Selected projects

# innovate

Challenge

A mid-sized, regional credit union wanted to create space for its leaders to step away from day-to-day work and think bigger about innovation. The opportunity was to ground that creativity in real member and employee needs, while giving participants repeatable tools for framing problems, generating ideas, and advancing promising concepts.

Catalyzing credit union innovation

A one-day workshop helped credit union leaders turn insight-backed challenges into detailed solution concepts

Approach

We facilitated a one-day rapid innovation workshop for C-suite executives and other leaders, starting with current credit union challenges backed by relevant data and insights. Participants developed focused problem statements and moved quickly through structured activities to generate, refine, and pitch solution concepts.

Outcomes

• Nearly 100 distinct ideas generated across priority credit union challenges

• 4 detailed concepts with value propositions, visuals, and key features

• Action plan for advancing select concepts to deeper design and research phases

“This was excellent. I wish I could take the entire credit union through this process.” - Seth S., Chief Impact Officer

# innovate

Scaling new digital solutions to millions of customers

A large bank turned an early vision for personalized financial tools into a roadmap, MVP, and launched digital features

Challenge

A large financial institution wanted to lead the market with personalized digital tools that helped consumers set goals and track financial progress. Success required more than a good idea; leaders needed a compelling vision, clear business case, and tangible product direction that could align teams around investment and execution.

Approach

We led a cross-business innovation initiative to define a north star vision, multi-year roadmap, and MVP direction. Through a series of design sprints, the team explored emerging consumer needs, rapidly prototyped and tested new concepts, and generated patentable features and future enhancements with IP counsel.

Outcomes

• Executive alignment around product strategy, roadmap, and go-to-market plan

• Digital features launched to millions of consumers through mobile/online

• Future innovation protected through patent filings on potential enhancements

“When you visualize an idea in a tangible way, you give leaders something specific they can react to. This was a super powerful approach to get everyone aligned.” - Eduardo Q., Product Executive

# innovate

Streamlining client-centered solution delivery

A tech company reimagined market analysis and product development to improve customer focus and speed to market

Challenge

A technology company’s manual and inefficient market analysis process was slowing new product delivery. Leaders needed to accelerate speed to market while maintaining strong product market fit and competitive positioning, with solutions more closely aligned to evolving customer needs.

Approach

We interviewed company leaders and customers to surface key issues, pain points, and unmet needs across the current process. We combined those insights with market scanning to clarify the company’s market position, develop a future-state strategy, and map a more streamlined, customer-centered product development process.

Outcomes

• Customer experience roadmaps that linked technology and product roadmaps with customer priorities to improve customer focus and speed to market

• Reimagined product development process centered on customer-valued benefits

• Repeatable design approach for discovery, prototyping, and customer validation

“We realized that we need to focus on customer-appreciated values and benefits across ALL touchpoints.” - Rob, Chief Product Officer

# grow

Challenge

A 100+ year-old technology and industrial services company faced growing pressure as competitors began using AI and other emerging technologies to create new customer offerings. Its R&D organization needed a clearer innovation strategy to help the business grow by reaching new buyers and expanding value propositions for existing customers.

Reaching new buyers and expanding customer relationships

A B2B tech and industrial services company defined where to focus innovation and go-to-market efforts

Approach

We analyzed market trends, mapped the ecosystem, and interviewed customers and industry experts to identify high-potential growth opportunities. We then worked with general managers, product executives, and R&D leaders to prioritize where to focus, pressure-test key risks, and translate the strategy into an actionable execution plan.

Outcomes

• Aligned strategy with a clear vision, target growth segments, and roadmap

• Go-to-market path including messaging, execution priorities, and metrics

• Execution plan with workstreams, near-term actions, owners, and timelines

“This is fantastic. Everyone needs to see this.” - Terry A., Head of R&D

# grow

Translating complex market & consumer insights into strategic action

A top athletic brand reimagined how data and insights could inform high-stakes growth decisions

Challenge

A leading athletic footwear and apparel company was struggling to turn complex customer data and insights into actionable opportunities for innovation and growth. Its enterprise data and analytics organization needed to reimagine how insights were translated for business and product leaders making high-stakes strategic decisions.

