Transform your product into something amazing
My full-service, ground-up product design offering. I own the design deliverables, working directly with your team to understand the highest-leverage work, create and adopt the system in real product flows, then stay close while your team scales it.
My approach
Quality comes first
Great design is about details. My top priority is building a modern, world-class UI for your customers.
Rapid adoption
Startups can't afford to wait three months to implement a design system. We start shipping on day one.
Predictable timing and fees
We pick a fair, everything-included price, and I work until it's done. No hourly billing or open-ended contracts.
My process
A practical design process built around your product and team
I’ve refined this process over a decade to guarantee clients the most reliable design outcomes.
Strategy phase
2–4 weeks
Fixed fee
Find the highest-leverage path from product friction to a coherent product and system strategy.
- Download on the business, product, and team
- Review goals with stakeholders
- Surface risks and blockers
- Full component-level product audit
- Brand review
- Journey mapping workshop
- UX strategy recommendation
- Tech stack plan
- Plan adoption metrics
Design & build phase
3–6 months
Fixed fee
Create the product quality, system, and adoption habits that let teams move faster without lowering the bar.
- Redesign priority pages and navigation
- Example pages
- Ship the design system core
- Build all components
- AI development workflows
- Code checks
- Adoption tracking
- Design office hours
- Transfer design system ownership
Support phase
Need-based
Optional monthly retainer
Keep a senior design partner close as the organization learns to carry the work forward.
- Design feedback
- Coaching on user research
- Code review
- Design hiring support
- Founder advice
Testimonials
What my clients have to say
“I’m Frodo, and Sam’s my Gandalf. I’m so grateful to have Sam on this project, I don’t know where I would be without him (probably pulling my hair out). If you’re struggling with a big design project, my advice is this: get yourself a Sam.”
Art Director, Ithaka/JSTOR; previously JSTOR
“Sam is a UX god. We were blown away by how quickly he broke down our complex goals into a simple, beautiful, intuitive design. Not only did we launch an awesome product on time, but the work went way above and beyond our expectations. He taught us a ton about building great products, and he laid the foundation for our engineers to keep building great designs. Our only regret is that we didn’t book more of his time!”
CEO and co-founder, Voxel51 A.I. Platform
“We brought Sam in to polish our web app’s design, expecting him to simply tidy up the rough edges. He did that brilliantly, freeing our team to move faster while keeping the bar high. What we didn’t expect was that his UX workshop for our engineers would become one of the most valuable investments we’ve made. Our team now instinctively thinks about user experience as they build.”
Cofounder/CTO, Paid.ai; previously Palantir
“Sam is an incredibly talented product designer and coach. He was instrumental in helping FarmLogs design a product and brand that quickly became recognized for our ease of use, igniting years of rapid growth for our company.”
CEO and co-founder, FarmLogs; YC alumnus
Working details
Team
Unlike agencies, I don't subcontract work to junior designers. My clients always work directly with me.
Timing
I take on one design-and-build client at a time and prioritize existing clients. Time is reserved once we have a signed proposal.
Fees
Design engagements have a fixed scope, fee, and intended outcome. Fees vary with the work; engineering work is usually billed hourly because its scope is less predictable.
Legal
Before we begin, we sign an agreement that covers IP and liability. I’m happy to use your standard contractor agreement, and each phase is confirmed with a short proposal as needed.
What could design do for your team?
Book a free intro call to talk through your product, team, and vision.