Mark Hicks Email & Phone Number

United Kingdom

I developed and implemented a collaborative process and strategy that brought the client to the centre of the product development process and enabled the organisation to start pivoting towards necessary cultural change. Ambitious commercial targets became achievable as clients demanded the products they had helped develop. I demonstrated the value of clear consistent communication and produced compelling reporting and communications content as well as a Product Playbook to enable the organisation to continue delivering the end to end process I had developed with my team. This collaborative client centric process has been adopted by Brambles FMCG and Automotive product teams.

United Kingdom

Following a deep dive into the business, opportunity, legislation, markets, potential user bases, product maturity and the capability of the product development team, I delivered an actionable, evidence-based report describing state of play and outlining the strategic steps the organisation needed to take to get the emerging product on track for success. My recommendations pointed towards the need for a new customer strategy and identified new markets, new partners and new product processes. Central was the need to change approach, to partner and scale appropriately and seek external expertise.

Bristol, England, United Kingdom

Group of Humans a distributed curated network of the best designers, strategists, technologists, and creatives in the world, all of whom share a belief that technology should be harnessed not for efficiency but for the benefit of people, society and the environment.

Bristol, England, United Kingdom

At the start of the pandemic I was working as an independent UX consultant and mentor enabling development organisations and fintechs in emerging economies adopt leaner, adaptable, collaborative UX design processes and methods that got testable rapid prototypes into the hands of their target customers in Africa and Asia quickly.As international travel closed down, this work continued remotely, however I also re-started working in the UK. Here I have led and actively worked on two major service design projects in the past 10 months.The first of these enabled a major clothing retailer understand how to transition their core proposition towards a more economically advantaged target group of customers, whilst creating the conditions to help their existing customer base weather hardening economic conditions - smarter use of data lay at the heart of the solution. In the second, most recent project, we enabled a global independent education provider to select the right CRM solution by identifying requirements through working with parents and schools around the globe. We used remote and face to face design research methods to help the Group understand how the needs of their parents and staff varied according to factors such as culture, aspirations and circumstances - and how to better meet these through technology and business process change.

Bristol, United Kingdom

As the Financial Services sector lead for cxpartners for several years, I formed and established a profitable, motivated team of financial service design professionals. My clients were exposed to the significant changes taking place in the sector and for many clients the cx team became their strategic UX design partner, helping to navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of customer experience. My expertise covers retail and commercial banking, wealth and pensions, mortgages, life and general insurance as well as several diverse start-ups, regulation and financial inclusion. Over this period I became intrigued by the regulatory minefield through which all FS companies tip-toe. In 2018 I developed Evidence Based Compliance (EBC) to enable organisations tackle the people facing elements of FCA regulation with confidence. EBC is a proven service design based methodology that is practical, effective, and quick. You can read all about it here https://medium.com/@mark.hicks/financial-services-the-global-regulatory-industry-urgently-needs-this-customer-centric-change-a45de615d079

Bristol, United Kingdom

Led and grew a multi-skilled experience design team, building new clients and new capabilities across sectors & channels.

Bristol, United Kingdom

Service, Product & Human Factors Design

London, United Kingdom

Experience Strategy and Service Design

User-led digital product and service portfolio review and definition for several companies.

Bristol, United Kingdom

I was Head of Product Management with Nokia Music, which I left in December following the successful launch of the Nokia Music service. At Nokia I was responsible for the Nokia Music portfolio of products and services which includes FM and digital radio services, PC and mobile device media player applications, podcasting applications and an online digital music service as well as the overall customer proposition and of course roadmap.Ensuring that my team took a customer-centric view to the design of our products and services meant that we developed several world innovation firsts.

Product Director of early entrant to whitelabel music business. Known as OD2/Loudeye.Key Achievements. Implementing a customer centric, evidence based ethos that led with insight rather than tech feasibility Redefinition of the Loudeye product and service strategy and B-C proposition.First to market launch and global roll-out of unlimited music subscription service in 2005. User-led redefinition & redesign of the product drives up ARPU and wins industry recognition.B-C business enters profitability.First converged mobile device-PC music service developed in 2006 for O2.Product innovation programme wins re-commitment from major clients. Successfully pitched the Loudeye product vision and portfolio to Nokia (company acquired 2007).

Shaped, directed and undertook strategic user–led product and service consultancy for clients including Vodafone Group, Goldman-Sachs, Barclays Bank, Prudential Building Society, Opodo, BP, Fidelity, Capital Care Alliance & UPS.

Post Graduate Diploma Applied Neuropsychology, Clinical Neuropsychology, Awarded With Merit

I love complex systems, and professionally use my training in psychology to solve human problems in complex socio-technical systems.

Msc, Hci/Applied Psychology

Applied Psychology is my thing. I love the research and the theorising, but most of all I love applying all this to creatively solving.

Ba Hons, Psychology