Fractional UX Leadership

Retainer-based UX consulting

Who it’s for

  • Startups

  • Scale-ups

  • Product teams needing UX leadership but aren't ready for a full-time hire

What you get

  • Embedded UX leadership & output

  • Strategic planning, design reviews, team alignment

  • Design ops and process optimization

  • Hiring and mentoring UX staff

Pricing

Starting at

  • Billed on a monthly retainer

  • Flexible weekly engagement
    (e.g. ~8-16 hrs/week)

  • Flexible scope of work

$5,000/mo.

Solving common problems facing Saas product teams

Common Problem

Declining customer conversion

High or increasing support ticket volume

Sales cycles longer than expected

Potential Fractional UX Solution

Heuristic evaluation of pricing tiers. Redesign path workflows, and automated email communications.

Usability testing of affected user workflows. Redesign as appropriate, or give direction to dev.

Evaluate pitch decks and/or demos, prototypes. Refactor sales materials, scripts, and feedback channels as necessary.

Examples of potential solutions

Redesign workflows
Introduce progressive disclosure

3-4 weeks

3-4 weeks

Estimated TTL

1-3 weeks

3-4 weeks

3-4 weeks

Top 8 Pain Points felt by SaaS stakeholders

How many apply to you?

  • Activation and conversion rates below expectation

  • High churn rate post-signup

  • Support ticket volume too high

  • Feature adoption lagging

  • Sales cycles too long

  • NPS & CSAT numbers declining

  • Mobile experience is suboptimal

  • No budget to add staff to address all of the above

Strategic UX guidance and leadership

When you’re moving fast, adding a new full-time position isn’t always feasible, or even necessary.

This role offers expertise and direction for a company's UX efforts without the commitment of a full-time hire. It's a cost-effective way for businesses to access senior-level UX leadership, especially when a full-time position isn't feasible or necessary.

As a Fractional Head of UX within your organization, I bring expertise and direction for your company’s UX efforts on a part-time consultative basis. It’s a prudent and cost-effective way for your organization to gain access to senior-level UX leadership and design capabilities without the costs and risks associated with adding a dedicated full-time resource.

I work fully remote, flexible hours, and scalable to your needs. I’m available during workday hours within continental U.S. time zones.

Let’s align on outcomes

I will help your org align user outcomes and business outcomes, finding ways to bring those two things together by planning and then building the product in the right way.

I’ll stick around until it’s time

Our engagement might last a few months or a few years. Depending on your product strategies and growth factors, we can adjust the time per week and the length of the contract to suit your needs.

When you’re ready to hire full-time UX staff, I can stick around just long enough to help you recruit, hire, and onboard the talent you’ll need for the next leg of your journey.

Key aspects of a Fractional Head of UX:

  • Strategic Guidance: Help define the UX vision, strategy, and goals for the organization.

  • Team Leadership: Mentor and develop junior designers, provide design leadership, and guide the overall UX team.

  • Process Optimization: Establish and optimize UX processes and workflows.

  • Advocacy for User-Centered Design: Promote a user-centered design culture within the organization.

  • Flexibility: Fractional leadership offers flexibility in terms of time commitment and scope of work.

  • Cost-Effectiveness: It's a more affordable option than hiring a full-time Head of UX.

When is a Fractional Head of UX a good solution?

  • Startups and scaleups: When a company is growing quickly and needs strategic UX direction but can't yet justify a full-time hire.

  • Limited budgets: When a full-time executive role is not financially viable.

  • Need for specific expertise: When a company needs specific UX leadership for a particular project or initiative.

  • Lack of in-house UX experience: When a company needs to establish a UX practice and needs expert guidance.

In essence, a Fractional Head of UX is a flexible and cost-effective solution for companies seeking to elevate their user experience without the long-term commitment of a full-time hire.

Why hire a fractional UX leader?

Bringing on UX leadership too late can stall growth and waste resources. A fractional Head of UX gives you strategic guidance, faster decision-making, and better product outcomes — all without the risk and expense of a full-time executive.

  • Senior-level UX expertise at a startup-friendly price

  • Spot and solve user experience issues before they negatively impact growth

  • Improve customer adoption, onboarding, retention, and mission-critical workflows

  • Support your dev team and accelerate velocity