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UX research is pivotal in product development, guiding decisions towards user-centered solutions by understanding user needs, pain points, and behaviors. Depending on the varying needs of research and UX maturity, companies may have either established research workflows or opt to delegate research projects to research agencies that provide specialized expertise and resources.
In this blog, we introduce popular research agencies in the US along with key considerations to keep in mind when choosing one. Additionally, we delve into why more companies are adopting advanced research tools to conduct in-house research instead of hiring research agencies.
Ditch agency fees, and start your research with Hubble
Take ownership to build your own surveys and usability studies
Overview of research agencies in the US
UX research agencies offer a range of services that can be tailored to meet your research needs. Each firm has its own specialty in terms of the type of research, industry, and product area. Before you explore which UX research agency to hire, we also recommend weighing the advantages of conducting in-house research to hiring UX research agencies as opting for a UX research tool affords greater flexibility and control in the research process at a lower cost.
1. Hubble
Hubble is a unified UX research platform that empowers product teams independently run research studies and test design prototypes. While Hubble doesn't offer research consulting services like the other firms listed below, it makes DIY research as intuitive as possible for product managers, designers, and other non-researchers to easily kickstart a research project with detailed research guides, templates, and dedicated customer support.
By leveraging the appropriate set of tools, your team can autonomously conduct research and testing without relying on third-party agencies. At a fraction of the cost and project lead times of hiring a research agency, you can streamline your research process, from planning and building the experiment to recruiting participants and analyzing data, with Hubble.
"Our research turnaround time has significantly decreased with Hubble, enabling us to test concepts within a day as opposed to waiting for weeks."
Joyce Iong
UX designer at Covered
Read the full customer story
- 📍 Location: New York, US
- 👥 Company Size: 1 - 9
- 🤝 Main Services: Unmoderated Studies, Usability and Concept Testing, In-product Surveys, Recruitment Panel
- 💰 Pricing: Free to start. Custom organization plans available upon request
Ditch agency fees, and start your research with Hubble
Take ownership to build your own surveys and usability studies
2. Nielsen Norman Group
Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g) is a renowned research and consulting firm specializing in user experience (UX) research and design. The founders, Jakob Nielsen and Don Norman, are pioneers in the UX field and were the first to coin the term user experience in job titles. NN/g has been at the forefront of UX research for over two decades.
The company is known for its extensive research publications, usability studies, and training programs, which have significantly influenced the field of UX design. NN/g offers a wide range of services, including consulting, training workshops, and conferences, aimed at helping organizations improve the usability and effectiveness of their digital products and services.
- 📍 Location: Delaware, US
- 👥 Company Size: 10 - 49
- 🤝 Main Services: Training, UX certificates, Consulting, User Testing, Expert Review
- 💰 Pricing: Varies by services and complexity. A single platform (e.g., website or application): $38K; Multi-screens: $45K-65K; Competitor review (3 competitors): $75K
3. AnswerLab
AnswerLab is a leading user experience research firm that specializes in helping enterprise-level companies improve their digital products and services. The agency has over 250 professionals that support full range of service including UX research, research operations, and strategies.
The firm offers one-time research with a range of research methods, such as contextual inquiry, usability testing, diary studies, and more. It also specializes in topics like AI, accessibility research, DEI, and benchmark studies.
- 📍 Location: Fremont, CA and New York
- 👥 Company Size: 101 - 250
- 🤝 Main Services: Accessibility Research, Benchmark Studies, Operations, DEI Research, Emerging Technologies
- 💰 Pricing: Available upon request
4. Blink
Blink offers a wide range of services, including user research, usability testing, and interaction design. The firm's team of experienced researchers, designers, and strategists collaborates closely with clients including big tech companies, such as Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon. The firm provides a range of research and services based on various stages of product development and research needs.
