10 Marketplaces for Hiring Product Designers and UX Researchers Who Specialize in Your Industry

Finding the right product designer or UX researcher isn’t just about skills and portfolio quality. Sometimes you need someone who already understands your industry, your users, and the specific challenges you face. Whether you’re building a fintech app, a healthcare platform, or an e-commerce site, working with specialists who speak your language can save you months of onboarding time and costly mistakes. This list focuses on marketplaces where you can find designers and researchers with deep industry knowledge, niche expertise, and proven track records in specific domains. If you’re tired of explaining basic concepts to generalists, these platforms will help you connect with professionals who already get it.

1. Legiit

   Legiit stands out as a marketplace that connects businesses with vetted freelancers who specialize in digital services, including product design and UX research. What makes this platform particularly useful is its focus on professionals who understand online business models, SaaS products, and digital marketing ecosystems. You’ll find designers who have experience with conversion optimization, landing page design, and user flows that drive specific business outcomes.

   The platform uses a straightforward project-based pricing model, which makes budgeting easier compared to hourly marketplaces where costs can spiral. Many of the designers on Legiit have worked with startups and growing companies, so they tend to move quickly and understand the constraints of smaller teams. If your product lives in the digital space and you need someone who can balance aesthetics with performance metrics, Legiit offers a solid pool of candidates who already think in those terms.

2. Coroflot

   Coroflot focuses specifically on creative professionals, with a strong emphasis on industrial design, product design, and user experience. This platform attracts designers who work in physical product development, consumer electronics, automotive design, and similar fields where form and function must work together.

   If you’re building hardware products, IoT devices, or anything that exists in the physical world, Coroflot gives you access to specialists who understand materials, manufacturing constraints, and ergonomics. The portfolio quality tends to be high because the platform has been around long enough to build a reputation among serious design professionals. You can search by industry specialization, making it easier to find someone who has already solved problems similar to yours.

3. Behance

   Behance operates as both a portfolio platform and a hiring marketplace, with millions of creative professionals showcasing their work. While it covers all design disciplines, you can filter specifically for product designers and UX researchers who have worked in particular industries.

   The advantage here is visibility into the actual work process. Many designers share case studies that walk through their research methods, design decisions, and final outcomes. This transparency helps you assess not just visual skills but also strategic thinking and problem-solving approaches. Behance works particularly well when you need specialists in fields like gaming, entertainment, fashion tech, or other visually-driven industries where aesthetics play a major role in user experience.

4. Toptal

   Toptal maintains a rigorous screening process that claims to accept only the top 3% of applicants. This selectivity means you’re generally working with senior-level designers and researchers who have substantial experience in their specialized fields.

   The platform excels at matching clients with professionals who have deep expertise in specific industries like finance, healthcare, enterprise software, and blockchain technology. The screening process includes technical assessments and live interviews, so by the time you’re introduced to a candidate, much of the vetting work is already done. Toptal tends to be more expensive than other marketplaces, but the trade-off is that you’re getting proven specialists who can often start contributing immediately without extensive onboarding. The service works best for companies that need high-level strategic input along with execution.

5. Dribbble

   Dribbble started as a community for designers to share their work and has evolved into a hiring platform with robust search capabilities. The platform attracts designers who care deeply about craft and visual polish, making it particularly useful for consumer-facing products where design quality directly impacts brand perception.

   You can search for designers by industry tags, style preferences, and specific skills like mobile app design, web applications, or design systems. The freelance and full-time job boards let you post positions that attract candidates who are actively looking for work in your sector. Dribbble works especially well for companies in creative industries, lifestyle brands, and consumer apps where the user experience needs to feel polished and considered. The community aspect means designers often have networks and can recommend specialists if they’re not available themselves.

6. UserTesting Network

   UserTesting Network takes a different approach by focusing specifically on UX research rather than design execution. This platform connects companies with researchers who can conduct moderated and unmoderated studies, usability tests, and user interviews.

   What sets this marketplace apart is its dual function. You can hire professional UX researchers to design and conduct studies, and you also get access to participant pools for testing. This combination is particularly valuable for companies in regulated industries like healthcare, finance, or education, where you need researchers who understand compliance requirements and sensitive data handling. The researchers on this platform tend to have formal training in research methodologies and can handle complex studies that require statistical rigor. If your product serves a specialized audience and you need research that will hold up to scrutiny, this focused approach can be more effective than hiring a generalist designer who also does research.

7. Working Not Working

   Working Not Working operates as an invite-only network of creative professionals, including product designers and UX specialists. The platform curates its membership, which means the talent pool skews toward experienced professionals who have worked at recognized companies or on notable projects.

   The marketplace is particularly strong in media, advertising, entertainment, and brand-focused companies. Many members have agency backgrounds and understand how to work within larger organizations with multiple stakeholders. The platform’s messaging system makes it easy to reach out directly to designers whose work resonates with your needs. Because membership is curated, you’re less likely to wade through hundreds of irrelevant profiles. This focused approach works well when you need someone who can handle high-stakes projects where the design will be seen by large audiences.

8. Authentic Jobs

   Authentic Jobs has built a reputation as a job board for web professionals, with strong representation from product designers and UX researchers who work in tech and digital products. The platform attracts candidates who are comfortable with agile development, remote collaboration, and modern design tools.

   While it’s primarily a job board rather than a freelance marketplace, many designers use it to find contract and project-based work. The industry focus leans heavily toward startups, SaaS companies, and digital agencies. You’ll find professionals who understand technical constraints, can work closely with developers, and think in terms of scalable design systems rather than one-off projects. The quality of candidates tends to be high because the platform has a strong reputation in the web and tech communities. If your product requires someone who can bridge design and development, this focused talent pool can save you considerable time.

9. Vitamin T

   Vitamin T operates as a creative staffing agency that specializes in placing designers, researchers, and other creative professionals in contract and full-time roles. Unlike pure marketplaces, they actively recruit and vet candidates, which adds a layer of quality control.

   The agency model means you work with account managers who help match you with candidates based on your specific industry needs. They have particular strength in placing designers at large enterprises, financial services companies, healthcare organizations, and other sectors where designers need to work within established processes and compliance frameworks. The trade-off for this added service is that costs are typically higher than direct-hire marketplaces. However, if you need someone who can navigate complex organizational structures and has experience with enterprise-level design challenges, the screening and matching support can be worth the premium.

10. Contra

    Contra positions itself as a commission-free platform for independent professionals, including product designers and UX researchers. The lack of platform fees means designers can often offer more competitive rates, and you’re not paying inflated costs to cover marketplace commissions.

    The platform has gained traction among designers who work in tech, particularly those focused on web3, creator economy tools, and modern SaaS products. Many members have strong personal brands and active presences in design communities. The portfolio and profile system is well-designed, making it easy to assess both skills and personality fit. Because the platform is relatively newer, you’ll find hungry, motivated professionals who are building their independent practices and often willing to go the extra mile. The commission-free structure also means clearer pricing conversations without the awkwardness of wondering how much of your budget is going to platform fees versus the actual designer.

Finding a designer or researcher with industry-specific knowledge can transform your hiring process from a lengthy education project into a productive partnership from day one. These marketplaces offer different strengths depending on whether you need physical product expertise, research specialists, enterprise experience, or digital product fluency. Start by identifying which industry knowledge matters most for your project, then explore the platforms that attract professionals with that background. The right match will feel less like onboarding a contractor and more like reconnecting with someone who already understands your users, your constraints, and your goals.