HQ is a software design, development and AI studio in Ogden, Utah. Matt Sutherland and Zarin Ficklin started it in 2012 out of Weber State, and it's grown to a 25-person team with an average tenure of five years. We've launched more than 250 products.
We build AI into software companies already run, from internal copilots to retrieval over a company's own documents, and we turn prototypes built with tools like Lovable, Cursor or ChatGPT into production software. We also design and build web and mobile apps and marketing sites.
Clients include Revere Health, Nomi Health, Autoliv, WGU Labs, Seis and Messenger. Much of our work is long-running: we've been the embedded design and development team on Messenger's ordering platform for years, at more than 500 hours a month.
HQ is a software design, development and AI studio in Ogden, Utah. Matt Sutherland and Zarin Ficklin started it in 2012 out of Weber State, and it's grown to a 25-person team with an average tenure of five years. We've launched more than 250 products.
We build AI into software companies already run, from internal copilots to retrieval over a company's own documents, and we turn prototypes built with tools like Lovable, Cursor or ChatGPT into production software. We also design and build web and mobile apps and marketing sites.
Clients include Revere Health, Nomi Health, Autoliv, WGU Labs, Seis and Messenger. Much of our work is long-running: we've been the embedded design and development team on Messenger's ordering platform for years, at more than 500 hours a month.
Location and contacts
Major clients
Processes and approach
How do you gather and validate client requirements?
New products usually start with a discovery phase. The most expensive product is the wrong one, so we validate early and adjust fast to stay aligned with real needs. You work directly with the designers and developers doing the work, and we help refine requirements and turn your vision into concrete tasks.
How do you ensure alignment with client goals and business strategy?
You set the priorities. We adjust how we work to where the product is in its lifecycle: moving fast when learning matters most and tightening up when reliability becomes critical, so the work tracks what the business needs at that stage.
Which software development methodologies do you use (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, Scrum)?
Our process adapts to the product rather than the other way around. We follow structure when it helps and set it aside when it slows progress. Early ideas get speed and flexibility; mature products get structure and precision.
How do you keep clients and stakeholders updated on project progress?
You have direct access to the people on your project and can follow the progress of each task. We send regular budget updates and invoice frequently, and every invoice includes a report of each time entry logged by each person working on your project.
How frequently do you hold check-in meetings or status updates?
It depends on the project. We balance face-to-face and async communication to fit each one, and we communicate early and often: proactive updates, quick responses and transparent dialogue throughout.
What quality assurance practices do you follow?
Code is peer reviewed and goes through QA before every release. On long-running platforms such as Messenger's ordering platform, used daily by funeral directors, every feature ships only after peer review, QA and client approval.
How do you identify and manage project risks?
We validate early so we don't build the wrong thing, and we match engineering rigor to the stage: a prototype doesn't need a perfect backend, but a product at scale can't survive a fragile one. Regular budget and time reports surface cost risk before it grows.
What kind of support or maintenance do you offer after delivery?
Many clients stay with us after launch on ongoing monthly retainers for continued design, development and maintenance. The team can ramp up for a big push or scale back in slower seasons, so you don't pay for idle time.