Have you ever wondered why some apps catch your attention at first sight while you instantly ignore their counterparts? Or, maybe you have noticed that strikingly similar marketplaces can have different levels of popularity.
Certainly, such digital representations of businesses online serve as hooks for potential clients while others, no less easy to use or creative, lack likes and conversion. That’s right: because visuals are vital!
No wonder the first impression of your enterprise is made based on your web design in 94 out of 100 cases. It’s 2021 - it no longer matters if you are a restaurant owner, an advertising agency manager, or a tailor: if your website or app is not up-to-date, not attractive, and not user-friendly, you are not trending.
Allied Market Research states that the global IT outsourcing market size is expected to reach $587.3 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 8.2% from 2020 to 2027. In 2023, the market was valued at approximately $430 billion. Specifically, the UI/UX design market is projected to reach $310.6 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 16.6% from 2020 to 2025.
Gartner predicts that by 2024, 70% of enterprises will outsource their UI/UX design needs to specialized agencies or freelancers. We can conclude that UX design outsourcing is becoming more and more relevant and prominent in the world.
Here are a few crucial steps before UI design outsourcing and hiring UX designers:
Step 1. You realize that you need a good digital product to gain customers’ attention.
Step 2. You start weighing your options for creating or updating your platform, ranging from “What the hell - I’ll try this free designing app and fashion something myself” or “I remember Noah has Photoshop on his laptop. Maybe he can still do me favor” to “Let’s hire someone on that network you saw”. Indeed, you can go to all lengths if your start-up has just been launched, you have a limited budget, or you simply don’t get why designing an app can cost thousands of dollars. We’ve seen such cases. And we’ve helped to solve the problem once the damage is done by such dead-end decisions.
Step 3. You decide to hire an expert. And that’s where you start right: only a professional designer (or the whole team of multi-area experts) can juggle visual elements and development opportunities, analytical skills, and marketing approaches to create a perfect cocktail that makes interaction with your company’s web resource leave a long-lasting and memorable after-taste.
However, bear in mind that, at present, it’s no longer the design itself that matters. If what you aim at is creating a product that would correspond to your customer’s behavior and be both useful and usable, you need a UX (user experience)/UI (user interface) designer. To fulfill their cutting-edge mission, designers have to be real experts not just in visual design but also in information architecture, user research, cross-platform UX, prototyping, and much more.
Thus, this guide intends to make the process of choosing your designer as pain-free and proficient as possible. Once you study it in detail, you will know about:
Outsourcing UI design outsourcing and UX design outsourcing have become trends among companies that want to improve their digital products and do so with better efficiency and lower costs. Let's now explore the main advantages and disadvantages of this approach:
Pros:
Cons:
Once you’ve made a core decision to hire a designer, the next milestone is to figure out whether your business requires an in-house or an outsourcing employee. While the COVID-reshaped market has made remote work almost every company’s routine, there are still some issues you need to keep in mind and we are here to help you weigh your options.
In-house employment advantages:
At the same time, such features may appeal to those who have enough time and funding to develop their teams by extending them with a full-time designer and do not seek to dive into a wider (global) talent pool since in-house work lacks the latter.
In addition, such a permanent workforce requires constant upgrading and upskilling as well as a “squad” containing a more varied selection of experts apart from designers themselves to fulfill the aim of genuine UX-UI design.
On the other hand, business process outsourcing offers you more opportunities with:
However, the real deal breakers are
There are red flags you shouldn’t miss while reassigning your work to an outsourcing partner:
Here's what our designers at Linkup Studio can advise you based on 7 years of cooperation with customers on an outsourcing basis. The ABC of the initial stage of your decision-making process could be as follows:
A - When you want to attract a remote workforce that has the expertise you lack. After all, statistics show that as of 2018, 52% of companies implementing IT have already engaged in outsourcing.
B - When you need to balance your finances and explore the possibility of remote and in-house workers' cooperation. Outsourcing is all about flexibility in terms of both wages and the size of your teams.
C - When your company needs more clients, and you see it's the visuals that can help. According to recent studies, a successful UX design increases your conversion rates by 400%. So, why not let the real experts help you enhance your business opportunities?
If any of these options suit your needs, we'd recommend you go for it!
There are more factors to be taken into further consideration, like the scope of your project, the financial background, and the time limit. We'll discuss these matters in detail later. What's important at this point is to understand that the major drawbacks could be administrative features and advanced investments. However, those are definitely the risks worth taking.
