We turn human understanding into new business opportunities.
Our aspiration
We believe that the solutions of the future can’t always build on past experience. We must be open to new thinking and what emerges in the world. It takes courage and willpower to break free from just recreating to what already exists, and instead, create the solutions of the future. This is our dream.
Our name
We are in the business of exploration. Always seeking deeper meaning and new opportunities. We do this by asking questions. Even our name is a question. And we do it by experimenting. Getting closer to the unknown. It wasn’t a bird. Nor a plane. But something completely new to the world. Something fantastic. What are you seeking?
Our mindset
We are not your regular management consultants. We refuse to be. Our clients tell us we are different to anyone they ever worked with, and we consider that as a strength. Who would trust an innovation consultant that wasn’t quirky? We insist on being open and curious to the world with no standardised models for solutions.
Our story
IS IT A BIRD was founded the summer of 2011 by Line Groes based on a dream of creating positive, long-lasting changes for businesses and organisations. And with a simple vision: To become the leading human centered innovation agency in the world, where highly intelligent and creative people thrive and leave their mark on the world.
We realise our purpose by combining analysis, design and strategy.
Analysis
Our starting point is always deep human understanding. With a solid background in social science and behavioral economics we identify patterns in the ways we as humans feel, act and prioritize.
- User journeys
- Etnographic research
- Segmentation and personas
- Stakeholder mapping
- Surveys
- Trend forecasting
Design
We are makers. We work iteratively with prototyping to ensure speed and accuracy. In this way, we ensure solutions with commercial impact and relevance for the user.
- Design thinking
- Prototyping and test
- Conceptualisation
- Design sprints
- Service design
- Experience design
Strategy
We combine user insights with market and societal trends, in order to identify clear opportunity spaces with a market potential that feed directly into the strategic decision-making process.
- Purpose defintion
- Category drivers
- Strategic narrative
- Innovation capacity
- Business model canvas
- Scenario planning
Meet the team.
We are driven by our employees – a gathering of innovation geeks, original thinkers and passionate practitioners. Our areas of expertise span a wide range of disciplines, making it possible to develop solutions across fields and industries. Diversity in skills, personality, nationality and views is the cornerstone of our budding innovation environment.
You'd look good here
Anina Vollbach
Anina Vollbach
Anina grew up in Munich, Germany, where she was part of a tight-knit European community. Now she is an interdisciplinary designer with experience in furniture design & development, business management, and UX research & design. She enjoys switching between analytical and creative thinking to explore alternative perspectives and create concepts that inspire future sustainable action. She particularly loves learning about the everyday lives of people, businesses, and communities, and enjoys creatively exploring ideas by bouncing them back and forth with a team. In her free time, she loves exploring cities and everything in between - design, architecture, food, and people.
MSocSc Strategic Design & Entrepreneurship. Copenhagen Business School and Royal Academy of Danish Design
BA Industrial Design. University of Applied Sciences Munich
BSc Business, Language and Culture. Copenhagen Business School
You'd look good here
Carolina Navarro Sarmiento
Carolina Navarro Sarmiento
Carolina is a multidisciplinary designer who is passionate about how designing with and for people can address systemic issues to create a more ethical, sustainable and just world. This has led her to develop her skills within the areas of sustainable and circular design as well as behavioural design.
Her skills lie in the process of transforming human insights into design solutions. She enjoys the uncertainty around the form a design solution may take at the end of a design process and making that tangible.Having been born in Barcelona and living in different cities such as Stockholm, London and Copenhagen has allowed her to experience how culture and context affect behaviour and attitudes. Outside of work, she enjoys creating things be that through pottery, sewing, gardening or drawing.
MSc Design & Innovation. Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
BEng Design, Innovation & Creative Engineering. Queen Mary University of London
You'd look good here
Cecilie Rasmussen
Cecilie Rasmussen
Cecilie is curious about the world around her. She loves to challenge assumptions about everyday life, which are taken for granted. She is especially driven by using ethnography to put herself in the place of others, in order to experience their perspective and convert it to knowledge, which then can be used to solve problems for people and organizations.
