About
There's a story behind Direct Steps.
We think you should know who you're actually working with. So here's the honest version.
Direct Steps is Mere Agency.
Mere Agency was founded in 2011 by Matt Heerema with a focus on building web presences for churches, ministries, and faith-based organizations. Over 15 years, we built a small, skilled team and a track record that we're proud of.
Direct Steps is how we serve the broader business market: the same team, the same philosophy, the same standards, with a focused offering built around what small and mid-size businesses actually need. Not a disconnected set of services. A connected system.
We're not hiding it. We think it's worth saying plainly: when you work with Direct Steps, you're working with a team that has been doing this seriously for a long time. That track record isn't incidental to what you're buying. It's the foundation everything is built on.
15+ Years. A lot of work.
Mere's team members have worked on projects at every scale: from internationally-read publications with millions of readers a day to organizations reaching audiences around the world to hundreds of local churches and businesses. Here's a partial list.
Our Philosophy
We don't guess at good design.
Over 24 years of practice, we've developed a principled approach to design that puts usability above everything else. These aren't aspirational values. They're the actual framework behind every decision we make.
Principle I
Don't make me think.
The sum and goal of usability-focused design. Our work is to minimize work for the user: to make every aspect of a site as immediately evident as possible. This is accomplished through excellent information architecture, minimalist design, and a deep understanding of how your specific users actually think and behave. Every other principle flows from this one.
Principle II
The smallest effective difference.
A call to minimalism. Do not burden a design with non-essentials. Do not seek to impress with complexity. Design should be as subtle as possible while still remaining effective. We don't add visual weight to make something look more sophisticated. We remove everything that doesn't serve the user until only what matters remains.
Principle III
Follow convention.
We follow proven design conventions because they minimize the learning curve for your users. Note: not all popular design trends are actually usable. Many are copied between sites without any research or testing behind them. We know the difference, and we skip the ones that don't serve the people actually using your site.
Principle IV
Universal usability.
Every user of your site should have full and unhindered access to every function, regardless of what device, platform, or assistive technology they're using to browse it. Web standards and ADA compliance aren't a checkbox. They're built in from the start, because a site that doesn't serve everyone isn't finished.
Principle V
Form serves function.
An old Shaker proverb: "Do not make something unless it is both necessary and useful, but if it is both necessary and useful, do not hesitate to make it beautiful." We build functional sites first. Then we make them beautiful. In that order, for that reason. Craft matters, but it earns its place.
What makes this different
We've done this at every scale.
From internationally-read publications with millions of readers a day to local churches and small businesses, we've built and managed web presences at every level of complexity. That breadth makes us sharper on every project, including yours.
We have a philosophy, not just a process.
Most agencies have a workflow. We have a documented design philosophy built on 24 years of practice. That means our decisions are principled, and we can explain every single one of them. You'll never hear us say "because it looks cool."
We'll tell you when you don't need us.
Not every problem requires an agency. We scope honestly, recommend only what we'd stand behind, and don't oversell to sustain a relationship. Short-term honesty is how you build something long-term.
No long-term contracts.
We don't lock you in. Every client we keep is a client who chooses to stay. That's the model, and we think it keeps everyone honest, including us.
Ready to work with a team that takes this seriously?
Schedule a free strategy call. We'll look honestly at where your business is, what it needs, and whether we're the right fit to help. If we're not, we'll tell you that too.
Free Strategy Call