Do they have qualified experts?
Usability and UX has become very fashionable and everyone claims to be an expert. Look at their staff and see if they have people with Cognitive Psychology, Human Factors, Marketing, and other appropriate backgrounds.

Can they grow with my needs?
Consider the size of a company’s team and if they will be able to provide you with additional research or design as your needs grow so you are not let down. Many usability companies appear to be a team but in reality are one or two individuals. Also,if they don’t offer in-house design services, they can provide research findings but may have a hard time giving you actionable recommendations.

Are the participants from the right country?
You may assume that the research participants come from the US, or your targeted country, but some discount usability companies recruit individuals from regions that have a hard time speaking English, aren’t a realistic match for your target audience, or are participating in hundreds of these quick online studies to make a quick dollar.

Are they building the research around you?
Don’t accept cookie-cutter approaches. Your needs are unique and the firm should organize the project to give you the answers you need. The firm should provide you a human touch as you go through the research process.

How long have they been in business?
There are many imposters with no real track record to validate success. They are willing to tell you anything you want to hear in order to get your money. Reputable companies have been around for more than 10 years have deep roots in usability testing and are not likely to be fakes.

What does their portfolio look like?
Have they done work for significant companies or just local company sites for friends and family? Make sure you see logos of companies that have similar offerings to yours or companies that you believe are quality conscious.

Do they fit your budget?
Doing formal usability testing in a lab is the gold standard but sometimes you can’t afford to approach it that way. The firm should be able to offer you different approaches and price points.

What are you getting?
Ask to see samples of the reports you are going to receive to make sure they align with your expectations. You should have a realistic expectation for the type of report you are going to get in a discount study vs. a formal lab study.

Do they have their own facilities?
Many companies say they do usability testing but don’t have their own usability testing facility. Ask about their lab space, if they built it themselves, and how they partner with others to do testing in different parts of the country or the world.

Do they have a cool website?
Believe it or not, many UX and usability companies have poorly designed and executed sites that are hard to navigate. If they believe in the power of usability, why don’t they provide a compelling experience for their visitors? You should be impressed as soon as you see their home page. It is representative of the pride they will put into your report.