North Forge Technology Exchange is just shy of its one-year anniversary, and continues to grow. 

The latest additions include a new Advanced ICT Lab and a UX Lab at North Forge Exchange, 321 McDermot. The North Forge UX Lab, powered by Caribou, brings UX thinking and processes forward for our clients’ projects. “Working with North Forge clients is an opportunity to help companies at every point of the product development lifecycle. We can help validate their ideas, catch problems before they occur, and make sure they build the best experience from the ground up,” said Quinn Keast, who runs the lab alongside business partner, Jen Goertzen.

“User testing includes watching people use your product. Observing how real people use your product is the best way to make sure what you’re building works. Even if you are further along in the development lifecycle, user testing is always a good idea for making your product better based on real user insights.”

North Forge clients need to have a functional prototype, MVP or launched product to put to the test in the UX Lab. Types of user testing are exploratory, testing preliminary concepts and evaluating their promise, and assessing to test features during implementation. 

The North Forge Advanced ICT Lab is a physical space where development can take place for digital worlds, said Dan Blair, founder and CEO of  Bit Space Development. Blair is lending his expertise and mentorship to lab users, who are able to access  the latest Unity software, HTC Vive, Microsoft HoloLens and other devices. The lab also allows for an exchange of ideas between community members. 

Some of the projects now possible include 360-degree marketing videos and photos, drone photography and videography, room-scale VR experiences, Bitcoin-related applications and video game development. 

North Forge clients now also have at-cost access to Pegboard Hosting, founded by Rob Keizer. Clients can turn to Pegboard for development servers, web servers, file servers and production environments.