No nasty surprises! Know exactly how much you're going to pay up front
Scale up and down your design support, as and when you need it
I’ll work on the designs until you are 100% satisfied
Receive designs for your marketplace within 2-4 working days from project kick-off
I use time zone differences to my advantage. Wake up each day to designs ready for you to review
Full design specifications are provided for your developers to start coding immediately
Here's a quick run-down of my process for custom design projects, and how you can expect me to work alongside you.
The aim of this 30-minute call is to get to know each other better and for me to learn more about your project, where you're currently at with it and where you'd like to get to. I especially enjoy hearing the stories behind why people decide to start their marketplace.
It's also an opportunity for you to learn more about me and whether you think I'll be a good fit for your project. I'll talk you through my background and experience, as well as any other relevant projects I've worked on.
The best way to prepare for this call is to write down the vision for your marketplace and any questions you might have for me. If possible, please share this with me in advance so that I can prepare accordingly. If there are any websites that you would like to draw inspiration from, please share these links with me too!
Once I have all the information about your project, I'll be able to prepare a proposal. This will include a scope of work, a list of deliverables, a fixed project cost and timeline.
I'll then send you a contract to review and electronically sign, as well as issuing my first invoice.
Once contracts are signed we can kick-off the project!
This usually involves me doing some admin such as setting up and inviting you to a Trello board (this will be my "to do" list), and a Figma file (this is where I'll be doing the design work).
I will also need you to send me any design assets that you already have (such as a logo with a transparent background and colour preferences).
If you're building a complex marketplace, or adding complex feature, the best place to start is to document the user journeys through your marketplace. This could include how your users will navigate your marketplace and how customer payments and supplier payouts work.
We'll review these diagrams together and will iterate until we are in alignment.
Note: This is an optional step and is often not required.
Now, for the exciting part - bringing your vision to life!
Designing your marketplace (or designing new features) involves me creating wireframes in a digital design tool called Figma. Wireframes are the "blueprint" that the developers will follow in order to build the site and any custom features.
Design is an iterative process and I'll ask you for regular feedback along the way. We'll review the designs together and I'll keep making changes until you're satisfied.
Before your developers start coding, we'll walk them through the designs. This is an opportunity for them to ask us any clarifying questions. I'll provide the specifications your developers need, including fonts, colours and images.
Desktop and Mobile Design for Marketplaces
However, there are some services I don't provide:
Yes, absolutely! I have helped plenty of clients to customise and configure their Sharetribe marketplace using the no-code tools in the Sharetribe Console.
I usually schedule 3-4 calls screen-sharing calls with my client. During these calls, I ask lots of questions about how you would like your marketplace to work. You can watch me as I make the relevant changes and configurations live on the call.
I can also offer you my advise and expertise on how I to set up your marketplace (e.g. what sections to include on your homepage). In between the calls, I might assign you some small tasks to complete before the text call (e.g. create your Privacy Policy).
It usually takes around 1-2 weeks from starting the configurations to going live!
I offer this service at a fixed price of £2,400 / $3,000. I charge 50% upfront, at the beginning of the project and 50% two weeks later, when I expect the project to be complete.
Please note: This service does NOT include any work that requires custom coding.
Custom design work involves designing features that are not available in the no-code Console and require additional code to build. This might include things like a reverse marketplace feature or price negotiations between buyers and sellers.
Alternatively, you might want to move away from the default Sharetribe "look and feel" and design something completely different (e.g. maybe you want your marketplace to feel more youthful, playful and colourful, or maybe you want it to look more editorial, expensive and glossy). Whatever style you desire, I can provide bespoke designs to match the intended "personality" of your marketplace.
Please note: This custom design work does NOT include any custom coding. You will need to hire a developer to implement my designs. If you're looking for a developer, I can highly recommend Journey Horizon.
Because the needs of every marketplace are unique, I assess each project on an individual basis.
Where possible, I work on a fixed cost basis as this ensures full transparency for both of us (no nasty surprises when I bill you at the end of the month).
Fixed priced projects typically start from £1,000 / $1,250, but can go as high as £5,000 / $6,200. The cost will depend on the complexity and size of the design project. As for billing, I charge 50% of the full project cost upfront and 50% upon completion.
Where the client's requirements are unclear and the scope of work has the potential to change over the duration of the project, I charge on a per-screen basis at a cost of £380 / $480 per screen. This includes responsive mobile and desktop design.
