The number one UX design partner for product teams
Who are Lighthouse?
We’re a specialist UX and UI design agency, founded in 2008 in London but now working together from all over the globe.
Bolting seamlessly on to product teams, we use cutting edge design, collaboration and experience to solve the most complex problems.
Who do we work with?
Lighthouse typically partner with enterprise businesses seeking improve under-performing platforms and establish or consolidate their position as market leaders.
The complete package
Our team of designers, digital strategists and product obsessives have been in the digital game since everything was 960px.
We deliver world class UX, UI design, illustration, branding and more. Front-end performance and accessibility are at the heart of all we do - we don't create unbuildable dreams.
Our job isn’t just to leave you with a slick-looking product, it’s to help you ask better questions and give you answers you can actually implement. We’ll help you find the right way forward, not the path of least resistance.

headquarters
Focus
Portfolio
Total, John Lewis, Red Bull, PayPoint, Investec, Bank of Kigali, Euromoney, KPMG, Action for Children, House of Commons, Kuoni, Comic Relief, Drinkaware, Cap HPI, Tata Consultancy Services / TCS, Twinings, Imperial College London, UCL

Reworking the UX of a video education platform
Digital Theatre+ is the world’s leading educational platform for the study of performing arts and dramatic texts. It specialises in providing lesson plans and video teaching resources for secondary and higher education in the UK and USA.
As part of a push to focus the platform on the educators using it, we came on board to help with the complex task of reworking the way the content they consume was presented.
We helped carry out research across its wide user base to figure out how to fine tune the offering and supercharge the feature set. We then refined the user experience and created a completely new UI design library for use across all instances of the platform. On top of that we helped create and integrate a front-end templating framework to bring the new design to life in the browser.

A UX overhaul for a complex data product
The Airline Analyst is a leading airline data platform that allows people to stay on top of their investment portfolio with comprehensive, historical data about airline performance. It is a key part of Airfinance Journal, part of the Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC Group.
Although TAA is a well-established aviation tool and has enjoyed market success for a number of years, design had not previously been a high priority.
An outdated interface was blocking new features, holding this complex data product back from further progress and growth. Users needed better routes through the complex information the product stores.
That’s where we came on board, with our expertise in designing data products making us a perfect fit.

Helping a finance SaaS tool remain market leader
Several brands sit under the Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC umbrella, many of them SaaS tools used by customers worldwide to dive into complex data sets.
One such product, IJ Global, catalogues a huge amount of data around global infrastructure projects. It’s a well-established platform with a healthy subscriber base.
However, the IJ team had started encountering competing SaaS tools in a market where previously there had been none. Whilst these competitors couldn’t match IJ’s depth of data, they were sleeker and easier to use.
Customers weren’t switching yet, but this provided the catalyst to undertake a long-planned investment in design.

UX / UI design for a risk analysis SaaS tool
SureCloud is a SaaS tool providing Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC) software solutions and Cyber Security and Risk Advisory services. They offer software solutions to some of the most influential companies in the world.
With household names such as M&S, Just Eat and Autotrader among their established client base, the SureCloud team wanted to focus to keeping a step ahead of their competitors and reaching their next level of growth.
We came onboard to initially give the platform a UI reskin. After a succesful integration of our design work phase two saw us work on a completely reimagined version of the platform with new UX flows.

Reaching new audiences with a luxury holiday brand
Kuoni have specialized in luxury holidays across the globe for over 100 years. A leading provider in the high-end travel sector they noticed growth in a particular area – tailor-made travel.
Several competitors had popped up in recent years focusing on this market, and so Kuoni wanted to experiment with targeting this new type of customer with a new proposition via a dedicated sub-brand brand.
From this Alfred& was born, and we initially came on board to bring a new MVP to market and test out the new offering.
With value now proven, we've stayed on hand with ongoing support and interation as the brand scales.

A UX rework for a business critical retail tool
PayPoint operates a network of over 27,500 stores across the UK, putting it at the heart of many local communities.
It partners with small businesses to offer a range of footfall-driving services – you’ve probably used it for parcel collection, bill payment or to withdraw cash at one point or another.
