Hire the Top 3% of Freelance User Research Designers

Toptal is a marketplace for top User Research Designers. Top companies and startups choose Toptal User Research Design freelancers for their mission-critical design projects.

No-Risk Trial, Pay Only If Satisfied.

Clients rate Toptal User Research Designers 4.9 / 5 on average based on 3,885 reviews.

Trusted by leading brands and startups

Hire Freelance User Research Designers

Erik Wedeward

Germany
Toptal Member Since March 31, 2022

Erik is an experienced digital strategist, design lead, and researcher with years of diversified experience. Focused on user-centered innovation, he solves business problems using a human-centered design approach, from user research and design strategy to defining detailed product and service visions. Erik values collaboration with his clients and defines products or services to satisfy clients' needs and requirements.

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Martina Pérez

United Kingdom
Toptal Member Since May 7, 2020

As a product designer, Martina crafts end-to-end user experiences with a focus on interaction design and how user research can transform the way you approach problems. She has over 10 years of experience designing for native mobile apps and responsive web while working on cross-functional teams with engineers, product managers, and other designers in a variety of industries. Martina has a special interest in new technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and voice-user interfaces.

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George Kalmpourtzis

France
Toptal Member Since March 8, 2021

George is an award-winning product designer, user researcher, and learning expert. He is expert in improving usability of complex platforms, intranets and B2B systems. He also focuses on instructional design, customer engagement, and gamification. George is the author of two books on learning experience design and design processes. He has worked with clients like Disney, Forbes, BNP Paribas, Starbucks, the European Commission, Technicolor, HealthCare.com, Amadeus, and several universities.

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Anton Roolaart

Netherlands
Toptal Member Since September 4, 2019

Anton is an award-winning creative UX leader with more than 20 years of experience designing user experiences. He is skillful in UX strategy, design, processes, user research, and prototyping, promoting design thinking methodologies. Anton's previous clients spring from various industries, including JPMorgan Chase Bank, Pfizer (site intelligence for clinical trials), Newmind (legal firm), Epidemic Sound (music licensing), Sirius Energy (alternative energy), Monex (fintech), Hilton, and more.

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Ricardo Gonçalves

Portugal
Toptal Member Since May 8, 2019

Ricardo has 11 years experience as a UX designer, with four as head of UX. He has worked from brief to delivery, specializing in user research, creative strategy, and experience design. As a past developer, he understands UX for the technology space. Ricardo is the winner of the Fast Company Innovation By Design award. He is the founder of getdoin', an Airbnb for workshops, and has worked with giants such as Google, Apple, and Disney.

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Dima Zaiats

United Arab Emirates
Toptal Member Since June 22, 2020

Dima is a seasoned product designer with 10+ years of experience in product strategy, design, development, and user research. He specializes in creating user-centered web and mobile products for early-stage startups and industry leaders, including Amazon and Nom Nom, where he guides teams and solves complex problems at the intersection of business and design, driving growth.

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Ryan Augustine

United States
Toptal Member Since November 8, 2021

Ryan is an award-winning lead product UI/UX designer with more than six years of hands-on experience. He has worked with multiple government agencies, international non-profits like United Way and Etopia, and over 100 startups and small businesses to meet business goals and users' needs through innovative, user-friendly product design. Ryan's mission is to produce accessible, impactful, and engaging products and experiences, focusing on seamless user experiences.

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Vinícius Krause

Germany
Toptal Member Since October 12, 2021

Vinícius is a UX designer with over 12 years of experience working with agencies and creating products that reach more than 50 million unique visitors per month. He always connects user research and strategic insights to concepts and prototypes that make technology meaningful, valuable, and easy to use. Vinícius has a bachelor's degree in journalism with significant experience in content strategy.

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Rain Lieberman

United Kingdom
Toptal Member Since May 6, 2020

Rain is a UI/UX designer with nearly ten years of professional experience. She has worked with large businesses, such as Airstream, Arcadia Group, News UK, and KPMG. In recent years she has helped startups launch new products successfully and improve the usability of the existing products. Rain focuses on validating design ideas in the early stages of a product lifecycle to save time and money in the overall product development process.

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Brandon Olmstead

United States
Toptal Member Since February 10, 2022

Brandon is an experienced product designer and strategist with a strong track record delivering working software across diverse sectors and company sizes, from startups to Fortune 10, e.g., Abbott, ADP, Airbnb, CVS, Dell, and PepsiCo. He has expertise in user-centered design, data-driven insights, lean innovation, visual design, collaborative leadership, and problem-solving. Brandon has led 125+ individuals across 15 teams, delivering award-winning applications.

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João Manuel Castro Pinheiro

Portugal
Toptal Member Since February 21, 2022

João is a UX/UI designer, consultant, and instructor with nearly a decade of professional experience building digital products. He has designed for TAP Air Portugal, eCommerce, healthcare, education, insurance, social security, real estate, a major event venue, auto dealers, and a nonprofit. João creates amazing digital products through the design thinking framework, solves complex UX and UI problems, and works closely with product and engineering teams.

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THE TOPTAL ADVANTAGE

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Toptal's screening and matching process ensures exceptional talent are matched to your precise needs.

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Toptal in the press

... allows corporations to quickly assemble teams that have the right skills for specific projects.

Despite accelerating demand for coders, Toptal prides itself on almost Ivy League-level vetting.

Our clients
Creating an app for the game
Conor Kenney
Creating an app for the game
Leading a digital transformation
Elmar Platzer
Leading a digital transformation
Building a cross-platform app to be used worldwide
Building a cross-platform app to be used worldwide
Drilling into real-time data creates an industry game changer
Drilling into real-time data creates an industry game changer
Testimonials
Michael is an incredible designer, and has been a great fit for our project. He just gets it in a way that can’t be taught. My goal was to pay Toptal to find me a high quality designer for my project, and that is exactly what happened. It was easy. Being able to see the portfolio work on Toptal’s platform is what gave me the infomation I needed to choose Michael. I have nothing but good things to say about Toptal and am looking forward to using Toptal for other projects in the future.