Please note: Custom design work does NOT include any custom coding. You will need to hire a developer to implement my designs. If you're looking for a developer, I can highly recommend Journey Horizon.
I've been lucky enough to work with founders in a large range of industries. These include (but are not limited to) the following:
From California to Sydney and everywhere in between, I love working with clients all around the world. In fact, I pride myself on being able to work very effectively, asynchronously.
I use the time difference to work to my advantage and find that it works especially well with clients in America. This is because I can work whilst you're asleep. When you wake up, you'll have all day to review my designs and send me feedback. Then, the following morning (my time), I can review your feedback and jump straight into any design iterations that are required.
If we need to jump on a call, we can always work together to find a time that works for us both.
We can kick-off your project as soon as you've signed a contract and paid the first invoice (unless we agree to a different date). You will receive the first designs within 2-4 working days.
The length of a design project can vary depending of the requirements and scope of the project. More complex projects take longer, whereas simple projects can be quicker.
Simple projects can take 1-2 weeks, whilst more complex projects can take 4-6 weeks.
There are two main things I need from you during the project.
1. Firstly, I will need to understand your marketplace and how you'd like it to work (your requirements). You can share your requirements with me any way you like - whether that's written documentation, a slide deck or even a brain dump on a call! Whatever is easiest for you.
2. Secondly, I will ask you to provide feedback on my designs. Each time I complete a design (e.g. the homepage), I will need to you take a look at the design and provide me with your feedback (good or bad). To help you out with design reviews, I often record a quick video that walks you through the design and my thought process. You can play the video at a time that is convenient to you, and then send me your feedback so I can make any relevant updates to the design.
Friendly word of warning: The longer it takes for you to review the designs and provide feedback, the longer the project will take. So please make sure you put plenty of time aside each week to review my designs and provide feedback.
Of course! Whilst most clients start working with me at the idea stage, many return further down line as they build traction and gain valuable feedback and insights from their customers/suppliers.
I have a number of long-standing clients who hire me for ad-hoc projects, as and when they need me, to make further enhancements to their marketplace and add new features.
Four minute to help you figure out whether you need help from a designer, a developer or both.
Four minute video diving into the role of a UX/UI designer and what you can expect from them.
Five minute video exploring the differences in UX/UI and Brand design and why both are valuable.
To define Fiona as just a designer would be an injustice. She is a holistic online marketplace consultant who delivers high quality designs at lightning speed. Her ability to think through the objectives given by us, plan the entire user workflow, and finding the right solutions through her designs in a collaborative manner swiftly sets her apart from everyone else. We are very happy with the work she has done for InsightGig and would highly recommend Fiona to anyone looking for a professional designer for their online marketplace.
Sridhar V
Co-Founder at InsightGig
If you're seeking a thorough, proactive, and professional designer with excellent communication skills, look no further than Fiona. She played a crucial role in launching my marketplace, offering valuable recommendations that saved me time and money in the long run. Acting as both a guide and designer, Fiona's expertise was invaluable during the startup phase. Despite the time zone difference, our collaboration was seamless, with completed design sections waiting for me in the morning. Fiona grasped my vision and created a design that felt clean and distinctly feminine, perfectly tailored to my target audience. Without hesitation, I would hire Fiona again for future projects. I hesitated to write this recommendation because I'm afraid everyone will want to snatch her up!
Lauren Cain
Founder at Homebaked
Fiona came highly recommended from Sharetribe and our vendor, Journey Horizon. She exceeded all expectations with her organisation, skill, and delivery. Her flexibility to work with us as we iterated on design was very accommodating. Besides being a joy to work with, she impressed us with her design sensibilities and UX recommendations. For a startup launching an innovative platform, Fiona was the perfect partner.
Francis Porter
Co-Founder at ANALOGr
Fiona was sensational. She quickly grasped the essence of our business and then translated that into a digital storyboard. Everything was clear. Importantly, she was super quick to respond. When you are building a business, you only move to your website intermittently, but whenever I shifted attention to it, she was there. Tell her what you want, and she will work out how to do it. I can’t recommend her highly enough.
Chris O'Donnell
Founder at Guide Collective
My team love working on projects that Fiona is involved in as she has an excellent understanding of Sharetribe and knows how to deliver clear requirements. She has made our development work much easier. Fiona is also great at helping the business owner turn their idea into a working marketplace. In short she is the true definition of a user experience designer.
Matthew Ryan
Co-Founder and CEO at Journey Horizon