Retailers use the PayPoint One terminal in their stores to process sales, manage stock, create promotions and run lots of other day-to-day tasks.
PayPoint wanted to make the solution as intuitive and simple to use as possible for the retailer so sought help in improving the UX.
We were called in to help refine the user journeys and develop a completely new UI library to help retailers use this business critical tool.

UX and UI Design for a B2C car management app
We worked with Cap HPI to research, validate and design a B2C product to extend their service offering.Customer research and interviewsFull design product design languageCustomer facing marketing graphics and custom animations

UX / UI / Development for BMW's electric charging
We work on a retained basis for this BMW subsidiary across their suite of products, apps and website. Building and maintaining a complete system across all apps and productsWhite labelling systems for third party partners (VW, Mercedes, Audi)Design sprints for new product innovation

UX and UI design for a social video platform
Our work with Showcaser saw us refactor the product's UX, create a consistent UI design system and create a more engaging customer facing front-end.Rework the entire product UXCreate a product UI systemDesign the customer facing marketing sitehttps://wearelighthouse.com/our-work/showcaser/

A new web platform for a UK charity
A parenting advice platform created by Action for Children aiming to give good advice for parents with young familes. We got invovled to help test, validate and prototype the idea as well as proceed forward into design and build
Strategy, validation and user research
Full UX and design
Front-end templating
Wordpress setup and customisation
Continued support and feature developmenthttps://wearelighthouse.com/our-work/dots-action-children/

Various UX, design & development projects
We worked with the Drinkaware team to plan and design a tool to help the general public understand the nutritional content of their alcoholic drinks.UX and designFront-end templatingIntegration of third party APICustom illustrations and icon set
https://wearelighthouse.com/our-work/drinkaware/

UX and design for a property investment startup
We worked with Propio to redesign their customer facing website as well as rework the UX and UI of their bespoke investment platformUX and UI design systemFront-end developmentProduct strategyhttps://wearelighthouse.com/our-work/propio/

Startup product design and development
We helped the founders of this ambitious travel startup test and validate their idea before designing and building the system from the ground up. Prototyping and detailed product scopingFull UX and UI designBespoke platform developmentPost-launch steering and iterative improvement
https://wearelighthouse.com/our-work/sceneit/
Reviews
the project
User Research, UX/UI & Mobile App Dev for Transport Co
"Their most distinguishing quality is that they’re sincere, humble, and empathetic."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the head of product management for a transport and logistics company. We’re a technology and freight marketplace. Our domain is very different from the general tech domain; we serve truck drivers and people who don’t interact much with technology.
What challenge were you trying to address with Lighthouse?
We had a product team that had an in-house design team. We had a lot of initiatives to redesign the current mobile and web applications, and we needed to make a radical shift, moving from in-house designers to an expert in consultation, ownership, and guidance through design. In summary, we wanted to transform the team for better productivity.
What was the scope of their involvement?
The first project with Lighthouse was to redesign our mobile applications. We had 7–8 mobile applications for both Android and iOS. From a technology standpoint, we decided to merge all of these applications and create a single code base, which was an opportunity to make it the next generation of applications in terms of look and feel.
In general, they’ve worked with us to redesign the apps and make them suitable for our customers. Additionally, they help with discovery and user research besides the UX/UI work.
What is the team composition?
Our main point of contact is the client services manager. For the first project, one person worked with us, and there was a client manager as well. Now, we have a couple of people working on different pieces on the web and mobile side.
How did you come to work with Lighthouse?
I was looking for someone who could give me client services. I did a Google search and landed on their page. Then, I saw what they’d done in the past. It looked appropriate, so I pinged them a note to get in touch with me. They got in touch in 1–2 days. We had a straightforward conversation, and since I’d already seen their portfolio, I was comfortable moving forward with them.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent £65,000–£70,000 (approximately $82,000–$96,000 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in April 2021, and our relationship is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Getting the design right was quite a challenge for us. On the first draft, Lighthouse came back with something we hadn’t seen before, not even with our in-house team. We took those prototypes to our customers and did some testing. The feedback was great, and customers were convinced that it was the way to go.
