Intelligent by Design
Designers today need more than insights — they need judgement. I work inside that uncertainty. Turning research into intelligence that helps designers make better decisions.
Hi, I'm Emma. Coming from a military background, I don’t just “do research”. I produce intelligence. Assessments that enable action when the path forward isn’t clear. As a design researcher, I draw on 15+ years of experience to bring an intelligence lens to human-centred design. I combine cultural foresight with a deep understanding of perception and behaviour to assess not just what is happening now, but what might happen next.
What I Do
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Fail to plan, plan to fail. I work with teams to audit existing information, surface assumptions and develop hypotheses — then shape a research approach that will challenge what we think we know and uncover what we don't.
Information audit
List of assumptions and information gaps
Priority research requirements
Know, Discover, Method, Learn framework, and more
You get: More than a plan. You get alignment across teams and stakeholders and a clear direction for the research.
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The people you're designing for aren't making choices in a vacuum. I look beyond your project to understand the competition that shapes people's expectations and experiences.
Technology, performance, accessibility approach
Functionality & UX flow evaluation
Style, typography, colour, aesthetic cues
Content, messaging, tone, and more
You get: More than a comparison. You get an independent view into the competition — where expectations are being set, where alternatives fall short and where opportunities may exist.
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Time to collect some information. People rarely reveal the full story. I get out of the office and into the real world — observing people in context, asking the awkward questions and looking for the behaviours, workarounds and tensions that might otherwise remain hidden.
Desk research and literature reviews
Observational note-taking
Participant interviews
Diary studies
Shadowing
Journey and perceptual mapping, and more
You get: More than evidence. You get a full picture of the current-state — what is really happening, what is driving the behaviour, what people are feeling and thinking and foresight into where it all be might heading.
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Research is only useful if it informs design decisions. I synthesise the evidence to pull out the design implications. We do not explore solutions here. This is about carefully framing the problem and deducing opportunities.
Problem analysis
How might we statements
Priority user needs & requirements
Preliminary design recommendations, and more
You get: More than recommendations. You get a common understanding of the problem and alignment across teams and stakeholders for why it matters for the solution.
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Bring the people you’re designing for into the process. I create structured opportunities for users and stakeholders to explore experiences, challenge assumptions and imagine what could work better.
Brainstorming & mood boarding
Future-state experience mapping
Perceptual mapping
Dot voting, and more
You get: More than ideas. You get buy-in from users and stakeholders who bring different perspectives into the design process — surfacing ideas, priorities and possibilities for a better experience.
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Intelligent design should survive first contact. I put your final design under the microscope — what is working, what isn't and why. The aim is to reveal what people actually experience before you commit to the next iteration.
Usability and accessibility testing
Desirability testing
One-to-one evaluation interviews
Prototype walkthroughs
Heuristic review
Comprehension and interpretation review
You get: More than a list of issues. You get peace of mind knowing where there is hidden risk and opportunities to improve before the next major roll out.
Every decision you make is shaped by how you frame a problem.
From interviews to observation, tree testing and concept validation, I embed as a researcher throughout the entire design process to collect and analyse evidence, provide assessments and reduce uncertainty. Not to design the solution for you. But to give designers a stronger basis for deciding what to do next.
Selected work.
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The Evolve Project
In 2023, I supported the design team in developing the clients brand, customer, and employee experience. The challenge was designing one research program that could support multiple initiatives with different objectives and information requirements.
Using a mixed-method approach combining qualitative interviews, generative research, and co-design workshops, I created a shared understanding that helped teams make aligned design decisions.
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![Cover of the Illume storytelling studio website featuring the company name, logo, and the text 'Illume is an Information Storytelling Studio' on a dark blue background.]()
The Illume Project
In 2026, Australia’s first information storytelling company launched. Because the team were creating something new, there was no existing design to evaluate or competitors to benchmark.
Using an assumptions-based planning approach combining stakeholder interviews, co-design workshops, and qualitative research, I helped the team imagine how people might perceive, understand, and respond to the experience before it was brought to life.
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The Sila Project
I was first brought in by this Perth engineering company ahead of a full identity and website redevelopment. Instead of running research as a single phase, we worked together over 18 months.
Using an agile sprint based approach, I supported the team at different stages of the design process, from understanding the brand, to exploring customer pain points, and evaluating the UX of the website. This helped the team avoid costly mistakes often associated with waterfall approaches.
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![A sepia-toned photo of snow-capped mountains and a river valley, with overlaid text promoting a playful and intelligent approach to writing and copywriting for various brands.]()
The Fiction Project
Fiction Agency is a playful and intelligent writing company working with brands including lululemon, Nosworthy Group, and Merrell Australia. I conducted market and design research to support their brand repositioning and website redevelopment.
I ran surveys, stakeholder interviews and co-design workshops, to understand the people, perceptions and behaviours. This gave the team a stronger foundation for creative decisions.
CORE OPERATING PHILOSOPHY
How I work reflects what I believe: that research should stay close to the action to enable better decision-making.
Like intelligence, its value isn’t just in gathering information — it’s in being there as situations change and evolve.
Rather than a neat handoff from research → strategy → design, I use a parallel process, continually feeding evidence and judgements into the work. It’s a little messier but that’s what good research looks like. Not a report at the beginning, but an active source of intelligence throughout the life of a product, service or experience.
DIVERGENT THINKING, INTELLIGENT IMPACT
About Emma
I’m multidisciplinary researcher. In my analytical career spanning 15+ years, I have led and managed analytical and design teams, founded a company, worked with government, non-profits, startups, and more.
I bring both intuition and intellect to my work. For me, it’s as much about creative problem-solving as it is analysis. The evidence still needs to be there, but the puzzle is rarely complete. Imagination is what allows me to work within uncertainty — not by inventing facts or predicting the future, but by exploring what’s possible beyond what the data can reveal.
I’m Australian, born and bred. Working with me gives you access to my networks, wisdom and experience.
HIRE ME
Need to chat? You can DM me on Linked In or send me an email enquiry and I’ll get back to you within 24–48 hours.
Perth, Australia
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