Top 13 Product Design Companies in the United Kingdom
Looking for a proffecional product design company that can become a trusted partner to transform your business is no easy task to undertake. Therefore, we have conducted the research and now present the best 13 firms in the United Kingdom to jumpstart your search efforts.
As a leading provider of design services, we dove deep into analyzing some of the most prominent product design companies in the UK to assess their experience, capabilities, online reputation, and much more. In addition, our experts put together a guide that will help you sort out the candidates easier.
The listed corporations represent what a premier product design firm is all about. If you are seeking the top UK product designers, reach out to Limeup and schedule a free consultation to discuss your business objectives and how we can reach them together.
List of the best product design companies in the UK
Limeup
Limeup is a UK-based team of world-class product designers who specialize in creating top-notch product experiences for our clients worldwide. Our team is 93% senior and middle tech specialists with robust experience.
We offer a comprehensive scope of design services, including, but not limited to product design, UI UX design, web and mobile app design, MVP design & development.
How we work with our partners:
- We consider all needs and 100% focus on delivering high-quality results.
- Experts fully analyze your audience and industry demands.
- Our expertise and Agile approach save you time and money.
- Transparency and regular demos keep you updated on the progress.
- We personalize solutions to your unique business objectives.
We are one of the best product design firms delivering world-class digital products for global brands and startups. Our clients come from various walks of life and include partners like Simon-Kucher, Vodafone, Connect44, Apontis Pharma, and more.
With our expertise in niches like real estate, healthcare, fintech and others, clients can receive a well-rounded and profitable solution. Our extensive portfolio of previous works shed more light on our collaboration approach.
Contact Limeup for a free consultation and let’s dive into your project. We will cover your requests and answer any of your questions if you are searching to form a long-term partnership with reliable providers.
Apptension
Apptension is a team of talented product designers located across the UK, USA and Poland. They have been on the market since 2012 and can showcase a proven track record of delivering quality design solutions.
The clients of Apptension typically range from emerging startups to well-established businesses. The company provides such services as product research, product design, web and mobile development, branding, team extension and product optimization to name a few.
With an extensive portfolio Apptension can demonstrate a wide variety of case studies including collaborations to Riyadh Air, Home+ App, Magic Dusk and many more.
thoughtbot
thoughtbot is a mature design company from the heart of the United Kingdom with over 20 years of presence in the market and offices across the globe. It has a big team of skilled designers, developers, and marketers and provides a range of services for clients of all sizes.
Some of the services you can order from the thoughtbot team are product strategy development, roadmap planning, UX design services, team augmentation, product maintenance, site audit, and DevOps.
On a website of thoughtbot clients can view collaborations with notable brands that include but not limited to Health Match 360, Real Simple Energy, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and the list goes on.
Lighthouse
Lighthouse is among the best UK product design companies. It has a mid-sized team consisted of up to 49 people and proven experience in developing custom digital solutions for clients from various industries.
The expertise of the Lighthouse team spreads to product discovery and exploration, UX and product design, strategy, and UX consultancy. You are free for contacting them to develop new projects or upgrade the existing ones.
As suggested by their portfolio Lighthouse is a long-standing partner to a multitude of diverse businesses which include SureCloud, Ellpha, VetHelpDirect, Kuoni and more.
Fortnight
Fortnight is a small yet highly creative team of British product designers. It uses the latest technologies in design to create effective digital products and it always is up to date about what is currently trending in design demands.
The Fortnight company focuses on product branding, design and development. As a part of it you can order such services as visual identity, art direction, design strategy, mobile development, web flow creation and React/Gatsby coding.
In their corporate website Past Projects section you can view a curated number of previous partnerships with businesses such as New Image, Gener8 Ads. Simba Sleep, etc.
Raymont Osman
Raymont Osman the product design service provider was founded in 2014. Since then it has developed several projects for global brands and novice companies.
The team of Raymont Osman is ready to help you with the design creation, whether you have a well-developed design concept or just an idea of how your product should look and feel. The services of the United Kingdom product design organization include user experience and interface design, rapid prototyping, photorealism, rendering and animations. Raymont Osman can also help you with intellectual property and patent registration.
