Product Design for SaaS & AI Startups | Business-Driven Design by Michu

michu

For Startups

Mentoring

About

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Mentoring

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FOR STARTUP FOUNDERS

Design that ships,

not design that waits.

Your conversion is stuck at 2% while competitors

hit 5%?

Your conversion is stuck at 2%while competitors hit 5%?

I embed with your team, run discovery, build working prototypes, and deliver with your engineers.

One owner, zero hand-off friction, metrics that move.

I know exactly which design decisions will move your metrics

- because I've been where you are.

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Calls on

Your conversion is stuck at 2% while competitors

hit 5%?

Your conversion is stuck at 2%while competitors hit 5%?

Async on

Your conversion is stuck at 2% while competitors

hit 5%?

Your conversion is stuck at 2%while competitors hit 5%?

Designing in

Your conversion is stuck at 2% while competitors

hit 5%?

Your conversion is stuck at 2%while competitors hit 5%?

Prototyping with

Your conversion is stuck at 2% while competitors

hit 5%?

Your conversion is stuck at 2%while competitors hit 5%?

Demos via

Your conversion is stuck at 2% while competitors

hit 5%?

Your conversion is stuck at 2%while competitors hit 5%?

PROBLEMSIHEARFROMEVERYFOUNDER

PROBLEMSIHEARFROMEVERYFOUNDERS

PROBLEMSIHEARFROMEVERYFOUNDER

Our designer hands-off Figma and disappears.

Then your devs have questions, nobody answers, and the feature ships broken - or doesn't ship at all.

We don't know how to evaluate designers.

You're afraid of paying $50k monthly for not even pretty pixels that don't move metrics.

We don't know if our designer is good or just expensive.

Pretty portfolio, confident pitch - but will they actually move your metrics? You've been burned before.

Should we hire a designer or another engineer?

The ROI question that keeps you up at night

Design always slows us down.

You need someone who ships at startup speed

Design will slow us down.

You need someone who ships at startup speed

Marketing has KPIs. Sales has quotas. Design has... opinions?

You can't tell if that redesign actually worked. Design feels like a cost center, not a growth lever.

Our designer became a bottleneck.

One person doing everything from wireframes to t-shirt designs

We did user research. Nothing changed.

6 weeks of interviews, a 50-page report, and zero shipped improvements.

How do we measure design success?

Marketing has KPIs, sales has numbers, design has… opinions?

I've heard these problems

a hundred times. That's exactly

why I work differently.

The full package.

Or just what you need.

Exactly what

you get.

Exactly what you get.

Take the full package or pick individual blocks. We'll scope it together on our first call. Every deliverable has one purpose: deliver the best possible quality.

Discovery report

Not a 50-page deck.

A clear document with real findings.

Your North Star document. Everything we're solving, in writing, before we start.

Stakeholder inerviews summarized

Main problems mapped and prioritized

Funnel analysis with drop-off points identified

My recommendations: what to fix first and why

Baseline metrics documented

Rhytm & Cadence

How we work together.

Defined before we start.

Meeting schedule: who, when, how often

Async rules: Slack channels, response times,

decision-making

Sync format: Google Meet agendas,

standups opt-in/out

Escalation path: how we unblock fast

One owner (me) - clear accountability

Working prototypes

Not only static Figma files.

Code you can click and test if needed.

Built in Figma Make / Cursor / Claude Code

Real interactions, not mockup magic

Edge cases handled: empty, loading, error states

Shared with team for feedback before dev starts

Faster alignment - engineers see exactly how it works

Design System & Components

Built to scale, not thrown

away after v1.

Global components: buttons, inputs, cards, modals

Local components: feature-specific patterns

Tokens: colors, spacing, typography, shadows

Responsive behavior documented

Figma library your team can extend

Dev-Ready Specs

Everything your engineers need.

Zero back-and-forth.

All states: default, hover, active, focus, etc.

Responsive breakpoints with exact behavior

Interaction specs: animations, transitions, triggers

Analytics events defined (what to track, where)

Copy and microcopy

Continuous Discovery Setup

Research that ships,

not research that sits.

Recruitment process (with your help on sourcing)

Interview scripts and usability test scenarios

User sessions: IDIs, usability tests - I run them

Insights documented and prioritized

Fast iteration: findings → design → production in days

Embedded in your

team, not an outsider.

Communication.

Cadence & principles.

Clear rhytm.

We define upfront when we meet, with whom, and how often.

Clear rhytm.

We define upfront when we meet, with whom, and how often.

(A)sync everyday (Slack or any).

Progress visible, decisions documented. Tight with your team.

(A)sync everyday (Slack or any).

Progress visible, decisions documented. Tight with your team.

Daily stand‑up available (length as needed).

Opt‑in/out weekly.

Daily stand‑up available (length as needed).

Opt‑in/out weekly.

Weekly stakeholder checkpoint when helpful.

One owner. Crisp yes/no. Minimal ceremony.

