Dan Hiester

#08_advice-questions - April 08, 2025 at 06:59 PM

Hey @Josef Scarantino, thanks for speaking up! Want me follow up with you over DM about finding a time?

#00_announcements - April 08, 2025 at 01:02 AM

Nice! That helps me understand better, so I know how to bring it up with people I talk with!

#00_announcements - April 08, 2025 at 12:51 AM

Oh, interesting. So, during the sales process, this enables demos of services that would normally need to be installed with a tracking code or something, but for the purpose of the demo, the sales team can simulate what the product would be like if the tracking code was installed?

And then after the sale is closed, the customer would install the tracking code in production?

#00_announcements - April 08, 2025 at 12:02 AM

Looks interesting, @Olga Burdukovskaya! Is Key Current a tool that lets non-technical users set up an onboarding experience, and that experience displays in browsers—even when JavaScript is disabled?

Almost like a CMS for an onboarding experience, similar to how most CMS let non-technical users update pages on a website?

#08_advice-questions - April 03, 2025 at 06:02 PM

To add a little context to this: As I look for ways my studio can bring something valuable to startups, I’ve realized my background has equipped me with a solid skill set for pitch coaching.

I’ll be interested in beta testing pitch coaching soon, in fact!

But before I jump into that, I want to gather some perspectives, give myself a gut check about what works and what doesn’t—do some due diligence and read the room.

#08_advice-questions - April 03, 2025 at 05:42 PM

Hi everyone! I’m curious to hear who here has worked with a pitch coach in the past, and learn what worked well for you and what didn’t work well for you.

#04_resources - March 06, 2025 at 05:28 PM

Thanks for pointing that out! LinkedIn has intermittently been hiding the link. It can be un-hidden by looking for “Most Relevant, clicking on that, and updating it to “Most Recent.”

That said, I’m debating finding a different way to post links through LinkedIn.

For now, here’s another copy of the link!

https://craftandcontext.io/resources/context-check

#04_resources - March 06, 2025 at 03:30 PM

I’ve seen teams lose time when they start development on a new feature without also considering the details around that feature. This often leads to lost time when developers ask clarifying questions. But you can reclaim that time by spending 5–10 minutes going over this list of questions!

This is a small sampler of the design strategy I help software teams with. If you want to go deeper, reach out to me to talk about booking a UX Office Hours call!

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/craft-and-context_weve-all-been-thereweve-jumped-in-to-designing-activity-7302755772403265536-tDKQ?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAABu8rkBRInw7E7l7Usa4C1v9Ue9Ykwlb9k

#05_opportunities - February 27, 2025 at 05:57 PM

Big fan of the company vision! I know a handful of people are trying to do AI coaching, but I truly believe it needs a human touch.

#04_resources - February 05, 2025 at 12:38 AM

Great question!

I’ve had some conversations around how to improve the look and feel of a signup page—to convey the brand in a better light, and improve conversion rates.

I’ve also spoken with a founder about potential ways to onboard beta test users to a complicated system, before they’ve reasonably had time to build a polished and simplified onboarding workflow.

Or, I’ve had a high level conversation with someone who has the start of something interesting, but it needs a little more direction—both for the app, and for its users.

Also, a lot of interesting challenges around what valuable things to do with AI.

What about you? What design challenges do you see most often?

#04_resources - February 04, 2025 at 03:29 PM

I’ve been quietly beta testing something I call UX Office Hours, and I’m excited to share I’m opening this offering up to more founders and product teams! What is it?

UX Office Hours is an affordable, actionable one hour consultation with a Senior UX Engineer on a tricky design problem you’d like help with getting un-stuck.

The test sessions I’ve done so far have been great. I’ve really enjoyed seeing my clients leave feeling energized and ready to tackle something, with an idea or some knowledge they didn’t have before.

My goal is for everyone who signs up for a consultation with me to come away with an action plan for at least one way to move forward—if not more than one!

To sign up, visit my studio’s website, craftandcontext.io, and find UX Office Hours listed under services, and fill out a brief intake form. I may reach out to you with follow up questions, to help me better prepare for our session!

#00_announcements - January 27, 2025 at 10:37 PM

It will be interesting to see how much of the tumble sticks, and how much of it is just a kneejerk reaction.

#08_advice-questions - January 21, 2025 at 07:23 PM

I think the right answer starts with “it depends.” From what I’ve heard people talk about, there’s no way to predict what PMF you’re going to validate, and the different use cases you may try along the way can have very different needs for platform architecture.

From what I hear, AWS sounds like it’s still the leading PaaS for scalability.

However, I’Ve also heard some CTOs even advocate for not building scalable architecture until it’s apparent you’ll have a customer base large enough to need it.

For example: 37Signals, the team behind Basecamp and Hey, actually migrated out of AWS a couple of years ago, because they found they don’t need scalable infrastructure, and they could save a lot of money building their own architecture that doesn’t scale. They have enough customers, and they don’t have investors, so they don’t need to jump through hoops to scale.

