We help teams tackle complex challenges by designing research, services, and future directions together.

Our work draws on human centred design, co design, and futuring to support thoughtful decision making in uncertain and evolving contexts.

Offerings

Moments where teams bring us in:

We do not want a one time solution. We want our teams to learn, evolve, and collaborate differently through the work itself.

Before we design anything, we want to better understand what truly matters to the people affected by this work.

We are holding many perspectives and priorities, and we are looking for ways of making sense and moving forward together.

We want to deliver something meaningful and innovative, but we are unsure how to design research or engagement that gets us there in a responsible way.

We are trying to make something work across teams, roles, and technologies, and the complexity keeps getting in the way.

Decision makers need a clearer view of how the system works in practice to choose where to focus and how to evaluate impact.

We can see what is not working, but we need help imagining what could be different.

Work We’ve Been Invited Into

Re-envisioning how Health Canada works with people with lived experience

Making complex health and care systems visible for decision-makers across Canadian provinces

Working alongside an Indigenous community in Northern Ontario to support a community-led technology initiative

Working with experienced co-design teams to explore what’s emerging at the edge of practice

Helping a new family health practice grow quickly while offering thoughtful, human care

Partnering with universities to introduce more relational and reflective ways of working through design

  • My collaboration with Tieni and Nadine was an incredible experience. Their unwavering support and expert guidance throughout my design project were instrumental in its success. Tieni and Nadine’s work is deeply rooted in empathy. Their commitment to safety, respect, ethics, and integrity ensures that their designs work to positively impact people’s lives. Additionally, Tieni and Nadine’s ability to distill theory into actionable steps was immensely beneficial to my learning journey. After working with them, I now approach design challenges with confidence and apply innovative concepts effectively.

    S. Douglas, Design Project Lead, Public Sector | Health Canada

  • Nadine and Tieni are brilliant designers and facilitators of highly relational activities. They bring a deep understanding of how people communicate their wishes, experiences, feelings, and reflections, and build activities that channel those into clear insights for projects. They have also shifted the way our team runs meetings and plans projects. They have encouraged us to think with deeper continuity across projects and in terms of what matters to the people in our research network. They have encouraged us to connect with the personal elements of our work. I can’t imagine doing sustained community engagement activities without them!

    Jay Shaw, Canada Research Chair, Assistant Professor, Research Director (U of T); Scientist | WIHV

  • I was so impressed with Tieni and Nadine’s thought leadership as they quickly grasped the complexities of our project, effortlessly distilling it down to its most essential components while maintaining a keen eye on the overarching goals and objectives. This resulted in a streamlined and actionable roadmap that exceeded our expectations. What set them apart was their unwavering commitment to empathy-driven design. This instilled a feeling of inclusivity and collaboration, where all stakeholders felt heard and valued throughout the process. Furthermore, working with Nadine and Tieni was an absolute joy. They made me and our project team feel like equal partners… Their positive attitude, enthusiasm, and collaborative spirit made the entire experience not only productive but genuinely enjoyable. In working with Nadine and Tieni, my interest and inspiration for incorporating design thinking approaches into my work has grown immensely.

    Janette Brual, Research Associate | WIHV

  • The participants raved about Nadine’s ability to open their minds to what Design Thinking has to offer health system improvement. I was confident that those who completed the workshops were well-positioned to prioritize the needs of health system users and think creatively about system solutions as a result.

    Sonia Gaudry, Director of Projects and Partnerships | Health Commons Solutions Lab