Expert product design & UX for startups

Hi, I'm Sam. I design simple, beautiful apps that customers love—but what makes me unique is my expertise in data-heavy, early-stage startups.

If you're looking for a design partner, read on. You can also sign up for my newsletter or book a free consulting call with me.

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My background

I was the first hire and design director at Y-Combinator-backed FarmLogs, which grew to from 3 to 80 people, raised $40MM, and was downloaded by ⅓ of American farmers.

I also co-created and was the lead instructor for a new product design course at the University of Michigan. I've worked as an engineer, product manager, and startup mentor. I have a degree in Human-Computer Interaction.

In addition to working with clients, I’m the founder and sole designer/engineer of Shuffleboard, a brainstorming tool for remote teams.

Headshot of Sam's face
2

Why work with me?

Sam and collaborators working around a table

My work is primarily designing digital products at early-stage startups.

I use design as a business tool for de-risking ideas and finding product-market fit. My goal is to match founder vision with practical execution and help teams navigate the process of invention with speed, clarity, and calm.

I believe great design is much more than beauty and usability. Great design resonates in our emotional roots, and reduces complex systems down into something simple—and yet absolutely unique.

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My process

My design process is focused on speed, prototyping, iteration, and experimentation. I'm known for including users and engineers as my design partners.

I always start with a rapid-fire workshop where we describe your customer, map their journey through your product, uncover pain points and opportunities, and create a UX strategy.

Then I break the design work into phases. Each phase includes team brainstorming, prototyping, testing with real customers, and collaborating with engineers.

A sketch of a design workflow
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Work examples

I've worked in B2B SaaS, healthcare, agriculture, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, food systems, higher education, and more.

Most of my work is behind NDA. Book a call with me for detailed examples.

Featured

Shuffleboard

I am the founder, designer, and developer of Shuffleboard, a brainstorming tool for remote teams.

The entire development was recorded and published to YouTube.

Try Shuffleboard

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Writing

How to run a simple usability test

The only way to know if a design is any good
Coming soon

The hardest-won lessons for junior designers

What talented designers struggle with when they join teams
Coming soon

Four levels of founder sophistication

Attitudes of successful (and not so successful) product leaders
Coming soon

A minimum viable brand (MVB) in under 30 minutes

How to get a 95% awesome logo for 1% of the effort and cost
Coming soon

What design leaders actually do

14 hats you wear as a design leader, design manager, or design executive
Coming soon

Engineering concepts every designer should know

Required knowledge for anyone who designs software—regardless of your title
Coming soon

Why your company still has bad design (and how to fix it)

Five tough truths for executives — and three steps they can take to make things better
Coming soon

Six stages of design teams

How design teams grow from scratch to support large startups and beyond
Coming soon

Good, bad, and horrible reasons to build a feature

Prioritizing a successful product roadmap
Coming soon

Should I hire a full-time designer, an agency, or a contractor?

Four ways to hire designers, and the pros and cons of each
Coming soon

How to tell if a design is good

When “I know what I like” is not good enough
Coming soon

Products vs tools

We call ourselves product designers... but what is a “product” exactly?
Coming soon

Tips for working with founders

Why I love working directly with founders, and lessons I've learned along the way
Coming soon

Startup strategy Mad Libs

How to distill your startup vision and strategy into something small and useful
Coming soon

Managing startup employees (without really managing)

A roles exercise to help you create happy, high performing teams
Coming soon

“You’re a natural, kid”: How to spot raw design talent

The four least-teachable traits of great designers
Coming soon

Know your bias before you build

Your job title makes you susceptible to bad product decisions
Coming soon

I built a startup and filmed every minute on Youtube. Here’s what I learned.

It was hard, but working in public helped me keep momentum and ship.
Coming soon
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Clients

I'm Frodo, and Sam's my Gandalf.

I’m so grateful to have Sam on this project, I don’t know where I would be without him (probably pulling my hair out).

If you're struggling with a big design project, my advice is this: get yourself a Sam.

Liza Pagano
Liza Pagano
Art Director, Ithaka/JSTOR

I've hired Sam for design and executive level storytelling projects at JSTOR twice. He was my first choice because he focuses on organizational impact and hard work, never about his own ego. He’s the only consultant I've ever been completely comfortable bringing onto my team, and working daily with our executive team when called for.

Sam’s more than a great designer, he’s an expert in coaxing out product strategy and prioritization. I’m regularly looking for more ways to bring him back to support our team!

Matt MacQueen
Matt MacQueen
VP Product at ITHAKA/JSTOR; prev Google & Coursera

Sam is a UX god. We were blown away by how quickly he broke down our complex goals into a simple, beautiful, intuitive design.

Not only did we launch an awesome product on time, but the work went way above and beyond our expectations. He taught us a ton about building great products, and he laid the foundation for our engineers to keep building great designs. Our only regret is that we didn't book more of his time!

Jason Corso
Jason Corso
CEO and co-founder, Voxel51 A.I. Platform

We needed that je ne sais quoi that would take our product from functional to fabulous. Turns out, it was Sam.

I initially contacted Sam because I admired his work at Farmlogs, and we needed a similar level of design polish. But what we got was so much more: a better understanding of the journey our prospects take before they become customers, a documented design language that we are applying not just in our product but across our marketing materials, and an appreciation for what is needed at our business's stage of growth. I could not recommend Sam more highly.

Dawn Verbrigghe
Dawn Verbrigghe
Founder and CEO, Jottful

Sam is an incredibly talented product designer and coach.

He was instrumental in helping FarmLogs design a product and brand that quickly became recognized for our ease of use, igniting years of rapid growth for our company.

Jesse Vollmar
Jesse Vollmar
CEO and Co-Founder, FarmLogs

When you are ready to transform a big idea into a new product, Sam is an outstanding design and thought partner. He will help you navigate the ambiguity of invention, and he helps to translate your ideas into tangible user experiences that people can see and interact with.

Sam is uniquely able to help navigate the uncertainty of creation, and the “putting pencil to paper” in terms of UX design and product development. Oh, and he’s efficient and works fast!

Shawn Hardin
Shawn Hardin
President, Kitchentown

Sam's work was simple, concise, and elegant—I can tell that he loves his work. He was super calm, knowledgable, and patient, and his ability to jump and quickly understand a business and its issues was awesome. Definitely recommended.

David Kennedy
David Kennedy
CEO, Kennedy Care
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Packages & pricing

I price very differently from most agencies. All my work comes with a fixed price and guaranteed outcome. I do not track hours. My confidence in my process lets me guarantee an amazing result at the right price.

Strategy call

For any company

I offer a free design strategy consultation to all founders.

We'll talk about your business, then I'll make some design recommendations that suit your goals and budget.

Free · Book now

Concept deck

Pre-seed to seed

A one-week design sprint for testing new product ideas.

The result is a concept design, perfect for sharing with early customers and potential investors.

$15,000 · Contact for availability

Product design

Seed to series A

This is for startups ready to invest in a world-class product.

I'll run my UX Strategy Workshop, design prototypes, gather feedback, iterate until the details are right, and work with engineers to bring your complete vision to life.

Price varies · Contact for availability

Fractional leadership

Later stages

Get the benefits of a design director without having to hire. Best for companies scaling design teams.

This is a highly-customized service. Past projects have included design leadership, hiring, coaching, product management, and brand strategy.

Price varies · Contact for availability

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Contact

Curious about working together? Have a question about product or design?

Grab some time with me—I love meeting founders.

Book a call or email me at sam@directedworks.com