# Grand Studio Grand Studio Reviews (10), Pricing, Services & Verified Ratings - 4.9 out of 5 average review rating - 1 connections joined Grand Studio's Network [Visit Website](http://www.grandstudio.com/?utm_source=clutch.co&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=directory) [Get a Custom Proposal](https://clutch.co/profile/grand-studio) **UX & AI Research/Design/Strategy** **Innovate your path to success** At Grand Studio, we use design thinking to guide our partnerships through big challenges and innovative solutions. We have a rich history of leading digital strategy & product design initiatives for some of the country's largest organizations. Our services include: - Mixed methods UX research - Digital strategy - Digital product design - Service & operational design - Conversational AI design & strategy We build custom approaches for global enterprise organizations and ambitious start-ups, utilizing human-centered design methodology as the grounding to our approach. Our clients work with us again and again because we are exceptional at turning ambiguous problems into successful products and services. ## Company Information - Minimum project size: $100,000+ - Hourly rate: $200 - $300 - Number of employees: 10 - 49 - 1 Locations: - Chicago, IL (Headquarters) - Founded in 2002 - 1 languages: English - 1 timezones: Central Standard Time (CST) ## Services, Focus Areas, Industries, and Clients ### Service Lines - 30% Product Design - 25% Digital Strategy - 20% AI Consulting - 20% UX/UI Design - 5% Web Design ### Focus Areas - User Experience Focus: - 60% UX Strategy - 20% Usability Testing - 20% User Research - Product Design Focus: - 50% Hardware Design & Development - 50% Prototype Design - AI Expertise: - 40% Chatbots & Conversational AI - 30% AI Recommendation Systems - 10% Machine Learning - 10% Natural Language Processing - 10% Voice and Speech Recognition ### Industries - 20% Hospitality & leisure - 10% Manufacturing - 10% Media - 10% Other industries - 20% Financial services - 30% Medical ### Clients - 10% Small Business (<$10M) - 10% Midmarket ($10M - $1B) - 80% Enterprise (>$1B) ## Pricing Snapshot Average rating for cost based on this provider's reviews: 4.7 out of 5 **What Clients Have Said** *(This summary is based on verified Clutch reviews.)*: Grand Studio's pricing varies based on project scope, with investments ranging from $250,000 to over $1 million. Clients praise the value for cost, noting high-quality deliverables and effective project management, often exceeding expectations despite higher costs. **Most Common Project Size**: $200,000 to $999,999 based on 4 reviews *(Pricing information for this provider is based on reviews where the project size was available.)* ### Pricing by Service - UX/UI Design: $200,000 to $999,999 based on 2 reviews - Market Research: Confidential based on 2 reviews - Other Design: $1,000,000 to $9,999,999 based on 1 review - Corporate Training & Coaching: Confidential based on 1 review - Digital Strategy: Confidential based on 1 review - Business Consulting: Confidential based on 1 review - Product Design: Confidential based on 1 review ## Reviews Clutch investigates each reviewer's identity and work history. Every review goes through a rigorous, human-led verification process to confirm the reviewer's identity, and reviews that we verify are visibly marked as 'Verified' so you can trust that they come from a real client. [Learn More](https://help.clutch.co/en/knowledge/how-clutch-verifies-reviews) ### Grand Studio Review Insights Overall Review Rating: 4.9 - Quality: 4.9 - Schedule: 5.0 - Cost: 4.7 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 ### Top Mentions - Communicative (5 mentions) - High-quality work (5 mentions) - Creative (2 mentions) - Flexible (2 mentions) - Great project management (2 mentions) - Great team (2 mentions) - Collaborative (1 mentions) - Exceeds expectations (1 mentions) - Exceptional performance (1 mentions) - Exceptional results (1 mentions) - Experienced (1 mentions) - Knowledgeable (1 mentions) - Proactive (1 mentions) - Results-oriented (1 mentions) - Timely (1 mentions) - Transparent (1 mentions) - Understands their clients' needs (1 mentions) - Unique expertise (1 mentions) - Well-executed projects (1 mentions) - Well-organized projects (1 mentions) ### Review Highlights **Impressive Prototypes and Documentation** Clients were impressed with the quality of prototypes and comprehensive documentation provided by Grand Studio. These deliverables were crucial for development processes and user testing. **Successful Research and Insights** Grand Studio excelled in conducting thorough research, identifying key insights, and synthesizing feedback into actionable plans. Their research efforts often led to significant improvements and new opportunities for clients. **High Cost but Worth It** While one client mentioned that the cost of Grand Studio's services was high, they also noted that the value provided justified the expense. This indicates an area where cost considerations might be important for potential clients. **Effective Stakeholder Engagement** Grand Studio excelled in engaging stakeholders at all levels, facilitating workshops, and ensuring that all voices were heard. This engagement was key to driving project success and client satisfaction. **Synthesis of Feedback** Grand Studio was adept at synthesizing feedback from various sources and distilling it into relevant and actionable enhancements. This ability was particularly valued in complex projects involving multiple stakeholders. **Smooth Transition and Handover** Grand Studio effectively managed transitions and handovers to in-house teams, ensuring continuity and maintaining project momentum. Their support during these phases was highly valued. **Deep Subject Matter Expertise** Grand Studio's ability to dive deep and become subject matter experts in their client's industries was praised. This expertise helped drive strategic conversations and produce relevant solutions. **High-Quality Design Work** Grand Studio consistently delivers outstanding design work, from UI/UX to prototypes. Clients across