70% of transformation projects* don’t deliver value because they misunderstand the Human Factor.

We fix that.

*Includes Artificial Intelligence programs.

Innovative change can be hard.

Based on decades of research by global consulting companies, an average of 70% of innovation transformations fail. Key reasons include incomplete requirements, lack of user involvement, unclear scope, planning confusion or solving the wrong problem. These are all human-centred challenges, not technological limitations.

That’s why, in order to improve organisations and their products, services and experiences, at Cognitive Ink we start with the Human Factor—people and their needs. Needs shape the systems that deliver the interactions, experiences, value and eventually the technology.

Skipping any one of these risks delivering something that doesn't function, feels terrible or solves the wrong problem. Skip all of them and you threaten organisational performance, value, longevity, reputation, and more.

Human centred service, experience and value design puts the focus on human needs, then translates them into a clear and practical vision of the future and the technology that will deliver it.

13 years

Founded in 2013 to bring the best of psychology, business analysis and systems thinking to bear on Human Centred Design.

165+ projects

Projects in engineering, banking, insurance, financial services, manufacturing, software systems, healthcare, logistics and more.

70+ clients

Clients include government, startups, NGOs and commercial organisations across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK and the US.

Melbourne based

Based in Melbourne, serving clients across Australia, New Zealand and beyond.

Meet the founders

Co-founders Christopher & Anna are 20 year veterans in Human Centred Design, User Experience, Business Analysis and Service Design.

Christopher is a Researcher, Experience and Service Designer. He holds a Masters in Psychology (Honours) and a postgraduate Certificate in Human Factors.

Christopher spent years with some of Australia’s first Usability and Experience Design (UX) companies before founding Cognitive Ink in 2013.

Anna is a Business Analyst and Service Designer. A specialist in bridging technology with business and regulatory environments, Anna spent a decade as a Lead IT Business Analyst at the investment banks Babcock & Brown and Macquarie Bank, before joining Christopher to create Cognitive Ink.

A qualified lawyer, Anna holds a Bachelor of Laws (focusing on Business Law) and a Master of Laws (Honours) (focusing on Technology Law), as well as Certifications in Business Analysis and Financial Analysis.

“You two are the king and queen of design research. It’s not just about your insights, it’s how you lift them up and bring them into the business. You never fail to astound me.”

~Maureen Thurston

Acting Director of Design Factory at Swinburne University of Technology Melbourne, Former Chief Experience Officer of Aurecon, and Chair Emeritus of Good Design Australia

Our services

Four capabilities, endless combinations

Experience Explorer

Figure out what’s working, what’s not, and what’s interesting about existing or future experiences.
Using: HCD Research, Experience Evaluations, Usability Testing, Ethnography and Interviews.
Human Centred Designer

Design how a better experience, or new technology could work, in the context of your organisation.
Using: Tactical Experience Fixes, Full Experience Design (UX) and Future Technology Prototyping.
Business Analyst

Understand and improve the operations, business procceses and business models that lead to better customer experiences.
Using: Business Modelling, Process/Workflows Analysis, Risk Exploration and Service Design.
Innovation Guide & Capability Builder

Find a path to the right future, by helping everyone up-skill and get onto the same page.
Using: Capability Building, HCD Training, Facilitation, New Ways of Working, Experience Prioritisation and Storytelling.