How to Ship Great Software Without a Full-time Designer

Yes, companies do that.

Knowing that you have that option might be the difference between shipping great software and soaking in quiet frustration dealing with things you are not supposed to.

Imagine having a senior UI/UX designer on demand. Work with them only when needed, get results, and move on to the work you are best at. No fee negotiations, no contracts, and no hand-holding.

Unfortunately, most software makers don’t know that this is an option.

You are deep into a project and don’t have time to look around for solutions. So, you go about it the best you can:

• You ask developers to play designer.
• You try to do some mockups yourself.
• You hire an inexperienced freelancer.
• You consider a design agency.

But there is another option that allows you to not compromise on quality and speed. It’s called a design service subscription. Yep, it’s like your monthly Netflix subscription, but for design.

Here's how it works:

Step 1: You submit your request.
Go to your own design board where you can submit your design task. If you like, you can do weekly sync calls to go over the work. Or you can keep it async and use the design board. You can submit unlimited requests and order them by priority. If something needs more explanation, you can record a quick Loom video to show and tell.

Step 2: Your designer gets to work.
You go back to your work. In the meantime, your design requests are processed sequentially. You get results typically within 2 days during the workweek. All design work is done in Figma. Your team gets access, and you get ownership of the files.

Step 3: You get maximum flexibility.
If your priorities change and you want to shift away from design work, you can always pause or cancel your subscription at any point. If you pause, you can reactivate your account at any point. If you decide to cancel, there are no cancellation fees.

This is how you can ship quality software without a full-time designer.

You probably already figured out that I run such a subscription service and I'm trying to sway you to check it out.

So if you think this might be for you, go to designcrafter.co to learn more. Since I can only work with a few clients a year, spots fill up quickly. So if you like to reserve a spot – go book a 15-minute call with me.