What Usability.de does

Usability.de GmbH & Co. KG is an independent, owner-managed user experience (UX) agency headquartered in Hannover, Germany, founded in 2004 by Torsten Bartel and Gesine Quint. The firm provides project-based B2B professional services spanning UX design, qualitative and quantitative user research and testing, UX management consulting, certified UX training, and specialized offerings including Medical Usability Engineering (IEC 62366 / EU MDR compliance), International UX, and Digital Accessibility (BITV/WCAG). Its core methodology is a documented human-centered design (HCD) cycle — Understand, Explore, Draft, Test — supported by a proprietary UX Reifegrad-Modell (UX Maturity Model) and an agile-compatible testing format called User Days.

The firm's enterprise client roster spans automotive (Volkswagen, Continental), agricultural machinery (CLAAS), medical technology (Siemens Healthineers), consumer electronics (Sony, LG Electronics, Microsoft Xbox), insurance and financial services (LVM, Dr. Klein, DATEV, Fidelity), travel (TUI), retail (adidas), energy (enercity), and nonprofit organizations (NABU, Welthungerhilfe, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe). Per the company, over 90% of clients return for repeat engagements, indicating strong retention. The go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales, with inbound leads generated through website SEO, LinkedIn, professional association memberships (UPA, UXQB), and the firm's organization of World Usability Day Hannover.

All revenue derives from project-based professional services engagements; no public pricing is available, and the firm offers a free initial consultation as the entry point. The legal structure is a GmbH & Co. KG (German limited partnership) with the general partner being UX Management GmbH. There is no external investment, no parent company, no disclosed funding rounds, and no M&A activity in the input data. The firm operates a single headquarters in Hannover and delivers projects on-site, in its test studio, and remotely, with primary geographic focus on Germany and selected international project engagements for global clients.

Name

Usability.de

Legal name

usability.de GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://usability.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Usability.de is an independent, owner-managed UX agency founded in 2004 in Hannover, Germany, providing user experience design, research, testing, consulting, and training services to enterprise clients across automotive, healthcare, insurance, financial services, and consumer electronics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

User Experience Consulting Services

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Specialized Design Services (5414)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Brand Experience (BX) & Service Design (BPAFAEAI), Learning Experience Design (LXD) & UX for Learning (EDAGAKAF), DTx/SaMD Deployment, Integration & Reimbursement Enablement (HLACANAO), UI/UX Engineering & Front-End Modernization (BPAEAFAH)

Keywords

• UX design services
• Usability consulting
• User research
• Medical usability engineering
• UX strategy consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanover

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. UX Design Services: User Experience design services including UX strategy, UX design, and interface design for digital products and services. Billed as project-based professional services engagements.
2. UX Research & Testing Services: Qualitative and quantitative user research including usability testing, interviews, surveys, card sorting, tree testing, and eye tracking studies. Billed as project-based engagements.
3. UX Management & Consulting: Strategic consulting for integrating UX into organizations, including UX maturity assessments, workshops, and ongoing advisory services.
4. UX Training & Certifications: Certified professional development courses and customized in-house seminars on UX topics, including internationally recognized certifications.
5. Specialized UX Services: Specialized services including Medical UX (IEC 62366 compliance), International UX (localization research), and Digital Accessibility (BITV/WCAG compliance).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Usability.de is an independent, owner-managed UX agency that sells user experience design, user research, usability testing, UX strategy consulting, and UX training services to enterprise clients. Core offerings include User Experience Design, UX Testing & User Research, UX Management & Consulting, and UX Trainings, complemented by specialized verticals such as Medical UX (IEC 62366 compliant), International UX, and Web Accessibility (BITV/WCAG). Services are delivered as project-based engagements using the agency's proprietary Human-Centered Design methodology and the UX Reifegrad-Modell maturity assessment framework.

Product overview

Usability.de is an independent, owner-managed UX agency founded in 2004, offering a comprehensive portfolio of user experience design and research services. The agency provides both strategic consulting (UX Management & Consulting) and operational services (User Experience Design, Human-Centered AI) combined with research methodologies (UX Testing & User Research) and specialized offerings (Medical UX, International UX, Web Accessibility, UX Training). The core methodology toolkit includes Design Sprints, Usability Testing, Card Sorting, Tree Testing, Eye Tracking, Prototyping, Personas, and User Journey Mapping. The agency serves diverse industries including automotive, insurance, medical technology, government, and e-commerce, with clients such as Volkswagen, CLAAS, Siemens Healthineers, LVM, and TUI.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• User Experience Design

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90% of clients provide repeat business and report satisfaction with services
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Nielsen Norman Group: World-leading UX research, training, and certification firm founded by usability pioneers Jakob Nielsen and Don Norman. Direct peer in the UX training and research methodology space, and a global authority Usability.de references via UXQB certification.
• Useeds GmbH: Berlin-based independent UX research and strategy consultancy with comparable full-service UX design, research, and training offering. Same target buyer (enterprise), same German mid-market focus, and similar boutique positioning — making it the closest direct peer to Usability.de in the German UX market.
• Work & Co: Digital product design agency with comparable human-centered design methodology and enterprise client focus (including major consumer electronics and financial services brands). Closest US-side peer in terms of service model.
• Centigrade GmbH: German UX research and design agency (Ludwigshafen) specializing in medical device and industrial UX. Direct competitor for MedTech UX mandates and overlapping German enterprise target market.
• SirValUse GmbH: Stuttgart-based UX usability research and design consultancy with a similar enterprise German-market focus and overlapping automotive, financial services, and industrial client base. Directly comparable boutique UX agency.
• Ergosign GmbH: German UX design and ergonomics consultancy (Saarbrücken) with deep specialization in medical device and regulated industries — overlapping directly with Usability.de's Medical UX / IEC 62366 practice. Closest comparable in terms of regulatory UX focus.

Broad incumbents

• Designit (Wipro): Global strategic design firm (now part of Wipro) offering end-to-end UX, service design, and digital transformation. Larger scale incumbent competing for the same enterprise digital mandates as Usability.de.
• IDEO: Global pioneer in human-centered design and innovation consulting offering UX design and research at scale. Comparable in methodology (HCD, design thinking) and target market (enterprise transformation) but operates at much larger scale and global footprint.
• frog design (Capgemini Engineering): Global design and innovation consultancy now part of Capgemini, serving enterprise clients across consumer electronics, automotive, and healthcare — all verticals where Usability.de competes. Provides a larger-scale incumbent comparison for global enterprise mandates.

Emerging players

• UXMA (User Experience Management Association / agency): Frankfurt-based UX consultancy focused on UX management, training, and certification. Partial overlap with Usability.de's UX Management Consulting and UX Training revenue streams in the same German enterprise market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/usability-de
• Instagraminstagram.com/usability.de
• Xx.com/usabilityde
• Facebookfacebook.com/usability.ux

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Usability.de