Service design for businesses, nonprofits & schools
Let's fix what's slowing your business down.
Better workflows · Happier customers · Less chaos
Your customers are frustrated. Your team is stretched thin. And between funding cuts, policy shifts, and technology changing faster than anyone can vet it, it's hard to know where to even start.That's the gap I work in — the space between "something's broken" and "here's exactly how to fix it." I'm Jennifer Anderson. I trained in design strategy at Carnegie Mellon and spent years solving interface problems for major film and game studios before turning that same systems thinking on growing businesses, nonprofits, and institutions.What that looks like in practice:
Guided an educational nonprofit through a two-year transition with zero downtime; they came out more stable and better funded.
Contributed to the redesign of a 1,500-page federal manual nobody could use and made it navigable for the people who rely on it daily.
Taught design thinking to university students and creative problem-solving in K-12 classrooms.
Testing AI tools hands-on before recommending them to clients.
If you're navigating a friction point — a process that's failing, a service that's not landing, a system your team has stopped trusting — book a free discovery call. I only take on work where I know I can add genuine value. If your project's better suited for another specialist, I'll point you there instead.
Who You're Working With
I am Jennifer Anderson, a Service Design Consultant in Seattle. I began my career designing things people used for entertainment. First it was interactive media for HBO and Warner Brothers, and then game interfaces for Activision's Treyarch. That early work taught me a hard truth: design is about far more than how something looks. It has to communicate clearly to the people using it — because that communication is what actually shapes how the experience feels.This realization led me to study at Carnegie Mellon, where I earned a Master of Design in Communication Planning and Information Design. I had the privilege of teaching undergraduates in a program that helped pioneer human-centered service design. This built on my foundation in ethics and aesthetics from UCLA, where I examined the very nature of beauty and awe.Taking academic rigor to the field, I collaborated with a team of researchers on how the U.S. Postal Service's operations manual functioned (or didn't) as a learning and reference tool. It was striking to see how fixing a single document rippled through the institution. I also spent two years directing the relocation and transformation of a cooperative preschool, coordinating architects, contractors, city planners, board members, and educators without missing a single day of learning. That work honed a specific skill: spotting exactly where a system stops communicating clearly with the people who depend on it.This is the lens I bring to your organization. I look for the places where a system has stopped communicating with the people who depend on it — a course nobody finishes, a process your own team has stopped trusting, a handbook nobody actually reads. I get specific about why. What you're left with isn't a binder of recommendations, but a clear sense of where to act first, and how. It's the same work I've always done: helping people understand what's in front of them, so they can actually use and enjoy it.
UCLA, B.A. • Carnegie Mellon, M.Des.
25+ Years in Design, Research, & Strategy
The AI Lab: What I'm Testing
(So You Don't Have To)
The AI Lab is where I test new AI tools before recommending them to a client. When I recommend AI for your business, it'll be based on what I've actually tested, not what a vendor told me works. I run experiments with AI writing, images, video, and audio to find out what actually works — and what's just marketing noise.Nothing here is polished. It's honest exploration, so my advice stays grounded in what I've seen with my own eyes, not what a vendor told me.I am currently testing open source agentic A.I. for viability in creating custom workflows for clients.
Sound & Voice
Small tests with AI voice and music tools — figuring out where they actually help a customer's experience, where they sound unnatural, and what you'd need to sort out ethically and legally before using them in your business.
AI for Everyday Tasks
Beyond the creative stuff, I also test AI as a helper for the day-to-day — sorting emails, summarizing long documents, drafting first versions of things. These agentic tools don't replace your judgment; they handle the tedious parts so you can focus on the work that actually needs you.
Why this Lab exists
The Lab is not a formal research program. It's how I stay hands-on with new tools. This way when AI shows up in a recommendation to you, it's based on what I've actually tested — not what's trending. The practical focus is on:
Which effects and outputs are reliably achievable with current tools
Where human judgment is still non-negotiable
Where AI says no or gets things wrong in ways that could create problems for your customers or your team
If and when I recommend AI for your business, it's with these realities in mind — aimed at reducing the work your team carries, not adding new complexity.
Curious how any of this might apply to your business? Mention the AI Lab when you reach out — I'll pull a relevant example for your first call.
Images & Video
Generated Image Series
Tests across different AI image tools to find out which visual styles are actually reliable — not just lucky one-offs.Music Video Prototype
A complete music video assembled using AI image and editing tools, used to find out how far current AI can go before human editing becomes essential.Motion Tests
Short video clips that stress-test how well AI handles realistic movement — walking, weight, and camera motion — across different tools, with notes on where things break down.