Over the years their significant amount of former clients has accumulated to portfolio with works containing projects for InterVision Global, Equerry Pro Shoe Shiner, Aston Martin etc.
Blott Studio
Blott Studio is a representative of narrow focused product development companies in London. It mainly works with startups and mid-sized clients however it can also implement projects for larger businesses specializing in fintech.
The primary services of Blott Studio are software development and product design. They use technologies like React.js, Node.js, Java, Python, Flutter, etc. and are open to innovations and creative approaches.
Within their collection of projects prospective clients can review case studies which describe partnership with brands like Rage Festival, Complete Pay, Doshi to name a few.
Lumi Design
Lumi Design is a small yet ambitious team of designers specializing in products in the United Kingdom. For six years of work it has created many web and mobile projects which helped its clients grow and thrive.
The Lumi Design team focuses on companies at the beginning of their business development journey. For their startup clients they provide such services as native mobile app design, web and desktop app design, design audits, design optimization, landing page development, pitch deck development, marketing materials creation, training junior teams and more.
In the Case Studies section of their corporate website they proudly display former works with businesses which include Mortar, Paws for Trello, RoboKiller etc.
Ribot
As a company focusing on digital product design Ribot specializes in user interfaces and user experiences for web and mobile platforms. It works with clients representing healthcare, retail, catering, education, technology, non-profit and other industries.
The main services include product research, UX review, prototyping, and design creation. Their work process is defined by 4D: discover, define, design and develop.
Many well known brands have come to seek help from Ribot that includes the names such as KFC Kiosk, Google Playbook, EDF Energy Blue Lab etc.
Mediablaze
Mediablaze was established in 2010 by Paul Botton and Roger Barr and since then it has provided product design in the UK, strategic consulting and content marketing services.
With a robust team of 900 professionals Mediablaze works with businesses like Speedo, Volvo, Everyone Active, Shiseido, CBRE, and Fidelity and helps emerging enterprises enter the market. Their tech specialists have proven experience in developing new products, updating legacy solutions, and providing an excellent experience in web and mobile apps.
Their product design strategy for showcasing clients the roadmap consists of three stages which are Craft something new, Improve what you have, Launch a new venture.
PixelTree
PixelTree is another representative of product design agencies, helping organizations create visually appealing and easy-to-navigate apps that speak their brands and corporate philosophy. The PixelTree team has 10+ years of experience in the industry and many completed projects under their belt related to services like:
- Research & Strategy,
- UX design,
- Design Sprints,
- User Testing,
- Measure & Optimize.
As a result, the client receives outstanding user-oriented products. This work approach is trusted by numerous companies, to name a few, Headstart, The ICA, and Blue Prism.
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake is a digital transformation and design company based in the United Kingfom. It provides a variety of design services such as branding, product design, print design and commercial design.
Even though Rattlesnake has only 3 years of experience it has already implemented a variety of projects for small businesses and enterprises. So if you need to create a landing page, corporate website, or a custom e-commerce solution you can contact them for help. Note however that their price rate is rather high. So you will need to pay up to £120 per hour for the Rattlesnake services. This still did not stop brands to collaborate with them like Vurt Labs, Koala FX, UBBS London to name a few.
Studio Kanda
Studio Kanda is a design agency that helps businesses with valuable and visually appealing branding, product design and web design. Its a young team of motivated designers will lead your project from validating an idea to delivering a product to the end users. Studio Kanda’s services include:
- User experience research,
- Brand strategy development,
- User experience creation,
- Design systems implementation,
- Roadmap creation.
The company also provides brand development services through art direction, illustration, photography and more. Since it was established its team has provided 120+ projects including partnerships with COAT Paints, Langlea Gardens, IKON Property etc.
Which company is the best for product design in the UK?
Now that you have familiarized yourself with our curated checklist of product design companies that are currently leading the UK market you may be wondering what criteria exactly makes each candidate unique. Indeed it is not always enough to simply scroll through the prepared list but can be useful to know what to look for in your own search efforts.
Markers of a successful product design company.
So what do we as Limeup experts pay attention to when filtering out agencies to determine which one is the better candidate? Below we list the most valuable factors:
Level of expertise and experience of design specialists.
