we're a strategy-to-execution consultancy purpose-built to help businesses and startups drive relentless innovation and excellence in digital products & services.

we're a strategy-to-execution consultancy purpose-built to help businesses and startups drive relentless innovation and excellence in digital products & services.

 
 
 
 
ready-for-anything packages
fractional plans for startups
small
strategy-ready
Let us arm you with foundational 'what, why and how' research, data and insights to roll-your-own informed strategy
includes:
  • Data review & analytics
  • Interviews & field research
  • Personas & journey maps
medium
design-ready
Have an internal design team? Great! We'll handle the insights and drive strategy definition to get them off on the right foot
everything in small plus:
  • Workshops & design sprints
  • Solutions worth building
  • Business cases & roadmap
large
build-ready
Lots of devs? Our researchers, strategists and designers will provide everything they need from insights to design systems
everything in medium, plus:
  • Prototyping & testing
  • Complete UX & UI
  • Build-ready spec & assets
x-Large
launch-ready
Parachute in a product team to handle everything, start to finish. All you'll need to do is flick the switch and go to market
everything in large, plus:
  • Solid tech solution for today
  • Extensible for tomorrow
  • Go-to-market-ready product
 
advise
trusted counsel
It's never too early for access to expertise & guidance, especially in a startup where every decision is a brick in your foundation
includes:
  • Access to all tension leads
  • On-demand consultation
  • Always-on, dedicated chat
guide
team direction
Hire a junior team, and tap into tension's expertise to guide & mentor your staff, optimize your workflow, and review deliverables
includes:
  • Staff 1:1's & mentoring
  • Progress & deliverable reviews
  • On-demand direction & advice
lead
fractional heads
Need internal leaders, but no runway to hire? Get all the value of senior A-team resources, at a fraction of the cost of FT staff
includes:
  • Dedicated % of tension leads
  • 1, 2 or 3 days a week
  • FT value at PT cost
execute
swat team
Manage the ebbs and flows with a self-contained product team, for as short as you want or as long as you need
includes:
  • Full product team, as needed
  • Strategy to execution
  • 100% dedicated, plug-and-play
 
Explore all our easy to understand, outcome-based packaged services
view our packages
We'll help you realize your potential, even if you're bootstrapping
view our plans
we're bringing meaning back to experience consulting

Over the last decade we've seen the commoditization of the digital product & service design and development market. It's more about ticking the boxes, and less about purpose.

It's time for a return to craftsmanship, care, empathy and quality — and a vehement disregard for the status quo — from what's become a monotonous, cookie-cutter process weighed down by “best practices”, templates, frameworks, and platforms.

It's time for real design. It's time for real results.

product
& service
design
evolved

We focus on what matters: solving the right problems, in the right ways, informed by the right data and insights. No trends, gimmicks, or buzzwords.

Our engagements are not lead by business, design, or development. There's no strategy team, or design or tech streams working in isolation. Our engagements are co-lead by strategy, cx, design, tech and adoption subject matter experts — from beginning to end.

No handoffs, or getting up to speed. No backtracking or program-altering decisions made without the right people in the room. The right people are always in the room, working to build the best products & services possible; for you, and for your customers.

why we're different
are you a new, stealth, change-the-damn-world startup?

We've got something just for you. Well, it's not really for you, it's for us. We love working on next-gen products & services and helping you and your startup change the world.

Bootstrapping is a whole other ballgame though, and our simplified packages might not be a good fit for you at this time. That's why we've created a series of options available only to product or service startups; check them out.

get start-ready
let's talk about what you can do with a little

Starting something? Maybe you're building a new product or service from the ground up, or revamping an existing one? We can help.

Let's have a chat!

talk to us