Bold Insight
Bold Insight is a US-based UX and human factors research consultancy serving enterprise clients in automotive, medical devices, consumer technology, and emerging tech. Founded in 2003 and founder-led, it operates offices in Illinois, Chicago, and London with reach into 100+ markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Bold Insight does
Bold Insight Inc. is a privately held UX and human factors research consultancy founded in 2003 (originally as User Centric, rebranded in the 2020s) and headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois. The firm sells professional research services to enterprise clients across automotive, consumer technology, medical devices, FemTech, government, and emerging technology, combining qualitative and quantitative methods with regulatory-grade human factors validation aligned to FDA, UKCA, CE Mark, and ISO/IEC 62366-1 standards. It operates three directly owned offices (Downers Grove, Chicago Loop, and London) and extends reach to 100+ markets through the UXalliance partner network, supported by an ISO 9001:2015 certified quality management system and proprietary tooling such as the IFU Scorecard for medical device labeling.
The firm's revenue is generated entirely through professional services engagements priced on a quote basis: scoped research projects, multi-phase programs, team augmentation, global project management, and facilities rental. Go-to-market is sales-led and enterprise-focused, with named buyer personas including product leaders, UX teams, marketers, and operational strategists. Bold Insight sells primarily through direct relationships, website inquiry, and referrals, with procurement and supplier audit support as a deliberate onboarding feature for regulated-industry buyers. The company cites 150+ automotive UX projects and multiple client relationships sustained for nearly two decades as evidence of scale and retention, while also publishing peer-reviewed AI research with partners such as Google.
Bold Insight is founder-led by Gavin Lew, Korey Johnson, and Robert Schumacher (co-founders and managing partners), with 51-100 employees and no disclosed external investors. Recent strategic activity includes a 2025 expansion of London operations targeting FCA Consumer Duty and UKCA/CE Mark work, a rebrand positioning the firm around AI and emerging tech research, and productized offerings such as the IFU Scorecard and AI & Emerging Tech Research line. The firm competes on domain depth in regulated industries, method consistency across global markets, and long-tenured client relationships rather than on software product IP.
Bold Insight firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bold Insight
- Legal name
- Bold Insight Inc.
- Website
- https://boldinsight.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Bold Insight is a US-based UX and human factors research consultancy serving enterprise clients in automotive, medical devices, consumer technology, and emerging tech. Founded in 2003 and founder-led, it operates offices in Illinois, Chicago, and London with reach into 100+ markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bold Insight industry classification
Industry- Product category
- UX and Human Factors Research Consulting
- NAICS
- Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Product & Innovation Research (Concept, Pricing, Packaging, Conjoint) (MPAAALAI)
Keywords
Where Bold Insight is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Bold Insight business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- UX Research & Strategy Consulting: Professional services engagement including exploratory research, usability testing, and strategic consulting. Engagement models range from quick one-off projects to multi-phase programs with flexible support from study design through deliverable production.
- Human Factors Research: Specialized human factors engineering services for medical devices and regulated products, including formative and summative validation studies aligned to FDA and ISO/IEC 62366-1 standards.
- Team Augmentation: Providing UX or human factors researchers who become members of clients' internal research teams, designing, executing, and reporting on studies over defined periods.
- Research Facilities Rental: Rental of purpose-built research labs and facilities for client-conducted or observed user studies, including flexible layouts, observation rooms, and streaming technology.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels9 records
Bold Insight product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bold Insight is a full-service UX and human factors research consultancy that provides qualitative and quantitative research, usability testing, and regulatory-compliant human factors validation across automotive, consumer technology, FemTech, government, and healthcare/medical device sectors. It sells professional research services, team augmentation, and research facility rentals to enterprise clients globally.
Product overview
Bold Insight is a UX and human factors consulting firm offering research services across multiple industries including automotive, consumer technology, FemTech, government, and healthcare. The company's portfolio consists of core research services (UX Research & Strategy, Quantitative Research, Human Factors Research, Medical Device Research, AI & Emerging Tech Research, Accessibility Consulting, and Global Project Management) complemented by supporting offerings (IFU Scorecard, Team Augmentation, Facilities Rental, and Team Accelerator Program). With 20+ years of experience, 9 global offices, and coverage across 100+ markets, the firm delivers research that drives product-market fit, reduces use-related risk, and supports regulatory compliance for medical devices.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- UX Research & Strategy Comprehensive UX research services that help organizations understand user needs, behaviors, and pain points to inform product design and strategy, including exploratory research, usability testing, and mixed-methods approaches combining qualitative and quantitative research.
