process
most products go wrong before the first pixel
Not in the screens—in the decision about what to build. So my work starts before the design does, in two steps: Discovery, then embedded design. Here’s what happens in each, and what you get.
Discovery, then embedded design
Every project starts with Discovery: your users, your data and your teams, joined into one picture. It runs in two phases, with a go/no-go between them—so you never commit to more than you’ve seen.
Discovery · phase 1
what you already know
- talk to product, sales and supportYou get: what each team already knows
- dig into the data you already haveYou get: the questions worth answering
- join it into one pictureYou get: what we know, and what we’re guessing
- go / no-goYou get: a decision you can defend upstairs
No-go?You just saved a quarter of building
the wrong thing.
Discovery · phase 2
what your users actually do
- interview and watch real usersYou get: evidence from your real users
- test the guessesYou get: what’s worth building, and what isn’t
- decide where to startYou get: a plan for where to start
Embedded design
then I join your team
- try optionsYou get: options compared before anything is built
- test with usersYou get: nothing ships untested
- ship and measureYou get: a measured result for every release
Test, learn, repeat.
Most of the answer is already inside your company, split between product, sales and support. I interview them, go through the data you already have, and join it into one picture: what we know, and what we’re guessing. Then you decide whether the guesses are worth checking.
If it’s a go, we check the guesses against reality: interviews and tests with your real users. Guesses become evidence, and evidence becomes a decision: what’s worth building, what isn’t, and where to start.
You know what to build; now it has to be built properly—and that doesn’t fit in a handover document. I stay on as part of your product team, month by month. Along the way: process, design ops and mentoring, so the habits stay after I leave.
questions
questions I get asked
the answer is usually “it depends”, so here’s what it depends on.
How do we start?
A call first, then a short proposal, then Discovery.
How long does Discovery take?
It depends on how fast we can reach your users and your teams. The first phase always ends in a go/no-go, so you never commit to more than you’ve seen.
How does pricing work?
It depends. Seriously: on scope, team size and how much we already know. After our first call, you get a proposal with a clear price for the first phase, so there are no surprises.
What do you need from our team?
Access to the people who know the problem, like product, sales and support. Any data you already have. And a way to reach your users, even a few of them.
What if Discovery says no-go?
Then you just saved a quarter of building the wrong thing. You still keep everything we found, and we can look at what’s worth building instead.
Can you work alongside our existing designers?
Yes, and I’d rather. I join your team for the long run, bringing research, process and a second pair of eyes, and the team grows stronger along the way.
Do you work remotely, and across time zones?
Yes. I’m based in Chișinău and work with teams across the EU, the UK and the US. Our working hours overlap with everyone, US mornings included.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes, always. Most of my past work is under one, which is why some case studies are anonymized.
Will you write a case study about our project?
I’d like to. I want to be proud of the work we do together, and I’d be happy to write it up as a case study. Only with your OK, though: you read it before anyone else does, and anything under NDA stays out or gets anonymized.
How do contracts and payments work?
We sign a contract before anything starts. You can pay by bank transfer, or through Deel if your company already uses it. Invoices are monthly.
get in touch
tell me what you’re building
A 60-minute call, no pitch deck. You tell me the problem, I tell you what I’d look at first.
replies within one working day, from Chișinău