Simplifying complexity,

through research and design

Since 2013, in Bordeaux and Lyon, we have done two things and only two things: UX research and design (UX / UI / service). With the creativity and rigour of our human brains (and, sometimes, the power of AI).

We make sure that you meet your users' needs.
That makes their lives simpler.
And we work with you to make what it could look like tangible.
That makes your projects less complex too. There you go.

Our case studies

Comics aisle of a Cultura bookstore, with three drawn children reading on a green rug

For the Cultura Foundation, how do you give young people a taste for reading?

560 young people later, here's what we learned

Bordeaux.fr: a portal that informs Bordeaux residents as much as it serves them, with no compromise on accessibility and eco-design
RGAA 95%, RGESN 86%: stepping behind the scenes
Coupon Network had 5 stars, and couldn't afford to lose any
And the final tally?
Mapping a rare disease without ever putting pressure on families
Designing with trust as a material

That's the number of projects currently featured on our site

Browse our case studies

Our expertise

You expect the same quality, and you are just as demanding about usability as you are about aesthetics.
Thinking about usability means questioning the problem. Working on aesthetics means defining the solution. One object, two different perspectives.
That is why our profiles are specialised around three areas of expertise.

UX research Understand your need

The theory is the human and social sciences, and ergonomics.
The practice is going out to meet your users, to understand and finely model their needs and expectations.
What we (really) do in UX research
UX design Turn it into a solution

Sketching out a solution, set against the problem, together with our clients' business expertise. We translate use into services and products that are simpler and more engaging for users.
What we (really) do in UX design
UI design Bring the solution to life

Choosing the colours, the typefaces and the kinds of visuals, in short, the graphic world: we make sure form always serves function. We bring the product to life by turning low-fidelity mockups into high-fidelity ones.
What we (really) do in UI design

Let us walk you through our approach

The agency

Daily life at the agency

October 2026: our designers out in the field

We're sending our researchers and designers to meet citizens across the Bordeaux metropolitan area (neighbourhood town halls, the Cité Municipale and libraries) to gather their impressions on reporting issues in public spaces and to test different digital journeys!
September 2026: Akiani is back

Herds of small and not-so-small human beings with brand-new backpacks. Taller ones striding along with their neon matcha, noses in their phones, pretending to read their emails when they're really on TikTok. LinkedIn posts plugging the latest AI course you didn't take this summer, when you simply don't have the “rich” mindset yet. No doubt about it, everyone's back!
June 2026: we're launching our weekly watch

We often swap what we've seen, read, listened to, tried, or tasted. Between two coffees, at lunch, or during the morning daily. Design, branding, tech, social sciences, urbanism, arts, pop culture, sport, and plenty of other topics. Once a week, we gather it all here. Sometimes funny, more often unsettling.

Ergonomists, PhDs, experience, interface and service designers, art directors and engineers. They combine the rigour of scientific expertise, the creativity of the design and innovation world, and the flexibility of a human-scale organisation. Nice and demanding (always for the best!). This is our wonderful team!

Meet the team

"Oh, you work with them too?!". Well, yes...

Sandlab

It started out as our lab. Then it became our sandbox. So, logically, it became our sandlab.
We ask questions there, try things out, and give ourselves the luxury of (often) getting things wrong!

Enter our lab