The landscape of user experience design has undergone a seismic shift since 2022. As a leading UX design agency, we're seeing firsthand how companies are navigating these changes—and where many are falling short.
The tech industry experienced unprecedented growth leading up to 2022, with companies racing to build in-house product teams. FAANG companies and their followers hired UX researchers, product designers, and developers at breakneck speed. Then came the maturation—or what some call the correction.
Mass layoffs swept through the tech sector, and for the first time, seasoned UX professionals, product designers, and product managers found themselves competing for limited positions. This wasn't just a market fluctuation; it represented a fundamental misunderstanding of how UX consulting firms and design strategy should integrate into business operations.
Here's what we're seeing as UX consultants in Nashville, Chicago, and Detroit: the pendulum is swinging back toward the consulting model, but with a modern twist.
Companies are increasingly turning to fractional roles—fractional design officers and fractional UX experts who provide strategic guidance without the overhead of full-time hires. This shift offers several advantages:
As product design consultants, we're finding that this model allows us to deliver maximum value at the exact moment companies need it most.
Every few years, the tech industry discovers a "revolutionary" technology. Cloud computing. Machine learning. Now it's AI.
But here's the truth that many design agencies understand: we've been doing this for 15 years. What's now branded as AI was previously called machine learning—the same algorithms that powered Amazon's "you may also like" recommendations.
Companies are pouring resources into AI integration without considering:
This is where strategic UX design agencies add irreplaceable value. We ask the difficult questions: Should you even be building this? What problem does it solve for real users? How does this align with your business strategy?
In cities like Nashville, we're noticing a troubling pattern: companies lack fundamental product strategy. They know they need "UX" but don't understand where design thinking fits in the product lifecycle.
Too often, development comes first. Design comes last. This is backwards.
UX consulting firms exist to flip this script. Here's why design strategy must lead:
Don't build a product until you've validated that users actually need it. This seems obvious, but it's staggeringly rare in practice.
There's confusion about what "minimum viable product" means. It's not a skateboard when you promised a car. An MVP should be the actual product in its simplest functional form—a car that works but might need a roof for rainy days.
The best UX consultants bring receipts. We don't guess; we test. We interview. We observe. We validate assumptions with real users before companies commit resources to development.
Every few years, the tech industry discovers a "revolutionary" technology. Cloud computing. Machine learning. Now it's AI.
But here's the truth that many design agencies understand: we've been doing this for 15 years. What's now branded as AI was previously called machine learning—the same algorithms that powered Amazon's "you may also like" recommendations.
Companies are pouring resources into AI integration without considering:
This is where strategic UX design agencies add irreplaceable value. We ask the difficult questions: Should you even be building this? What problem does it solve for real users? How does this align with your business strategy?
In cities like Nashville, we're noticing a troubling pattern: companies lack fundamental product strategy. They know they need "UX" but don't understand where design thinking fits in the product lifecycle.
Too often, development comes first. Design comes last. This is backwards.
UX consulting firms exist to flip this script. Here's why design strategy must lead:
Don't build a product until you've validated that users actually need it. This seems obvious, but it's staggeringly rare in practice.
There's confusion about what "minimum viable product" means. It's not a skateboard when you promised a car. An MVP should be the actual product in its simplest functional form—a car that works but might need a roof for rainy days.
The best UX consultants bring receipts. We don't guess; we test. We interview. We observe. We validate assumptions with real users before companies commit resources to development.
Most C-suites are filled with operations-minded leaders—people who excel at moving the needle 3-5% annually through incremental improvements. This approach works for stability but stifles innovation.
Visionary thinkers—designers, product strategists, engineers—think differently. They see possibilities, not just optimizations. And this makes traditional leadership uncomfortable because vision requires change.
Steve Jobs was famously kicked out of companies that couldn't handle his visionary approach. Yet that same thinking created revolutionary products.
Here's the double-edged sword of hiring strategic designers:
When you hire a fractional UX expert or partner with a UX design agency, you're not risking your career on a gut feeling. You're making data-backed decisions.
Imagine telling your board: "52 users over two years have requested this feature." That's not a hunch—that's market validation. Then imagine showing them a tested prototype that proves users can successfully navigate the solution.
This is what strategic design agencies deliver.
The best product experiences emerge from what we call "positive conflict"—the kind where stakeholders and designers care deeply enough to hash out the right solution together.
This isn't about ego. It's about being receptive to answers you discover through research, even when they contradict initial assumptions. It's about not being so locked into a solution that you miss a better path.
