The agency is separating UI from UX and pricing them individually — do I actually need both?

Technically speaking, UX includes information architecture, form validation rules, and user flow diagrams. But if the agency isn't providing usability testing and user research for that fee, they're just drawing gray boxes. Make sure the deliverable list is explicitly written into the contract.

We got a similar quote last year for our logistics portal; they asked for 45,000 SAR. We got them to merge the two scopes under one roof and knocked it down to 28,000 SAR. The same designer handled the wireframes and visual UI sequentially and wrapped it up in 6 weeks. Separate billing is usually just a tactic to pad agency margins.

note: I wrote this based on my own experience, it might not apply to everyone.

If your budget is tight just tell the agency: We don't need field research or user interviews build directly on industry-standard flows and deliver the wireframes and UI as a single package. That should easily bring the quote down to a reasonable number.

Edit: asked below, I wrote the answer in the second message.

If they're billing them separately, they're implying that the UX researcher and the UI designer are different people. In reality, at most small agencies, the same person maps screen flows in the morning and styles buttons in the afternoon. Ask to speak directly with the design team, you'll see pretty quickly.

Unless your portal is unusually complex, there are plenty of battle-tested enterprise design libraries out there. The agency doesn't need to design every button from scratch. If you suggest using pre-built component kits your costs will drop significantly.

Next revision they'll probably bill you separately for font selection consulting and button placement strategy lol. You can't decouple form and function like that, classic invoice padding.

In enterprise procurement, itemizing service deliverables is a sound practice for transparency. That said, you should demand a clear work breakdown structure and man-day rate card for each item, ensuring that every proposed deliverable directly aligns with measurable business objectives.

note: I wrote this based on my own experience, it might not apply to everyone.

Looking at it as a process, the picture changes. People defend habits, not processes. Resistance comes from there.

Taking notes for two weeks yields better results than a six-month estimate. That's all, sorry if I went on too long.

We experienced almost the exact same thing last year. Taking notes for two weeks yields better results than a six-month estimate.

Don't enter any agreement without an exit plan. Good luck with that.

Absolutely. If I were to add anything: Finding a new customer is more expensive than keeping an existing one.

Hope this helps.

I think differently... The answer varies greatly by industry; there is no one-size-fits-all rule.

If you post the result here, it will help others too.

Timely topic.

Thanks for posting. Everyone rushing into ui and ux design gets stuck at the same point.

Everything goes well for the first three months; problems arise in the fourth.

Exactly like that. Taking notes for two weeks yields better results than a six-month estimate.

Changing habits is harder and more expensive than setting up a system. That's all, sorry if I went on too long.

we experienced almost the exact same thing last year. calculate how many months you can survive without revenue, then halve that number.

if you get three different answers on a topic, the question was asked wrong.

I agree. Look where the bucket leaks; pouring water on top doesn't solve it.

If you don't write this down from the start, it leads to arguments later. Hope this helps.

the discussion got scattered let me summarize... tbh a two-week notebook guides you more than a six-month forecast.

im also curious if anyone does it differently.

We got stuck at the same point for a while. Just because everyone does it doesn't mean it's right.