There are no successful digital projects with poor visual design. Potential users need literally seconds to form the first impression of your product. You may have a really brilliant idea, but you will need a reliable UX/UI design agency to wrap it. User experience is directly connected with the product's conversion, engagement and retention. So it is vital to entrust its development to a UI UX agency that will study your project through the prism of customer perception. Only such a strategic partner will help you leave your competitors behind in today's highly competitive environment. But how to choose the right agency.

Create UX/UI Design Agencies Checklist 

There are many different criteria to take into account when selecting the UI/UX agency for your project. To make things easier, prepare a checklist covering points that are essential for delivering a high-end result. Here is a list of what you may need to check at first:

• Is there an in-house front-end developer?

• Are there a UX researcher and UX writer in the team?

• Can the agency scale its resources in case of such a necessity?

• Are they ready to provide a consultation and make a test?

• What is the pricing policy of the company?

• How is a customer involved in the process?

• How does the agency deal with the customer critics?

• Do you like completed projects in the agency's portfolio and customer references?

The responses to these questions will create a portrait of your potential partner, allowing you to immediately decide whether you will be comfortable to cooperate with this company and if it has enough technical and management skills and expertise to deliver the product you expect. If you feel doubts at this stage, it is better to continue your search.

Compare Experiences 

The best way to learn more about the agency's skills and experience is to study its portfolio. Each reputable team will be ready to show you case studies with the details of the completed projects. It will not be superfluous to investigate how successful these products turned out to be in reality. It will give you a hint what kind of quality level you may expect for your project.

Besides, you should not ignore testimonials the company received from its customers. You can find this information on big professional networks like LinkedIn or Clutch or on a company's website. It is worth checking the agency presence on social networks and reading the reviews. Or you may ask the agency to provide a couple of references. You can even contact one of its recent customers to recheck if the cooperation brought the desired result.

Ask for Agencies Estimation

It is one of the most difficult steps, but still, you should have a clear idea of how a UI/UX agency estimates the scope of work. Usually, there are two approaches used by design teams - a fixed price model and a time-based model. The former will allow you to accurately plan your budget and a deadline. Though, it is essential to have very detailed technical requirements. This option works fine for small or test projects like MVP.

The time-based approach is more flexible and allows you to actively participate in the process. You may even add or remove product features as you move along. This approach does not stipulate specific deadlines. The work on the project continues until all functionality is implemented without bugs. So, such a development can be quite costly, but the price is justified for large-scale projects. So, the choice of the payment model depends upon your financial capabilities.

Check Communication Quality 

Effective communication is the key to any project's success. And it will be vital to find out how a certain agency interacts with a customer. It is enough to raise this question during your first meeting or a consultation to see how enthusiastic the team feels in this respect. If you do not receive a clear response, it is a high risk the situation will be the same during further cooperation. Normally, it is desirable to get updates on the completed milestones or in case of disputable issues.

Frequent interaction is mega important as it helps the customer avoid a lot of unpleasant surprises, such as broken deadlines and non-compliance with technical requirements.

Project Management 

It is another important thing that you need to check before signing an agreement. A well-established workflow largely influences product success. Ask a company to familiarize you with their common working pattern. All development processes should have sequence and logic.UI/UX design is a laborious and painstaking process. Companies providing high-quality services have a clear-cut algorithm for such projects. They never act randomly, and this approach minimizes the risk of failure.

Check Agency's Team 

You should know in advance who will be dealing with your project. So it is not enough to make an agreement only with an agency salesperson or project management. It is better to know its structure from the inside. There are many UI/UX agencies that hire additional specialists when necessary. Some of them have only UX specialists but do not underestimate the importance of UI designers. The best solution is to focus on teams that have staff with varied skills - UX and UI design, front-end development, branding and business development, content creation. This way, you will have a fair chance to receive a top-quality product and decent technical support.

Wrapping Up

No matter what type of project you are going to launch, the role of a UI/UX agency is substantial. So it is not enough to get a list of agencies to choose from. You need to make a thorough investigation to understand what you can expect from a collaboration with this or that company. It is not a bad idea to approach several agencies, describe your task and examine the offered solutions. And then, based on the feedback you receive, hire the one which is the most ideal match to your expectations.