8 hand-selected usability testing agencies we love

Usability testing is often seen as just a way to spot design issues–but it has much more value to offer, from lower operational costs to higher user retention.

In this post, you’ll learn about usability testing’s key benefits, the best agencies, what to expect from them, cost estimates, and how to start a successful collaboration.

The business benefits of usability testing

Usability testing directly impacts your business metrics in 3 major ways. 

1. You can prevent errors and costly reworks in your final product by identifying usability issues early in the design/development cycle.
2. . Speaking of which, resolving usability issues reduces the need for support and training, thus lowering operational costs.
3. Finally, a well-optimized user experience can differentiate your product in a crowded market, leading to increased sales and reduced churn.

To maximize your ROI, select an agency that provides not just observations but actionable insights and strategic recommendations. We hand-selected 8 trusted agencies which are worth checking out.

Top usability testing agencies

UX studio 

Min. budget: $15,000+
Location: Budapest, Hungary

We put ourselves in the first place, so we won’t be remembered for our humility. We have a reason to be proud, though: our research experts have a strong background in psychology and sociology, bringing interdisciplinary skills to usability testing. We offer in-depth research as well as quick but comprehensive audits to adjust to your needs. 

Get in touch for a free consultation.

UpTop

Min. budget: $25,000+
Location: Seattle, WA, USA

UpTop is a local market leader in Seattle. They specialize in launching digital products to new markets, making them a fan-favorite with startups. They offer a mix of qualitative and quantitative user research services, as well as product design and development. 

Browser

Min. budget: $15,000+
Location: London, England

Browser London identifies new opportunities through usability testing, stakeholder engagement, and competitor analysis. They’re great for scale-ups who want quick results, but have also worked with major clients such as NHS or British Airways.

Oseda

Min. budget: $50,000+
Location: Montréal, Canada

Oseda is a much-hyped high-tech digital product design agency. While on the pricier side, they lead with innovation. Their usability testing service starts with a thorough examination of their client’s challenges, followed by collaborative ideation and iteration involving your team and key stakeholders.

Mater

Min. budget: $15,000+
Location: Sisak, Croatia

Cool, fresh and friendly, Mater is an agency that’s easy to love. Despite the fun branding, they take their work seriously, and offer strategy, UX research and analytical services. A basic discovery consists of workshops, creating user personas, sitemapping, and competitive benchmarking.

Bixa

Min. project size: $15,000+
Location: Alexandria, VA, USA

You know you’re dealing with pros when you meet a research-only agency. Besides usability tests, they can do brand reports, market research, brand trackers and corporate training. They have a holistic approach to customer data and work for authentic connections.

Outcrowd

Min. project size: $15,000+
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine

Outcrowd targets SaaS startups. Clients can also opt for a quick audit or a more thorough UX research. Their “product” package includes a bundle of market- and competitor research with UX design. 

Door3

Min. project size: $25,000+
Location: New York, NY, USA

Door3 is first and foremost a software development company, but they offer a variety of usability testing services, from preliminary tests to product validation, or specialized research such as accessibility testing. They believe in close collaboration and have a user-first attitude. Their focus on continuous optimisation earned them long-term partnerships. 

What to look for in a usability testing agency

It’s hard to choose a favorite from so many amazing agencies. Here’s how to find the right fit for you:

• Expertise and industry experience. Look through their portfolio to see if their research projects match your needs. Can they understand complex B2B environments, or are they more focused on startups?
  
  
• Flexibility. We love tried-and-tested methods, but the best researchers are always prepared to adapt to new situations. The green flag to look for is whether they offer multiple research services in varying length and complexity to adjust to client needs.
  
  
• Quality of deliverables. Review research plans, how they approach reporting, and whether they offer post-testing support. You can even request some examples to be sent to you.
  
  
• Clarity. When you present a research objective, the agency must be able to offer a detailed research plan, which includes a schedule, the number of usability testing sessions, ideal participants and recruitment plans.
  
  
• Client reviews. Check testimonials not just on their site, but see what other sources have to say, for example, listicle sites like Clutch.

When you request a quote, you can always ask for details or explanations to make sure you’re partnering with a great fit.

Types of usability testing: which one is right for you?

Usability testing types can be divided into 3 major categories: 

1. remote or in-person, 
2. moderated or unmoderated,
3. legacy testing or testing for new iterations

Let’s see the pros and cons. 

Remote vs. in-person testing

In most cases, we suggest remote testing, as it’s cheaper to organize and can be scaled much more easily with a larger pool of participants. There won’t be any major differences in the  kind of insights you can get, or the type of documentation.

However, you may need in-person testing for any product or service that’s heavily dependent on the local market or situational usage. For example, a voice-controlled cooking app is best tested live in a kitchen.

In sensitive cases, such as testing with children or accessibility tests, location also matters. When testing with kids, researchers should let the guardians decide whether they’re more comfortable with online or offline usability testing. Similarly, when research participants have special needs, researchers are responsible for guaranteeing a safe and suitable environment. 

Discuss whether your product requires remote or in-person test sessions with your chosen usability test agency.

Moderated vs. unmoderated testing

We can differentiate between usability testing based on how much a UX researcher is involved during each testing session.

