UNITED STATES—San Francisco is home to hundreds of UX/UI design agencies. This is the place where many tech startups start their career, and they wouldn’t be able to build an attractive digital product without specialized help. However, how do you choose a reliable team that will surely meet all of your requirements?
This post will find some tips that will help you choose a San-Francisco-based UX/UI agency.
Top tips to consider when hiring a San Francisco UX company
In hiring professional UX/UI design agencies based in San Francisco, pay attention to 5 essential criteria.
1. Experience and portfolio
When you select a UX/UI design agency, choose the company with at least five years of experience. Many startups stop existing after 1-3 years, so you do not want to risk your project’s future. San Francisco is a fantastic location for talented people, but the competition is high; rent, health insurance, and other payments that the company has to make are high. So young companies here are at even more significant risk than elsewhere.
Moreover, if the company is running for more than five years, it has a well-coordinated team and stabilized business processes. They have probably worked on several cases already and will be able to guide and consult you along the way, primarily if you have never worked with a third-party UX/UI design agency before. You will feel much more comfortable working with an experienced design firm like Clay San Francisco.
2. Company size
If you have a complex or large-scale project, large internet portal, or web application, pay attention to the company size. The optimal size of a UX/UI company is from 50 to 250 team members. In this case, you can be sure that they will have enough staff to cover your project’s needs.
More prominent companies are also an option. However, they are, most likely, widely-known design corporations. That means that, first of all, their services are over-priced for the brand. Second of all, enterprises have a lot of bureaucracy, and it may take a much longer time before you finalize all the project requirements and start working.
As for little agencies, they can sometimes be a good match. For example, if you have an original idea in mind, you might want to address a small local agency that will concentrate only on your project. It is up to you which model of cooperation you prefer.
3. Approach to work
Some work by Agile. This approach is considered the most modern and is adopted by many companies in Silicon Valley. If you choose an Agile team, it will be easy for you to introduce changes if needed and actively participate in the development. The team works in short iterations, two weeks – months each after they present the results.
However, this is not the only way to work with a San Francisco UX/UI design agency. Some companies prefer to set the requirements once and for all at the beginning of the project and present you with the final result at the end of the project. They can do the designs themselves or outsource them to another company. This approach is often criticized as not being flexible enough. However, if you are not interested in participating in the project design, this option might be right for you.
4. Hourly rate and minimal project size
Finally, an essential factor that affects your choice of a design vendor is the price. To estimate how much the project will cost, you need to compile a list of agencies and study their hourly rate. Also, pay attention to their minimal project size – if your project is small, not every agency will want to work with it because it will not look good in their portfolio. However, most San Francisco design agencies are more flexible and are always ready to meet the needs of their clients.
Many agencies do project estimation for free, so you can contact them to learn how much time your project’s development will take and how much you will pay for it.
Conclusion
It will be easy for you to find a UX/UI agency of your dreams if you follow this post’s tips. Pay attention to the agency’s experience, ask them about the company size and their work approach. Choose based on your budget and business requirements, and you will undoubtedly find the firm that suits you best.
