How UXPicks makes its picks.
Explain the criteria, evidence types, editorial order, review process, and correction policy that are actually in force. What criteria and evidence does UXPicks use? We evaluate agencies on documented product-design work, clear project-need alignment, confirmed company identity and ownership, and verifiable public sources, never paid placement.
1. Selection Criteria for Monthly Shortlists
Each monthly edition begins with a clear discovery theme, such as the November 2026 theme, UX design agencies based in the United States. To be considered for an edition or project-need shortlist, an agency must have:
- Substantive UX & Product Design Practice: Documented focus on user research, interaction design, complex software workflows, clinical/regulated UX, or design systems rather than general advertising.
- Inspectable Project Evidence: Publicly accessible case studies or attributed third-party project profiles that describe the problem, product type, and agency role.
- Confirmed Identity & Headquarters: Verified legal/operating brand, headquarters address, and transparent disclosure of any parent-company acquisitions.
2. Separation of Evidence Types
UXPicks never blends agency marketing copy with independent verification. Every source linked on a shortlist card or agency profile is explicitly categorized:
- Agency-reported (Official site): Services, headquarters, and brand positioning stated on the agency’s own domain.
- Agency-published case study: Self-published project writeups. We attribute any reported outcomes to the agency and note specific collaborator roles (for example, Dream Team’s X case naming co-founder Alison Childs as a collaborator).
- Third-party profile or roundup (e.g., Clutch): Attributed third-party records and client-reported reviews as of the stated check date.
- Corporate acquisition announcement: Public press releases confirming ownership changes (such as Invene’s May 2025 acquisition of Guidea and Carenet’s October 2026 acquisition of Invene).
3. Editorial Order vs. Objective Ranking
In the November 2026 candidate dataset, edition_is_ranked is false and every candidate’s rank is null. Display
positions 1 through 10 represent editorial presentation order, not an objective score or
claim that position 1 is superior to position 10 for every buyer.
We also never copy third-party aggregate star scores, "Verified" badges, or "Sponsored" sorting controls. When a fact such as pricing, team size, or service area is not confirmed with a fresh source capture, we omit it or explicitly label it "Not published".
4. Single-Edit Records, Updates & Corrections
UXPicks separates monthly edition memberships (which agencies were selected, why, and in what order for a given month) from shared agency records (current facts about the agency).
- When an agency’s headquarters or ownership changes, updating the shared agency record updates its directory card, profile, and comparison table.
- Historical monthly editions retain their original selection membership and rationale; material factual errors in published editions are updated with a visible correction note and date.
- Anyone may submit a source-backed correction via For Agencies or Contact.
Frequently Asked Questions About UXPicks Methodology
How selections are made, how evidence is labeled, why editions are unranked by default, and how corrections work.
What criteria does UXPicks use to select agencies for a monthly shortlist?
We evaluate documented UX and product-design focus, verifiable project evidence (named case studies or third-party client project records), clarity of domain or workflow fit, and confirmed company identity and location matching the edition theme.
How does UXPicks distinguish between different types of evidence?
We explicitly label whether a link is an agency’s official site, an agency-published case study, a third-party review profile (such as Clutch), a third-party roundup, or an acquisition announcement, never blending self-published claims with independent reviews.
Why are UXPicks monthly editions unranked by default?
Because the "right" UX agency depends on whether a buyer needs clinical hardware human factors, high-density AI telemetry dashboards, or B2B SaaS discovery. Unless a defensible quantitative methodology is published for a specific edition, UXPicks presents shortlists in unranked editorial order.
Can an agency pay to be included or moved higher in a monthly shortlist?
No. Editorial selection and display order are never for sale, and UXPicks does not offer "Sponsored" sorting controls. Any future commercial relationships will be disclosed clearly on /disclosure/ and kept separate from editorial picks.
How often are agency facts and review dates updated?
Every displayed fact stores the date it was checked (November 5, 2026 for the current candidate research pass). Volatile details such as ownership, locations, services, and review counts are rechecked before publication and when material changes occur.
How does UXPicks handle mergers, acquisitions, or lookalike agency names?
We document corporate ownership chains transparently (such as Invene’s May 2025 acquisition of Guidea and Carenet’s October 2026 acquisition of Invene) and disambiguate similar names (such as Washington, DC’s Dream Team at dreamteam.design vs. Raleigh’s Dreamten).
What is the process for correcting an error in an agency profile or past edition?
Anyone can submit a source-backed correction via /for-agencies/ or /contact/. When verified, shared agency records are updated and material changes to published editions receive a dated correction note.