IbyD

What IbyD does

IbyD (legal entity: Information by Design Ltd) is a privately held, full-service research and evaluation agency headquartered in Kingston upon Hull, United Kingdom, founded in 1998. The firm delivers quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method research and evaluation services to a horizontally diversified client base spanning arts, culture, heritage and tourism organisations, blue-chip corporates, charities, colleges and universities, central and local government, NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups, police forces and OPCCs, and small businesses and local charities. Its operating model is traditional professional services: each engagement is scoped, quoted, and delivered on a project basis, with no platform, SaaS, or recurring-revenue component described in the source material.

Underlying technology is limited to conventional research-method toolkits rather than proprietary platforms; no AI, automation, data flywheel, or analytics engine is disclosed. Distribution is direct: clients are acquired through the company website, phone, email, and word-of-mouth, supported by a single Facebook page. The firm cites 1,255 cumulative projects delivered to 273 clients since inception, averaging 4.6 projects per client, with a maximum of 107 projects from any single customer and a roughly 50/50 split between public and private sector work across the UK, Europe, and the USA.

IbyD monetises exclusively through project-based fees, with no disclosed pricing schedule; field interviewer hiring posts imply internal cost structures of approximately £12.50/hr (team members) and £14.00/hr (freelancers), plus 12.06% holiday pay accrual. Compliance and credentials — MRS company partnership, individual staff memberships in the Royal Statistical Society and Social Research Association, ICO registration (Z6556929), and GDPR/UK Data Protection Act 2018 adherence — function as core commercial enablers, particularly for sensitive public-sector and NHS tenders. The company is independently owned, has no disclosed parent, no funding rounds, no acquisitions, and operates with 11–50 employees.

Name

IbyD

Legal name

Information by Design Ltd

Website

https://ibyd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IbyD (Information by Design Ltd) is a UK-based, full-service research and evaluation agency founded in 1998, delivering quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method studies to public and private sector clients across the UK, Europe, and the USA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston upon Hull

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research and Evaluation Services: Provides full-service market research and evaluation solutions including quantitative, qualitative and mixed method research services to a wide range of clients across private and public sectors.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

IbyD (Information by Design Ltd) is a full-service research and evaluation agency offering quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method research services to clients across the public and private sectors in the UK, Europe, and USA. Established in 1998, the firm has completed 1,255 projects for 273 clients, with an average of 4.6 projects per client. Services are delivered on a project basis, with projects commonly covering sectors such as arts, culture, heritage, tourism, government, NHS, police, higher education, charities, and blue-chip companies.

Product overview

IbyD (Information by Design Ltd) is a single-product research and evaluation solutions agency. The company offers a unified service portfolio centered on intelligent research and evaluation solutions, encompassing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method research approaches. As a full-service agency, they deliver these services directly to clients without a modular or platform-based product architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IbyD Research and Evaluation Solutions Full-service research and evaluation offering covering quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method research for clients in the private and public sectors across the UK, Europe, and USA, including arts, culture, heritage, tourism, government, NHS, police, higher education, charities, and blue-chip companies.

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Market Research Society (MRS)coreOthersIbyD is a company partner of the Market Research Society. They abide by the MRS code of conduct and 'Fair Data' principles. Individual staff members are also members of MRS.
• Royal Statistical SocietycoreOthersIndividual staff members are members of the Royal Statistical Society, demonstrating professional credentials in statistical methodology.
• Social Research AssociationcoreOthersIndividual staff members are members of the Social Research Association, supporting best practices in social research.
• Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)coreOthersIbyD is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (Registration number: Z6556929), demonstrating compliance with UK data protection requirements.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Savanta: UK-based mid-sized market research agency offering quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method research across public and private sectors. Closely comparable to IbyD in service portfolio and client mix, though operating at a larger scale.
• Bryter Research: Independent UK market research agency providing custom research and insight services to public and private sector clients. Similar size, methodology mix, and client profile to IbyD.
• Verian: Independent public policy and social research consultancy (formerly Kantar Public). Comparable to IbyD in its focus on public sector, policy evaluation, and mixed-method research across UK and Europe.
• Opinion Research Services (ORS): Wales-based social research agency specialising in evaluation, consultation, and survey research for public sector bodies. Comparable to IbyD's evaluation and public-sector client base, with similar methodology mix.
• BritainThinks: UK-based social and policy research consultancy providing qualitative and quantitative insight for public sector and third-sector clients. Direct overlap with IbyD's evaluation and public-sector focus.
• Thinks Insight & Strategy: UK research consultancy focused on social, public policy and behaviour-change research. Comparable to IbyD in methodology, public sector orientation, and evaluation work.

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos: One of the world's largest market research firms with extensive UK public sector and social research operations via Ipsos MORI. Competes with IbyD for evaluation and policy research contracts but at vastly greater scale.
• Kantar: Global research, insights and consulting group with a major UK footprint covering public sector, consumer, and social research. Overlaps with IbyD on public sector evaluation work but operates at vastly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• YouGov: Global online market research and data analytics company with a strong UK presence. Larger and more tech-enabled than IbyD, but addresses overlapping client needs around UK public opinion, social, and consumer research.

Emerging players

• ResearchBods: UK-based online panel and quantitative research provider with proprietary technology. Adjacent competitor to IbyD for digital-first research, though with a different, more technology-driven delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/infobydesign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/information-by-design-ibyd

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IbyD