UI/UX designers are essential for the success of your product and your business because they heavily influence the experience customers have with your app or website.
Of course, a smooth user journey will most likely increase customer satisfaction and retention, while having a weak design with a bumpy user journey and irritating design will not only lower your product’s quality, but make you lose customers as well.
However, hiring a top-notch UI/UX design agency can be challenging, especially since there are numerous factors to consider. Whether you find the perfect fit is highly dependent on the type and scope of your project, your individual specifications, your budget, as well as on the experience of the agency, their skill sets, methods and specializations.
Ten important tips to consider when hiring an agency
To help you with this decision, we have compiled a list of ten crucial tips to keep in mind when hiring a UI/UX agency. If you are planning to venture into that process soon, then follow the list below.
01: Figure out what you’re looking for
Try to visualize your idea – What solutions do you want your product to provide? How does it respond to user input? How should it look like? If you need help with fleshing out the specifics, professional agencies will gladly advise on getting that done.
Another, more straightforward way is to research other companies and their services, products, and websites. Get as much inspiration as you can, and record it.
02: Research the agencies
After you’ve decided on which designs you prefer and why, research the UI/UX design agencies responsible for making them. In particular, pay attention to the following points:
Portfolio
Take a further look at the agencies’ portfolios. Do they already have some experience in the area of your business idea? If so, how did they bring value to their previous clients?
Consider writing down some questions regarding the design process of their past projects that you can ask during your first meeting.
Consultation
Find out, whether the agency provides consultation instead of just plainly working on your project. Consultation is a great tool to create a mutual understanding of your project, simplify communication, and to build trust – a professional consultation forms the basis of a sustainable partnership.
Additional services
Find out what they offer next to UI/UX design. Do they also offer development or motion design? Perhaps, you will need to claim additional services over the course of your project.
In that case, it is always helpful these services come from one single source, as they simplify communication and make the whole process more efficient. Thus, keep this in mind when choosing a UI/UX agency.
03: Decide on the scope
At this point, you should already have a clue about your idea. Of course, you can ask the agency to advise you regarding possible features and what makes sense to include in an MVP (minimum viable product). However, you should still have a business idea and know what the scope should look like.
04: Create a realistic budget
When hiring a complex UI/UX design agency, there’s usually the risk of hidden costs. This is not automatically the fault of the agency, but is instead an issue of communication.
So, before arranging a meeting with an agency, it’s crucial that you create a realistic budget for the project you desire to embark on.
05: Project timeline
A project timeline is as significant as a budget. Why? Because a proposed deadline serves as a vital guidance point under which both parties can plan and work accordingly.
However, the dates must possess great flexibility. Because ultimately, you will always have to factor in hidden obstacles during the development process.
Now, we will dive into the actual meeting. By keeping the following steps in mind, you will be well-prepared for your upcoming meeting with an UX agency.
06: Project organization
When meeting with the agency, you need to know who is who. Moreover, it is essential for you to meet the team who will be in charge of working on your project.
Have a comprehensive understanding of all the UI and UX designers’ skills, talents, and portfolios that will be working on your project. It will help personalize the agency and assist you in making great sense of the design process.
07: Understand the basics of UI/UX design
It is vital for you to understand at least the basic process behind UI/UX design before meeting with your potential agency. That way, you can ask direct questions about the design process, and set clearer expectations regarding certain preferences. This also improves communication – our next point.
08: Communication is key
Because clear communication is a crucial aspect, both you and the agency should strive for. The first meeting is a great opportunity for you to get to know them and how they generally operate and communicate with one another.
Find out more about the agency’s working processes. Do they have internal design meetings to discuss UX problems? Do they conduct research before they start with the design? How does their communication process with the client look like? How does the feedback process look like? Incorporate your finding in your decision-making process.
09: Show them your vision
Ensure that you bring a vision of your brand to the meeting. You should have a broader vision of what you desire to achieve with your project. Your prospective UI/UX agency should have the ability to fully comprehend what you want to achieve and always strive to complement it.
10: Choose your agency and develop a plan together
Having followed these steps, you should now have a list of agencies to choose from. Compare them according to the points of this list and decide on the agency you feel most comfortable with.
Lastly, you have to create a plan together. Develop a platform, where miscommunication is not possible. Work with the agency to create the most optimal plan for the project that you both have decided on in the beginning.
Conclusion
Hiring the perfect UI/UX design agency to work on your application might be challenging and slow. There are many factors to keep in mind and many questions that need to be asked. These 10 tips aim to ease that process. We hope that we could help you in your decision-making.
If you are currently looking for an agency to realize your vision, feel free to contact us and we will arrange a consultation with our specialized design or development team.