With her bachelor’s degree in anthropology, Cecilie has a solid theoretical and practical foundation for working with qualitative methods. She is dedicated to the applied anthropology and insists that an insight is never better than the way it is communicated and brought to life.
BSc Anthropology. University of Copenhagen
You'd look good here
Christoffer Saxe Nejrup
Christoffer Saxe Nejrup
Christoffer is a skilled business anthropologist with a strong interest in translating human insights into business opportunities.
He has considerable experience in examining human behaviour and leveraging it to generate business growth. He is of the belief that innovation is born at the crossroads of deep human insight, trials of novel business ideas, and the crafting of effective business strategies.
In his role as an advisor, Christoffer is recognized for his skill in navigating complex discussions with various stakeholders, actively advancing projects with a focus on driving beneficial transformations and meaningful change.
Senior Brand Consultant. e-Types
Business Anthropologist & Project Manager. Danish Design Centre
Cand.Scient.Anth. Anthropology and People-Centred Business. University of Copenhagen
You'd look good here
Emil Buch Jacobsen
Emil Buch Jacobsen
Emil is an anthropologist with a special interest in the entanglement of humans and technology. He believes that technology is not a solution in itself, thus understanding humans’ needs, aspirations and challenges are his starting point for his research.
Emil is strong in qualitative methods and has a passion of finding patterns in complex research data. His curiosity for exploring cultures has led him from remote places in East and West Africa to engineering communities in Japan.
MSc Techno-Anthropology. Aalborg University
BSc Anthropology. University of Copenhagen
You'd look good here
Emilie Baage Stuhr
Emilie Baage Stuhr
Cultural expert with a sustainable approach.
Emilie is an anthropologist with extraordinary talents in revealing people’s true selves, with all the complexities and controversies we contain. She is conscious of the climate, and has previously worked to anchor Nykredit’s environmental strategy in Copenhagen. Emilie’s interest in sustainability is contagious in her project work, where the solutions always take into account the wider context that they seek to influence or change.
Data Analyst. Nykredit
MA Applied Cultural Analysis. University of Copenhagen
You'd look good here
Emily Lin
Emily Lin
Emily is a strategic designer with a focus in organisational design and transformation. She specialises in systems mapping and process facilitation. She is a skilled facilitator who works as a bridge between ideas and actions, and empowering teams to build resilience and embrace change. She thrives on tackling complex organisational dilemmas, from transforming culture and developing leadership capabilities to align teams and casting a compelling vision for the future.
Emily is driven by a deep curiosity about fostering a harmonious relationship between humanity and the planet. She is dedicated to working at the intersection of purpose, community, and effecting positive change. By leveraging systems-thinking and change agency, she is committed to helping organisations transition towards regenerative practices and cultures, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable world.
Lead Designer. frog
Senior Service Designer. Idean
MAA. Service Design and Social Innovation. Arkitektskolen, Aarhus
You'd look good here
Emma Schønberg
Emma Schønberg
Emma has a multidisciplinary background in social sciences, including anthropology, gender studies, and psychology. She is currently completing her master's in applied cultural analysis at the University of Copenhagen, where she is furthering her ethnographic research skills and applying them in the hope of having a positive impact on the urban fabric. More than anything, Emma loves the social aspects of anthropology and social design, allowing her to dive deep into human behavior and connect with people as she tries to understand their world better. With her extensive experience in NGO work, such as volunteering in refugee camps, she strongly believes that the combination of research and design can be used for good to solve real-life issues, improve people's lives, and build community.
Growing up in Belgium to a French mother and a Danish father, Emma has always thrived in international environments and enjoyed the complex ways that identities form across different cultures. More than anything, she loves to research and question the scripts we follow, wondering how they take shape and whether they serve us or limit us.
