What Sutherland Labs does

Sutherland Labs is a UX research and design consultancy that operates as a division of Sutherland Global Services Inc., a privately held global services company headquartered in Pittsford, New York. The firm delivers user research, strategy, and experience optimization services to enterprise clients across media, gaming, healthcare, telecommunications, hospitality, and public sector verticals. Its named client base includes BBC, Sky.com, global streaming platforms, telecom leaders, healthcare providers, and hospitality marketplaces, with marquee engagements ranging from ethnographic research informing BBC World Service redesign to chatbot strategy for a 500m+ user audio streaming platform.

The company's core delivery assets include London's specialist playtesting studio (16-station rooms with PC, console, and mobile testing, HD/4K screens, mobile visualizers, and secure live streaming for global remote observation), configurable usability labs with Droidcast and BYOD integration, flexible focus group environments (including child-friendly and food/drink testing setups), and dedicated research spaces and meeting rooms. A separate London facility (52 Shorts Gardens, Covent Garden) and a San Francisco SOMA lab anchor the physical footprint, with international coverage delivered through the UXalliance global partner network (US, Japan, Spain, Germany, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Africa).

The business model is project-based professional services with parallel facility rental revenue. Services are sold through direct B2B enterprise engagement (website contact forms, sales outreach), while meeting rooms, playtesting studios, and dedicated research spaces are publicly priced on a pay-as-you-go basis (meeting rooms £50-£160/hour, playtesting studios from £1,500/day, dedicated research space from £1,200/day). Thought leadership distribution via Lab Notes newsletter, Medium, LinkedIn, YouTube, and the annual UX Masterclass event drives inbound enterprise pipeline.

Name

Sutherland Labs

Legal name

Sutherland Global Services Inc.

Website

https://sutherlandlabs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Sutherland Labs is a UX research and design consultancy delivering user research, strategy, and experience optimization services to enterprise clients in media, gaming, healthcare, telecoms, and public sector, operating London and San Francisco studios and a global partner network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

UX Research and Experience Design Consulting

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Risk, Compliance & Internal Controls Consulting (BPAHACAJ)

