Scale That Thing

Overview: Scale That Thing is a strategic service design initiative aimed at transforming a successful solo AI consultancy into a scalable, market-leading brand. The project focuses on bridging the gap between personal reputation and professional service delivery to unlock growth beyond existing referral networks.

Problem: A credibility gap between the founder’s high-authority LinkedIn and a weak, inconsistent website that hindered client acquisition beyond referrals.

The Solution: A trust-centred ecosystem including a brand-aligned website redesign, productised "Bitesize" services, and an AI Maturity Assessment tool.

Methods: The Double Diamond framework, Cluster Map, utilising stakeholder interviews, journey mapping, and usability testing.

Tools: FigJam for collaborative synthesis, Relume for rapid prototyping and website redesign in Figma

February-May 2025

Discover

At the first stage, we used a cluster map to gain a high-level view of how AI could be integrated into our work.

In this initial divergent phase, in a team of 5 service designers we explored the wider SME landscape and the specific challenges faced by AI consultants to identify opportunities for growth.

We defined five goals for the research and gathered insights.

The team conducted over 18 hours of desk research, reviewed 100+ news articles and research papers, and performed primary research including 15 interviews with SMEs owners, 2 interviews with AI consultant and 12 surveys. We also did cultural probes to gather data from employees regarding their feelings and thoughts towards an AI colleagues who is supposed to speed up and streamline their work. we used Affinity diagram and Cluster maps to categorise and then synthesise the gathered data. We also did Service Safari with 2 SME Directors to observe the potential customer during the experiencing the service. we also did competitive analysis to understand the market in the UK for solo AI consultants.

Key Findings: SMEs are overwhelmed by a "crowded but confusing" market where they struggle to identify which AI solutions are right for them. While technical expertise is available, SMEs primarily value trust, domain-specific knowledge, and industry understanding over technical jargon.

Barriers: Adoption is hindered by a lack of clear ROI proof and a team "mindset" that struggles to move beyond passive or uncritical AI use.

Define

To bring the customers to life, we developed personas for SME owners and created customer journey maps to understand their pain points.

Insights

From Goal 1:

SMEs prioritise low-cost, compatible AI solutions for automating low-value tasks to reclaim time for high-value, revenue-generating work.
AI success is measured strictly by financial impact, specifically its capacity to drive administrative cost savings or direct revenue growth.
The primary hurdle to AI adoption is a cultural mindset rather than technical ability; value lies in building team confidence and strategic habits over simply delivering software.

From Goal 2:

Trust is more important than online visibility.
SMEs want practical help, not big promises.

From Goal 3:

Successful solo AI consultants differentiate themselves by merging deep niche expertise with high-touch, trust-based personal partnerships.
Solo consultants win SME clients by offering modular, fixed-price service packages that prioritise immediate ROI and "quick wins" over complex, open-ended engagements.
successful solo consultants bypass traditional sales by using educational content and thought leadership to build the authority needed to overcome client resistance.
SMEs prefer accessible, non-technical "plug-and-play" tools for immediate value, yet a market gap exists as most consultants provide education without the end-to-end implementation these clients need.

From Goal 4:

High Supply, Low Clarity. There are many AI solutions & services, but SMEs struggle to identify which are right for them
Implementation Over Innovation. SMEs value practical, measurable help with core tasks over differentiation
Trust Trumps Technology. When looking at consultants, relationships & industry understanding matter more than technical expertise

From Goal 5:

Online Value Proposition is a MUST.
Digital trust is a cornerstone of customer acquisition.
Showcasing all products and services on one website is crucial.

The team converged on the core problem: SMEs need a trusted guide to translate AI potential into practical business value with minimal risk.

Opportunity statements and prioritisation

Base on the insights gathered from the findings we did a Brainstorm session with different opportunities and then by prioritising them finally came up with two opportunity statements to the the ideation session on them:

1. Focus on Service Value & Entry Point:

How might we design low-friction, "quick-win" AI services that automate administrative burdens, allowing SME leaders to see immediate ROI without requiring technical expertise?

2. Focus on Trust & Scalability:

How might we translate Client’s personal reputation into a scalable digital presence that builds "referral-level" trust with SME owners outside of her immediate network?

Develop

Using "Crazy 8's" and rapid prototyping, the team designed solutions to bridge the trust gap and demonstrate immediate value.

Prototype 1: Bitesize Learning (Goal 1 & 5): A 15-minute daily training program focused on automating "low-value tasks" (e.g., writing briefings, creating content) to build immediate momentum and support the SME AI adoption journey.
Prototype 2: Collaborative Consultant Hub (Goal 2 & 3): A "Stronger Together" hub featuring co-endorsed profiles and a matchmaking quiz to reduce the perceived risk of hiring a solo-preneur.
Prototype 3: AI Maturity Assessment (Goal 4): A diagnostic tool that helps SMEs understand their current readiness and provides a structured pathway for engagement, serving as a lead qualifier for STT.

We also did sketching and storyboarding

Deliver

The final phase focused on testing prototypes and defining a roadmap for implementation:

Usability Testing: Feedback highlighted that while a "fun" tone (e.g., cats in suits) was engaging, trust ultimately depends on seeing quantifiable proof through results-focused case studies.

Strategic Recommendations (Goal 5): To streamline delivery and engagement, STT should:
- Standardise Offerings: Create clearly defined service tiers (Assessment, Implementation, Optimisation) with transparent pricing.
- "Show, Don't Tell": Use video explanations and standardised case study templates to mirror the founder's credible LinkedIn presence on the website.
- ROI Focus: Implement an AI Value Assessment Framework to demonstrate tangible financial and time-saving impacts.

We also delivered the Service Blueprint and Profitability Matrix