Lara Raffel
Designer
Lara leads our interface and interaction design. Even when requirements get awkward, she finds a path so the result looks coherent and still feels natural to use day to day.
About us
Moin. We are Software by Design.
A small studio from Schleswig-Holstein in Germany’s far north. We have been building digital products for over ten years — from prototyping support for start-ups, through complex multi-partner network projects, to digital platforms for cities and public-sector clients.
How we work
We build user-centred, structured, and transparent products. We make processes understandable, leave room for participation, and keep an overview even when requirements get complex. Our goal is always the same: solutions that work sustainably and genuinely support what you are trying to do.
Our Nextcloud apps follow the same principles: focused functionality, sensible defaults, server-side correctness, and accessibility. They run inside your Nextcloud — there is no SaaS account, no external telemetry, no surprise vendor lock-in.
Work with us
Free apps. Paid expertise.
The four Nextcloud apps are our own products and free to use under the AGPL. We make a living the honest open-source way: organisations that want the apps (or a brand-new module) fitted to their workflow, audit, or industry hire us to do it. No surprise license fees. No vendor lock-in. The code stays AGPL, on your server.
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Consulting & requirements engineering
Hourly or fixed price
Before the first line of code. We discover processes, interview your people, document scope, and shape a technical concept your team can hand to any vendor — including us.
- Stakeholder workshops & user research
- Functional & non-functional requirements
- Architecture review & build vs. buy advice
- Funding-grade specifications (public sector)
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Customise our Nextcloud apps
For a fee · You keep the code
We extend ArbeitszeitCheck, DutyCheck, ProjectCheck, or BudgetCheck for the way your organisation actually works — custom fields, roles, exports, integrations, branding, and the awkward compliance edge cases nobody else wants to touch.
- Custom workflows, roles, validation rules
- DATEV / Lexware / SAP / API integrations
- Industry- and contract-specific time-tracking logic
- Reports tailored to your auditors
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Bespoke platforms & web apps
Project-based
Beyond our Nextcloud apps, we also build full digital products: customer portals, multi-stakeholder network platforms, public-sector services, and modern PHP / TypeScript web applications — with the same focus on accessibility and audit-grade quality.
- Digital platforms for cities & networks
- Internal back-office tools
- Modern, accessible websites
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Sponsored features & long-term support
Sponsor or maintenance SLA
Need a feature on the public roadmap by Q3? Sponsor it and ship it to every user of the app. Need a guaranteed response time and a named technical contact? Sign a maintenance agreement.
- Prioritised public-roadmap items
- Response-time SLAs for bugs & security
- Upgrade planning & security advisories
- GitHub Sponsors for community backing
Ways we can work together
We prefer agreements people actually read. Below are the shapes most projects take — pick what fits, or we will suggest something after a first conversation.
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Discovery sprint
A short, paid slice (often one to three weeks) to understand the problem, talk to the people involved, and hand you a clear plan with real numbers. Useful when you need something concrete for procurement or internal sign-off.
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Fixed-price build
Scope, price, and milestones are agreed up front. Works well once requirements are written down — whether we helped produce them or you brought them.
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Time & materials, capped
We bill by the hour, but the ceiling is agreed before we start. Fits integrations that still move, exploratory work, or a longer-running collaboration.
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Monthly care package
A fixed number of hours each month for updates, fixes, questions, and the items that matter most to you right now. Renewable, and cancellable on fair notice.
We are an EU-based GbR; invoices are in EUR with VAT shown correctly. NDA and a GDPR Article 28 data-processing agreement are available when you need them. We sign sensible procurement paperwork — no theatrics. Your first call with us is free.
The team
Lara, Alex & Hauke
Three people who have shipped digital projects together for more than a decade — calm hands when things get complicated.
Alexander Mäule
Software developer
Alex leads our engineering and cares that what we ship stays solid under load — including the gnarly functional and compliance corners. He likes clear architecture and code the next person can still read.
Hauke Klünder
Project manager
Hauke has spent more than ten years steering projects with and for the public sector. He keeps the thread when organisations, funding rules, and digitalisation goals all show up at once — and translates between policy people and builders.
Where to find us
- Studio
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Software by Design GbR
Husumer Baum 2
24837 Schleswig
Germany - info@software-by-design.de
- Web
- nextcloud.software-by-design.de
- Source code
- github.com/aSoftwareByDesignRepository
Tell us what you need. We’ll tell you what it takes.
A short email is enough to start. Describe the problem in your own words; we reply with concrete next steps, an honest estimate, and an offer of a free first call — no slide decks, no sales pitch.