Best Design Thinking Consulting Services in the USA

United States Design Thinking Consultants

Design thinking is no longer just a buzzword—it’s a practical methodology for tackling today’s most complex business challenges. Across the United States, leading agencies are reshaping how companies innovate, blending customer empathy with structured problem-solving to create new opportunities for growth.

From pioneering frameworks like Jobs-to-be-Done to participatory design for civic innovation, the U.S. is home to some of the world’s most respected design thinking consultants. Each one brings its own flavor of methodology, style, and proven results.

This blog introduces a curated selection of trusted, research-driven, and client-reviewed design thinking consultancies based in the United States. These are the firms organizations turn to when they want to create real impact—not just run workshops.

Methodology: How We Chose These USA-based Design Thinking Consulting Services

We didn’t just gather names—we followed a transparent selection process to ensure each consultancy featured here truly stands out.

✨ Research-driven: Every agency demonstrates verified frameworks, case studies, and documented impact—not just claims.

💬 Client-reviewed: We focused on consultancies with authentic client feedback, ROI-backed case studies, and industry credibility.
📍 Location-based: Each provider has roots in the U.S. with founders actively shaping design innovation within the country.

This ensures the list is authentic, credible, and practical—a true guide for organizations exploring design thinking services in the United States.

🌟 US Design Thinking Consultants - Provider Spotlights

‍Cast & Hue

What they do:
Cast & Hue specializes in customer experience design, service design, and human-centered research. Their projects often focus on improving service delivery and reimagining customer journeys.

Who they work with:
Healthcare systems, government agencies, and service-focused enterprises.

Operating model:
Combines qualitative research with behavioral science to produce empathetic, measurable outcomes.

💡 Why they stand out:

🧩 Leaders in journey mapping for complex systems like healthcare.

💡 Strong integration of behavioral science into design processes.

🚀 Demonstrated ability to transform patient experiences through service innovation.

Steve Koch, Co-Founder & Partner

Steve Koch co-founded Cast & Hue to help organizations bring humanity back into service design. With a background in research and strategy, he has led major transformation projects, especially in healthcare. His leadership style is collaborative and empathetic, ensuring clients co-create solutions with their end-users. Koch is widely respected for his ability to translate insights into practical, scalable strategies.

Bret Giles, Co-Founder & Partner

Bret Giles co-founded Cast & Hue to bridge customer experience design with strategic storytelling. With over 30 years in marketing, digital media, and innovation, he has led transformative work in multiple consulting ventures. As a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business, he teaches digital marketing and innovation, blending real-world expertise with academic rigor. His leadership is marked by collaboration, practical insight, and a strong focus on translating research into action—particularly in improving service experiences in sectors such as healthcare and civic engagement.

‍Strategyn, LLC

What they do:
Strategyn is the consultancy that pioneered the Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) framework. Their outcome-driven innovation approach helps companies translate customer needs into structured growth strategies.

Who they work with:
SaaS companies, consumer goods organizations, and industrial firms.

Operating model:
A rigorous, data-driven consulting model built around JTBD and Outcome-Driven Innovation (ODI).

💡 Why they stand out:

📖 Invented and popularized Jobs-to-be-Done theory.

📊 Their frameworks are used by Fortune 100 companies worldwide.

🏆 Known for methodical, repeatable innovation systems.

Anthony “Tony” Ulwick, Founder & CEO

Tony Ulwick is a pioneer in design thinking applied to business strategy. His development of the JTBD framework has influenced innovation practices across industries. With an engineering and product background, Ulwick is respected for his structured, evidence-based leadership style. His consulting and writing have guided some of the most successful product launches of the last two decades.

Chris Nodder Consulting LLC

What they do:
Specializing in UX design, usability testing, and interaction design, this consultancy focuses on creating intuitive, user-friendly digital experiences.

Who they work with:
SaaS platforms, startups, and large digital product companies.

Operating model:
A boutique consultancy with a hands-on, evidence-driven approach.

💡 Why they stand out:

📚 Author of influential books on usability and UX design.

🎓 Former Microsoft UX lead with deep product expertise.

🔍 Strong track record in usability testing and interface design.

‍Chris Nodder, Founder

Chris Nodder is a UX researcher, educator, and consultant. He has held senior roles at Microsoft and is known for making complex usability principles accessible. Nodder’s leadership style emphasizes clarity, precision, and education, ensuring clients not only get solutions but also understand the reasoning behind them.

Foossa

What they do:
Foossa focuses on community-centered innovation, participatory design, and storytelling for change.