different industries highlighted their expertise and attention to detail in creating intuitive and effective designs. **Effective Communication** Clients appreciated Grand Studio's clear and consistent communication throughout the project lifecycle. Regular meetings, detailed documentation, and proactive updates were common themes in the feedback. **Quantitative Research Improvement Needed** One client suggested that Grand Studio could improve by providing more quantitative or evidence-based precedent research for solutions, particularly relevant to specific industries. ### Grand Studio Reviews #### Research & Design for Fast-Food Restaurant (Featured Review) **The Project** - Services: Market Research, Other Design - Project size: Confidential - Project length: Apr. - June 2022 **Project Summary**: Grand Studio provided research and design services for a fast-food restaurant. After a discovery phase, they led workshops and helped improve the usability of their POS to simplify the user journey. **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 5.0 - Schedule: 5.0 - Cost: 5.0 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** Senior Product Manager, Fast Food Restaurant - Industry: Other industries - Client size: 10,001+ Employees - Review Type: Online Review - Verified **The Review** — Jan 29, 2023 **Feedback Summary**: With significant assistance from Grand Studio, some enhancements were completed and underwent testing with users, who expressed positive feedback. Their expert designers delivered an impressive prototype in Figma. The team was highly communicative, keeping the client updated in all stages. ""The team was very collaborative, communicative, and enjoyable to work with."" **BACKGROUND** Please describe your company and your position there. I am a Senior Product Manager at a fast food restaurant. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** For what projects/services did your company hire Grand Studio? The Grand Studio team was hired to help informc hanges we could introduce to our point of sale system to improve the usertbility of the POS and simplify the user journey. **SOLUTION** How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors? We've previoulsy partnered with the Grand Studio team. I connected with Drew and Josh to share more about what we werel ooking to accomplish. They shared a very detailed proposal that aligned with our goals, as well as speccific deliverables we could use to measure success. Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project. We had a few discovery sessions as a team to nail down our scope of work. The Grand Studio team then lead a series of workshops with my team and our CX partners to help identify the highest and rank the highest priorities. The Grand Studio team led a series of user research sessions to better understand how users use the current system and to inform possible enhancements. The grand studio team then created prototypes for users to validate a few ideas. These prototypes were tested with crew members and confirmed the changes we developed. How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions? In total, we worked with 4 Grand Studio team members. Chief Design Office Lead Designer Senior Designer Designer **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success? We've completed development on a few of the enhancements that were an outcome of this engagement. These are being tested with users with very positive feedback thus far. How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs? The workflow was very effective. The Grand Studio team was very communicative and made sure we were kept up to date on all stages of our engagement. We had multiple touchpoints each week to confirm we were focused on the right scope, share more on the next steps by the Grand Studio team, and ensure we were providing the team with as much knowledge, background, etc. needed. What did you find most impressive or unique about this company? The team is comprised of expert designers. As we progressed, the team created a very impressive prototype of our system in Figma so we had a realistic version of the system that could incorporate suggestions and test with users. The team was very collaborative, communicative, and enjoyable to work with. The Grand Studio team truly felt like partners throughout this engagement. Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently? None. --- #### Business Consulting & Research for Fast Food Chain **The Project** - Services: Business Consulting, Corporate Training & Coaching, Market Research - Project size: Confidential - Project length: May - Dec. 2023 **Project Summary**: Grand Studio helped a fast food chain conduct customer research and create concepts for a new feedback program. They also provide resources to support learning and research. **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 5.0 - Schedule: 5.0 - Cost: 5.0 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** Global Lead of Customer Experience, McDonald's Global - Industry: Food & Beverage - Client size: 10,001+ Employees - Review Type: Online Review - Verified **The Review** — Jun 28, 2024 **Feedback Summary**: Grand Studio delivered exceptional work products, completed all tasks on time, and responded promptly to needs. The team demonstrated creativity and agility and brought a fresh perspective that earned positive client feedback. Communication was efficient through virtual meetings and email. ""They were a smart team with a breadth of skills and experience that helped us think outside the box."" **BACKGROUND** Please describe your company and position.I am the Global Lead, Customer Experience of McDonald's GlobalDescribe what your company does in a single sentence.Multinational fast food chain **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** What specific goals or objectives did you hire Grand Studio to accomplish?Collect and Synthesis Customer ResearchLead team through Design Thinking process and project managementProvided resources to support learning and research **SOLUTION** How did you find Grand Studio?ReferralWhy did you select Grand Studio