How to Find the Best Website Designer (UI/UX) in Kenya

In today’s digital marketplace, your website is more than just an online brochure. It can be your digital storefront, sales representative, customer-service channel and first impression—all operating 24/7.

For Kenyan businesses, having a well-designed website is increasingly important as the country continues investing in digital infrastructure, digital skills and online business. Kenya’s ICT Authority identifies digital innovation and enterprise as key parts of the country’s digital transformation agenda.

But finding the right website designer can be challenging. There are freelancers, agencies, developers, template sellers and UI/UX specialists offering very different levels of service.

So, how do you find the right website designer in Kenya?

1. Understand What You Actually Need

Before searching for a designer, define what you want your website to achieve.

Ask yourself:

• Is the website for a small business?
• Do you need an online shop?
• Do you want customers to book appointments?
• Do you need a portfolio website?
• Do you want customers to contact you through WhatsApp?
• Will you accept online payments?
• Do you need M-Pesa integration?
• Do you want to generate leads?
• Do you need a blog?
• Will you manage the website yourself?

A good designer should not simply ask, “What pages do you want?”

They should also ask why you need the website and what you want visitors to do.

Your goals influence the website’s structure, navigation, content, functionality and overall user experience.

2. Understand the Difference Between UI and UX

One of the biggest mistakes business owners make is hiring someone purely because they can make a website look attractive.

UI and UX are different but connected.

UI — User Interface Design

UI focuses on how the website looks and feels.

This includes:

• Colours
• Typography
• Buttons
• Icons
• Images
• Layout
• Spacing
• Visual hierarchy
• Branding
• Responsive design

A strong UI makes your website look professional and consistent with your brand.

UX — User Experience Design

UX focuses on how easy and enjoyable the website is to use.

For example:

Can a visitor find your services quickly?

Can they easily contact you?

Can they find your location?

Can they complete a purchase without getting confused?

Does the website make sense when viewed on a phone?

A beautiful website with poor UX can still lose customers.

That’s why you should look for someone who understands both UI and UX, rather than someone who only creates attractive graphics.

3. Examine Their Portfolio Carefully

A designer’s portfolio is one of the best ways to judge their capabilities.

Don’t simply look at screenshots.

Visit the actual websites.

Check:

• Does the website work?
• Does it load quickly?
• Is it mobile-friendly?
• Is the navigation easy to understand?
• Does the design look professional?
• Are the fonts readable?
• Are buttons easy to identify?
• Does the website work on different screen sizes?
• Is the information well organised?

Recent Kenyan web-design guidance similarly recommends testing portfolio websites yourself, including checking mobile responsiveness and loading performance.

Look for relevant experience

Suppose you’re starting a restaurant.

A designer who has successfully designed websites for restaurants, hotels or food businesses may understand your requirements better than someone whose portfolio consists entirely of corporate websites.

Likewise, an e-commerce business should look for someone experienced with online stores.

4. Don’t Choose a Designer Based Only on Price

Price is important—but it shouldn’t be the only factor.

You may find someone offering a website for KSh 10,000 and another quoting KSh 100,000 or more.

That doesn’t automatically mean the expensive designer is better.

Instead, ask:

What exactly am I getting for the money?

Compare things such as:

A professional proposal should clearly explain what is included rather than simply giving you one unexplained figure.

The cheapest website isn’t always the cheapest option in the long run.

A poorly designed website may require expensive redesigns, fixes and additional development later.

5. Check Whether They Understand Mobile-First Design

This is particularly important for businesses targeting Kenyan customers.

Your website should not be designed only for a laptop.

It should work beautifully on:

• Smartphones
• Tablets
• Laptops
• Desktop computers

A good UI/UX designer should consider smaller screens from the beginning rather than designing a desktop website and simply shrinking it afterward.

Check their previous websites on your phone.

Look for:

• Easy-to-read text
• Properly sized buttons
• Simple navigation
• Fast loading
• Properly positioned images
• Forms that are easy to complete
• Clear calls-to-action

If the website looks fantastic on a laptop but terrible on a phone, that’s a major warning sign.

6. Look for Someone Who Understands Your Target Audience

Your website shouldn’t be designed for the designer.

It should be designed for your customers.

For example, a website targeting:

• University students
• Corporate executives
• Parents
• Tourists
• Online shoppers
• Contractors
• Kenyan SMEs

will require different communication, layouts and user experiences.

A good UI/UX designer should ask questions such as:

Who are your customers?