A good technical design specialist needs to possess a certain amount of experience to be able to handle projects of various requirements and complexities. Although this is not to say a junior designer, for example, cannot be a qualified expert but they may not be as well equipped and prepared to face challenging situations when they arise.
Achievements and impact of the former works.
The best product design companies are first and foremost defined by what they have accomplished and achieved as a result of their previous collaborations. A firm that is unable to proudly put forward what kind of impact their product design brought to a client and define statistics that have improved for the businesses won’t be granted a seat among the top providers.
Testimonials and online reputation.
Word of mouth is considered to be one of the most powerful sources of information for a reason. Of course one may argue that what a former client has to say about any given firm can be biased but it can also unveil insights into the partnerships that otherwise won’t be brought to the surface. Which means paying attention to what their reputation is and the descriptions in the online reviews is undoubtedly a must.
Accolades and awards.
Another method of checking the qualifications of product design firms is to see whether they have ever been awarded or recognized by authoritative entities. When third-party bodies hand out accolades to a provider they evaluate a numerous set of criteria to select truly the cream of the crop. So it can be a good indicator of what type of name a firm made for itself in the industry.
The values of the company.
While this point may be more obscure, however, what a particular agency has to say about their moral compass and overall values can speak louder regarding their work approach. A corporation that nurtures open communication and personal growth within their team can bring more to the table as opposed to a provider that lacks any vision or company mission at all.
The aspects that we have outlined for a product design company in the UK are something that you can evaluate yourself during the initial research stages. Most if not all of them can be uncovered by digging deeper into the corporate website and finding answers to these pressing factors.
5 key questions to ask product design firms
Once you and the stakeholders have contacted a candidate of your choice and scheduled a consultation to discuss your project it is time to prepare a set of questions you are going to ask during the meeting. You may already know what kind of information you want to find answers to but it is also important to gauge other factors that will contribute to a successful collaboration.
5 key elements to consider before choosing a product design company.
So what do you need to know to ensure the selected product design companies are going to make the right fit? Here are some questions to keep in mind.
- What does the product design process look like in your company? Getting to know how the process will unfold down to every stage will paint a clearer picture of what you can expect down the road.
- Which services are included in the design of a product? You need to know for sure what services you are going to end up receiving as a result of a collaboration.
- What is your process for communicating with the client? Transparent and regular communication can mitigate risks of misalignments so be sure to check how often and through which means they will keep you updated.
- How will your team handle challenging situations? Product design agencies need to be equipped to resolve unforeseen events or conflicting situations to get back on track and deliver a viable solution.
- Do you provide further development of the created design? Some clients prefer to implement the design they have received with the same company. Therefore it is worth asking whether they are capable of doing that.
Acquiring answers to these questions will shed more light on how any given service provider treats the projects they take on. On top of that you can get to know the team more and decide if they make a good fit or not to trust your project with.
How to choose a product design company in the United Kingdom?
Every business owner and entrepreneur which has ever had the need to look for product design service providers knows a sheer abundance of choice there is out there. And so it can be hard to know which agencies are going to make the most right fit to fulfill your business’s ideas and goals.
What you should pay attention to when choosing a product design company.
On Clutch alone there are 4,483 product design companies in the UK. So how do you choose the right candidate for the job to bring your project to have commercial success with so many options available?
In order too narrow down your search and filter out unsuitable product design providers there are five essential questions that you need to find an answer to. Let us go over in detail what you need to be asking yourself during your research.
Does the company have experience in your industry?
The best possible course of action is to find a UK product design vendor that carries knowledge of how your specific industry operates. After all there are many differences and nuances associated with each niche that a firm needs to have a grasp on. For example a healthcare industry and a fintech industry are going to have vastly different regulations and compliance requirements to one another.
If during your research you find that the answer is “no” it is best to skip this provider and look for a team with proven expertise in your field. Experience with similar projects ensures that the team knows the peculiarities and how to approach designing a product for a specific sector. This in turn will help suggest the best technologies to produce desired results.
Does the company use a user-centered approach?
