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The work is focused on one problem: products that lose users not because of technical failure, but because the experience has not earned trust.

Best suited to funded teams with active product momentum and a meaningful design budget.

01Did
02Why
03Confidence
04Control
05Recovery

Where trust breaks

Users need five questions answered before they act.

The trust audit maps exactly where the product fails each point and what to fix first. The retainer builds a product that gives users fewer reasons to ask.

  1. What did the system do?
  2. Why did it do that?
  3. How confident should I be?
  4. What can I change or override?
  5. What happens if it is wrong?

Comparison

Choose the right shape of help.

Fractional Product Design LeadAI Product Trust AuditCritical Flow Design Sprint
Best forOngoing design leadershipPoint-in-time product reviewOne critical flow or product area
Duration3-month minimum2 weeks4-8 weeks
Format2-3 days/week retainerFixed scopeFixed scope
OutputOngoing direction and executionFindings memo, walkthrough, readoutPrototype or handoff-ready design
Starting costMonthly retainer$6,500Custom quote

Fractional Product Design Lead

Retainer-based senior product design leadership for funded teams that need strategic judgment, hands-on execution, and higher design quality without a full-time hire.

Typical starting point

The team needs ongoing senior design leadership: someone who can own design direction, work alongside founders and engineers, and raise the quality of the product over time.

Packaging

2 or 3 days/week. 3-month minimum. Monthly retainer billing.

Discuss an engagement

Best for

  • Series A-C fintech or AI teams without design leadership.
  • Engineering-led companies with product traction but weak design maturity.
  • Founders or CPOs who need senior design leverage without a long hiring process.
  • Teams preparing for launch, fundraising, or enterprise sales.

What's included

  • Product and UX strategy.
  • UX architecture and information design.
  • Core flow design and hands-on UI execution.
  • Design system direction and quality control.
  • Product critique and design review.
  • Direct collaboration with founders, PMs, and engineers.

What changes

  • Clearer product direction and fewer unresolved UX decisions.
  • Higher design quality and UI consistency.
  • Stronger product narrative for investors and enterprise buyers.
  • Better design and engineering handoff.

AI Product Trust Audit

A fixed-scope diagnostic for AI products where trust, clarity, or adoption is the problem.

Typical starting point

The team needs clarity on what is actually breaking trust before deciding what to fix or whether a longer engagement makes sense.

Packaging

2-week turnaround. $6,500 fixed fee. Maximum 2 per month.

Request a trust audit

Best for

  • AI products with unclear adoption or retention problems.
  • Teams preparing for launch, investor demo, or enterprise sales.
  • Founders who need expert product and design feedback before a longer engagement.
  • Teams unsure why users hesitate, drop off, or distrust AI outputs.

What's included

  • Onboarding and first-use experience.
  • AI output presentation.
  • Uncertainty, confidence, and loading state design.
  • Error, fallback, and escalation path design.
  • User control and override patterns.
  • Cognitive load and UI hierarchy.

What changes

  • A specific, prioritised list of trust and clarity problems.
  • Clarity on which issues block adoption versus which are cosmetic.
  • Enough direction to fix the highest-risk issues without another round of research.
  • A clear basis for deciding whether a retainer is the right next step.

Critical Flow Design Sprint

A focused design engagement for the flow blocking adoption, sales, or launch.

Typical starting point

One specific flow is blocking adoption, launch, or sales, and the team needs senior design execution instead of a full ongoing engagement.

Packaging

4-8 weeks. Fixed fee, scoped by flow and complexity. Milestone billing.

Redesign a critical flow

Best for

  • Teams with a specific high-stakes flow blocking adoption or sales.
  • Funded startups preparing for a launch.
  • Companies that need credible, polished design without a long-term commitment.
  • Teams not yet ready for a retainer but needing senior execution on a defined problem.

What's included

  • Product framing and flow definition.
  • UX architecture for the target flow.
  • Interaction design and decision logic.
  • High-fidelity UI execution.
  • Prototype or handoff-ready design package.
  • Engineering handoff documentation.

What changes

  • A designed, prototyped, or handoff-ready version of the target flow.
  • Design system foundations that extend to the rest of the product.
  • A clear record of decisions that engineers and PMs can build from.
  • Often: a basis for continuing as a retainer engagement.

How engagements work

A clear path from context to start.

FAQ

Questions buyers usually ask.

Do you work remotely?

Yes. All engagements are remote. Worldwide. Async-first with scheduled video sessions.

Do you work with existing design teams?

Yes. Embedded collaboration and mentorship where useful.

Do you advise only, or do you also design?

Both. Senior judgment and hands-on execution are not separable here.

Why is the retainer a 3-month minimum?

Design leadership compounds. Month one is context and diagnosis. Month two is building and shipping. Month three is validating and improving.

Do you work in any industry?

No. Fintech, AI products, and high-stakes B2B only.

What is the difference between the audit and the retainer?

The audit is diagnostic. The retainer is ongoing leadership. Audits are designed to create a clear path into deeper work where there is fit.

Can you sign an NDA?

Yes.

Need senior design judgment on a high-trust product?

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