over others?Great culture fitReferred to meHow many teammates from Grand Studio were assigned to this project?2-5 EmployeesDescribe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.To collect and assess internal SME and customer opinions around the current processes for obtaining formal customer feedback so that we may identify potential barriers or pain points to solve systemically. In addition, will utilize that data to create concepts for a new end-to-end customer feedback program that can ultimately be implemented across channels and improve the nature of obtaining quality feedback in order to drive measurable action across stores worldwide. **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?Conduct research Create conceptsCreate project plansDescribe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?Grand Studio delivered all items on line and beyond expectations. They always respond to needs quickly even when project had wrapped. They produce exceptional work products and with speed.What was your primary form of communication with Grand Studio?Virtual MeetingEmail or Messaging AppWhat did you find most impressive or unique about this company?They were a smart team with a breadth of skills and experience that helped us think outside the box. In the various times I've worked with Grand Studio their creativity and agility has been their strength. They bring a fresh perspective that can get lost in bigger organizationsAre there any areas for improvement or something Grand Studio could have done differently?No --- #### UX/UI Design & Digital Strategy for SaaS Company **The Project** - Services: Digital Strategy, Product Design, UX/UI Design - Project size: Confidential - Project length: Jan. 2024 - Ongoing **Project Summary**: Grand Studio works with a SaaS company to design the UX/UI of their flagship product. This involves translating the client's business requirements into UX workflows and UI design. **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 5.0 - Schedule: 5.0 - Cost: 5.0 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** Department Director, Elton - Industry: Other industries - Client size: 1-10 Employees - Review Type: Online Review - Verified **The Review** — Jun 17, 2024 **Feedback Summary**: Grand Studio has delivered Figma design files with full documentation that supports the client's build process on time. The team leads high-level meetings and working sessions and communicates clearly and consistently. Their detailed documentation, outstanding work, and deep expertise stand out. ""What sets them apart from other firms is their ability to dive deep and become subject matter experts to really drive challenging strategic conversations forward."" **BACKGROUND** Please describe your company and position.I am the Department Director of EltonDescribe what your company does in a single sentence.We are a SaaS platform that improves the experience of managing the cybersecurity lifecycle of embedded devices. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** What specific goals or objectives did you hire Grand Studio to accomplish?UI design of our flagship productBrand identity advisorsProduct design advisorsUX design of our flagship product **SOLUTION** How did you find Grand Studio?Online SearchWhy did you select Grand Studio over others?Close to my geographic locationGreat culture fitHow many teammates from Grand Studio were assigned to this project?2-5 EmployeesDescribe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.Grand was responsible for translating business requirements into a design, understanding the end-to-end value of our product and translating that into UX workflows and delivering a UI that could be used by our development team. **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?Grand delivered, on schedule, Figma design files, with full documentation that support our build process. The engagement was supported by a significant number of interim deliverables, mostly done through Miro's collaboration to explain flows and solicit feedback. Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?Grand always delivered on time. Their lead stayed in regular communication with us. In addition to working sessions, high-level project meetings, and real-time Slack conversations, Grand supplied a weekly recap of all the work that was done, and everything planned for the upcoming week.What was your primary form of communication with Grand Studio?Virtual MeetingEmail or Messaging AppWhat did you find most impressive or unique about this company?Grand Studio does outstanding design work. What sets them apart from other firms is their ability to dive deep and become subject matter experts to really drive challenging strategic conversations forward.Are there any areas for improvement or something Grand Studio could have done differently?No comments. --- #### Market Research & Wireframes Design for Food Tech Nonprofit **The Project** - Project size: Confidential - Project length: Sep. 2020 - Jan. 2023 **Project Summary**: Grand Studio provided market research services for a food technology nonprofit. They codeveloped the discussion guide and interviewed internal stakeholders. They also created and tested some wireframes. **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 5.0 - Schedule: 5.0 - Cost: 5.0 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** Director of Scientific Programs & Career Pathways, Nonprofit - Industry: Other industries - Client size: 51-200 Employees - Review Type: Phone Interview - Verified **The Review** — Apr 27, 2023 **Feedback Summary**: The client was highly satisfied with Grand Studio’s work. The team successfully identified three market opportunities and exceeded expectations. Moreover, they stood out for their excellent organizational skills and creativity. They managed the project and communicated well via Slack and email. "“They were extremely creative. Grand Studio brought a lot of ideas to the table.”" **BACKGROUND** Introduce your business and what you do there. I’m the director of scientific programs and career pathways at a food technology nonprofit. I oversee our scientific programs and product development initiatives to build member engagement and value for our community. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** What challenge were you trying to address with Grand Studio? We needed to do some market research regarding new products and initiatives. **SOLUTION** What was the scope of their involvement? Grand Studio helped us uncover and identify consumer needs and potential solutions for those needs. They conducted the research and held several interviews with our members. We codeveloped the discussion guide, and Grand Studio walked us through the process. Additionally, Grand Studio did some wireframes from scratch and tested them. What is the team composition? Nicole (Lead Designer) was our main point of contact. We also had 3–4 people on our team at any given time. How did you come to work with Grand Studio? We received an excellent recommendation from a colleague. We weren’t familiar with this territory, so we decided to engage Grand Studio. What is the status of this engagement? We worked with them from September 2020–January 2023. **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? We were all extremely satisfied with the outcomes of Grand Studio’s work. The team identified three market opportunities from the interviews and provided a roadmap for each one with the different stages of that opportunity. All in all, they exceeded our expectations. How did Grand Studio perform from a project management standpoint? The project management was great. Overall, it was well-supported. Grand Studio was great to work with; the team was organized and set up frequent calls. We mainly communicated through Slack and email. What did you find most impressive about them? Their communication was excellent, and they were great listeners. Moreover, they were extremely creative. Grand Studio brought a lot of ideas to the table. Are there any areas they could improve? No, we didn’t notice any improvement areas. Do you have any advice for potential customers? My biggest advice is to embrace them as part of the team. --- #### Patient Registration Workflow for Nonprofit Health System **The Project** - Project size: $10,000,000 + - Project length: Apr. 2022 - Ongoing **Project Summary**: Grand Studio is tasked by a nonprofit health system to reimagine their patient registration workflow for patients. They have proposed research, developed a map, and collaborated to address opportunity areas. **Review Rating**: 4.5 - Quality: 4.5 - Schedule: 5.0 - Cost: 5.0 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** Director of Service Design, Providence Health - Industry: Other industries - Client size: 10,001+ Employees - Review Type: Online Review - Verified **The Review** — Feb 13, 2023 **Feedback Summary**: Grand Studio's engagement is instrumental in developing high-level solutions, leading the company's business partners to progress with the project. The team promptly provides updates and ensures all timelines are met. Customers can expect flexibility and smooth communication from Grand Studio. ""Grand Studio has remained nimble and can quickly pivot their approach to give us the flexibility we need."" **BACKGROUND** Please describe your company and your position there. I'm a service design director and my team is part of the revenue cycle function for Providence. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** For what projects/services did your company hire Grand Studio? We partnered with Grand Studio on a discovery project to reimagine the patient registration workflow for cancer patients who undergo a series of intense treatments. **SOLUTION** How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors? We invited three firms to pitch on the project. We evaluated firm qualifications relative to our project need, the qualifications of the individuals proposed by the firms, the proposed approach, the culture fit with our Providence team, and the fee structure. Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project. Proposed and coordinated qualitative and quantitative research to understand unmet needs of patients; development of an experience map and 25 opportunity areas to support patients and employees in the registration process; prioritized opportunity areas and co-developed with our team a range of solutions to address the opportunity areas. How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions? Firm partner project lead researcher graphic communications designer **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success? Made a proposal of five solution areas, each including high level experience requirements and anticipated ROI; led our business partners through prioritization and decision to move forward to development with one of the solutions. Complex engagement with 50+ stakeholders. How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs? Met twice weekly for progress updates. Project lead partnered with me to ensure all dates and project outcomes were being met and that business partners were engaged at the appropriate levels to support decision making. What did you find most impressive or unique about this company? There was significant complexity in the stakeholder engagement and decision making, and my Providence team was new and still learning the structure of Providence. Grand Studio has remained nimble and can quickly pivot their approach to give us the flexibility we need. Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently? Provide more quantitative or evidence-based precedent research for the solutions proposed, relevant to my industry. --- #### Research & Design for Fast-Food Restaurant **The Project** - Services: Market Research, Other Design - Project size: Confidential - Project length: Apr. - June 2022 **Project Summary**: Grand Studio provided research and design services for a fast-food restaurant. After a discovery phase, they led workshops and helped improve the usability of their POS to simplify the user journey. **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 5.0 - Schedule: 5.0 - Cost: 5.0 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** Senior Product Manager, Fast Food Restaurant - Industry: Other industries - Client size: 10,001+ Employees - Review Type: Online Review - Verified **The Review** — Jan 29, 2023 **Feedback Summary**: With significant assistance from Grand Studio, some enhancements were completed and underwent testing with users, who expressed positive feedback. Their expert designers delivered an impressive prototype in Figma. The team was highly communicative, keeping the client updated in all stages. ""The team was very collaborative, communicative, and enjoyable to work with."" **BACKGROUND** Please describe your company and your position there. I am a Senior Product Manager at a fast food restaurant. