How we launched Bitelink.pl in 2 weeks, saving over 30% of the budget using ready-made components
As a UI/UX Designer, I often face a dilemma: should I design the interface from
scratch or use prebuilt UI libraries? Custom UI offers full control and
uniqueness, but the reality for solopreneurs and bootstrapped founders is a
constant pressure of time, budget, and fast market validation.
A great example is our project Bitelink.pl – a platform for generating and
managing QR codes that had to go from idea to MVP in just 2 weeks.
It was just two of us: a designer and a developer.
Goal: quickly test the idea, get an initial Product-Market Fit signal, and
gather feedback from early users.
Why did we choose ready-made components?
Using a UI library allowed us to:
- Save over 30% of the budget – instead of spending thousands of euros
designing and coding basic elements, we invested in market testing.
- Deliver the MVP 3x faster – instead of 6 weeks, we needed only 2, giving
us a head start over the competition.
- Maintain a consistent UX/UI – we avoided design chaos by using proven
interaction patterns.
Design tip
If you want to speed up development, choose a reliable UI library that works
well with your framework (e.g., Material UI for React).
When do ready-made components really make sense?
UI libraries (Material UI, Ant Design, Alignui, Tailwind UI) work best when:
- You have limited time and resources.
- You need to quickly validate an idea (MVP).
- You want to ensure smooth designer-developer collaboration.
When is custom UI a must?
Custom UI is essential if:
- Your brand demands uniqueness and strong visual identity.
- You need custom animations or interactions.
- You care about maximum performance and full control over code.
How to create an effective “hybrid” UI system?
In Bitelink.pl, we applied a hybrid approach:
- Basic elements (forms, buttons, navigation) – from a ready-made library
(Material UI).
- Key screens (QR code editor, user dashboard) – custom-designed to give the
product a distinctive edge.
This gave users a consistent yet recognizable interface.
Design tip
Always adapt the branding (colors, icons, typography) of ready-made
components to your UI to avoid a generic app look.
What did the Bitelink.pl MVP implementation look like?
1. From idea to MVP (2 weeks)
- 3 days: layout and flow design using prebuilt components.
- Parallel implementation by the developer using Material UI.
- Key screens (QR code generator) – built custom.
- Iterative testing and UX/UI tweaks over the following days.
Results:
- We delivered a working MVP in just 2 weeks.
- We confirmed initial Product-Market Fit without unnecessary costs.
- We saved over 30% of the budget compared to a fully custom solution.
2. Challenges we faced
- Some library components required non-trivial modifications.
- It was necessary to adjust branding (colors, icons) to maintain a unique
identity.
Our custom FAST method for deciding between ready-made and custom components
In Bitelink.pl, we created a custom decision-making method called FAST:
- Fit – Does the library meet our UX/UI needs?
- Adaptability – Can we easily customize styles and interactions?
- Speed – Does the library significantly accelerate development?
- Testability – Does it allow for fast hypothesis validation?
Thanks to FAST, we could quickly assess when to use ready-made components and
when to build something custom.
Design tip
Test UI libraries early in the project. If, after a few days, it turns out
that adapting them is more time-consuming than building from scratch, it’s
better to switch to a custom solution.
Conclusion
Choosing ready-made components is a matter of strategy. Using libraries
doesn’t mean giving up uniqueness—it’s a strategic choice that saves
resources in the early stage. After validating the market, you can always invest
in a more custom design.