audience, and their needs
Design, prototype, and build experiments with measurable goals
Launch functional experiments, measure the results, then iterate
Our Principles
Our mission is to help our clients make digital products that have real impact, meaning and value. We're passionate about helping you and your team ship the right products with quality and cadence. But we're pragmatic and humble, too. We believe in the power of experimentation, and we're not afraid to fail, to learn, and adjust our course.
- Don't be afraid to fail. Embrace failures and mistakes, and be humble enough to learn from them.
- Design is not just a process — it's a culture. Apply critical thinking and consider the best course to take for each situation.
- Think bigger and act smaller. An iterative process and fail-forward mentality allows you to learn and adjust course quickly.
- You can only design products for everyone if everyone has a voice. Listen to people — especially to those who are different than you.
- It doesn't matter how well-designed a product is if, in the end, nobody uses it.
Projects
Building successful products requires more than just technical oversight and design implementation: it takes patient leadership and hardworking teams. We're here to empower you to be both, as we help you solve bespoke product problems sustainably, and at scale.
While our pricing reflects the quality of our work, we are often flexible based on your requirements and annual revenue, and can accommodate hourly or fixed-term & budget billing.
We fill our schedule on a first-come-first-serve basis (our engagements typically land within a 2-6 week timeframe) so some lead time may be required to schedule longer-term projects — don't wait to get in touch.
Fixed Term or Budget
Have a fixed timeframe or budget in mind? That makes it easy for everyone. Ask us for a quick quote.
Open Engagement
Unsure on time or budget, or prefer an hourly or longer-term engagement? Contact us to discuss next steps.
API-first SaaS Integrations
Adding a powerful third-party service to your platform can be a game changer for your business, opening up new opportunities for growth and success. Ready to build? We've got you covered — we've connected dozens of SaaS and API-first products into countless tech stacks, and we know the ins and outs of making them work. Not ready yet, or not sure what will work best? We can help you navigate and evaluate your options.
Here are some popular services we integrate into our clients' platforms:
Stripe & Payments
Start accepting online payments with Stripe. We'll help you set up SKUs, subscriptions, invoices, shipping, and other payment-related features, seamlessly integrated into your platform.
Typical engagement: 6-8 hours
Auth0 & Identity
Integrate Auth0's authentication and authorization services into your platform and get out-of-the-box support for social login, multi-factor authentication, and world-class security.
Typical engagement: 8-16 hours
Firebase & Serverless Data
Build a real-time, serverless backend with Firebase. We'll help you model or migrate your data, integrate SDKs into your platform, and set up Firebase's analytics and insights tools.
Typical engagement: 8-32 hours
Composable CMS
Build a composable content management system with Contentful, Storyblok, or Sanity. We'll help you design your content model, style & integrate content blocks, and help your team get up to speed.
Typical engagement: 8-32 hours
Algolia Search
Add powerful search to your platform with Algolia. We'll help you set up your search index, configure your search UI, and integrate Algolia's analytics and insights tools.
Typical engagement: 4-12 hours
Google Analytics & GTM
Get a full picture of your digital business with Google Analytics & Tag Manager or other popular analytics tools. We'll help you set up your account and configure tracking, custom events, and goals.
Minimum engagement: 1 hour
Sentry & Error Monitoring
Get real-time error monitoring and alerting with Sentry. Take action on bugs, crashes, and unexpected API behaviors before they impact your users.
Minimum engagement: 1 hour
Shrink-wrapped Services
Code Reviews & Test-Driven Development
Reduce code complexity, improve stability, and add resilience to your products through test-driven development, and help your team establish code review processes and automated testing.
Minimum engagement: 2 hours
Design & Usability Audits
A holistic look at the usability of your product to identify user journey blockers, accessibility issues, and common pitfalls. Then, make tactical improvements and strategic goals based on actionable feedback.
Typical engagement: 4 hours
Content & Technical Writing
We're meticulous about writing high-quality technical documentation, blog posts, print media, and marketing copy. We'll outline & write engaging content geared to your audience, or help you edit and refine your existing material.
Typical engagement: 1-4 hours
QA & Performance Optimization
Discover performance & stability bottlenecks in your tech stack, set up monitoring & alerting to keep things running smoothly, with technical recommendations for future improvements.
