matmabe
Bringing ideas to fruition, making things and making things happen is where I'm happiest. I love a good spreadsheet to evidence my decisions too.
I have launched technology magazines for an international publisher, led a team developing a triple-A, triple-platinum selling launch title for PlayStation®, a mobile market research business, Leicester's first craft brewery, a proper pub and bottle shop and co-founded an award-winning independent digital design agency, Bulb Studios.
Bulb Studios are Leicester’s digital product studio. We’re a close-knit bunch of designers, developers, marketeers, and strategists, creating pioneering products for great partners. We are about the same things as we were when we started Bulb 15 years ago - exciting products, original thinking and a spirit of independence.
The team love a challenge. We create truly bespoke digital products, keeping empathy and Discovery at the heart of every project. So, if you’re starting something new, or ready for a new chapter, drop me a line at mat@bulbstudios.com.
Articles by matmabe
Legacy software modernisation – without starting from scratch
Legacy software modernisation doesn’t have to mean throwing everything away and starting again. At Bulb, it usually means we can help you in one of three ways… We adopt and maintain a system that already works, we adopt and build carefully on top of your existing product or we use our suite of efficient tools … <a href="https://bulbstudios.com/insights/legacy-software-modernisation">Continued</a>
Design for the Automotive Industry: What We’re Learning
I’ve been reflecting on our automotive industry work recently. Designing for the automotive industry means designing for two different worlds at once: the emotional, brand-led human experience of buying and owning a car and the safety-critical, split-second world of the interfaces inside it. We’ve spent years working across both, from retail platforms to driver HMI … <a href="https://bulbstudios.com/insights/design-for-the-automotive-industry">Continued</a>
Design Sprints: Why they work & how we run them
A design sprint is a short, structured, focussed piece of work, usually run over five days or less. A design sprint turns an idea into a clear, evidence-based decision about what to build next. It replaces weeks of drifting meetings and competing opinions with a focused process that ends in something tangible: prototypes, priorities and … <a href="https://bulbstudios.com/insights/design-sprints-why-they-work-and-how-we-run-them">Continued</a>
AI and Human Creativity: Delivering more value in Digital Design
AI is a fact of modern life and a factor in everything we all do with any digital device or digital product. This much is true, however, AI doesn’t replace the creativity, judgement and experience a good digital studio of human beings bring to a project. What it changes is how much of that judgement … <a href="https://bulbstudios.com/insights/ai-and-human-creativity-delivering-more-value-in-digital-design">Continued</a>
How to Brief a Digital Product Studio (What a Good Brief Contains)
A good brief for a digital product studio explains the problem you’re trying to solve, who it’s for and what success looks like. It doesn’t need to specify the solution, the technology or the design. That’s the studio’s job to work out with you. How to brief a digital product studio Most people writing a … <a href="https://bulbstudios.com/insights/how-to-brief-a-digital-product-studio">Continued</a>
Proof of Concept to Market-Ready Product: The Gap Explained
A proof of concept proves an idea can work. A market-ready product proves it can work for real users, at scale, safely and repeatedly. The two are built to answer completely different questions, which is why so many promising prototypes stall before they ever reach a customer. If you’re holding a working prototype and wondering … <a href="https://bulbstudios.com/insights/proof-of-concept-to-market-ready-product">Continued</a>
VentureVersity: Up to £60k to Turn Your Research Into a Venture
VentureVersity is a fully funded programme that helps university staff explore whether their research, method or capability could become a product, service or spinout. It’s backed by Forging Ahead, a 16-university Midlands collaboration supported by Research England and offers successful applicants up to £60,000 of funding and support across two rounds. Applications for the current … <a href="https://bulbstudios.com/insights/ventureversity-up-to-60k-to-turn-your-research-into-a-venture">Continued</a>
Digital Transformation for Modern Manufacturing
Digital Transformation for Modern Manufacturing Today, the Bulb crew gained insight around how digital transformation is being approached in manufacturing courtesy of The East Midlands Chamber at the East Midlands Manufacturing & Trade Conference held at Loughborough University. Manufacturing the future Manufacturing in the East Midlands is on the rise, with the region’s sector bucking … <a href="https://bulbstudios.com/insights/digital-transformation-for-modern-manufacturing">Continued</a>
Generative AI content today.
Generative AI content today. AI is advancing at a mind-boggling rate, but right now human intuition is still winning. Just about. Cotton-wool for brAIns. As soon as the first wintery drafts of December chilled their way into the Shire, the influenza nasties took full advantage of the vulnerabilities of my respiratory system. Pneumonia it turns … <a href="https://bulbstudios.com/insights/generative-ai-content-today">Continued</a>
A Progressive Web Apps U-Turn (almost).
A Progressive Web Apps U-Turn (almost). Apple’s potentially game-changing PWA announcement has been renounced, mostly… Well that didn’t take long… It was only a fortnight ago when I wrote this article about Apple’s potentially game-changing response to the latest EU digital markets legislation which could change the future direction of the digital industry and how … <a href="https://bulbstudios.com/insights/a-pwa-u-turn-almost">Continued</a>
Progressive Web Apps: The EU DMA, iOS and other acronyms.
The EU DMA, iOS, PWAs, other acronyms and possibly the one and only very minor and probably temporary Brexit benefit. Apple's response to the latest EU digital markets legislation could be pivotal for the future of the digital industry and how we all use apps. OK, I’ll get the B-word out of the way early… … <a href="https://bulbstudios.com/insights/the-eu-apple-and-progressive-web-apps">Continued</a>
Digital design collab event wins at LBF
Digital design collaboration event – 'Bitter Sweet' – wins at Leicester Business Festival. Bulb Studios’ Bitter Sweet digital design collaboration event with Create Leicester wins the award for 'Most Unique Event' at Leicester Business Festival. In an enchanting blend of innovation, digital design, brewing skill and culinary artistry, the Bitter Sweet event hosted by Bulb … <a href="https://bulbstudios.com/insights/bitter-sweet-collaboration-event-wins-at-leicester-business-festival">Continued</a>
Digital Design & Development: We’ve won two Clutch Awards
We’ve won two Clutch Awards We’re a Clutch Digital Global Leader and Clutch Champion Winner for 2023 Bulb Studios #ClutchGlobal #ClutchChampion 2023 We’re delighted to have been awarded the 2023 Global Award winner and Clutch Champion winner for B2B Digital Design and Development services on Clutch, the leading global marketplace of B2B service providers. As … <a href="https://bulbstudios.com/insights/weve-won-two-clutch-awards-were-a-clutch-global-leader-and-clutch-champion-winner-for-2023">Continued</a>
Digital Product – celebrating the launch of the Harrier AI ANPR cam.
Digital Product – celebrating the launch of the Harrier AI ANPR cam. We love the launch of a new digital product at Bulb. This one brings together skills from throughout the studio to realise something special with our friends at QRO Solutions. Digital product success. We love it when a plan comes together… It’s always … <a href="https://bulbstudios.com/insights/celebrating-the-launch-of-the-harrier-ai-anpr-camera-with-qro-solutions">Continued</a>
Generative AI and its opportunities for SMEs.
Generative AI and the implications and opportunities it presents for small enterprises in the UK. Welcome to the first in an irregular series of insights from the team at Bulb Studios, where we dissect emergent technologies and their ramifications and opportunities for micro, small and medium sized businesses in the UK. This time we're talking … <a href="https://bulbstudios.com/insights/generative-ai-and-its-opportunities-for-smes">Continued</a>
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