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** For what projects/services did your company hire Grand Studio? The Grand Studio team was hired to help informc hanges we could introduce to our point of sale system to improve the usertbility of the POS and simplify the user journey. **SOLUTION** How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors? We've previoulsy partnered with the Grand Studio team. I connected with Drew and Josh to share more about what we werel ooking to accomplish. They shared a very detailed proposal that aligned with our goals, as well as speccific deliverables we could use to measure success. Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project. We had a few discovery sessions as a team to nail down our scope of work. The Grand Studio team then lead a series of workshops with my team and our CX partners to help identify the highest and rank the highest priorities. The Grand Studio team led a series of user research sessions to better understand how users use the current system and to inform possible enhancements. The grand studio team then created prototypes for users to validate a few ideas. These prototypes were tested with crew members and confirmed the changes we developed. How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions? In total, we worked with 4 Grand Studio team members. Chief Design Office Lead Designer Senior Designer Designer **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success? We've completed development on a few of the enhancements that were an outcome of this engagement. These are being tested with users with very positive feedback thus far. How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs? The workflow was very effective. The Grand Studio team was very communicative and made sure we were kept up to date on all stages of our engagement. We had multiple touchpoints each week to confirm we were focused on the right scope, share more on the next steps by the Grand Studio team, and ensure we were providing the team with as much knowledge, background, etc. needed. What did you find most impressive or unique about this company? The team is comprised of expert designers. As we progressed, the team created a very impressive prototype of our system in Figma so we had a realistic version of the system that could incorporate suggestions and test with users. The team was very collaborative, communicative, and enjoyable to work with. The Grand Studio team truly felt like partners throughout this engagement. Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently? None. --- #### Operations Performance Portal for Restaurant **The Project** - Services: UX/UI Design - Project size: Confidential - Project length: July - Nov. 2022 **Project Summary**: A restaurant chain introduced a new performance consulting platform with market-specific KPIs for all their global outlets. They hired Grand Studio to develop the initial dashboard/portal. **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 5.0 - Schedule: 5.0 - Cost: 4.5 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** Global Operations Performance Program Lead, Restaurant - Industry: Other industries - Client size: 10,001+ Employees - Review Type: Online Review - Verified **The Review** — Dec 15, 2022 **Feedback Summary**: Thanks to the contributions of the vendor, the user experience rating of the tool increased by 16% globally across all user groups. The client was most impressed by how the vendor was able to synthesize many sources of feedback and distill it all into relevant/actionable tool enhancements. ""I think some of the fresh perspective provided actually drove us to some new out of the box enhancements."" **BACKGROUND** Please describe your company and your position there. I am the Program Leader of the Global Operations Performance consulting platform used for all of our restaurants **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** For what projects/services did your company hire Grand Studio? We introduced a new performance consulting platform with market specific KPIs for all of our Global outlets. We worked with Grand Studio to develop the initial dashboard/portal. This was our second engagement with the Grand Studio Team for this specific project. **SOLUTION** How did you select this vendor? Grand Studio came highly recommended from another project team at our company. We met with the Grand Studio team to lay our our needs and based on this listening session they put together a proposal/statement of work that reflected a clear understanding of our needs. Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project. The project entailed capturing and synthesizing feedback from all levels of user regarding of Phase 1 of the Tool. We then worked together to prioritize needs for further development...then Grand Studio developed different options to meet user data / insight / experience enhancement needs How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions? We worked with 3 of their UX/UI designers, a project design lead and received expert consultation from their CEO, who had knowledge and expertise of the Phase 1 work previously completed. **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success? User experience rating of the tool increased 16% globally across all user groups, based on some of the minor enhancements we made after collaborating with Grand Studio. How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs? Grand Studio team was very clear in setting out objectives for each time we met, thus making our interaction effective and efficient. There was opportunity to iterate as well, so when new ideas gained traction we would align and agree on any changes to initial plan/scope. What did you find most impressive or unique about this company? The team was able to synthesize many sources of feedback and distill it all into relevant / actionable tool enhancements. They also did a great job integrating any feedback we provided, in many cases taking elements of various options they provided to create the best solutions to meet our diverse user needs. Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently? We would have liked to have had some more overlap between the phase 1 project team and the phase 2 project team., but in hindsight I think some of the fresh perspective provided actually drove us to some new out of the box enhancements --- #### Research & Design for Healthcare Nonprofit Org **The Project** - Services: Other Design - Project size: $1,000,000 to $9,999,999 - Project length: Jan. 2019 - Nov. 2021 **Project Summary**: Grand Studio led research and design efforts for a healthcare nonprofit. They ran the discovery phase and handled execution, testing, and delivering the MVP.  **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 5.0 - Schedule: 5.0 - Cost: 5.0 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** VP, Experience Research & Design, Nonprofit Healthcare Org - Industry: Other industries - Client size: 10,001+ Employees - Review Type: Online Review - Verified **The Review** — Nov 17, 2021 **Feedback Summary**: Grand Studio was a trusted partner in establishing and scaling the practice of human-centered research and design. The team works well with minimal guidance and gives great attention to the client's needs. They communicate well and are thoughtful partners. ""What I find most impressive is their ability to navigate ambiguity."" **BACKGROUND** Introduce your business and what you do there. A large nonprofit healthcare organization with over 150+ hospitals and 2500+ sites of care in the United States. During my time as VP, I established human-centered research and design to drive experience transformation for patients and clinicians across the end-to-end care journey. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** What business challenge were you trying to address with the vendor? The company was leading several initiatives to transform the patient and provider experience through new products and technology-enabled services. I was hired as the first design executive to build and scale an in-house team to enable this transformation in a human-centered way. Several projects were already underway without any design support. I hired Grand Studio to lead research/ design on these projects while I built our centralized research and design team in parallel. **SOLUTION** What was the scope of their involvement?  Grand Studio led research and design for several digital products and service offerings. This included early strategic research to shape UX/product strategy and design execution and evaluative research during product development.  Some of their projects went from problem discovery to product delivery - beginning with exploratory research to help define the product experience, continued design iteration, execution and testing and ultimately through delivery of the MVP. They helped educate clinical and technical stakeholders about the value of design and built trust by inviting them into the process and bringing them along the design journey. They also supported a smooth transition over to our in-house researchers and designers as they came onboard. What is the team composition?  The team composition varied based on the project size and scope, ranging from 4-5 UX designers on large projects to 2-3 on smaller/ medium-sized ones. How much have you invested with them? 1 Million+ over 2+ years What is the status of this engagement? Worked with them from 2019 - 2021 **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? One of the projects Grand Studio led resulted in the launch of a new product that increased conversions by 70% and had 60+ Million in revenue flowing through it within the first 6 months. How did the vendor perform from a project management standpoint? Grand Studio is excellent at project management. They communicate regularly to provide status updates, proactively flag any potential blockers/risks and really partnered with us to find solutions to unanticipated challenges. What did you find most impressive about them? I’ve worked with a number of large and small design firms and the kind of attention that Grand Studio gives each client is unmatched. I’ve worked with them on several projects and have never been disappointed on service/ deliverable quality or communication. What I find most impressive is their ability to navigate ambiguity – they often leaned in early to help scope the work rather than wait for us to draft it. Their leadership understands the challenges of establishing design in an organization that’s new to it and really partnered with us to evangelize the business value of design.  The attention they give each client is unmatched. I’ve worked with much larger design firms that charge a lot more and had some disappointing experiences Are there any areas they could improve? None. --- #### Qualitative Research for Life Insurance Product **The Project** - Services: UX/UI Design - Project size: $200,000 to $999,999 - Project length: Nov. 2017 - Mar. 2018 **Project Summary**: Grand Studio coached a client through a qualitative customer-research process to help develop a new insurance product. They planned the approach, established contacts, and held workshops to maximize results. **Review Rating**: 4.5 - Quality: 4.5 - Schedule: 5.0 - Cost: 4.0 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** Innovation Strategy Manager, Insurance Company - Industry: Financial services - Client size: 10,001+ Employees - Review Type: Phone Interview - Verified **The Review** — Aug 19, 2019 **Feedback Summary**: Grand Studio provided high-quality consumer research that helped the company create a successful product. They were also receptive to feedback, communicative, and incredibly flexible and accommodating, despite the many changes in direction thrown their way. ""Our team has ongoing discussions about ways they can continue working with them." " **BACKGROUND** Introduce your business and what you do there. I'm the former innovation strategy manager for an insurance company. