Innovation Design - Knowledge Management Platform
Methods & Outcomes
Team
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How do you share knowledge and experience within an organization?
Highlights
A team of former consultants set out to build the knowledge-sharing tool they always needed, one that helps firms surface and apply expertise at the right moment.
They partnered with DFFRNT to improve the user experience of their MVP. Through journey mapping, user testing, and UX design, we helped shape a product that works seamlessly within real project workflows.
The result: a smarter, more intuitive tool that transforms how knowledge is captured and applied.
The Client
Three entrepreneurs with deep roots in management consulting noticed a recurring issue in their field: critical knowledge wasn’t being reused. Valuable experience and insights were getting lost between teams and projects.
Determined to solve this, they left their consulting firm to build a platform that would capture and surface actionable knowledge. It needed to work within the fast-paced, ever-changing world of consulting, not as a static archive, but as a tool embedded in real-time workflows.
Having previously collaborated with DFFRNT on CX training, they saw us as a natural fit. With our combined expertise in UX and consulting, the partnership offered mutual strategic value.
The Challenge
The startup’s initial proof of concept was a solid starting point, but it wasn’t usable. Navigation was confusing, workflows were unintuitive, and users struggled to apply the product in real-world scenarios.
Co-founder Tim Hawke described it clearly: “We were coming at this as businesspeople. We needed help creating something actually usable.”
The deeper issue, however, was structural. Most consultancies rely on methodologies and training to transfer knowledge, but these approaches rarely embed themselves into daily project life. The team needed to solve the core challenge: how do you deliver insight at the moment it’s needed, without disrupting the work itself?
The Solution
DFFRNT joined early in the product development cycle to help validate and redesign the MVP. We began with internal and external user testing to understand real behaviors and pain points.
We mapped the consultant journey from project prep to delivery and identified key friction points where knowledge sharing broke down. Using this insight, our UX team reimagined core workflows, improved navigation, and designed a more intuitive interface.
We also developed a design guide that could scale with the product and support future iterations, grounded in behavioral research and hands-on consultant feedback.
The Outcome
The platform’s experience was transformed. What started as a clunky prototype evolved into a functional and user-centered tool, backed by real insight and purpose-driven design.
The client team walked away with more than just design files, they had a roadmap for development, a deeper understanding of their users, and a product that aligned with the realities of how consulting teams actually work.
As they grow, the platform will help ensure that institutional knowledge isn’t siloed or forgotten, but captured and delivered in ways that genuinely support project success.
Key Takeaways
“We had a very smooth experience working with DFFRNT. They were very clear on where they were in the process and when things would be done. They bring a level of maturity and experience.
As people, they were genuinely excited by the prospect of what we were, what we are all developing and working on. This is a contrast from some of the other agencies I’ve come across.”
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