Principal - Alexis Finch
I am, at the root of it all, unquenchably curious.
Every client has a story to be told, every user has a reason to love – or hate – the products they interact with. I dig into the why of those relationships, and craft ways to improve them.
I specialize in primary field research and ethnography, and translating those findings to strategic planning and actionable experience design. I work with clients at every stage of business, be it the rebranding of a mature product or ideation towards something entirely new.
I hold a BA in Anthropology from The University of Chicago, with a focus on the cross cultural interpretation of health and wellness, and the position of medicine in society. I continued my academic studies by attaining an MA in PR/Advertising from DePaul University, looking at the position of brands and their identities in our lives as a modern day mythology.
My work has included rationalizing a brand whose lineup had expanded beyond shopper's ability to navigate at the shelf, leaving them lost in the aisle rather than bonded to the brand. I've investigated the meaning of water consumption from a cultural perspective, diving into its position as an individual vs communal resource with personal vs public interaction, in order to provide insight for a new product launch. I have mapped the path of the male shopper and how that path's divergence provides opportunities for brand communication and user evangelism, while opening up a completely untapped and previously unreachable market. I've researched the processing of scent by the brain and how its direct connection to memory can be used to queue meaning and emotional response.
In every case, it's all about asking "why" and being willing to keep asking, no matter how obvious the reason seems to be.
My goal is to tell your story effectively to the appropriate audience. The process of reaching this goal often includes identifying potential early-adopters of new products or features, as well as tailoring these to fit within those user's habits. I have experience across industries – including tech, film, music, package design, OTC, consumer products, shopper marketing, and B2B – providing me with the ability to see patterns of problems and the opportunity to adapt successful solutions.
My strategic work has been recognized by HOW Design Magazine [April 2013]. I currently sit on the Advisory Board for Seed&Spark and have been an invited mentor for SXSW V2V, DevBootcamp, Startup Weekend, Parisoma, WIM and Tradecraft.
Past clients You might recognize
What have I been up to working for the biggest brands out there? The details – as you might imagine – are proprietary. They're locked away in R&D, being mulled over and integrated into the larger brand strategy. That's the nature of research, and I wouldn't have lasted as an agent of their dealings if I told tales.
I can tell you this much:
I've designed and executed international research projects, coordinated local teams on the fly and gathered intel at retail, on the street, and over dinners. My reports back illuminated the human factors that would result into a product's success ...or failure.
I've written white papers and presented research to the top brass, helping plan product relaunches, inform brand redesigns and assess partnerships. What I've written has turned invisible consumers into predictable, targetable shoppers. My research and presentations have saved budgets and protected brand identities.
It's been a wild ride and there are stories to be told. If you'd like to know more, let me know. We can have a chat.
SPECIAL ops
Need something a bit above and beyond?
Considering a full scale agency or hiring on a series of unaffiliated freelancers?
I'll build you a team instead.
The name 'AgentFin' is not just clever branding or coincidence. I'm one of many. One agent with a set of skills to be deployed. But there are others out there ...able to come in as part of a drop-ship solution. They're people I've worked with, people I trust, people whose talents are in lock step with my own, filling out the gaps to create comprehensive solutions that remain coherent from end to end.
Rather than having to hire a predetermined crew, I only pull in the team members you need for the challenge you're facing. Whether it's a product launch or a brand refresh, if you need a creative marketing campaign that can span from print to mobile or an interactive exhibit that showcases your newest tech in a place where users will actually get to use it ...I know the right people for the job.
While specializing in quick turn projects, the focus is always on creating long term relationships with clients. Consultants have to be nimble, but that doesn't mean we disappear when the project is done. After all, the job might be over, but you know as well as I do: you should always leave room for a sequel.
Take a look at what kind of work we do and my list of 'usual suspects.' It's all there in the consulting section. We might be just what you've been looking for.