What problems are they trying to solve?

What information do they need before contacting you?

What action do you want them to take?

This is what separates strategic web design from simply arranging colours, images and buttons.

7. Ask About Their Design Process

A professional designer should be able to explain how they work.

A typical process may look something like this:

Step 1: Discovery

Understanding your business, customers, competitors and objectives.

Step 2: Research

Studying your target audience and existing market.

Step 3: Sitemap

Planning the website structure and pages.

Step 4: Wireframing

Creating basic layouts before applying colours and detailed visuals.

Step 5: UI Design

Developing the visual interface, including colours, typography and components.

Step 6: Prototype

Creating an interactive version of the design.

Step 7: Development

Turning the approved design into a functioning website.

Step 8: Testing

Checking responsiveness, links, forms, usability and performance.

Step 9: Launch

Connecting the domain, hosting and other necessary services.

Step 10: Support

Maintaining and improving the website after launch.

If a designer cannot explain their process clearly, ask more questions before committing.

8. Ask Whether They Design or Simply Use Templates

There’s nothing inherently wrong with using platforms such as WordPress or pre-built templates.

In fact, WordPress can be an excellent solution for many businesses.

The important question is:

Can the designer customise the website around your business?

A good designer should be able to create a distinctive visual identity rather than giving five different businesses essentially the same website.

Ask:

“Will you customise the design according to my brand and target audience?”

You should be able to recognise your business—not the template.

9. Consider Their Technical Knowledge

UI/UX is only one part of a successful website.

Depending on your project, your designer or development team should understand areas such as:

• Responsive web design
• Website performance
• SEO fundamentals
• Accessibility
• Website security
• Domain management
• Hosting
• Analytics
• Forms
• E-commerce
• Payment integrations
• Content management systems
• Search engine optimisation

For Kenyan businesses, you may also need integrations such as M-Pesa, depending on your business model.

A good designer should be able to tell you when they can handle something themselves and when a developer or specialist is required.

10. Check Their Understanding of SEO

A beautiful website that nobody can find is not doing enough for your business.

Your designer should understand basic SEO principles such as:

• Page titles
• Meta descriptions
• Heading structure
• Image optimisation
• Internal linking
• Clean URLs
• Mobile responsiveness
• Website speed
• Sitemap
• Search indexing
• Local SEO

For example, if you operate a bakery in Nairobi, your website should be structured so that potential customers can discover your business when searching for relevant services.

SEO should not necessarily be treated as an afterthought. Modern website recommendations increasingly combine design, performance, SEO and conversion strategy.

11. Ask About Website Ownership

This is extremely important.

Before paying, establish:

Who owns the domain?

Who owns the hosting account?

Who owns the website?

Will I receive administrator access?

Will I receive the design files where applicable?

Can another developer maintain the website later?

Ideally, your business should maintain control of its essential accounts and credentials.

Be particularly careful if a designer insists that your domain or hosting must remain permanently under their personal account.

12. Make Sure There Is a Clear Contract

Don’t rely entirely on WhatsApp conversations.

A written agreement should clarify:

• Project scope
• Number of pages
• Features
• Design deliverables
• Development deliverables
• Timeline
• Payment schedule
• Number of revisions
• Content responsibilities
• Hosting and domain
• Ownership
• Maintenance
• Support
• Cancellation terms

A written agreement protects both you and the designer.

Some Kenyan web-design guides specifically identify the absence of a written contract and unclear ownership as important warning signs.

13. Ask About Revisions

You won’t necessarily love the first design.

That’s normal.

Ask the designer:

“How many revisions are included?”

Also ask what qualifies as a revision.

For example:

Revision: Changing colours, spacing, typography or rearranging an existing section.

New requirement: Adding five completely new pages after the original scope was approved.

These aren’t necessarily the same thing.

Clarifying this upfront prevents misunderstandings later.

14. Evaluate Their Communication

Technical skills aren’t enough.

Your designer should also communicate well.

Pay attention to:

• How quickly they respond
• Whether they listen to your ideas
• Whether they explain technical concepts clearly
• Whether they provide updates
• Whether they meet deadlines
• Whether they ask useful questions
• Whether they document decisions

If communication is already difficult before you’ve hired them, imagine how challenging it could become halfway through a website project.

15. Look for Post-Launch Support

Your relationship with your website designer shouldn’t necessarily end the day your website goes live.

Websites may require:

• Updates
• Security maintenance
• Backups
• Content changes
• Performance optimisation
• Bug fixes
• Plugin updates
• New features

Ask:

“What happens after the website launches?”

