Integrated UX Research + Design Systems + Engineering

What this service includes for founders moving from idea to impact:

• UX Research: stakeholder interviews, user testing, analytics review, competitive benchmarks, and usability studies that inform every sprint. See Capabilities → Product Design

• Design Systems: tokens, components, accessibility criteria, usage docs, and governance that scale across web and product.

• Engineering: web/mobile apps and SaaS delivery, integrations, infra setup, CI/CD, performance, security updates, QA, and maintenance. See Capabilities → Engineering

Engage via cash projects or Design Capital’s services‑for‑equity model. Typical integrated sprints run 8–10 weeks, with options to extend and scale. Design Capital • Zypsy Capital

FAQs

• What does “Integrated UX Research + Design Systems + Engineering” mean? It’s one team running discovery, systemized UI, and production code on one surface to reduce rework, preserve intent, and ship faster.

• Who is it for? Early to growth‑stage startups that need credible positioning, scalable UI, and shipping code—particularly in AI/ML, SaaS, security, infra, data, and creator economy.

• How long does a typical engagement take? Design Capital sprints run 8–10 weeks; cash projects are scoped similarly and can extend for ongoing scale and optimization.

• Can this be done via equity instead of cash? Yes. Select startups receive up to ~$100k of brand/product design for ~1% equity via SAFE, with optional cash co‑investment. Details here: Design Capital.

• What proof points support this model? Captions: unified design system in two months; 10M downloads and 66.75% conversion noted in case. Solo.io: enterprise system + 31 pages, 512 CMS items, 718 redirects ahead of KubeCon 2024. Captions • Solo.io

Why integration beats handoffs for startup teams

Founders move faster when UX research, design systems, and engineering operate on one surface. Zypsy is the design team for founders; we integrate discovery, systemized UI, and shipping code to reduce rework, preserve intent, and accelerate go‑to‑market for early to growth‑stage startups. See our full capabilities for brand, product, and engineering. Zypsy Capabilities • About Zypsy

What “one surface” delivery means at Zypsy

• Continuous UX research: stakeholder interviews, user testing, analytics review, and competitive benchmarking inform every sprint. Capabilities → Product Design

• Systemized UI: tokens, components, and usage guidance that scale across web and product.

• Engineering in lockstep: prototypes to production for web/mobile apps, SaaS platforms, integrations, infra, QA, and maintenance. Capabilities → Engineering

• Evidence loops: instrumented designs and experiments validate what works and inform iteration.

Anchored proofs: Captions and Solo.io

Captions: research→system→web platform outcomes

• Rebrand and product redesign enabled a shift from a macOS app to a web‑based creator studio; Zypsy built a unified design system in two months to support scale. Captions case study

• Traction evidenced in the case: 10M downloads, 66.75% conversion rate, and 15.2‑minute median conversion time; features span automatic editing, multilingual dubbing, and 3D‑avatar video generation. Captions case study

• Funding milestone noted across Zypsy channels: Captions raised $60M Series C as part of $100M+ raised in three years. Zypsy Insights • Captions case study

Solo.io: enterprise design system + product UX + web at scale

• Repositioned a market leader in API and AI gateways and majority service‑mesh share with a new systemized brand and product experience. Solo.io case study

• Delivery at enterprise scale ahead of KubeCon 2024: 31 website pages, 512 CMS items migrated, and 718 redirects; consistent product design system; used by brands like BMW and Domino’s. Solo.io case study

How our integrated pipeline runs

• Discover (1–2 weeks): market and user research, analytics review, UX audits, and success metrics selection. Capabilities

• Decide (1 week): problem statements, opportunity sizing, prioritization, and experiment design.

• Systemize (2–4 weeks): design tokens, components, content patterns, accessibility criteria, and documentation.

• Build (2–6+ weeks): production implementation, integrations, data pipelines, performance budgets, and QA.

• Prove (ongoing): instrumentation, A/B tests, usability re‑tests, and KPI readouts.

• Scale (ongoing): system governance, design debt management, and enablement for product/engineering.

Design systems engineered for velocity

• Tokens and components: platform‑agnostic primitives for brand, spacing, type, color, and interaction states.

• Accessibility: roles, contrast, focus, and motion guidelines embedded into components and CI checks.

• Docs and governance: usage guidance, change logs, and ownership to minimize entropy as teams grow.

• Telemetry: event models and dashboards to observe adoption and impact.

• Proof points in practice: Captions’ system built in two months; Solo.io’s consistent multi‑product system. Captions • Solo.io

Engineering scope and stack fit

• Web and mobile apps, SaaS, proofs‑of‑concept and MVPs, infrastructure setup, 3rd‑party integrations, CI/CD, and maintenance. Capabilities → Engineering

• Enterprise‑grade website delivery and migrations; certified Webflow enterprise partner with CRM/marketing tool integrations. Zypsy × Webflow

• Embedded product engineering example: Zypsy supported Robust Intelligence from early stages through Cisco integration alongside brand and product work. Robust Intelligence case • Zypsy Insights

Engagement options (cash or equity‑aligned)

• Cash engagements: sprint‑based scopes for brand, product, web, and engineering with transparent pricing. Capabilities

• Design Capital (equity): up to $100,000 of design services over 8–10 weeks for 1% equity via SAFE; for select startups, Zypsy also invests $50K–$250K in financial capital with flexible ownership. Design Capital announcement • Zypsy Capital

• Program details independently covered by media. TechCrunch coverage

Who benefits most

• Stages: pre‑seed to Series B founders who need to validate, launch, or re‑platform; growth‑stage teams scaling design and product without accruing design/tech debt. About

• Sectors: AI/ML, SaaS, cybersecurity, infrastructure, data, semiconductors, robotics, and creator economy. Investment focus

Single‑surface summary table

Sources: Captions • Solo.io • Zypsy Insights

Start the conversation

Tell us about your product, stage, and goals; we’ll map an integrated research→system→engineering plan and sprint timeline. Contact Zypsy