User Interface Design
“You cannot NOT have a user experience.”
– LOU CARBONE
As an online business, you only stay in business if your application works for your customers, and more than ever before, your customers expect a beautiful, well-engineered experience that puts their needs first.
We encounter many tech startups who possess a razor-sharp vision paired and a team of talented developers but lack the in-house design talent to bring their interface to life. We can help you clarify your user’s goals, then design an easy-to-use interface that helps them achieve the task at hand in a delightful way, all while remaining on-brand and respectful of any technology limitations.
We offer two ways to tackle your application design project:
Retainer-based: A retainer-based process is ideal for organizations that want to see more ideas and iteration. Since the project will essentially be an ongoing project, it is a great solution for organizations who are still in the process of clarifying their vision for the interface and want the flexibility to see many solutions over a longer period of time. In fact, the retainer arrangement can also be very helpful in prototyping new ideas to vet with clients or product development or technology teams.
Project-based: With a project-based approach, we will define the number of screens to be designed and how much refinement is included in the scope. Due to the fixed nature of the scope, iteration isn’t limitless, so this type of methodology works best when you have a defined brand and a very clear vision of the interface that you can relay to us, or when you want to draw out the iteration process into multiple engagements. Project-based interfaces are is priced on an individual basis, based on the magnitude and complexity of the scope.
The User Interface Design Process
Note: The following process reflects a fixed scope. A retainer-based process would follow similar steps, but there would be much more room for iteration, additional concepts, and extension of the timeline due to the longevity and flexibility of the retainer.
01
Kickoff Meeting
This meeting is approximately 60-90 minutes long
During this meeting, we’ll walk through the flow of your app, taking time to talk through each step to learn what the customers need from it. This is the chance to relay all of your vision and ideas to us before we get started designing the interface; This is a key moment in the process because our work will be built on this discussion.
02
Wireframes
The timeline for this step will vary greatly depending on the number and complexity of wireframes.
During this step, we will create a high-level screen for each page of your website. You can think of these wireframes as similar to the blueprints for a house—they help us plan the flow and structure of the application, but do not reflect the visual design yet at this point.
We will walk you through the wireframes via video in order to thoroughly explain the details of each screen. We find this video presentation method enables us to communicate with you with the fluidity of a conversation but removes any pressure to respond immediately. We will also attach a .pdf proof of the wireframes for your further review after watching the video. We request review and feedback within 2-3 business days.
Our custom user interface design engagements include one round of revisions to each deliverable, so if you have feedback or concerns about any of the wireframes we can refine them according to your feedback. If iteration is desired, it typically takes anywhere from a few days to a week, depending on the magnitude of the requests. We request review and feedback to iterations within 2-3 business days. Please note that refinements consist of iterations to the presented concept not the creation of new concepts, and refinement rounds are non-transferrable between deliverables.
If needed, additional rounds of refinements are always available for you—we want you to love your interface design! Additional refinement rounds will be billed separately in half-day increments priced at $300 each.
03
Screen Design
The timeline for this step will vary greatly depending on the number and complexity of wireframes.
Once the wireframes are approved, we will begin designing 1-2 key screens of your app, starting with the most detailed and critical ones. We start with the most design-rich screens because it creates the largest “playground” for us to begin developing the system of components that will carry through the rest of the app. Once the initial screens are approved, we will design the rest of the screens designs in small batches.
Once a screen or set of screens are ready for review, We will walk you through each screen design via video in order to thoroughly explain the details of each screen. We will also attach a .pdf proof of each screen for your further review after watching the video. We request review and feedback within 2-3 business days.
Our interface designs engagements include one round of revisions to each deliverable, so if you have feedback or concerns about any screens we can refine them according to your feedback. If iteration is desired, it typically takes anywhere from a few days to a week, depending on the magnitude of the requests. We request review and feedback to iterations within 2-3 business days. Please note that refinements consist of iterations to the presented concept not the creation of new concepts, and refinement rounds are non-transferrable between deliverables.
If needed, additional rounds of refinements are always available for you—we want you to love your interface design! Additional refinement rounds will be billed separately in half-day increments priced at $300 each.
04
File Provision + QA
Once all of the screens are approved, we prepare the files and provide them to the developer who will be working on the project.
When the app build is complete, we can gladly review it internally, and provide notes about any design inconsistencies that need to be addressed.
Upon receipt of full payment, full ownership of the interface design is released to you.
Seeing is believing
View a selection of our past digial design projects to get an idea of what we might be able to do for you, or view our full portfolio.
“Working with Strong Design is always a joy, and our latest ongoing project is no different. Their ability to take direction from developers and product and business-focused team members that are not well-versed in graphic design and interpret it into a beautiful, elegant and usable layout is unparalleled. Their attention to detail, work ethic, and timeliness are fantastic and refreshing. I would always recommend them for any web or application-related layout and design.”
JONATHAN KRESSATY, LEVERS
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Tell us more about how we can help redefine your business’ application experience.