Some designers offer monthly maintenance packages, while others provide a limited support period after launch.

Make sure you understand the difference.

16. Ask for References or Client Testimonials

Testimonials can help, but don’t rely solely on screenshots of WhatsApp messages.

Where possible, ask:

“Can I speak to one or two previous clients?”

You can also search for the business online and inspect websites the designer claims to have created.

A designer with a strong track record should be comfortable showing genuine examples of their work.

17. Watch Out for These Red Flags 🚩

Be cautious if a designer:

🚩 Has no real portfolio

They may be new, which isn’t automatically bad, but you should understand what you’re paying for.

🚩 Promises an unrealistic turnaround

A professional website requires planning, design, development and testing.

🚩 Wants 100% payment upfront

Payment structures vary, but large upfront payments without clear milestones can increase your risk.

🚩 Refuses to provide a contract

This makes responsibilities and ownership much harder to establish.

🚩 Won’t give you website credentials

Your business should maintain appropriate access to its own digital assets.

🚩 Doesn’t ask about your customers

That’s a sign they’re focusing on building pages rather than solving a business problem.

🚩 Shows only mockups

Beautiful mockups are useful, but you should also see functional websites where possible.

🚩 Doesn’t discuss mobile responsiveness

Mobile compatibility should be a basic consideration.

🚩 Disappears after receiving payment

Communication and accountability matter throughout the project.

18. Where Can You Find Website Designers in Kenya?

There are several ways to find potential designers.

Google

Search for terms such as:

• Website designer Kenya
• UI/UX designer Kenya
• Web designer Nairobi
• WordPress designer Kenya
• UX designer Nairobi
• E-commerce website designer Kenya

LinkedIn

Useful for finding professional designers and agencies and reviewing their experience.

Instagram

Many Kenyan designers showcase their UI/UX and branding projects on Instagram.

Referrals

Ask other business owners:

“Who designed your website?”

A recommendation from someone who has actually worked with the designer can be valuable.

Design communities

Look at designers’ portfolios on platforms such as Behance and Dribbble, then verify that they can actually deliver functioning websites—not just visual concepts.

19. Create a Shortlist Before Making a Decision

Don’t hire the first designer you find.

Shortlist approximately 3–5 candidates and compare them.

You can score each designer based on:

This makes your decision more objective.

20. Ask These Questions Before Hiring

Before signing anything, ask your potential website designer:

1. Can I see websites you’ve designed and developed?
2. Have you worked with businesses similar to mine?
3. Will the website be designed specifically for my target audience?
4. How do you approach UI/UX?
5. Will you create wireframes before the final design?
6. Will my website be mobile responsive?
7. What platform or technology do you recommend and why?
8. Will the website be SEO-friendly?
9. Will I own my domain and hosting accounts?
10. Will I have administrator access?
11. How many revisions are included?
12. How long will the project take?
13. What exactly is included in the quoted price?
14. Do you provide website maintenance?
15. What happens if I need changes after launch?
16. Do you provide training on how to manage the website?
17. Will you provide backups and security updates?
18. Can I see the contract before making payment?

A designer who can answer these questions confidently is much easier to evaluate.

What Makes a Great Website Designer?

Ultimately, the best website designer in Kenya isn’t necessarily the person with the fanciest portfolio or the lowest price.

The right designer should combine:

🎨 Creativity — for a strong visual identity.

🧠 UX thinking — to make the website easy to use.

💻 Technical knowledge — to build something functional and reliable.

📱 Mobile-first thinking — because your customers may primarily access the website through their phones.

🔎 SEO awareness — so your website has a better foundation for being discovered.

📈 Business understanding — so the website supports your goals.

💬 Communication — so the project stays on track.

🤝 Professionalism — including clear agreements, timelines and deliverables.

Final Thoughts

Choosing a website designer is ultimately a business decision, not just a design decision.

Don’t ask only:

“How much do you charge for a website?”

Ask:

“How will this website help my business achieve its goals?”

The right UI/UX designer will take the time to understand your business, your customers and your objectives before designing the solution. They should be able to explain their process, show genuine work, communicate clearly and provide a website that works across devices—not simply one that looks good in a presentation.

Kenya’s continued investment in digital infrastructure and digital enterprise makes having a strong online presence increasingly valuable for businesses.

A website should not simply exist. It should work for your business.

And when you’re choosing a designer, look for someone who understands both design and the people who will use it.