UX Design Consultants in Los Angeles to Watch

UX Design Consultants in Los Angeles to Watch for in 2025

Los Angeles UX Experts to Know in 2025

Los Angeles is more than just a hub for entertainment—it's a living, breathing design ecosystem. From the murals in the Arts District to the layout of your favorite coffee shop app, UX design consultants in LA are shaping how Angelenos interact with the world, both digital and physical. At Digital Reference, we see this city as a fusion of culture, innovation, and experience design. And with 2025 on the horizon, we’re highlighting the consultants making waves in this vibrant UX community.

We didn’t just pick these names out of a hat. Our team at Digital Reference performed extensive qualitative research and evaluation to curate this list. We looked at:

• Proven impact in the UX field
• Innovation in design thinking and user empathy
• Local presence and contribution to the LA design community
• Public speaking, thought leadership, and mentorship
• Real-world case studies and client transformations

These professionals are based in the Los Angeles area and represent a diverse mix of freelancers, solo entrepreneurs, and firm-based experts. This list reflects the themes and values that define Digital Reference: insight-driven decision making, people-first strategy, and digital culture fluency. Before diving in, if you're curious about how we evaluate expertise, check out our article on what product professionals do.

Let’s meet the people who are shaping the UX design narrative in LA for 2025.

Damjan Krajacic

Founder & Lead UX Strategist, ActiveCOlor

LinkedIn | ActiveColor

Damjan Krajacic is a UX strategist and creative leader who’s redefining how healthcare organizations build digital products. As the founder of ActiveColor, a boutique design and development agency based in Los Angeles, Damjan brings over 20 years of experience crafting user-first solutions for complex healthcare challenges.

At the intersection of empathy, design, and innovation, Damjan leads a nimble team that partners with both startups and established institutions to design digital products that don’t just look good—but save lives.

💡 Career highlights:

• 🩺 Founder of ActiveColor, a digital agency specializing in UX strategy and development for healthcare clients like the American Cancer Society, Bayer, and University of Chicago Medical
• 🧠 Lead designer and strategist behind patient-centric tools—from appointment systems to care navigation platforms—that improve both experience and outcomes
• 📊 Combines branding, strategy, UX, and full-stack development to deliver end-to-end product execution
• 💬 Known for a “human-first” approach to healthcare design—where usability, empathy, and performance meet
• 🛠️ Builds high-performing digital products with a lean, cross-functional team that’s small by design but big on impact
• 🎤 Advocate for design as a predictive tool—not just a visual one: “Good design isn’t just pretty; it’s predictive.”

Whether leading a redesign for a global nonprofit or architecting a new product for a digital health startup, Damjan continues to set the bar for meaningful, effective UX in healthcare.

Don Norman

Co-Founder, Nielsen Norman Group | Founder, Don Norman Design Award

LinkedIn | Nielsen Norman Group

A true legend in the UX world, Don Norman needs no introduction — but we’ll give him one anyway. As the co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group and author of The Design of Everyday Things, Don has arguably shaped more UX careers than any other individual in the field.

Now in his “fifth retirement,” Don continues to advance the field through the Don Norman Design Award (DNDA)—a global initiative to elevate Humanity-Centered Design (HCD+) and empower the next generation of designers to create meaningful, sustainable impact. From cognitive science to Apple’s C-suite to university labs, Don has dedicated his life to exploring how design can make technology more humane and our systems more just.

💡 Career highlights:

• 🧭 Founder of the Don Norman Design Award & Summit (DNDA), focused on promoting Humanity-Centered Design across cultures, disciplines, and generations
• 🌍 Author of Design for a Better World, his latest book exploring how designers can create change at the intersection of society, environment, and technology
• 🏛️ Founding Director of The Design Lab at UC San Diego, bridging research, systems thinking, and social impact
• 🧠 Co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group, one of the world’s most influential UX consultancies
• 🍎 Former VP at Apple, where he helped shape product strategy with a focus on usability and user delight
• 📚 Renowned author of classics like The Design of Everyday Things, Emotional Design, and Living with Complexity‍
• 🏅 Member of the National Academy of Engineering for contributions to design theory and practice

A tireless advocate for designing with compassion, context, and consequence, Don Norman remains a defining voice in UX—reminding us that good design isn’t just about interfaces, but about improving the human condition.

Eddie Soto

Founder, SottoStudios

LinkedIn | SottoStudios

Eddie Sotto is a pioneer in immersive UX and experiential strategy, known for designing emotionally resonant, user-centered environments that span from luxury jets to global theme parks. As President of SottoStudios, Eddie leads cross-disciplinary teams that rethink customer experience as a story—crafting journeys that engage the senses, inspire trust, and build brand loyalty.

With a background in Hollywood set design and 13 years as SVP of Concept Design at Walt Disney Imagineering, Eddie brings a cinematic, behavior-driven lens to UX. His focus: making experiences not just functional, but unforgettable.

