Design
Detail every interface and contract before we build.
Design is where the signed scope becomes a buildable plan. We design the user interface, the system architecture, the database schema, and the API contracts in enough detail that a senior engineer can build to them without guessing.
You review and sign off on each design artifact before we move to Build. That is the cheapest place to change your mind — fixing a wireframe is hours, fixing a built feature is days.
Design usually runs 1 to 3 weeks depending on UI complexity and the size of the integration surface.
Activities in this phase
- UI mockups and interactive prototypes
- System architecture diagrams
- Database schema design
- API contract design
- Authentication and authorization model
- Hosting and deployment topology
- Observability and logging design
Inputs
- Signed SOW from Discovery
- Brand guidelines if applicable
- Compliance constraints
- Existing system schemas to integrate with
Deliverables
- User interface mockups
- System architecture diagram
- Database schema design
- API specification
- Authentication and role model
- Design review sign-off
Who is involved
- Designer and lead engineer from our side
- Product owner from your side
- Architect or security reviewer if relevant
Decisions locked in
- UI flows and visual language
- Database structure and migration approach
- API contracts
- Auth model and permission boundaries
- Hosting and deploy pipeline
Acceptance criteria
- UI mockups approved
- Architecture diagram approved
- API spec approved
- Schema approved
Frequently asked
Do you do visual design or just engineering design?
Both. We do UI mockups and interactive prototypes in addition to architecture, schema, and API design. If you have an existing designer or brand system we work to it.
How locked-in is the design once signed off?
Locked, but not frozen. Sign-off means we can build against it confidently. Significant changes during Build go through a written change order so cost and timeline impact are explicit.
Can Design overlap with Build?
For large engagements yes — we sequence Design and Build in parallel tracks, designing phase N+1 while building phase N.
Ready to start a discovery call?
A 30-minute call to understand the work. A signed Statement of Work before any code is written.