Magic happens when CEOs, product teams, and UX consultants engage in this kind of meaningful dialogue.
Most C-suites are filled with operations-minded leaders—people who excel at moving the needle 3-5% annually through incremental improvements. This approach works for stability but stifles innovation.
Visionary thinkers—designers, product strategists, engineers—think differently. They see possibilities, not just optimizations. And this makes traditional leadership uncomfortable because vision requires change.
Steve Jobs was famously kicked out of companies that couldn't handle his visionary approach. Yet that same thinking created revolutionary products.
Here's the double-edged sword of hiring strategic designers:
When you hire a fractional UX expert or partner with a UX design agency, you're not risking your career on a gut feeling. You're making data-backed decisions.
Imagine telling your board: "52 users over two years have requested this feature." That's not a hunch—that's market validation. Then imagine showing them a tested prototype that proves users can successfully navigate the solution.
This is what strategic design agencies deliver.
The best product experiences emerge from what we call "positive conflict"—the kind where stakeholders and designers care deeply enough to hash out the right solution together.
This isn't about ego. It's about being receptive to answers you discover through research, even when they contradict initial assumptions. It's about not being so locked into a solution that you miss a better path.
Magic happens when CEOs, product teams, and UX consultants engage in this kind of meaningful dialogue.
Since he personally has no time or social media experience to curate an online presence for it, EVE has helped to start the foundation for an online following onInstagram and Facebook to reach customers Faraj would previously have missed out on.
It is important to recognize that social media marketing is becoming the new norm. While the start up of a social media strategy can be overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be.
While you focus on your passion of running your business, EVE is here to focus on our passion of helping you navigate the social media world and digital business.
Since he personally has no time or social media experience to curate an online presence for it, EVE has helped to start the foundation for an online following onInstagram and Facebook to reach customers Faraj would previously have missed out on.
It is important to recognize that social media marketing is becoming the new norm. While the start up of a social media strategy can be overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be.
While you focus on your passion of running your business, EVE is here to focus on our passion of helping you navigate the social media world and digital business.
Want a perfect example of missing UX strategy? Try networking at an event and connecting with someone on LinkedIn. You have to:
Why? A well-designed experience would anticipate that users opening LinkedIn at networking events want to connect quickly. One tap should surface your QR code.
This is the kind of friction that product design consultants identify and eliminate—not just in consumer apps, but in enterprise software, B2B platforms, and internal tools that companies use every day.
Most companies sit on a goldmine of insights—buried in suggestion boxes and feedback tools that nobody examines. Your current users are telling you exactly what they need. You're just not listening.
Strategic UX design agencies know how to extract these insights, validate them through research, and turn them into actionable product improvements.
Whether you're a startup with a big idea, a mid-market company struggling to gain traction, or a Fortune 500 enterprise needing to crack open a complex problem, the diagnosis is similar:
You need strategic design thinking at the beginning of your product lifecycle, not the end.
You need people comfortable with ambiguity who can turn vague problems into clear solutions.
You need UX consultants who bring both vision and validation.
Working with a fractional design officer or UX design agency transforms how you build products:
The companies succeeding in 2026 aren't just throwing AI at problems or following the latest trend. They're thinking strategically about user needs, product vision, and how to deliver real value.
If you're in Nashville, Chicago, Detroit, or anywhere else, and you're wondering why your product isn't gaining traction—or you have a bold idea that needs validating—it's time to talk strategy.
The future belongs to companies that understand: great products don't start with code. They start with understanding users, validating assumptions, and designing solutions that actually work.
That's what UX consulting firms deliver. That's what strategic design thinking unlocks.
And that's how you turn product challenges into competitive advantages.
Whether you need a fractional UX expert, a full UX design agency, or strategic product design consultants, the conversation starts with understanding where you are and where you need to go.
Let's talk about bringing product goodness to your business. Because in 2026, the companies that win aren't just building features—they're building experiences that users actually need.
Looking for a UX design agency in Nashville, Chicago, or Detroit? Need UX consultants who understand both strategy and execution?
Let's connect and explore how strategic design thinking can transform your product.
This article is based on content from the UX MURDER MYSTERY podcast.
HOSTED BY: Brian J. Crowley & Eve Eden
EDITED BY: Kelsey Smith
INTRO ANIMATION & LOGO DESIGN: Brian J. Crowley
MUSIC BY: Nicolas Lee
A JOINT PRODUCTION OF EVE | User Experience Design Agency and CrowleyUX | Where Systems Meet Stories ©2025 Brian J. Crowley and Eve Eden
Email us at: questions@UXmurdermystery.com
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