Ways to work together.
Five engagement models, one person across all of them. The difference is how much of the arc you need — from a single decision to a shipped product and the months after it.
01 — Models
Pick the shape
- 01
End-to-end product
Design and build, from discovery to a shipped product, with one person accountable for the whole thing. Fewest handoffs, fewest gaps.
- You get
- Discovery, UX and interface design, a component library, a production React / Next.js front end, and launch support.
- Typical length
- Six to twelve weeks for an MVP; around a quarter for a full platform.
- 02
Design only
Research, UX, interface and a design system, handed off clean to your engineers — or handed back to me to build later.
- You get
- User flows, wireframes, high-fidelity screens with every state, a tested prototype, and a documented Figma component set.
- Typical length
- Four to eight weeks for a focused product surface.
- 03
Build only
Your finished Figma file, built in React and Next.js, component-accurate — including the states and edge cases the file didn't cover.
- You get
- Typed, reusable components, responsive layouts, accessibility basics, and a front end your team can keep extending.
- Typical length
- Scoped from the screen count in your file, usually a few weeks.
- 04
Advisory & strategy
Scoping, product direction, and design or technical review — a decision, not a deliverable.
- You get
- A written recommendation: what to build first, what to cut, and the risks in the current design or front-end code.
- Typical length
- A single session up to two weeks.
- 05
Retainer
Ongoing design and front-end capacity, month to month, for a product that's already live.
- You get
- A fixed block of time each month for new features, iteration on user feedback, and design-system upkeep.
- Typical length
- Month to month, after a launch or alongside an in-house team.
02 — Choosing
Which one fits?
- You have an idea and no design or engineering team. End-to-end product.
- You have engineers, but nobody owns the product design. Design only.
- The designs are done, and you need them built properly. Build only.
- You're stuck on scope, direction or a review before committing budget. Advisory & strategy.
- The product is live and needs steady improvement. Retainer.
03 — Discovery
It starts with
a scoped plan.
A short, paid discovery — a few days to understand the business, the users and the actual opportunity, and to scope the rest of the work. You leave with a plan and a fixed number, whether or not you continue with me.
From there it's a fixed-scope project or a retainer. Project pricing is set against that scope — not a day rate, not an estimate that drifts.
04 — Sessions
Or book an hour,
not a quarter.
Fixed-scope sessions — MVP planning, a UX review, dev and prototyping, mentorship — are booked directly on Topmate, with length and price shown there. For when you need a decision this week, not an engagement.
05 — Questions
Common questions
- How much does an engagement cost?
- Project pricing is set after discovery, against a fixed scope — not a day rate, and not an estimate that drifts. Discovery itself is a short, fixed-price piece of work, and you keep the plan whether or not you continue.
- Can we switch models partway through?
- Yes. A common path is design only, then build once the prototype has been tested, then a retainer after launch. Each switch is scoped as its own piece of work, so nothing is open-ended.
- Do you work with in-house teams?
- Often. Design-only work hands off to your engineers with specs and a component set, and build-only work slots into your repository, reviews and conventions.
- What do I need to have ready before we start?
- A clear idea of the problem and who has it. Everything else — scope, flows, technical approach — is what discovery is for. If you already have research, designs or code, bring them; they shorten discovery.
Looking for a specific kind of work?