The Challenge

Joining a programme already in motion is never easy. With a defined backlog, established team rituals, and ongoing development, our challenge was to embed service design in a way that added clarity without disruption — and deliver a successful pilot in just ten weeks.

We needed to support both the client’s expectations and the internal design teams, helping them define what was worth solving and how to prepare the work for delivery. The solution had to be practical, collaborative, and fast-moving.

Our Approach

We designed a two-week sprint rhythm that offered structure, visibility, and guidance for everyone involved.

Week One focused on reviewing backlog stories and creating shared understanding through collaborative workshops.

We co-created lo-fi prototypes with the client — building alignment early through sketches and system thinking.

Week Two was dedicated to refining the experience, producing a final prototype and design guidance for handover.

We introduced transparent touchpoints every two days to review, share, and challenge assumptions — ensuring the team, stakeholders, and client were all on the same page.

Learnings

This way of working was new for the Fjord team. To support the shift, we partnered with an Agile Product Manager — a pivotal role that helped define clear expectations around backlog readiness and sprint planning.

Through this collaboration, we established shared rules of engagement across design and development, enabling teams to better estimate effort, reduce ambiguity, and work more confidently toward delivery.

Identifying Value

One of the most impactful outcomes was the Opportunity Map we developed — a tool designed to help both the team and client assess whether ideas were ready, viable, or required further discovery.

It allowed us to shift conversations from execution to intent — guiding business owners in understanding where design could unlock real value. This approach not only built trust, it gave the team a way to demonstrate how design could improve product planning, not just user interfaces.

Final Thoughts

Delivery is fundamentally different from design — and in this project, bridging that gap was our greatest opportunity. We supported a team of high-calibre service designers in adjusting their approach, reframing challenges, and introducing new practices within tight constraints.

It wasn’t just about what we made — it was about how we brought people into the process, evolved the studio’s ways of working, and introduced human-centered design at a broader organisational level.