Minimum engagement: 1 hour
SEO, Metrics, & Analytics
Identify keywords and optimize marketing copy to boost search engine rankings and drive more traffic to your site, then set up Google Analytics / Tag Manager to track user activity and conversions.
Typical engagement: 2 hours
Architecture & Systems Design
Whether you need containerized cloud-native microservices or a distributed monolith, we'll help you determine a tech stack and system architecture that fits your business and will keep your developers happy.
Typical engagement: 8 hours
PowerPoint, Keynote, & Google Slides
Stand out in your next conference talk, pitch, or product demo. We design beautiful, effective, impactful presentations (and templates), and we'll help you revise and polish when you're ready to present.
Minimum engagement: 1 hour
Support for Conference Speakers
Are you a speaker who needs an extra hand preparing for your next conference talk? We'll help you revise and polish your deck, practice your delivery, coordinate with venues, and do whatever else you need.
App Store Submissions
Hands-off submission of apps to the App Store and Google Play Store, setting up in-app purchases, and handling code-signing issues. And we can create beautiful, high-quality graphics to help you stand out.
Typical engagement: 2 hours
IOT & Process Automation
Automate your business processes with tools like Zapier, IFTTT, and Automate.io, or have us build tailored bots with real-time technologies like webhooks, message queues, and serverless functions.
Minimum engagement: 1 hour
WordPress Migrations
Migrate your WordPress site to a new host or theme, or if you've outgrown WordPress entirely, we can migrate your site to a static site generator like Gatsby or app platform like Next.js.
Minimum engagement: 2 hours
Product Ideas & Vetting
Discuss and vet your product ideas, and help you build a pitch deck to present to investors. When you're ready, we can build a minimum viable product to test your idea with potential users.
Minimum engagement: 1 hour
Get in touch
Ready to work with us? Have questions? Send us a note and we'll get back to you within 48 hours. Your first consultation is always free, and if you live in town, we'll buy you a cup of coffee.
Pacific Aviator is a technology company based out of Victoria, BC, Canada, located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island (just a short 26km drive south of Victoria International Airport / YYJ, and 85 nautical miles north of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport / SEA). We've been fully remote since our founding in 2018, and we work with clients all over the world.
While we don't actually fly any planes ourselves, we do love flying — whether we're on our way to a relaxing getaway, an unforgettable experience, or to work with our clients. And we watch them come and go — that constant motion, perseverance, and boundless freedom is the inspiration behind our name.
Here are some of our in-flight favourites:
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is one of the most iconic aircraft ever produced. This classic, propeller-driven aircraft is the pinnacle of 1930s aviation design, and it dominated the skies for decades as a passenger airliner, cargo hauler, and military transport during wartime.
Flyde Havilland DHC-3 Otter
The busy Victoria harbour is home to many seaplanes like the de Havilland DHC-3 Otter, with several daily flights between Seattle's Lake Union, Vancouver's Coal Harbour, and Victoria Habour. The Otter is a rugged, versatile aircraft that can land on water or snow, and has been in service since 1953.
MeBombardier Q400
The Bombardier Q400 has been the workhorse of Pacific Northwest regional air travel for decades. A special nod to our friends at Alaska's Horizon Air, who after flying the Q400 into YYJ for many years, have retired their last in the fleet — trading up to the Embraer E175.
ToBell X-1
On October 14, 1947, the Bell X-1 became the first aircraft to fly faster than the speed of sound. Piloted by Chuck Yeager, the X-1 reached a speed of 1,127 km/h (608 nmi) per hour, Mach 1.06. The X-1 was the first of many experimental aircraft that would pave the way for the United States' race to the moon.
TheSpace Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was the world's first reusable spacecraft and was used by NASA to fly 852 astronauts to Earth's orbit and back between 1981 and 2011. Though humbled by tragedy, the Space Shuttle program was a remarkable feat of engineering and a testament to the human spirit.
MoonT-65B X-wing Starfighter
The T-65B X-wing Starfighter was a starfighter used by the Rebel Alliance in the Galactic Civil War. The X-wing is a versatile, agile, and powerful starfighter that is capable of carrying a variety of weapons and equipment, and played a critical role in the Rebel Alliance's victory over the Galactic Empire.
