Akendi

Akendi as a studio

Akendi describes itself as a UX design, service design, digital transformation and user research agency with more than 17 years of practice, founded in 2007 and now 10 to 49 people across Toronto, Ottawa, Cambridge in England and Brooklyn. Design is 70 percent of the mix: UX/UI 30 percent, with digital strategy, graphic design, product design and web design at 10 percent each. Reviews describe field studies in user environments, ongoing fintech product work, and a telecoms engagement that produced a brand style guide and coded frontend. Four Clutch reviews average 4.8.

Who it fits

Hire Akendi when a fintech, healthcare, energy or public sector product needs research done in the field before design, and you want service design thinking alongside screens. Mid-market clients are 45 percent of its book and the $5,000+ minimum is unusually low. It is a research house with a graphic design line rather than a visual studio with a signature.

Strengths

• Field studies and persona work appear in reviews, the mark of a research practice rather than a claim
• Graphic design and brand style guides are within scope, which few UX consultancies offer
• Four offices across Canada, England and New York for a firm of this size

Watch-outs

• Four reviews is a thin public record for a firm claiming 17-plus years
• Its breadth (physical products, services, in-person interactions) means digital visual craft is one of many concerns

Evidence

• Services: UX/UI design 30 percent, digital strategy 10 percent, graphic design 10 percent, product design 10 percent, web design 10 percent; design share 70 percent
• Minimum project $5,000+ at $100 - $149 / hr; 4.8 from 4 Clutch reviews; founded 2007
• A Clutch reviewer: "conducted field studies to understand user environments and operational contexts"