About Us

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Contact Design is a specialized user research and human factors recruitment company with a global reach and a strong focus on the U.S. market. Since 2003, we’ve been connecting researchers with the right participants—especially those with hard-to-find profiles—for studies in fields like Healthcare, Social Media, VR, AI, Accessibility, Enterprise Productivity, and Cybersecurity.

We’re not your typical recruitment agency. Our roots lie in cognitive ergonomics and technical communication, giving us a unique edge in understanding the nuanced needs of UX and human factors research. Our founder, Sokol Zace, launched Contact Design after moving from Italy to the U.S., recognizing a gap in the market for specialized usability recruitment—what we now call UX research.

Over the years, we’ve evolved alongside the industries we serve. Here are some pivotal moments that shaped who we are:

• 2003 – Founding Year: Contact Design is born, bringing a new approach to UX recruitment.
• 2005 – Innovation in B2B Recruitment: We adapted staffing methodologies to meet the complex needs of enterprise UX research.
• 2005 – Tech of the Times: Recruited participants to test flip phones, printers, and digital cameras.
• 2009 – Healthcare Focus: Began large-scale recruitment of autoimmune disease patients for ongoing human factors studies.
• 2015 – Precision Targeting: Leveraged social media advertising to reach highly specific participant profiles—before privacy became a hot-button issue.
• 2017 – Ethnographic Data at Scale: Supported machine learning initiatives with massive ethnographic data collection.
• 2020 – Pandemic Pivot: Seamlessly transitioned to fully remote research operations.
• 2021 – Return to In-Person: Gradual reintroduction of in-person studies.
• 2022–2023 – Emerging Tech: Expanded into VR and AI research, and pioneered low-tech methods for high-impact ethnographic studies. 
• Since 2023 – New Frontiers: Focused recruitment efforts on top-tier advertisers, content creators ranging from micro- to mega-influencers, and individuals with disabilities for accessibility-focused research.

We thrive where others struggle—finding participants with rare, complex, or highly specific profiles. Whether you're conducting a human factors study for a new medical device or gathering insights for enterprise software, we bring the expertise, agility, and global reach to make your research a success.