Competent product design alleviates, instead of escalating, the points where the customer feels most concerned to try out. It’s achieved by a fine balance of design expertise, formulated and executed by thought leaders. You would find it imperative to secure the right product design expertise if your brand is to succeed in the competitive landscape. The options are many, but this article sorts you out by highlighting the top 10 product design companies to work with in 2024.
Product design, most commonly misunderstood, is not an offshoot of branding. Instead, a successful design combines key elements of aesthetics, sharp-edge creativity, business insight, and essential technical knowledge. The design speaks without speaking, it is visible even when you are not actively looking for it. Transponding such an encompassing appeal is made possible by veteran design expertise, via your preferred product design service.
Top 10 Product Design Companies
- UX studio
Based in Budapest, Hungary, UX Studio combines a team of professionals handpicked from 13 countries to excel at what they do.
- Think Company
Based in the US, Think Company is one of the most reckoning services in UI/UX design. They have offices in Center City, Philadelphia and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.
- Wandr Studio
The LA firm has a service base spread across the world. It specializes in B2B SaaS and website design.
- Beyond
Beyond is a global design and technology agency that partners with some of the apex brands to create eye-catching designs.
- Echo & Co
Echo & Co is a human-centered digital design agency that combines design knowledge with social skills to understand what works best in a competitive market.
- Design First
The company prides itself on being an end-to-end product design agency with more than 25 years of experience in creating manufacture-ready design solutions.
- UPQODE
UPQODE is an award-winning product design agency offering full-stack services in design and execution. They specialize in WordPress designs.
- Fuzzy Math
Fuzzy Math is a top-rated UI/UX design agency specializing in enterprise products and B2B design initiatives.
- Grio
Grio is an experienced software development agency based in the SF Bay Area. They specialize in world-class web and mobile designs.
- AltSource
AltSource offers custom technology solutions that serve as key drivers in business growth, from design to branding.
Detailed Profiles of Select Companies
UX studio
Company Founding Date: October 1, 2015
Company Location: Budapest, Hungary
Company Specializations: web design, web development
Services Offered: UX/UI design, UX research, UX audit, UX consulting, design system refinery, and UX training.
Major Achievements:
- Website redesign for IncQuery Labs
- UX research project for Netflix
- Collaboration with Google on product ideas
Think Company
Company Founding Date: 2007
Company Location: Center City, Philadelphia
Company Specializations: Digital marketing, graphic design, SEO, product design, web design, software
Services Offered: service design, technology strategy and consulting, accessibility and inclusion
Major Achievements:
- Reimagined a virtual arts museum with the Barnes Foundation
- Worked with Penn Mutual to deliver a heightened customer experience
- Launched a unified experience for Comcast Business
Wandr Studio
Company Founding Date: June 1, 2016
Company Location: Los Angeles
Company Specializations: Apps, SaaS, Software
Services Offered: Design systems, Onboarding UX, UX audit, UX workshop, design thinking workshop
Major Achievements:
- Partnered with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
- Worked with Vectrix, a Y combination cybersecurity startup
- Worked with Asset Panda to develop a human-centric design
Beyond
Company Founding Date: N/A
Company Location: London
Company Specializations: UX/UI design, UX research, UX audit
Services Offered: Customer experience, engineering & design, product design
Major Achievements:
- Improved digital experience for Mailchimp
- Developed advanced cloud integration for the Google Ad Partners directory
- Redesigned an AI tool for Artrya to transform coronary diagnosis
Echo & Co
Company Founding Date: 2004
Company Location: Washington
Company Specializations: advertising, consulting, web design, web hosting
Services Offered: Creative design, website redesign, digital experience
Major Achievements:
- Worked with the National Education Organization on website redesign
- Worked with Greenpeace USA to develop new vistas for the US audience
- Redesigned the website for Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC)
Design First
Company Founding Date: 1996
Company Location: Ottawa
Company Specializations: Product design, Product development
Services Offered: design strategy, engineering, software design, industrial design
Major Achievements:
- Worked with NASA on electrical support for the James Webb Space Telescope
- Worked with SkyX on their drone recharging stations
- Developed the Virtual Caregiver Voice System for Lifepod
UPQODE
Company Founding Date: 2014
Company Location: Nashville
Company Specializations: e-commerce, WordPress, Information Technology
Services Offered: web design, web development, web maintenance, web hosting, corporate website design
Major Achievements:
- Developed a responsive website for Classy
- Developed WordPress web design for Forma.ai
- E-commerce web design for Sew Sketchy
Fuzzy Math
Company Founding Date: 2009
Company Location: Chicago
Company Specializations: strategy and planning, interaction design, strategy consulting, UX research
Services Offered: AI integration UX design, digital product strategy, digital transformation
Major Achievements:
- Developed an extensive B2C design system for Hyatt
- Developed an embedded UI for Clarix Healthcare
- Worked with Wonderlic to design a new SaaS platform
Grio
Company Founding Date: May 15, 2008
Company Location: San Francisco
Company Specializations: mobile apps, UX design, web design, web apps, UX design, product design
Services Offered: Strategy, design, development, UX design
Major Achievements:
- Partner for Rivals, a Yahoo Sports Website
- Designed the Daikin Hero Cloud application
- Provided mobile software development assistance for FitBit
AltSource
Company Founding Date: 2004
Company Location: Portland
Company Specializations: software, information technology
Services Offered: software development, digital strategy consulting
Major Achievements:
- Automated repetitive tasks for Pacific Architectural Wood Products
- Worked with Consumer Cellular
- Worked with Neuflec
What Does A Product Designer Do?
