How Design Match Connects Startups with the Perfect Designer

In the dynamic world of startups, the intersection of design and technology is vital. Danielle Thompson, the founder of Design Match, stands at this crossroads, offering innovative solutions through her platform that connects businesses with top freelance designers.

In this interview, we delve into Danielle’s journey, exploring how Design Match is reshaping the landscape for startups and freelancers alike. Her insights promise to be a valuable resource for entrepreneurs navigating the ever-evolving terrain of digital design and tech entrepreneurship.

Origin Story

What inspired you to start Design Match, and what gap did you see in the market?

Design Match started out as a desire to help more of my friends get jobs. I used to run a studio that was often fully booked, so I started outsourcing talent that we’d previously worked with to startups in need of creatives. As demand increased, I saw a business opportunity. Additionally, I realized that companies often struggle to know what they need in terms of design – especially if you compare it to development.

AI Matchmaking

How does the AI matching process work, and how does it ensure a good fit between businesses and designers?

AI is integral for matching at Design Match. Since design is often the translation of a founder’s vision into reality, there’s more to consider when matching a designer. Especially for an early-stage company, it’s not just about “can they do the work”? It’s also essential that the chemistry between the designer and the team is there. The AI looks at style, previous experience, as well as personal interests, hobbies and desires. The idea is to find someone who has experience in your sector and is just as passionate as an in-house team member. 

Success Stories

Can you share a success story where Design Match significantly impacted a startup or project?

We work with companies of all shapes and sizes, but where as a founder, I get to hear about the real impact in early-stage startups. Imagine you’ve had this vision of what your product can be, you’ve gotten user feedback, and finally, a designer materializes that. You launch with the new designs, and suddenly, your customers are getting the value you promised faster and easier. 

We’ve had more tangible success, such as a consumer financial company in Singapore seeing an increase of 40% in landing page conversions to a high ticket item. A Edtech company winning a design award from Meta. Another example is a company winning a big equity government project in Rwanda that will impact thousands of job seekers. Design is the foundation of so many wins. If a user does not understand your product, they cannot derive the value from it. 

Designer Vetting

How do you vet and select designers to join your platform?

We conduct a manual portfolio review and an interview. We’re looking for creatives who are flexible, self-led and reliable. Since we work with many young companies or large companies launching new initiatives, we found creatives who can fully own their role are the most successful. 

The cool thing on our platform is once you are matched with a batch of designers, you’ll be able to watch the same interview that we did to evaluate the designer before even booking an interview with them. 

Industry Challenges

What are some of the unique challenges you’ve faced while building a business in the design and tech industry?

There is little knowledge about design or its value. Design can be seen as non-essentially, which can be challenging from a business perspective. It’s something that everyone knows they need but some people are not always sure why. 

Adapting to Change

How does Design Match adapt to the rapidly changing needs of startups and tech companies?

Our matchers stay up to date on the latest technologies and trends and try and have diverse knowledge of many industries. For example, we know what it takes to build a product in the EV space as well as in the Edtech space. Having this knowledge helps us support startups more holistically. 

Maximizing Value

What advice would you give to entrepreneurs looking to make the most of your services?

Speak with one of our matchers. They are not only great at helping you find the right designer, but they also help at clarifying your product roadmap. 

Future Vision

How do you see Design Match evolving in the next 5 years?

As we collect more data, our matching algorithm will get even better. We’ve been experimenting with Design Match studio, which matches full teams. We’ve already matched a team with a project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, so it’s off to a strong start. 

Innovative Projects

Can you discuss a particularly innovative project that was realized through your platform?

One project that was realized through our platform was Stockpay, an Australian Fintech company. They used the prototype we made to raise $5M in funding within just a couple of weeks. 

Quality vs. Affordability

How do you balance quality and affordability in your services, especially for startups with limited budgets?

We have a range of designers across different budgets. Our rates start at $45/hour, while most startups choose to work with more senior designs for 3-4 months while launching their MVPs. 

Trends to Watch

What trends in design and technology are you most excited about right now?

I’m excited about AI and interface-less interfaces – using voice, gestures or data to predict what users want to do next. This is extremely interesting to me and I think a unique design challenge.

The Freelancer Evolution

How has the role of freelance designers changed in the tech ecosystem, in your view?

Freelance designers are essential to the tech ecosystem, especially as the everyday consumer or business user expects interfaces to be more intuitive. Freelance designers allow founders and teams to experiment and quickly adapt to change. 

Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Lastly, what’s one piece of advice you’d give to aspiring entrepreneurs in the tech and design sectors?

With the emergence of AI, the tech and design world are shifting quickly. In a world where we are trying to automate and streamline so many things, keep in mind the emotional journey for a user. Optimizing for the emotional journey will also result in the highest ROI.