Overall, we’ve appreciated the quality of work, understanding of our domain, and empathy they’ve shown for our customers.
How did Lighthouse perform from a project management standpoint?
Project management is as expected. We had a few issues when a team member had to step away. It was challenging for a few months because that person had a lot of knowledge. However, we still met the timelines and improvised when there were problems.
Internally, we use Microsoft Suite and Jira, but Lighthouse’s team uses Asana. We’ve also used Sketch — all these tools have helped us get to our desired project outcomes.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their most distinguishing quality is that they’re sincere, humble, and empathetic. The client services manager has been quite proactive in gauging the sentiment on project deadlines and costs. This has helped us because we don’t have to chase them, which is a sign of good empathy.
Are there any areas they could improve?
If people leave, they need to have a better handover framework to ensure consistency and resilience of projects, timelines, and budgets.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
It’s vital to get the terms right in the beginning. Be clear on what you’re asking them to do. For example, we didn’t want them to focus on research at first. We told them not to do user research, and we were upfront because they were a consultancy. Therefore, their team will try and do anything to help you out. If you don’t want them to do certain things, tell them.
the project
UI/UX Redesign for Personal Finance & SaaS Company
"They organized everything from the start, so we progressed seamlessly and met our goals on time."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m an associate product manager at Fig Tech, a personal finance and SaaS company.
What challenge were you trying to address with Lighthouse?
We wanted to upgrade our existing platform to give our customers an optimized UI/UX experience.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Lighthouse initially examined our website to identify our brand themes and any areas that needed improvement. Based on their findings, their team gave specific suggestions on refining the design quality of our website. They also looked at the websites of our competitors to collate new ideas and examine their commonalities, which helped them organize our design plan better.
After the discovery phase, Lighthouse kicked off the design process and used Figma to implement UI/UX design solutions. They then modernized our platform and helped us formulate new brand guidelines following their new design suggestions and our preferences.
What is the team composition?
We directly worked with Lighthouse’s UI/UX designer, contact, and project manager.
How did you come to work with Lighthouse?
We found them online while searching for potential design agencies to onboard for this project. We launched a vetting process after creating a shortlist, and we ended up choosing Lighthouse because of their team’s promising proposal and agreeable personality.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent $30,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
The project ran from May–September 2021.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Lighthouse built a highly responsive and sophisticated platform that met our UI/UX expectations. Our team was especially pleased with how straightforward its features were. Additionally, they cooperated well during the series of product testings that we conducted.
How did Lighthouse perform from a project management standpoint?
We mainly communicated via Slack and email. Lighthouse had impressive project management skills — they organized everything from the start, so we progressed seamlessly and met our goals on time.
What did you find most impressive about them?
What stood out the most about their team was their high level of professionalism and capacity to bring our ideas to life.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Lighthouse did great overall — we didn’t have any complaints throughout our partnership.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Organize your goals and relay those transparently to Lighthouse’s team, and they’ll take it from there.
the project
UI/UX Design for Video Game PR Firm
"We can say with confidence that we look and feel like industry leaders because of Lighthouse’s work."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the head of influencer relations at an international PR firm focused on the video game industry. We work in influencer marketing and PR.
What challenge were you trying to address with Lighthouse?
In the video game industry, members of the gaming press and prominent YouTube channels were allowed to review games pre-launch.
We were looking to develop a platform where we could easily handle the thousands of review requests we receive for the games we work with. We were trying to make a self-service checkout website that allows reviewers to browse and request keys for games.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We worked with Lighthouse to completely redesign our website’s look and feel. The functionalities had already existed since another vendor developed the site. However, we were unhappy with the site’s form and functionality. Lighthouse overhauled the site’s UI/UX.
We gave Lighthouse access to our website’s backend after a consultation call with Tom (Co-Founder). They gathered all the relevant details they needed and came back to us with a proposal.
They felt it was best for us to be hands-off throughout the process instead of providing detailed insights about wireframes and design assets. After all, UI/UX design was not our expertise. We didn’t have any security issue about that since the site was not yet live and didn’t have any information.
