Product Design
Product design: planning a new app before anything is built.
For founders and businesses with an idea for a new app. Before any building, we work out who it is for, what problem it solves, and the smallest first version worth making. Then we design every screen and test it with real people.
Illustrative interface — not client data
Platforms & technologies we build on
Is this for you?
It is, if one of these sounds like you.
- You have an idea for an app and want to get it right before paying for building
- You want to turn something you do in-house into a product you can sell
- You have a long wish-list of features and no agreed order
- Your last launch did not change anything that mattered
Sound familiar?
Why people come to us.
The idea is a list of features, not a problem
Products described only as features tend to fail. Naming the exact problem, and whose problem it is, changes what gets built and how it is sold.
Everything feels essential
Without an agreed first version, every feature seems a must-have. We draw the line at what a user must be able to do.
Nobody has asked a future user
Building for months on an untested guess is the most expensive mistake there is. A few careful conversations early usually change the plan.
Nobody agreed what success looks like
If you do not decide in advance what a good result is, you cannot judge the launch. Then the next decision has nothing to stand on.
Which one do I need?
UI/UX design, product design or branding: which do I need?
UI/UX Design
Choose this if you already have an app or website, and people find it confusing or hard to use.
For example: Redesigning a checkout that customers keep leaving halfway through.
About UI/UX DesignProduct Design
This pageChoose this if you have an idea for a new app, and want to plan it and see every screen before building starts.
For example: Planning a clinic booking app screen by screen, before any building begins.
Branding & Creative
Choose this if you need a logo, colours and a look that make your business easy to recognise.
For example: A new logo, colours and signboard style for a family restaurant.
About Branding & Creative
What you get
What we do for you.
Naming the problem
A clear statement of who has the problem, what it costs them, and how they get around it today.
Checking the competition
An honest look at what already exists, and what would make yours worth switching to.
Exploring different approaches
Several different ways of solving the problem, explored side by side, because the first idea is rarely the strongest.
Defining the first version
The first release, defined by what it must achieve, with everything else clearly moved to a later stage.
Clickable samples and testing
Samples made to answer a specific question, tested with future users. Where it matters, we also test whether they would actually pay.
Measuring success and planning next steps
What the product must do to count as working, how to measure it, and what to build after launch.
Example
What this could look like for a doctor who wants a patient follow-up app.
A typical case, to show the kind of change this makes. It is an example, not a client story.
Before
The idea is clear to her but not written down, and developers quote very different prices for it.
After
A clear first version and a tested, clickable sample of every screen, so every developer quotes for the same thing.
How it works
Step by step.
- 01
Frame the problem
Working sessions to agree the problem, who it affects and the limits you are working within.
- 02
Talk to future users
Conversations with the people you want to serve, and a look at how they solve the problem today.
- 03
Explore and test
Several ideas turned into clickable samples, tested with real people, with the results written up honestly, even the uncomfortable ones.
- 04
Define the first version
A clear first version with a way to measure success, ready to be priced and built.
How long it takes depends on what is included. We give you a timeline before any work starts.
What you have at the end
- A clear statement of the problem, and who has it
- What future users told us
- The different approaches, with pros and cons
- A tested clickable sample
- A defined first version
- How to measure success, and what comes next
Price and timeline
What it costs.
Every project is priced on what it needs. Tell us your needs for an exact quote, with no obligation.
Ways to work with us
Fixed project
A clear result, with a clear finish line.
Long-term product partner
Software that keeps growing.
FAQ
Questions about Product Design
How is this different from UI/UX design?
Product design decides what to build, and why. UI/UX design decides how it works and looks. For something genuinely new, doing product design first stops months of good design work being aimed at the wrong problem.
Do we need this if we already know what we want?
Not always. If you know exactly what to build and who it is for, go straight to design and building. This is for when the idea is still broad, or when a previous attempt did not work.
What if testing shows the idea does not work?
That is a good result, found at the cheapest possible moment. It usually changes the idea rather than ending it: a different audience, a narrower problem, or a different place to start.
Do I need to be technical?
No. You bring the knowledge of your customers and your market. We handle the planning and design, and explain each decision in plain words.
Related services
Often needed together.
- Design & brandingUI/UX DesignYou need this when your app or website confuses the people using it.
- Build an app or softwareSaaS DevelopmentYou need this when you want to sell software that other businesses pay for every month.
- Build an app or softwareMobile AppsYou need this when your customers use you often enough to install an app.
For technical teams: what we build this with
Chosen for each project. If your team already uses something that works, we would rather build on it than replace it.
Figma
Interface design, design systems, prototypes and developer handoff, with clients able to comment directly on the work.
React
Component architecture for application interfaces — the shared vocabulary between our designers and engineers.
Next.js
Server rendering, routing and image optimisation. It is what lets a site be visually rich and still load quickly on a mid-range phone.
Talk to us about Product Design
Tell us what you need. We will reply with questions, a suggested plan, or an honest answer if Product Design is not right for you.
Or email us directly at support@thedigitalalchemy.co.in