What Clients Should Expect When Working with a Designer

Let’s face it—hiring a UI/UX designer can feel a bit like stepping into uncharted territory. It’s exciting, yes, but also full of questions: What does the process look like? How long will it take? Will I end up with something I love?

The good news? The design process isn’t a mystery—it’s a roadmap. In this article, I’ll walk you through the typical steps so you know exactly what to expect when collaborating with a UI/UX designer.

Spoiler alert: It’s less about pixels and more about solving your users’ problems.

Discovery: Let’s Define Success

Every project starts with discovery. This is where I’ll bombard you with questions (the fun kind). We’ll explore:
  • Who your users are
  • What problems your product solves
  • Your goals for the project (conversion rates? engagement? visual identity?)
Think of it as laying the foundation for a house—skip this part, and the whole thing wobbles.

Wireframing: The Blueprint of Your Product

Next up: wireframes. These are like the skeleton of your design—a simple, black-and-white layout showing where everything goes.

Wireframes help us focus on functionality before we get distracted by color palettes and button styles. You’ll see how your product flows, how users will interact with it, and whether we’re on the right track.

💬 Common Concern: “Why does it look so plain?”
That’s intentional! Wireframes are about usability, not visuals. The “pretty” part comes later.

Design: Turning Wireframe into Art

Here’s where the magic happens: I’ll take the wireframe and layer on the visual design—color schemes, typography, animations, and imagery.

This is where your brand’s personality shines through. Whether your vibe is playful or professional, modern or retro, the design will reflect it.

Expect a couple of iterations here. Your input is crucial to fine-tune the design and ensure it aligns with your vision.

Prototyping: See It in Action

A prototype is an interactive mockup of the final design. You can click around, navigate between screens, and experience the product as if it were live.

This stage bridges the gap between static visuals and the real deal. It’s also a great way to catch any usability hiccups before we hand it off to development.

Implementation: Bringing the Design to Life

Once the design is finalized, the next step is implementing it into the actual product. Here’s how it typically works, depending on the platform:
For Games (Unity/Unreal Engine):
  • Assets such as buttons, icons, and HUD elements are exported and integrated into the game engine.
  • Animations (e.g., hover effects, button presses) are applied using Unity’s Animator or Unreal’s Blueprints system.
  • UI layouts are optimized for responsiveness across different screen sizes and resolutions, ensuring they look great on any device or console.
For Websites (Webflow/WordPress):
  • The finalized designs are built directly in Webflow or WordPress without needing a single line of code.
  • Interactive elements like hover effects, dropdown menus, and animations are implemented using these tools’ built-in features.
  • The site is tested for responsiveness and performance across browsers and devices.
This step ensures the designs aren’t just theoretical but are functional, polished, and ready for users to interact with.

Delivery: Your Product, Ready to Build

After implementation or prototype, I’ll package everything for handoff or final tweaks. This includes:

  • Organized design files
  • Style guides (colors, fonts, button states)
  • Annotations for developers (where applicable)
  • Assistance with final testing and QA

For websites, I’ll ensure your Webflow or WordPress site is live and functional. For games, I’ll confirm that all UI assets are performing seamlessly within the engine.

💡 Disclaimer:

You, as the client, can choose how far you’d like to take the process. If you need just the prototype for your own development team to implement, that’s perfectly fine! If you’d prefer me to handle the full implementation—whether it’s integrating assets into Unity or building the website in Webflow or WordPress—I can do that too. It’s your call.

What Clients Say After the Process

🌟 “It was smoother than I expected!”
🌟 “I felt involved without being overwhelmed.”
🌟 “I finally understand how design impacts my business.”

When done right, the design process isn’t just about creating a product—it’s about collaboration, clarity, and trust.

Final Thoughts

The UI/UX design process isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula. It’s a dynamic, collaborative journey tailored to your goals and your users’ needs. By breaking it into clear steps—discovery, wireframing, design, prototyping, and delivery—we reduce the unknowns and make the journey enjoyable. So, if you’ve been putting off hiring a designer because you weren’t sure what to expect, now you know. It’s not rocket science—it’s just great design.