Dr Emma Murphy is an experienced consultant delivering research, insights + strategy for clients across industry + academia.
Design-led approaches are fundamental to Emma’s methodology, helping organisations to tackle complex challenges, understand their context, and to think and act more strategically. Research is core to this.
Emma is a Strategy and Research consultant, with seventeen years of experience working across industry and academia. Emma is highly experienced in using design-led approaches to help organisations innovate, develop, and ultimately achieve their strategic objectives.
Her track record of working across design and business position her effectively to help your organisation develop its strategy, regardless of sector, using solid, qualitative research and developing meaningful insights.
Emma has worked with a range of local, national and international public and private sector clients including BBC Scotland, Volkswagen AG, Architecture + Design Scotland, Scottish Government, Jacobs and RBS.
How can I help?
Strategic workshops
Design and delivery of bespoke strategic workshops, tailored to your objectives. I use design-led approaches to define ways to tackle your organisational challenges. Workshop specialisms include Strategy, Business Development, Design Thinking, and Brand Fundamentals.
Research
Strategic and focused research to help you understand your context, and act upon it. This can include desk research around clients, customers, users, exemplars, competitors, trends and organisational context, or primary research to review your service offering, understand what’s important to your clients or customers, or to test your ideas. The approach is tailored to you and your objectives.
Business development
Tailored business development approaches to help you, grow, develop or sustain your organisation - or to scope or venture into new opportunities. This can involve working together to craft your value proposition and service offering, or scoping out opportunities for new projects and collaborations.
Bid and interview coaching
Supporting your team in the preparation of bids, tenders or pitches - including interview coaching. Having an external and critical pair of eyes can be invaluable when you’re so deeply ingrained in this kind of work.
Creative agency support
Strategic direction to support the development of project briefs, or strategic research to inform creative direction on specific projects. Acting as your “in-house” strategy team.
Services
Research Design + Delivery
Experienced in designing and delivering research programmes to help you achieve your objectives.
Desk Research
Comprehensive desk research including literature reviews, contextual reviews, competitor analysis, and key trends.
Primary Research
Insightful primary research including interviews, surveys, focus groups and research workshops.
Strategy Development
Development and implementation of organisational strategy. Specialist areas include business development, brand strategy, design strategy, research strategy, and innovation.
Workshop Design + Delivery
Design and delivery of strategic workshops, tailored to your business objectives. Specialist areas include brand strategy, design thinking, business development, value proposition and development of service offerings.
Teaching + Events
Experienced in curriculum design and delivery. Also available for keynote, lectures, and talks at events.
Testimonials
“Emma is a joy to work with. She’s a brilliant strategic thinker (and do-er!). Her workshops are engaging and purposeful, and her ability to plan and conduct research, and formulate great insights into solid strategy is unrivalled. She delivers above and beyond any challenge set to her - and helps clients and collaborators learn in the process.”
— Andrew Dobbie, Founder and CEO of creative brand agency MadeBrave®
“Having Emma come to deliver a Design Thinking workshop to our Founders on the Accelerator course was a great experience. She consulted with me on the group's needs, created a bespoke package, and delivered an excellent session. She made a topic that can be challenging easy to digest and relatable to each individual's business. The service was professional, friendly, and she made sure she had a thorough understanding of our needs as well as that of our clients. I'd highly recommend working with her.”
— Lynne Martin, Creative Accelerator Manager, Elevator UK
“If you’re working with Emma, be prepared to be challenged - great answers do not come without effort. She provides professional, well-researched approaches that are both engaging and fundamentally productive. She’s a pleasure to work with, but more importantly, she delivers outcomes that excite.”