- 📍 Location: Seattle, WA
- 👥 Company Size: 101 - 250
- 🤝 Main Services: User Interviews, Benchmark Studies, Usability Testing, Operations, Contextual Inquiries, Diary Studies
- 💰 Pricing: Starting project price at $25K. Approximate hourly rate $200 - $300
5. NewtonX
NewtonX is a B2B market research and user research firm specializing in conducting extensive quantitative surveys, facilitating qualitative interviews, offering long-term consultations, and delivering customized research solutions to address complex product challenges. Leveraging their up-to-date knowledge of B2B market research trends, NewtonX enables businesses to stay informed about the dynamic landscape of their industries.
- 📍 Location: New York, US
- 👥 Company Size: 10 - 49
- 🤝 Main Services: B2B Market Research, Consulting, Quantitative Research, Mixed Methods
- 💰 Pricing: Available upon request
6. Guidea
Guidea is a product design and UX consultancy assisting companies in complex industries especially in health tech. Employing a strategic product design approach, they consistently produce innovative, high-performing products. Guidea tailors their services to each team's specific needs, crafting a customized plan for every project spanning the four phases of their proprietary process.
- 📍 Location: Texas, US
- 👥 Company Size: 10 - 49
- 🤝 Main Services: Health Tech, Ed Tech, Fin Tech, Consulting, Product Design and Strategy
- 💰 Pricing: Available upon request
7. Experiment Zone
Experiment Zone is a UX research agency specializing in websites, SaaS software, and conversion rate optimization. They assist businesses in extracting greater value from their websites through research and conversion rate optimization (CRO) with services like A/B testing and analytics.
- 📍 Location: Austin, TX
- 👥 Company Size: 10 - 49
- 🤝 Main Services: Website Audit, eCommerce, SaaS Platforms, Conversion Optimization
- 💰 Pricing: Available upon request
8. UX Firm
UX Firm specializes in UX research and consulting, emphasizing usability studies as its core focus. With decades of experience, the firm offers comprehensive support to product teams and businesses, informing decision-making processes. Their range of services includes usability testing, human factors validation testing, B2B usability testing, and a suite of UX research tools designed to unveil user insights throughout the product development lifecycle.
- 📍 Location: Atlanta, GA
- 👥 Company Size: 1 - 9
- 🤝 Main Services: Usability Testing, E-Commerce Testing, Expert Review
- 💰 Pricing: Available upon request
9. Marketade
Marketade is a boutique agency that closely collaborates with clients on their rolling research initiatives. The firm offers either ongoing research or one-time study depending on research needs. Ongoing research helps your organization establish a consistent cadence of research protocol by working closely for a extended duration of time.
- 📍 Location: Bethesda, MD
- 👥 Company Size: 1 - 9
- 🤝 Main Services: Rolling Research, Discovery Research, Usability Testing, Content Testing
- 💰 Pricing: Available upon request
10. ath Power
ath Power has 20+ years of experience with its focus on improving profitability through various business metrics. The company specializes in customer retention, brand loyalty and advocacy, employee engagement, compliance, and performance monitoring. Another part of its body supports government projects including customer experience and employee engagement.
- 📍 Location: MA, US
- 👥 Company Size: 51 - 200
- 🤝 Main Services: Survey, Social Media Monitoring, Customer Research, Employee Training
- 💰 Pricing: Available upon request
11. Adam Fard
Adam Fard is a UX-centric consulting agency originally based in Germany. It boasts in supporting complex B2B products and enterprise apps, supporting research in various phases from MVP development to iterative usability studies. The company supports a range of research including both quantitative and qualitative studies.
- 📍 Location: New York, US and Germany
- 👥 Company Size: 10 -49
- 🤝 Main Services: UX Audit, Customer Research, MVP Development, FinTech, SaaS
- 💰 Pricing: Starting project price at $12K. Approximate hourly rate $50 - 99. AI-powered UX design review is available starting at $99
12. Gartner
Gartner is a global consultancy and advisory firm specializing in providing insights, analysis, and advisory services to help businesses make informed decisions. With a focus on technology and business strategy, Gartner offers a wide range of research reports, consulting services, and events tailored to various industries and sectors. It supports projects in over 100+ countries.
