US-based UI/UX design for products that are hard to explain

You have raised, shipped a pilot and put the product in front of real users, but adoption is slower than the technology deserves and the interface hasn't kept pace with what the product now does. We give US climate, clean-tech and deep-tech teams senior UI/UX support without the overhead of building an in-house department. From complex product flows and accessible interfaces to interactive prototypes and developer-ready handoff, we turn technical capability into an experience users, partners and investors can act on.

Two UX designers reviewing a climate technology dashboard prototype and flow diagrams

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What a product design engagement covers

Senior UX, UI and interaction design for complex products, from strategy through validated, developer-ready designs.

Product UX design

Your users are utility engineers, procurement leads and field technicians, and they don't experience your product the same way. We map those journeys, restructure the information and test prototypes so onboarding stops being the place activation dies.

Interface design

The most common failure in a climate tech dashboard isn't missing data, it's showing all of it without saying which number to act on first. We build accessible interfaces and data visualisations that make the priority obvious.

Interaction design

Complex workflows feel intuitive or they feel dangerous, and in operational software that difference shows up in support tickets. We design states, transitions and clickable prototypes, then hand engineering specifications they can build against.

Design systems and handoff

Every new feature shouldn't restart the design argument. We build component libraries, design tokens and handoff documentation so your team ships consistently after we step back.

UX designer arranging interface components and data charts in a product design file

How we work

Align on goals and stakeholders

We agree the user types, the activation moment that matters and the metric this engagement is meant to move, with product and engineering in the room together.

Audit and research

Prioritise the roadmap

Design and validate

Launch, measure and improve

Built for breakthroughs

US climate and deep-tech teams we have worked with

Three US-based climate and deep-tech teams, and what changed after the work.

"The team at What if Design was nimble, thoughtful and flexible. Their design process forced us to reflect and rethink our corporate strategy. They brought the company messaging to the forefront and accurately translated our vision to creatively visualize our deeply scientific work."

Susteon

"Working with What If Design felt like a true collaboration — flexible, responsive, and always ready to meet us where we were. Even with our ideas that weren't fully formed, they delivered a strong brand and pitch deck to show up confidently with investors and partners. That kind of adaptability..."

Warren/Gabe

"I’ve worked with a lot of agencies over the years: brand, web, comms, you name it. Every project has its own vibe, its own momentum (or lack thereof), and its own set of hurdles.But it’s rare to find a team that just gets it... the tech, the market, the nuance...while..."

Nathalie

"Working with the What if Design team has been an exceptional experience. Their attention to detail and creativity exceeded our expectations. Their expert guidance was comprehensive through every aspect of the project, from aesthetics to crafting compelling copy. Their efficiency and professionalism were evident in every interaction and team's kind..."

GetShine

"As a team of one, I needed partners who could match our pace. What If delivered on that completely. The speed of turnaround, the quick review cycles, the ability to iterate in near real time — that's what made the difference. Highly recommended if you're looking to move fast and..."

Jordan Con

"The extremely high quality of outputs with fast turn around times and availability of team at short notice has been perfect for our requirements"

Jackie

"The extremely high quality of outputs with fast turn around times and availability of team at short notice has been perfect for our requirements"

Ayush Banerjee
Ayush Banerjee

"We knew it was time to reset, sharpen our focus, and build a foundation for the next stage of growth. The new website was a big part of that. What If understood the vision, spoke our design language, and actually delivered. Anyone working with them should know it's a great..."

Chris

"They very quickly understood the kind of messaging that was important to us and how to translate that into a compelling visual experience. I can't recommend them enough!"

Keenan Johnson
Keenan Johnson

"What If’s team did a great job learning our technology on a razor-tight deadline. They helped transform our complex interconnection process into clear, resonant visuals and messaging for both technical and non-technical audiences."

Lauren

"What if Design's leadership on our brand redesign was a dream. Their team worked as an extension of our mission, embodied our values, and then expanded upon our vision with ease. Our static, version 101 website was transformed into a full brand identity - professional, creative, and human."

Megan Holcomb
Megan Holcomb

"Before What If, we were relying on developers for design work — it was slow and clunky. From day one, the What If team understood exactly what we were building and came with proactive ideas to improve the user flow and features, not just execute on a brief. The ease..."

Vested Future

"They spoke our language from day one, delivered on every commitment, and never missed a deadline. Web traffic quintupled in our first week after launch, but more than the numbers, we went from a website we wanted to hide to one we're genuinely proud to show every new stakeholder. What..."

USIPA

"The old website confused people about what we actually do, but post-launch, that sort of negative feedback has completely stopped. We received a lot of positive feedback on the professionalism and the design. Our previous contact page received maybe one or two hits per week, if that. After the launch..."

