Pick a studio that has redesigned products like yours, shows how it works week by week, puts a senior designer on your project, tests with real users before you build, and gives you a fixed price in writing. Ask to see work close to your product and to talk to a past client.
Our take: Compare how each studio would run its first two weeks. That tells you far more than a portfolio does.
TL;DR
The work
Look for products like yours, with case studies that explain the problem and the result.
The people
Ask who will do the work, and how senior they are.
The process
Ask what happens in the first two weeks, and how often you’ll see progress.
The price
Get it fixed and in writing, after they’ve looked at your product.
Start with the work
Look for products like yours. If you run a data-heavy B2B tool with several user roles, a beautiful mobile app doesn’t tell you much. What you want to see is a studio that has dealt with your kind of complexity.
Then read the case studies. Good ones explain the problem and the result, not only the screens. Check that the work went live rather than staying a concept made for a portfolio, and look for named clients and quotes you can verify.
What to ask on the first call
These six questions tell you most of what you need:
- Who will do the work, and how senior are they?
- What happens in the first two weeks?
- How often will we see progress and decide together?
- Do you test with our users before we build?
- What do we get at the end: Figma files, a design system, a prototype, code?
- Is the price fixed, and what would change it?
Listen for specific answers. A studio that has done this many times can tell you what happens in week one without thinking about it.
Warning signs
Be careful with a price given before anyone has looked at your product, because nobody can scope what they haven’t seen. The same goes for a studio that jumps straight to new screens.
Watch who’s on the call as well. A senior person in the sales meeting and juniors on the work is a common setup, so ask for names. And if all you get at the end is a set of Figma files, with no help while engineers build it, expect the design to change on its way to production.
A price with no look
Nobody can scope what they haven’t seen.
No audit
Straight to new screens, with no idea what’s wrong.
Bait and switch
A senior person sells, then juniors do the work.
Files only
No help once your engineers start building.
How we answer these
At Baobun Studio, the founder does the work: a senior product designer with 10+ years in B2B and AI products. Every redesign starts with an audit, and you see new designs every week. We test the flows on a coded prototype, and the price is fixed in writing after a 25-minute call.
You don’t have to take our word for it. Ask us the same questions, then ask the other studios on your list.
How to compare two proposals
Once you have two or three proposals, put them side by side. The total is the last thing to look at. Start with what each one says about the first two weeks, who does the work, and what you own at the end.
If one proposal is far cheaper, find the line that explains it. Usually something is missing: an audit, a design system, or help during the build.
Weaker proposal
- Starts with new screens
- “Our team” with no names
- A total with no breakdown
Stronger proposal
- Starts with an audit
- Names who does the work
- Says what would change the price
Studio, freelancer or in-house?
A studio isn’t always the right answer. A good freelancer can be great for a single flow, and an in-house designer makes sense when you have years of steady work ahead.
A small senior studio fits when you need more than one skill, a clear end date and someone who has solved this kind of problem before. Our guides on freelancers and in-house designers go through the numbers.
What a good first two weeks looks like
This is the most useful thing to ask about, because it’s where a studio’s real process shows. A good answer is specific: who reviews what, and when you’ll see the first work.
With us, the first week is an audit of your screens and flows, with what holds the product back ranked first. By the second week you’re looking at new designs on a review call, and you have access to the Figma file as it grows. If a studio can’t describe its first two weeks, it’s probably making it up as it goes.
Audit
Every screen and flow reviewed, with the biggest problems ranked first.
First designs
New work on a review call, with the Figma file open to you.
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