The presentation looks excellent: a homepage, an account area and several forms. During development, the questions begin. What happens when a list is empty? How is an error shown? What does someone without permission see?
When buying UX/UI design, agree which decisions the work needs to resolve, as well as the number of screens. This makes proposals easier to compare and gives implementation a clearer starting point.
Count journeys and states
List the main user tasks and the views needed to complete them. Add loading, empty, error, success and restricted-access states wherever they apply.
Agree behaviour at different screen sizes. A separate phone mockup does not always explain what should happen between a wide and narrow layout. The design needs to communicate the rules developers will use.
Understand the process included
Does the price cover discovery, wireframes, visual design, a prototype and user testing? What is each stage intended to answer? How many feedback rounds are included, and who consolidates comments on your side?
A prototype can help test a journey, but it is not a working system. Establish which interactions it demonstrates and what you cannot yet evaluate from it. This prevents a convincing demonstration from being mistaken for a completed product.
Agree the handover package
Ask for editable files, component and behaviour descriptions, visual assets and a list of decisions left for implementation. Check the usage arrangements for fonts, photography and other resources.
Include a handover conversation between the designer and development team, with a process for follow-up questions. At acceptance, walk through a complete user task rather than only reviewing a gallery of screens. That shows whether the design provides enough information to build the service you intended to commission.
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