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** What challenge were you trying to address with Grand Studio? We engaged Grand Studio to conduct qualitative research to help us develop a new life insurance product. **SOLUTION** What was the scope of their involvement? Grand Studio managed and coached our team throughout a research project, designing the overall approach and holding workshops with our team in the process. They set up contacts and customer research, trying to understand how our customers felt about life insurance in general. We were able to develop a prototype based on some of their finished product concepts and research.  What is the team composition?  We worked with about four people, including two researchers, a graphic designer, and a project manager.  How did you come to work with Grand Studio? Grand Studio was one of about five different vendors we considered on a different project that we ultimately awarded to another company. However, we were very impressed by their skillset and decided to reengage them when a more appropriate opportunity to work with them presented itself.  How much have you invested with them? We invested between $250,000–$350,000. What is the status of this engagement? We worked with them on the project from around November 2017–March 2018. **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? We were able to build a product around the research Grand Studio provided that has helped generate between $5–$20 million in annual revenue.  How did Grand Studio perform from a project management standpoint? They did a great job overall. They were very flexible and accommodating to the whims of our executive sponsors, despite the many pivots we threw their way. Since they're located a few blocks from our office, we were able to have a lot of in-person working sessions with their team as needed.  What did you find most impressive about them? Our team has ongoing discussions about ways they can continue working with them.  Are there any areas they could improve? I asked their team to clarify how the inputs from a workshop led to effective outcomes, but they immediately made improvements after I provided feedback.  --- #### UI/UX Design for Nonprofit **The Project** - Services: UX/UI Design - Project size: $200,000 to $999,999 - Project length: Oct. - Dec. 2016 **Project Summary**:  Grand Studio developed a UI/UX strategy for a product suite. The team directed consumer interviews to assess the product’s viability, managing the exploration, design, and development phases of the project. **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 5.0 - Schedule: 5.0 - Cost: 4.0 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** Director of Strategy, Nonprofit Organization - Industry: Other industries - Client size: 1,001-5,000 Employees - Review Type: Phone Interview - Verified **The Review** — Aug 8, 2019 **Feedback Summary**: The collaboration with Grand Studio has had a lasting positive impact on product development efforts. Their active listening skills supported project goals. Adjusting to specific business needs, the team managed the project with a customer-oriented approach, which ensured a successful collaboration. ""They’re one of the best vendors I’ve worked with." " **BACKGROUND** Introduce your business and what you do there. I’m the director of strategy at a for-profit subsidiary of a nonprofit organization in the US. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** What challenge were you trying to address with Grand Studio? In our company, we were just starting innovation initiatives. We were looking into a new product space and needed help identifying consumers’ desires. We also needed support with the continued development of products. **SOLUTION** What was the scope of their involvement? Broadly, Grand Studio helped research, define, and illustrate the strategy and digital components of the potential product suite. Their team managed the exploration, design, and development phases of the platform. While we provided some initial research, they directed the majority of design exploration. They committed to learning our aspirations as well as the viability of the project. Their team collaborated with internal stakeholders to understand who the platform’s potential customers would be and what their needs are. They integrated our research into the design methodology, which Grand Studio designed. To gather research into our audience, their team recruited consumers through well-structured empathy interviews. After, we held a value proposition workshop based on the consumer insights we’d acquired. Their team performed user-testing to understand which components of the product could be valuable, working with consumers to create them. What is the team composition? We worked with 4–5 user-experience designers from Grand Studio. How did you come to work with Grand Studio? Colleagues recommended several companies and we engaged a careful selection process. After, we created ROI and interviewed several candidates. We chose Grand Studio because we liked them. How much have you invested with them? We spent approximately $250,000 on this project. What is the status of this engagement? We collaborated with Grand Studio between October­–December 2016. **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? Grand Studio delivered but the impact has been primarily qualitative. To our surprise, we received more than we expected from the collaboration. We’re still experiencing positive consequences. Some things we discovered while working with them still impact our product development activities. How did Grand Studio perform from a project management