UX Design Lab
Discuss a project
  1. WhenCall us when.01 of 08: When. Call us when.
  2. OutcomesWhat is different when the work is done.02 of 08: Outcomes. What is different when the work is done.
  3. HelpsHow UXDL helps.03 of 08: Helps. How UXDL helps.
  4. ProofDe-risking a $900K build.04 of 08: Proof. De-risking a $900K build.
  5. EngagementScoped to the problem, not a package.05 of 08: Engagement. Scoped to the problem, not a package.
  6. PavelWho you work with.06 of 08: Pavel. Who you work with.
  7. RelatedNearby services.07 of 08: Related. Nearby services.
  8. ContactStart a conversation.08 of 08: Contact. Start a conversation.

Part of: Product Strategy & Incubation

UX / Product Strategy

Set product direction

Turn competing priorities, assumptions, and demands into product decisions leadership and delivery teams can explain and execute.

Discuss your product strategy

Call us when.

Start here when this is the situation in front of you.

  1. S/01

    Features enter the roadmap without enough evidence.

  2. S/02

    Leadership priorities change faster than teams can execute.

  3. S/03

    Different functions use different criteria for priority.

  4. S/04

    A major investment needs a defensible direction.

What changes.

What is different when the work is done — things you can point to, not adjectives.

  1. Change 01

    Major roadmap initiatives have explicit rationale and success measures.

  2. Change 02

    Unproven assumptions are documented before development begins.

  3. Change 03

    Competing initiatives use the same evaluation criteria.

  4. Change 04

    Deferred and rejected work is visible, not silently returned to the backlog.

How UXDL helps.

What the engagement actually produces.

  1. 01

    Frame the decision.

  2. 02

    Examine evidence and assumptions.

  3. 03

    Map opportunities and constraints.

  4. 04

    Establish decision criteria and success measures.

Proof.

Comparable work, with its provenance stated.

Proof · SERVICE DESIGN · UX / Product Strategy

De-risking a $900K build.

Context

42 of 45 documented pain points were process-based. The evidence changed the investment decision and avoided more than $900K in unnecessary software work.

Provenance

Strategic product de-risking before build — measured during the engagement.Read the case: De-risking a $900K build. →
Client team at a workshop wall working through workflows, journey maps and a service blueprint.
FIG. 05.1Client team working through workflows, journey maps and the service blueprint that exposed where the service broke.

What changed

93%
OF IDENTIFIED ISSUES WERE NON-TECHNICAL
$900K+
UNNECESSARY SOFTWARE INVESTMENT AVOIDED
2 WEEKS
FROM BRIEF TO SHARED DIAGNOSIS

Business pattern

Large software investments carry unnecessary risk when the underlying service has never been mapped.

Pavel Bukengolts smiling and gesturing by a window overlooking a city skyline

Senior work stays senior.

You work directly with Pavel Bukengolts, UXDL founder and principal, on assessment, major decisions, and direction. Specialist collaborators join when the work requires additional expertise or capacity.

Recognition

  • ADPList 100

    Recognized among the top mentors on ADPList.

  • 2026 GNTC Tech Educator of the Year

    Finalist, Greater Nashville Technology Council.

  • UX Magazine contributor

    Published on product, accessibility and AI practice.

Bring the roadmap, the disagreement, and the decision that keeps circling.

Bring the product, workflow, delivery problem, or decision. No polished brief required.

Prefer email? [email protected]

Project inquiry

All fields are required except timeline.