Design Ahead

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Details

Founded:
2018
Hourly Rates:
Undisclosed
Employees:
2 - 9
Ratings:
4.8 10 Reviews

Industries Served

Agriculture Legal Services Education Fashion & Apparel Mining & Metals Media & Entertainment Energy & Utilities Construction

Where We Specialize

21% Mobile App Development
Mobile App Development 21%
Bot Development 19%
AI Development 16%
Software Development 13%
Virtual Reality 13%
Metaverse Development 12%
Progressive Web App 3%
IT Services 3%

Industry Expertise

Food58% Healthcare25% Restaurant17%

Typical Project Size

68% Small Business
25% Midmarket Business
7% Enterprise

About

Design Ahead is a technology company. Design Ahead works across web, mobile, and custom software development. Design Ahead employs 2 - 9 people. The team is based in Minneapolis, MN. These details offer a useful starting point when evaluating Design Ahead.

Design Ahead Reviews

4.8 10 Reviews
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Great Experience With Design Ahead on Our IT Managed Services Project

Chris Henderson / Director of IT | Oct 06, 2026

We were very happy with how this project went. Communication was consistent. We had a weekly call, a shared Slack channel and a project board we could check at any time. The developers were knowledgeable and made a few suggestions that ended up saving us time and money. They took the time to understand our business before suggesting anything, which we appreciated after previous agencies jumped straight into building.

Feedback from our customers has been very positive so far.

We are already discussing the next phase with them.

Project summary

Design Ahead was brought in to take over day-to-day IT support for our offices. They also took care of integrations with a couple of third-party tools we already used. The project took roughly 7 months from kickoff to launch.

  • Overall Rating 5.0
  • Quality 5.0
  • Schedule 5.0
  • Project Cost 4.5
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
IT Managed Services
Project Cost:
$50,000 to $149,999
Project Duration:
Jan 2026 - Aug 2026
Business Type:
Agriculture
Location:
New York, USA

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
I'm the Director of IT at Trueline Harvest, a Agriculture company based in New York, USA. I look after our technology and work closely with outside partners on bigger projects.
What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?
Our existing setup was holding us back. We wanted to take over day-to-day IT support for our offices before our busy season.
What services did the company provide for your project?
IT Managed Services, including planning, development, testing and launch support.
Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?
They had relevant experience in Agriculture and their proposal was the clearest of the ones we received.
How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?
Very well. They asked a lot of questions upfront and turned our rough ideas into a clear plan.
How was your overall experience with their communication and project management?
Communication was good overall and improved further once we settled into a routine.
Did the company deliver the project on time and within your expected budget?
Mostly. One milestone slipped by about a week, but the final delivery was on schedule and the budget held.
What tangible results or business impact have you seen since the project was completed?
It is still early, but the numbers are trending in the right direction and the system has been stable.
What did you like most about working with this company?
How easy they were to work with. They were responsive, honest and genuinely interested in our success.
Would you recommend this company to others, and would you work with them again?
Yes, I've already recommended them to a couple of people I know.

Professional Mobile App Development Team, Smooth Delivery From Start to Finish

Anna Hoffmann / Co-Founder & CTO | Aug 28, 2026

I would rate this engagement highly on almost every front. They took the time to understand our business before suggesting anything, which we appreciated after previous agencies jumped straight into building. Even with the time zone difference, responses usually came the same day and we never felt left in the dark.

It has made a real difference to how our team works day to day. Overall, a team we trust and plan to keep working with.

Project summary

We hired Design Ahead to develop a field-staff app with offline mode that syncs back to our main system. Scope included discovery workshops, development in two-week sprints and a short support period after launch. We worked together for around 9 months.

