What we do
Design services
We design clear, intuitive user experiences grounded in real user needs and business goals. Our UX process focuses on structure, flows, and decision-making to make successful and easy-to-use products.
We create polished, modern interfaces that are both functional and expressive. Our UI work balances visual craft with usability.
We build interactive prototypes to test ideas early and align teams quickly. Prototypes help validate flows, surface issues, and accelerate decision-making before development begins.
We evaluate existing products to identify usability issues, accessibility gaps, and opportunities for improvement. Audits result in clear, prioritized recommendations your team can act on.
We design and review products with accessibility in mind, helping teams meet ADA and WCAG standards. Our approach focuses on inclusive design that improves usability for all users.
We help define and refine visual identities that feel cohesive, distinctive, and durable. Branding work includes logos, color systems, typography, and guidelines that support real-world use.
We create flexible design systems that keep teams aligned and products consistent as they scale. Systems include components, patterns, and documentation that bridge design and development.
We design mobile experiences that feel fast, focused, and natural to use. Our mobile work prioritizes touch, hierarchy, and performance across iOS and Android devices.
UX
User experience is core
User experience is foundational to everything we design and build. We focus on clarity, usability, and real user needs to ensure products are intuitive, efficient, and easy to adopt. Strong UX reduces friction, supports business goals, and makes products work better over time.
Visual Design
Good products should also be beautiful
Thoughtful visual design does more than make things look nice. It builds trust, communicates quality, and makes products easier and more enjoyable to use. When form and function work together, experiences feel intentional and credible. Good design also helps products stand out in crowded markets and age more gracefully over time.
“The way you've handled this is such a testament to why HQ is so damn good.”
Elizabeth Waite
CMO, Collegewise
“This team is insanely reliable.”
Randall Bennett
“These are my favorite vendors.”
Hayden Hill
CMO, Christensen Institute
“As a way to get to a phenomenal product, hiring this team is the best way to go. Overall we're 1000% pleased.”
Austen Allred
CEO, GauntletAI
“There's no doubt in my mind that we picked the right partner in HQ to help us with this.”
Shobin Uralil
CMO, Lively
“If I'm not your happiest customer, I'm willing to fight whoever thinks they are for that title.”
Jeff Allen
CEO, BlueCar
“We feel like HQ has been our secret weapon.”
Jeron Paul
CEO, Spiff (acq. by Salesforce)
Hear it from more of our clients
See our wall of loveWe obsess about client experience
Many of our clients come to us because they had a bad experience with a previous agency or hire. We care about exceptional user experience in the products that we build, but also in the long-term partnership and process of building them.
Read about our process
At HQ, we've structured our company and client relationships to eliminate barriers between you and the individuals responsible for the actual work. This approach results in reduced information loss, faster feedback loops, and the innovative insights that arise when a diverse group collaborates on a single product.
We're working on your product, so you set the priorities and can follow progress closely. We'll keep you updated on the progress of each task, work with you to refine product requirements, and help translate your vision into concrete work.
We want you to be confident that the resources you invest in us are used effectively and efficiently. To achieve this, we provide regular updates on the budget and invoice frequently. Additionally, with each invoice, we include a report detailing each time entry logged by each individual working on your project. This ensures transparency and accountability.
We balance face-to-face and async communication to fit each project's needs. The more we collaborate, the better the results, and we make a point to communicate early and often. Expect proactive updates, quick responses, and transparent dialogue throughout the process.
Hiring fast for big pushes or keeping teams busy during slower seasons can be a challenge. With our flexible team, you can ramp up momentum or scale back as needed. We adapt to your business rhythms so you never pay for idle time or scramble for extra hands.
Our work requires continuous learning and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Every project benefits from the collective expertise of our designers and developers, not just the individuals assigned to it. Behind every deliverable is an entire team sharing insights, tools, and best practices.
Frequently asked questions
We work on everything from rapid MVPs to multi-year platform redesigns. If the work is too far outside our core strengths we'll tell you upfront, and help point you to a better-fit vendor.
Yes. We regularly collaborate with internal teams and external partners, fitting into existing workflows and tools. Our goal is to complement your team, not replace it.
Our process varies by project and client. We put effort into not including process for process's sake. But a typical process may include research, structure, exploration, iteration, and validation.
Both. We can run new research such as interviews or usability tests, or work from existing data and insights your team already has.
Accessibility is considered throughout the UX process, not added at the end. We design with inclusive patterns in mind and align work with WCAG guidelines.
Kick-off can be as quick as one week after contract signature. We begin with a discovery call, set up shared tooling, and outline the first sprint so everyone knows the deliverables and success metrics.
Yes. We frequently work within established products, patterns, and systems, improving usability without unnecessary reinvention.
Our approach to UX and UI design
The most common design problem we encounter is a product that looks finished but confuses the people who use it. Teams invest in visual polish and launch something that generates support tickets instead of engagement. The root cause is usually the same: design decisions were made without a clear understanding of how users think, what they're trying to accomplish, or where they get stuck.
We start with structure before we touch visuals. Information architecture, user flows, and interaction logic come first, because those decisions determine whether a product is intuitive or frustrating, regardless of how it looks. We use prototypes to test assumptions early, before development begins, so the team can surface and fix real problems cheaply.
Visual design follows function. We build interfaces that are distinctive and polished, but every aesthetic choice serves a purpose: directing attention, communicating hierarchy, building trust. We also design for long-term consistency, whether that means creating a full design system or extending an existing one thoughtfully.
Clients who work with us get designs that engineers can actually implement and users can actually navigate. That combination is rarer than it should be.
The HQ design team handles UX and UI design for web and mobile products. The same team builds interactive prototypes and design systems, and also runs product audits and accessibility reviews against WCAG and ADA guidelines. Branding is part of the work too. A project can start with new user research or work from insights a client already has, and it moves through structure and flows before visual design.
For Nomi Health, a direct-care healthcare company, HQ designed a mobile-first patient app that puts bill payment and provider search in one place, plus a UI kit the Nomi team uses to extend it. For VillageFor, a mobile app for postpartum mothers, HQ designed an in-depth Figma prototype for investor and user pitches. For Seis, HQ designed the brand and the banking app behind a 4.9 App Store rating across more than 97,000 reviews.
Let's build together
Good design is the difference between a product people love and one they abandon. Let's build something worth using.
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