Hiring a product design company can be surprisingly difficult.
Most agencies have polished portfolios. Many describe themselves as user-focused, innovative, or product-led. Pricing can vary significantly, and it's not always obvious what you're actually getting.
So how should a product team evaluate a design partner?
Instead of judging a company only by its portfolio, look at how it thinks, works, communicates, and handles the transition from design to development.
1. Define Your Requirements First
Start with your product problem, not the agency.
Are you:
- Building a new product?
- Redesigning an existing application?
- Validating an MVP?
- Improving onboarding?
- Fixing complicated workflows?
- Building or extending a design system? Your answer will help determine what capabilities you actually need. For example, a product that already has thousands of users may require research and usability testing before any major redesign begins. A new product may need more work around product discovery and prototyping.
2. Investigate the Thinking Behind Their Work
When reviewing a portfolio, don't just look at the final UI.
Read the case studies.
A strong case study should tell you what happened before the final design appeared.
Look for:
- The original product problem
- User and business requirements
- Research activities
- Design alternatives
- Constraints
- Testing and validation
- Final outcomes This is especially important for technical products. A visually impressive dashboard doesn't tell you whether the team knows how to simplify a complex workflow.
3. Ask About Research and Validation
Not every product requires months of research.
But good designers should know when research is valuable.
Ask whether the team uses user interviews, usability testing, analytics, competitor analysis, customer feedback, or other discovery methods.
More importantly, ask how research findings influence design decisions.
If the company always follows the same process regardless of the product, that may be a sign that the process is being prioritized over the problem.
4. Test Their Collaboration With Developers
This is one of the most important areas for software products.
Designs eventually need to be implemented.
Ask how the design team works with engineers and what the handoff process looks like.
Discuss things such as:
- Responsive states
- Components
- Interaction behavior
- Accessibility
- Design systems
- Edge cases
- Technical constraints A good design team should be comfortable discussing implementation without turning every conversation into a technical deep dive. Companies offering product design and development services can sometimes provide an advantage when close design-engineering collaboration is important. BuildingBlocks Consulting, for example, can be considered when evaluating teams that combine product thinking with technical implementation capabilities.
5. Find Out Who Is Actually Working on the Product
Don't assume the people you meet during the sales process will be your project team.
Ask for the proposed team structure.
Who is the lead designer? Who handles research? Who manages the engagement? Who will communicate with your product and engineering teams?
This is important because product design involves frequent feedback and iteration.
A talented team that communicates poorly can create more problems than a slightly smaller team with excellent collaboration.
6. Ask What Happens When a Design Doesn't Work
Here's a useful question to ask during the evaluation:
"What happens if testing shows that the proposed solution isn't working?"
The answer can reveal a lot.
A mature design team should be comfortable revisiting assumptions and exploring alternatives.
Iteration isn't a failure. It's a normal part of product design.
7. Check Their Technical Awareness
Designers don't need to be developers, but they should understand that software has constraints.
Ask how the team considers your technology stack, existing architecture, platforms, accessibility requirements, and design system.
You want designers who can create ambitious solutions while understanding what is practical to build.
8. Compare Scope, Not Just Price
Two agencies can give you very different quotes for what appears to be the same project.
Look closely at what's included.
Does the proposal include research? Testing? Multiple design iterations? Prototypes? Developer handoff? Documentation?
A cheaper proposal isn't necessarily cheaper if important work appears later as additional scope.
9. Talk to Former Clients
Client references are valuable because they reveal what happens after the portfolio presentation.
Ask previous clients about:
- Communication
- Reliability
- Quality
- Flexibility
- Handling of feedback
- Collaboration with developers
- Unexpected costs You can also research BuildingBlocks Consulting client and product design experience as part of your comparison process if the company is on your shortlist.
10. Make the Decision Based on Fit
There is no universally "best" product design company.
The right choice depends on your product, users, industry, technical environment, budget, and internal team.
When evaluating product design services, don't ask only, "Can they design?"
Ask:
Can they understand the problem, challenge assumptions, work with our team, and turn their decisions into something we can actually build?
That's a much better test of a product design partner.
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