A clear one-page brief saves weeks of back and forth. What to include, what to leave out, and a simple outline you can copy.
Most project quotes are only as good as the brief behind them. A vague brief gets you a vague estimate, or a quote padded to cover everything that wasn’t said. A clear one gets you a sharper price and a better first conversation.
You don’t need a long document. One or two pages is enough if they cover the right things.
Start with the problem, not the features
Before listing screens and buttons, describe the problem in a few sentences. Who has it, how they deal with it today, and why that isn’t good enough.
A team that understands the problem can suggest a simpler solution. A team that only sees a feature list can only price the list.
Describe your users
Who will use the product, and how often? A tool used every day by trained staff is designed very differently from an app a customer opens twice a year. A few lines on each type of user is enough.
Say what success looks like
How will you know the first version worked? Fewer phone bookings, faster check-in, a certain number of sign-ups? One or two measurable goals help everyone make the same trade-offs later.
Share your constraints
Be honest about the limits:
- Budget: even a rough range helps us suggest the right scope
- Timeline: a fixed launch date changes how we plan the work
- Existing systems: anything the product needs to connect to
Constraints aren’t a problem. They’re what turns a wish list into a plan.
Leave the solution open
It’s useful to share examples you like, but try not to design the product in the brief. Leave room for the team to ask questions and suggest options. That’s where the best ideas usually come from.
A simple outline
- The problem, in three to five sentences
- Who the users are
- What success looks like
- Must-haves for the first version
- Budget range, timeline and existing systems
Send us a brief like this and we’ll come back with questions, a plan and a quote. Start a project.
Working on something similar?
Tell us what you're building. We'll come back with questions and a plan.
Start a project
