Senior UX research, audits, and design for teams who need a smart, trusted pair of hands on a digital experience. We listen properly, find what really matters, and get the work done without the theatre.
What we do
Pick one, or all three. We can scope a discrete piece of work or run alongside your team for as long as you need us.
Insight
Interviews, surveys, observation. We find out what your users actually need and where the gap is between that and what your business is offering today.
£5–10k typical range
Evaluation
We look at your site or product properly. Sometimes that means an expert review, sometimes watching real users try to use it. You get a clear, prioritised list of what to fix first.
£2–6k typical range
Design & build
We design user journeys and interfaces that work, then build them if you need us to. Wireframes you can test before you commit, and clean builds on the platforms your team can manage.
£4–8k typical range
Every project is different and we will scope properly before quoting. These ranges are a starting point.
How we work
The same approach behind every project, whether it is a focused audit or a full redesign.
Who they are, what they need, and what they are not getting today.
Your goals, your values, and what you need a visitor to do.
Your site, your competitors, and what good looks like elsewhere.
Simple, focused, in language your users actually use.
Refine based on what they do, not what they say.
Because nothing is ever truly finished.
Selected work
Research & Design
Users needed an easier way to find, evaluate, and choose AA-rated accommodation and restaurants across the UK. We researched how customers were actually using the site, then redesigned it - new homepage functionality, a favouriting system, navigation, establishment pages, and search listings. All grounded in research, competitor analysis, and good UX design.
Make Human bring an insightful, challenging perspective on user experience and consistently deliver high-quality design work we've come to rely on and trust. David Popey, Head of Digital, AA Media
Research & Design
Charles had a Shopify store, a courses platform, and a YouTube channel with a huge following, but the user journey wasn't working as well as it should. We reviewed everything, looked at what good looked like elsewhere, and set out clear priorities. Steve then joined as an embedded designer to roll out the changes.
Design
We designed a new site from scratch to attract and convert hospitality businesses interested in gaining an AA rating. We conducted an in-depth review of the users, their needs, the offer, and comparable experiences and then worked up a visual style, layout and content that engaged and converted.
Research & Design
We observed customers making real purchase decisions on the ISMS.online site and looked at how competitors were handling the same journey. We identified what was working and what wasn't, set out clear priorities, wireframed solutions, and handed everything over to the in-house design and development team.
Audit
People were dropping off, but the team didn't know where or why. We audited the key journeys, identified where users were losing momentum, and prioritised what needed fixing. We then stayed close to make sure the in-house agency actually implemented it.
Research
Before a European launch, the team needed to know whether the unboxing and first-use experience was working. We ran in-person research sessions, observed what was really happening, and gave them a clear list of issues to fix before units shipped.
Research
The editorial team needed real answers about what their readers wanted from both the print and digital products before committing to a direction. We designed and ran a survey with over 3,000 readers and gave them a grounded picture of where to go next.
The team
Most projects are led by Damian. Debbie, Becs, and Steve are brought in when the work needs their expertise, not just for the sake of it.
Founder and lead UX consultant
I've spent 25 years in UX, customer research, and applied psychology. I started as a usability engineer, then ran my own UX agency for 13 years before exiting. After that I spent time leading UX at Ipsos, an 18,000-person research agency.
I've worked with organisations from small brands to Burberry and the BBC. I still love the actual work. The interviewing, the watching, the moment when someone says the thing they did not mean to say. That is where the useful stuff lives.
UX research and operations
Debbie's background as a solicitor brings rigour to every research project. She leads recruitment and planning, and conducts research sessions, building the kind of rapport that surfaces things participants would not say to anyone else.
Senior UX consultant
Becs has 25 years in UX, including running a UX agency as MD and leading research for major brands. She has trained hundreds of practitioners through UX certification. Clients come back because of her clarity of thinking.
Lead design consultant
Steve brings creative and storytelling experience from running his own video production agency. He brings enthusiasm and great ideas and has an ability to turn research findings into engaging designs that genuinely delight users.
On AI
AI has made some parts of UX work genuinely faster. Analysing large sets of interview transcripts. Finding patterns across research data. Structuring early thinking before a project gets going. Work that used to take a few days now takes a few hours.
That time saving goes back to you. The same quality of thinking and output, at a cost that reflects how long it actually took.
Where AI falls short is the human part of the work. Noticing that someone hesitated before answering. Asking the follow-up that opens the real conversation. Knowing which insight matters and which is noise. That comes from experience, not a prompt.
We use AI to move faster on the tasks where speed helps. The judgement is still ours.
Get in touch
Pick whichever fits. We will not chase you, and we will not pitch you.
Send us your site or product and a sentence on what is bothering you. We will record a short Loom walkthrough with our initial thoughts.
Send us your siteBook a 15 minute call. We will listen, ask a few questions, and tell you whether we think we can help.
Book a callIf we can't help, we'll say so.