about us
rigor,
pragmatism,
creativity
Before Akiani, there were the benches of engineering school, where we became friends. Then the working world, consulting firms and scientific research. Then Akiani, intended as a synthesis of all that: some of the rigor of research, some of industry's pragmatism, and some creative whimsy so that not everything would be too serious.
In 2013, the world of ergonomics and design was not quite the same as it is today. One day, a manufacturer came into our lab with a project. The research team replied, "A three-year PhD will answer it perfectly." We were off in a corner, finishing our own PhDs. We thought: "We should be able to do it faster, and not too badly."
The seed had been planted: Akiani. A project that reflected us: high standards, pragmatism and whimsy, so it would remain a story of friends too. Put another way, offering our clients the best we can do within your time and budget constraints, while sometimes allowing ourselves to try original things.
"And where does Akiani come from?" Akiani is an Inuit word, from the language of a people who live in a difficult environment and have to adapt to it. It means "on the other side", which for us is the users' side.
But the truth is that, in the end, the name says less about who we are than the process we set up to find it. We did research, benchmarks and naming workshops. For a long time. Then we drew up a shortlist. We ran a card sort and questionnaires with our families, friends and professional contacts.
One name emerged, and it was pretty good. It was not Akiani. But Akiani began with an A, and we thought we would show up fairly well in alphabetical lists of service providers.
"The rigor of research, the pragmatism of industry," we told you. From day one.
2013
Company founded
There was childhood, then adolescence, and now we've reached adulthood
300+
Clients supported
That's a lot of varied projects for all kinds of organizations
12
Experts
That's as many distinct talents and vibrant personalities, all focused on doing right by you
2
Locations
Based in Bordeaux and Lyon, we cover the whole of France!
Projects across France and Europe
Historically based in Bordeaux and Lyon, we cover all of France, but that doesn't stop us from venturing further, with Swiss projects for example or across the Channel with our British friends.
Tailored support
You want to offer the best to your clients.
We want to offer the best to our clients, for their own clients.
We are meant to get along.
Our strengths
An expert agency, on a human scale
We're not very big, of course. But we're not small either. Because day to day, there are 12 of us, and above all 11 operational team members producing work on projects.
Specialist profiles, some in UX research, others in UX or UI design.
And a shared culture built over 13 years of working together to serve the full diversity of our clients' projects.
On a human scale.
Want to discuss your project?
Working together starts with the very first conversation: taking the time to understand what you want to do before pricing anything. Building trust from day one. And it doesn't stop at delivery, we remain available for after-sales support.
Contact us