How to Choose a UX Design Agency: Tips and Tricks

Even the most stubborn of managers will eventually agree that UX design is critical. Excellent usability is the key to customer satisfaction: design-driven companies have been outperforming the S&P stock market index by 228% over the last ten years. But where do you find usability experts?

There are thousands of experienced five-star UX agencies that make a living by designing impeccable user interfaces while balancing business goals. They excel at conducting market research, evaluating competitors, validating, testing, and submitting practical solutions. And you have to choose only one of them. How?

Worry not, because we’ll help you pick the best agency for your needs. Just follow Postindustria’s tips and tricks for choosing a UX design agency. You can thank us later.

Benefits of hiring a UX design company

You may be asking yourself, “Why should I pay for the whole team? Can’t a single designer do the job?” Well, it depends. If it’s just a small one-time job that needs to be done, one designer can do the trick. But if you seek strategic experience and the ability to deliver to tight deadlines, partnering with an agency is the way to go.

There are definitely more perks to hiring a UX design agency, like the collective expertise you gain. When you outsource UX design to a company, you work with more experienced professionals and a fully-equipped design team. Strategic guidance from senior practitioners is another advantage less experienced designers cannot provide.

On top of that, agencies are used to delivering solutions for different clients from different industries under tight deadlines, so they adapt to your needs quickly and simply do their work faster. While you may spend several weeks just onboarding your in-house designer, qualified firms immediately ramp up and start delivering within two or three weeks.

How to pick the right UX agency: 5 tips

After performing initial research on Google, Behance, Dribble, Clutch, and more, you can find yourself with many great designer portfolios, but without a clue how to evaluate them. We recommend taking a closer look at the following:

1. Seek a partner

You should look for user experience consulting, not just an outsourced skillset. Agencies should have a significant background that helps them provide services like these. It’s also a good idea to look at the agency’s clients. How long have they been partners? Did clients return? You want an agency that is ready to be your trusted partner.

2. Look for real cases

Showing pretty screenshots is one thing, but seeing detailed descriptions of the cases the agency has worked on is much better. In choosing the right creative team, real examples are vital for understanding whether their design can actually solve problems and bring value to their clients.

3. Investigate their work processes

Even if an agency looks trustworthy, try to find out more about their processes. Understanding the work ethics related to UI/UX design may directly affect your project outcomes. If the agency’s approach is based on research and reliable analytics, rest assured: your product is in good hands.

4. Learn about their expertise

Here’s an insider tip for choosing a UX design agency that is sure to meet your needs: look for narrow expertise. It’s better to work with an expert in a single niche than a Jack of all trades. Look over their portfolio and identify the key strengths of the agency. It can be eye-catching product branding, unique research methods, or anything else that makes them stand out. If they made you notice them, they could do the same for your users.

5. Look for honest client testimonials

Satisfied customers always have a good word to say about their partners. However, if you want to see the complete picture, you need to look further afield, but stay away from generically positive client reviews. Of course, they won’t publish bad reviews on their website.

When you’ve selected an agency

Congrats! You’ve weeded through dozens of agencies and found the one you want to become your UX partner. Now what?

Define your limits

Your partners need to understand your budgetary constraints so that they can offer appropriate solutions. Knowing the intended scope plays a role, too: some design components might impact the overall cost of the project. 

Another crucial aspect is deadlines. If you plan for your product to be ready soon, you should tell your UX design agency right away. The project timeline will also affect what solutions the team decides to implement, since some of them may take more time, while others can be realized quickly.

Outline the requirements

UX design is useful for solving problems and enhancing communication between users and service providers. To help the agency achieve this for you, ensure you give a thorough explanation of the issues you want to solve, and all the necessary information to understand your needs.

Who will use the product? What will they use it for? What conditions affect product use? To figure out what requirements you have, try to focus on the challenges you encounter in engaging users and getting users to perform specific actions.

Set your goals

Defining how you measure progress from the very start of the project protects you from receiving second-class services, and should prevent any misunderstandings about your goals. So don’t be afraid to set project milestones to make sure you and your team are on the same page. Regular and transparent communication will help the UX agency meet your expectations and deliver real value to your product. 

Plus, you’ll be able to celebrate every milestone with them, lifting the team spirit and maintaining great relations.

The bottom line

Employing an agency can help you access skilled designers who will get things done quickly and professionally.

It may not all be roses. For instance, hiring external talent won’t build any internal resources for your organization. However, agencies provide a wide range of practices and methods, driving your product to a whole new level. On top of that, the most experienced of these designers will assist you in every stage of product development, helping you deliver an excellent solution your users will love. And, at the end of the day, isn’t that what we all want?