Digital of Things
Digital of Things is a Dubai-based bilingual (Arabic/English) UX research and design consultancy serving enterprise and government clients across MENA, with a remote testing platform (UserQ), a UX training arm (DOT Academy), and a physical usability lab.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersJumairah, United Arab Emirates
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Digital of Things does
Digital of Things (legal entity Digital of Things DMCC) is a Dubai-headquartered UX research and experience design consultancy serving enterprise and mid-market clients across the Middle East and North Africa, with bilingual Arabic and English capabilities. Founded in 2018 by Sudipt Shah (CEO) and Brooke Cowling (COO), the firm offers six core service lines: User Research, AI Experiences, Experience Design, Product and Experience Strategy, UX Lab and Research Operations, and Customer Experience. Service delivery is supported by an in-house physical usability lab in Dubai and a UK office in Northolt, Middlesex. The firm operates under three engagement models — fixed-scope projects, monthly/annual UX retainers, and embedded team augmentation — and works with a roster that includes Carrefour, Google, Procter & Gamble, Samsung, Spotify, MasterCard, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Mashreq, du, Lucid Motors, Emaar, Careem, Qatar Tourism, and the UAE Ministry of Cabinet Affairs.
The firm's proprietary technology is the UserQ platform, positioned as MENA's first remote user research tool, providing unmoderated testing, prototype testing, surveys, and card sorting to a panel of over 15,000 vetted testers across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. UserQ is offered with pay-as-you-go and subscription pricing alongside the consulting engagements. A second sub-brand, DOT Academy (dotacademy.me), delivers practitioner-led UX training courses in Arabic and English. Digital of Things is also the Middle Eastern partner of UX Alliance, a global network of 32 independent UX agencies with 60 facilities and 750 UX experts, which the firm leverages for cross-border research delivery.
The company is privately held and bootstrapped, with no disclosed external funding rounds. Revenue is generated through professional services engagements (fixed fees), recurring retainers (annual cadence), and the UserQ SaaS/usage-based channel. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Marketing is content-led across LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, a blog, case studies, awards-based PR, and DOT Academy, with demand generation anchored by industry awards including Gulf Customer Experience Awards (Best Digital Agency 2019, Best use of AI/VR/AR 2022) and the International Business and Leadership Awards overall winner in 2020.
Digital of Things firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Digital of Things
- Legal name
- Digital of Things DMCC
- Website
- https://digitalofthings.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Digital of Things is a Dubai-based bilingual (Arabic/English) UX research and design consultancy serving enterprise and government clients across MENA, with a remote testing platform (UserQ), a UX training arm (DOT Academy), and a physical usability lab.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Digital of Things industry classification
Industry- Product category
- User Experience and User Research Consultancy Services
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Computer Related Services (541519)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Customer Experience (CX) & Digital Experience (BPAHAEAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD), UX, Design Thinking & Customer Research for PMs (EDABAHAK)
Keywords
Where Digital of Things is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Jumairah
- HQ country
- United Arab Emirates
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices2 records
Markets served
Digital of Things business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Fixed Project Engagements: Defined-scope UX research and design projects with set fees and clear timelines, ideal for goal-focused work with tight delivery.
- UX Retainer: Rolling monthly or annual retainer providing ongoing access to senior UX expertise, shaped around the client's product roadmap.
- Team Augmentation: DOT specialists embedded into the client's team to scale capacity with in-house-style support.
- UserQ SaaS Platform: Remote user testing platform with a panel of over 15,000 MENA testers enabling pay-as-you-go or subscription-based access for unmoderated research studies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Fixed Projects - defined scope, set fees, clear timelines |
| Subscription | Annual | UX Retainer - rolling access to senior UX minds |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Team Augmentation - DOT specialists embedded in client team |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | UserQ - remote testing platform panel access |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
Digital of Things product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Digital of Things is an award-winning UX and user research consultancy delivering bilingual (Arabic/English) experience design, user research, AI experience strategy, product strategy, customer experience optimization, and UX lab/research operations services across the MENA region. The firm also operates UserQ, a remote unmoderated user research SaaS platform with access to a 15,000+ regional tester panel, and DOT Academy, a UX training program.
Product overview
Digital of Things is a UX and research consultancy offering a portfolio of interconnected services centered on user experience design and research. The core offerings include User Research, AI Experiences, Experience Design, Product & Experience Strategy, UX Lab & Research Ops, and Customer Experience. The company also operates two sub-brands: DOT Academy for UX training and UserQ, a remote user research platform specifically designed for MENA with a panel of over 15,000 regional testers. All services are delivered with bilingual Arabic and English capabilities by a team with over 50 years of combined experience.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- UserQ: MENA's first remote user research platform for quick feedback from real users in the Middle East. Enables brands to conduct unmoderated tests in English and Arabic with access to over 15,000 testers from UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and beyond.
