Design and build: A first version, defined and designed, and built if you want
For founders with an idea, pilot customers or a prototype, and no product yet. I decide with you what the first version has to do, design it, and, if you want, build it as working software you own: interface, front end and back end, deployed. The product and the design are the core of the work; the build is an option, done by me or by your developers, so nothing gets lost between a designer, a developer and an agency.
To start, email andriy.dsgn@gmail.com with a few lines about the idea and what the first version must do.
Who it is for
- A founder with pilot customers or a waitlist, and no product.
- A founder whose Lovable, Bolt or Cursor prototype works in a demo and not for real users.
- A team that needs a new product or an internal tool and has nobody free to build it.
- A founder who has been quoted months by an agency for a first version.
What you get
- A first version real users can use, deployed on your own accounts.
- The source code in your repository, and the design files.
- The design system it is built on, so the next developer or coding agent builds the same way.
- A handover walkthrough and a list of what to build next, in order.
What I build, and what I leave to others
| Part of the work | Who does it |
|---|---|
| Product decisions and scope: what the first version does and what it leaves out | Me |
| UX and interface, with the design system | Me |
| Front end | Me, or your developers |
| Back end: data, sign-in and integrations | Me, or your developers |
| Hosting and deployment | Me on your accounts, or your team |
| Security certification and compliance audits (SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI) | A specialist. I tell you when you need one |
| Round-the-clock on-call support | Your team or a provider |
| Hosting, paid services and licences | Paid by you, on your accounts. Tools of mine, like Claude Code, are agreed in the scope |
The code is optional: I can build the front end, the back end and the deployment myself, or hand them to your developers with the design, the system and the notes they need. That is agreed in the brief.
It is a working first version for real users. Before heavy traffic, payments at scale or regulated data, it needs a security review and load testing; I tell you which ones and when.
How it runs
- Scoping. A one-week Product Diagnosis: what the first version must do, what it must not, and what to prove first. It counts toward the build price.
- Brief. Scope, price and what you get, in writing, before the build starts.
- Build. Design and code together, so you try working software as it grows, not only screens.
- Handover. A walkthrough, the code, the files, the accounts, and the list of what comes next.
- Fixes. Made within the agreed period. After it, more work is agreed as it comes: a product never runs out of changes.
Why one person
A first version usually passes through three hands: someone decides what it is, someone designs it, someone builds it. Each hand-off loses decisions. With AI coding tools, one experienced person can now carry more of that path, so I take the decisions and the design, and the build too when that is the faster way.
Over 14 years I have launched more than 40 products and MVPs and built businesses of my own, so I scope a first version as money being spent. I build with Claude Code, and my own tools are built that way:
| Built by me | What it is |
|---|---|
| Ribbonlab | A free 3D animated background generator |
| UX audit agent | A free AI UX audit tool for Claude Code |
| Screen canvas | A tool for reviewing AI-built UI |
| This site | Designed and built by me, including the back end behind its contact form |
Questions founders ask
How much does an MVP cost with you?
From $8,000, the price of a month of my time, with the scoping week counted in. The brief that follows it sets the scope, the price, what you get and how changes are handled. Larger first versions are split into stages, each with its own price.
How long does a first version take?
It depends on the scope. The quote gives a date.
I already have a prototype in Lovable or Bolt. Do we start over?
Not by default. The scoping week shows what in the prototype can stay, what has to be rebuilt, and why.
Do I own the code?
Yes. It lives in your repository and runs on your accounts.
What happens after launch?
Fixes are made within the agreed period. After it, I can stay on part-time as fractional product design, take further work by the hour, or hand over to your developer with a walkthrough.
Can you work with our developer?
Yes. I can build the whole product, or design and build the parts where design and code meet while your developer owns the rest.
Can you build from designs we already have?
Yes. The scoping week checks what the first version needs from them and what is missing.
What if I only have a rough idea?
That is what the scoping week is for: it turns the idea into what the first version must do, what it leaves out and what to prove first. More: Scoping a first version.
How fast can you start?
Once we agree the brief. We set the start date together.
Is it ready for production?
It is a working version for real users. What it needs before scale, payments or regulated data is part of the handover list, with who should do it.
Other ways I can help
- Design engineering, from $8,000 a month: the front end, built by the designer.
- Product Diagnosis, from $900: one week, a written plan: keep, cut, change, next.
- AI-built app cleanup, from $700: for Lovable, Bolt, Cursor and Claude Code apps.
Further reading: Scoping a first version. All services, with the situation each one fits: Services.
Have an idea and people waiting for it?
Send a few lines about it and what the first version must do. If it’s not a fit, I’ll say so.