Douala · Libreville · open for projects
The studio that turns an idea into a product people actually use.
Human-centred design, field research, short build sprints. You arrive with an idea and a deadline. You leave with a product that is live and in your users' hands.
A product design studio that starts in the field, not on a moodboard. We design for people on entry-level Android phones, metered data plans and ten seconds of patience.
What it adds up to.
Products shipped
Countries running our work
From kickoff to first tested screen
3 phases / 2-week loops / 1 product live.
Every two weeks we open and close a loop: one workshop to frame it, one demo to sign it off. In between, you reach us on WhatsApp. + At the end of each phase you watch the product run on your real data, not on a prototype.
A studio that ships.
Cameroon, Gabon and beyond
Founded
Programactor started in Douala in 2023. We work with founders in Cameroon, Gabon and beyond, on products that have to hold up where the network drops, where payment runs through mobile money, and where users meet the app on WhatsApp first.
Field research, interface design, build through to launch. One team, one point of contact, one product.
Selected work.
Real projects, with the sector, the city and what shipped. Nothing here is a concept.
Our services.
Five crafts, one team. You brief us once and we carry it through to production.
Field research.
We go and watch your users where they are. Interviews, observation, testing what exists on their own handset.
Product and interface design.
Flows, screens, design system. Delivered in Figma, documented, ready for engineering.
Brand identity.
Name, mark, guidelines, tone of voice. A brand that holds up on a shopfront and on a 40-pixel WhatsApp avatar.
Build and launch.
Web and mobile. We build in small pieces, test on your real data, and put it live.
Product partnership.
After launch: usage measurement, iterations, training for your team. You keep the wheel.
A tailored website for your business, ready in 72h.
Designed specifically for African SMBs, restaurants, logistics, and service providers. Starting at 75,000 FCFA with 1-year hosting included and payment in 2 or 3 installments.
How an idea becomes a product
- 01.
Discover.
We start from the problem, not the solution. Field interviews, a look at what already exists, and a written account of what is actually true.
- 02.
Frame.
We cut it down to a minimum product that holds one promise. You approve scope and price before we draw a single screen.
- 03.
Build and test.
Two-week sprints. At the close of every loop you see something that works, on your data, not a clickable mockup.
- 04.
Ship and hand over.
Launch, measurement, training. You leave with the files, the code and the documentation. No dependency on us.
School
One Touch Labs.
Our school. Six months of practice, a portfolio, and interviews with partner studios.
Both sides feed each other: students work on live briefs, startups get people who already know the work.
Live briefs
No exercises. Real client projects, supervised.
Portfolio
Six months to build a body of work that stands up.
Introductions
Interviews with partner studios, here and abroad.
Founders who shipped.
We ask for feedback 90 days after launch, once the product has had a real life in users' hands.
« Programactor framed our product from scratch. Within 3 weeks, our merchant payment and management system was live on the ground in Douala with zero friction. »
Christian T.
Co-founder · BongoSpace (SME Fintech)
90d post-kickoff
« The 72h XpreSite package allowed us to launch our vehicle rental operations immediately with seamless, professional WhatsApp lead intake. »
Marcelle E.
Operations Lead · TransExpress Douala
60d post-launch
Three ways to start.
Timeline · 5 days
Product audit.
Where your idea holds, and where it breaks.
- User interviews in the field
- Review of what exists, and of competitors
- Target journey in one diagram
- Costed plan of work
- A written recommendation you keep
Timeline · 4 to 8 weeks
Product sprint.
Designed, built, put live.
- Everything in the audit
- Full product and interface design
- Web or mobile build
- Testing on real data
- Launch and handover
Timeline · Ongoing
Product partner.
Your design team, monthly.
- A dedicated design + build pair
- Continuous iteration on real usage
- Design system kept alive
- Training for your team
Every engagement starts with a written scope and a fixed price. You approve the plan before we design or code anything.
Do you work with startups that are only just starting?
Yes — that is our ground. Most of our clients arrive with an idea and a badly framed problem. The audit exists to turn that instinct into a costed scope before you commit build budget.
How fast do we see something?
A first screen tested with real users inside two weeks. A first version live in four to eight weeks, depending on complexity and how ready your data is.
Do you build, or only design?
Both. We can stop at the Figma handover if you already have engineers, or carry it all the way to production. That gets decided during framing, not halfway through.
Do we work remotely or on site?
Framing workshops and field research happen on site, in Douala, Libreville or wherever you are. The rest runs remotely, with two fixed calls per two-week loop and WhatsApp in between.
Who owns the files and the code?
You do, entirely, from the end of the engagement. Source files, code, documentation, hosting access. We keep no keys and charge no subscription for access to your own product.
Do you work in French or English?
Both, natively. We write each language in its own rhythm rather than translating one from the other — for our own deliverables and for the products we design.
Got an idea?
Show us the problem you want to solve.
Tell us in one sentence what your users cannot do today. On the first call we will tell you, for free, whether it is a product problem, a brand problem or a channel problem — and what it would take to fix it.