The business value of design is on the rise in the customer-centric age. Regardless of market share or industry, user experience (UX) design is becoming a major competitive differentiator, as customers are more likely to switch brands or leave purchases unfinished if they don’t enjoy an online or in-app experience.  To enact the UX best practices from the project’s onset, find a reliable design agency that will give you a hand using the five tips below. We suggest you act on them in order, as following this algorithm will weed out unreliable UX design agencies ill-equipped to handle your project. Of course, you can introduce more interim steps and checks to ensure the UX design agency for startups of your choice meets your requirements to a T. Settle on a Team Size Hiring a one-person UI/UX design team represented by a freelance designer is the cheapest option, therefore, the most sought after by startups. However, it’s also the riskiest one, as the designer becomes the project’s bottleneck, especially when juggling multiple clients and responsibilities. Even the most diligent designers can catch a cold, go for a career pivot, or change employers. Regardless of the force-majeure, you will be left with no UX support and will have to go through the search and onboarding process all over again. Working with a development and design agency is a safer option. You get a range of expertise, and the vendor takes full responsibility for unforeseen circumstances to keep the UX design on track and within budget. Though this approach requires thorough research and calls for increased investment, it is more likely to produce the desired results. Analyze the Portfolio Start with the UX design agency’s website and Dribbble or Behance profiles. After browsing through past designs, consider three questions: How much experience does the company possess? Pay attention to the number of completed and delivered projects, not just the concepts that never saw the light of the day. Keep an eye out for the projects within your niche or target audience and compare them to the designs you’ve seen throughout the competition. How much variety is there in the agency’s designs? Some companies stick with the same layouts and offer nothing new or innovative regardless of the industry or project type. That’s not the partner you want on your side if you want your project to stand out post-launch. How good is their UX design? Check out the projects in your niche and consider the ease of use, navigation, and calls to action. If you’re looking to design a website, make sure the agency’s past designs are mobile-friendly and follow the SEO best practices. Some companies avoid posting their full portfolio online. Still, you can reach out to those on your shortlist to request examples of past projects within your market niche. This will help you kill two birds with one stone by reviewing the portfolio and analyzing the communication approach. Assess Communication Consider your preferred communication mode (email, instant messaging, video calls) and use it to conduct preliminary discussions and interviews. You need to evaluate how good the team is at understanding your needs, formulating proposals, and addressing your feedback. The latter is especially important, as you might need to introduce changes or request corrections once the project is underway. Ask the design team about the projects they are most proud of and offer mild criticism. Analyze the way the team reacts to your comments. If they are open to suggestions and ready to agree that things could have gone better, you’re in luck. If the designers become overly defensive and unwilling to listen to your comments, however justified, they are unlikely to heed your feedback throughout your partnership.  Evaluate the Proposal The content of the proposal you get is the obvious factor to consider. You don’t want to cooperate with a company that isn’t interested enough to personalize the offer. Instead of copying your brief and pasting a price tag, a high-end UX design agency will offer a list of preliminary solutions and approaches tailored to your niche and project. Even if they don’t go into detail, the basic suggestions are usually enough to learn how interested the agency is in becoming your design partner. The less obvious thing to study in a proposal is the layout and presentation. Do not trust a company that doesn’t bother designing proper file layouts for business communication. If they cannot develop a quality in-house solution, they are unlikely to treat your project any better. Study the Processes Research should be the design agency’s priority, regardless of the project or niche. Experienced UX designers will have a million questions about the target audience, user personas, their needs, and requirements. If you cannot provide the answers to all these questions, the agency should be able to conduct market research in your stead. Avoid companies that jump straight into building wireframes and designing mockups. They will likely rely on recycled past projects and well-worn designs that are far removed from your customers’ needs. Ideally, the design team should be up-to-date with current UX research and trends instead of relying on gut feeling and knowing what’s best for users. The project management approach is also crucial. The UX agency should provide you with a communication framework, an updated schedule, and access to collaboration tools in use. You should also discuss the form of design delivery, qualitative and quantitative deliverables, project scope, timeline, budget, and more. Finding the right UX design agency to work on your startup project is an intense, time-consuming task. However, if you follow our tips and treat your search seriously, you might come up with a long-term design partner that will stay by your side for years to come. After all, finding the right team is one of the most reliable ways to keep your startup from failing, like the unlucky 9 out of 10 do.