MA in Applied Cultural Analysis. University of Copenhagen
BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences. University College Utrecht
You'd look good here
Fenja Lyng Rytter
Fenja Lyng Rytter
Fenja is a skilled and passionate facilitator, known for her natural ability to lead and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, working closely with both clients, stakeholders, and end-users. She is dedicated to building human-centered strategies and solutions that provide value to both users, businesses, and society as a whole.
Fenja has a unique perspective on innovation due to her experience with design thinking and behavioral economics. She strongly believes that these approaches have the power to create meaningful and impactful solutions and that human participation is essential in every step of the innovation process.
Strategy Director. Flip Studio
Strategy Director. Hatch & Bloom
Senior Insight Strategist. MediaCom DK
MSc Media Science, Philosophy & Sociology of Religion. Aarhus University
You'd look good here
Freya Williams
Freya Williams
Freya is a cultural analyst with a background in strategy and purpose-driven innovation. Through her cross-sector work in London and Copenhagen, she has first-hand experience translating human-centred insights into tangible business solutions.
She believes in the power of foresight and design to uncover new opportunity spaces, and ultimately create better futures for both people and planet.
Insights and Expert Lead. &Simple
Impact Strategist. Rainmaking Innovation
MA Applied Cultural Analysis. University of Copenhagen
You'd look good here
Ida Enggaard
Ida Enggaard
As a design anthropologist, Ida uses her curiosity about humans and her interest in questioning the world as a launchpad to understand and create change. She is a great believer in empathy and in understanding the world from all its different perspectives; whether it is understanding how health care professionals perceive their patients, or in trying to understand the philosophy of yoga.
By combining anthropology and design Ida is experienced in elevating anthropological perspectives into actions. She has a toolbox of ways to implement design initiatives in the research process, as well as to work with participatory innovation and to bring the human perspective into play in co-designing processes.
MSc. IT Product Design. University of Southern Denmark
BSc in Anthropology. University of Aarhus
You'd look good here
Jakob Schjelderup
Jakob Schjelderup
With his background in Political Science, Jakob has in-depth knowledge of how public institutions, society and people interact. He is interested in how deep understandings of people’s experiences can be turned into innovative solutions, which benefit both users and businesses. Jakob has a big passion for travelling and sport. He plays football with his friends in their football club Copenfalster, where they are about to conquer the Danish Sunday league.
MSc Political Science. University of Copenhagen
You'd look good here
Julie Agersnap
Julie Agersnap
Julie is motivated by understanding humans and their behaviour, and how this can contribute to valuable insights and/or concepts and designs. She is especially curious about how information technologies are a part of our everyday life and society; whether it is questioning the existing use of different technologies, or how to change the attitude of bringing in new systems in traditional frames, such as teaching and competency development.
With her educational background in Information Studies and Communication & IT, she has positioned herself in the dynamic space between research and design, equipped with a toolbox that includes both quantitative and qualitative methods, along with various design initiatives.
Ma.IT in Communication and IT. University of Copenhagen
Ba.IT in Information Studies. University of Aarhus
You'd look good here
Katey Diamond
Katey Diamond
A future focused designer fitted with behavioural lenses
As lead consultant and partner at IS IT A BIRD, Katey’s passion lies in bridging human understanding with new concepts that fit the reality and context. Katey is a designer by education and uses Design Thinking in her daily life to help organisations create more value for their customers. She believes in the power of empathy and optimism to create impact, and has led human-centred skills development processes with IIAB’s biggest global clients.
Senior Research Executive. The Big Picture, London
Msc Product Design. University of Leeds
You'd look good here
Kirstine Behrmann Cool
Kirstine Behrmann Cool
With a passion for identifying and enhancing the exotics of everyday life, Kirstine has worked intensively on strategically transforming the built environment in Denmark – from the windy west coast to urban Copenhagen.