A product designer leads the entire design process for a new product or improves an existing one. Responsibilities include brainstorming solutions to address user needs, gathering input from stakeholders, followed up by coordinating between design, engineering, and research teams. Product designers also create mockups and prototypes. A product designer balances high-level goals with detailed execution to deliver successful products.
What Does A Product Design Company Do?
A product design firm with expertise and capacity can be an invaluable partner for your business by handling a broad scope of work, including developing your product, prototyping, managing manufacturers, and creating user manuals, marketing materials, and more.
A successful product requires input from a wide range of industries and experts. Product design firms excel at this process. They collaborate with specialists across disciplines to guide a product from initial concept to full realization, incorporating expertise in planning, design, manufacturing, and product lifecycle management.
A product design firm enlists a wide range of comprehensive services from engineering design to web design. The process involves concept development, research, developing functional prototypes, and testing.
How Much Does It Cost To Work With A Product Design Agency?
Pricing models vary when hiring a product design agency. Having a clear idea about the pricing system can help you decide on the models that work for your requirements.
- Fixed price projects: The designing firm would charge a comprehensive set price for the entire project. The scope of the pricing will depend on several factors such as the complexity of the project, the expected timeline, and the total scope of work. The average cost ranges from $10,000 to $49,999.
- Hourly rates: In this pricing model, a set hourly price is charged based on the deductions of the personnel engaged in your project. The rate will depend on the scope of service you require from your product design team. Hourly rates vary over a wide range, from $50 to $199 per hour.
- Retainer rates: This pricing model is popular for long-duration projects. A fixed amount is charged on a monthly or quarterly basis for a recurring duration of hours or product design tasks.
How To Choose A Top Product Design Company
Selecting the best product design company should be based on your assessment of your requirements and how well a given company is the best fit. To achieve this, you will have to rely on several factors including an assessment of their services, pricing models, and success stories. Above all, you need to be sure that the product design enterprise is going to be an enriching experience.
The basic idea of a successful product design is to offer a product experience that strikes a chord with the buyers. A pre-assessment of this connection can be made by understanding the design vibes of a product design enterprise. You will also have to understand the company culture, and how it is suitable from your perspective.
How To Improve An Existing Product Design
Improving an existing product design would require a complete analysis of it to understand the UX gaps that need to be finalized to achieve the desired outcome. Your preferred product design firm will initiate a UX audit to understand the various variables affecting the success of the existing design.
Once this audit is approved and finalized, the product design service would typically present a workflow to work on the design and enhance it. A workable prototype will be developed after finalizing its iterations. The entire process is based on user research and data analysis. This is a typical workflow, but the actual design process may vary depending on your preferred partner.
What Is The Product Design Process?
The product design process serves as a set benchmark of the firm’s approach to the design. Design approaches vary, as companies organize their workflows in different methods. As a case study, you can refer to the four-step double-diamond process of UX Studio.
The four steps of the double-diamond process are Discover > Define > Develop > Deliver. The process is initiated in the Discover phase, whereby the Studio has not defined anything yet. The professionals will evaluate your product design criteria to identify the problem spaces and pinpoint the areas that need to be worked on.
Based on these insights, a direction for design is set up, complemented with an attitude of problem-solving to achieve the desired outcome. This is called the Define phase. The Discover and Define phases are combined to set up the first diamond in the product design process.
Once these phases have been covered, the Studio moves on to the Develop and Deliver stages. The Develop and Deliver phases oscillate between each other to create the final outcome. Prototypes are created, and combined with testing and research, the development process continues. Client feedback is incorporated at every stage of the process until it is deemed complete with your testimonial.
