How We Work With Clients: From the First Call to Handoff
What working with Grona looks like, step by step: the free Product Diagnosis call, the written summary, the proposal, the design stages, how we communicate and decide, and what you get at handoff.
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Working with Grona starts with a free 30-minute Product Diagnosis call with our founder. Within 24 hours you get a written summary of what we would fix first. If design help makes sense, we send a written proposal with scope, price and timeline. Then we move through four stages: Define, Shape, Design and Ready. You join at the decisions that matter, and most of the rest happens asynchronously. A full mobile product engagement typically takes around 3–4 weeks and ends with organised Figma files for your developers and 30 days of support while they build.
This page is for founders who have booked a call, or are thinking about it, and want to know what happens next. No surprises, no sales script.
1. The Product Diagnosis call (free, 30 minutes)
You talk to Ivan Anisimov, Grona's founder, not a sales representative. Bring whatever you have: an idea, an AI-built prototype or a live app. All are fine. You don't need a brief, wireframes or a feature list.
The call has three parts:
You show us the product.
We ask a few questions to understand what works, what holds it back and what to fix first.
If design help makes sense, we say how we would work together. If it doesn't, we say that too.
Two things make the 30 minutes more useful: a link to the app, prototype or designs, and the one metric or problem that worries you most. Working on something sensitive? We can sign an NDA before the call.
2. A written summary within 24 hours
After the call you get a short summary of our recommendations: what is working, what is not, and the improvements we would start with. It is yours to keep, whether or not we work together. If you have your own team, they can start on it the same week.
3. A written proposal
If there is a fit, we send a written proposal. It covers the scope (which journeys and screens we design), the price and the timeline. We price every project individually, because the cost depends on the complexity of the product and the resources it needs. We don't quote a fixed price before we understand the problem.
Once you agree, we schedule a kick-off and start.
4. The work: four stages
Every project follows the same order, whether you start with an idea or an app that is already in the store. The order matters: we settle what the product should do before we decide what it looks like.
Define: what are we solving?
At kick-off we go through your idea or existing product, your users, your business goals and your constraints. Together we agree on priorities and on what success should look like. You will usually start seeing product direction and recommendations within the first few days.
Shape: how should it work?
We map user journeys, organise content and simplify complex workflows. You see how the product fits together before we move into detailed visual design.
Design: what will users experience?
We design the mobile interface, consistent components and an interactive prototype of the key journeys, so you can review the experience before anyone writes code.
Ready: what's next?
We finalise screens, interactions and specifications, and hand everything over to your developers.
If you already have something, we start from it. An AI-built prototype, wireframes or a pitch deck are useful starting points. We check where decisions are missing instead of redoing work that is already done. On Tenzio, the training logic and coaching system were solid, so we focused on the interface: hierarchy, layout and colour.
5. How communication works
Your channel. We work in the channel you already use: Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp or email. Designs and comments live in Figma.
One point of contact. Your day-to-day contact is our design manager. Ivan leads the product decisions and stays on the project. Grona's designers do the design work, and we put the team together around your scope.
Mostly async. We send regular updates, so you always know which stage the project is in and what comes next. Calls happen when they are useful: the kick-off, and a review when a decision is easier to make by talking. Often async updates are enough.
Your time where it matters. We bring you in at product decisions and key checkpoints, not at every step in between.
6. How decisions and feedback work
We are not hired to execute decisions blindly. If we think a feature is unnecessary, a flow is too complicated or there is a stronger way to solve the problem, we tell you, and we explain why. Business decisions stay yours.
Feedback at the checkpoints is part of the work. If something new comes up that is outside the agreed scope, we say so straight away, explain what it would change in the timeline and price, and you decide whether to add it now, later or not at all. No surprises on the invoice.
7. Handoff and the 30 days after
At the end you have a clearly defined, development-ready mobile product for the agreed scope. Depending on the project, that can include:
product direction and priorities
core user flows
key states and interactions
polished UI for the key screens
a design system or component library
an interactive prototype
organised Figma files and handoff materials for your developers
We don't build the app. We prepare the design for your development team or implementation partner, and we stay available for 30 days to answer design questions while they build. If you want to know what a good handoff contains, read what a development-ready design handoff includes.
How long does it take?
A full mobile product engagement typically takes around 3–4 weeks. Exact timing depends on the product's complexity, the scope and how quickly feedback comes back. The proposal states the timeline for your scope.
FAQ
How early can I come to you?
Very early. If you have a strong idea and are starting to think seriously about what to build, that is enough. The earlier the important decisions are still flexible, the more useful we can be.
How involved do I need to be?
Involved where your input matters: product decisions and key checkpoints. We run the design process in between and keep you updated.
Is the Product Diagnosis really free?
Yes. 30 minutes, free, no obligation. You get the written summary either way.
Can you sign an NDA?
Yes, before the call if you need it.
Do you work with my developers?
Yes. We hand over to your development team or partner and answer their design questions for 30 days.
Still choosing who to work with? Read how to choose a mobile app design agency, or book a free 30-minute Product Diagnosis and ask us directly.
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