If you have a commercial property or multiple residential units, you are definitely going to spend a significant amount of money on the upkeep and maintenance of your property. Similarly, whether you have a startup or a large-scale corporation, maintenance is one of the most critical aspects of your business. To provide your staff with a convenient and comfortable workspace, it is important that you stay on top of routine maintenance of your property. The major goal of routine maintenance is to keep your building in tip-top condition. Regular maintenance is a must for all businesses of all sizes and types. Not only does it help you save money on future repairs and replacements, but proper maintenance keeps your employees and visitors safe. 1. Training and Development Regular training and development have many benefits, not only for the maintenance providers but for employees and the entire staff too. Maintenance training is important for the growth of the company and employees alike. Trained employees are more likely to execute the management tasks efficiently and maintenance adds a lot of value to your team, improving your financial performance in the long run. 2. Lighting The lighting in the workplace should neither be too bright that it will strain your eyes nor be too dim to make it difficult for the employees to see objects clearly. Bright lights can cause headaches, eye strain, and other medical issues that not only affect the health of the individual but can lead to lower productivity. Similarly, your eyes have to work harder to focus on objects in a poorly-lit environment. For these reasons, it is important to conduct lighting and electrical inspections on a regular basis to ensure that your rooms are well lit. Comprehensive lighting maintenance includes interior, exterior, and exit lighting. The lights and lamps installed in the exteriors and interiors of your workplace must be cleaned and maintained regularly. Professionals will also check the hardware and cables of the lights to ensure that everything is working smoothly. 3. Safety Accidents could occur at any time in commercial buildings, especially on a manufacturing or construction site. The only way to minimize the risk of these accidents is to keep all your office equipment and tools up to date. Managers are responsible for checking the quality of all tools and ensuring that each part of the machinery and all equipment are in good working condition. Some heavy-duty machines require proper training, qualifications, and a license to be operated. Make sure you restrict the use of these machines to only those with qualifications and training to operate them. 4. HVAC System The goal of any organization is to create a comfortable work environment that enables people to conduct their tasks and projects as efficiently as possible. The HVAC system in your workplace plays a crucial role in maintaining optimal temperatures. Proper ventilation is also important, especially in areas where you have stored sensitive materials. Therefore, it is essential to clean all air ducts, coils, and other components of the HVAC unit. Schedule a HVAC inspection periodically, generally every five to six months. Air filter components should also be cleaned and maintained every quarter. 5. Commercial Cleaning Hiring commercial cleaners can make your workplace a comfortable, clean, and pleasant place. The cleanliness of your office affects not only health and hygiene, but also productivity levels. Employees will work harder when they are working in a cleaner, more pleasant environment. A regular cleaning contract with a professional cleaning company is the best way to achieve this. 6. Building Interiors The interiors of your building include a range of items that require specific maintenance, from the door locks to employee cubicles and plumbing. You should hire a plumber to inspect wall pipes and drainage. Likewise, contract a professional building inspection team to check every nook and cranny of your site’s interior. Regular inspection will not only keep your office equipment and fixtures in good condition, but it will also protect your office from pest infestation and other issues. 7. Exterior Maintenance Your commercial landscape is the first thing your investors, employees, customers, and business partners will see when they enter your building. The cleanliness of your exteriors is as important as interior cleaning, but that alone will not suffice. You need to inspect the gutters, roof, lawns, floors, fencing, exterior paints and walls, and other areas as part of proper maintenance. The windows, doors, facade walls, and roof of your commercial building are a few things that require regular upkeep. You should also focus on the aesthetics of your exteriors, as this is key to the first impression you give your customers and visitors. Key Takeaways Employees who participate in maintenance activities must be trained and qualified for the job. It is common for businesses to prioritize cost concerns over maintenance. However, you should never delay maintenance to save a little money, as a small issue in your office could lead to a serious problem that might cost you thousands of dollars in the long run.