So, you’ve come to the decision to try outsourcing services, and you doubt who to employ: a freelancer or an agency. Even if you have a general idea of the advantages and disadvantages of both options, don’t rush to scroll down - we have some valuable insights for you.
In either of these cases, rates will still differ based on the designer’s location, experience, and skills. Certainly, hiring a freelancer is a cheaper option. In addition, you may access a bigger talent pool since you can find almost any expert from anywhere. However, bear in mind that the pitfalls of such a decision could be a lack of control, sometimes a lower level of responsibility, and punctuality. So, if you need a few tasks done well and you are short of money but do not care about time limits, you may dare hire a freelancer. However, always remember that lower prices may also indicate lower standards.
What we stand for in Linkup Studio is that agencies have more to give you. Literally, more is “more people, more varied experts working on your project, more effort and opportunities involved.” Hiring an agency implies hiring a whole team of professionals, not just designers but also business analysts and developers, who are already tuned to operate as an entity. Yes, the rates may be higher for such a 3-in-1 option, but that also means more advanced levels of expertise and management.
Apartolino Case Study by Linkup Studio
If you need more examples of what makes an agency stand out dramatically, here’s what working with Linkup Studio as an agency provides:
Therefore, an agency is obviously a better choice if you need an elaborate project done in time by a professional, dedicated team who will be easy to reach directly, understand your aims, share your values, and efficiently adapt to changing business requirements. No amateurs, no missed deadlines, no low-quality products – that’s what it should feel like to have a part of your team overseas.
It’s time to give other specific features an outsourcing designer should possess. To track the person you need, we are here to give you a detailed “portrait.” We’ll also bust the most popular myths about choosing the right candidate.
To appeal to the customer’s emotions and senses, being simply attractive is not enough. You need to be original. And that is the task of your designer. But don’t get carried away with those who present themselves as talented. Talent is doing something in one’s own exceptional way. Creativity in design should be doing unique things to represent the client, not the creator.
The tools of a professional UX/UI designer include: … Wait! It would definitely be easier to have a list of programs and just put ticks to see if he/she is good. But that’s not how it works. Every experienced designer does have a set of tools they use, but their actual types are a matter of preference and suitability for certain works rather than a strict requirement to follow.
Ask yourself what type of product you need and search for a specific designer. If a UX design outsourcing agency offers you a domain expert for your particular app or platform - enjoy further cooperation. If you are told their designer has universal skills in any business area or type of design, remember - you need a professional, not Jack of all trades.
Ask for a portfolio and study how relevant a designer’s works are. The latter may be exquisite but totally different from your vision and ways of execution. If it’s possible, try to search for their previous works online and find out if the latter are still used and how efficient they are. Also, it’s rather helpful to ask the designers about their works that might not be accessible due to non-disclosure agreements. Such cases are not rare for real professionals, so they could be another source of valuable information.
When it comes to skills other than design itself, you may want your designer to know marketing as well. Otherwise, the visual attraction of a product may be of higher priority to them than the real purpose of the project or the brand as a whole. Visual elements should serve to communicate your ideas and make you more accessible, and a good designer will make sure the message is correct.
Before you hire a designer, do a quick test to see if that is the person who is on the same page with you timewise. Try discussing any issue via e-mail or any messenger and check how long it takes for them to respond. That would be your marker of the speed of communication and getting the results of your cooperation.
Once you have set your mind on a particular outsourcing agency, be sure to keep a few aspects in mind to make this selection process as fool-proof as possible.
Yes, you know UX outsourcing varies depending on location, skills and experience.
Source: Careerfoundry
However, you are right to guess an outsourcing designer or a designing agency should not be judged by the cost itself. What you need is cost-efficiency. Low-quality software, breached contracts and budget overruns are just the top-three among the problems you will have to deal with once you decide to save a penny. Compromising in such cases is not worth the risk of losing time and settling for mediocre outcomes. This will only put you further away from your aim to satisfy the needs of your company and customers. Our best advice on this point would be to set a budget to make this demanding process more structured and predictable.
One more thing concerning financial matters is that even in case of a settled budget be ready to negotiate and make adjustments. Fixed guidelines are helpful. Fixed prices are a dead-end scenario.