- 📍 Location: CT, US
- 👥 Company Size: 10,000 - 20,000
- 🤝 Main Services: Audit & Risk, Strategic Planning, Legal, Product
- 💰 Pricing: Available upon request
Factors to consider when hiring research agencies
Hiring UX research agencies offers several key advantages, such as unbiased perspectives and research expertise, to your research initiative. Nevertheless, choosing the right agency requires a significant investment of time and effort, meeting with multiple agencies, evaluating their strengths (years of experience, research methods, industry expertise), drafting RFPs, and carefully reviewing proposals. If you are considering to hire external research agencies, keep these essential tips in mind:
- Consider the location and working style of the agency. Time zone differences can impact communication and collaboration, so ensure that the agency's timezone and working style align with yours.
- Always do your homework to learn about which researcher will be handling your project on a day-to-day basis. Research agencies often have a diverse range of researchers, so it's essential to know who will be directly involved with your project and their level of expertise. We’ve seen how there could be a variability even within agencies as it is common for them to hire sub-contractors.
- Evaluate each agency's strengths and specialties. Some excel in exploratory research, while others may have extensive experience in evaluative research within specific industries. Meeting with multiple agencies allows you to assess their strengths and determine which one aligns best with your research needs.
- Consider the size of the agency. While larger consultancy firms may offer a wide range of services, smaller agencies often provide more personalized attention and maintain a roster of high-quality collaborators.
- Large consulting firms may loan out their collaborators temporarily and seek additional commission if you decide to hire them directly.
Why companies shift to in-house UX research tools
Working with external agencies may entail higher costs, longer project lead times, and challenges related to communication and alignment with the organization's goals and processes. Unlike external research agencies, in-house research involves committed product team members tasked with research to shape product development and design strategies. With an increasing number of companies opting for advanced research tools to execute research with greater flexibility and efficiency, conducting in-house research using the right set of research tools offers several compelling advantages over outsourcing to external agencies. Below are some key reasons why we suggest that you utilize research tools to facilitate DIY studies.
1. Plethora of advanced research tools
Advancements in digital research tools have significantly democratized the research process, making sophisticated research methodologies more accessible to internal teams. With the proliferation of intuitive research platforms, such as Hubble, User Testing, and User Interviews, product teams no longer need to rely solely on external expertise or agencies to conduct comprehensive research studies. Instead, they can leverage these self-service tools to design, execute, and analyze research projects autonomously, empowering teams to maintain full control over the research process while optimizing resource utilization and cost-efficiency.
These digital platforms specialize in and support different phases of research. Below are a few examples:
- Hubble: focuses on enabling product teams to easily launch unmoderated studies and in-product surveys for contextual feedback from users real-time. It helps you streamline research from project design, participant recruitment, data collection, and data analysis in a single tool.
- Hotjar: is a powerful web analytics tool that show how users interact with your website.
- User Interviews: is a great tool for recruiting quality participants for your moderated studies.
We've also curated an exhaustive list of UX tools based on their usage and popularity.
- To learn more about top UX research tools, please see the best user research tools in 2024.
- To see our curated list of survey tools, see the best survey tools for research in 2024.
- To explore more about usability tools, see our list of top usability testing tools in 2024.
- To explore more about UX analytics tools, see our list of best UX analytics tools in 2024.
2. Rich and detailed online resources and guides
From comprehensive tutorials on research methodologies to forums and communities where practitioners share insights and best practices, there is a wealth of knowledge available to assist internal teams in navigating the complexities of user research. By tapping into these resources, organizations can augment their research capabilities, enhance their methodological rigor, and stay abreast of the latest trends and developments in the field, ultimately fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement within the organization.
At Hubble, we have dedicated sections for detailed guides and blogs to share various research methodologies, techniques, and practices for how you can best leverage Hubble to streamline research at your organization.
3. Greater domain knowledge and involvement from stakeholders
In-house team members have extensive background knowledge gained through direct engagement with products and the industry. While product teams may lack research proficiency, their expertise in the industry, particularly in B2B or technical spaces, is invaluable for understanding user needs and the underlying problem space.
