The 10 Best UX Consulting Firms for Large Businesses

User experience (UX) design is an essential but challenging task for modern companies. In many cases, the most effective solution is to turn to a reliable UX consultant, but what are the best UX consulting services for large businesses?

As with many considerations, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to which UX firm is the best. However, these 10 consultants stand apart from the rest as particularly worthwhile investments for larger organizations.

1. Blink UX

With over 20 years of experience, Blink UX is one of the best UX consulting services for most large businesses. The company’s portfolio includes industry leaders like Amazon, The New York Times and Google, and there’s a reason why so many giants have turned to its expertise. Blink emphasizes the importance of evidence-based design, crafting UX around proven standards and case-specific data.

Blink also prioritizes organizational efficiency and collaboration in its UX philosophy. While it understands the importance of aesthetics, it ensures that designs ultimately break down silos and align multiple stakeholders to keep them practical. This mix of practicality and artistic consideration makes it an industry leader in the UX space.

2. Clay

Clay is another leading option to consider. This firm takes a tech-centric approach to UX design, using artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to unlock user insights and ensure branding remains consistent and scalable across all platforms. It also stresses the role of psychology in UX, driving engagement through science-backed strategies.

As part of its forward-thinking philosophy, Clay applies what it learns from each project to optimize its future work. Consequently, it has developed agility from partnering with startups and a sense of scale from enterprises. The combination of both drives tangible results in organizations of any size.

3. IDEO

As one of the oldest and most established names in this sector, IDEO also deserves recognition. IDEO’s work spans beyond conventional UX, reaching into larger strategic planning. The company is responsible for the design of Apple’s first mouse and helped Ford gain the tools and workflows necessary to branch into EV manufacturing.

IDEO prioritizes innovation and creativity. True to its Silicon Valley roots, it also recognizes the importance of data in decision-making, which helps bring an edge of practicality to its more artistic leanings. Another unique trait is that IDEO runs training sessions to help your workforce develop the same kind of creative thinking in your internal workflows.

4. Goji Labs

Compared to industry titans like IDEO and Blink UX, Goji Labs is a relative newcomer, but it’s still one of the best UX consulting services for large businesses. In its 10 years in the field, Goji has been named one of America’s fastest-growing companies by Inc. and won numerous product design awards.

Simplicity is at the core of Goji’s work. The firm focuses on ensuring interfaces are purposeful and intuitive, enabling seamless experiences and meeting users’ expectations by highlighting their real needs above nice-to-haves and short-lived trends. It also continually reviews its designs’ performance to tweak them as necessary for ongoing improvements.

5. frog

Capegimini-owned frog — formerly known as Frog Design — has offered design services before “UX” entered the lexicon. Like IDEO, frog provides a considerable range of consulting and strategy-related partnerships, but its UX input is still worthy of attention. This part of its business builds around behavioral science and customer-centric design.

Frog sees UX as an opportunity to expand your operations and reach clients on a deeper level, not just optimize what already exists. It also considers your broader image and corporate goals to ensure any digital platforms remain consistent with your core philosophies and targets.

6. Momentum Design Lab

Momentum Design Lab may lack frog’s brand recognition, but it’s quietly developed an impressive portfolio over the years. It has landed in Clutch.co’s top user rankings for UX agencies for nine consecutive years. Big businesses have started to take note, too, with 7% of the firm’s clientele now coming from the Fortune 500.

One of Momentum’s biggest differentiators is its proprietary AI framework, StepFrame. StepFrame allows the company to develop custom AI solutions to analyze your current UX needs, inform design decisions and track relevant metrics over time to enable ongoing optimization. Consequently, it offers deeper insights and innovative answers in less time.

7. Designit

Global design company Designit is a good option if sustainability and responsibility are crucial to your brand. The firm emphasizes ethical and sustainable technology implementation, which is becoming increasingly critical as AI’s complex ethics come under the spotlight. However, Designit is still a worthwhile partner outside of these concerns.

Designit offers full-stack UX consulting and services, so it will guide you through every step of the process. It was also an early leader in the human-centered design movement, which is particularly helpful when creating consumer-facing applications.

8. UX Studio

Hungary-based UX Studio is another one of the best UX consultants for large businesses. Agility and flexibility are the core philosophies at play at this company, so you can expect quick turnarounds and adaptations to your specific concerns. That edge is most useful when expanding your organization or dealing with niche markets.

One standout feature of UX Studio is that each of its professionals takes on just one project at a time. Consequently, the team you work with will focus solely on your UX questions. Such an attention to detail and customer-specific approach can result in impressive results in both meeting your targets and exceeding schedule expectations.

9. Metalab

Alternatively, you may consider Metalab for your next UX project. While this firm specializes in product design, its software and UX services meet high standards, too, as evidenced by past clients like Disney, TED and Slack.

Like Designit, Metalab is a full-stack partner. Whether you need someone to manage the entire software development cycle or only require strategic input, Metalab can guide you from ideation to post-launch research and testing. The company also offers user retention strategies to help you optimize UX and related concerns for existing platforms.

10. Neuron

For businesses wanting a more specific focus on UX and UI, Neuron is a reliable solution. It may lack the same kinds of industry giants in its portfolio as Metalab or Blink, but it has won several design and UX awards. Most importantly, it applies a DevOps approach to UX development to ensure quick delivery and extensive communication throughout.

Neuron specializes in B2B applications, but it offers value in any digital platform. It’s also one of the most efficient and collaborative partners available today, thanks to its DevOps methodology, which sees biweekly reports. It also stresses the importance of including clients throughout the process to ensure the end product meets your expectations.

What Makes a UX Consulting Firm Better Than Others?

When comparing UX consultants, you should keep a few key factors in mind. The most important differentiator between a leading UX consulting firm and the rest is adaptability. Your partner should be able to tailor their approach to your unique needs, as the best method may vary depending on many case-specific conditions.

User-centricity and an emphasis on hard data are also important. Designs that do not revolve around the user will fail to produce optimal results in any context. Similarly, you can only gauge a strategy’s efficacy by tracking real-world data, so a firm that doesn’t support data-driven decision-making will struggle to produce tangible benefits.

A large or noteworthy portfolio can also distinguish a UX agency, but it’s not mandatory. Some companies may not have an extensive list of industry leaders among their clientele because they’re newer. In such instances, a small portfolio does not reflect the quality of their work. However, those that do have an impressive portfolio may be easier to trust, as they have proof of their reliability.

How to Choose the Best UX Consultant For Your Needs

Adaptability, user-centricity and data-driven workflows indicate a UX agency is worth consideration, but that still leaves room when deciding which is the best for you. You can identify which UX consultant best suits your business by comparing their history and services to your niche and goals.

Start by looking for firms with experience in your industry. While some UX principles apply across sectors, expertise in your niche means a service is better prepared to account for any unusual obstacles or clientele considerations.

Similarly, you should compare providers’ key capabilities to your performance targets and the type of application you’re building. Some organizations may prioritize a quick turnaround, while others need additional support in post-launch UX monitoring. These different goals require different expertise, so the ideal partner will vary.

A company’s communication style and level of involvement are also worth considering. Some may prefer a consultant who handles most UX concerns on their own, while others want someone to guide a largely in-house process. When these factors are not immediately obvious, you can reach out to potential partners to understand their approach better.

Find Your Ideal UX Consulting Partner

UX is a particularly weighty concern for larger businesses. As such, making the right choice for your UX consulting partner is all the more important.

Between these 10 companies, you should be able to find a consulting agency that suits your needs. Making an informed decision here will enable optimal results down the line.