Certainly, everyone understands you need to plan. But how important is planning if your aim is to outsource? Even more essential than with in-house workers! Once you choose a reliable design agency, they will make sure no grey areas are left before they start working on a project. Being specific is the key element to successful cooperation. You will need to deliver a bunch of details like the type of the project, functionality, features, deadlines, milestones, and costs. Note: the scope of the project should also include the stage at which you intend to involve an outsourcing designer. For instance, if they skip the research process, the price will be lower. At the same time, never underestimate the designer’s participation in every part of the project. Otherwise, saving money may cost you lacking valuable solutions.
Never fool yourself with expectations of accurate dates and costs. Yes, it is smart to ask for ballpark figures concerning the deadline but it’s also smart to be ready for rough estimates. 10% ambiguity may occur due to possible risks, lack/inaccuracy of data provided by you at the initial stage (see previous paragraph) and quality of work. In addition, it’s a good idea to ask both for a time range and probable calendar dates of delivering the results to see how much time a day/week is dedicated to your project.
One more tricky insight: experience doesn’t equal actual skills and competence level. For instance, designers at LinkUp studio can truly boast of priceless knowledge, expertise and outcomes acquired in just 7 years of successful outsourcing partnerships in a variety of industries and fields ranging from consumer or financial services and real estate to media and entertainment, retail and healthcare. So, never judge a book by its cover, and never judge an agency by its age or size.
What’s truly a must almost in every project, especially with prospects of long-term cooperation, is a trial task. The latter should be concise but definitely in line with your future tasks. Why bother and waste time? Not to waste time later. What if an outsourcing designer is perfect on paper but has a completely different vision of what you are looking for? Design can be rather subjective, so you need to start small and check if both the outcomes and interaction with a particular person are comfortable enough and correspond to your standards of work. On the other hand, do not expect such a trial project to be free unless you hire an amateur. In case of cooperation with an experienced agency, it is fair to be charged for a minor but good-quality product.
One more vital issue is to evaluate the level of competence when it comes to balancing the customer’s demands and introducing authentic ideas that would contribute to the project success. Thus, the climax of an initial stage of shaping your project with a designer or the whole UX/UI outsourcing team could be their questions concerning the project. The latter are the true markers of their professional skills. If they want to know more about your business processes and the final outcomes - that’s the right person/team for the job. Again, if you are asked whether the buttons at your website should be round or square - you have met regular performers of the tasks you provide, not creative executives of your dream product. Casting is troublesome, so if you have candidates that seem to be unsuitable - that probably is true, don't let them steal your precious time.
Finally, never neglect legal issues. Who is the owner of the outcome product? What are the security protocols? Does the agency use licensed fonts and images? What are the cancellation terms? You need to think of all these things to avoid being left with low-quality designs or experiencing your agency going absent without leave.
To make sure you are absolutely armed to win this round, here are our final quick tips from the Linkup Studio team:
Has this been helpful? Resourceful? Enlightening? We hope these are final questions you have in mind after studying this guide. A fundamental idea could be hiring an outsourcing designer is always a great opportunity when it is perceived not just as an immediate solution for vague tasks but as a major tool to enhance your business processes.
If you think about UI design outsourcing or UX design outsourcing, there are several most proficient countries that you can consider for hiring UX designers there. In this list, we’ve prepared a breakdown of the countries and their basic statistics for general understanding:
Ukraine
Number of UI/UX designers: About 50,000
Average hourly rate: $35-$75
Ranking: Leading country in IT outsourcing across the Eastern Europe Region
Number of UX designers: About 250,000
Average hourly rate: $25-$50
Ranking: One of the best countries in terms of cost-effectiveness in terms of design tasks.
Number of UX professionals: Around 30,000
Average hourly rate: $50-$100
Ranking: #3 across European Region in terms of quality of UI/UX designers and product understanding.
Number of UI/UX designers: About 40,000
Average hourly rate: $20-$45
Ranking: First place in the Southeast Asia Region in terms of English language proficiency for cooperation.
Argentina
Number of UX designers: Over 20,000
Average hourly rate: $40-$80
Ranking: At the top spot in design innovation across Latin America
When choosing to outsource UI/UX design work, you have to consider other factors mentioned in other article parts, like costs, quality, time zone compatibility, and cultural fit.
To make sure you are absolutely armed to win this round, here are our final quick tips from LinkUp Studio team:
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