How to write a UX design brief agencies can actually quote

A good brief is the cheapest way to get better proposals. When agencies have to guess at scope, they protect themselves with wide price ranges and generic process slides. When the brief is specific, you get quotes you can compare line by line.

You don’t need a 20-page document. One page that answers the eight questions below is enough for any serious UI/UX agency to come back with a real number.

01What you’re building, in one sentence

Name the product type and who uses it.

If you already have a product, say what exists today: live app, prototype, Figma files, or nothing yet. Agencies price a redesign very differently from a first version.

02The problem you need solved

Describe the outcome, not the deliverable. Good examples:

• New users drop off before finishing onboarding.
• Sales demos stall because the dashboard is hard to explain.
• We’re launching in Saudi Arabia and need a proper Arabic, right-to-left version.

This lets an agency suggest the right scope. You might be asking for a full redesign when a research sprint and two fixed flows would do.

03Scope: what’s in and what’s out

List the screens, flows or platforms you expect. Then list what is out of scope. Be explicit about:

• Platforms: iOS, Android, web app, marketing site.
• Research: user interviews, usability tests, analytics review.
• Design system: a reusable component library, or just the screens.
• Build: design only, or design plus front-end or no-code build.

The “out of scope” list prevents most change requests later.

04Budget band

Give a range. Agencies will not lower their rates because you shared a number, but they will shape the scope to fit it. Without one, you get proposals that are impossible to compare.

Use the same bands we use on our rankings. Our cost guide shows what each band typically buys.

05Timeline and fixed dates

Say when you want to start and whether any date is fixed: a funding round, a conference, a regulatory deadline. A fixed date changes team size and price more than almost anything else.

06Who decides and who gives feedback

Name the person who signs off and how many people review each round. Five stakeholders with equal say will double your timeline. Agencies quote more accurately when they know this up front.

07Constraints

Anything that limits the design:

• Your current tech stack or design tools.
• Compliance needs, such as HIPAA, PCI or accessibility (WCAG 2.2 AA).
• Languages and scripts, including right-to-left layouts.
• Brand guidelines that must be followed as they are.

08How you’ll choose

Tell agencies what matters most: industry experience, price, speed, research depth or time-zone overlap. They will lead with what you care about, and you will read fewer slides about things you don’t.

–Mistakes that make every proposal look the same

• Asking for “best practices”. Every agency claims them. Ask for relevant shipped work instead.
• Hiding the budget. You will get three proposals at three different scopes.
• Sending the brief to ten agencies. Strong agencies decline crowded pitches. Three to five is the right shortlist.
• No decision date. Agencies plan capacity around it. Without one, the best teams may be booked when you are ready.

–A one-page template

Copy this into a document and fill it in:

When it’s ready, you can send it to us and we’ll match it with three agencies that fit your industry, budget and time zone. It’s free for buyers.