Hire a Design Director.

Hire a design director who leads strategic product development and growth, drives innovation, upholds top-notch UX/UI design standards, and ensures every design effort aligns with your business goals.

Hire your long-term partner.

Top-tier design director

Design directors become architects of your product strategy, aligning design initiatives with business goals while balancing creativity, innovation, and long-term resource planning.

Deeply rooted in UX/UI design, product discovery, design system development, and AI, our specialists effortlessly navigate diverse methodologies — from Lean UX to Agile UX — manage large teams, and have experience in various domains – from EdTech and healthcare to logistics and supply chain management.

Hiring a director of product design is more than filling a role; it’s a collaborative, long-term partnership. At Cieden, specialists are handpicked based on each project's needs, providing the best match in expertise and vision.

Our commitment extends to full integration into your workflow, ensuring the level of engagement on par with an in-house design director.

6 benefits of hiring design directors:

Strategic vision

Our design directors bring a strategic layer to design tasks, ensuring that every creative decision aligns with the broader business goals and brand vision.

Enhanced collaboration

With experience in leading cross-functional teams, our design directors facilitate better synergy between design, development, marketing, and business units.

Quality and consistency

Our design directors ensure that all design outputs meet high-quality UX/UI design standards and maintain consistency across all user touchpoints.

Efficient process management

They oversee the product design process from end-to-end, streamlining workflows, and cutting down on time-to-market for design-led projects.

Innovation and market trends

They drive product innovation and incorporate the latest market trends into the design strategy, ensuring the product remains current and competitive.

User-centered design

Our design directors champion a user-centered design philosophy, prioritizing user feedback and usability testing to refine products for the best user experience.

When to outsource design directors?

Project requires visionary leadership

When a project needs a leader with a bold vision to navigate complex UX/UI design landscapes and set the standard for innovation and creativity.

Cross-functional design leadership needed

When your product design strategy demands a leader who can align multiple departments under a unified design vision to enhance product coherence and user experience.

High-stakes rebranding on the horizon

During critical rebranding phases where strategic direction and a keen understanding of brand identity are paramount.

Product line is expanding

When adding new products to your line and need to ensure a consistent and user-friendly design language across all items.

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testimonials.

Client perspectives on partnering with us

Stéphane Zanoni

CTO at RivaEngine.com

Cieden has met the outcomes from each of the project's milestones. They bring an outstanding balance of skill sets, from project management and ideation feedback to requirements definition and deep knowledge of user expectations. The team is open to feedback and leads an effective workflow using the Agile methodology with weekly meetings and demo sessions. Their balance of skill sets and deep knowledge of user expectations stand out.

Shad Mortazavi

CEO & Managing Director at Openiq

Internal and external stakeholders were impressed with Cieden’s quality work. The team delivered a gorgeous product within time and budget and stood out for their dedication and great skills. Overall, they were professional and well-organized.

Lucas Mezalira

Education Startup Founder

Cieden delivered a product that was closely aligned with my vision. Not only did the team create a design that was easy to implement, but they also communicated with the internal team at every stage of the project. The project manager was incredibly responsive to my emails and kept me updated on the progress.

Riku Poutanen

CMO at Fiksu Ruoka Oy

With their in-depth understanding of the brand's goals, Cieden was able to navigate the project without a hitch. Their new designs had a strong impact on the brand's visual style, and customers also responded positively.

Victor Shcherban

CTO at TimberBase

Cieden’s work has simplified the user journey, and their style guide has enabled the client to independently improve pages. Beyond their top-notch customer service skills, their UI/UX expertise is impressive.

Laika Kayani

Founder & CEO of Hygrid Health

A dedicated partner, Cieden, is extremely knowledgeable about design - everyone is talented and understands the area of UX. They proactively researched competitors' products to develop industry-relevant designs that stand out. They went above and beyond to ensure the project's success.

Agnieshka Nazaruk

Founder of TMA

In the stage of beta testing, around 1,000 users have reported positive feedback for the app's intuitive and easy to use design. Cieden demonstrated their industry expertise throughout, as they were always on top of the latest trends, while going above and beyond to make the project a success.

Leebi Breuer

Project Manager at Rank Friendly

Internal and external feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Despite the different time zones, Cieden kept the project moving through constant communication, providing critical status updates throughout the engagement. The team’s quality deliverables set them up for potential future engagement.

Kyle Theobald

Founder of Verve Commerce

Since my company began working with the Cieden team, we saw our audience grow four times in size. Thanks to the team's UX design the app has grown on a regular basis. We are very satisfied with the work that the team provided during this project.