Approach

We helped build a repeatable insight activation capability, including a stakeholder engagement model, immersive experience designs, and collaborative workshop methods. For a priority growth opportunity, we shaped data visualization, strategic narrative, and workshop facilitation to help leaders connect insights to critical business decisions.

Outcomes

• Insight activation foundation including stakeholder engagement model

• Complex data made actionable through visualization and strategic narrative

• Repeatable methods & tools for future workshops and stakeholder experiences

“The structured process that you brought was a true gift… helping us frame the problem, create a strategy, and move forward.” - Natalie W., Experience Design Director

# grow

Expanding market reach and boosting sales

A consumer products company modernized segmentation, channels, and product bundles to reach evolving customers

Challenge

A global consumer products company was losing relevance with customers as both its offerings and go-to-market approach became dated. The business needed to rethink what it sold, how products were bundled and positioned, and which channels could better reach customers whose buying behaviors had changed.

Approach

We benchmarked reinventions in adjacent industries, interviewed customers to understand their needs and buying preferences, and engaged channel partners to assess their readiness to adapt. These insights shaped a new customer segmentation model, product innovation opportunities, and channel strategy for expanding adoption.

Outcomes

• Restructured product categories around a new market segmentation model

• Expanded marketing channels across digital and social media

• Increased sales growth for product bundles aligned to new segmentation model

“We were reluctant to change something that had worked for us for the last 50 years, but now I wonder what took us so long.” - Rob, Chief Product Officer

# optimize with AI

Challenge

A relationship-driven, leading commercial bank was facing increasing pressure from lower-cost, digital-first competitors. Account managers were spending significant time gathering client information, preparing for meetings, and navigating fragmented internal systems.

Enhancing relationship-driven account management with AI

A commercial banking division increased productivity, client visibility, and proactive engagement

Approach

We interviewed account managers and senior leaders to identify workflow pain points and opportunities to deepen client relationships. With these insights as the foundation, we then facilitated a design sprint to create practical AI concepts that improved visibility, simplified preparation, and supported more proactive client engagement.

Outcomes

• AI-enabled solution designs integrated into the existing digital ecosystem

• Reduction in time spent on client research and meeting preparation time

• Improved customer visibility into activity, needs, and opportunities

# optimize with AI

Modernizing the finance function through targeted AI integration

An e-commerce business improved reporting accuracy, visibility, and efficiency by integrating a specialized AI platform

Challenge

A $40M e-commerce business was struggling to produce accurate, timely financial reporting. Over time, layers of manual processes, disconnected systems, and overlapping internal and outsourced roles had created an overly complex finance function that limited visibility and efficiency.

Approach

We mapped the end-to-end finance workflow, systems, and internal and outsourced roles to identify complexity, duplication, and bottlenecks. Rather than build custom technology, we selected and integrated an off-the-shelf specialized AI platform that fit the business’s needs.

Outcomes

• Immediate ROI through cost savings and a more efficient finance operating model

• Clearer visibility with more accurate, timely reporting for owner-operators

• Higher-value role alignment across internal staff and external partners

“We should’ve made these well-managed changes years ago.” - Steve, Founder & CEO

# optimize with AI

Increasing customer retention while reducing costs

A redesigned collections experience improved customer outcomes and business performance for a lending business

Challenge

The operations team responsible for collecting overdue payments for a $10B+ consumer lending business was falling short of key performance metrics. Leaders needed to redesign the customer experience and operating model in a way that improved retention, reduced cost, and supported better outcomes for customers and the business.

Approach

We combined customer interviews, call center staff discussions, and data analysis to identify root causes of underperformance. Through a multi-week innovation effort, we translated these insights into a redesigned service model, personalized messaging strategy, and early AI-enabled capabilities for customers and call center staff.

Outcomes

• Redesigned service model to improve customer retention and reduce expense

• Messaging strategy aligned to customer needs, behaviors, and life contexts

• AI opportunities identified to improve customer experience and staff support

“I can’t imagine there’s a business in this entire company where this process wouldn’t provide significant value.” - Michael G., Executive Vice President