She is analytical to the core and an expert when it comes to putting a background in anthropology into play in the strategic development of space and place, encompassing concepts, organization, business models, functions, and purpose. She is a curious and dedicated listener and a skilled diplomat, adept at navigating and leading complex partnerships, while viewing any problem from a 360-degree perspective.
She enjoys carefully questioning preconceived ideas and accepted truths, and she possesses a humble and persistent way of driving changes that turn buildings and businesses upside down.
Her surname may be Cool, but currently, she is exploring the many hot sauna experiences of Copenhagen.
Academic leader. BARK Rådgivning.
Head of Consulting. Dansk Bygningsarv.
MSc Anthropology. University of Copenhagen
You'd look good here
Laura Houvenaeghel Willersted
Laura Houvenaeghel Willersted
With an interdisciplinary background in Sociology, Communications and Media Studies, Laura brings strong skills in gathering and analysing complex knowledge on human, social behaviour and translating them into clear and useful insights, concepts and initiatives.
As researcher and consultant, Laura draws on strategic tools and methods from behavioural design to understand why people behave the way they do – in order to create human-centered strategies and solutions with real impact.
Strategic Consultant. Acceleration Nordic
Behavioural and Insights Researcher. Flip Studio
MSc. Sociology. The London School of Economics
BA. Communications and Media Studies. University of Aalborg, Copenhagen
You'd look good here
Lea Lennardt
Lea Lennardt
Lea's educational background in creative business has given her a deep understanding of marketing and communication. Her professional experience in social media editing within the fashion, publishing, and photography sectors has fueled her passion for creative expression in these industries. As a result of her international study and work experience, Lea has honed her ability to capture and convey the unique essence and cultural identity of brands. She takes pleasure in transforming abstract concepts and narratives into visually engaging multimedia content while strategically approaching a brand's social media presence.
MSocSc - Organisational Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Copenhagen Business School
BA Creative Business, Media Management. NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences
You'd look good here
Louise Vang Jensen
Louise Vang Jensen
An anthropological powerhouse
Louise curiously asks concise, clarifying questions that always lead to the most effective solutions on all kinds of projects. Being a gifted storyteller, she untangles complex ideas and converts them into inspiring and relevant pointers. As a true people interpreter and an accomplished analyser, Louise not only masters finding patterns in data and forces them to do her bidding, she knows exactly how to be one step ahead. Among a bunch of her other stories, her former experience from working in a bell tower, certainly rings our bell.
Project Worker. INDEX: Design to Improve Life
Project Assistant. Hausenberg
MSc Anthropology. University of Copenhagen
You'd look good here
Marialuisa Dubla
Marialuisa Dubla
Marialuisa is an Italian Service Designer driven by a passion for social innovation and systemic thinking. She is experienced in facilitation, user research and strategy. Using co-creation tools, she ensures stakeholders’ needs are not only heard but also seamlessly integrated, bridging the gap between insights and implemented solutions. She has supported innovation teams from global brands and NGOs in mapping needs, visualizing complexity, facilitating design processes, and bringing people together toward a shared sustainable vision. She is a big picture player, as she finds motivation in tackling challenging puzzles through comprehensive and inclusive solutions. Being a designer nowadays means mediating the needs of our users and business needs – while at the same time considering our societal challenges to create a change.
Social Innovation Manager. Stupid Studio
MSc in Service Systems Design. Aalborg University
BSc in Visual Communication Design. Polytechnic of Turin
You'd look good here
Marianna Tarvainen
Marianna Tarvainen
As a human-centric innovator, Marianna creatively blends her expertise in social anthropology and venture architecture to help companies refine and future-proof their business models. Marianna is driven by an insatiable curiosity, uncovering the hidden truths of everyday life to offer partners clear and concrete guidance.
After hours, if you are lucky, you may spot Marianna rolling down the streets of Copenhagen with her inline skates on the lookout for newly laid asphalt.