Writing Tools
Style and Constraint Tests
Pushing different AI writing tools to write in specific forms — poetry, structured narrative, constrained formats — to see where they do well, where they drift into generic output, and where they still need a human.Where AI Says No
Testing where AI refuses to help or gives overly cautious answers on sensitive topics — and what that means if you're using these tools to communicate with customers.
Common Ways Businesses Are Using AI right now:
Time management
Meeting notes and summaries
Drafting emails, briefs, and reports
Data analysis and trends
Research and reporting
Invoicing and bookkeeping
Project management
Email and file organization
Affinity's Service Design & UX Consulting Services
Whether you're just starting out or ready to fix what's slowing you down, every package here is built around one idea: your business should work well for the people it serves, and it should be easy to run for the people inside it.
I'll start by understanding your situation, then give you something concrete you can actually use. No jargon, just a clear picture of where you are and a real plan to get where you want to go.
Find the right service for your needs
Not sure where to begin? This table gives you a quick overview. Select any package for full details, deliverables, and pricing.
| Service Package | Best for | Time | Primary ROI | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spark → | You know something's off. Find what's broken and where to start | 2-3 weeks | Clear priorities. No more guessing what to fix first. | $2,500 and up |
| Ignite → | You've identified a real problem. Get the root cause analysis and solution architecture | 5-6 weeks | Root cause found. Solution architected. Team unblocked. | $6,500 and up |
| Blaze → | You're ready to scale. Full service redesign and strategic roadmap | 8-10 weeks | A strategic roadmap built around your people, not vendor promises. | $9,500 and up |
Prices are set as a scope-dependent fixed fee after a complimentary discovery call.
Not sure which one fits? That's what the first call is for. Tell me a little about where your business is right now — I'll point you in the right direction, no pressure.
Blaze: The Growth Blueprint
You've built something that works, and now it's time to make it work smarter. Whether you're looking to reduce manual effort, improve how your business scales, or evaluate whether AI tools could help, this service gives you a clear path forward. Best suited for organizations preparing to scale, launch a new program, or modernize how they deliver services — including nonprofits building toward long-term financial stability, education organizations redesigning their student or family experience, and businesses that want to grow without adding operational chaos.This is not a technology audit. It's an objective look at how your organization actually delivers services and a practical blueprint for making it work at scale.Pricing: Starting at $9,500
*Implementation support available separately as a retainer.
Deliverables:
A clear picture of who's involved, what's slowing things down, and what you're actually trying to achieve.
A redesigned plan for how your service should work, with the reasoning behind every change spelled out.
A straight answer to 'should AI be part of this?' This includes where it would genuinely help, and where it would just add risk.
30-day post-delivery support window for questions or clarification.
Spark: The Clarity Audit
You know your service experience isn't working as well as it should, but you're not sure exactly where or why. Spark gives you a clear, expert-backed picture of what's getting in the users' way with a prioritized action plan so your team knows exactly what to fix first. Particularly useful for nonprofits reassessing how members move through their programs, growing businesses preparing for a service change, and educational organizations that have grown faster than their systems.This is a focused, time-bound engagement: no fluff, no padding, just honest findings and smart priorities.Pricing: Starting at $2,500
Deliverables:
Written findings report with issues categorized by type and ranked by severity.
Prioritized action list with rationale, ready to hand to any implementation team.
Comprehensive presentation of findings.
30-day post-delivery support window for questions or clarification.
Ignite: The Root Cause Fix
You know the problem. Your intake process creates more confusion than it resolves. Users drop off at a critical step. Whatever it is, it's costing you time, money, or user trust — and you're ready to do something about it. This is a strong fit for businesses navigating an operational bottleneck, nonprofits whose internal processes aren't keeping pace with their mission, and educational programs where a course or service workflow isn't landing the way it should.Ignite goes past the symptom and finds the actual cause. You leave with a clear diagnosis and a concrete solution.Pricing: Starting at $6,500
Implementation support available separately as a retainer.
Deliverables:
Customer research that reveals what your audience actually needs.
A step-by-step map of your customer's experience, from first touch to finish.
A messaging guide: what to say, to whom, where, and how.
A final blueprint ready to hand off to your implementation team.
Working sessions to align your team around the implementation process.
30-day post-delivery support window for questions or clarification.