LightHouse then studied our WordPress website’s functionality and features. They tried to get a cohesive picture of how the user journey works and what areas they could implement refinements.
In addition, LightHouse improved our website’s look. They redesigned our logo, color schemes, palettes, and other assets. They also made our website mobile-friendly and adaptable regardless of screen size.
What is the team composition?
My initial consultation had been with Tom. After that, Eugene (Designer) and Roma (UI/UX) were the persons I worked with regularly.
How did you come to work with Lighthouse?
I found Lighthouse through Clutch.
I spoke with two highly-rated companies on the platform. I liked Tom’s attitude and approach to handling things, while the other vendor didn’t seem as engaging. When Tom came back to me after a week, he gave me a detailed proposal. His dedication made me decide to hire Lighthouse.
Additionally, I liked how Lighthouse’s website was presented and could be explored.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent $16,500.
What is the status of this engagement?
Our engagement lasted from July–September 2021.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The website isn’t live yet. However, I showed Lighthouse’s work to a few stakeholders, and they were blown away. Our site’s designs were the most modern and sleek-looking in the market. We can say with confidence that we look and feel like industry leaders because of Lighthouse’s work.
A lot of our customers will turn away from providers if they don’t look and feel professional. Especially since our users are primarily influencers — things can seem very suspicious and scam-like if a provider’s website doesn’t look and feel correct. The prestige that the site displays is going to help drive people to click through our services.
How did Lighthouse perform from a project management standpoint?
Working with Lighthouse was a very fluid process. When they found out we also used Slack, they invited us to a channel, giving us instantaneous communication. They provided us with breakdowns of their weekly agenda; their calls were very efficient and informative at the same time. In addition, all of our discussions were summarized on Slack.
Lighthouse’s project management had been very efficient, and they were able to finish tasks ahead of schedule. Since we had extra hours, they worked on an additional improvement on the site to maximize our time. Additionally, their communication was straight to the point and easy to understand.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Lighthouse understood our brief from day one. We worked over four time zones, yet there were never any miscommunications — I had never encountered anything like that in my professional life.
I was surprised that it only took a 45-minute consultation for them to achieve a laser focus on what they wanted to do on our website. With our guidance, they had created something brilliant. The process was almost autopilot for me.
Lighthouse also had a lot of creatives that suggested ideas. If a proposal was debated, they bent to what the customer would like. They had been keen to share their expertise and work with us to deliver a good result — I felt their campaigns had been tailor fit.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I can’t think of anything.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Put the work in the initial consultation, and make sure that you understand the process very clearly. That was what we did, and the process had been fruitful and straightforward.
the project
UI/UX Design for HR SaaS Company
"They took it as slow as we needed it and went really far into the project."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m one of the two founders and CEO of Ellpha. We’re a small software service company that started three years ago. We’re creating a software based on AI to understand gender, nationality, or ethnicity bias in HR.
What challenge were you trying to address with Lighthouse?
The objective of the project was to design our first SaaS platform. It was meant to do what we do today but in a much more automated way. We wanted to do an MVP so it’d be a frugal final product that still delivered the highest value.
What was the scope of their involvement?
The project had two phases. In the first phase, we did strategic counseling to get specific on what we needed. Lighthouse helped us choose which functionalities would add value to detect biases instead of making the product look nice. Once everything was clear, we went into the second phase to design the workflow, UX, and wireframe.
We initially briefed them on the types of graphics we wanted. They offered 3–4 options, and we quickly selected one. The team did all the designs from scratch using Figma.
What is the team composition?
We had a lead designer working on the project from the onset, including some of the research. He delivered the product right until the end. Another designer supported him and came in to achieve the deadlines. Also, we had a lead consultant who helped us shape the project and stay on budget.
How did you come to work with Lighthouse?
Someone recommended them to us. In the beginning, we did a careful process to select the best agency. We looked at various possible partners, and Lighthouse emerged as a serious option at that point. We asked for references, and they showed us some of the work they’d done. Then, we asked if we could speak to some of their previous clients.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent around £40,000–£45,000 (approximately $55,000–$62,000 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in December 2020, and they delivered the project in April 2021.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
They delivered on time, but we haven’t launched the product yet. We’re still developing the coding, and there’s a lot of AI work going on behind the scenes.
