It all started seven years ago, three of us with a capital of 5 lakhs rupees (~$7K) ventured into the exciting but highly competitive and skill-centric field of product design services. It has been quite a ride for us, establishing a leading product design Agency in India. Fortunately, our journey was not very turbulent, though we have to ride through bumpy roads occasionally. Throughout the years, our key focus has remained the same – delivering the results clients desire. And let me assure you, it has been a satisfying and rewarding endeavor. 

Along the way, we burnt our fingers, learned from it, gained valuable experience, and honed our skills in creating innovative digital solutions for clients, big and small. Our hard work has paid off, and our reputation in the industry and the client base are getting stronger day by day.  We managed to gain the trust of big enterprises like Microsoft, Damac, Lining Studio, Saudi Aramco, Roca, and Legrande, who have entrusted us with their critical product design requirements and we worked with them as an extended team.

When I look back at our 7-year journey, it’s amazing to see how we connected the dots to provide our service offerings. Early on we realized the lack of UX focus and availability of quality yet affordable product design service providers within the startup ecosystem, and we connected it with our passion for design, and we made a real difference for Startups with limited budgets but big dreams. We took small but meaningful steps toward product design, always striving to deliver high-quality designs without compromise. Our track record and requests from our clients motivated us to expand our UX service portfolio, adding  customer value based offerings including UX audit, enterprise UX, design systems services, and UI development along the way.

Today, we have an amazing team of UX and UI design experts, talented wizards in development, a dynamic sales team, and an efficient marketing team. I’m immensely grateful to all the individuals who chose to stick with us and made our vision theirs. Their contribution towards making us a top-notch product design agency has been immense. So, I believe it’s the perfect time to share our story. 

Steering transformation through purposeful design

Established in 2017, Aufait UX is a reputable design agency catering to businesses of various scales. With our headquarters situated in Bangalore, India, we also maintain offices in Calicut, Kerala. We recently inaugurated a new office in the United States,  as part of our strategy for expanding global footprint.

Initial phase 

In 2017, there were three of us—a small but passionate team driven by the  love of technology and design. We noticed something intriguing when we first embarked on the Aufait UX journey: there were very few design agencies in India offering UI/UX design services. And to add to the intrigue, these services were often quite expensive and not affordable for small and medium companies and startups.

We set out to make a difference in the UI UX design services business landscape and our mission was crystal clear—to make UI/UX design more affordable and accessible for all businesses. We focused on creating purposeful designs that upheld simplicity; prioritizing functionality over complexity. Our philosophy centers around putting users first. By understanding user needs, we design beautiful digital products that anticipate their actions and help them complete them with the least effort. 

Back in 2017, as the Indian startup scene began to flourish, we stumbled upon good opportunities to work with some very dynamic and exciting startups and products. The increasing number of emerging startups created the perfect fertile ground for our UI/UX business to blossom. With our sharp instincts for design and an unwavering focus, we set the wheels in motion. Aufait UX was born—a product design agency poised to create products with users at the core. 

Growth phase 

Since our first year, we have grown consistently, with a CAGR of 50+% year on year. 

To put things into perspective, let me take you back to our humble beginnings. We embarked on this adventure with a capital of only 5 lakh rupees (less than $7K) to fuel our agency. Within the first six months, we made every penny count! Our informed and careful use of capital yielded outstanding results, leading to positive cash flow and sustainable revenue growth.

During the first year itself, we could clinch partnerships with a handful of startups that believed in our vision. Fast forward to today, and I’m proud to say that these very startups, such as Techfriar, Nucore, and Cybersquare, remain loyal and valued customers. Their support has played a significant role in our continued success.

Establishing ourselves as a product design company

Our journey is filled with failures, glitches,  exciting milestones, and valuable lessons. One particular milestone that truly stands out is our collaboration with Microsoft. Working with Microsoft was an amazing opportunity wherein we gained firsthand knowledge of working with a world-renowned organization. This experience transformed us and taught us the ins and outs of navigating partnerships with influential companies.

A strong review process is at the core of our delivery process. We conduct brainstorming sessions with at least three categories of people during the research phase and review designs at each stage of fidelity to ensure the best possible output. When it comes to our development team, I always emphasize that they should think like designers first and coders second. Similarly, for our UX team, I encourage them to have a solid understanding of coding and technical aspects, rather than focusing solely on visual aesthetics. By combining these skills, we create designs that not only look great but also function flawlessly.

We now have dedicated teams specializing in UX design, UI design, UX audit, and UX research. Each team brings unique skills and expertise, and through their collaboration, we can deliver comprehensive and exceptional design solutions to our clients.

Lately, we have submitted our designs at the international design competition and it helped us benchmark the design quality and visual aesthetics with top-notch design studios across the globe. Our hard work and commitment have been recognized through prestigious awards such as Clutch Awards, MUSE Creative Awards, Indigo Design Awards, and more. We are ranked among the top 5 User Experience Consultants in India by the Clutch Leaders Matrix. This recognition positions us as a trusted authority in the field of user experience, validating the quality and impact of our previous works.

Nurturing the next generation of designers in India 

I want to make sure that our workspace provides a place where everyone can grow, thrive, and succeed. I believe in giving opportunities to talented individuals, regardless of their educational backgrounds. We have people from various backgrounds, such as engineering, psychology, commerce, and architecture, at our agency and this diverse mix of talents brings dynamic perspectives and innovative energy to our team.

Our office space reflects our spirit of acceptance and openness. I feel happy when I see people using our cabin for brainstorming, working with their legs up on the table, or taking a power nap on sofas or bean bags. I intended to create an atmosphere where people have absolute freedom to work(live) the way they want. A new office space that’s under construction is designed with collaboration in mind, with spaces that encourage brain-dumping exercises to bring in innovation and creativity. 

Embracing this multidisciplinary approach has enabled us to create an environment where different ideas and viewpoints come together. It’s this collaboration and open-mindedness that drives our success. We believe that by valuing the unique strengths of each team member, we can achieve remarkable results and deliver outstanding design solutions.

The plan ahead – Building our product 

We have embarked on an ambitious mission that is set to make a significant impact on productizing design services. We are working on a product specifically for the UI UX and design community. 

This exciting journey marks a turning point for us—a chapter filled with promise and the potential to shape the future of digital product design. We are thrilled, passionate, and motivated to make a lasting impact in the design industry.

A product design agency: From dream to reality

I hope our story inspires others to pursue their dreams of building a product design and UI UX design companies in India and across the globe.  It takes focus, determination, and hard work to achieve success, but in the end, we all will gain valuable insights and we will reach a more satisfying and rewarding position in our career and personal lives. 

If you’re in search of a product design agency that truly understands user needs, look no further. Get in touch with us, and we’ll be more than happy to provide you with the UI/UX design services you’re looking for. We’re here to help bring your vision to life and create remarkable experiences for your users.

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