Fortress Technology
Manufacturing & industrial · HMI · Named clientRebuilt the operator HMI around how the line actually runs. Operator training dropped from three weeks to two days, verified across production sites.
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Interfaces for work that can't afford mistakes.
Cristian and Maira — two Principal Product Designers, 25 years across 10 industries. We design for complexity, on the model that fits you: fractional, retainer, or fixed scope.
Senior design leadership, without the full-time overhead.
Cristian or Maira, 2–4 days a week — senior design priced against what mistakes cost you, not what designers cost. Capped sprints, no surprise invoices. You control scope; we control quality.
Start with a capped sprintA product designer in your standups.
We plug into your backlog, run your design sprints, and hand over build-ready specs your devs can ship this sprint. No ramp-up, no hand-holding, no agency in another timezone.
Review a 2-week planDesign that respects your constraints.
Tokens, specs, and changelogs that don't break your pipeline. Glove-friendly targets, high contrast, dark mode. We ask about your hardware before choosing a typeface.
View specs & handoffIndustrial HMI redesign: operator training cut from 3 weeks to 2 days (85% reduction).{ Scroll }
( About )
( Since 2001 )
For twenty-five years we've designed for enterprise clients, sometimes through partners, always as the team doing the work. Today we sit directly with the directors, product teams, and companies who want us on their side.
25
Years in design & technology
−85%
Operator training time · client-verified
17
Companies · some since 2003
2
Designers, 0 juniors
( Work )
Recent work
Some clients let us name them; most don't. Either way, the problems and the measured results are real.10 case studies, 1 public — 7 below, the rest on the work page. Every outcome client-verified, every metric real.
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( Principles )
Why clients stay with us
Some of our clients have trusted us for over two decades, through acquisitions, industry shifts, and leadership changes.
( Retention )
20+ years
Our longest client relationship, held through acquisitions, industry shifts, and leadership changes.
01
User first
We watch people use the current system — on the floor, in the clinic — before proposing anything.
02
Lean & focused
Two principals, no juniors, no account layer. You brief the person who does the work.
03
Outcomes, not deliverables
We agree the number that should move — training time, error rate, task speed — and design against it.
04
Aligned with engineering
We design in your constraints — stack, tokens, sprint cadence — so nothing ships as a redline PDF nobody builds.
others
- × Juniors doing the work you were sold by seniors
- × Agency overhead, account managers, another timezone
- × Open-ended budgets and surprise invoices
The Pandelion way
- → Two principals, 0 juniors, no delegation
- → Embedded in your standups, in your tools
- → Capped sprints, visible burn, no surprises
( How we work )
How we bring senior design into your team
Pick the model that fits how you need us, not the other way around. No juniors, no delegation, no surprises.
/ Most popularFractional
Cristian or Maira embedded on your team 2–4 days a week. Joins standups, uses your tools, owns design end-to-end. Judged on the numbers we agree should move — training time, error rate, task speed.
£850/day · 2–4 days a week · 3-month min · 2-week paid trial/ OngoingRetainer
A reserved block of principal design capacity every month. Design system upkeep, iterative improvements, and a designer who already knows your product.
/ Defined scopeProject-based
A discrete deliverable with a not-to-exceed cap: an HMI overhaul, an interface audit, a design system. Acceptance criteria agreed upfront.
End-to-end engagement
01Embed & understand
Weeks 1–2. Join standups, learn your stack, talk to users.
02Design & validate
Weeks 2–4. Rapid prototyping, weekly demos, real-environment testing.
03Ship & hand off
Ongoing. Tokens, specs, and changelogs your devs can ship.
04Iterate & improve
Continuous. Post-launch monitoring and refinements.
( Pricing )See full pricing →
Predictable pricing without the rigidity
Capped sprints and not-to-exceed milestones. You pay for actual time up to a clear ceiling, never past it.
→ Acceptance criteria agreed upfront→ Early warning at ~70% burn→ Up to 50% of unused time carries over→ Hit the cap early? We stop charging
( The team )Meet the team →
Cristian and Maira
Two designers, zero juniors, no delegation. The people you meet on the intro call are the people in your standups, drawing your screens.
Cristian H. GomezPrincipal Product Designer
20+ years of HMIs and control rooms, interfaces for gloved hands, low light, and zero tolerance for mistakes.
Maira S. MartinoPrincipal Product Designer, Co-Founder
Research-first healthcare and workflow UX, in the clinic or at the workstation before a single screen is drawn.
( Fit )
A good fit
- → Your interface is complex: HMI, clinical, regulated, data-heavy, or safety-critical
- → You need senior product thinking, not just pretty screens
- → You value predictable budgets and clear communication
Not a fit
- × Simple marketing websites or landing pages
- × "Make it look nicer" without an underlying workflow problem
- × Shopping for the lowest price rather than the right outcome
( Contact )Complex system?
Complex system?
Let's talk.
Book a 20-minute call. We'll review your project and tell you honestly if we're the right fit. No sales pitch, just straight answers.