However, the research team and developers loved the design. People have said it’s really nice; we’ve had great feedback. Moreover, it’s easy to navigate, and we like the color scheme and look and feel.
Overall, their team knew how the customer navigates a product. Lighthouse constantly helped us remain within the budget, and they delivered a product that centered on value.
How did Lighthouse perform from a project management standpoint?
They did well. The first phase was a bit hard because we had to get to the specifications of our big general idea. We needed to process it and make decisions, so that phase felt slow. However, Lighthouse couldn’t make those decisions for us, and it was what we needed to do, so we don’t blame them for it.
We had Zoom and Google meetings to see everyone. During the design phase, we spoke briefly every week. Sometimes we went into a little more detail directly with the designer. He was always available and happy to jump on the call to hear our feedback. Additionally, everyone was able to communicate through Google.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They were extremely flexible and agile. They took it as slow as we needed it and went really far into the project. Sometimes I would think about something at 5:00 p.m., drop a line, and get on a call for an hour. Lighthouse moved costs and timing for us.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I think the strategic research phase wasn’t efficient. We lost time because we couldn’t brief them well. It wasn’t their fault, but they could’ve been more assertive to tell us directly what was a mistake and what they could do.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Trust them; they’re more than a design agency. Also, you’ll get great value if you understand who does what and who to speak to for each type of question.
the project
UI/UX Design for Software Company
“They didn’t need a lot of my time to get going, and they were able to get up and running very quickly.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
SureCloud is a software and cybersecurity penetration testing provider specializing in governance, risk, and compliance software. I’m the VP of product at the company, so I’m responsible for all of our company’s software output.
What challenge were you trying to address with Lighthouse?
We have a software platform that we monetize into our client base, and we felt the need to upgrade its UI. We wanted our platform to look prettier to help our presell cycle and keep our existing clients happy with its look and feel.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We engaged with Lighthouse to help us with our UI/UX refreshment project. First, we provided them with a big list of the areas in which our platform needed to be revamped with a new and clean UI. We also put them through our platform so they could have a one-on-one level of understanding about how it worked.
Lighthouse largely went away and came back with a series of suggestions and design systems to improve how the platform would work and look. Then, we worked with them to select the relevant design system that worked for us.
They worked through our picked list in all the areas that we felt needed to be revamped, and we could see the wireframes’ mockups using their tool. We went back and forth with the designs as they touched all the different areas of our platform until we reached the end of the list.
What is the team composition?
We worked with Tom (Co-Founder & Director) and two designers: Michael and Elvin (UI/UX Designers).
How did you come to work with Lighthouse?
We had no prior experience choosing UI/UX design agencies, so I Googled for a while and found some websites ranking the best UI companies to work with in London, which is where we’re based.
Lighthouse was one of the two best companies in one of those lists, so we had discovery calls with them and with the other agency. I got a better feeling in working with Lighthouse; we thought that their people resembled our people more, which would allow us to work fluently.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent around $10,000–$20,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in March 2021, and this phase is finishing now, in June 2021. This was just the first phase of many others, so I have the intention to go back to them to work on the next phases. We have more of a supplier relationship than an ongoing partnership.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Lighthouse delivered the design systems, and now, we have to do all the work to make it real, so we don’t have any impact on their work yet.
In terms of quality, our development team saw the designs that Lighthouse produced for them, and they were very pleased with the high quality of their work. Our team has seen design systems in the past, so they know what looks good.
How did Lighthouse perform from a project management standpoint?
Lighthouse’s project management was excellent. We communicated via BaseCamp, and they used Figma to share wireframes. Additionally, we also had occasional Microsoft Teams meetings.
What did you find most impressive about them?
