Uism
Uism K.K. is a Tokyo-based boutique UX research consultancy delivering user experience research, medical device human factors evaluation (IEC 62366-1), and global research for enterprise clients across automotive, healthcare, technology, and consumer industries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Uism does
Uism K.K. (ユーイズム株式会社) is a Tokyo-based boutique UX research consultancy founded in October 2018 by CEO Yuki Asakawa. The firm operates three service lines: UX Research & Strategy, Human Factors Research for medical devices (in compliance with IEC 62366-1 and across PMDA, FDA, and CE jurisdictions), and Global Research delivered through the ReSight Global network spanning 7 countries and 200+ experts. Its deliverables are qualitative in nature: usability studies, human factors engineering evaluations, and cross-border research programs that require bilingual moderator capability.
Uism's business model is professional services / project-based consulting, where each engagement is scoped around a defined research or evaluation outcome and priced per project. It sells into enterprise procurement, evidenced by ISMS certification and a named client roster that includes Toyota, Honda, Meta, Google, Amazon, Spotify, Boston Scientific, Baxter, Sysmex, Takeda, L'Oreal, L'Occitane, BOSCH, and Philip Morris. Distribution is split between direct enterprise sales and inbound lead generation via content marketing (notably an 'Asia HFE Quick Guide' asset), with international reach delivered through the ReSight Global partnership rather than owned subsidiaries.
The firm's strategic posture is that of a specialized mid-market consultancy extending a Japan-anchored footprint into Asia-Pacific via partnerships (PNUYH Korea, November 2025) and network alliances, while building organizational capacity through active recruitment of UX researchers, project managers, moderators, and scribes. There is no indication of external funding, M&A activity, or proprietary technology platforms; growth is being funded organically from project revenue.
Uism firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Uism
- Legal name
- ユーイズム株式会社 (Uism K.K.)
- Website
- https://uism.co.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Uism K.K. is a Tokyo-based boutique UX research consultancy delivering user experience research, medical device human factors evaluation (IEC 62366-1), and global research for enterprise clients across automotive, healthcare, technology, and consumer industries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Uism industry classification
Industry- Product category
- UX Research & Human Factors Consulting
- NAICS
- Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)
Keywords
Where Uism is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Uism business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- UX Research & Strategy Consulting: Project-based consulting engagements for UX research, strategy, and product design support. Services span from problem definition and research design through analysis and actionable insights for development teams. Engagements are tailored to client needs across various industry sectors.
- Human Factors Research for Medical Devices: Specialized evaluation services for medical device manufacturers targeting global regulatory approval. Supports PMDA, FDA, and CE Mark submissions through HFE/usability evaluations aligned with IEC 62366-1.
- Global Research Services: Multi-country research coordination and execution for clients entering or operating across international markets. Leverages the ReSight Global network to deliver comparative cross-market insights.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Uism product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Uism provides project-based UX research and human factors engineering consulting services to enterprise clients. Its three service lines are (1) UX Research & Strategy covering problem definition through analysis, (2) Human Factors Research supporting medical device manufacturers with PMDA, FDA, and CE Mark usability evaluations per IEC 62366-1, and (3) Global Research coordinating multi-country studies with cultural and contextual interpretation through the ReSight Global network.
Product overview
Uism is a UX research services company that provides three core service offerings: UX Research & Strategy (multi-perspective research methodologies for understanding user behavior and informing product decisions), Human Factors Research (medical device usability and safety evaluation for PMDA/FDA/CE submissions), and Global Research (international market research across multiple countries with cultural contextualization). The company operates as a boutique research team of experts under the ReSight Global network, supporting clients from consumer products to medical devices.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- UX Research & Strategy Multi-perspective UX research methodologies (contextual inquiry, diary studies, usability testing, card sorting, RITE, concept evaluation) used to understand user behavior and connect insights to product build and improvement decisions. Delivered to enterprise clients across consumer products, automotive, technology, and other sectors.
- Human Factors Research Medical device UX and safety evaluation services supporting design decisions from domestic PMDA to international FDA and CE Mark regulatory submissions, aligned with IEC 62366-1 and HFE standards. Delivered to medical device manufacturers.
- Global Research International UX research services that organize and compare multi-country research results with cultural and contextual understanding, supporting global projects for Japanese companies expanding overseas and foreign companies entering Japan.
