I consider myself one of them.
Hi, I am Frank, a strategic designer.
What is design strategy?
Design strategy is the intentional process of understanding complex problems through a multidisciplinary lens, using research to uncover insights and co-creation to develop impactful solutions.
It ensures that every outcome aligns with the needs of users, customers, and organisations, integrating their requirements into a cohesive process that delivers meaningful and sustainable results.
What is a good design strategy?
When we look far beyond the problem to solve and begin seeing the broader context, all agents and actors influence and/or are influenced by our solution. Taking this into account is part of a good design strategy.
How I can support you:
Design is about solving problemsâno matter the context or discipline.
As a strategic designer, I help uncover potential futures, co-create actionable strategies to navigate towards desired horizons, and design services and products that are holistically sustainableâeconomically, socially, and environmentally.
Helping through the challenge of transformation
Design strategy consulting
I collaborate with organisations and companies to adapt to the evolving demands of the world, people, and their clients. By developing forward-thinking strategies and solutions, I ensure they can respond effectively to these changes and continue meeting the needs of their stakeholders.
Guidance through the design process
Facilitation
I facilitate creative and collaborative processes to help companies and organisations design impactful, sustainable solutions. This involves understanding problems deeply, analysing them holistically, and guiding the ideation and design process. My focus is on helping organisations create solutions that are not only effective and efficient but also enduring.
Creating structure and outcomes through frameworks
Design methodology
Design methods such as design research, design thinking, and systems thinking enable a human-centred and holistic approach to solving complex challenges.
Grounded in research and collaboration, these methodologies help create concepts, products, and services that address the needs of people while being mindful of the world around us.
Leading diverse teams to success
Multidisciplinarity
I work with multidisciplinary teams to draw on diverse expertise and perspectives, fostering continuous dialogue to craft meaningful solutions.
This process relies on adaptive leadership, which respects the unique personalities, cultural backgrounds, and skills of each team member to drive collaboration and success.
My professional journey:
At the beginning of my career, I co-founded a design studio called WERK 4, which was dedicated to designing sustainable furniture and researching materials from a circular economy perspective.
Since 2000, I have focused on digital projects, working as an art director and then as a service design lead for various industries, such as tourism, health, transportation, financial services, and telecommunications.
You can collaborate with me through Liminal Discovery, where I serve as Head of Design Strategy and Innovation.
Through my work, I have gained cultural and professional experience in Germany, Argentina, the United Kingdom, Greece, Spain, Switzerland, Schweden, Australia, the USA and Denmark.
I feel comfortable leading multilingual and multifunctional teams.
Selected projects as design lead in recent years
See selected projects
NGO | Denmark | Worldwide
UNOPS
Design research to explore the application of health and safety (H&S) policies in diverse cultural contexts.
UNOPS, a United Nations organisation, is responsible for rebuilding infrastructure like roads, hospitals, schools, and water supply systems after crises such as wars or natural disasters.
Challenge:
UNOPS wanted to assess the implementation of H&S policies across 17 developing countries. I led the research and data analysis, generating insights that informed a one-week workshop. The workshop introduced design thinking methodologies to an international group of stakeholders, empowering them to create actionable solutions for improving policy implementation worldwide.
#Research #CoCreation
#Facilitation #DesignLecturing
NGO | Spain
Fundament association
Design strategy and methodology to address social coexistence challenges.
I founded Fundament, a non-profit NGO, to apply design methodologies and strategies to social challenges, fostering better coexistence. Fundament focuses on making meaningful societal impact within Spain.
Challenge:
The NGO was created from my personal motivation to apply service design principles for social good. Fundament addresses systemic issues by fostering co-creation, collaboration, and impactful design.
#Research #StrategicDesign #CoCreation #UXDesign #ProductDesign #Prototyping #CorporateInnov#Research #CoCreation #Facilitation #StrategicDesign #SystemsThinking #ServiceDesign #DesignThinking #DesignLecturing
Financial services | Spain
Generali Insurance
Redesigning digital services for Spain as part of an international collaborative project (2017â2019).
Generali Group, the worldâs third-largest insurance company, is headquartered in Trieste, Italy.
Challenge:
Generali aimed to unify digital assets and services globally, improving UX and standardising visual identity. I led the Spain-based efforts to adapt international guidelines into localised solutions, ensuring they integrated seamlessly into an overarching design system.
#DesignResearch #ProductDesign #StrategicDesign #Facilitation #CoCreation #ServiceDesign #Apps #Desktop
Financial services | Switzerland
Zurich Insurance
Service design consulting for the âMake the Differenceâ programme.
Zurich Insurance Group is Switzerlandâs largest insurer, headquartered in Zurich. The company is a pioneer in transforming into a truly customer-centric organisation.
Challenge:
I collaborated with a multidisciplinary Zurich Insurance team to evaluate a new productâs fit for customer and business needs. After refining it to meet these requirements, the product was successfully launched and received internal innovation recognition.
#DesignLecturing #DesignResearch #StrategicDesign #Facilitation #CoCreation #ServiceDesign #InteractionDesign
Financial services | Spain
Banco Santander
Defining the services and experience of FX (foreign currency exchange) applications.
Banco Santander, a multinational banking leader headquartered in Madrid, is the worldâs 16th-largest financial institution.
