For founders / YC Startups
Product and Website Design for Y Combinator Startups
Gestures Studio designs product interfaces and websites for founders and software teams, including Y Combinator startups. We help you define the next design priority, whether that is a core workflow, a more consistent interface or a website that explains your product clearly.
For B2B SaaS and AI products, the starting point is the task people need to complete and the work your team needs to move forward.
Selected collaboration
Selected collaboration: Finta
Finta is included in Gestures Studio's selected collaborations. It builds accounting and tax software and is listed in Y Combinator's Winter 2023 batch.
Explore our selected work across products and websites.
Priorities
Start with the next product milestone
Before the batch, during it or as an alumnus, the useful question is the same: what needs design attention next?
These example situations show how we would frame that conversation. Your starting point depends on the evidence and priorities you bring.
| If this describes your situation | Clarify first | A possible starting scope | Leave for later |
|---|---|---|---|
| You have an idea, but the core task is uncertain | Who needs it and what they need to accomplish | One flow or prototype to examine the assumption | A broad design system or full marketing site |
| Feedback or observation points to difficulty getting started | Where people stop and what the evidence shows | A defined onboarding or core-workflow redesign | A complete interface redesign based on preference |
| The product has evolved beyond the website's story | The current audience, offer and demonstrable capabilities | Site structure and priority page design | Extra pages without a clear reader need |
| New features use inconsistent interface patterns | Which repeated components need shared behavior | A bounded set of components and patterns | An exhaustive system without an implementation need |
For an existing product, use our guide to review your product's key user journeys before deciding how much to change.
Product design
Product design around the work users need to do
Start with a specific task: completing setup, reviewing a dashboard or moving a piece of work through a process. We can shape the flow, information hierarchy and interface around it.
An agreed product design scope can include:
- User flows and navigation for the selected task.
- Interface layouts and relevant loading, empty, error and success states.
- Components and interaction patterns that need consistency.
- A prototype where reviewing an interaction will help a decision.
- Design files and implementation notes for engineering review.
For an AI feature, the interface may also need to explain inputs, waiting, output review and recovery when the result is unusable. Decide which behaviors matter before expanding the screen list.
Research recruitment, usability testing and engineering implementation need an explicit scope. Existing feedback and analytics can inform the work when your team can share them.
Website design
A website that explains the product clearly
A website project starts with the audience, the offer and what the product can demonstrate today. From there, we organize the story across pages and give visitors a relevant next step.
The design scope can cover site structure, priority marketing pages, art direction, responsive layouts and interaction direction. Existing brand assets provide a starting point; product screenshots and accurate capability descriptions help make the offer concrete.
Agree who supplies and approves copy, which pages matter first and how the site will be implemented. Development, CMS setup and publishing responsibilities are defined separately from website design.
Our process
From priorities to a reviewable deliverable
1. Bring the current picture
Share the product or website, the intended audience and what needs attention. Bring feedback, existing designs and a target date if you have them. Name the person who can make decisions and the engineer who should review technical constraints.
2. Define the first scope
Choose the flows or pages, expected outputs, review points and dependencies. Make clear which decisions the work should support and which tasks remain outside it.
3. Develop and review the design
Review the work against the agreed task and requirements. Resolve feedback through the decision owner, with engineering input where behavior or implementation affects the design.
4. Hand over and choose what comes next
Review the agreed files and notes together. Identify implementation questions, unresolved assumptions and any further work that needs its own scope.
Planning a site redesign? Prepare a website redesign brief to organize your pages, materials and responsibilities.
Handoff
Know what your team will own after handoff
Design and engineering need a shared understanding of what is ready and what remains. Use the scope to assign responsibilities before work begins.
| Area | Gestures' agreed contribution | What needs an assigned owner |
|---|---|---|
| Product design | Selected flows, interface states, components and design notes | Product decisions, technical feasibility and implementation |
| Website design | Agreed page structure, visual direction and responsive layouts | Copy approval, development, CMS configuration and publishing |
| Handover | Agreed files, documentation and review | Access, file or repository ownership and engineering follow-through |
| Testing and release | Any review or testing explicitly included in the engagement | Functional testing, acceptance, deployment and release approval |
| Continued operation | Any separately agreed follow-up | Maintenance, monitoring, hosting and third-party accounts |
If AI is central to the product, explore AI-native product development. A prototype needs a defined learning goal; a production build also needs agreed integrations, evaluation, operating responsibilities and external costs.
Working together
Choose a focused sprint or an ongoing partnership
Monthly partnership
$7,500$10,500USD / month
Studio $7,500 + Growth $3,000 / month
For continuing product priorities or a larger design effort that develops over several months. Set the current focus and review what should receive attention next.
Lead Designer · Senior Designer · Account Manager
Work starts within 1 day of payment.
Cancel anytime.
Book a CallWeekly sprint
$2,250$4,000USD / week / 2 weeks
+ $3,000 / month for Growth
For a smaller feature, a focused website scope or a shorter piece of design work. Agree the deliverables and dependencies before starting. The weekly rate describes the engagement period; completion timing depends on the scope.
Save $500 with two weeks: $4,000 instead of $4,500.
Lead Designer · Senior Designer · Account Manager
Work starts within 1 day of payment.
Cancel anytime.
Book a CallAdd Growth to a studio plan
SEO, content strategy and content production, alongside your design team. Growth is billed monthly. Cancel anytime.
+$3,000 / month
Both plans include a Lead Designer, Senior Designer and Account Manager. You can cancel anytime. Confirm the engagement's billing and cancellation arrangements before starting.
These are studio plan rates. The agreed scope determines deliverables and development responsibilities; a plan rate alone does not define a complete application or website build.
Compare all plans or book a call to discuss the first scope and suitable model.
Questions
Questions from founders
Can we begin with one workflow or a focused website scope?
Yes. A defined workflow or set of priority pages can be the starting point. Share the decisions you need to make, the materials available and any engineering dependencies so we can discuss a useful boundary.
Should we start with product design or the website?
Start with the problem closest to the next milestone. Evidence of difficulty completing a product task points toward product design. An outdated explanation of a working product points toward the website. When both need attention, choose an order your team can review and implement.
Should we hire a designer or work with a studio?
Consider the continuity, responsibilities and internal direction you need. An ongoing internal role and an external scoped engagement solve different staffing needs. Our guide helps you compare product design partners against the work you actually have.
Will our engineers implement the design?
They can. For a design engagement, agree how your engineers will review and implement the work. If you need development support, discuss it explicitly, including integrations, testing, release and maintenance responsibilities.
Can you work toward an upcoming launch date?
Share the date and what must be ready. We can discuss a scope around the dependencies and review decisions involved. Timing and availability need confirmation for your project.
What should we prepare before the first conversation?
Bring your product or website URL, current stage, main design need and any target date. Relevant feedback and existing brand or design files are useful. YC batch information is optional.
Are you affiliated with Y Combinator?
Gestures is an independent studio. This page describes services for YC founders and product teams; it does not claim an official Y Combinator partnership or endorsement.
A conversation
Tell us what needs to move forward
Share where your product stands and the work you want to address next: product design, website design or both. Include your URL and any target date so we can discuss fit, priorities and a starting scope.
Prefer email? Email us, or discuss your project through Contact.