Design that survives contact with real users

Research, information architecture, wireframes, prototypes, user testing, then high-fidelity design and a design system. Testing happens before engineering starts, because changing a wireframe costs hours and changing a shipped database schema costs weeks.

Typically 3 to 6 weeks for an MVP-scale product, longer for complex platforms with multiple user types. Design usually overlaps with early engineering rather than blocking it, so the timeline runs shorter than the two phases added together.

A design system is a documented set of reusable components, patterns, and rules. You need one once more than one person is building interfaces, or once you are shipping regularly. Below that threshold it is overhead, and we will say so rather than sell you one.

Yes. Design-only engagements are common, and we hand off developer-ready files with specifications, components, and documentation. We also review the built result against the designs if you want that, which catches the gap where good design quietly degrades during implementation.

Prototype testing with people who match your actual users, usually 5 to 8 sessions per round. That is enough to surface the majority of usability problems. Testing against internal opinion instead of real users is the most common and most expensive mistake in this phase.