The aspect that I most appreciated about working with Lighthouse was that it required a light touch. They didn’t need a lot of my time to get going, and they were able to get up and running very quickly to produce high-quality output.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No. I’m really pleased with the process and how everything turned out.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
The key is to make sure that the project kicks off with the right scope of what is required. If you’re clear on your requirements, Lighthouse has a team who can get around them and get the work done.
the project
Platform Rebuild for Educational Resource Company
"I would recommend Lighthouse London without hesitation."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I'm the Director of Technology for Digital Theatre+. Digital Theatre+ is an Education resource that helps academics, students and teachers by providing video-on-demand for theatre productions, interviews, workshops and written content.
For what projects/services did your company hire Lighthouse London, and what were your goals?
After many years without investment in our platform and product, we hired Lighthouse London to re-envisage the product, conduct customer research, perform UX/UI design and support implementation of the product on a completely new technical stack.
How did you select Lighthouse London and what were the deciding factors?
We selected Lighthouse London based on their experience, portfolio, history of successful projects and people. Lighthouse London immediately gave us confidence they were the right choice to support our business in one of the biggest projects we've ever undertaken.
Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.
The work was split into two distinct phases:
1. Customer research and product design, using an iterative approach involving interviews, feedback and reviews, mapping, wireframes and mockups.
2. Product implementation, again using an iterative approach using TypeScript, React, Next, TailwindCSS, Storybook, Jest. In addition to providing project manager, UX/UI design for the first phase, Lighthouse London provided expert people who were able to implement a highly usable and accessible set of front-end components, working as an embedded part of our team.
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
A project manager provided much of the day-to-day facilitation and management of the first phase, acting as a product manager at times, along with a UX/UI designer. During the second phase, a front-end web developer (although this massively understates this person's ability and talents) was embedded in our team on a full-time basis, moving to part time when appropriate.
Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?
We have launched the rebuilt platform at https://edu.digitaltheatreplus.com and the website has been received well by customers and internal staff alike. The components delivered are highly usable, polished and accessible, meeting all our key requirements.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.
During the first phase, a regular progress meeting was held each week, along with ad-hoc sessions as required. Project management was focussed, reliable and adaptable. Communication tools include Basecamp and Abstract, among others used for design and user testing.
During the second phase, Lighthouse London were embedded in our team, so took part in daily stand-ups and worked closely with both team members and stakeholders. The tools used were predominantly Gitlab and Storybook.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
The calibre and experience of the individuals combined with an absolute commitment to mutual success has meant we've been confident continuing our relationship with Lighthouse London beyond the initial deliverables through to ongoing product development.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
None.
the project
UX/UI for International Business Information Group
"This was a tricky project to navigate, between all the data and financials, but they came up with an engaging result."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m head of delivery for a company that acts as a service provider for data and news. I work in the insurance, aviation, and infrastructure areas, but different divisions specialize in various focus areas.
What challenge were you trying to address with Lighthouse London?
We needed a UX upgrade for our site.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They redesigned the backend of our data offering before moving on to designing the new product suite that we incorporated into the site. They designed all the pages for that. From there, they completed the marketing page for our site as well.
What is the team composition?
We worked with about 10–15 people, including a project manager, developer, a UX expert, and the finance department.
How did you come to work with Lighthouse London?
A member of our team selected about 10 possible providers, later narrowing that down to three. They did a presentation for us, and we decided to hire them based on that.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent between $150,000–$250,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from August 2018–November 2020.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
They worked very hard on our relationship, got things done according to our timelines, and were as responsive as possible throughout.
How did Lighthouse London perform from a project management standpoint?
We use Skype and Google Hangouts for communication. Our team is generally under-resourced, so it took us some time to keep up with them. The only delays were on our end, and they delivered on time.
What did you find most impressive about them?
This was a tricky project to navigate, between all the data and financials, but they came up with an engaging result. Their designs were very strong.
Are there any areas they could improve?
When we engaged them, we expected that the user designs would be responsive. We ended up having to request that service in addition, and I assumed that it would be offered together.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Be clear about your vision and assumptions from the start.
the project
Frontend Dev for Health & Wellness Company
"They’re passionate about their work."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the co-founder of FitQuid, a health and wellness company. We’re currently working on an app.
What challenge were you trying to address with Lighthouse London?