standpoint? We communicated regularly over the phone, in-person, and through e-mail. Their team adjusted to our complex organization’s differences and specific requirements. They organized and facilitated workshops to support numerous stakeholders. Grand Studio worked well with us every single day, providing useful tools to help us produce the project. Their team was customer-oriented. Whereas sometimes you’ll talk, and a partner will appear to be listening, Grand Studio teammates really listened and heard us. Although the project was quite ambiguous, they helped us create new concepts and distill those ideas into actionable next steps. What did you find most impressive about them? They’re one of the best vendors I’ve worked with. The project was directed to support consumer needs and Grand Studio helped us move forward with this orientation. They helped us to hear our consumers, which is why we still experience positive product development consequences. Their team also helped us involve internal stakeholders well. Our team still remembers them because of their amazing people and communication skills. Are there any areas they could improve? No, there’s nothing they could’ve done differently. --- #### UI/UX Design for Tier 1 Bank **The Project** - Services: UX/UI Design - Project size: Confidential - Project length: Jan. 2015 - Ongoing **Project Summary**: After analyzing the challenges, Grand Studio created wireframes and designed a new user interface. The new UI helps credit traders access the information they used to get from multiple applications. **Review Rating**: 5.0 - Quality: 5.0 - Schedule: 4.5 - Cost: 4.0 - Willing to Refer: 5.0 **The Reviewer** Product Manager, Tier 1 Bank - Industry: Financial services - Client size: 10,001+ Employees - Review Type: Phone Interview - Verified **The Review** — Jul 15, 2019 **Feedback Summary**: The in-house team is impressed with the quality of the designs and Grand Studio’s willingness to invest their time in understanding the vision. Building positive relationships with the target audiences helped Grand Studio work quickly and effectively. "“They were very transparent and responsive to our feedback.” " **BACKGROUND** Introduce your business and what you do there. I work as a product manager at a Tier 1 bank. **OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE** What challenge were you trying to address with Grand Studio? Our credit traders had to use many different applications on a daily basis, so they wanted to have one place where they could access all the information they needed. We hired Grand Studio (formerly Moment Design) to help us design that new UX/UI experience. **SOLUTION** What was the scope of their involvement? First, Grand Studio assessed what the product should look like. Then, they interviewed a few of our credit traders, trying to understand their workflows and what data they needed in order to make their sales decisions. During the second phase, Grand Studio turned that information into a solution and created the wireframes. After we tested the concept, they designed the new user interface. It was only a design project, and we had our internal developers handle the development. What is the team composition?  We worked with a total of four people, including their owner.  How did you come to work with Grand Studio? We had worked with Grand Studio in the past. We liked the quality of their work, so we thought they'd be a great fit for this particular project. What is the status of this engagement? We worked with them in 2015.  **RESULTS & FEEDBACK** What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?  Grand Studio did high-quality work and met all of our expectations. I had worked with many other vendors, and I was impressed with Grand Studio. They provided a lot of value in terms of the dollars spent within the bank and came up with great recommendations, helping us understand the design.  How did Grand Studio perform from a project management standpoint?  They were very transparent and responsive to our feedback. Their owner always made sure everything was running smoothly. We had brainstorming meetings on-site, and we also used email to communicate. They kept the project on track and addressed our questions promptly.  What did you find most impressive about them? They had little background in finance, and because this project had many complex financial terms, I was impressed with their ability to pick up and understand this project quickly. Are there any areas they could improve? Not really. When we had any miscommunication, they did their best to resolve it quickly. The cost was a bit high, but considering the value they provided, it was worth it. --- ## Portfolio & Awards ### Project: Scaling Industry Expertise with AI SERVICES PROVIDED Qualitative UX Research, Product Strategy, UX/UI Design, and Usability Research ### Project: Bank Account for the Underbanked Qualitative Research, Product Strategy, UX/UI Design, Usability Research, Design Management ### Clutch Awards - [Clutch Award Badge](https://shareables-prod-static.clutch.co/badges/top_clutch.co_product_design_company_chicago_2026.svg) - [Clutch Award Badge](https://shareables-prod-static.clutch.co/badges/top_clutch.co_digital_strategy_company_chicago_2026.svg) ### Industry Recognitions - Top Companies Specializing in UX Design in Chicago - Design more effective and inclusive conversations - Where Are They Now: Maddy Lierman - Katie Palmer w/ Grand Studio talks to Mike LaVista - The Best 526 Studio Landing Page Examples - Built In Honors Grand Studio in Its Esteemed 2023 ## Key Clients - McDonald's ## Packages ## Locations (1) ### Chicago, IL (Headquarters) - 444 N Wells Street - Chicago, IL 60654 - United States - 21 - 30 employees - Phone: 312-819-2030 ## Contact Grand Studio [Send a message](https://clutch.co/profile/grand-studio) ### Connect on Social - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/grandstudio/) - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/grandstudiodesign/) - [X](https://twitter.com/grandstudiodsgn) - [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/grandstudiodsgn/?hl=en)