Best Service Design Consulting Services in Australia

Australia Service Design Consultants

The Australian service design consulting landscape has become a thriving hub for innovation, human-centered solutions, and strategic transformation. From boutique firms rethinking community engagement to large studios shaping digital-first experiences, these agencies are helping organizations unlock new ways of working and serving their clients.

This curated list introduces standout providers whose work is backed by evidence, client results, and deep roots in the Australian market. By featuring their approaches and the leaders behind them, we aim to give you a transparent, research-driven view into the firms shaping service design in Australia today.

🔦 Methodology: How We Chose These Australia-based Service Design Consulting Services

When selecting the firms for this list, we relied on a mix of research validation, authentic client reviews, and a strong location-specific lens:

• 📊 Research-driven: Each consultancy demonstrates proven outcomes through frameworks, published case studies, or measurable project results.
  
  
• 💬 Client-reviewed: We prioritized companies with verifiable client feedback and clear ROI from their engagements.
  
  
• 🌏 Location-based: Every provider and founder featured here is rooted in Australia, with a strong presence and impact across the region.
  
  

The result is a list of authentic, trustworthy, and impact-driven consultancies that reflect the best of what service design can achieve in Australia.

🌟 Australian Service Design Consultants - Provider Spotlights

Mimosa Partners

‍What they do: Mimosa Partners blends service design with strategic foresight, guiding organizations through change and transformation. They specialize in co-creation workshops, customer journey mapping, and policy reimagination.

Who they work with: Government agencies, nonprofits, and corporates exploring systems innovation.

Operating model: A collaborative and participatory design-led approach, ensuring that end-users and stakeholders co-shape solutions from the ground up.

💡 Why they stand out:

🌿 Integration of design thinking and systems foresight for long-term transformation

🧩 Proven success in reimagining public and social services

🤝 Deep engagement with vulnerable communities and marginalized voices

Kiri James, Founder of Mimosa Partners

Kiri James is a design strategist with a background in policy innovation and human-centered design. She has spent over a decade helping government agencies and social enterprises redesign services with empathy and impact. Known for her facilitative leadership style, Kiri emphasizes inclusivity in co-creation processes. Her notable work includes leading community-driven redesigns in health and education sectors, where measurable service improvements were documented.

More Space For Light

‍What they do: More Space For Light specializes in service design, innovation sprints, and capability building. They help organizations rapidly ideate, test, and implement new solutions through design sprints and workshops.

Who they work with: Corporates, digital-first businesses, and innovation-focused teams.

Operating model: Their sprint-based operating model emphasizes speed-to-value, using structured frameworks like Design Sprint 2.0.

💡 Why they stand out:

⚡ Expertise in Google Design Sprint methodology

🎯 Results-focused—short timeframes, actionable outputs

🛠️ Proven tools and repeatable frameworks for scaling innovation

Dan Levy, Founder and Principal of More Space For Light

Dan Levy has an extensive background in strategy, design, and facilitation. With over 15 years of experience, he is known for helping organizations unlock creativity and align stakeholders quickly. His leadership is facilitative and energetic, making him a sought-after workshop leader. Dan’s career highlights include delivering sprint-led transformation programs for major corporations and mentoring innovation teams across sectors.

TheDesignThinkers

‍What they do: TheDesignThinkers is an Australian consultancy focused on embedding design thinking into organizations through training, facilitation, and project-based consulting. Their services include workshops, leadership development, and innovation strategy.

Who they work with: Corporates, education providers, and teams seeking to integrate design thinking into daily operations.

Operating model: They operate with a strong emphasis on capability-building — teaching clients to adopt and apply design methods themselves rather than outsourcing innovation entirely.

💡 Why they stand out:

📚 Strong focus on design thinking education and organizational embedding

🎓 Practical frameworks used to upskill teams across sectors

🤝 Known for cultivating long-term culture change, not just quick interventions

Nicola Mansfield, Founder and Chief Thinker of TheDesignThinkers

Nicola Mansfield is a strategic designer and facilitator with extensive experience in organizational transformation. Her leadership approach centers on equipping teams with tools and confidence to drive innovation themselves. Nicola is known for her ability to bridge theory and practice, bringing design thinking into corporate environments in a way that aligns with strategic goals. She has advised both startups and established organizations on embedding sustainable innovation practices.

