5–10 days
Discovery and product strategy
We run stakeholder workshops, map the Jobs to be Done and set success metrics with the Google HEART framework.
Digital product design services
Digital product design services from first idea to launch
Strategy, research, UX, UI, and validation delivered by one team that stays with your engineers through launch.
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In shortDigital product design services take a new software product from idea to launch through product strategy, user experience (UX) research, user interface (UI) design and prototype validation. Our digital product design engagement takes 8–16 weeks, costs $60,000–$180,000, and ends with a tested, development-ready product design in Figma.
Definition
What is digital product design?
Digital product design is the end-to-end process of defining, designing and validating a software product, from the first problem statement to the launch-ready user interface. One team covers product strategy, user research, information architecture (IA), interaction design, visual design and usability validation.
Digital product design starts with evidence: UX research services supply the user needs, and design turns the user needs into screens. Our product design process follows the Double Diamond model, with 2 discovery phases and 2 delivery phases. The same process applies to order, campaign and content tools for media and marketing companies, as our UI UX design for media companies shows.
- Timeline
- 8–16 weeks
- Investment
- $60,000–$180,000
- Deliverables
- 6 included
What's included
What does digital product design include?
Our digital product design services include 6 deliverables: a product strategy, a user research report, an information architecture, a clickable prototype, a UI design and a developer handoff package.
Product strategy
A 1-page product brief defines target users, Jobs to be Done and success metrics, for example weekly active users and task completion time.
User research report
Interviews with 5–8 users per user group produce findings, for example unmet needs, current workarounds and switching triggers.
Information architecture
A sitemap and user-flow diagrams define every screen, for example sign-up, onboarding, the core workflow and settings.
Clickable prototype
A Figma prototype covers the core user flows, for example the first-run experience and the main task.
UI design
High-fidelity screens follow platform guidelines, for example Material Design 3 on Android and the Apple Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) on iOS.
Developer handoff package
Annotated Figma files, design tokens and component specifications go to engineering, for example spacing, states and breakpoints.
Process
How does the digital product design process work?
The digital product design process takes 8–16 weeks (40–80 working days) and runs in 5 steps, from discovery to developer handoff.
5–15 days
User research
Researchers interview 5–8 users per user group and synthesize the findings in Dovetail.
5–10 days
Information architecture and flows
Designers build the sitemap and user-flow diagrams for every core task.
10–20 days
Prototype and validation
5 users per round complete tasks in the clickable prototype on Maze, and each round ends with a System Usability Scale (SUS) score.
15–25 days
UI design and handoff
Designers produce screens that meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 level AA, hand the Figma files to engineering and stay with the engineers through launch.
Benefits
What are the benefits of digital product design?
Digital product design has 4 benefits: it increases activation rate, improves the user experience, reduces rework cost and develops a validated product roadmap.
Increases activation rate
Onboarding flows tested with real users before development increase the share of new sign-ups who complete the first key task.
Improves the user experience
One team designs strategy, flows and UI together, which improves consistency across every screen and platform.
Reduces rework cost
Usability issues found in a clickable prototype cost hours to fix, while the same usability issues found after launch cost development sprints.
Develops a validated product roadmap
Each validation round develops the product roadmap with evidence, for example which features users need at launch and which features wait.
Comparison
Digital product design vs web app design
Digital product design covers a new product end to end, from strategy to launch; web app design redesigns or extends the workflows of an existing logged-in application. Teams with no product yet start with digital product design.
| Criterion | Digital product design | Web app design |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Idea or problem statement | Existing web application |
| Scope | Strategy, research, UX, UI and validation | Workflows, tables, permissions and UI |
| Main output | Validated product design and handoff package | Redesigned screens and component specifications |
| Timeline | 8–16 weeks | 8–16 weeks |
| Price on this site | $60,000–$180,000 | $60,000–$180,000 |
Related:web app design servicesUI UX design services for startups
Pricing
How much does digital product design cost?
Digital product design costs $60,000–$180,000 and takes 8–16 weeks. The price depends on 4 factors: the number of platforms, the number of user groups, the number of core user flows and the number of validation rounds.
A single-platform web product with 1 user group, 4–5 core flows and 1 validation round sits near $60,000. A web and mobile product with 3 user groups, 10–12 core flows, 3 validation rounds and a starter component library sits near $180,000. Teams that need a full component library with governance add design system services.
Typical investment$60,000–$180,0008–16 weeks
- Product strategy
- User research report
- Information architecture
- Clickable prototype
When to hire
When should a founder hire digital product design services?
A founder should hire digital product design services in 5 situations:
- A new software product needs a design, if the company has no in-house product designers.
- A startup funds version 1 of a product, if the launch date sits 3–6 months away.
- An internal tool becomes a customer-facing product, if external users need a new onboarding flow.
- A product concept needs validation, if engineering has not started building.
- A legacy product needs a full rebuild, if incremental fixes no longer solve core usability issues.
Not sure where your design problems actually start?
Book a 45-minute UX audit session. We review your product and identify the top three friction points.
Book a UX auditDigital product design services by industry
We design UI and UX for Startups, SaaS, Gaming, EdTech, Media, Blockchain, AI and Enterprise products.
Digital product design services case studies
Ready to launch faster and convert more users?
Send us your project. A design lead reviews it and schedules a call within one business day. We sign an NDA before the first technical discussion if you prefer.
FAQ
Digital product design FAQs
These answers cover the 5 questions buyers ask most about digital product design services.
Still have a question?
A design lead answers every message within one business day.
Talk to a design leadDoes digital product design include user research?
Yes. Every digital product design engagement includes 5–8 user interviews per user group and at least 1 usability validation round.
Do digital product designers write code?
No. Digital product designers deliver Figma files, design tokens and component specifications, and the client's engineers write the code.
Can digital product design start from a rough idea?
Yes. Digital product design starts from a problem statement, and the discovery step turns the rough idea into a product brief with target users and success metrics. Already hold recent user evidence? Run our six-question test for skipping discovery before you scope the engagement.
What is the difference between a product design agency and a freelancer?
A product design agency staffs strategy, research, UX and UI designers on one team, while a freelancer covers 1–2 of those disciplines.
How long does digital product design take?
Digital product design takes 8–16 weeks, which equals 40–80 working days, from discovery to developer handoff.
