Zebra Design x Research Tech
UX Partnership
Transform your AI diligence platform into an interface users trust and investors fund.
The Challenge
VCs fund traction, not technology.
You need an interface that matches the sophistication of your AI.
€15,000
3 Zebra Sprints — Design focused on getting to a seed round in 7-8 months time.
Deliverables
- •Deployment-ready front-end (Next.js/React) — not Figma files
- •Onboarding flow: Sign up → Create project → First insights
- •Report interface: Navigate, customize, highlight
- •“Chat with your diligence”: Select, ask, get AI answers
- •User testing: Video recordings, AI transcripts, expert analysis
- •Responsive: Desktop, tablet, mobile
Scope defined together in Workshop 1. Examples above — we lock in what matters most for your seed round.
Process - Zebra Sprints
2-3 hours
Define scope, lock in user flow
Your team as knowledge experts speeds up the design process
Days 2-4
Design and code a high-fidelity front-end prototype
Daily async video updates
Flexible — using our app
In person or via share link, results analysed
Real user feedback provides clear next steps based on data, not assumptions
Day 5
Implement changes based on test results
Deliver working product design ready for your team
We might skip testing after Sprint 1 and do one comprehensive round after Sprint 2. Decided together based on your timeline. At start of each sprint, we review and adjust scope based on what we learned.
Case Studies and Examples
Animatix Case Study
Paid247 Case Study
Deep Work Case Study
These examples—plus our user testing app—represent the visual fidelity and scope you can expect.
Assumptions
We've made the following assumptions to create the quote above. It's important you understand these points in case we need to make adjustments to scope and quote.
Zebra Sprint Methodology and Deliverables
The Zebra Sprint methodology purposely focuses on the most important interfaces and features (but likely not all) to achieve your goal. Speeding up development and getting results that produce the most impact for product-market fit.
We work this way with the recommendation that teams go straight to development and implement any recommended product changes, additional screens or challenges as they develop the technical stack. This speeds up development rather than an agency producing all screens and edge cases that have to be thrown out as technical challenges arise.
If you need exact screens designed, please confirm with me before we start so we can include them in the scope.
Deliverable: Front-end application with mocked data and responses. Your future team wires it to your backend later.
Design Direction, Visual Fidelity, and Landing Pages
We're starting fresh. The current design isn't working and needs replacing.
It's important to understand the visual fidelity we produce during the sprints. In this proposal there are examples of our work — this is the level of visual design you can expect. You can see more examples at zebradesign.io.
If you have a different or particular visual style you want to use (based on another project or brand guidelines), share this before accepting the quote so we can account for it.
If you need higher level deliverables such as a component library, we recommend adapting the sprint methodology for a higher emphasis on visual design.
Landing Pages: During the sprints we may prioritise validating a landing page as well as the application design. We will prototype both, however, the visual design will focus primarily on the application. If you require a higher quality landing page, we recommend adding it as additional scope.
Scope, Changes, and What's Not Included
Scope is defined and locked in Workshop 1 of each sprint. That's what we build until we get user feedback. At the start of each new sprint, we review what we learned and can adjust scope accordingly. The process is iterative, not fixed upfront.
Changes to scope after Workshop 1 can be added from €1,000 per change, depending on complexity. This protects both of us: you get certainty on what's being built, I can focus on delivering without shifting requirements.
Not included: Brand/identity project, backend development, native mobile app, ongoing maintenance.
Example Scope Per Sprint
These are examples based on our call. We define exact scope in Workshop 1.
Sprint 1: Onboarding Flow
Sign up → Create project → First report insights
- Authentication flow (clean, minimal)
- Project creation (clear steps, progress indication)
- First report generation (show the AI working — visualize the 1,000 interactions)
- First insights view (immediate value demonstration)
- Responsive across desktop, tablet, mobile
Sprint 2: Report Navigation + Chat Interface
The “chat with your diligence” feature
- Report navigation (sections, table of contents, collapsible)
- Highlight and select functionality
- Chat interface — ask questions about selected content
- Customization options (what sections to prioritize)
- Show complexity/value (visualize the AI work behind the report)
Sprint 3: Landing Page + Iterations
Convert based on user feedback. Polish the experience.
- Landing page that converts (speak to VC audience)
- Iterations from Sprint 1-2 user testing
- Polish and consistency pass
- Prepare demo flow for investor conversations
- Documentation for future development team
How I Work
All communication is async by default. One workshop per sprint—then I disappear into the work.
Async-First — All Energy Goes Into Building, Not Meetings
The problem: A "quick call" doesn't cost 15 minutes. It costs the 45 minutes before (anticipation breaks focus) and the 23 minutes after (recovery to deep work state).
UC Irvine research: 23 minutes to refocus after interruption.
How this helps you:
- •You get 4-5 hours of hyperfocused building per day—not fragmented half-attention
- •Updates arrive as Loom videos you watch when convenient
- •Questions get thoughtful written answers, not rushed verbal ones
In practice:
- →48-hour response window (nothing is "urgent" in UX)
- →One workshop kicks off each sprint—then async until results
- →No Slack pings, no "quick syncs," no status meetings
Deep Work — 4-Hour Blocks Are Where Quality Happens
The science: The best work happens in uninterrupted 4-5 hour blocks. Not 8 hours of scattered effort—concentrated bursts where complex problems actually get solved.
How this helps you:
- •Your critical flow gets rebuilt in days, not weeks
- •Decisions get full attention, not squeezed between calls
- •The same focus that builds the work also catches edge cases
In practice:
- →Workshops scheduled afternoons CET (mornings are for deep work)
- →One flow per sprint keeps scope tight and quality high
- →User testing ends the work—data decides, not endless revisions
Investment
€15,000
€25,000→Szymon Intro Rate
€5,000
upfront
€5,000
end of week 2
€5,000
final
Next Steps
Ready to start?
Pay upfront invoice
Workshop 1
11am CET, Monday 5 January 2026
Trusted to transform products and UX for leading web3 teams (Founder of Deep Work Studio 2018-2023):
The same systematic approach for modern technical teams. Deployed code, not Figma files. See the case studies.
AI + UX. Why both?
AI builds features. Designers understand users. The difference between “it works” and “users love it.”