UX + Product Design Retainer
Starting at
$
110
/hrAbout this service
Summary
FAQs
Q: How many hours do I need to book?
We’ll scope that together. Some clients need just a few hours a week for design reviews and support, while others want 20–30+ hours a month for feature flows, systems work, or ongoing collaboration.
Q: What kinds of projects fit into a retainer?
Anything from UX reviews and design systems to full product flows, UI polish, handoff docs, or team strategy. If it touches product design or UX, I can help you move it forward.
Q: What if I don’t have a design team?
That’s totally fine. I’ve worked independently, as a solo designer at a 0 to 1 startup, and been embedded within product teams. I’m comfortable leading design decisions or collaborating closely with founders, engineers, and PMs.
Q: How do we communicate during the retainer?
We’ll figure out what works best—email, async check-ins, shared docs, or short calls. I’ll keep you in the loop and make sure you always know where things stand.
Q: Can I scale up or down later?
Yes! Retainers are scoped monthly, so if your needs change, we can adjust our plan and hours as we go.
What's included
🧠 UX Strategy + Product Planning
Support for early-stage concepts, user flow mapping, feature prioritization, and high-level product thinking.
✏️ Wireframes + UI Design
Clean, accessible mockups in Figma for core flows, pages, and screens—ready for dev handoff or user testing.
🔍 UX Audits + Accessibility Checks
Review of existing products or flows with expert feedback on usability, clarity, and WCAG 2.0 accessibility compliance.
🧱 Design Systems + Component Libraries
Component-based systems and reusable design patterns tailored to your product’s structure, needs, and scalability.
🛠️ Developer-Ready Handoff Docs
Annotated frames, specs, and documentation to support smooth collaboration with engineering teams.
💬 Design + Dev Check-ins
Live or async sessions during the dev cycle to ensure clarity, avoid drift, and reduce back-and-forth at the finish line.
👨💻 Post-Build QA Support
Visual QA and functionality walkthroughs after implementation to catch layout, spacing, or accessibility issues before launch.
📊 Async Reviews + Ongoing Feedback
Consistent check-ins, design reviews, and revision rounds to keep your product moving forward—even in async workflows.
🎨 Style, Brand, and Voice Guide
Collaborative documentation to align your brand’s visuals, tone, and content standards across the product and beyond.
Recommendations
(5.0)
Client • Sep 30, 2025
Recommended
Fantastic work, exceeded expectations, cared about my input and made lightning fast changes to my website when needed. Will work with Ponders again in the future.
Client • Jun 11, 2025
Recommended
I highly recommend Ponders for any design or UX roles. During their tenure with our team, Ponders consistently demonstrated exceptional professionalism, care, and expertise in their craft. The foundation of our software is to surface clarity and insights from the complex data that our clients use to make critical business decisions. Ponders championed an inclusive approach to understanding customer needs and pain points, and executed elegant design solutions.
Client • Jun 6, 2025
Recommended
T.H. Ponders took our site to the next level. It is polished and navigable. They are even working up our SEO for us to get better exposure. Money well spent in my eyes. Thanks!
Skills and tools
UX Designer
UX Engineer
UX Researcher
Adobe XD
CSS
Figma
Framer
Sketch