Darrien Watson

CEO of Whim Technologies

Cieden is an integral partner, their value extends beyond software design and business analysis. The team has a distinct understanding of the company's operations and business goals. This allows them to improve workflows through automation, advise on business direction, and support product iteration.

case studies.

Explore our expertise in diverse domains

Dive into our case studies – not just to see our work, but to understand how Cieden approaches challenges and partners with clients.

process management

Sitenna: modernized telecom site acquisition & management platform.

Sitenna team reached a point where they wanted to reduce manual processes and consolidate all necessary tools onto a single platform. Additionally, they felt that their brand identity was not being effectively conveyed and that their website could generate more leads.Therefore, the client chose Cieden as a trusted partner to design a high-end software tool along with a website and the brand identity behind it.

health and wellness

MedEntry: improving UX of the educational platform.

MedEntry has developed an online platform and mobile application that prepares students for the exams to enter medical universities in the most accessible and user-friendly manner. Their innovative and intuitive tool is designed to personalize student training and feedback to plan all the educational activities properly.

other

Open IQ: redesigning a leading call center software in the cloud.

Since the product was established long ago, the outdated design didn’t reflect the excellence of its software functionality, ever-changing user needs and required UI modernization and UX improvement to keep growing in the competitor market. Our team quickly onboarded, conducted an audit, and suggested UX improvements.

real estate

Enterprise- level product.

Gridics is a government and real estate tech startup that seeks to make the world of zoning more transparent and accessible. Its proprietary algorithms translate hard-to-understand zoning codes into actionable software that can be used by governments and private developers alike. Cieden was retained to provide 360-degree product consulting services, from feature prioritization and UX to branding and UI. This partnership resulted in the launch of two additional apps, a strong product suite brand, and demonstrable client growth with top-tier cities like New York.

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And we have done it for leading companies worldwide.

Our design directors and their approach

Our digital design directors bring a unique blend of creativity and pragmatism to the table. They don’t just design; they delve into the heart of your business, weaving your vision and values into every aspect of the product. It’s a process that transforms ideas into impactful, user-centric designs that resonate with your audience and stand the test of time.

Collaboration is key in our approach. Our design directors work closely with you, ensuring open communication and transparency. They act as both guides and collaborators, adapting to your needs while providing expert insights. This synergy creates a fertile ground for innovation, leading to designs that not only meet but exceed expectations, bridging the gap between your vision and market realities.

In essence, it’s more than a service; it's a strategic partnership designed for businesses that value deep industry knowledge, long-term commitment, and forward-thinking approach.

start your project with us.

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FAQ

What is the role of a design director in a project?

The design director oversees the strategic vision of your project, aligning digital product design with business objectives. They are responsible for high-level decisions in design processes, mentoring team members, and fostering innovation. Their role often involves facilitating workshops, conducting design reviews, and ensuring that user experience and interface design are top-notch and user-centric.

How does a design director integrate with our existing team?

Our design directors are adept at integrating with diverse teams. They work to understand your team dynamics and project goals, adapting their leadership style to enhance collaboration. They can lead or co-lead design sprints, offer expert guidance, and ensure that the design direction is clearly communicated and understood by all team members.

What is the cost of hiring an outsourced design director?

Costs are tailored to project scope and duration. We consider factors such as project complexity, the design director's area of responsibility, and required time commitment. Our aim is to provide a transparent and flexible pricing structure that can accommodate a range of project scales and durations.

In our consultations, we delve into financial specifics, ensuring clarity and understanding regarding the costs.

Can we hire design directors for short-term projects?

While we prefer long-term commitments, we can offer flexible engagement models, including short-term hiring. This allows you to bring in expert leadership for critical project phases or specific initiatives.

During our consultations, we discuss these options in greater detail to determine if our short-term engagement model aligns well with your needs, ensuring that we are the right fit for your project.

How does Cieden ensure a good match between a design director and our project needs?

Our matching process involves a deep dive into your project’s specific needs, company culture, and objectives. We review our pool of product design directors, considering their industry experience, design expertise, and previous project successes to find a candidate that not only has the right skills but also aligns with your company’s ethos.

What is the process to start working with a design director?

To start working with a design director, the process begins with a conversation to understand your specific needs, queries, and challenges. This discussion will also cover our experience, how we've handled similar issues, our approach to such requests, and what services or activities could be beneficial for you. If the conversation doesn't involve the design director directly, a separate meeting can be organized for a more in-depth interview to discuss responsibilities, expectations, goals, success metrics, and communication channels. Prior to this, an activity plan might be prepared, especially if research is required. Following this, a contract is finalized to commence the collaboration.

Book a consultation to start working with the best product designers, design directors, or business analysts.