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nod-A

nod-A is Sia Partners’ collaborative design agency. We combine the strength of group intelligence and design approaches to understand your challenges, to make ideas emerge, and to prototype them with a human-centered mindset throughout.

A team to fuel your ambitions

Since 2009, we accompany organizations of all sizes to solve their most complex challenges while contributing to a more innovative and collaborative work culture

With over 800 projects under our belt, we bring co-creation, prototyping and a tried and tested user-centered approach to help design experiences, products, and services. 

Our team members come from a diversity of backgrounds, and share the belief that our best work stems from an authentic partnership with our clients, capitalizing on our respective strengths and seeing each project as an opportunity to learn and grow with you

We love to test and experiment. We are keen on seizing the opportunities of the post-pandemic world, from harnessing the power of the metaverse to collaboratively designing new workspaces better adapted to the emergent needs of your employees. 

Nod-A by Sia Partners in video

An approach to meet your needs

We have several strings to our bow. We pull from different approaches and tailor our methods based on your organization and your needs. 

Makestorming

It’s scientifically proven: working with your hands offers your neurons a different kind of work out. By combining the tangible and the abstract, we promote creativity and experimentation in our ways of working. With our Makestorming approach, we believe that the magic is in the making. 

We create, we liberate our minds and produce artefacts with your teams. These tangible representations of work accomplished are a great source of inspiration and pride for participants.

Design thinking

Design thinking is a human-centered approach that places users at the heart of the innovation process. It boasts five phases, through which we will guide and assist you:

We start with understanding the problem from the users’ perspective in the empathy phase, then use personas and journeys to frame the challenge during the definition phase, brainstorm and propose solutions in the ideation phase, and finally refine and validate those solutions during the prototyping and testing phases. 

Our convictions to support you

Collaboration and co-creation are at the heart of our approach. Because one change prepares another, we recognize the involvement of stakeholders as a key success factor of any transformation or change process. And that's not all...

We act as an accelerator. Whether your project is just starting out or already advanced, our fast-paced approach allows you to take action faster, facilitate convergence, and design solutions that go further.

We spend time figuring out the real issues during codesign phases. Thus, we maximize the value and viability of the solutions generated to meet the concrete and real needs of your users.

In our approaches, you design, build and materialize with the other stakeholders of a common project. The "making" and the intelligence of the hand are levers for collaborative innovation.

Our interventions break down silos, aim to develop skills in your teams, and promote a more innovative and collaborative working culture. In short, we help your teams rediscover the pleasure of working together!

“People make the difference, and nod-A makes a difference. They are professionals,  they know design, and they know their stuff. After working with them, things get easier. Starting [our project] without them, impossible!” 

David Duccini, CEO of Origins, France

“The nod-A team not only stood out by their approach and the quality of their methods, but also shone through their ability to adapt and adjust themselves throughout the process.” 

Karina Lallier, Business Transformation Lead, Via Rail, Canada

When to call on us

Our approaches serve as accelerators and can be introduced to all levels of your ecosystem, whether you wish to focus on products, experiences, teams, or your organizational culture:

Our diverse expertises

Our collaborative workshops are designed to take you from idea to action in ways that are more creative, agile, and efficient. They mobilize all relevant stakeholders, multiplying points of view and contributing to the richness of outcomes and deliverables.

Our courses demystify the secrets of collaborative work and accompany your teams as they learn skills and gain autonomy. 

Our training programs aim to build competencies in a group setting, employing a co-development mindset that bolsters positive team dynamics.

Whether they be off the shelf or fully customized to meet your specific needs, our innovative tools and serious games support you in all your projects. 

They are designed so that your teams may learn them and use them independently.

At each step of your projects we mix our design and consulting skills to create more value. We co-build tailor-made approaches that mobilize the right methodologies, the right tools, and the right experts for the success of your projects.

Worldwide reach

Need a hand? Get in touch

From our Design Centers located in France and Canada, we deploy our expertise around the globe to bring value to our clients and collaborators. 

Contact us: nod@nod-a.com

Nod-A's team