Top-level pixels by default.

Design fast. Tight loops.

Where I fit best

Where I fit best.

Not a fit if you want theatre, pixel‑porn without context, or a six‑month research project before touching the product.

Pre-seed/Seed

0 → 1

Value prop, prototype fast, ship an MVP

that doesn’t fall apart.

I can act as Product Lead.

Value prop, prototype fast, ship an MVP that doesn’t fall apart. I can act as interim Product Lead.

Value prop, prototype fast, ship an MVP

that doesn’t fall apart.

I can act as Product Lead.

Post-PMF/Growth

1 → N

Fix design debt, refine core journeys,

and lift activation/conversion. High-end

design delivery.

Fix design debt, refine core journeys, and lift activation/conversion.

Fix design debt, refine core journeys,

and lift activation/conversion. High-end

design delivery.

Full-time

Fix & uplift

UX audit, scope sanity, tokens/systems

under the hood. Top-level pixels.

UX audit, scope sanity, tokens/systems under the hood.

UX audit, scope sanity, tokens/systems

under the hood. Top-level pixels.

FLEXBILEENGAGEMENTMODELS

Project

$15,000

One time / 30 days

Fix your biggest problem

Clear scope, timeline, metrics

100% money-back guarantee

Perfect for: onboarding, activation, checkout and more

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Fractional Lead Product Designer

$5-14k

One time / 30 days

Ongoing design + product leadership

Starter: ~40h/month ($5k)

Growth: ~80h/month ($9k)

Lead: 3-4 days/week ($14k)

Cancel or pause anytime

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Full-time

$200,000

I join as a Staff/Lead/Founding Designer

Design + Product leadership

Minimum 12-month commitment

Remont or hybrid

If it’s not working - we cancel before the full year. Hassle-free.

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Prices are in USD and exclude taxes. NDAs welcome. Payment upfront — projects 100% upfront; retainers billed at the start of each month.

Invoices monthly (for retainers). Ownership transfers on payment. I don’t work with gambling, predatory finance, or shady stuff.

Prices are in USD and exclude taxes. NDAs welcome. Payment upfront — projects 100% upfront; retainers billed at the start of each month. Invoices monthly (for retainers). Ownership transfers on payment. I don’t work with gambling, predatory finance, or shady stuff.

Questions

founders ask.

Questions founders ask.

How fast can you start?

Usually within 1-2 weeks if there's a slot. Sometimes faster. Let's talk.

How fast can you start?

Usually within 1-2 weeks if there's a slot. Sometimes faster. Let's talk.

Do you do development?

I prototype in Cursor and Claude Code - real, working code devs can inspect. But I don't do production frontend. I design, prototype, spec, and hand off clean.

Do you do development?

I prototype in Cursor and Claude Code - real, working code devs can inspect. But I don't do production frontend. I design, prototype, spec, and hand off clean.

Can you lead product, not just design?

Yes. I've been interim Product Lead multiple times. Roadmaps, prioritization, standups, stakeholder alignment - I can own it all or just the design slice. Your call.

Can you lead product, not just design?

Yes. I've been interim Product Lead multiple times. Roadmaps, prioritization, standups, stakeholder alignment - I can own it all or just the design slice. Your call.

Do you work with our devs directly?

Daily. Slack async, Google Meet syncs. I don't throw files over the wall. I sit in the team.

Do you work with our devs directly?

Daily. Slack async, Google Meet syncs. I don't throw files over the wall. I sit in the team.

We already have a designer. Why you?

I'm not here to replace your team. I'm here to lead it, unblock it, or fill gaps they can't cover. Senior firepower when you need it.

We already have a designer. Why you?

I'm not here to replace your team. I'm here to lead it, unblock it, or fill gaps they can't cover. Senior firepower when you need it.

Do you work with early-stage startups

Yes - from pre-seed to Series A is my sweet spot. I've shaped MVPs from scratch and scaled products post-PMF.

Do you work with early-stage startups

Yes - from pre-seed to Series A is my sweet spot. I've shaped MVPs from scratch and scaled products post-PMF.

Naresh, Engineering Manager at FULL Creative

“His creativity, dedication, and innovative design thinking have been a huge part of our product growth. He’s always pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, and his collaborative spirit makes him such a joy to work with.

Plus, he’s the kind of person who genuinely cares about getting things right, which really shows in his work.”

Case study. Moni AI.

Your in-app assistant.

Case study. Moni AI.Your in-app assistant.

Case study. Moni AI.

Your in-app assistant.

Designed Moniti’s AI assistant to automate workforce scheduling.

Turned a slow, error-prone process into >70% acceptance of AI-generated schedules, boosting adoption and satisfaction across companies.

Designed Moniti’s AI assistant to automate workforce scheduling. Turned a slow, error-prone process into >70% acceptance of AI-generated schedules, boosting adoption and satisfaction across companies.

Stop thinking.

Start shipping.

Stop thinking.

Start shipping.

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