Rob Stevenson, third left, of Maven, with User Vision team: Stephen Denning, Adrian Astley-Jones, Emma Kirk, Chris Rourke, Tino Nombro and Martin Dempsey
User Vision, a Scottish consumer behaviour consultancy, has secured a six-figure equity investment from the British Business Bank’s Investment Fund for Scotland through fund manager Maven Capital Partners.
The funding will support the Edinburgh-based company’s next phase of growth, including the appointment of financial services and technology veteran Martin Dempsey as CEO, and Adrian Astley Jones, a private equity executive and board adviser, as chair.
They will drive User Vision’s more targeted sales strategy, business development and marketing activity.
The company was one of the first dedicated UK consultancies focused on user experience and accessibility across both digital and physical products and services.
It applies extensive research methods such as surveys, interviews, focus groups and behavioural studies to give organisations a clear understanding of customer needs, pain points and motivations.
This insight enables clients to develop and deliver user-centric strategies that improve engagement, accessibility, and satisfaction. In addition, User Vision provides service design expertise, audits, and training.
Over the past 25 years, the business has worked with more than 350 clients in over 50 countries, with longstanding relationships including Emirates, NHS, People’s Postcode Lottery and Vodafone.
Fuelled by expanding digital adoption across sectors and a stronger emphasis on customer-centric design, the UK user experience (UX) market was valued at approximately $315 million in 2024 and is projected to grow 16.3% by 2031.
This growth represents a significant opportunity for User Vision to expand its services and support more organisations in delivering accessible, research-led design.
Chris Rourke, founder and executive director at User Vision, said: “From day one we have believed in research-led, evidence-driven inclusive design, and this new partnership with Maven will help us amplify our impact, enabling more organisations to deliver experiences that are not only exceptional, but accessible to all.”
Rob Stevenson, investment manager at Maven, said: “As organisations increasingly recognise the importance of customer-centric design, the business is well placed to take advantage of growing demand for UX and accessibility services.”
Sarah Newbould, a senior investment manager at the British Business Bank, said: “Scotland’s technology ecosystem continues to add significant value to the economy, supporting jobs and competing on a global stage.”
This latest investment adds to a growing list of Scottish businesses backed by the Investment Fund for Scotland via appointed Fund Manager Maven Capital Partners.
The £150m Investment Fund for Scotland was launched by the British Business Bank in October 2023, providing a mix of debt and equity funding to smaller businesses across Scotland to help them grow, innovate, and create jobs.
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