About
A design partner for the next stage of growth.
I’m Sam Pierce Lolla, a New York-based design engineer and independent product strategist. Since 2017, I’ve worked with startups to make complex software feel clear, useful, and ready for its next stage.
I help founders turn the product they have into the product their customers, team, and next stage of growth require.
My work sits at the intersection of product strategy, product design, design systems, and the engineering workflows that make design real. I work directly with founders and their teams—without subcontractors—until they are ready to build the function themselves.
I’ve worked across AI, finance, healthcare, agriculture, scientific data, industrial tools, consumer products, and complex B2B software. The common thread is a company with genuine momentum and a product experience that needs to catch up.
Experience
Founder empathy. Design leadership. Engineering fluency.
Startup operator
I have built in the same constraints you have.
YC cofounder, indie hacker, product manager, and startup advisor. I understand the pull between shipping quickly and building something that lasts.
Design leader
I help organizations develop their own point of view.
I have led design teams, coached designers, and taught product design—so the work leaves your team with better judgment, not just better files.
Design engineer
I care about what reaches the product.
A useful system has to survive real feature work. I design alongside the implementation habits, tools, and decisions that make adoption possible.
Focused partner
One transformation partnership at a time.
I keep design-and-build work focused while remaining available to previous clients as an advisor as they scale.
Build the product your company is growing into.
Start with an introduction. We’ll determine together whether Directed Design is the right next move.