Keywords

• User research services
• UX research consulting
• Experience strategy
• Playtesting studios
• Service design consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research and Strategy Services: Project-based professional services including user research, strategy consulting, and experience optimization for enterprise clients across media, healthcare, finance, gaming, and public sector.
2. Research Studio Rental: Hourly and daily rental of research facilities including playtesting studios, usability labs, focus group rooms, and observation suites. Catering services also available for bookings.
3. Meeting Room Rental: Hourly rental of meeting rooms and workshop spaces including The Warehouse, The Loft, The Meeting Room, The Lounge, and The Sweet Shop. Evening and weekend bookings available by appointment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Sutherland Labs provides user experience research, strategy consulting, and experience optimization services for enterprise clients across media, healthcare, finance, gaming, and public sectors. The firm operates specialist research studios in London (including dedicated playtesting studios for games user research) and San Francisco, and offers global research delivery through the UXalliance partner network. In addition to consulting services, the company rents out research facilities and meeting rooms on an hourly and daily basis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Services User research services including ethnography, longitudinal studies, usability testing, and customer journey research delivered for enterprise clients across media, healthcare, finance, gaming, and public sector. Methods include qualitative and mixed-methods research with global reach through the UXalliance partner network.
• Strategy Services Strategy consulting that converts research findings into actionable strategies covering vision definition, product and service improvement, and experience-led growth direction. Engagements are custom-scoped and project-based.
• Optimization Services Experience optimization services that help enterprise clients refine digital products, customer journeys, and software based on research insights. Includes iterative improvements informed by usability findings and customer feedback.
• Games Research and Playtesting Specialist games user research and playtesting delivered from London's dedicated playtesting studios equipped with PC, console, and mobile testing setups (16-station rooms, living-room style TV setups, HD and 4K screens, mobile visualizers) and secure live streaming for global remote observation. Targets game developers and publishers needing player research, UX benchmarking, and accessibility testing.
• Inclusive Design Research Specialized research into accessible and inclusive product design, including research with users with mild impairments, supported by voice-based prototype testing and ethnographic methods. For enterprise clients building inclusive digital services and products.
• Training Services UX research and human-centred design training delivered through workshops and hackathons to help client teams adopt user-centred practices internally.
• Research Studio and Space Rental Hourly and daily rental of specialist London research facilities including playtesting studios (from £1,500 per day), The Basement (from £1,200 per day), usability labs, focus group rooms, observation suites, and food and drink testing facilities with test kitchen access. Suitable for client research teams and agencies needing equipped environments with live streaming for remote observation.
• Meeting Room and Workshop Space Rental Hourly rental of meeting rooms and workshop spaces in London including The Warehouse (£160+ per hour, 22-40 people), The Loft (£150+ per hour, 14 boardroom / 10 sofa), The Meeting Room (£120+ per hour, 8 boardroom / 5 sofa), The Lounge (£75+ per hour, 6 boardroom / 2 sofa), and The Sweet Shop (£50+ per hour, 4 boardroom / 4 sofa). Evening and weekend bookings available by appointment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Informed redesign of BBC World Service website serving regional-language audiences
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UXalliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal network of experienced local research experts enabling Sutherland Labs to conduct international research across multiple countries. Members include partners in US, Japan, Spain, Germany, Singapore, Indonesia, Africa and other regions. Enables delivery of global playtesting and UX research projects.
• Torresburriel EstudiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish UX research partner who organized the 20th UXMasterclass in Zaragoza, Spain. Represents UXalliance partnership for European research delivery.
• Bold InsightminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS-based UXalliance partner presenting at UXMasterclass 2023 on AI in UX research topics.
• Mitsue-LinksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapanese UXalliance partner presenting at UXMasterclass 2023 on understanding future generations through UX research.
• Somia CXminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSingapore/Indonesia-based UXalliance partner focused on digital finance inclusion research.
• UintentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman UXalliance partner specializing in automotive UX benchmarking.
• MantarayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrica-based UXalliance partner focused on cultural design research for African markets.
• PeepalDesignminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal research partner in India who collaborated with Sutherland Labs on BBC World Service research in Delhi and Mumbai.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IDEO: Global design and innovation consultancy offering human-centered research, strategy, and experience design to enterprise clients. Highly comparable to Sutherland Labs in methodology (ethnography, prototyping, design research) and target buyers (large media, tech, and public-sector organizations).
• Nielsen Norman Group: UX research and training firm offering usability evaluations, user research, and UX certification. Comparable to Sutherland Labs in user research methodology and enterprise training revenue stream (UX Masterclass parallels NN/g UX Conference).
• Livework: Service design consultancy specializing in research, customer journey design, and experience strategy. Comparable to Sutherland Labs' service design specialism and similar enterprise CX/EX segment focus.
• frog (Capgemini Engineering): Design and strategy consultancy with deep experience in research, product design, and brand-led transformation. Comparable to Sutherland Labs in client profile (enterprise tech, media, consumer) and integrated research-to-strategy service model.
• Foolproof (Accenture Song): UK-based experience research and design consultancy serving enterprise clients in media, financial services, and retail. Direct peer given shared UK base, similar research-led methodology, and overlapping verticals with Sutherland Labs.

Broad incumbents

• GfK (NIQ): Consumer research and analytics firm with consumer experience and UX research offerings. An incumbent alternative for enterprises seeking research services at much larger scale than Sutherland Labs.
• Ipsos: Global market research and analytics firm with substantial UX, customer experience, and ethnographic research practices. A larger incumbent offering overlapping research services to enterprise clients across media, healthcare, and public sector.
• Kantar: Global research and consulting firm with dedicated UX and experience research capabilities. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving enterprise customers across industries with both quantitative and qualitative research methods.

Emerging players

• UserTesting (now UserZoom / UX360): On-demand human insight platform combining video-based remote usability testing with enterprise research services. Comparable to Sutherland Labs in targeting enterprise UX buyers but differentiated by technology-enabled delivery model.
• UsabilityHub (now Lyssna): Remote unmoderated user research platform enabling fast usability testing at lower cost. An emerging alternative to Sutherland Labs' in-person lab methodology, particularly for digital-first clients seeking scalable research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Sutherlandlabs
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SutherlandCorp
• Facebookfacebook.com/sutherlandlabs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sutherland-labs
• Instagraminstagram.com/sutherlandlabs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries10 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 Sutherland Labs