  • Overall Rating 5.0
  • Quality 5.0
  • Schedule 5.0
  • Project Cost 5.0
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
Mobile App Development
Project Cost:
$50,000 to $149,999
Project Duration:
Oct 2025 - Jul 2026
Business Type:
Legal Services
Location:
Berlin, Germany

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
We're a mid-sized Legal Services company based in Berlin, Germany. I'm the Co-Founder & CTO and I oversaw the project from start to finish.
What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?
We needed to develop a field-staff app with offline mode that syncs back to our main system, and we didn't have the in-house capacity to do it ourselves.
What services did the company provide for your project?
Mainly Mobile App Development. They also helped with the technical planning and a few integrations with our existing tools.
Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?
A colleague recommended them, and our first calls confirmed they understood what we needed.
How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?
Better than we expected. They pointed out a few things we had not thought about.
How was your overall experience with their communication and project management?
Good. Weekly calls, regular updates and a shared board meant we always knew where things stood.
Did the company deliver the project on time and within your expected budget?
Yes, on time and within budget.
What tangible results or business impact have you seen since the project was completed?
Customer feedback has been positive, and we have seen better engagement since going live.
What did you like most about working with this company?
The consistency. Same team, same standard, from the first week to the last.
Would you recommend this company to others, and would you work with them again?
Definitely. We have already started talking about the next phase.

Skilled IT Managed Services Team That Understood Our Business

Ryan Sullivan / VP of Engineering | Aug 02, 2026

Design Ahead did an excellent job for us. Their project manager kept things organised and was quick to flag anything that might affect the timeline. Communication was consistent. We had a weekly call, a shared Slack channel and a project board we could check at any time.

It has made a real difference to how our team works day to day. We are already discussing the next phase with them.

Project summary

We partnered with Design Ahead to take over day-to-day IT support for our offices. The project was split into milestones, with a working build shared at the end of each one. The project took roughly 8 months from kickoff to launch.

  • Overall Rating 4.5
  • Quality 4.0
  • Schedule 5.0
  • Project Cost 4.5
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
IT Managed Services
Project Cost:
$50,000 to $149,999
Project Duration:
Oct 2025 - Jun 2026
Business Type:
Education
Location:
Boston, USA

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
I work as VP of Engineering at Horizon Tutors Inc. We operate in Education and most of our customers are in and around Boston, USA.
What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?
We needed to take over day-to-day IT support for our offices, and we didn't have the in-house capacity to do it ourselves.
What services did the company provide for your project?
IT Managed Services, plus QA and some consulting on how to structure the project.
Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?
We compared three or four agencies. Design Ahead asked the best questions and had good reviews from past clients.
How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?
They understood our goals quickly, partly because they had worked with Education clients before.
How was your overall experience with their communication and project management?
Good. Weekly calls, regular updates and a shared board meant we always knew where things stood.
Did the company deliver the project on time and within your expected budget?
Yes, on time and within budget.
What tangible results or business impact have you seen since the project was completed?
It is still early, but the numbers are trending in the right direction and the system has been stable.
What did you like most about working with this company?
The consistency. Same team, same standard, from the first week to the last.
Would you recommend this company to others, and would you work with them again?
Yes, I've already recommended them to a couple of people I know.

Professional AR/VR Development Team, Smooth Delivery From Start to Finish

Jess Clarke / Co-Founder | Jun 29, 2026

Honestly, this was one of the smoothest projects we have run with an outside team. We dealt with the same core team throughout, so we did not have to keep re-explaining things. They were upfront about what was realistic within our budget, which helped us prioritise the right features.

Feedback from our customers has been very positive so far. Overall, a team we trust and plan to keep working with.

Project summary

Our company worked with Design Ahead to create an interactive 3D showroom for our website. The work covered requirements, design, development, testing and launch support. The engagement ran for about 7 months.

  • Overall Rating 4.5
  • Quality 4.5
  • Schedule 4.5
  • Project Cost 5.0
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
AR/VR Development
Project Cost:
Less than $10,000
Project Duration:
Oct 2025 - May 2026
Business Type:
Fashion & Apparel
Location:
Leeds, UK