We needed help with the frontend design of our app and making the idea into something physical. We only had a concept and idea.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Lighthouse London helped with the frontend design and with formulating the actual concept and the final look of the app. They did the standard elements such as a splash screen, onboarding, home screens, and a shop. It was a standard application design.
It’s a health and wellness app. People can engage in activities as well as healthy behaviors to earn points. Then they use those coins to purchase business services from our shop. It’s an iOS and Android app. They’re native technologies for both.
They have a process in place whereby you’d do a workshop to get a common understanding of the intricacies and the details of the concept. They also did quite a few interviews and polls, as well as some market research.
What is the team composition?
I mainly work with the co-founder and the designer. We also interact with the other co-founder of Lighthouse London when it comes to invoices, etc.
How did you come to work with Lighthouse London?
We had a conversation with them and I felt they were the right fit. I was looking for a team that would not only be able to implement the vision that I had but would also challenge every aspect of it.
I decided to go with Lighthouse London because of the people. They’re passionate about what they do. Michal (UI/UX designer) considers the work he’s done so far as his baby.
He insisted on viewing the work that the developers were doing to make sure that the design guidelines that he drafted for the app are being fully implemented. That kind of commitment and passion was the reason why I picked them.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent £20,000–£30,000 (approximately $25,700–$38,500 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from March–August 2020. We’re still making final changes.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
They did a standard frontend development process that a lot of companies do but their unique selling benefit (USB) is their people and passion. They not only designed the concept and brought it to life but they also enriched it with their points of view and their experience, which we valued.
Lighthouse London had a huge part to play in the design of the shop and the app, the target audience, the visitors, and specific UX elements that we would consider in terms of our target audience. Our target audience is an aging population, so that came with different UI/UX factors.
We needed larger fonts and certain colors to make sure it was acceptable for people with a range of vision impairment issues. The biggest value that they’ve added was that we were able to put the concept into practice. We started off with a concept and now that concept is a reality with all the intricacies thanks to their work.
How did Lighthouse London perform from a project management standpoint?
Lighthouse London’s project management was very good. We had a weekly update meeting. That frequency was increased whenever we felt there was a need to do so. Their communication was also great.
Towards the end of every milestone, they sent us full reports, timesheet reports, and projected hours to be worked as well. There was clear, on-point communication of the project progression, so we were never surprised. We used Basecamp, which was very user-friendly and easy to handle. It was great.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Lighthouse London cares about what they do, and they’re passionate about their work. They want to represent themselves in everything they do and want to make sure it’s done perfectly well.
They added value to what we wanted to do. The team talked to us and enriched us with their experiences. They gave recommendations and suggestions that added value to the application.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, not that I can think of. I was so impressed with their work. They did a tremendous job.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Establish expectations. Some people already have an idea that’s fully formulated and just want someone competent to come in and implement it. If you establish that expectation, it’s a lot easier for Lighthouse London to work with you.
We had an hour-long meeting where we asked them what their expectations were as a vendor and we told them what we expected as well.
the project
UX Design for Cybersecurity Solutions Company
"They clearly understood what we were trying to do and were excited about the project."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
We’re a tech startup in the R&D phase about to launch our product. We’re a cybersecurity company building a SaaS solution to improve their cybersecurity against hackers. We’re trying to take a complex problem and make it very simple.
What challenge were you trying to address with Lighthouse London?
Cybersecurity is fast-growing and competitive, so they helped us bring our brand alive. They translated into our new product for us. We also tasked them with creating a simple solution for a complex problem.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They’re focused on our product’s UI design, in terms of wireframing and UX. As part of that, they did design research and low- and high fidelity wireframes.
What is the team composition?
We engaged with a total of five people across the project.
When we initially spoke to the company, we were engaging with Dan (Co-Founder). Then he handed it over to Tom (Co-Founder) and he oversaw the project. Then we worked with a designer and she was the most involved member of the team. We also had a few other people come onto the project, one who did design research, and another who worked on wireframing with our primary designer.
How did you come to work with Lighthouse London?
