Claus Hollensteiner
Berlin & Remote
You’re starting out and looking to launch your MVP to validate your hypotheses. I join your team to help you get there as quickly as possible. Depending on which competencies are covered by your team, I can be involved in, or take ownership of:
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Conducting user/market research to answer any open questions
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Formulating the hypotheses for your MVP and defining the feature set accordingly
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Designing UI elements and interactions, crafting a component library along the way
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Collaborating with engineers on the implementation of your MVP
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Creating a simple brand and a website
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Hiring for any positions that are involved in product development
You gain access to an experienced designer who has assisted multiple early-stage startups in developing their MVP while establishing a robust design framework, enabling quick and high-quality iterations.
Your product is already up and running and you need design support for a limited time. I join your team and start hands-on design work right away. Common examples are:
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Working on a new opportunity or implementing improvements you've identified, but facing a shortage of available staff
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Temporarily providing assistance for a topic in which your team lacks expertise, such as design systems or design operations
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Filling the gap for a missing designer until they are back or you’ve hired someone new
You get the opportunity to collaborate with a designer who brings over a decade of experience and has worked with numerous teams covering the entire spectrum of the product design discipline.
Product design is guided by two core principles: ensuring a quality user experience and delivering value to the business. These are interconnected but at times at odds with each other. While the business often requires us to be quick, quality takes time and consideration.
Having worked with many startups that were looking for product market fit while putting emphasis on the user experience, I’ve learnt to embrace finding the balance between these two objectives.
I believe that by designing with reusable systems, collaborating closely with engineers and shipping in small increments we can deliver a quality experience to the user while meeting the needs of the business.
Hiring a designer can be a lengthy and complex process that carries a certain level of risk. When time is of the essence, working with me gives you immediate access to an experienced designer and allows you to focus on what’s important — developing or enhancing your product, with flexibility and risk-free.
For you it will feel like working with any regular employee. I’m fully embedded in the team, use the tools of your choosing and I am available during regular business hours. If you have offices in Berlin I'm happy to come in for in-person collaboration.
Aside from long-term assignments, I've helped various clients find solutions to their specific challenges through consulting. Feel free to reach out for a chat to see how I can help with your needs.