UX Design Consulting Services in the USA
US UX Experts to Know in 2025
UX design doesn’t just shape digital experiences—it shapes the very rhythm of our daily lives. Across the United States, from Silicon Valley’s innovation corridors to NYC’s digital agencies and Chicago’s product hubs, UX consultants are the unsung heroes behind seamless interactions, inclusive systems, and intuitive tools. These professionals don’t just design interfaces—they design impact. And in 2025, that impact is more critical than ever.
At Digital Reference, we know just how vital the role of UX consultants is. That’s why we’ve curated this exclusive roundup of standout UX professionals across the USA—freelancers, solo consultants, and firm leaders—who are setting the tone for human-centered design in the year ahead.
Whether you’re building a new app, optimizing user flows, or looking for product strategy guidance, these experts represent the cutting edge of UX design and strategy in 2025.
Our Methodology
To create this list, the Digital Reference team conducted a comprehensive review of hundreds of UX professionals across the U.S. We evaluated them based on:
- Public client work and portfolio case studies
- Strategic insight and UX process clarity
- Reputation and recommendations on LinkedIn
- Influence through thought leadership and writing
- Innovation in methodologies, tools, or workflows
- Location relevance within the USA’s digital economy
This is not a ranked list—but a curated collection of standout professionals, each with unique strengths and approaches to UX design. Let’s dive in.
Nicole Gallardo
Founder, Founders Who UX & Gallardo Labs
LinkedIn | Gallardo Labs | Founders Who UX
Nicole Gallardo has spent 20+ years designing digital experiences that actually work—both for users and the bottom line. From enterprise brands to lean startups, she’s built 80+ products that have helped companies generate over $2B in revenue and raise $210M+ in funding. She’s based in Miami and is reshaping how UX design scales across company size and maturity.
💡 Career highlights:
- 🧠 Co-founder of Gallardo Labs, a lean, expert-led UX agency with clients like GE, Virgin Voyages & Frida
- 🚀 Founder of Founders Who UX, helping high-growth startups access premium UX guidance without agency bloat
- 💬 Former UX lead for Target, Chrysler, and Norwegian Cruise Line
- 🌍 Deep advocate for inclusive design and DEI-focused team culture
- 🎤 Frequent mentor and speaker in the UX and product design community
Nicole’s blend of vision, leadership, and execution makes her one of the most impactful UX consultants working in the U.S. today.
Kelly Franznick
Co-Founder, Blink UX
Kelly Franznick’s UX career is rooted in a lifelong curiosity about how design can shape human behavior. From his early days studying industrial design and psychology to founding one of the most respected UX firms in the U.S., Kelly has always been driven by a desire to build meaningful, usable, and evidence-based digital products.
💡 Career highlights:
- 🏆 Founder of Blink UX, a multimillion-dollar, award-winning design consultancy with clients like Apple, Google, NASA, Nike, and Disney
- 🧪 Early UX researcher at PHC and E-Lab, pioneers in ethnographic research and digital product strategy
- 🖥️ Helped companies like Microsoft and PACCAR transition to the digital era in the early 2000s
- 🧭 Developed the firm’s evidence-driven design methodology—now a hallmark of Blink’s global success
- 🎓 Adjunct professor and lecturer at the University of Washington and Lake Washington Institute of Technology
- 🚀 Recognized by Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Puget Sound Business Journal for business growth and innovation in UX
With more than 25 years in the field, Kelly continues to be a defining voice in enterprise UX strategy—bringing deep behavioral insights and world-class design leadership to every engagement.
Ryan Vanni
Founder, Goodness, Inc.
Ryan Vanni started his UX and digital commerce journey young—founding his first agency at 21. Now, more than two decades later, he leads Goodness, a user-first digital commerce partner trusted by standout consumer brands. Based in Sacramento, Ryan has spent his career helping companies connect UX thinking directly to revenue and brand growth.
💡 Career highlights:
- 🚀 Founded Goodness (formerly Bukwild), delivering conversion-driven UX for premium DTC and lifestyle brands
- 🧠 Known for building mission-aligned, high-integrity teams that center human needs in digital commerce
- 💼 Co-founded multiple ventures including Elastic Suite, Queue, Wonderful Union, and Pretty Great Coffee
- 📈 25+ years of entrepreneurship, blending UX strategy with real-world business acumen
- 🔍 Focuses on high-level product vision, growth strategy, and scaling digital experiences with heart
Ryan’s work is all about balancing creative excellence with business results—making him a go-to UX leader for brands that want more than just a pretty interface.