- DOT Academy
Products and services
- User Research Comprehensive user research services including discovery research, usability testing, interviews, focus groups, surveys, quantitative research, and participant recruitment across the MENA region in Arabic and English. Designed for enterprises and product teams needing evidence-based user insights.
- AI Experiences
Quantifiable outcome
- 257% improvement in product findability for Carrefour e-commerce (from 31% to 83% success rate)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Digital of Things
Customer profileNamed customers36 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Digital of Things technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature3 records
Digital of Things partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- UX AlliancecoreDigital of Things is the Middle Eastern partner of UX Alliance, a global network of independent UX research and design agencies. The partnership provides access to 32 partner companies, 60 facilities worldwide, and 750 UX experts, enabling Digital of Things to conduct research globally on behalf of clients and refer international projects to partner agencies.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Digital of Things competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- IDEO: Global design and innovation consultancy offering UX research, strategy, and experience design across consumer and enterprise clients. Directly comparable service portfolio to DOT, though at much larger scale and with global rather than regional focus.
- Ustwo: Independent digital product studio offering UX research, design, and engineering, with studios across multiple regions. Comparable boutique-consultancy positioning to DOT and similar multi-office operating model.
- Nielsen Norman Group: Pioneering UX research and training firm with an evidence-based practice spanning usability testing, user research, and education. Shares DOT's research-first, training-adjacent positioning and publishes thought leadership that influences enterprise UX buyers.
- Work & Co: Digital product agency combining UX research, design, and engineering to ship end-to-end products for global brands. Mirrors DOT's integrated strategy-research-design offering but with a heavier engineering delivery model.
- Frog Design: Global design and innovation firm with deep enterprise and consumer experience work spanning research, strategy, and product design. Overlaps directly with DOT's enterprise UX consultancy model.
- UserTesting (UserZoom): Leading remote user research platform with a global tester panel and enterprise SaaS distribution. Direct competitor to DOT's UserQ platform in the MENA region and adjacent to DOT's core research service.
Broad incumbents
- Huge: Large digital experience agency offering UX research, design, and technology as part of broader digital transformation engagements. A larger, broader incumbent that competes on enterprise RFPs across the same buyer set as DOT.
- R/GA: Global digital agency combining strategy, design, and technology with a strong enterprise and brand marketing practice. Overlaps with DOT's experience design and customer experience offerings, especially for global brand briefs in MENA.
Emerging players
- Maze: Self-serve user research platform for rapid prototype testing and surveys. Competes with UserQ for in-house product team budgets seeking fast unmoderated insights without a managed panel.
Regional players
- Liquid: Independent digital agency with significant MENA presence providing UX, design, and technology services. The closest direct regional peer to DOT in terms of client profile and offering mix, competing head-to-head for GCC enterprise mandates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Digital of Things social profiles
Digital presenceDigital of Things financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Digital of Things leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Digital of Things funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Digital of Things 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 Digital of Things
What does Digital of Things do?
Digital of Things is an award-winning UX and user research consultancy delivering bilingual (Arabic/English) experience design, user research, AI experience strategy, product strategy, customer experience optimization, and UX lab/research operations services across the MENA region. The firm also operates UserQ, a remote unmoderated user research SaaS platform with access to a 15,000+ regional tester panel, and DOT Academy, a UX training program.
Is Digital of Things a public or private company?
Digital of Things is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Digital of Things founded?
Digital of Things was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Digital of Things based?
Digital of Things is headquartered in Jumairah, United Arab Emirates, in the Middle East region.
How does Digital of Things make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Fixed Project Engagements are the primary driver. The others are UX Retainer, team Augmentation and userQ SaaS Platform.
Who are Digital of Things's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are IDEO, Ustwo, Nielsen Norman Group, Work & Co, Frog Design and UserTesting (UserZoom). Broad incumbents are Huge and R/GA. Maze is listed as an emerging player. Liquid is listed as a regional player.
Does Digital of Things have an API?
No public API is recorded for Digital of Things.
What industry is Digital of Things in?
Digital of Things's product category is User Experience and User Research Consultancy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAEAC, Customer Experience (CX) & Digital Experience, with a secondary code of MPAAAAAD, Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX). Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 7370.