In a recent LinkedIn post, Melissa Perri discusses her initial experience with a new design collaboration tool, Claude Design, and the unexpected costs associated with its setup. Perri, a recognized product leadership expert, shared her experience after attempting to integrate her team’s design system into the platform.
Initial Enthusiasm Meets Unexpected Hurdles
Perri expressed excitement about Claude Design’s potential to address a pressing challenge for her team: improving collaboration. However, her onboarding process quickly encountered a significant financial obstacle. According to Perri, the tool’s credit system proved to be a major point of friction.
“Was excited to use Claude Design because it’s solving a problem my team is actively experiencing around collaboration.”
This initial enthusiasm, however, was soon tempered by the reality of the tool’s usage model. As Perri elaborates on the onboarding process, the limitations and costs became apparent.
The Cost of Importing a Design System
The core of Perri’s critique centers on the rapid depletion of her available credits during the initial setup phase. She highlighted the specific task of importing their existing design system from Github as the primary driver of this rapid consumption.
“Used every single one of my weekly design credits in 10 minutes just doing that.”
Perri points out that this rapid credit usage occurred even during the very first steps of utilizing the platform. Furthermore, she noted a disconnect in how these initial setup costs were handled within the tool’s credit structure.
Credit System Discrepancies
Adding to her frustration, Perri observed that the credits consumed during the import process did not seem to align with the tool’s standard credit allocation. This lack of integration with ‘normal credits,’ as she put it, exacerbated the issue.
“And it doesn’t hook into normal credits.”
In her view, this experience raises questions about the accessibility and cost-effectiveness of new tools, particularly for teams looking to quickly integrate them into their existing workflows. The rapid expenditure of credits during setup, without a clear understanding of how it ties into ongoing usage, can be a deterrent for potential users. Perri’s candid post serves as a cautionary tale for SaaS providers regarding the importance of transparent and user-friendly credit systems, especially during the critical initial adoption phase.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Melissa Perri on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on April 20, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →