/
USABILITY TESTING & RAPID PROTOTYPING EXPERTS
Prototyping & Testing
We're the best way to know what to build & prove that an idea is worth investing into.
Why teams choose PH1
/01
Kickoff and finish research studies faster
Stop waiting around for research. Get initial insights within 10 days.
/02
Answer the questions that AI can't
Even though it's easier than ever to build, the pressure to build the right thing is hotter than ever. That's what we answer.
/03
Get clarity on big strategic decisions
Rapid prototyping solves the debates that matter most to exec about what to invest into, implementing strategies, org design, etc.
The research & strategy partner for teams building intelligent experiences
/
FOUNDED IN 2012 /FROM STARTUPS TO THE FORTUNE 500
TRUSTED BY 300+ COMPANIES
/
UX PRODUCT TESTING & RAPID PROTOTYPING EXPERTS
Improve the success of your product decisions & make more effective investments
Product, marketing, and strategic leader hire us to:
Prove that a new product or capability is ready.
0 to 1 defining a new venture & iterating to success.
Find out why customers abandon a key funnel.
Audit a site for usability and accessibility.
Test & evaluate new strategic decisions & prove investments.
/
PROTOTYPING · CONCEPT TESTING · USABILITY · UX AUDITS
AI made building cheap. Proving what to build is where experts matter most.
Anyone can ship a feature in a week now, so the expensive mistake is no longer slow development. It is building the wrong thing quickly, at scale, with conviction. We turn ideas into interactive prototypes, put them in front of the customers who would actually buy, and come back with evidence about which direction is worth funding and which is not. PH1 has deep expertise across concepting and prototyping, usability testing, conversion funnel analysis, and UX audits including accessibility.
We will tell you when an idea is not worth pursuing. That is cheaper to hear from us than from the market.
UX Audits & Accessibility
Expert review, WCAG check, prioritised opportunities
Feature Impact Evaluation
Whether the release changed anything that matters
AI Evals & Output Fine-tuning
Multi-turn evals built on real customer tasks
Generative AI Product Design
Design AI features people trust enough to rely on
Rapid Prototyping & Concept Testing
Ideas built and tested before engineering commits
Usability Testing & UX Research
Moderated sessions on live products and new builds
Conversion Funnel Analysis
Why drop-offs happen in your most critical flows
Competitor Product Evaluation
Your customers walked through their products
New Product Research
Discovery and validation before engineering commits
Product Impact Podcast
Secrets to unlocking the value of AI
Our podcast, started in 2023, is the ultimate hub for learning from the leading voices in AI. We focus on delivering essential lessons for product teams determined to stay ahead of their competition.
/
BLOG
Latest insights
digital-transformation
/
Jul 9, 2026
Search: The Digital Transformation Project Quietly Hurting Your Customers
Broken site and enterprise search quietly erodes perception, acquisition, retention, and revenue. See why it's the transformation fix to prioritize now.
digital-transformation
/
May 23, 2026
AI Will Destroy University Website Traffic. There's Only One Path Forward.
Google's AI is replacing your website in the applicant journey. Here's how university marketing teams should respond before it's too late.
/
BLOG
Latest insights
digital-transformation
/
Jul 9, 2026
Search: The Digital Transformation Project Quietly Hurting Your Customers
Broken site and enterprise search quietly erodes perception, acquisition, retention, and revenue. See why it's the transformation fix to prioritize now.
digital-transformation
/
May 23, 2026
AI Will Destroy University Website Traffic. There's Only One Path Forward.
Google's AI is replacing your website in the applicant journey. Here's how university marketing teams should respond before it's too late.
/
BLOG
Latest insights
digital-transformation
/
Jul 9, 2026
Search: The Digital Transformation Project Quietly Hurting Your Customers
Broken site and enterprise search quietly erodes perception, acquisition, retention, and revenue. See why it's the transformation fix to prioritize now.
digital-transformation
/
May 23, 2026
AI Will Destroy University Website Traffic. There's Only One Path Forward.
Google's AI is replacing your website in the applicant journey. Here's how university marketing teams should respond before it's too late.
/
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is usability testing and how does it improve conversion?
Usability testing watches real people attempt real tasks on your product and records where they struggle, hesitate or give up. It improves conversion because the issues come back ranked by what each one costs you at that step, so you fix the minor problem on a high-traffic page before the serious one almost nobody reaches.
What is concept testing and how do I know if an idea is worth building?
Concept testing validates an idea before it exists, using a prototype built to make it real enough to react to. You know whether it is worth building by measuring what people do rather than what they say: whether they would switch, what they would give up, what they would pay. The answer is sometimes that the idea is not worth pursuing.
What is a UX audit and when should I get one instead of a study?
A UX audit is expert heuristic review without participants, covering usability and an accessibility check against WCAG. Get one first when you do not yet know whether you have a problem worth researching. It needs no recruitment, starts within days, and regularly separates a design problem from a strategy problem before you spend on either.
What is conversion funnel analysis and how do I find where I am losing people?
Conversion funnel analysis pairs your analytics with moderated sessions through the live flow. Analytics show which step loses people; the sessions show why, by testing comprehension, trust and pricing clarity at each exit point. One without the other gives you a number with no cause, or a story with no size.
How do I test an idea before we build it?
We build the idea to the fidelity that makes it real enough to react to, put it in front of the people who would have to buy it, and measure their behaviour across multiple rounds. Fidelity is set by the question, not the budget, and sometimes the right artefact is far simpler than a prototype.
Who builds the prototypes, you or us?
Either. Most clients have us build them, to the fidelity testing requires rather than to production standard. If your designers would rather build, we test what they produce and hand back a prioritised list. You keep whatever we build.
How many rounds of testing do we actually need?
Two or three for most questions. One round finds the problems, the second tests your answer to them, and a third is worth it when the change is large or the investment is big. A single round tells you what is wrong and never whether your fix works, which is the question the business is actually asking.
How do I test for accessibility and WCAG compliance?
Audits include a heuristic check against WCAG, and moderated sessions can run with participants who use assistive technology, which finds the problems a checklist cannot. For public-sector and regulated clients this is a requirement rather than an option, and we scope it in from the start.
Can you recruit our actual customers for testing?
Yes, and for investment questions it usually matters more than a clean sample. We also recruit through established panels, and handle screener design, sourcing, scheduling, reminders, no-show management and incentive payments either way.
Can we just use AI or synthetic users for testing?
AI will summarise your session recordings and flag patterns in your analytics, and we use it for both. Synthetic users return the consensus view of how people behave, which is the same view your competitors get from the same models. Conversion turns on the specific thing your specific customers do not understand, and no model has met them.
Should we run usability testing in-house or hire a partner?
Internal sessions are usually moderated by someone who helped design the thing being tested, and participants are reliably kinder to the person who built it. An external partner gets the version they will not say to your team. Recruitment, scheduling, incentives and consent is the other half, and it is what quietly stops in-house programmes running.
Can you test an unreleased product without it leaking?
Yes. Sessions run under NDA, participants are screened and briefed without your name attached where that matters, and we can test an unreleased product or an unannounced redesign without your brand on it.
What products has PH1 tested, and for whom?
Usability testing and prototyping across purchase and check-in flows for Hims & Hers. Prototyping and retention research for The Weather Network. Usability testing and prototyping for public legal services at Legal Aid BC. Retail e-commerce testing for Indigo. Similar work for BMO, Questrade, TELUS Health, Tentree and the Ontario Provincial Police.
How long does a testing project take and what does it cost?
Most studies start within two weeks of a signed agreement, with recruitment adding about a week. If the project is a rush, we can get you initial insights within 10 days. An expert audit needs no recruitment and starts within days. Cost scales with rounds, participants and flows, and each expertise page carries its own range.
/
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is usability testing and how does it improve conversion?
Usability testing watches real people attempt real tasks on your product and records where they struggle, hesitate or give up. It improves conversion because the issues come back ranked by what each one costs you at that step, so you fix the minor problem on a high-traffic page before the serious one almost nobody reaches.
What is concept testing and how do I know if an idea is worth building?
Concept testing validates an idea before it exists, using a prototype built to make it real enough to react to. You know whether it is worth building by measuring what people do rather than what they say: whether they would switch, what they would give up, what they would pay. The answer is sometimes that the idea is not worth pursuing.
What is a UX audit and when should I get one instead of a study?
A UX audit is expert heuristic review without participants, covering usability and an accessibility check against WCAG. Get one first when you do not yet know whether you have a problem worth researching. It needs no recruitment, starts within days, and regularly separates a design problem from a strategy problem before you spend on either.
What is conversion funnel analysis and how do I find where I am losing people?
Conversion funnel analysis pairs your analytics with moderated sessions through the live flow. Analytics show which step loses people; the sessions show why, by testing comprehension, trust and pricing clarity at each exit point. One without the other gives you a number with no cause, or a story with no size.
How do I test an idea before we build it?
We build the idea to the fidelity that makes it real enough to react to, put it in front of the people who would have to buy it, and measure their behaviour across multiple rounds. Fidelity is set by the question, not the budget, and sometimes the right artefact is far simpler than a prototype.
Who builds the prototypes, you or us?
Either. Most clients have us build them, to the fidelity testing requires rather than to production standard. If your designers would rather build, we test what they produce and hand back a prioritised list. You keep whatever we build.
How many rounds of testing do we actually need?
Two or three for most questions. One round finds the problems, the second tests your answer to them, and a third is worth it when the change is large or the investment is big. A single round tells you what is wrong and never whether your fix works, which is the question the business is actually asking.
How do I test for accessibility and WCAG compliance?
Audits include a heuristic check against WCAG, and moderated sessions can run with participants who use assistive technology, which finds the problems a checklist cannot. For public-sector and regulated clients this is a requirement rather than an option, and we scope it in from the start.
Can you recruit our actual customers for testing?
Yes, and for investment questions it usually matters more than a clean sample. We also recruit through established panels, and handle screener design, sourcing, scheduling, reminders, no-show management and incentive payments either way.
Can we just use AI or synthetic users for testing?