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
I work as Co-Founder at Brightpath Fashion Ltd. We operate in Fashion & Apparel and most of our customers are in and around Leeds, UK.
What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?
Our team was spending too much time on manual work. The goal was to create an interactive 3D showroom for our website so they could focus on customers.
What services did the company provide for your project?
Mainly AR/VR Development. They also helped with the technical planning and a few integrations with our existing tools.
Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?
A colleague recommended them, and our first calls confirmed they understood what we needed.
How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?
Better than we expected. They pointed out a few things we had not thought about.
How was your overall experience with their communication and project management?
Good. Weekly calls, regular updates and a shared board meant we always knew where things stood.
Did the company deliver the project on time and within your expected budget?
It was delivered on time, and the final invoice matched the original estimate.
What tangible results or business impact have you seen since the project was completed?
It is still early, but the numbers are trending in the right direction and the system has been stable.
What did you like most about working with this company?
Their attention to detail and the quality of the final product.
Would you recommend this company to others, and would you work with them again?
Yes, I've already recommended them to a couple of people I know.

Professional Web Development Team, Smooth Delivery From Start to Finish

Amy Edwards / Owner | May 03, 2026

Design Ahead did an excellent job for us. The developers were knowledgeable and made a few suggestions that ended up saving us time and money. They shared working builds regularly, so we could test early and give feedback before things were locked in.

The Web Development work has already made a noticeable difference — tasks that used to take hours now take minutes.

We are already discussing the next phase with them.

Project summary

We engaged Design Ahead to rebuild a slow, outdated web app and move it to a new framework. They worked alongside our in-house team, which mostly handled business requirements and testing. Overall it was a 9-month engagement.

  • Overall Rating 4.5
  • Quality 4.0
  • Schedule 5.0
  • Project Cost 4.0
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
Web Development
Project Cost:
Less than $10,000
Project Duration:
Jun 2025 - Mar 2026
Business Type:
Mining & Metals
Location:
Birmingham, UK

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
We're a mid-sized Mining & Metals company based in Birmingham, UK. I'm the Owner and I oversaw the project from start to finish.
What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?
We had tried to do this internally and it stalled. We needed specialists to rebuild a slow, outdated web app and move it to a new framework.
What services did the company provide for your project?
Web Development, plus QA and some consulting on how to structure the project.
Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?
They had relevant experience in Mining & Metals and their proposal was the clearest of the ones we received.
How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?
Very well. They asked a lot of questions upfront and turned our rough ideas into a clear plan.
How was your overall experience with their communication and project management?
Very responsive. We usually heard back the same day, even with the time difference.
Did the company deliver the project on time and within your expected budget?
It was delivered on time, and the final invoice matched the original estimate.
What tangible results or business impact have you seen since the project was completed?
Our team saves several hours a week, and we have had very few issues since launch.
What did you like most about working with this company?
Their attention to detail and the quality of the final product.
Would you recommend this company to others, and would you work with them again?
Definitely. We have already started talking about the next phase.

Great team to work with — professional, responsive and reliable

Jonas Weber / CEO | Apr 19, 2026

Design Ahead did an excellent job for us. We dealt with the same core team throughout, so we did not have to keep re-explaining things. Even with the time zone difference, responses usually came the same day and we never felt left in the dark.

Since launch, everything has been stable and our team has adapted to it quickly.

If you need a team that communicates well and delivers, they are a good choice.

Project summary

Our company worked with Design Ahead to automate document data extraction that our team was doing by hand. The work covered requirements, design, development, testing and launch support. We worked together for around 5 months.

  • Overall Rating 5.0
  • Quality 4.5
  • Schedule 5.0
  • Project Cost 5.0
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
AI & Machine Learning
Project Cost:
$10,000 to $49,999
Project Duration:
Oct 2025 - Mar 2026
Business Type:
Media & Entertainment
Location:
Stuttgart, Germany

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
I work as CEO at Swift Media GmbH. We operate in Media & Entertainment and most of our customers are in and around Stuttgart, Germany.
What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?
We needed to automate document data extraction that our team was doing by hand, and we didn't have the in-house capacity to do it ourselves.
What services did the company provide for your project?
End-to-end AI & Machine Learning — from requirements and design through to deployment and a support period afterwards.
Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?
We compared three or four agencies. Design Ahead asked the best questions and had good reviews from past clients.
How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?
Better than we expected. They pointed out a few things we had not thought about.
How was your overall experience with their communication and project management?
Communication was good overall and improved further once we settled into a routine.
Did the company deliver the project on time and within your expected budget?
It was delivered on time, and the final invoice matched the original estimate.
What tangible results or business impact have you seen since the project was completed?
We can now handle more volume without adding staff, which was the main goal.
What did you like most about working with this company?
How easy they were to work with. They were responsive, honest and genuinely interested in our success.
Would you recommend this company to others, and would you work with them again?
Yes. They are a reliable AI & Machine Learning partner.