User research is a collaborative effort that requires constant communication. Unlike external collaborators, who may have limited access to organization directories, in-house teams enjoy direct access to key stakeholders, facilitating seamless communication and collaboration throughout the research process with the right set of research tools.
4. Owning your research and making direct impacts
Running DIY research allows product teams to directly own their research, data and insights, which fosters a deeper understanding of the user base and enables more agile responses to emerging trends and preferences. This level of ownership not only cultivates a stronger connection to users but also facilitates quicker research turnover, ensuring that insights are promptly translated into actionable strategies and product improvements.
In-house research with the appropriate set of research tools allows organizations to align their research efforts more closely with their strategic priorities. By integrating research seamlessly into internal workflows, teams can ensure that research initiatives are directly addressing key business objectives and driving meaningful outcomes. This alignment not only enhances the relevance and impact of research findings but also streamlines decision-making processes by providing timely and targeted insights to decision-makers.
5. Cost and time saving
Developing an internal research framework proves more economical compared to outsourcing to external entities. Hiring a research agency, especially for smaller businesses or startups operating on constrained budgets, can incur substantial expenses. These agencies often levy fees encompassing project initiation charges and hourly rates, which may strain financial resources. Collaborating with external agencies also entails additional procedural intricacies that involve stakeholders to create and review requests for proposals (RFPs) across various research phases.
Unlike research agencies, many research tools offer free versions and trials to allow you to explore and assess their fit for your team. Moreover, project lead times are significantly shorter with specialized UX research tools. For example, Hubble supports participant recruiting for unmoderated studies, in which you can connect with a qualifying participant in as short as 30 minutes. This stands in significant contrast to traditional recruiting agencies, which take at least 1-2 weeks to set up, recruit, and approve each participant.
Get started with DIY research with Hubble
1. Start small with lean research
Establishing a UX research protocol can feel overwhelming, but starting with small, focused projects is key. Hubble facilitates this approach by establishing a continuous user feedback cycle by keeping studies small and iterative. Teams can gradually build confidence and expertise in UX research without feeling daunted by large-scale projects.
2. Engage with users real-time for contextual feedback
Engaging with users in real-time through in-product surveys provides invaluable contextual feedback. If your team is at an early stage of establishing a research protocol, it can be an eye-opening experience for the entire product team when you start hearing from actual users. Hubble's in-product survey allows you to target users at specific events or user flows to help you gauge user satisfaction and feedback immediately.
3. Recruit participants in less than 30 minutes
Quick access to qualified participants is crucial for efficient research studies. With Hubble, you get direct access to over 3 million participants. This is a significant advantage over traditional agencies, where the average lead time for participant recruitment ranges from 1 to 2 weeks. This quick turnover time in recruiting is particularly beneficial for studies that require specific criteria or a niche customer profile, such as specialized skills and B2B professionals.
Streamline research with the best in-class research tool
If you use the right set of tool, you can empower your team to conduct their own research and testing without having to work with a 3rd party agency. Hubble is designed so that product managers and product designers can easily launch studies, conduct research and validate their product assumptions without having to work with an external agency.
As a recap Hubble is a unified all-in-one research tool that allow product teams to recruit participants, design experiments, and collect and analyze data. It supports a wide range of research techniques suitable for different product development phases. In addition to the feature allowing you to conduct usability studies, Hubble offers other research methods, including concept testing, card sorting, A/B split testing, and in-product surveys.
Setting up studies in Hubble is made easy with pre-built templates and how-to guides to direct you to running a successful research project. You can customize the study and directly import Figma prototypes to collect feedback from users. With the ability to recruit both live users for real-time feedback surveys and an external recruitment panel, you can efficiently distribute and collect data. The results are automatically summarized and visualized through video recordings, task success rates, heat maps, time spent on each task, and more.
Ditch agency fees, and start your research with Hubble
Take ownership to build your own surveys and usability studies