Paper Giant

‍What they do: Paper Giant is a human-centered design consultancy focused on tackling social, cultural, and complex system challenges. Their expertise spans research, co-design, and strategy development.

Who they work with: Nonprofits, government agencies, and community organizations.

Operating model: Paper Giant prioritizes inclusive research and participatory design, working deeply with communities to ensure equity and real-world impact.

💡 Why they stand out:

🕊️ Strong track record in social impact and systems change

🔎 Evidence-based approach with robust ethnographic research

🌱 Known for ethical and inclusive design practices across sensitive contexts

Chris Marmo, Co-Founder and CEO of Paper Giant

Chris Marmo is a designer and researcher with a background in visual communication and service innovation. As co-founder, he has helped position Paper Giant as a leader in socially responsible design. Chris is known for his thoughtful and collaborative leadership style, often leading multidisciplinary teams through projects with wide-reaching social implications. His career highlights include co-designing services in healthcare, justice, and community development sectors.

MAKE Studios Melbourne

‍What they do: MAKE Studios Melbourne focuses on service innovation, transformation programs, and capability building. Their services help organizations co-create solutions, foster cultural change, and embed design in leadership.

Who they work with: Enterprises, public sector organizations, and innovation teams.

Operating model: MAKE runs with a co-creative model, combining strategic design facilitation with leadership coaching to ensure sustainable adoption of new practices.

💡 Why they stand out:

🎨 Expertise in design-led transformation programs

👥 Proven capability in stakeholder engagement across large organizations

🚀 Focus on building long-term organizational capability rather than one-off projects

Patti Hunt, Founder & Director of MAKE Studios Melbourne

Patti Hunt is an experienced design leader and strategist, known for her role in advancing design-led innovation in Australia. With a career spanning over 15 years, she has guided organizations through complex change processes. Patti’s leadership style is collaborative and empowering, with a focus on equipping leaders to embed design into their strategic toolkit. She has worked across industries including healthcare, education, and technology, helping organizations deliver lasting transformation.

The Wirrigan Group

‍What they do: The Wirrigan Group is an Indigenous-owned consultancy that integrates cultural knowledge with modern service design and advisory. They provide services in community engagement, organizational strategy, and co-design.

Who they work with: Government agencies, nonprofits, and community-based organizations.

Operating model: Their model is rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems, emphasizing respectful collaboration and cultural responsiveness.

💡 Why they stand out:

🖤 Indigenous-led, bringing unique cultural perspectives into service design

🌏 Expertise in community-led engagement and governance design

🤝 Trusted partner in government projects requiring inclusive, authentic collaboration

John McNamara, Managing Director of The Wirrigan Group

John McNamara is a leader with extensive experience in Indigenous affairs and community engagement. His career spans roles in government, advisory, and consultancy, where he has advocated for authentic Indigenous involvement in decision-making. John is known for his grounded and culturally respectful leadership style. He has successfully led projects that integrate service design with cultural frameworks, setting benchmarks for inclusive governance and policy.

Service Design Consulting Services in Australia. Driving Transformation and Innovation

Service design consulting in Australia plays a pivotal role in reshaping how organizations deliver value, from reimagining public services to creating seamless digital experiences. These consultancies stand out for their ability to combine design-led research, participatory methods, and strategic foresight to address challenges across government, corporate, and nonprofit sectors. By blending disciplines such as policy innovation, architecture, branding, and technology, they ensure services are both impactful and scalable. What makes them especially relevant today is their emphasis on inclusivity, cultural responsiveness, and building long-term organizational capability rather than one-off fixes. Their collective work highlights the growing importance of embedding design thinking and innovation into everyday decision-making across industries.

At Digital Reference, radical authenticity ensures that every insight is grounded in clarity and real-world relevance, giving leaders the confidence to make decisions that last. This approach is vital because it strips away assumptions and replaces them with evidence that directly informs strategy.

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Service design consulting in Australia shows how strategy and design come together to create lasting change. By integrating foresight, innovation, and inclusivity, organizations gain the tools to transform challenges into measurable outcomes. The same principle applies when seeking clarity in decision-making—trusted insights must lead the way. That is exactly what you’ll find with Digital Reference.‍