So again, it goes back to: “It depends.”

#08_advice-questions - January 20, 2025 at 06:34 PM

There are a lot of app builders similar to this out there. Bubble seems to be the most popular one in my circles, but I think FlutterFlow looks really interesting, because you can use it to build native mobile apps as well as web apps.

I frequently hear platforms like this eventually run into a wall, either on performance, or a lack of flexibility. But they can be helpful for a prototype that you can use for a market experiment, or an internal tool to help automate part of what you do.

Have you compared and contrasted this against other similar platforms?

#00_announcements - January 18, 2025 at 12:50 AM

I appreciate all this! To give a little more context: I’m experimenting with asking LLMs to play a fictional character who blends together pieces of the personalities of people like Marty Cagan, Julie Zhou, Michael Seibel, and a handful of others.

Although, it’s interesting. Claude is acting a little bit more like it’s just a panel of the people I’ve listed, rather than one person who blends their traits together.

#00_announcements - January 16, 2025 at 06:05 PM

Lightning survey: Who are some of the product leaders you admire most, both present and past?

#00_announcements - December 23, 2024 at 05:05 PM

@Valentina Are you still accepting more survey responses? I’d be happy to forward this to some other networks I’m in and some people I know!

#01_introductions - December 17, 2024 at 06:50 AM

Awesome! I’m in the Seattle area, myself. I’ve met a few people who run engineering teams out this way as well, and I’m starting to think about building up working relationships with teams that sound like yours.

Would you be open to connecting some time? I’d be interested to pick your brain about what flavors of design have been valuable to your team, and the services you provide to your clients.

#01_introductions - December 16, 2024 at 11:58 PM

Hey Ryan, welcome! I run Craft & Context, which provides product design, lightweight design systems, and design consulting services for startups and small engineering teams. Always excited to meet more people who work with startups!

I’m curious, when you work with your clients, does your team offer design services? Do clients have a designer in-house? Or do they contract a designer separately from your team?

#05_opportunities - November 20, 2024 at 07:18 PM

Does anyone here know a fixer of iOS build / distribution problems? My team has a tricky issue we’re looking for quick help with, and willing to pay for a fixed rate consult.

#08_advice-questions - November 12, 2024 at 06:14 PM

I’ll try taking a deeper look later. But for now, congratulations on launching this, and migrating to a totally different platform! I’m really excited for your accomplishment! 🙌

#08_advice-questions - November 12, 2024 at 06:13 PM

Also! I think this section has the core of the idea you want to sell.

I like the aesthetic of having a top section that’s like an expanded background header color, the way you have it.

But I might move the design treatment where you have a photo on one side, and some text content on another side, and then have a CTA at the bottom of the text.

I’d make some cuts to the text, to make it super punchy and short—I may drop the green text here, because the next paragraph paints a picture of the same thing.

But! I’m zooming in on this, because I think this is where you really define your value prop, and I think this may be more impactful if you lead with this value prop—which I think is a good one!

#08_advice-questions - November 12, 2024 at 06:09 PM

At first glance, I think there’s room to make your logo bigger in the upper left.

#04_resources - November 04, 2024 at 05:41 PM

Very interesting. I haven’t dug that deep into [monday.com](http://monday.com) yet. I have heard some productivity experts suggest that it’s more focused at / stronger at being a CRM than a productivity app than other productivity apps.

That said… for an early stage of a company, I’m also a big fan of something that’s good enough for smart, flexible people.

#00_announcements - October 30, 2024 at 04:55 PM

Hey everyone! I’ll be posting material designed to educate founders about various Product Design topics, through my company, Craft & Context. Sometimes it will be really lightweight tips and tricks. Sometimes it will be insights from a project.

For now, I’m starting with something light: A quick typography hack we all can use in our pitch decks, emails, and websites: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/craft-and-context_lets-talk-about-a-better-way-to-avoid-widows-activity-7257190524250402816-0kXM

#04_resources - October 30, 2024 at 04:54 PM

Hey everyone! I’ll be posting material designed to educate founders about various Product Design topics, through my company, Craft & Context. Sometimes it will be really lightweight tips and tricks. Sometimes it will be insights from a project.

For now, I’m starting with something light: A quick typography hack we all can use in our pitch decks, emails, and websites: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/craft-and-context_lets-talk-about-a-better-way-to-avoid-widows-activity-7257190524250402816-0kXM

#06_social - October 25, 2024 at 06:44 PM

Do we see customer discovery as being part of user acquisition? Or part of product development? Or is customer discovery / user research its own category?

#00_announcements - October 21, 2024 at 11:44 PM

Happy to help. Cheers! ☕

#00_announcements - October 21, 2024 at 10:44 PM

Mostly looks good! I like the use of color and dig the color palette. I feel like the font family choices work well, too!

I think the largest issue I see is, on the middle-sized breakpoint, all of the visual elements go right up against the edge of the browser window.

The ones I’ve looked at so far look fine on the smallest breakpoint.