Companies that use Uism
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Uism technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature3 records
Uism partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital (PNUYH) / 梁山釜山大学病院coreUism entered into a comprehensive business partnership with PNUYH's Usability Center in Korea for medical device usability evaluation. PNUYH is KOLAS-accredited (IEC 62366-1:2015+AMD1:2020) and has conducted over 100 evaluations since 2022. The partnership enables Uism to support Japanese clients entering the Korean market and Korean clients expanding globally (FDA, Japan, EU). Uism serves as the liaison for the partnership, leveraging ReSight Global's network.
- Waseda University Rugby Football Club Women's Section / 早稲田大学ラグビー蹴球部女子部minorUism provides support to the Waseda University Rugby Football Club Women's Section, including website creation, overseas-oriented content production, and UX research internship opportunities. The partnership reflects Uism's commitment to diversity and community contribution, aligning with the company's values of 'Unity' and supporting women's leadership and global leadership development.
- ReSight GlobalcoreUism is a member of ReSight Global, a UX research group headquartered in Germany with operations in 7 countries. ReSight Global includes Bold Insight (US & UK), uintent (Germany), XplusX (China & Singapore), and PeepalDesign (India). The network enables Uism to coordinate international research and support clients across global markets.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Uism competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- XplusX: China and Singapore-based UX research firm and ReSight Global network partner. Directly comparable as it covers Chinese-speaking and Southeast Asian markets within the same global network as Uism.
- Kadence International: International research consultancy with deep Asia-Pacific presence. Comparable as a direct competitor for cross-border UX and market research engagements with multinational clients operating across Japan and the rest of Asia.
- Bold Insight: US/UK-based UX research and human factors firm and a ReSight Global network partner. Directly comparable as it competes for the same multinational UX and medical device HFE engagements that Uism serves in Japan and Korea.
- GLocalMind: International market research firm with local cultural insight across many markets. Comparable to Uism's Global Research service for clients needing cross-country research with cultural interpretation.
- Human Factors International: Established human factors engineering and UX consultancy specializing in regulatory usability evaluations. Comparable to Uism's Human Factors Research practice serving medical device manufacturers.
- uintent: German UX research firm and ReSight Global network partner. Directly comparable in offering UX research services with cultural-context expertise for international clients, supporting Uism's European delivery.
- PeepalDesign: India-based UX research and design firm (60+ researchers) and ReSight Global network partner. Comparable as a culturally fluent research firm operating within the same global consortium Uism uses to deliver multi-country projects.
Broad incumbents
- Nielsen Norman Group: Global UX research and training authority. Comparable as a much larger incumbent offering UX research, usability evaluation, and methodology consulting across many industries, though without Uism's medical-device HFE regulatory specialization.
- UserTesting: Large-scale UX research and video-based usability testing platform. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering UX research services to enterprise customers, including many of the same Fortune 500 logos as Uism.
- frog (Capgemini Invent): Global design and innovation consultancy now part of Capgemini. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering UX research and design strategy to multinational enterprises, including regulated industries.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Uism social profiles
Digital presenceUism compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Uism financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Uism leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Uism funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Uism 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 Uism
What does Uism do?
Uism provides project-based UX research and human factors engineering consulting services to enterprise clients. Its three service lines are (1) UX Research & Strategy covering problem definition through analysis, (2) Human Factors Research supporting medical device manufacturers with PMDA, FDA, and CE Mark usability evaluations per IEC 62366-1, and (3) Global Research coordinating multi-country studies with cultural and contextual interpretation through the ReSight Global network.
Is Uism a public or private company?
Uism is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Uism founded?
Uism was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Uism based?
Uism is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Uism make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. UX Research & Strategy Consulting is the primary driver. The others are human Factors Research for Medical Devices and global Research Services.
Who are Uism's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are XplusX, Kadence International, Bold Insight, GLocalMind, Human Factors International, uintent and PeepalDesign. Broad incumbents are Nielsen Norman Group, UserTesting and frog (Capgemini Invent).
Does Uism have an API?
No public API is recorded for Uism.
What industry is Uism in?
Uism's product category is UX Research & Human Factors Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHALAJ, Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services, with a secondary code of BPAHALAE, Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom). Its NAICS code is 54191 and its SIC code is 8700.