- Quantitative Research Data-driven research services that provide measurable, statistically significant insights to support confident business decisions using surveys, analytics, and large-scale testing to validate patterns at scale.
- AI & Emerging Tech Research Research services focused on evaluating, validating, and optimizing AI-powered products and emerging technologies including generative AI, conversational AI, voice interfaces, robotics, and mixed reality experiences.
- Human Factors Research Scientific research on human interactions with products, systems, and environments to ensure safe, effective, and satisfying use, applying principles of ergonomics, cognitive psychology, and behavioral science to product design.
- Medical Device Research Specialized human factors and usability research for medical devices supporting FDA submissions and regulatory compliance, including formative and summative usability testing, IFU evaluation, and post-market surveillance research.
- IFU Scorecard Evaluation tool for assessing Instructions for Use (IFU) labeling to ensure clarity, reduce use errors, and facilitate smoother regulatory review for medical devices and pharmaceutical products.
- Accessibility Consulting Consulting services to facilitate inclusive design processes, ensuring products are accessible to users with diverse abilities, including accessibility audits, inclusive research practices, and design recommendations.
- Team Augmentation Staff augmentation services that provide UX or human factors researchers to join client teams, scaling capacity without slowing down product development timelines.
- Global Project Management Research project management services enabling consistent quality and seamless execution across global markets, coordinating in-market researchers and vendor partners across 100+ countries.
- Facilities Rental Rental of research facilities including UX labs with configurable test suites, observation rooms, and specialized equipment, with locations in Downers Grove, IL, Chicago Loop, and London, UK.
- Team Accelerator Program Program designed to accelerate client teams through structured research support, helping organizations build internal research capabilities while executing current projects.
Quantifiable outcome
- 150+ automotive UX projects completed for global carmakers, suppliers, and platform developers
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Bold Insight
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Bold Insight technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature3 records
Bold Insight partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- UXalliancecoreGlobal network of UX research firms enabling cross-border research capabilities. Bold Insight is one of five founding members of this 20-year collaboration spanning multiple countries for consistent methodology with local market expertise.
- ReSight GlobalcoreRelated entity within the UXalliance network providing additional global research capabilities and children's books shop (resight.global/shop).
- XplusXminorRegional partner covering China and Singapore within the global research network. Provides in-market research capabilities and local expertise for studies in Asian markets.
- uintentminorRegional partner in Germany providing local research capabilities and expertise in European market for human factors and UX research.
- PeepalDesignminorRegional partner in India providing local research capabilities for South Asian market studies.
- UismminorRegional partner in Japan providing local research capabilities for Japanese market studies.
- GooglecorePublished joint research on AI-powered learning in Frontiers journal. Collaboration on evaluating AI-powered tools and developing questions every product team should ask about AI platforms.
- Panasonic WellminorCollaboration on research methods for unpredictable LLM systems. Shared learnings on simulation approaches to uncover safer, faster insights for AI-powered products.
- OrthogonalminorCollaborative blog series sharing insights about getting medical devices to market faster, combining Bold Insight's human factors expertise with Orthogonal's connected health expertise.
- The Office of ExperienceminorPartnership for delivering outstanding user experiences combining UX research with brand experience strategy.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Bold Insight competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights10 records
Customer concentration
Bold Insight social profiles
Digital presenceBold Insight compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Bold Insight financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bold Insight leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Bold Insight funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bold Insight 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 Bold Insight
What does Bold Insight do?
Bold Insight is a full-service UX and human factors research consultancy that provides qualitative and quantitative research, usability testing, and regulatory-compliant human factors validation across automotive, consumer technology, FemTech, government, and healthcare/medical device sectors. It sells professional research services, team augmentation, and research facility rentals to enterprise clients globally.
Is Bold Insight a public or private company?
Bold Insight is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bold Insight founded?
Bold Insight was founded in 2003. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Bold Insight based?
Bold Insight is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bold Insight make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. UX Research & Strategy Consulting is the primary driver. The others are human Factors Research, team Augmentation and research Facilities Rental.
Does Bold Insight have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bold Insight.
What industry is Bold Insight in?
Bold Insight's product category is UX and Human Factors Research Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAALAI, Product & Innovation Research (Concept, Pricing, Packaging, Conjoint). Its NAICS code is 54169 and its SIC code is 8742.