Good value and a team that genuinely cares about the result

Rachel Henderson / Director | Mar 01, 2026

I would rate this engagement highly on almost every front. The developers were knowledgeable and made a few suggestions that ended up saving us time and money. They shared working builds regularly, so we could test early and give feedback before things were locked in. The team asked a lot of questions early on, which felt slow at first but meant there were very few surprises later.

We are already seeing better numbers than before the project. Overall, a team we trust and plan to keep working with.

Project summary

We partnered with Design Ahead to rebuild an internal order management system that had outgrown its original design. They worked alongside our in-house team, which mostly handled business requirements and testing. We worked together for around 5 months.

  • Overall Rating 4.5
  • Quality 4.5
  • Schedule 4.0
  • Project Cost 4.5
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
Software Development
Project Cost:
$50,000 to $149,999
Project Duration:
Sep 2025 - Feb 2026
Business Type:
Energy & Utilities
Location:
Columbus, USA

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
Northgate Power Inc is a Energy & Utilities business in Columbus, USA. As Director, I was responsible for this project on our side and the main contact for Design Ahead.
What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?
Our team was spending too much time on manual work. The goal was to rebuild an internal order management system that had outgrown its original design so they could focus on customers.
What services did the company provide for your project?
Software Development, including planning, development, testing and launch support.
Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?
A colleague recommended them, and our first calls confirmed they understood what we needed.
How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?
They understood our goals quickly, partly because they had worked with Energy & Utilities clients before.
How was your overall experience with their communication and project management?
Organised and transparent. Their project manager kept the project on track and flagged risks early.
Did the company deliver the project on time and within your expected budget?
It was delivered on time, and the final invoice matched the original estimate.
What tangible results or business impact have you seen since the project was completed?
Customer feedback has been positive, and we have seen better engagement since going live.
What did you like most about working with this company?
Their attention to detail and the quality of the final product.
Would you recommend this company to others, and would you work with them again?
Yes. They are a reliable Software Development partner.

Great Experience With Design Ahead on Our Software Development Project

Rob Walker / Founder & CEO | Mar 01, 2026

We were very happy with how this project went. We dealt with the same core team throughout, so we did not have to keep re-explaining things. The developers were knowledgeable and made a few suggestions that ended up saving us time and money. Their project manager kept things organised and was quick to flag anything that might affect the timeline.

It has made a real difference to how our team works day to day. Happy to recommend them.

Project summary

Design Ahead was brought in to develop a scheduling and dispatch tool for our field team. They also took care of integrations with a couple of third-party tools we already used. Overall it was a 8-month engagement.

  • Overall Rating 5.0
  • Quality 5.0
  • Schedule 4.5
  • Project Cost 5.0
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
Software Development
Project Cost:
$50,000 to $149,999
Project Duration:
Apr 2025 - Dec 2025
Business Type:
Fashion & Apparel
Location:
Edinburgh, UK

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
We're a mid-sized Fashion & Apparel company based in Edinburgh, UK. I'm the Founder & CEO and I oversaw the project from start to finish.
What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?
Our team was spending too much time on manual work. The goal was to develop a scheduling and dispatch tool for our field team so they could focus on customers.
What services did the company provide for your project?
Software Development, plus QA and some consulting on how to structure the project.
Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?
They had relevant experience in Fashion & Apparel and their proposal was the clearest of the ones we received.
How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?
Better than we expected. They pointed out a few things we had not thought about.
How was your overall experience with their communication and project management?
Very responsive. We usually heard back the same day, even with the time difference.
Did the company deliver the project on time and within your expected budget?
It was delivered on time, and the final invoice matched the original estimate.
What tangible results or business impact have you seen since the project was completed?
Customer feedback has been positive, and we have seen better engagement since going live.
What did you like most about working with this company?
How easy they were to work with. They were responsive, honest and genuinely interested in our success.
Would you recommend this company to others, and would you work with them again?
Yes, I would recommend them and we plan to work with them again.

