Hi, I'm Tavlean
Tavlean is a combination of wordplay on my given name (Tavleen Singh) and "lean" which represents my philosophy on code, design, and business.
I'm based in Ludhiana, India. I studied computer science and have been making tools and apps since the VB6 days, so design and development have been part of my life for 20+ years.
For years I was also a professional music producer in Bollywood, fusing a lot of western and Indian genres. Now I fuse design, development, business, and AI.
On this site you'll find tools, browser extensions, apps, and articles that sit somewhere between a notebook and a journal. There is more about the shape of my work, and how I take on client engagements, below.
What I do
I design and develop sites, apps, and tools. The work splits into three loose buckets, and the same person works on all three. Which one you start in depends on the shape of the project.
- Personal projects and writing. The tools, extensions, and articles on this site are what I publish on my own time. They are how I think out loud, and the best way to see how I actually build things before getting in touch.
- Design and engineering hires. Brands and teams bring me in for product and UI/UX design, frontend builds, custom websites, and AI consulting, on a project or retainer basis. This is the right place if you are technical, and the brief is closer to a product than a brochure, or you want AI threaded into an existing workflow.
- Slift Studio. When the engagement is closer to a traditional studio job (brand identity, Shopify storefronts, business or marketing websites and landing pages), it runs under Slift Studio. That's my lean agency.
FAQ
A few practical notes for people considering a project.
Are you a solo operation?
Yes. Tavlean is my personal site, and Slift Studio is the studio name I use for branding, UI/UX, Shopify, and custom website work. The same person works on both. When a project needs extra specialists (motion, illustration, copy, backend), I bring them in and that scope is agreed before the engagement starts.
Are you taking on new projects?
Availability changes with current work, but I respond to every serious inquiry. The best way to check is to email [email protected] with a short brief: what you are building, your timeline, any hard launch date, and rough budget range. I reply with whether it fits the next slot or when the next opening is.
How do projects usually run?
Most projects move through five phases: discovery, design, build, review, and launch. Smaller landing pages and brand sprints typically run a few weeks. Custom websites and Shopify storefronts run several weeks to a couple of months depending on scope and content readiness. Each proposal locks in milestone dates so the schedule is concrete from the start.
Do you publish pricing?
I quote each engagement after a short discovery call so the number reflects the actual scope. The default is a 50% deposit on start and 50% on launch. Larger projects with more milestones often start with a 30% deposit and the balance split across delivery. Ongoing work is a monthly retainer. Every proposal lists deliverables, what is in and out of scope, the payment schedule, included revision rounds, and how new requests during the project are billed.
Who owns the work after launch?
Clients own the final deliverables, source code, and design files for the contracted work. I retain the right to show finished work in my portfolio and write about it unless we agree otherwise upfront. Third-party tools, components, and pre-existing libraries remain under their original licenses.
Do you offer maintenance after delivery?
Yes, two common shapes. A fixed post-launch handoff period for bug fixes and minor changes, or a monthly retainer for ongoing design and development. If an in-house team is taking over, I include a written handoff document and a walkthrough so nothing depends on me being around.
How do we communicate during a project?
Communication is async by default through email, Slack, or whatever channel the client already uses, with a written progress note at least once a week and any active threads kept in one place. Working sessions and calls are scheduled when a decision needs alignment, not as a default cadence. Decisions get written down so the team can act on them without waiting for the next call.
What does a revision round look like?
Each design and build milestone includes a defined number of revision passes, usually two, captured in the proposal. A revision is a round of feedback that refines the work without changing the agreed scope. New requests that change the scope are handled as a separate change order, with a small written estimate before they start, so the timeline and budget stay accurate.
What stack do you use for custom websites?
Day to day I work with SvelteKit, Astro, Tailwind CSS, and Shopify Liquid, with TypeScript across the board. The actual stack for a given project is chosen based on the brief, the team that will own the site afterwards, and how the content will be edited. I lean toward stacks the client can maintain without locking them into me.
How do you handle accessibility?
Accessibility is treated as part of normal interface work: semantic structure, keyboard-friendly UI, readable contrast, focus-visible states, and responsive layouts. Formal WCAG audits, certification, or compliance guarantees are scoped explicitly when a project legally needs them.
Does writing about an industry mean you have client experience there?
No. Article topics reflect what I am building, learning, or thinking about, not a claim of domain expertise. Industry-specific client experience should be confirmed from case studies, project references, or a direct conversation.