Gunes Kocabag
Human-centred design and strategy
Gunes Kocabag
Human-centred design and strategy
About
I am a researcher and designer with an eclectic background combining engineering, service design and anthropology, which helps me bring a well-rounded perspective to my work. I’ve spent more than a decade working internationally as a consultant, where I guide teams and organisations in developing products, services, strategies that deliver value to their users and stakeholders as well as driving towards business and organisational goals.
In my work, I apply human-centred design (HCD) and behavioural research methodologies to identify actionable insights and inspiration from the field, and make these tangible for other project stakeholders. I excel in making sense of large amounts of data to define the hidden patterns and implications for the project. I design new value propositions, and structure the creative process in a collaborative and participative way to bring other stakeholders along the journey.
I have worked with private companies in diverse sectors -most often, but not limited to tech or digital product development- as well as global development organisations, governments and I/NGOs in areas including healthcare, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, sustainability and climate adaptation.
I have a constant learning mindset and an immense curiosity towards understanding diverse perspectives to tackle complex problems. I am looking to partner with mission-driven organisations to help build sustainable processes, products and services that align value for business with value for society and the planet.
Most of my work falls under the below categories
Design research
Capacity building
Strategic design
I bring a holistic, user-centred perspective to research design, and conduct field research to generate relevant insights. My research work can be categorised under two main areas: foundational research to identify needs, drivers and barriers that informs program or intervention design, and evaluative research aimed at testing, refining a
I bring a holistic, user-centred perspective to research design, and conduct field research to generate relevant insights. My research work can be categorised under two main areas: foundational research to identify needs, drivers and barriers that informs program or intervention design, and evaluative research aimed at testing, refining and enhancing existing programs, products or services. My approach is characterised by the integration of behavioural approaches and participatory techniques, each tailored to meet the unique requirements of the project. Collaborating closely with project stakeholders, I deliver actionable insights and practical tools and frameworks that provide a base for informed decision-making.
Strategic design
Capacity building
Strategic design
I bring in a human-centred approach to strategic decision making, guiding organisations through a methodological consideration of the social, organisational and technical complexities they face. This includes the diverse human experiences of the beneficiaries, users, partners and other project stakeholders, as well as the broader system
I bring in a human-centred approach to strategic decision making, guiding organisations through a methodological consideration of the social, organisational and technical complexities they face. This includes the diverse human experiences of the beneficiaries, users, partners and other project stakeholders, as well as the broader system perspective of the social, cultural and planetary factors.
My strategic design work builds on facilitating dialogue and co-creation among stakeholders. Together, we define comprehensive frameworks, design principles, use cases and roadmaps to navigate the path from the present state to the envisioned future state.
Service design
Capacity building
Capacity building
I assists teams in carefully crafting both their user or beneficiary experiences and the necessary behind-the-scenes processes that deliver these experiences. By adopting an evidence-based and collaborative approach that engages project stakeholders, users and beneficiaries alike, I help teams think through the details of their idea, prot
I assists teams in carefully crafting both their user or beneficiary experiences and the necessary behind-the-scenes processes that deliver these experiences. By adopting an evidence-based and collaborative approach that engages project stakeholders, users and beneficiaries alike, I help teams think through the details of their idea, prototype, test and iterate their service. The deliverables of this process, such as prototypes at different fidelity levels, storyboards, user journeys, and service blueprints, help make the service tangible and guide a smooth transition from ideation into the testing and implementation phases.
Capacity building
Capacity building
Capacity building
I train multidisciplinary teams on design thinking, design research and service design methodologies and work with leadership teams to seamlessly integrate these methodologies into daily operations. I offer trainings, either online or in-person, through workshops tailored specifically to my clients' sectors or focus areas.
Beyond workshops
I train multidisciplinary teams on design thinking, design research and service design methodologies and work with leadership teams to seamlessly integrate these methodologies into daily operations. I offer trainings, either online or in-person, through workshops tailored specifically to my clients' sectors or focus areas.
Beyond workshops, I provide ongoing coaching and support, guiding teams from project design through to implementation, championing a human-centred perspective, fostering deeper, creative thinking. Simultaneously, I ensure that these invaluable skills are transferred to the team through reusable tools and frameworks.
