Senior design leadership, without the full-time hire.
Paul Rietdyke - Independent design practice · Austin, TX
One partner. No juniors, no handoffs, no hourly billing
For 18 years I’ve been the person companies hire to turn dev-first teams into design-led ones. Now I do it as a partner: embedded in your team, or in focused sprints that ship
Most companies don't need more design. They need someone who has turned dev-first teams into design-led ones before.
When the business is real but the website doesn't show it.
About
For 18 years I’ve been the person companies hire when the product works but the experience doesn’t. Sportech, Zuto, Ditto Music, ManyPets: dev-first businesses that needed a design-led way of working, and someone to build it with them. By day I’m a Staff Product Designer at eBay; this practice is my own work.
I work across sectors on purpose. Commerce, fintech, sports, entertainment, Web3, travel. Specialists see their sector’s patterns. I see everyone’s.
Services
01
Launch Sprint
For startups about to raise, launch, or look the part.
A complete one-page site in four weeks. Positioning, copy, design and build, done with you in one focused sprint. You bring the business; I bring everything else.
Includes: Positioning workshop, half a day / Copy that says what you do / Design and build / Live in four weeks
02
A proper website
For local businesses whose website doesn’t bring in work.
A complete website for a growing business. Designed, written and built around what you actually sell. Live in weeks, not months, with the price fixed before we start.
Includes: Three tiers to fit your stage / Copywriting included / Design and build / Fixed price, no hourly billing
03
Design Partner
For teams where nobody owns design.
Senior design leadership inside your team. Strategy, direction and hands-on design, embedded in your rituals. For companies that need the seniority without the full-time hire.
Includes: Embedded in your team / Design strategy and direction / Hands-on product design / Three month minimum, one or two slots at a time
Monthly retainer, priced on a call.
No black box. You always know what's happening, what's next, and what it costs.
Start with a call
Twenty minutes. We figure out fast whether I’m the right person, and which offer fits.
Fixed scope, fixed price
You know the price before we start and the date it ships. No hourly billing, no scope creep.
You see everything
Embedded in your rituals or async in a sprint, you watch the work happen. Nothing lands as a surprise.
The track record, in numbers.
Experience
18+
Years leading product design, turning dev-first teams into design-led ones.
Conversion
14%
Starting at 3% conversion for a Car finance redesign. The full user flow, rebuilt through design sprints.
Speed
87 sec
From 98 questions and a 5:30 insurance journey. Design sprints and user testing.
Output
500+
Screens shipped in 3 weeks during a train booking rebuild
Retention
98%
Clients who return or send the next one.
Testimonials
People love to work with me
A
“Paul’s professionalism, attention to detail and creativity is first class. He also has great energy and enthusiasm that is infectious.”
Assembly Solutions
D
“Paul has a result driven approach to projects, with a constant focus on the end goal. His communication skills are on par with his technical skills”
David Connor
Ditto Music
J
“Paul’s a great guy. He has a knack of thinking about the details that the rest of us often overlook. As a result, he unearths deep insights when it comes to user behaviour, which in turn enables him to create thoroughly engaging products and experiences. Something Paul did splendidly at Sportech. I highly recommend working with Paul.”
Julian Bewley
Sportech
Transparent pricing
Three ways to work together. Pick the one that fits.
Launch Sprint
A sharp one-pager that sells.
From
$7,000
Fixed price, four weeks
Plan Includes:
- Positioning workshop, half a day
- Copy that says what you do
- Design and build
- Live in four weeks
Design Partner
Most valuable
Senior design leadership inside your team.
Let’s talk
Monthly retainer, three month minimum
Plan Includes:
- Embedded in your team and rituals
- Design strategy and direction
- Hands-on product design
- One or two slots at a time
A proper website
A complete site for a growing business.
From
$1,500
Scoped to fit, live in weeks.
Plan Includes:
- Scope and price set on a call
- Copywriting included
- Design and build
- Fixed price, no hourly billing
Everything you need to know
Who actually does the work?
Me. No juniors, no handoffs, no account managers relaying messages. You talk to the person doing the designing.
Do you write the copy too?
Yes. Most websites fail on the words before the design. Positioning and copy are part of every project, not an upsell.
I already have a developer. Can you just design?
Yes. I’ll design to your stack and hand over files your builder can work from. Or I take it live myself. Your call.
How fast is this?
A Launch Sprint ships in four weeks. A proper website in weeks, not months. You know the date before we start.
What happens on the call?
Twenty minutes. You tell me what’s not working, I tell you straight whether I’m the right person and which offer fits. No pitch deck.
Who owns everything when we're done?
You do. The design, the files, the accounts, all of it. Nothing held hostage.
Do you work in my sector?
Probably. I work across sectors on purpose: commerce, fintech, sports, music, Web3, travel. Specialists see their sector’s patterns. I see everyone’s.
Why you instead of an agency?
Agencies sell you a team and staff it later. You get one senior partner with eighteen years behind him, a fixed price, and a ship date.