Independent product design & strategy

What if the real problem is clarity?

It usually is. I help founders and small teams work out what's actually wrong, decide what to build next, and design it — at a pace that fits the problem, not the calendar.

Start a conversationSee recent work

No pitch, no deck. A short email is enough.

Where it usually starts

If any of this sounds familiar.

You are rarely short on effort. More often you are short on a clear read of what's going on — and the noise makes it hard to find on your own.

01

Something feels off, and I cannot name it

The numbers are fine-ish, the team is busy, and still the sense that the product is drifting won't leave.

02

Users aren't behaving the way I expected

The flows you were sure about get ignored; the ones you neglected quietly carry the product.

03

We ship steadily, but it doesn't compound

Every release is reasonable on its own, and somehow the whole never gets sharper.

04

We agree in the room, then diverge in the work

Everyone nodded; the work that came back describes three different products.

05

I'm considering a redesign

Often the right instinct, usually for the wrong reason — and rarely the cheapest way through.

06

I mostly want to think it through out loud

Not looking to hire anyone yet — just to hear it back clearly from someone who's seen the shape before.

The cost of unclear decisions rarely arrives as one visible failure. It arrives as quarters that should have taken you further than they did.

Speed doesn't fix that. Clarity does — and it's cheapest to find early, before much has been built in the wrong direction.

What clients say
“Ionut did not just redesign our product. He helped us notice what we had stopped seeing — including about ourselves.”
Head of Product · B2B SaaS · ~120 people

So I work the other way around: understanding before screens, decisions before pixels. When the decision underneath is clear, the design tends to follow almost on its own — and you can explain it to anyone who asks.

Selected workAll →
How I think, out loudAll →
Working together

What working together is actually like.

  • You talk to me, not an account manager

    The person doing the thinking is the person you hear from, start to finish.

  • A number you know going in

    Flat fee per engagement, agreed before we start. No clock-watching.

  • Decisions you can defend

    Every recommendation comes with its reasoning, written down, in plain language.

  • A pace that fits the problem

    Fast where speed helps; slower where rushing would cost you more later.

  • No jargon to hide behind

    If I can't explain it simply, I don't think it's clear enough yet.

  • A team that needs me less, not more

    The thinking stays with you after I leave — not just the files.

How the work moves

From a foggy brief to a product you can explain.

Not every engagement uses all five steps — but this is the shape, and we only go as far as the problem needs.

  1. 01

    Listen

    I find the real problem under the stated one — through your data, your team, and your users.

    WhyMost wasted quarters begin by solving the wrong thing quickly.

  2. 02

    Decide

    We settle what the product is for, who it's for, and what comes next — in that order.

    WhyDesign without a decision underneath just makes the confusion prettier.

  3. 03

    Shape

    Information architecture, flows, and the structure of the thing — before any visual polish.

    WhyA clear structure makes the interface almost obvious.

  4. 04

    Draw

    The visual layer — restrained, consistent, and built to be handed to engineers.

    WhyBeauty that can't ship is decoration, not design.

  5. 05

    Hand over

    The rationale and framing your team needs to keep deciding well once I'm gone.

    WhyThe goal is your independence, not your retainer.

Engagement shapes

A few honest shapes to start from.

Each is a fixed shape with a clear end — not an open-ended retainer. We can always start small.

Half a day

A conversation

For when you mostly need to think clearly with someone who has seen the shape before.

Start here if you mostly need a clear read, not deliverables.

  • One focused working session
  • The real problem, named
  • The next two or three moves, ordered
Start here
Two to four weeks

Diagnostic & design

The heart of it: find what's wrong, decide what to build, design it — with the reasoning left behind.

Start here if something's off and you want it found, decided, and designed.

  • Listening, deciding, and design
  • Written reasoning for each decision
  • A handover your team can run with
  • Flat fee, agreed up front
Start a conversation
By the month

Alongside you

For teams who want a steady design partner without hiring a full-time lead yet.

Start here if decisions keep landing on your desk and you want a steady counterpart.

  • A fixed amount of focused time each month
  • Strategy and design as you need it
  • Mentorship for the designers you have
Ask about it
Honest answers

Questions I get asked.

How long does this take?

A conversation is half a day. The core diagnostic-and-design is two to four weeks. Ongoing work is monthly. If your problem needs less than you're asking for, I'll say so.

Is this right for an early product?

Often it's where I'm most useful — before a lot has been built in the wrong direction. Clarity is cheapest early.

What if I'm not technical?

Most of the founders I work with aren't. My job is to make the decisions legible to you, in plain language, so you can own them.

Can you work with my existing team?

Usually that's the point — making a team sharper, not replacing it. I try to leave the thinking behind, not just the files.

How does pricing work?

Flat fee per engagement, agreed before we start. No hourly billing, no scope-creep surprises. You know the number going in.

Why you, and not an agency or a senior hire?

An agency optimises for output; a hire makes sense once the direction is settled. I'm for the stretch in between — you've shipped something real, and the question is less 'can we build it' than 'should we, and in what shape'. If you haven't shipped yet, or you just need hands to execute a finished brief, I'm probably not your best money — and I'll tell you that in the first conversation.

What if I just want to think out loud?

Then start with the diagnostic on the contact page — a quiet set of questions, nothing sent anywhere — or book a conversation. No obligation to go further.

Still reading?

Then there's probably something on your mind. A short first email goes a long way — tell me what's going on and what a good outcome would look like. I read every one myself.

Write me

No pitch — and you'll hear back within two working days.