Richard’s areas of expertise include software development in PHP and Ruby on Rails, system operations and DevOps culture, distributed web applications, and development process improvement.
He has co-authored and edited two books and has been quoted or mentioned on Wired.com, InformationWeek.com, Lifehacker.com, Entrepreneur.com, Seth Godin’s blog, and Smashing Magazine.
Brian is a product designer with expertise in customer development, UX design, and front-end development.
A regular speaker on product and strategy, his previous engagements include Denver Startup Week, Boulder Startup Week, guest lecturer at RefactorU, guest of Canopy Accelerator, Galvanize mentor workshop, Longmont Startup Week, and Rocky Mountain ProductCamp.
We love building software and we love launching products.
And we could do those things as full-time employees of any number of companies where we live.
But there’s another thing we love. The entrepreneurial spirit.
That’s why we choose to work with entrepreneurs and business owners like you. Whether you’re a first-time entrepreneur ready to get your idea off the back of a napkin and into the cloud, or a current business owner looking to improve your processes with custom software, we’re ready to help you bring your idea to life.
“Richard and Brian are the best partners we could’ve ever asked for. We were continually impressed by how well they got us and our mission. We are so lucky to have found them.”
Amanda & Brenda
Founders
“I was blown away at how much progress User Agent helped me make in such a short amount of time. After a batch of early discovery and strategy sessions, we identified the core promise of my idea and we built our prototype from there. I could not be happier and am ready to show my idea to potential clients and investors!”
Brian P. Barker
Founder and CEO
“Richard and Brian nailed it! They are reliable developers, brilliant strategists, and fantastic partners to work with all the way around. I highly recommend User Agent and expect we'll be working together again in the future.”
Chris Knudsen
Agency
Downtown office. Presentation theatre. PMs, junior devs, and admin.
User Agent
Home office. Video conferencing. If you work with us, you work with us.
Code Staff & Admin Bells & Whistles
Your idea is worth an investment. Put your money to work with senior-level talent.
With User Agent, you’re getting two senior developers with boardroom experience. None of your budget goes toward rent on a fancy office (we work from home), project managers (you talk directly to us for the life of the project), or junior-level supporting members (User Agent is Brian and Richard, period).
From a sketch to a server in a matter of weeks.
We move fast and help you spend your money wisely.
It’s time to show your app to the world.
Save Time
We’ve been in your shoes. Let our experience and our lessons learned help you avoid the pitfalls and roadblocks that face most software companies.
Save Money
Your idea deserves a chance to exist, but that doesn’t mean you have to pay agency prices to take the step from an idea in your Moleskine to a functional piece of software with real users. We keep our overhead low, so you get senior development and experienced entrepreneurs without subsidizing a fancy office.
Launch Happy
With some developers, you’ll get an app that only your mother could love. We’ll build an app that strangers will love. What will you do with it? Charge from day one? Start pitching investors? Both? It’s time to get your idea off the back-burner. Let’s do this.
Don't just take our word for it.
Mike Taylor
“If you asked me to show you a man I believe will make a legitimate dent in the software product space, I would show you Brian Rhea. I hope you have the chance to interact or collaborate with Brian - you will be better for it.”
Kathleen Thompson
“Brian is creative and clever and that's a must-have combination in the design world. Brian excels in outstanding deliverables and is a great communicator during the process. His enthusiasm is sincere and it shows.”
Brian Dodds
“Brian is one of the most creative thinkers and doers that I know. His ability to generate a concept and then follow through with the execution is admirable. My experience was that when Brian was on a project that I could trust in the quality and delivery of his participation.”
Jeff Stephens
“Brian is the master of taking a fresh idea, distilling it to its core, and packaging it perfectly for users. The sense of empowerment and raw creativity he creates is something I’ll be searching for the rest of my career.”
Julie Ayala
“Brian is an innovative thinker and creative genius. He also has a high level of integrity and it was always a pleasure to work with Brian on projects.”
Andy Stone
“Brian is a genius and should be charging $800 an hour for the thoughtfulness and creative leadership he brings to a team. If you can get him for anything less than that [Ed. Note: you can], hire him immediately.”
Jennifer Lefforge
“Brian is a hard worker, committed to whatever he finds himself engaged with and very easy to work with. He encourages others and always leads with a cheerful heart and a great attitude.”
Shailen Singh
“In my experience Brian is about as caring, professional, and as driven of an individual as I've ever met. I can assure anyone considering working with Brian that they will be incredibly pleased with both the process and the outcome of his work.”
Jeff Hughes
“Brian is a true visionary with a passion for excellence, knowing and communicating current and cutting edge technology and driving exceptional business results for clients. His exuberance and passion for creating and collaobrating with corporate partners is outstanding!”
Brett Wagner
“I was fortunate enough to work side by side with Brian for a number of years on a wide variety of projects. His skills and ability to innovate on the fly repeatedly pushed our projects farther than I thought was possible.”
Mark Stone
“I have used Brian for several projects and have always been impressed by the quality of work, the personal relationship he fosters, the value, punctuality and creativity he brings to every project. In a nutshell, if you are looking for quality work at good value with on-time deliverables, hire Brian!”
Ryan Hunter
“Brian is the most gifted UX expert with whom I have had the opportunity to work. He brings a deep and intuitive appreciation for the outcomes that a user is trying to achieve. Brian’s methodical and thoughtful approach to developing applications is rare and incredibly valuable.”
Your idea deserves to exist. Reach out and let’s bring it to life.
Please send an email to "hello" at this domain and we'll be in touch.