// SERVICE · 01 · FRACTIONAL CDO
Design leadership, without the full-time hire.
I join your leadership team one to three days a week. I set the design strategy, shape the team and, when speed matters, build the first version myself with AI coding.
Format
1–3 days / week
Duration
3–12 months
Starts with
2-week diagnostic
Mode
Remote · on-site Rome
// § 01 · SIGNALS
You need this if.
01
You have a product team but no one who owns design at the leadership table.
02
You want AI in the product and in the process, and need someone who has actually shipped it.
03
A full-time CDO is premature, but design decisions are already costing you.
// § 02 · HOW IT WORKS
Five moves, from diagnosis to governance.
A typical 6-month engagement. Weeks are indicative.
1
Week 1–2
Diagnose
Interviews with leadership, team and customers. Audit of product, design debt and AI readiness. Output: diagnostic report.
2
Week 3–4
Map
Customer experience map and north star metric. Where value is created, where it leaks. Output: CX map and north star.
3
Month 2
Decide
Design strategy and roadmap, with the no's written down. Team shape and hiring plan. Output: strategy and roadmap.
4
Month 2–4
Build
Design system, first releases, AI-coded prototypes where speed matters more than headcount. Output: design system and MVP.
5
Month 4+
Govern
Release reviews, metrics, mentoring. The team runs it; I keep the decisions sharp. Output: governance model.
Retainer · 1–3 days / week
Fractional CDO
Project · 2–8 weeks
Design-to-Ship Sprint
// PROOF
Strategy is what you say no to. I'm there for the no's.
Airbnb 8.5M listings · Dalili +20% · Accredia 9600→10 min
How is this different from an agency?
Do you work with our existing team?
What does AI coding mean in practice?
Can we start small?
// NEXT STEP
Thirty minutes. Bring the problem.
Or write to me@carlofrinolli.it