Notes on designing a settings page
Settings pages are where products go to get messy. Some rules I follow to keep them usable.
Nov 3, 2026 - John Doe
I design and build product interfaces for small software teams
Ten years in product design, the last four as a freelancer working directly with founders and engineers. I design in the browser and ship the front-end myself.
What I help with
Product design
From a rough idea to a working interface. Flows, screens, states and the words on them.
Front-end build
I ship the interface I designed, in Svelte or whatever the team already uses. No handoff.
Design systems
Small, documented component sets that a two-person team can actually maintain.
Accessibility
Audits and fixes against WCAG 2.2, with the engineers, not thrown over the wall.
People I have worked with
"John designed in code from the first week. We never had a handoff problem because there was no handoff."
"The design system John left us is still the one we use three years later. It is small enough that we keep it up to date."
"John fixed 140 accessibility issues with our engineers in six weeks and left us a checklist we still run before every release."
From the blog
Designing in code, four years in
I stopped making mockups in 2021. What that actually looks like day to day, what it is bad at, and why I will not go back.
Oct 27, 2026 - John Doe
Four years of freelancing: what I would do differently
Mostly about money, calendars and saying no. The honest version.
Oct 20, 2026 - John Doe
Working together
What does an engagement look like?
Usually two to three days a week for two to four months, embedded with the team. Shorter audits and design system work are fixed price.
Do you do visual branding or marketing sites?
No. I work on the product itself. I am happy to recommend people for brand and marketing work.
Are you available?
The now page says what I am working on and when I am next free.
What do you charge?
A day rate for embedded work and fixed prices for audits and design systems. I will tell you on the intro call; there are no surprises.
Working on something?
Tell me about the product and the team. A short intro call costs nothing.
Book an intro call