Tristan

"We went from people saying "I have no idea what you're doing" to immediately feeling credible and put together. What If took what was in our heads and made it real, even when we couldn't fully articulate it ourselves."

Ashley/John

"The team at What if Design was nimble, thoughtful and flexible. Their design process forced us to reflect and rethink our corporate strategy. They brought the company messaging to the forefront and accurately translated our vision to creatively visualize our deeply scientific work."

Susteon

"Working with What If Design felt like a true collaboration — flexible, responsive, and always ready to meet us where we were. Even with our ideas that weren't fully formed, they delivered a strong brand and pitch deck to show up confidently with investors and partners. That kind of adaptability..."

Warren/Gabe

"I’ve worked with a lot of agencies over the years: brand, web, comms, you name it. Every project has its own vibe, its own momentum (or lack thereof), and its own set of hurdles.But it’s rare to find a team that just gets it... the tech, the market, the nuance...while..."

Nathalie

"Working with the What if Design team has been an exceptional experience. Their attention to detail and creativity exceeded our expectations. Their expert guidance was comprehensive through every aspect of the project, from aesthetics to crafting compelling copy. Their efficiency and professionalism were evident in every interaction and team's kind..."

GetShine

"As a team of one, I needed partners who could match our pace. What If delivered on that completely. The speed of turnaround, the quick review cycles, the ability to iterate in near real time — that's what made the difference. Highly recommended if you're looking to move fast and..."

Jordan Con

"The extremely high quality of outputs with fast turn around times and availability of team at short notice has been perfect for our requirements"

Jackie

"The extremely high quality of outputs with fast turn around times and availability of team at short notice has been perfect for our requirements"

Ayush Banerjee
Ayush Banerjee

"We knew it was time to reset, sharpen our focus, and build a foundation for the next stage of growth. The new website was a big part of that. What If understood the vision, spoke our design language, and actually delivered. Anyone working with them should know it's a great..."

Chris

"They very quickly understood the kind of messaging that was important to us and how to translate that into a compelling visual experience. I can't recommend them enough!"

Keenan Johnson
Keenan Johnson

"What If’s team did a great job learning our technology on a razor-tight deadline. They helped transform our complex interconnection process into clear, resonant visuals and messaging for both technical and non-technical audiences."

Lauren

"What if Design's leadership on our brand redesign was a dream. Their team worked as an extension of our mission, embodied our values, and then expanded upon our vision with ease. Our static, version 101 website was transformed into a full brand identity - professional, creative, and human."

Megan Holcomb
Megan Holcomb

"Before What If, we were relying on developers for design work — it was slow and clunky. From day one, the What If team understood exactly what we were building and came with proactive ideas to improve the user flow and features, not just execute on a brief. The ease..."

Vested Future

"They spoke our language from day one, delivered on every commitment, and never missed a deadline. Web traffic quintupled in our first week after launch, but more than the numbers, we went from a website we wanted to hide to one we're genuinely proud to show every new stakeholder. What..."

USIPA

"The old website confused people about what we actually do, but post-launch, that sort of negative feedback has completely stopped. We received a lot of positive feedback on the professionalism and the design. Our previous contact page received maybe one or two hits per week, if that. After the launch..."

Tristan

"We went from people saying "I have no idea what you're doing" to immediately feeling credible and put together. What If took what was in our heads and made it real, even when we couldn't fully articulate it ourselves."

Ashley/John

"The team at What if Design was nimble, thoughtful and flexible. Their design process forced us to reflect and rethink our corporate strategy. They brought the company messaging to the forefront and accurately translated our vision to creatively visualize our deeply scientific work."

Susteon

"Working with What If Design felt like a true collaboration — flexible, responsive, and always ready to meet us where we were. Even with our ideas that weren't fully formed, they delivered a strong brand and pitch deck to show up confidently with investors and partners. That kind of adaptability..."

Warren/Gabe

"I’ve worked with a lot of agencies over the years: brand, web, comms, you name it. Every project has its own vibe, its own momentum (or lack thereof), and its own set of hurdles.But it’s rare to find a team that just gets it... the tech, the market, the nuance...while..."

Nathalie

"Working with the What if Design team has been an exceptional experience. Their attention to detail and creativity exceeded our expectations. Their expert guidance was comprehensive through every aspect of the project, from aesthetics to crafting compelling copy. Their efficiency and professionalism were evident in every interaction and team's kind..."

GetShine

"As a team of one, I needed partners who could match our pace. What If delivered on that completely. The speed of turnaround, the quick review cycles, the ability to iterate in near real time — that's what made the difference. Highly recommended if you're looking to move fast and..."

