Offshoring design

While technology offshoring is par for the course at many large global firms, many had a tepid start with insignificant projects that scaled as confidence and trust between the customer and vendor grew. The offshoring learning curve is now being scaled by smaller businesses in North America and Europe, and many of these businesses are pioneering in their own right by outsourcing activities like brand identity development and usability projects. New Delhi-based Hatch Design has a respectable roster of international clients, some of whom have never met the Hatch team, and yet have taken the plunge and been pleasantly surprised with their overall experience.

And herein lies both the challenge and the opportunity. While the top tier offshoring market has an established hierarchy – Infosys, Wipro, TCS, Satyam, IBM, Accenture and Congnizant rule the roost – the bottom end of niche players is incredibly fragmented. A small business operating in Cardiff will not have the resources to evaluate and select the right vendor in India, China or Mexico to outsource design and development. As for niche players like Hatch Design, word of mouth and repeat business will remain key revenue drivers.

Whether we will see a consolidation of some of these smaller vendors remains to be seen. Perhaps, some will establish strategic partnerships or hope to be bought out by established tier one vendors.

Are you a customer who dared to offshore visual design or web usability? Or are you a vendor with a proven track record? Tell us about your experiences and lessons learnt.