They listened, asked the right questions, and delivered

Pieter Dlamini / Marketing Director | Feb 18, 2026

Our experience with Design Ahead was really positive from start to finish. They were upfront about what was realistic within our budget, which helped us prioritise the right features. The team asked a lot of questions early on, which felt slow at first but meant there were very few surprises later.

Since launch, everything has been stable and our team has adapted to it quickly. Overall, a team we trust and plan to keep working with.

Project summary

Design Ahead was brought in to build an AR product viewer so customers can preview items in their own space. The project was split into milestones, with a working build shared at the end of each one. We worked together for around 3 months.

  • Overall Rating 5.0
  • Quality 5.0
  • Schedule 5.0
  • Project Cost 4.5
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
AR/VR Development
Project Cost:
$50,000 to $149,999
Project Duration:
Oct 2025 - Jan 2026
Business Type:
Construction
Location:
Cape Town, South Africa

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
I work as Marketing Director at Kinetic Projects (Pty) Ltd. We operate in Construction and most of our customers are in and around Cape Town, South Africa.
What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?
Our team was spending too much time on manual work. The goal was to build an AR product viewer so customers can preview items in their own space so they could focus on customers.
What services did the company provide for your project?
AR/VR Development, including planning, development, testing and launch support.
Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?
A colleague recommended them, and our first calls confirmed they understood what we needed.
How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?
They understood our goals quickly, partly because they had worked with Construction clients before.
How was your overall experience with their communication and project management?
Communication was good overall and improved further once we settled into a routine.
Did the company deliver the project on time and within your expected budget?
Mostly. One milestone slipped by about a week, but the final delivery was on schedule and the budget held.
What tangible results or business impact have you seen since the project was completed?
It is still early, but the numbers are trending in the right direction and the system has been stable.
What did you like most about working with this company?
That they were proactive — they suggested improvements instead of just doing what was asked.
Would you recommend this company to others, and would you work with them again?
Yes, I've already recommended them to a couple of people I know.

Strong Technical Skills and a Very Responsive Web Development Team

Ananya Verma / IT Director | Jan 05, 2026

We were very happy with how this project went. They shared working builds regularly, so we could test early and give feedback before things were locked in. We dealt with the same core team throughout, so we did not have to keep re-explaining things.

The result looks great and performs well, and our internal team found it easy to take over.

We would definitely work with them again.

Project summary

Design Ahead was brought in to rebuild a slow, outdated web app and move it to a new framework. Their team handled planning, development and QA, with our product owner signing off each milestone. We worked together for around 9 months.

  • Overall Rating 5.0
  • Quality 5.0
  • Schedule 4.5
  • Project Cost 4.5
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
Web Development
Project Cost:
$500,000+
Project Duration:
Mar 2025 - Dec 2025
Business Type:
Construction
Location:
Bengaluru, India

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
We're a mid-sized Construction company based in Bengaluru, India. I'm the IT Director and I oversaw the project from start to finish.
What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?
We needed to rebuild a slow, outdated web app and move it to a new framework, and we didn't have the in-house capacity to do it ourselves.
What services did the company provide for your project?
Web Development, plus QA and some consulting on how to structure the project.
Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?
They had relevant experience in Construction and their proposal was the clearest of the ones we received.
How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?
Well. There were a couple of points we had to clarify early on, but after that they were spot on.
How was your overall experience with their communication and project management?
Communication was good overall and improved further once we settled into a routine.
Did the company deliver the project on time and within your expected budget?
It was delivered on time, and the final invoice matched the original estimate.
What tangible results or business impact have you seen since the project was completed?
We can now handle more volume without adding staff, which was the main goal.
What did you like most about working with this company?
The consistency. Same team, same standard, from the first week to the last.
Would you recommend this company to others, and would you work with them again?
Yes, I've already recommended them to a couple of people I know.
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