There are other nits I could pick, but I think there’s still a lot of great work here!

#03_events - October 21, 2024 at 09:14 PM

Definitely looking forward to the startup showcase!

#06_social - October 14, 2024 at 09:45 PM

Over the last decade or so, I have periodically seen news coverage of medical studies that support this.

As an ADHDer, stimulants play a different role in my life. But in general, I think it’s really important to reflect on how connected we are to others when we turn to various substances.

#01_introductions - October 10, 2024 at 06:14 PM

Awesome! I think there’s a real market need for creatives getting into business this year, and I’m excited to get coffee and talk shop with you soon!

#06_social - October 01, 2024 at 12:49 AM

I second Brian’s note, about how it’s helpful to have takeaways on Medium posts, or to be really direct in stating what the takeaways are.

How might this translate to advice for others? Or, what does this tell others about you that you want them to know?

That said, I feel like I relate to you a little more after reading it! And it can be really helpful for people to have a reminder that things don’t go as planned for all sorts of people—that it’s never just us going through hard challenges.

#08_advice-questions - September 26, 2024 at 07:33 PM

Not sure what info you are interested in learning more about, but off the top of my head, one of the podcasters I used to listen to a lot had a podcast about how to podcast, called “Podcast Method.” Hosted by Dan Benjamin.

#02_general - September 26, 2024 at 07:31 PM

Any chance you used custom fields, @Brian Lee? That’s where my project is focused.

#02_general - September 26, 2024 at 06:14 PM

Has anyone here used ClickUp for project management? I’m working on a feature enhancement for a self-directed UX case study, and I’d be excited to talk with someone familiar with ClickUp on how I’m solving the problem!

#08_advice-questions - September 23, 2024 at 04:47 PM

The only thing I can think of is, if the company ends up wanting to build more than one product later, it’s tricky to manage the brand when the company is named the same as the first product.

You may be able to future-proof if you do something like “PupScout — by Monetta.”

That said, I’m curious to hear what others have to say on this, myself!

#02_general - September 17, 2024 at 05:07 PM

Hey everyone! I’m really curious to start a thread about something: Do you have any particular brands where the sense of style just pulls you in? And if so, what do you think it is about that sense of style that appeals to you? Is the style telling a story that resonates with your story in some way?

#08_advice-questions - September 10, 2024 at 11:25 PM

Awesome! Thanks for all these answers, everyone!

There’s a team who reached out to me, and seems really eager to work with me. It’s a little tempting to get the help in speeding up my marketing operation, but… I think what I’m really selling is my expertise, and my unusual knowledge. I don’t think that can be delegated successfully.

I try hard not to be too egotistical about what I have to offer, but I know that my blend of design, frontend engineering, and familiarity with founders and startup communities is pretty rare.

At bare minimum, I think I would want to become familiar enough with lead gen teams to make an informed estimate of what team might be a good fit for my business, what team might be a better fit for a friend’s business, etc.

#08_advice-questions - September 10, 2024 at 01:16 PM

For those of you who do freelancing services: Have you worked with a lead generation team, and have any thoughts about when and when not to work with that kind of team?

#04_resources - September 04, 2024 at 05:37 PM

As I start building out the brand for my UX Design / Consulting business, I’m going to start posting little educational posts on LinkedIn to help teach people about some of the finer points of UX Design. If you’re interested in this, and want to see more, feel free to follow Craft & Context!

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/craft-and-context_in-different-teams-with-different-cu[…]709758877696-eQ5I?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

#01_introductions - August 28, 2024 at 04:39 PM

Awesome! Planning and collaborating is one of my favorite problem domains, and I really dig the idea of niching down into planning that isn’t strictly speaking work related.

#01_introductions - August 12, 2024 at 09:52 PM

@Graham Phillips Awesome! I was just checking out your site. I’d be super interested to chat. Not just about marketing, but also the specific quirks of marketing fractional services!

#01_introductions - August 12, 2024 at 06:43 PM

Thanks! Happy to be here!

#01_introductions - August 12, 2024 at 03:27 PM

Hi everyone!

I’m Dan, located in sunny Seattle, WA. I’m a Product Designer, with 7+ years of design experience, and an additional 7 years of front end engineering (React) experience.

What I’m working on:
I’m the owner of Craft and Context, my freelance Product Design business. I’m looking to be the first design hire for early-stage startups, helping to level up the quality of design without breaking the bank.

How I can help:
Questions about product design and interaction design gotchas, frontend engineering, and design systems; also insights on how to interview designers.

Why I’m joining Gildre:
Although I have a lot of familiarity with founder communities local to where I live, I’m looking to expand my reach to founder communities beyond the state of Washington. I have a great skill set for designing and building a product! But I don’t have a solid idea for a product, yet—but maybe the spark will hit me if I spend enough time talking shop with more founders.

Where I could use support
• Input on how to market my services
• Introductions to potential clients
Find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danhiester
My design portfolio: https://dan.hiester.design