Naveed Usman
Principal & Founder, Usman Group
With over two decades of UX and digital strategy leadership, Naveed Usman brings both business rigor and creative clarity to every engagement. As founder of Usman Group, he has made a name for himself in Denver and beyond by helping clients translate complexity into smart, user-first solutions that deliver results.
💡 Career highlights:
- 🧭 Founder of Usman Group, a boutique consultancy focused on UX strategy, research, and digital transformation
- 🎯 Expert at applying design thinking to align business goals with user needs
- 🧠 Deep experience across business strategy, operations, marketing, and finance
- 🗣️ Veteran speaker, mentor, and team leader known for his collaborative, outcomes-first approach
- 🔧 Led hundreds of projects with a focus on elegant, scalable, and cost-effective UX solutions
Naveed’s rare blend of strategic thinking and hands-on execution makes him a trusted partner for organizations that want more than just a website—they want a smarter digital strategy.
Michael Moran
Founder, Morandom Design
Michael Moran is a design polymath with a passion for building thoughtful, inclusive digital products that empower users to thrive. Based in Austin, TX, Michael leads Morandom Design, a creative consultancy where human-centered strategy meets pixel-perfect execution. His work bridges UX, branding, and community activism—all with an eye toward long-term impact.
💡 Career highlights:
- 🎯 Led UX strategy and product design for fintech, edtech, and estate planning platforms like Voyant and The Postage
- 🧪 Deep experience in usability testing, heuristic evaluation, and values-driven design
- 🛠️ A full-stack designer fluent in Figma, Webflow, Google Analytics, Typeform, Amplitude, and more
- 🎨 Designed branding, packaging, and digital platforms for Urban Harvest, Houston Botanic Garden, and other mission-driven orgs
- 🤝 Active contributor to AustinUX.org, supporting the local design community through mentorship and education
- 🎵 Outside of work, he’s a musician, teacher, and volunteer, dedicated to creative service
Michael's multidisciplinary approach and mentorship mindset make him one of the most community-oriented UX consultants working today.
Elizabeth Anderson
Co-Founder, LunarLab
Elizabeth Anderson is a mission-driven UX and product strategy leader who’s changing the game for how digital products are imagined and built. As the Co-Founder and CEO of LunarLab, based in Birmingham, Alabama, she brings together empathy, clarity, and business insight to shape user experiences that genuinely work—for people and for companies.
🌕 Career highlights:
- 🧠 Leads a diverse portfolio of UX/UI design, user research, and product strategy projects across industries
- 🤝 Known for her collaborative leadership style, guiding startups and enterprises through complex transformations
- 💬 Skilled at both executive facilitation and hands-on UX work—whether it’s mapping product journeys or leading workshops
- 🔍 Passionate about inclusive design and building systems where good ideas thrive
- 🚀 Helped LunarLab scale into a trusted innovation partner for forward-thinking digital teams
Elizabeth’s blend of strategic vision and user-first rigor makes her a go-to UX consultant for organizations ready to turn big ideas into high-impact realities.
Rosina Bosco
Head of Design, Flatirons
Rosina Bosco brings over two decades of experience blending user-centered design with strategic business goals. As Co-Founder and CCO of Flatirons, based in Boulder, Colorado, she leads a team delivering cutting-edge web and mobile solutions focused on healthcare and other key industries.
🚀 Career highlights:
- 🌟 Expert in aligning UX design and full-stack development to create seamless digital experiences
- 🤝 Builds strong client partnerships through collaboration and a customer-first mindset
- 🏥 Specializes in scalable, secure solutions tailored for healthcare, blending technical rigor with design innovation
- 🌎 Oversees a hybrid US and nearshore (LATAM) consultancy, ensuring quality and efficiency across borders
- 💡 Passionate about fostering creative teams that bring impactful ideas to life
Rosina’s leadership at Flatirons champions innovation and delivers reliable, user-centric digital products that make a difference.
David Pasztor
Founder, UX Studio & UXfolio
LinkedIn | UX Studio & UXfolio
David Pasztor is a powerhouse in the UX design world, building tools and teams that empower designers globally. He’s the visionary behind UXfolio, a portfolio-building platform that’s helped over 150,000 UX professionals showcase their work and land roles at top companies like Apple and Microsoft.