Initially we found them on Clutch. We did an initial screening looking through portfolios and they made it onto our shortlist. We selected them because of their enthusiasm and the skills they had. They clearly understood what we were trying to do and were excited about the project. They were also very reasonably priced and we were able to work directly with the team.
How much have you invested with them?
In the first phase, we spent £24,000 (approximately $30,000).
What is the status of this engagement?
The project lasted from March–July 2020.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We’ve been talking to potential investors, beta customers, and industry pairs. When we’ve demonstrated the website, we’ve received unanimous praise for the work and direction.
How did Lighthouse London perform from a project management standpoint?
They did very well. They used Basecamp, we had a weekly call, and they walked us through reports regularly. We noticed that they sometimes worked late to make sure we were still on track. They finished on budget as well, and they helped us track it.
What did you find most impressive about them?
The difference between Lighthouse London and other service providers was that they challenged us and came back with better ideas. They pushed us to improve the product.
Are there any areas they could improve?
We gave them some minor feedback on the project reports. Instead of breaking down the project on how many hours we’ve used, we asked them to tell us how much we’ve spent of the budget and what we were projected to spend. For example, we wanted them to say that if we are 70% through our budget. Then they could outline if we were projected to be under budget or over. They implemented that feedback and it made it easier to determine how we should manage the budget.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Encourage them to challenge the customer. It’s easy to have a set idea of what you want, but they have great ideas. Let them figure out how they’ll achieve your goals.
the project
UI/UX Design for Custom Software Dev Agency
“Out of all the design companies we have worked with, they have been the best.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
We are a custom software development agency, and I am the managing director.
What challenge were you trying to address with Lighthouse London?
We tend to work with our clients to create custom software and custom web platforms. We didn’t have UI/UX skills in-house, so we were looking for an agency to support our UI/UX requirements.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We have worked with them for about two years now and have brought them in on about six or seven projects for their UI and UX capabilities.
Typically, they will work with the client early on to take our backlog, which is basically a list of things that the software needs to do, and then will then create the wireframes from scratch. They will take the software requirements and create even the most basic low fidelity wireframes through to the finished product.
What is the team composition?
We have worked with around six people from their team.
How did you come to work with Lighthouse London?
I think we got in touch with them through a referral from a personal contact. The thing that stood out for us is their understanding of development. They were able to understand what is technically possible and what would be too expensive or complicated, and really understand that what they design has to be built by us. They were able to deliver stuff to a really high standard and on time, which is basically all the things that anyone looks for.
How much have you invested in them?
We have spent about £200,000 (approximately $244,405 USD) with them.
What is the status of this engagement?
I think it was January 2019, and we are still working with them.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
They are able to give applications a modern and interactive feeling and create software that is highly functional, but highly intuitive which is what we are looking for.
Although I can’t necessarily give feedback on the end results of a customer because I don’t have those stats, we are able to move a project from concept through to delivery in a really rapid process. In terms of rapidly prototyping MVP apps and really intuitive apps, they are able to do that quickly. Our projects get delivered on time with them
How did Lighthouse London perform from a project management standpoint?
In terms of project management, I think it is a really smooth and effective process. They have a lot of infrastructures that are able to keep projects running smoothly. Typically, it can be quite a sticky process where we are having to collect all the assets that they are creating and basically revert them into actual working software. With Lighthouse London, they are able to work with us to rapidly get all of the assets and all of the resources we need to continue on with the project and remove any blockers in the way.
In terms of their project management, the communication back and forth is highly effective. We are always talking to them on Slack, back and forth through email, and getting stuff from them very, very quickly.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I think it is their ability to really understand the value of the products. A lot of the other design agencies we work with can get really caught up on the creative side and miss some of the real technical value and the intuitive aspects that they are really good at.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I can’t think of any areas of improvement. Out of all the design companies we have worked with, they have been the best.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
My advice to anyone working with them would be to listen to their advice and ask for the direction. You get the most out of any consultancy company when you ask for direction and listen to the feedback that has been given.
The client has been satisfied with Lighthouse’s quality work, which has blown them away since the first draft. Moreover, customer feedback has been positive, and the team stands out for their quality of work, understanding, and empathy. They’re proactive, prompt, and well-organized partners.