Edward Daniel

Co-Founder

I've worked very closely with Martina for over a year and have to say she is one of the best people I have ever worked with. Instead of simply following instructions blindly, she thinks through the task at hand, becoming a thought partner to help with whatever the project may be. Besides being super talented at design, she possesses specific qualities that make her exceptional to work with given the fast paced nature of being a startup. I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a talented, professional designer who doesn't need much direction to hit the ground running.

Sahil Khanna

Sr. Manager, Marketing

Darko did a great job figuring out the user architecture for our concept, which led him to produce terrific wireframes. His knowledge of usability and design was a perfect match for the outside voice we needed to help jumpstart our project. We would certainly recommend him and work with him again in the future.

Rich Danker

Founder

Carlos has the unique talent of blending both quantitative and qualitative research to keenly identify UX challenges and opportunities. He thinks methodically, emphatically, and holistically to produce data-driven strategies and well-executed designs. Over the past 8 years of working with fully or partially distributed teams, Carlos manages working remotely far better than anyone I've encountered because of his strong communication and presentation skills. He is the first on my list the next time I need a UX designer.

Michelle Krogmeier

Project Manager

Rafael is an amazing designer. His aesthetic sense is spot on, and he seems to be able to anticipate our needs before we even know what they are. He's taken the time to understand both our company and our clientele, and his solutions are consistently in-line with our values, interests, and our customers' needs. He delivers on time (if not earlier), works quickly, is well organized, and very effective. He's a pleasure to work with, and we're very happy to have found him through Toptal.

Ethan Brooks

CTO

How to Hire User Research Designers Through Toptal

1

Talk to One of Our Industry Experts

A Toptal director of design will work with you to understand your goals, technical needs, and team dynamics.
2

Work With Hand-Selected Talent

Within days, we'll introduce you to the right User Research Designer for your project. Average time to match is under 24 hours.
3

The Right Fit, Guaranteed

Work with your new User Research Designer for a trial period (pay only if satisfied), ensuring they're the right fit before starting the engagement.

Find Experts With Related Skills

Access a vast pool of skilled designers in our talent network and hire the top 3% within just 48 hours.

FAQs

  • How quickly can you hire with Toptal?

    Typically, you can hire a User Research Designer with Toptal in about 48 hours. For larger teams of talent or Managed Delivery, timelines may vary. Our talent matchers are highly skilled in the same fields they’re matching in—they’re not recruiters or HR reps. They’ll work with you to understand your goals, technical needs, and team dynamics, and match you with ideal candidates from our vetted global talent network.

    Once you select your User Research Designer, you’ll have a no-risk trial period to ensure they’re the perfect fit. Our matching process has a 98% trial-to-hire rate, so you can rest assured that you’re getting the best fit every time.

  • How do I hire a User Research Designer?

    To hire the right User Research Designer, it’s important to evaluate a candidate’s experience, technical skills, and communication skills. You’ll also want to consider the fit with your particular industry, company, and project. Toptal’s rigorous screening process ensures that every member of our network has excellent experience and skills, and our team will match you with the perfect User Research Designers for your project.

  • How are Toptal User Research Designers different?

    At Toptal, we thoroughly screen our User Research Designers to ensure we only match you with the highest caliber of talent. Of the more than 200,000 people who apply to join the Toptal network each year, fewer than 3% make the cut.

    In addition to screening for industry-leading expertise, we also assess candidates’ language and interpersonal skills to ensure that you have a smooth working relationship.

    When you hire with Toptal, you’ll always work with world-class, custom-matched User Research Designers ready to help you achieve your goals.

  • Can you hire User Research Designers on an hourly basis or for project-based tasks?

    You can hire User Research Designers on an hourly, part-time, or full-time basis. Toptal can also manage the entire project from end-to-end with our Managed Delivery offering. Whether you hire an expert for a full- or part-time position, you’ll have the control and flexibility to scale your team up or down as your needs evolve. Our User Research Designers can fully integrate into your existing team for a seamless working experience.

  • What is the no-risk trial period for Toptal User Research Designers?

    We make sure that each engagement between you and your User Research Designer begins with a trial period of up to two weeks. This means that you have time to confirm the engagement will be successful. If you’re completely satisfied with the results, we’ll bill you for the time and continue the engagement for as long as you’d like. If you’re not completely satisfied, you won’t be billed. From there, we can either part ways, or we can provide you with another expert who may be a better fit and with whom we will begin a second, no-risk trial.

Tap Into World-Class Talent

  • Trusted Experts Only

    Trusted Experts Only

    All of our talent are seasoned experts who ramp up quickly, readily contribute as core team members, and work with you to minimize onboarding time.

  • The Right Fit

    The Right Fit

    We have a knack for matching you with the right fit. Start working with your new hire on a no-risk trial period, paying only if satisfied.

  • Scale as Needed

    Scale as Needed

    Hire talent within 48 hours and scale your team up or down as needed, no strings attached.

  • Seamless Hiring

    Seamless Hiring

    We handle all aspects of billing, payments, and NDA’s. Let us take care of the overhead while you focus on building great products.

  • Flexible Engagements

    Flexible Engagements

    Choose the engagement type that suits your needs — hourly, part-time, or full-time — with the ability to change anytime.

  • Expert Talent Matching

    Expert Talent Matching

    Focus on your project and enjoy support from your dedicated account executive and expert talent matcher.

Top User Research Designers Are in High Demand.

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