About us

Optimal Usability is New Zealand’s leading usability consultancy. Our 21-strong team comprises usability experts, information architects, business analysts and designers. We share a passion for making the world a better place by designing things that are simple and satisfying to use.

We have helped over 180 organisations across sectors as diverse as government, e-commerce, telecommunications, education, finance and travel. We have offices in Wellington and Auckland, a sister company in Australia (Optimal Experience), and a usability software company (Optimal Workshop), based in Wellington.

So, why choose us over other usability companies?


In about us:

Contact us

Contact us at our offices in Wellington and Auckland, or get in touch online to learn more about how we can help you to create world-class customer experiences.

Our people

We're a diverse bunch, from backgrounds including industrial design, cartography, web design and physics. Our consultants bring a wealth of knowledge and experience - not to mention huge doses of enthusiasm and drive - to every project.

Our story

Optimal Usability has grown in leaps and bounds since 2000. More than a decade later we’re still striving to help you provide world class customer experiences. And having a lot of fun along the way.

Awards

We’re proud of our work and our business, but we still blush as the awards roll in. We’ve been recognised for excellence in our field, and helping other companies reach world-class status, from 2006 – 2011.

Our partners

We actively contribute to the usability community and work with two partner organisations, Optimal Workshop that creates tools for user experience professionals, and Optimal Experience, an Australian user experience consultancy.

Jobs

If you’ve got the right stuff we’d love to hear from you. Find out if we have specific jobs to fill, what we’re looking for and how to get in touch.


Why choose us?

Others do what we do but no one does it quite like us. We have a proven track record for finding creative and practical design solutions to real-world business challenges. Our clients tell us there’s something special about our approach, and it goes like this:

  • We tell you how it is. If your customers find something frustrating about your service or product we think you should know.
  • Our methodologies work. Our usability toolkit is jam packed and our processes are meticulous, so you can trust our recommendations.
  • We want your business to succeed. We know we’ve done our job if our work helps you to achieve your goals. We won’t disappear after filing a usability report. We’re here for the long haul to help your organisation build a user-centred culture, from the inside out.
  • We love the work we do. We’re a diverse bunch, but we have many things in common; we’re all highly motivated, enjoyable to work with, and passionate about creating healthy working relationships. To learn more about the culture at Optimal Usability, download our ‘Culture book’ (PDF).

“We were thoroughly impressed with Optimal Usability’s whole approach. They followed a strong methodology that not only gives us confidence in our direction, but we ended up with a solution that we wouldn’t have got to ourselves. We have ended up with a clear deliverable that we could give to developers. It gave us clarity and was a great way to communicate our requirements.”

Mark Miller, Web Manager, Ministry of Tourism

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