• During a moderated usability test session, a UX researcher is present either in person or in a video call and guides the participants through the testing process. In this setup, the moderator is able to observe participants’ behaviour real-time and ask follow-up questions. Being able to react to the participants this way helps uncover nuanced issues that might otherwise go unnoticed.
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• Unmoderated usability test sessions, on the other hand, are automated, where participants complete tasks that are prepared within the testing platform by a UX researcher. The sessions are usually recorded with screen recordings, and participants may have to type in some answers to pre-set questions. As participants can conclude the testing sessions whenever it suits them, moderated sessions are more flexible and multiple sessions can run at the same time.

The right method is picked based on the unique circumstances of each project and project phase. Most usability testing agencies will likely recommend a combination of both methods.

Legacy testing vs. testing for design iterations

The right type of usability testing should always take the products’ lifecycle into consideration.

• Legacy testing focuses on existing digital products that may have been around for years. These tests are incredibly useful when usability issues have been building up over time slowly creating deep issues within products. Legacy usability testing projects are like audits that can reveal quick wins as well as areas for more in-depth redesign or restructuring.
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• Usability testing for design iterations, on the other hand, is essential during design processes either before the very first launch of a product or during the redesign process of existing ones. Testing low fidelity prototypes as part of design cycles and final usability testing rounds of the pixel perfect designs ensures only validated designs go out to development and eventually to product launch.

Both of these approaches serve their purpose which agencies will take into consideration when planning your collaboration: legacy testing to help you decide what to improve, and iterative testing to ensure each step forward is guided by real user feedback.

Collaboration with a usability testing agency: what to expect

The main deliverables of usability tests are actionable insights and a detailed research report. 

Let’s see an example of our collaboration with a client to see how a typical collaboration looks like. 

Step 1. Hire expert help

GoTRG, a leading returns management solution provider in the USA, reached out to us because navigating their 100+ pages system has become difficult and time-consuming to navigate over the years. 

We partnered with them to make it more efficient and user-friendly. We had a long-term collaboration providing UX research support at every project phase.

Step 2. Define research goals

In close collaboration with the client, we established research objectives and presented a plan. 

Our main goals were:

• Understand how users interact with the system to accomplish their tasks and goals.
• Identify the pain-points users encounter when interacting with the system.
• Identify users’ informational and functional needs of the system.

Step 3. Conduct usability tests

Our UX researchers conducted a remote contextual inquiry to observe how users navigate the system and complete daily tasks. We ensured that the participants represented a diverse range within the target audience with a detailed screener. 

Our select testers shared their screens while working, allowing us to gather real-time insights and ask follow-up questions.

Step 4. Analyze the data

We examined each test in detail to uncover key user behaviors and both spoken and unspoken needs. 

Key insights:

• We shortlisted high-impact features to redesign, including (you guessed it) navigation.
• Interactive visualizations and gamification improved user engagement and understanding.
• Limited screen space required creative design solutions to present complex data effectively.

At this point, our project has successfully identified key behavioral patterns related within the target group. Now we just had to present it to the client.

Step 5. Prepare the research report

A good research report goes beyond simply listing user issues. This is why we always include the following:

• A high-level overview of key findings and recommendations, making it easy for stakeholders to understand the impact on business goals.
• In-depth examination of user behaviors, pain points, and usability issues, supported by data, screenshots, and video clips (when applicable).
• Specific, prioritized suggestions for improvement, linked to measurable goals such as increasing user retention or reducing support tickets.
• Charts and graphs that clearly present usability metrics, such as task completion rates, error rates, and user satisfaction scores.
• For this project, we also used tree testing to evaluate and refine the new navigation menu.

After the internal system and the navigation menu redesign based on our research, the perceived ease of use, clarity, and user satisfaction increased by 23%, 21%, and 26%, respectively.

Understanding costs and ROI of usability testing

The good news: investing in testing translates into meaningful improvements and business growth, which is great. 

The bad news: the cost of usability testing varies depending on a lot of factors, so it can seem unpredictable at first. 

Elements contributing to the final costs are:

• Test complexity and scope. The more complex your product's workflows, the more time and expertise will be needed for the tests. 
• Sample size and recruitment. Costs increase with the number of participants, especially if targeting super niche B2B user personas.
• Type of testing methods. Additional methods like eye tracking or A/B testing typically require specialized tools and expertise, so the overall cost can be impacted.
• Analysis and reporting. Detailed analysis with actionable insights and tailored recommendations demand time and effort.

Considering these will help you prepare to negotiate with your agency of choice.

Common pricing models

Usability testing agencies typically use one of the following pricing models:

• Daily rates. Charges are based on the time spent on tasks such as planning, recruitment, conducting tests, and analyzing results. This model is flexible and can change with the scope of your project.
• Project-based fees. A fixed price is agreed upon for the entire project, covering everything from planning to delivering insights. This option provides absolute cost certainty but may limit flexibility.
• Retainer agreements. Ideal for ongoing testing needs, retainers allow you to allocate a set budget monthly or quarterly, so you can have continuous UX improvements.

Hiring a usability testing team

We’ve walked you through selecting the right agency, the types of usability testing, how a collaboration looks like, and how prices are calculated. 

Set yourself up for success by also setting goals, allocating resources, and defining success metrics. This can be done in collaboration with your team of researchers.

When you partner up with an agency, the initial steps will likely include a discovery workshop, defining user personas, and aligning expectations. This quick check-in ensures that you get the kind of deliverables you want. 

UX studio is famous for quick and smooth onboarding, and our ability to get to work right away. Reach out to us for fast service with in-depth results. 

Credits
This blog post was written by Johanna Székelyhidi, marketing manager
Fact-checking and additional insights by Dorottya Pála, UX researcher