Design Science
Design Science is a Long Beach, California-based human factors and usability engineering consultancy founded in 1986, serving medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology clients on regulatory-driven product safety and usability work, now operating as a subsidiary of BlueRidge Life Sciences following a January 2026 acquisition.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersLong Beach, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Design Science does
Design Science (DSI) is a human factors and usability engineering consultancy founded in 1986 and headquartered in Long Beach, California, employing 11–50 people. The firm provides human factors engineering, usability testing, and risk analysis services to companies developing products in three tightly regulated vertical sectors: medical devices, pharmaceuticals (with emphasis on drug delivery devices and packaging), and biotechnology. Its core offer is engineered to help clients achieve regulatory approval, improve patient safety, and increase commercial adoption by de-risking the human-system interaction layer of regulated products. Technical artifacts (proprietary methodologies, testing protocols, risk analysis frameworks) are not publicly disclosed beyond their purpose, and no productized software platform is referenced in the source material; the business is services-led rather than product-led.
The firm operates primarily on a vertical segmentation approach, addressing pain points that map to FDA human factors guidance and similar international frameworks — regulatory compliance, patient safety, product usability, and user interface design for drug delivery systems. Pricing, contract structures, and go-to-market channels are not publicly disclosed, and no specific named customer logos are available in the source data. Following the January 21, 2026 acquisition by BlueRidge Life Sciences, Design Science now operates as a subsidiary of a strategic parent whose stated intent is to expand product lifecycle support capabilities across medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology sectors, embedding the firm's human factors expertise within a broader services platform.
The competitive position rests on four-decade tenure in a narrow specialty where practitioner expertise and accumulated FDA submission experience are scarce. No AI/ML, software platform, or productized technology is referenced; the offering is professional services in nature. Revenue, ARR, and pricing economics are not disclosed, and the firm does not appear to have raised external funding rounds based on the available data.
Design Science firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Design Science
- Legal name
- Design Science
- Website
- https://dessci.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Design Science is a Long Beach, California-based human factors and usability engineering consultancy founded in 1986, serving medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology clients on regulatory-driven product safety and usability work, now operating as a subsidiary of BlueRidge Life Sciences following a January 2026 acquisition.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Design Science industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Human Factors Engineering Consulting
- NAICS
- Industrial Design Services (541420), Other Specialized Design Services (54149), Engineering Services (541330)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)
Keywords
Where Design Science is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Long Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Design Science business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Design Science product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Design Science is a human factors and usability engineering consultancy that helps medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology companies develop safer, more usable regulated products. The firm provides human factors engineering, usability testing, and risk analysis services to support regulatory approval and commercial adoption of client products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Human Factors Engineering Services
- Usability Testing Services
- Risk Analysis Services
Companies that use Design Science
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Design Science technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Design Science partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- BlueRidge Life SciencesBlueRidge Life Sciences acquired Design Science to expand its human factors and usability engineering capabilities. The acquisition aims to enhance regulatory success, patient safety, and commercial adoption for BlueRidge's clients by adding Design Science's expertise in human factors engineering, usability testing, and risk analysis.
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights2 records
Design Science competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Core Human Factors: Pure-play human factors and usability engineering consultancy serving medical device, pharmaceutical, and combination product developers. Most directly comparable in scope, customer base, and regulatory focus.
- HS Design: Medical device design and development firm with integrated human factors engineering capabilities, serving the same regulated medtech and pharma clients with industrial design and usability validation services.
- Gilero: Medical device and drug delivery device design-and-development firm with human factors and usability testing services, comparable to Design Science in combining product design and regulatory submission support.
- Sage Research & Design: Human factors and usability research consultancy focused on medical devices and healthcare products, offering testing, research, and design services aligned with FDA human factors guidance — directly overlapping with Design Science's core offerings.
- Hatch Medical: Medical device product development and human factors consultancy serving medtech manufacturers, comparable in its integration of usability engineering with regulatory submission support.
- ClariMed: Human factors and usability engineering firm dedicated to medical devices, combination products, and digital health — directly comparable specialist serving the same regulatory submission-driven client base.
Broad incumbents
- Emergo by UL: Global regulatory and quality assurance consultancy serving medical device and IVD manufacturers with human factors and usability services as part of a much broader product lifecycle portfolio — competes for the same clients but at far greater scale.
- ICON plc: Large global CRO with dedicated human factors and usability engineering capabilities supporting pharmaceutical and medical device development — comparable on capability but competes as a broad incumbent rather than a specialist.
Emerging players
- Biomedical Design: Smaller medical device and human factors design firm with capabilities in usability engineering and product development, comparable to Design Science as an emerging specialist in the regulated medical design space.
- Atrion International (Human Factors Practice): Regulatory and quality consulting firm with human factors engineering offerings for medical device clients; overlaps with Design Science's service profile but operates at smaller scale within a broader consulting mix.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Design Science social profiles
Digital presenceDesign Science financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Design Science leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Design Science funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Design Science M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Design Science
What does Design Science do?
Design Science is a human factors and usability engineering consultancy that helps medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology companies develop safer, more usable regulated products. The firm provides human factors engineering, usability testing, and risk analysis services to support regulatory approval and commercial adoption of client products.
Is Design Science a public or private company?
Design Science is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Design Science founded?
Design Science was founded in 1986. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Design Science based?
Design Science is headquartered in Long Beach, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Design Science's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Core Human Factors, HS Design, Gilero, Sage Research & Design, Hatch Medical and ClariMed. Broad incumbents are Emergo by UL and ICON plc. Emerging players are Biomedical Design and Atrion International (Human Factors Practice).
Does Design Science have an API?
No public API is recorded for Design Science.
What industry is Design Science in?
Design Science's product category is Human Factors Engineering Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAM, Industrial/Product & Furniture Design. Its NAICS code is 541420 and its SIC code is 8711.