Jordan Con

"The extremely high quality of outputs with fast turn around times and availability of team at short notice has been perfect for our requirements"

Jackie

"The extremely high quality of outputs with fast turn around times and availability of team at short notice has been perfect for our requirements"

Ayush Banerjee
Ayush Banerjee

"We knew it was time to reset, sharpen our focus, and build a foundation for the next stage of growth. The new website was a big part of that. What If understood the vision, spoke our design language, and actually delivered. Anyone working with them should know it's a great..."

Chris

"They very quickly understood the kind of messaging that was important to us and how to translate that into a compelling visual experience. I can't recommend them enough!"

Keenan Johnson
Keenan Johnson

"What If’s team did a great job learning our technology on a razor-tight deadline. They helped transform our complex interconnection process into clear, resonant visuals and messaging for both technical and non-technical audiences."

Lauren

"What if Design's leadership on our brand redesign was a dream. Their team worked as an extension of our mission, embodied our values, and then expanded upon our vision with ease. Our static, version 101 website was transformed into a full brand identity - professional, creative, and human."

Megan Holcomb
Megan Holcomb

"Before What If, we were relying on developers for design work — it was slow and clunky. From day one, the What If team understood exactly what we were building and came with proactive ideas to improve the user flow and features, not just execute on a brief. The ease..."

Vested Future

"They spoke our language from day one, delivered on every commitment, and never missed a deadline. Web traffic quintupled in our first week after launch, but more than the numbers, we went from a website we wanted to hide to one we're genuinely proud to show every new stakeholder. What..."

USIPA

"The old website confused people about what we actually do, but post-launch, that sort of negative feedback has completely stopped. We received a lot of positive feedback on the professionalism and the design. Our previous contact page received maybe one or two hits per week, if that. After the launch..."

Tristan

"We went from people saying "I have no idea what you're doing" to immediately feeling credible and put together. What If took what was in our heads and made it real, even when we couldn't fully articulate it ourselves."

Ashley/John

Case Studies

Our work in Other

Real results for real businesses. See how we've helped our clients achieve their goals.

The What if difference

Why choose What if Design?

A focused, senior design partner for technical teams with meaningful work to bring into the world.

We learn the science first

We read the papers and sit with your engineers before designing a screen, so the interface reflects how the technology actually behaves rather than how a generalist assumed it does.

Both founders on every project

You get the people setting product strategy in your working sessions, not an account layer relaying decisions back to a senior designer you never meet.

Built for multi-persona products

A field technician, a procurement lead and an investor often use the same product for different reasons. We design flows that serve each without forcing everyone down one path.

Inside your working hours

We overlap with US time zones, so reviews happen live and turnaround is agreed per request at kickoff rather than left open-ended.

Meet the What if team

Two founders, one strategic design partnership.

Akhila Kosaraju, Co-founder of What if DesignLinkedIn

Akhila Kosaraju

Co-Founder, Lead Design Strategist

Akhila is the co-founder and lead strategist at What if Design. She helps climate tech companies turn complex science into brands and websites that close funding and partnerships. She has worked with teams backed by the US Department of Energy, ARPA-E, leading climate VCs across carbon capture, grid interconnection, and green hydrogen, contributing to over $105M raised. Founders trust her because she learns the science and market before designing, and translates what they build visually for effective communication.

Tejas Mahajan, Co-founder of What if DesignLinkedIn

Tejas Mahajan

Co-Founder, UX Design Lead

Tejas is the co-founder and product UX lead at What if Design. He leads product and UX for software companies, designing for adoption, retention, and the metrics that drive growth. His work spans battery management systems, fleet platforms, and ESG tools, plus enterprise software for the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia. Founders trust him because he treats every screen as a business decision, not just a design problem.

Frequently asked questions

What does a UI/UX design team do?

A UI/UX design team connects business goals, user needs and technical constraints. The UX work covers research, user journeys, information architecture, wireframes and prototype testing. The UI work turns those decisions into screens, components, visual hierarchy, accessibility guidance and developer-ready specifications. Together they make a complex product easier to adopt, which is usually what is actually blocking activation.

What does a UI/UX engagement cost?

How long does a UI/UX design project take?

What is the difference between UX design and UI design?

Can you work with our US-based product and engineering team remotely?

What deliverables are included in a UI/UX engagement?

Do you design for accessibility?

Can you support both product design and marketing websites?

Questions about your product experience?

Tell us where users get stuck and what adoption needs to look like.

Bring clarity to your product

Tell us what you're building, where users get stuck and what progress needs to look like. We'll come back with the right starting point for your engagement.

Contact us today

You can also send us a quick email at team@whatifdesign.in.