Challenge:
The project focused on understanding the diverse applications of FX across banking products. We developed new service concepts for FX solutions tailored to different areas and client segments, grounded in detailed needs analysis.
#DesignResearch #Facilitation #Ideation #CoCreation #ServiceDesign
Manufacturing | Spain
CAF
Digitalising maintenance processes.
CAF, a global leader in turnkey transport projects, ranks as the worldâs 7th largest train manufacturer.
Challenge:
CAF sought to optimise maintenance processes using data from electric train devices. Our team developed a system to analyse this data, providing accurate foresight and streamlining processes in workshops. The solution also visualised data through dashboards for better decision-making.
#DesignResearch #Facilitation #Ideation #CoCreation #ServiceDesign #BigData #Tablet #Desktop
Financial services | Spain
Banco Popular
Research and co-creation of banking solutions for SMEs and design strategy to build new relationships between SME customers and banks.
Banco Popular Español, S.A., was Spainâs sixth-largest banking group before Banco Santander acquired it as part of a rescue package in June 2017.
Challenge:
Banco Popular sought to understand its most overlooked customer segment: small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Our work involved identifying the diverse needs of SMEs and creating 71 tailored initiatives to improve their banking experience while strengthening the bankâs role in their businesses.
#DesignResearch #Facilitation #Ideation #CoCreation #Service/ProductDesign #UXDesign #DesignStrategy #APP
Utility company | Spain
CAF
Analysis of product and service opportunities for millennials.
Endesa, Spainâs largest electric utility company, serves 10 million customers as a majority-owned subsidiary of Italyâs Enel.
Challenge:
Concerned about the habits and needs of younger generations, Endesa wanted to better understand their future customersâmillennials. Our research uncovered millennialsâ perspectives on energy and their expectations for the future. This informed the development of products and services tailored to their energy-related needs.
#DesignResearch #Facilitation #Ideation #CoCreation #Service/ProductDesign #UXDesign #StrategicDesign #APP
Retail | Spain
Makro (Metro group)
Omnichannel experience definition for the Spanish market.
Makro, an international brand of warehouse clubs, operates globally through Metro AG in Europe and SHV Holdings in Latin America.
Challenge:
Makro Spain aimed to enhance its service across various customer channels. Through research, we developed a service blueprint identifying opportunities to improve communication, interaction, and accessibilityâespecially for clients in underserved areas.
#DesignResearch #Facilitation #Ideation #CoCreation #ServiceDesign
Health industries | Spain
Vithas
Exploring big-data usage for processes and unification.
Vithas SA, a private Spanish healthcare provider, serves over 5 million patients across 20 hospitals and 20 health centres.
Challenge:
We helped Vithas identify opportunities for big-data consolidation and utilisation within their operations, uncovering ways to streamline processes and enhance their services.
#DesignResearch #Facilitation #Ideation #CoCreation #ServiceDesign #Implementation
Financial services | Greece
Piraeus / Winbank
APP design and digitalisation of customer processes.
Piraeus Bank, a key player in Greeceâs financial recovery, transitioned to digital processes to maintain operations during the financial crisis.
Challenge:
We developed an innovative digital product to onboard Piraeus Bankâs clients onto digital services. This reduced reliance on branch operations and encouraged self-service, winning multiple design awards in Greece.
##DesignResearch #Facilitation #Ideation #CoCreation #Service/ProductDesign #DetailDesign #Implementation #APP #UXDesign
Financial services | UK
TSB / Sabadell Bank
A customer- and brand-centric APP design for client services.
TSB Bank, a UK retail and commercial bank, is a subsidiary of Sabadell Group, with a network of 536 branches across England, Scotland, and Wales.
Challenge:
We designed a self-service app that digitalised TSB Bankâs customer-centric approach, bringing the bank closer to its clients in a seamless and intuitive way.
#DesignResearch #Facilitation #Ideation #CoCreation #Service/ProductDesign #APP #UXDesign
Travel industries | Spain
Amadeus IT Group
APP design and digitalisation of customer processes.
APP fleet/cruise planning digital experience.
Amadeus IT, a joint venture between Air France, Lufthansa, Iberia, and Scandinavian Airlines, provides information and reservation services globally.
Challenge:
We designed a vision and various prototypes for a white-label fleet planning tool to be operated on a tablet.
#DesignResearch #Facilitation #Ideation #CoCreation #DesignConcept #Tablet
Travel industries | Spain
BarcelĂł Hoteles
Redesign of digital experiences for mobile and desktop.
The BarcelĂł Group, one of the worldâs leading tourism companies, operates over 250 hotels and 700 travel agencies across four continents.
Challenge:
As part of a major digital infrastructure project, we conducted extensive international customer research across multiple destinations. This effort informed the comprehensive redesign of the digital platform, including the corporate information section, booking engines for hotels and aggregated services, as well as a dedicated events and congress management page.
#DesignResearch #Facilitation #Ideation #CoCreation #Service/ProductDesign #APP #UXDesign
Thought pieces:
SEE HOW SERVICE DESIGN CAN HELP FINANCIAL SERVICES TO TACKLE THEIR CHALLENGES.
SEE HOW SERVICE DESIGN CAN HELP NGO’S TO DESIGN MORE EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS.
SEE HOW SERVICE DESIGN CAN HELP THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY TO TRANSFORM INTO A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL.