Users are the backbone of every digital solution as they are the ones that will be utilizing it therefore it needs to cater to their expectations and sometimes even exceed them. All of this means is that any given agency needs to put the target users first and make sure they are delivering a product that will be in demand among masses.
In the end in the digital age of software solutions providing the best customer experience on the market is crucial and every business is competing to catch the attention of people. If the product designing companies do not create a design with the user in mind your product is unlikely to succeed and stay afloat for many years to come.
Does the company provide full-cycle product design?
Nowadays most projects are quite complex and require more than a single and simple step to bring a product to life. Luckily most agencies nowadays also offer full scale product creation and design within their list of services. Which means you will have an easier time finding and picking a firm that can cover every aspect and stage of this process.
The company of your choice should be well-versed in every step of the product design process from ideation and conceptualization to prototyping and even fully fledged development. The team should be able to come up with a practical idea, bring that concept to life and showcase the idea’s viability.
Is the company open to innovations?
The market for trendsetting products is very vast and undoubtedly highly competitive with every brand playing a cutthroat game to get to the top. This goes to say that a product design company should be well-versed in which technologies and modern approaches are being emerged in today’s world.
Ideally, you want to partner with an agency that stays up-to-date with the latest trends is open to adjust to new innovations to create a never-before-seen product that can make a break through on the market. It’s essential that your product design is catchy, usable and modern.
Does the company have clear pricing?
As much as everyone would wish that this point was not so insult to injury but the pricing policy is always an important factor in choosing the right service provider. After all it is no secret that high quality services can cost quite hefty although it is usually justified by the impact of a final results and the future return on investment.
Before collaborating with a product design company in the UK ensure you are on the same page about what services must be provided and how the pricing model will be built out. Moreover there are instances where companies stay with service providers for additional partnerships like digital marketing or software development.
Since the topic of how the price is determined for services of designing digital products it is only appropriate that we touch more on it in the next section.
The cost of collaborating with product design companies
As a general piece of advice that we always give out, the best course of action to find out exactly how much will the service end up costing is to directly contact a design company. During an initial meeting you will be able to describe what you are looking to achieve with your project in detail and the provider will assess the amount of work to present to you with a custom quote on the project.
The main elements of the cost of collaboration with product design companies.
With that being said we can still lift the veil of secrecy regarding how product design firms set the price for a given project and what factors become determining in the final cost. Let’s review the three most poignant aspects one at a time.
- The scope and complexity of work. The scope of work (SOW) is defined by the number of features, functionality, customization, and the complexity of services. It is not hard to guess that the more intricate you want your product design to be the more you can expect to pay in the end. After all a redesign project or a solution created with pre-made templates is not going to cost the same as a completely brand new and custom design.
- How experienced and skilled the designers are. The pool of talented product designers in the UK is luckily very vast and you won’t find it an issue to hire the most suitable experts. However keep in mind that the services of more experienced and overall broader-skilled specialists will inevitably be more pricey as compared to designers who are at the beginning of their journey.
- The timeline and budget that you set as a client. This point lies on the shoulders of the person that will be receiving the design services. It comes down to whether you want your product to be delivered at the earliest timelines since the projects with tighter deadlines are going to require prioritization and more resources to deliver on time and within the agreed-upon budget.
The prices that you can anticipate to pay for the services of product design companies are also highly intertwined with what hourly rates they set and whether they put forward any minimum project-based budget. Supplementary factors can come into play as well such as if you require any additional services, the location of the company, the number of staff and years on the market, etc.
Looking for a product design firm?
Now that you have reached the closing part of our article you can make a judgement for yourself just how much nuances are associated with finding the best possible design service provider. With a multitude of choice and many determining factors it is easy to make a mistake and miss the signs of what makes a good firm to bring your project to life.
Our list has outlined every successful agency which re currently leading the industry and showed you the ways on how to further soft them out. In case you are ready to get started, Limeup is a top product design company that offers custom product design and development solutions for startups and enterprises worldwide.
If you’re ready to take your business to the next level with engaging product design or want to update a legacy system to make it compatible with today’s digital demands, don’t hesitate to contact us. We are determined to help your business grow and succeed with your product.