💡 Career highlights:

• 🧠 Founder of SottoStudios, an experiential UX agency crafting immersive, multisensory brand experiences for clients like Disney, Ferrari, Microsoft, and NBCUniversal
• 🕹️ Former SVP, Walt Disney Imagineering—led UX strategy and concept development for iconic theme park experiences, featured in The Imagineering Story (Disney+)
• ✈️ UX lead on award-winning aviation experiences like SkyRanch One and The Manhattan for Embraer, reshaping private jet UX around luxury, emotion, and user psychology
• 🎤 Speaker and creator of “The How of Wow”, a UX-focused lecture series on designing emotion into products and places
• 🎥 TED speaker and advocate for human-centered storytelling in design—bridging architecture, branding, and interactive experience
• 🏆 Named one of Blooloop’s Top 50 Theme Park Influencers, recognized for contributions to UX innovation in physical and hybrid environments
• 🔭 Collaborator with Jeff Bezos and Danny Hillis on the 10,000-Year Clock, exploring time, experience, and long-term thinking in environmental UX

For Eddie, great UX isn’t just seamless—it’s cinematic, emotional, and alive. Through SottoStudios, he continues to reimagine how people interact with space, technology, and brand in ways that resonate deeply and endure.

Vinney Dawson

Founder, UX Growth Lab

LinkedIn | UX Growth Lab

Vinney Dawson is a digital commerce strategist with a sharp eye for aligning design with business growth. As the founder of UX Growth Lab, he helps e-commerce brands unlock revenue through optimized user experiences that are grounded in behavioral insight and data.

With a background in growth design and conversion strategy, Vinney blends empathy and experimentation to drive measurable results—turning everyday interactions into high-performing digital touchpoints.

💡 Career highlights:

• 🚀 Founder of UX Growth Lab, a boutique consultancy that accelerates e-commerce growth through user-centric experience design
• 🛒 Senior E-Commerce Experience Designer with deep expertise in checkout optimization, purchase flow design, and product discovery
• 📈 Creator of growth experiments that help brands scale, improve retention, and uncover new revenue channels
• 🧠 Known for translating user behavior and business metrics into actionable design strategies
• 🧩 Builder of scalable design systems that power long-term expansion and consistent brand experience
• 🤝 Trusted partner to cross-functional teams—leading design from insight to execution across industries

At the heart of Vinney’s work is a simple philosophy: great user experience is great business. Through UX Growth Lab, he continues to help companies turn friction into flow—and browsers into buyers.

Chris Do

Founder & CEO, The Futur

LinkedIn | The Futur

Chris Do is a designer, strategist, educator, and entrepreneur who’s redefining how creatives learn, grow, and thrive. As the founder of The Futur, a media and education platform for creative professionals, Chris has empowered millions to master branding, business, and communication in the design world and beyond.

With a background in motion design and over 27 years of client work for global brands like Microsoft, Sony, Nike, and Starbucks, Chris blends industry expertise with a mission-driven approach to teaching creative entrepreneurship at scale.

💡 Career highlights:

• 🎓 Founder & CEO of The Futur, a leading education platform teaching branding, pricing, marketing, and UX to creatives around the world
• 📺 Creator of a top-ranking YouTube channel and podcast, where he shares actionable insights on design, freelancing, and creative business strategy
• 🧠 Former founder of Blind, an Emmy-award-winning motion design studio that helped shape the visual identities of major tech and entertainment brands
• 🎤 Sought-after keynote speaker and mentor, known for breaking down complex topics into powerful, digestible learning moments
• 📈 Champion of creative equity, helping freelancers and agencies understand their value, raise their rates, and confidently communicate their expertise
• 🌎 Global educator with a local heart—anchored in LA’s creative community while reaching millions worldwide through content and workshops

Whether teaching designers how to price their work or helping businesses tell better brand stories, Chris Do is building the future of creative leadership—one insight, one post, and one learner at a time.

Jinny Oh

Founder, WANDR

LinkedIn | WANDR

Jinny Oh is a globally-minded UX strategist and founder of WANDR, an award-winning product strategy and design firm that helps B2B SaaS companies build intuitive, user-friendly software. Her mission is simple but bold: make enterprise tools as seamless and delightful as consumer apps.

With experience living in six countries and leading fully remote teams, Jinny has built a career at the intersection of diverse perspectives, design thinking, and global innovation. Her people-first approach continues to shape how startups and enterprises design products that reduce churn, increase engagement, and scale sustainably.

💡 Career highlights:

• 🌍 Founder of WANDR, a globally distributed UX and product strategy firm trusted by clients like Geico, Dollar Shave Club, WWF, Tenable, and the U.S. Air Force
• 🧠 Led UX strategy for high-impact B2B platforms, transforming enterprise tools into elegant, usable digital experiences
• 🧳 Pioneer of the remote-first work movement, building multicultural, cross-functional teams long before it became mainstream
• 🎤 Speaker and advisor on product design, global team building, and the power of location-independent leadership‍
• 📣 Advocate for inclusive design and diverse hiring—believing the best ideas come from a mix of cultural and professional backgrounds
• 📩 Creator of the Remote CEO community, empowering founders and freelancers to build thriving businesses beyond borders

Jinny continues to shape the future of UX and work culture by championing collaboration without borders—and building products that people genuinely want to use.

Wrapping It Up: LA UX and the Digital Reference Way

What ties all these experts together is not just location—it’s impact. Los Angeles is a city of dreamers, builders, and doers, and its UX consultants embody those values. Whether they're working out of sleek downtown studios or collaborating remotely from beachside bungalows, these professionals are crafting the experiences that define how we live, work, and play in a digital-first world.

At Digital Reference, we champion these voices because they mirror our own commitment to strategic, human-centered design. Our platform is designed to help leaders and teams find the insight, inspiration, and talent they need to build better digital experiences. Be sure to explore more on our about page.

As we head deeper into 2025, keep your eye on these consultants—they’re the ones defining what's next in UX.

Stay curious, stay intentional.