Workshops

Notice-Differentiate Workshops for brand, customer and leadership teams

Build the judgement, curiosity & empathy your people need to create more distinctive experiences

AI is accelerating productivity and output. But it doesn’t create audience empathy, curiosity, or the courage to make bold creative judgement. These hands-on workshops help businesses develop the human capabilities behind brand distinctiveness, deeper customer connection, and independent thinking.

BEST FOR:
Teams focused on brand, experience or innovation who want rigorous methods and a stronger culture grounded in customer empathy, curiosity and creative judgement
Enquire about a workshop
Book a call

Most teams are talented and motivated. But as AI accelerates output, the real business advantage is increasingly sharp human judgement: the ability to notice, empathise, read an audience instinctively, interpret, question and draw on that insight.

For people-led brands, customer experience is created in hundreds of small moments: how teams notice, respond, solve problems, and make people feel.

These skills are rarely taught, but give a key competitive edge. Without them, a brand is competent but forgettable. These workshops help teams build the human capabilities behind stronger customer connection and more memorable brand experiences.

Teams leave with:

  • A practical customer empathy framework

  • Methods and tools for customer- and market sensing

  • Strategies for creative inspiration

  • Ways to work humanly with AI

  • A repeatable method for interrogating briefs and ideas

  • Shared language for creative decision-making

What these workshops do

I work with your team to develop creative habits, curiosity and empathic instincts that sit behind great brand thinking. Sessions are built around real tools, real frameworks, and real brand challenges - rather than abstract theory.

TEAMS WILL achieve
Deeper audience instinct

Move beyond demographics and learn how to understand your customer. Build genuine empathy and sensitivity for how people think and feel.

Sharper observation

Spot what your competitors miss. Learn to pick up on cues that shape how customers feel, what they need, and how the environment impacts them.

More original thinking

Move beyond safe ideas. Learn to develop a rigorous point of view and make bold creative judgements with confidence.

How it works

Workshops are designed around your team's specific context and challenges. We begin with a short briefing call to understand where you are, what you're working on, and what would be most valuable. Sessions can be delivered in-person or remotely.

Teams leave with practical tools and frameworks they can return to, as well as honed habits of curiosity and empathy that last long after the session.

Sessions typically run as half-day, full-day or multi-session programmes.

Suitable for groups of up to 15.

Who this is for:

  • Leadership teams trying to protect business distinctiveness in an AI-first market

  • Founder-led businesses seeking to develop customer and empathic capabilities

  • Creative teams (brand, customer experience, innovation) looking to strengthen original thinking and ideation methods that AI alone cannot deliver

  • Small businesses needing expert tools to connect with customers

Right for you if …

  • You’re adapting your working processes around AI, but your team needs guidance on how to keep projects distinctive and human

  • Your team produces good work, but you want it to feel more original and confident

  • You're investing in developing capabilities and future leaders - not just output

  • You care about the legacy and impact of your brand on people and society

  • You want a tailored programme with rigorous methods, rather than an off-the-shelf training day

  • You're building a brand that needs to stand out in a noisy, increasingly generic sector

"Fiona brings the rigour of expert research planning and execution; a highly strategic perspective to how these translate into design; and the flexibility to collaborate to brilliant effect with creatives and business folks alike."

— ED WHITE, DESIGN DIRECTOR, IDEO
Led by Dr Fiona Maciver

I’m a Brand & Experience Strategist, PhD in Design Strategy, and former UX Research Lead at Meta. I bring together experience from technology, innovation, customer insight and creative education, alongside practical techniques I teach at Central Saint Martins, London.

Get In touch

Workshops are tailored to each team and priced accordingly. They are typically delivered as half-day, full-day or multi-session programmes, for groups of up to 15 people.

To discuss how I can bring most value to your team, email me on fiona@fionamaciver.com, or using the contact form below.

Email me about a workshop

Contact