Iterative Form

Define.
Make.
Refine.

Turn uncertain product ideas into something your team can evaluate.

Compare directions, try the interactions, and decide what to build next—before committing engineering time.

Explore working together
FORM STUDY — 001IF / EXPLORATIONS
Three layers of an idea: a possibility, a structure, and a defined form.IDEAFORMCONTEXTX / 001Y / 003

Explore before you build.

Illustrative navigation study

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Who you’ll work with

Alex Bendiken.
Design meets engineering.

I’m a full-stack developer and designer. I specialize in giving shape to ideas—working across product structure, user flows, interaction design, and visual design, and bringing them to life in code.

I started building websites when Netscape 4.7 compatibility was part of the job. Since then, I’ve worked with Ruby on Rails since its early releases, developed several React Native apps, and built a web service that signed up a million users in its first year.

I co-ran Makalu, a product design and development agency in southern Spain, where we created award-winning work for Google, Virgin America, and Live Nation. For nearly a decade, I led our technical team for Rock am Ring and Rock im Park: websites, apps, and the systems behind them.

I designed, developed, and continue to operate La Tela’s platform and apps—a subscription service bringing together parenting education, children’s content, and a family community.

Alongside La Tela, I’m building Weft: a premium campervan and expedition vehicle control system.

The partnership

An ongoing
design partner.

For product teams with engineering capacity and a question worth resolving before the build.

Start with one focused question. We agree the scope, deliverables, and review points before work begins, then explore the direction together with your designers and engineers.

A month usually covers one or two focused explorations, worked through one at a time. You receive the agreed designs or code, the assumptions behind them, and notes for taking the work forward.

Design & prototyping

$7,500USD / month
  • A focused question and agreed deliverables
  • Design directions with clear tradeoffs
  • Working prototypes or focused UI shells
  • Direct collaboration with Alex
  • One active exploration at a time
  • Source files, assumptions, and handoff notes
Discuss an exploration

Pre-integration work. Larger UI implementations are scoped separately.

An illustrative first month

One question.
A concrete next step.

For example: your onboarding flow has become complicated, and the team is unsure whether to simplify it or rethink it.

We agree how much to explore before starting. The deliverable could be a working prototype of the selected direction, with source files and notes for your engineers.

What are you
working through?

Tell me about your team, the question you’re exploring, and your timing. We’ll discuss fit and define a focused first engagement.

Discuss an exploration
What counts as an exploration?

A focused question with a clear deliverable: comparing navigation directions, trying an onboarding flow, or building a limited UI shell with sample data. We agree what the work should help your team decide.

How much work fits into a month?

Usually one or two focused explorations, depending on complexity. We agree the scope, deliverables, and review points before starting, then work through one at a time.

What happens if priorities change?

We can swap an exploration for a new priority and agree what gets deferred. Additional work is scoped before it starts.

How do you work with our team?

I work directly with your designers and engineers, aligning on direction and technical constraints. You receive the agreed designs or code, with assumptions and handoff notes.

Do you handle integration and deployment?

Your team handles product integration, backend connections, production hardening, deployment, and maintenance. Prototypes and UI shells may use sample data or simulated behavior. Larger UI implementations are scoped separately.