AI will summarise your session recordings and flag patterns in your analytics, and we use it for both. Synthetic users return the consensus view of how people behave, which is the same view your competitors get from the same models. Conversion turns on the specific thing your specific customers do not understand, and no model has met them.
Should we run usability testing in-house or hire a partner?
Internal sessions are usually moderated by someone who helped design the thing being tested, and participants are reliably kinder to the person who built it. An external partner gets the version they will not say to your team. Recruitment, scheduling, incentives and consent is the other half, and it is what quietly stops in-house programmes running.
Can you test an unreleased product without it leaking?
Yes. Sessions run under NDA, participants are screened and briefed without your name attached where that matters, and we can test an unreleased product or an unannounced redesign without your brand on it.
What products has PH1 tested, and for whom?
Usability testing and prototyping across purchase and check-in flows for Hims & Hers. Prototyping and retention research for The Weather Network. Usability testing and prototyping for public legal services at Legal Aid BC. Retail e-commerce testing for Indigo. Similar work for BMO, Questrade, TELUS Health, Tentree and the Ontario Provincial Police.
How long does a testing project take and what does it cost?
Most studies start within two weeks of a signed agreement, with recruitment adding about a week. If the project is a rush, we can get you initial insights within 10 days. An expert audit needs no recruitment and starts within days. Cost scales with rounds, participants and flows, and each expertise page carries its own range.
/
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is usability testing and how does it improve conversion?
Usability testing watches real people attempt real tasks on your product and records where they struggle, hesitate or give up. It improves conversion because the issues come back ranked by what each one costs you at that step, so you fix the minor problem on a high-traffic page before the serious one almost nobody reaches.
What is concept testing and how do I know if an idea is worth building?
Concept testing validates an idea before it exists, using a prototype built to make it real enough to react to. You know whether it is worth building by measuring what people do rather than what they say: whether they would switch, what they would give up, what they would pay. The answer is sometimes that the idea is not worth pursuing.
What is a UX audit and when should I get one instead of a study?
A UX audit is expert heuristic review without participants, covering usability and an accessibility check against WCAG. Get one first when you do not yet know whether you have a problem worth researching. It needs no recruitment, starts within days, and regularly separates a design problem from a strategy problem before you spend on either.
What is conversion funnel analysis and how do I find where I am losing people?
Conversion funnel analysis pairs your analytics with moderated sessions through the live flow. Analytics show which step loses people; the sessions show why, by testing comprehension, trust and pricing clarity at each exit point. One without the other gives you a number with no cause, or a story with no size.
How do I test an idea before we build it?
We build the idea to the fidelity that makes it real enough to react to, put it in front of the people who would have to buy it, and measure their behaviour across multiple rounds. Fidelity is set by the question, not the budget, and sometimes the right artefact is far simpler than a prototype.
Who builds the prototypes, you or us?
Either. Most clients have us build them, to the fidelity testing requires rather than to production standard. If your designers would rather build, we test what they produce and hand back a prioritised list. You keep whatever we build.
How many rounds of testing do we actually need?
Two or three for most questions. One round finds the problems, the second tests your answer to them, and a third is worth it when the change is large or the investment is big. A single round tells you what is wrong and never whether your fix works, which is the question the business is actually asking.
How do I test for accessibility and WCAG compliance?
Audits include a heuristic check against WCAG, and moderated sessions can run with participants who use assistive technology, which finds the problems a checklist cannot. For public-sector and regulated clients this is a requirement rather than an option, and we scope it in from the start.
Can you recruit our actual customers for testing?
Yes, and for investment questions it usually matters more than a clean sample. We also recruit through established panels, and handle screener design, sourcing, scheduling, reminders, no-show management and incentive payments either way.
Can we just use AI or synthetic users for testing?
AI will summarise your session recordings and flag patterns in your analytics, and we use it for both. Synthetic users return the consensus view of how people behave, which is the same view your competitors get from the same models. Conversion turns on the specific thing your specific customers do not understand, and no model has met them.
Should we run usability testing in-house or hire a partner?
Internal sessions are usually moderated by someone who helped design the thing being tested, and participants are reliably kinder to the person who built it. An external partner gets the version they will not say to your team. Recruitment, scheduling, incentives and consent is the other half, and it is what quietly stops in-house programmes running.
Can you test an unreleased product without it leaking?
Yes. Sessions run under NDA, participants are screened and briefed without your name attached where that matters, and we can test an unreleased product or an unannounced redesign without your brand on it.
What products has PH1 tested, and for whom?
Usability testing and prototyping across purchase and check-in flows for Hims & Hers. Prototyping and retention research for The Weather Network. Usability testing and prototyping for public legal services at Legal Aid BC. Retail e-commerce testing for Indigo. Similar work for BMO, Questrade, TELUS Health, Tentree and the Ontario Provincial Police.
How long does a testing project take and what does it cost?
Most studies start within two weeks of a signed agreement, with recruitment adding about a week. If the project is a rush, we can get you initial insights within 10 days. An expert audit needs no recruitment and starts within days. Cost scales with rounds, participants and flows, and each expertise page carries its own range.