Who they work with:
Nonprofits, social enterprises, and civic organizations.

Operating model:
Uses co-creation and narrative-driven approaches to foster inclusive innovation.

💡 Why they stand out:

🌱 Specialists in design for social impact.

📖 Experts in using storytelling as a design tool.

🌍 Strong commitment to community engagement and co-creation.

David Colby Reed, Co-Founder

David Colby Reed is a strategist and educator whose expertise lies at the intersection of design and social impact. Through Foossa, he has guided organizations in designing with, not for, the communities they serve. Reed’s leadership emphasizes inclusivity, participation, and narrative clarity.

Lee-Sean Huang, Co-Founder & Creative Director

Lee-Sean Huang is a co-founder and creative director at Foossa, where he shapes participatory, community-centered design practice. He also serves as Senior Director of Learning and Programs at AIGA, producing educational content and programming for design professionals. Lee-Sean teaches at Parsons School of Design and School of Visual Arts, and has led projects ranging from Fortune 500 wellness initiatives to storytelling strategies for UN agencies. His leadership is characterized by inclusive collaboration, academic-practitioner synthesis, and a commitment to storytelling as a method for social innovation. 

‍C’EST WHAT? LLC

What they do:
A consultancy devoted to innovation culture, foresight, and creativity-driven design.

Who they work with:
Consumer brands, retail, and cultural organizations.

Operating model:
Anchored in trend foresight and creativity workshops.

💡 Why they stand out:

🔮 Pioneers of foresight-driven design innovation.

🎤 Known for high-impact innovation workshops.

📈 Extensive experience with large consumer-facing brands.

Michael Perman, Founder

Michael Perman is an innovation strategist and futurist. He has built a career helping organizations anticipate change and harness creativity. Perman’s leadership is known for being engaging and visionary, enabling organizations to prepare for emerging trends with confidence.

‍Fassforward

What they do:
Fassforward helps organizations with leadership alignment, organizational storytelling, and culture change.

Who they work with:
Fortune 500 companies and large enterprises.

Operating model:
Applies design thinking to organizational transformation.

💡 Why they stand out:

👥 Known for human-centered leadership design.

📊 Impactful work in enterprise culture change.

🎯 Clear focus on aligning people and strategy.

Rose Fass, Founder & CEO

Rose Fass is a consultant and entrepreneur recognized for helping companies navigate complex change. Her background in senior leadership roles informs her ability to translate complexity into simple, actionable strategies. Fass emphasizes empathy and storytelling in her leadership style, making her firm a trusted advisor to top executives.

Six Paths Consulting

What they do:
Six Paths Consulting offers innovation strategy, customer insight, and Blue Ocean-inspired consulting.

Who they work with:
Industrial and B2B organizations.

Operating model:
Anchored in Blue Ocean Strategy + design thinking.

💡 Why they stand out:

🌊 Experts in applying Blue Ocean Strategy.

📊 Data-driven innovation frameworks.

🌍 Global approach with U.S. leadership roots.

Ioan Carpus, Founder

Ioan Carpus is an innovation strategist and entrepreneur. His work integrates business transformation with human-centered practices. Carpus is known for his structured yet creative leadership style, helping organizations discover uncontested markets.

‍Design Thinking Leaders Driving Innovation in the USA

The best design thinking consultancies in the USA are reshaping industries by applying creativity, research, and strategy into practical solutions. Their work spans healthcare, consumer goods, SaaS, and digital platforms, offering methods that range from Jobs-to-be-Done to journey mapping and foresight-driven design. These firms stand out for pioneering unique frameworks like Psycho-Aesthetics® and JTBD, while also leading advancements in community-centered innovation and socially responsible design. Their founders are recognized thought leaders who bring a mix of visionary strategy and hands-on execution, influencing both Fortune 500 companies and fast-growing startups. Collectively, they highlight the ongoing relevance of design thinking as a catalyst for measurable growth and meaningful impact.

At Digital Reference, radical authenticity is at the core of every insight, ensuring organizations make decisions rooted in clarity and genuine perspective. This approach matters because it fosters trust, sharpens strategy, and creates outcomes that last.

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The USA continues to lead in design thinking by uniting strategy with innovation across sectors. From pioneering methods like JTBD and Psycho-Aesthetics® to fostering community-driven approaches, these consultancies demonstrate how ideas can be transformed into real impact. Their influence shows that design thinking is not just a methodology but a driver of sustainable progress and differentiation. For professionals seeking deeper guidance and actionable knowledge, the place to start is Digital Reference.‍