Think Forward. Innovate Boldly.
Design That Works
About
- Founded in 2021 with a mission to shape the future through human-centered innovation
- A unique approach combining design thinking, agile methodology, and game theory
- Experienced team of strategists, designers, and developers with over 120 years of combined experience
Our Services
- Strategy & Insights: Opportunity Scanning and Idea Vetting
- Design: Experience-Driven Design
- Delivery: Product and Service Roadmap
Our Process
- Discover: Research, empathy mapping, jobs to be done
- Define: Synthesize findings into actionable insights
- Develop: Rapid prototyping and iteration
- Deliver: Agile development and product launch
Risk Mitigation
- Validation through research, prototyping, MVPs
- Parallel path strategies pursuing multiple concepts
- A phased approach to optimize funding
Strategy & Insights
Discover: Research, empathy mapping, jobs to be done
Define: Synthesize findings into actionable insights
Design
Develop: Rapid prototyping and iteration
Delivery
Deliver: Agile development and product launch
Our Process
Our team has led and delivered large-scale software and design projects in multiple startups and enterprise environments like Anthem, JP Morgan Chase, and Wells Fargo.
Discovery
At GIO, we're investigative journalists of the business world, chasing down the story through immersive experiences. We go undercover with hidden cameras to capture candid customer reactions. We have customers film video diaries to document real-life frustrations over weeks of use. We shadow shoppers in retail stores to unlock insights through body language.
Our creative strategy toolkit overflows with resources to uncover consumer truths. We conduct expatriate interviews to understand global needs. We perform sentiment analysis during user testing to reveal emotional connections. We mine social media comments and review sites for unfiltered opinions. On Project Katchup, we don the uniform and go undercover as a short-order cook to get the inside scoop on a restaurant's staffing woes. We shadow product teams at Twitter, observing their process to discover opportunities for higher-velocity innovation.
GIO helps you see around corners with x-ray vision powered by design thinking, jobs-to-be-done theory, and interactive data visualization. We're your embedded journalists, providing on-the-ground intelligence through focus groups, card-sorting exercises, and competitive audits. With unmanned aircraft video and thermal imaging, no stone goes unturned. Let GIO leverage our crafty capabilities to get the real story about your customers. With us as your partner, no scoop goes uncovered.
Design & Delivery
At GIO, the design and delivery phases work in parallel to bring ideas to life quickly and effectively.
The focus is on transparency, flexibility, and regularly delivering value.
By integrating our design thinkers with agile engineers, we can swiftly align around the right product vision and bring it to market. This unlocks faster innovation cycles and real-world feedback.
Our expertise across the full process - from insights to prototypes to delivery - allows us to bridge the gap between strategic vision and concrete reality effectively. Let us know if you need any clarification or expansion on our end-to-end capabilities.
Cultural Fit
- We are special teams for special projects. We tailor to your work styles, embedded or independent.
- Promote open communication, transparency, and shared ownership
Pricing
- Monthly retainer model based on scope
- Milestone billing
- Milestone billing
Case Studies
Katchup: Opportunity discovery and market validation for an on-demand staffing platform, leading to improved restaurant staffing and flexible earnings opportunities for workers.
VoxIntentAI: A leading healthcare insurance company transformed its IVR system with VoxIntent AI, leading to an 80% increase in containment rate and saving $3 million per quarter in operational costs.
Meet Our Team
We're a global, remote, diverse team with various skills and talents, representing every major industry. We bridge the gap between strategy and execution.
Tam Danier
Managing Director
Product & Design Strategy | AI/ML
Tam Danier is an accomplished product leader and strategist with over a decade of experience driving innovation through AI/ML-powered solutions for fast-growing companies. She has overseen the full product lifecycle, from ideation to launch, leading initiatives that have resulted in cost savings, increased revenue, and improved efficiency. Tam has worked with global brands like Twitter, Apple, and Anthem to develop innovative solutions for complex business problems. Her passion lies in creating user experiences that are both enjoyable and intuitive, achieved through a combination of analytical thinking, creativity, and cross-functional collaboration. Tam holds an MBA, Design Thinking, and AI/ML certifications from Stanford and MIT. She is also an enterprise trainer in design and product management, having worked with top companies such as McKinsey & Company, The Walt Disney Company, and Guardian Insurance.
Saad Bashir
Principal Strategy & Digital Transformation
CIO | CTO
Saad Bashir is a highly experienced transformational leader with over 20 years of expertise guiding organizations through change as a CTO, CIO, and senior strategist. His main focus is designing practical roadmaps that bridge the gap between vision and flawless execution. Saad has successfully led complex initiatives for global brands such as Amazon, Zillow, and the City of Seattle. He is deeply committed to empowering teams to reimagine what's possible to achieve game-changing outcomes. Saad holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering and a Master of Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University.
Connie Wang
Operations
Anna Denysenko
Design
Joshua Philo
Product Lead
Victor Shalashniy
Engineering
Anton Berestov
AI/ML Engineer
Yash Thakur
Developer