🔥 Career highlights:
- 🛠 Creator of UXfolio, a user-friendly portfolio builder designed by UXers for UXers to streamline job applications
- 🏆 Founder of UX Studio, a 60-person digital product design agency with in-house research teams in psychology and sociology
- 🌍 UX Studio serves elite clients like Google, Netflix, HBO, Samsung, plus innovative startups worldwide
- 🎖 UX Studio is a Red Dot Award winner, known for blending deep user research with design excellence
- 📚 Active contributor to the UX community through events, workshops, and shared learnings
David’s work combines cutting-edge UX research with practical tools, helping designers tell their stories and companies deliver smarter products.
Sarah Doody
Founder, Career Strategy Lab
LinkedIn | Career Strategy Lab
🌟 Career highlights:
Sarah Doody is a UX researcher, product designer, and career strategist who helps mid-to-senior UX and product pros land higher-paying roles faster. She’s the founder of Career Strategy Lab, a UX job accelerator that’s helped clients secure jobs at Amazon, Microsoft, IBM, and more—with average salary increases in the five figures.
- 🚀 Built one of the first UX immersive curricula for General Assembly
- 🎯 Clients increase salaries by 40% and get hired in 3.5 months on average
- 🌍 Frequent speaker at global UX and product conferences
- 🏔️ Passionate about skiing and always chasing fresh powder
Sarah believes your greatest product is YOU—and she’s dedicated to helping UX professionals design and sell themselves to reach career goals.
Olivia Boutch
Principal & Founder, DAE•O Studio
Olivia Boutch is a senior UX designer and founder of DAE•O Studio, where she leads product design and systems work to help startups scale and secure funding. She has driven $2M+ in funding and impacted over 64K users across fintech, wellness, and SaaS industries.
✨ Career highlgihts:
- 💥 Founding designer for 5+ teams with measurable business impact
- 🌍 Mentored 25+ designers, providing career guidance and tested strategies
- 🛠 Created design ops systems that streamline collaboration and execution
- 🤝 Top 50 ADPList mentor and content creator with 84K+ post impressions
Olivia combines leadership, systems thinking, and business-backed design to build intuitive products and coach designers through career pivots and growth.
Michael Ellsworth
Co-Founder, Built By Civilization
LinkedIn | Built by Civilization
Michael Ellsworth is a creative director and co-founder of Civilization, a Seattle-based agency that champions design as a tool for social change. With over a decade of experience, Michael combines creativity with purpose, working across public, private, nonprofit, and international projects to communicate cultural and environmental value.
🌎 Career highlights:
- 🧭 Co-founder and Chief Creative Director at Civilization for 13+ years
- 🎯 Featured in Huffington Post, New York Times, Wired, and more
- 🌍 Leads multidisciplinary projects that focus on social impact and community empowerment
Michael’s approach centers on uncovering the core creative idea and letting it guide meaningful, future-proof solutions that matter.
Makoto Kern
Lead UX, IImpact
Makoto is a 3x Inc. 5000 nominee and founder of IIIMPACT, a strategic product consulting firm that helps Fortune 500 executives and high-growth startups reduce risk and accelerate enterprise software development. With 21+ years of experience, Makoto specializes in aligning business goals with user needs through strategic workshops, risk mitigation, and user-centered design.
- 🚀 Reduced development timelines by 40% for Fortune 500 clients
- 🎯 Achieved 85% user adoption rates vs. 34% industry average in enterprise software
- 💼 Launched 100+ digital products across healthcare, fintech, energy, logistics, and more
- 🎙️ Host of the “Make an IIIMPACT” podcast on AI, product strategy, and UX trends
Makoto is known for translating business outcomes into measurable software success and helping teams avoid costly project failures through deep strategic immersion and technical excellence.
Recap: UX Design in the USA and the Power of Local Talent
From New York to Seattle, from solo shops to enterprise studios—these UX leaders are shaping how Americans interact with digital products. They’re not just pushing pixels; they’re building the next generation of accessible, ethical, and effective technology.
Their work reflects the very DNA of Digital Reference: thoughtful research, user-led strategy, and bold design execution.
Want to explore other UX hubs?
- UX Design Consulting Services in the UK
- UX Design Consulting Services in Canada
- UX Design Consulting Services in Australia
Why Digital Reference?
At Digital Reference, we’re more than content. We’re a knowledge partner. We help companies discover, assess, and hire elite UX and product design talent—and we give the spotlight to voices who deserve it. Our mission is to democratize design thinking and build smarter digital teams.
Thanks for reading. If you’re building a product or hiring a UX consultant in 2025, this list is where your search begins.
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