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We're a Manchester UX design agency that's made the software behind the biggest bus deal in history and websites for major takeovers. We research, design and test websites and software with your team using proven UX principles, then measure and improve the results through CRO.
JCB · UX audit and redesign
+300%
enquiries for large excavators, and +66% new machine enquiries overall.
From user research to full journey redesigns, we identify what should improve on your software or website.
Know your website could do more, but not where to start?
Higher Ground is a Manchester UX agency. One senior team covers research, design, testing and optimisation for websites and software, so nothing gets lost between strategy, design and build.
We map your key journeys, find where people get stuck, form hypotheses and rank every fix by what it costs you.
Get a UX audit ↗
Interviews, behavioural analysis, five-second and first-click tests, heatmaps and interaction analysis, so decisions rest on evidence.
User testing ↗
Fixing poor mobile experiences, low conversion rates, clunky SaaS interfaces and ecommerce drop-offs.
Who we help ↗
Design systems, wireframes, interactive prototypes and polished interfaces, built for scalability, accessibility and speed.
Website design ↗
We structure your site around how people actually look for things, so content is clear and easy to navigate.
How we work ↗
SaaS UX strategy, Figma and coded design systems, and CRO for complex, multi-user products.
SaaS UX design ↗
Once it’s live, we analyse revenue, run A/B tests and send regular updates, so your marketing team sees what’s working.
CRO services ↗
Turn proposals, CAD drawings, reports and data into interactive prototypes, dashboards and illustrations your people actually use.
Use AI properly ↗
Bring your team to Ancoats for a couple of hours?
Not sure where to start? Bring your team to our Ancoats studio for a rapid 2-hour session. We'll uncover the pain points together and prioritise what to fix first.
Need answers fast, without a full research project?
We review your product or website against your analytics, recordings and usability principles, and hand you a ranked list of fixes your team can act on straight away.
Sitting on recordings and reviews nobody has time to read?
We use AI to speed up the analysis of recordings, reviews and analytics. Our senior team then decides what matters and designs the fix.
Get an expert UX review ↗Wondering what good UX is worth to your business?
We measure what the business cares about: enquiries, bookings, sales and search. Here's what changed for a few clients.
Fettle · conversion rate after launch
Conversion quadrupled within four months of the new UX and Webflow build. Fettle was later acquired by Kwik Fit.
+66%
new machine enquiries after a UX audit and redesign.
JCB
+400%
conversion rate on a new website for a major UK infrastructure operator.
Clancy Group
#1
on Google for SIP contractor and SIP builder searches.
McVeigh Offsite
2
large fleet platforms running on one design system.
Wrightbus
Does one of these sound familiar?
Wrightbus · Transport software
Software & SaaS teams
The problem: years of features, inconsistent screens and users who need training to get anything done.
What we do: user research, a design system your developers build from, and redesigned workflows tested before a sprint is spent. SaaS UX design
2
fleet platforms, Uptime365 and All Service One, running on one component library.
McVeigh Offsite · Construction
Contractors & construction
The problem: enquiries are too small, too local or not the work you're best at.
What we do: pages built around the projects you want, Webflow so changes are cheap, and SEO that targets bigger jobs. Construction websites
#1
on Google for SIP contractor and SIP builder searches.
Fettle · Consumer services
Ecommerce & booking sites
The problem: visitors browse, but too few book or buy.
What we do: UX audits, A/B tests and redesigned product, booking and checkout journeys. Shopify CRO
4x
conversion rate within four months. Fettle was later acquired by Kwik Fit.
JCB · Manufacturing
Large brands
The problem: big product ranges and many audiences, all fighting for the same pages.
What we do: research-led UX and CRO across the whole journey, from navigation and product pages to the enquiry. JCB case study
+300%
enquiries for large excavators, and 3x leads across JCB's global sites.
Want to see the difference before you decide?
Tired of agencies that hand you to juniors after the pitch?
What Higher Ground UX agency does is simple: senior people, real research and results you can measure. We design UX projects for clients in the UK and overseas, from our studio in Ancoats.
Websites and interfaces designed around your users, from wireframes and design systems to high-fidelity prototypes.
Website design ↗
Scalable, easy-to-use SaaS and software products, with a design system your developers can ship from.
SaaS UX design ↗
Audits, research, journey mapping and design guidance for in-house teams that need senior UX support.
Book a consultation ↗
Want an agency that works with your team, not around it?
Part of your team, start to finish. We work in-house with your people, and every step comes from real projects.
01
A UX audit with your team: analytics, recordings, support tickets and the journeys that matter most, ranked by what they cost you.
Example: for JCB, a CRO and UX audit came before any redesign. New machine enquiries rose 66%.
02
We map the journeys, agree what success looks like in numbers and test with real users before anything is designed.
Example: for Wrightbus, success meant fleet operators spotting which buses need attention, fast.
03
Information architecture, wireframes and clickable prototypes your team and users can try before anyone spends a sprint building it.
Example: for Clancy Group we went from wireframes to interactive prototypes and launched on budget within four months.
04
We stay on, measuring enquiries, conversion and search, and running A/B and multivariate tests on the pages that matter.
Example: Fettle's conversion rate went from 0.5% to 4% in the four months after launch.
Planning A/B tests but not sure what to test?
Most people ask us for user testing because they want better A/B tests. UX is the design side: research, proven principles and prototypes. CRO is the revenue side: analysis, A/B tests, regular updates and reporting your marketing team can share. Together, every test starts from a real problem and every fix is measured.
CRO analysis
Revenue analysis, A/B testing and monthly updates, with reporting your marketing team can take to the board.
See CRO →
CRO audit
A prioritised list of fixes for your key pages, written as hypotheses ready to A/B test.
See CRO audits →
User testing
Five-second tests, real customer sessions and journey maps that explain why people drop out.
See user testing →
UX design
Research, UX principles and prototypes that shape a clearer website or software before it’s built.
See UX design →
Got questions? Here are the ones we hear most.
A UX consultant finds out how people really use your website or software, through research, analytics and testing, then designs and tests the changes that make it easier to use and better at turning visitors into customers.
SaaS and software teams, specialist contractors, ecommerce brands and large organisations like JCB and the University of Leeds. We work alongside in-house teams or act as the UX team if you don't have one.
Yes. A rebuild isn't always needed. We often start by fixing navigation, workflows and key pages, then plan bigger changes once the quick wins are live.
We review your key journeys using analytics, recordings and usability principles, sometimes with user testing. You get a prioritised list of fixes, and we can design, test and deliver them for you.
Our studio is at Waulk Mill in Ancoats, Manchester, and we run workshops there. We work with clients across the UK and overseas, including through our South West UX team in Exeter.
It depends on the size of the product, the number of journeys and the research needed. After a first call we'll propose a scope with clear costs and deliverables before any work starts.
Know your users are struggling, but not why?
Share a link or a login. In 20 minutes we'll show you what we'd fix first, and what it could do for your enquiries and sales.