Strategy Consultant. ReD Associates
Venture Architect. Rainmaking Venture Studio
Entrepreneur. Leaps Marketing Agency
MSc in Business & Organizational Anthropology. University of Copenhagen
BA in Ethnology & Journalism. University of Jyväskylä
You'd look good here
Marianne Syvsig
Marianne Syvsig
With a background in humanities and social sciences, Marianne has experience in the field of anthropology, design and architecture. She is driven by exploring and understanding people's lifeworld in terms of everyday practices and experiences within their surroundings.
She has a toolbox in qualitative methods and thrives in the dynamic process of conducting fieldwork from the early stage of forming the research design, being in the field, as well as analysing and communicating their words and behaviour.
When not in the field, Marianne is a creative octopus occupied by sewing, making jewellery and ceramics.
MSc Spatial Designs & Society. Roskilde University
BSc European Ethnology. University of Copenhagen
You'd look good here
Marie Helene Pers
Marie Helene Pers
As a cultural analyst, Marie uses curiosity and empathy to uncover extraordinary findings in ordinary, daily life. Leveraging her strong cultural analytical skills, she identifies cultural patterns and extracts valuable human insights in close collaboration with clients, colleagues, and end-users to develop meaningful solutions. Marie firmly believes in staying with the trouble and embracing complexity as a driving force rather than an obstacle, which ultimately leads to positive outcomes, empowering both individuals and organisation to thrive and succeed now and in the future.
Research Assistant. CoRe
Junior Consultant. Social Action
MA Applied Cultural Analysis. University of Copenhagen
BA European Ethnology. University of Copenhagen
You'd look good here
Michael Hallam
Michael Hallam
Michael is a researcher driven by excavating the hidden facets of human experience to develop long-lasting and meaningful solutions. With a background spanning business strategy, organisational sociology and strategic design, he brings together diverse perspectives in his approach to problem-solving leading to more holistic outcomes.
Having previously cofounded a startup, Michael has developed an entrepreneurial mindset with a deep-seated interest in the inner workings of innovation. He believes design offers unique potential for value generation in markets that have yet to take shape — where commercial opportunity is not only discovered but also created.
MSocSc Strategic Design and Entrepreneurship. Copenhagen Business School
BSc in Business Administration and Sociology. Copenhagen Business School
You'd look good here
Mikkel Rausner
Mikkel Rausner
Mikkel has a background within the qualitative discipline in combination with organizations, markets and globalization. This allows him to gain insight into both the client’s and the informant’s worldview, which gives a more holistic understanding of the studied field. In his approach he uses curiosity to be open-minded and explorative, in order to reveal what goes beyond the immediate impression. He also has a critical perspective which makes him question perceived truisms in the field in order to identify new possibilities and understandings.
When he is not at his desk or in the field, he enjoys being social, watch football or play a game of squash.
MA Applied Cultural Analysis. University of Copenhagen
You'd look good here
Mudita Agarwal
Mudita Agarwal
Mudita is a communication designer and researcher from India, passionate about food, puns, and people. She thrives in a collaborative environment and enjoys a good challenge, juggling multiple responsibilities.
Her previous experience in the healthcare service industry in India allows a fresh perspective on understanding stakeholders and visually translating their insights into a simpler narrative for collective understanding. She believes that design is a valuable tool in driving impact, irrespective of the specialization, owing to its ability to learn from other verticals.
Through an understanding of human behavior and a dash of humor, she aims to contextually design products and services that not only solve immediate issues but are also relevant for the future.
Designer. Icarus Nova Discovery Pvt Ltd, Bangalore
Lead Creative & Insight. Treemouse Research & Design, Gurugram
MA Design for People. Kolding School of Design, Kolding
BDes Graphic Design. National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad
You'd look good here
Neele Marie Schürmann
Neele Marie Schürmann
Professionally trained as an event manager, Neele strives to create both; structure as well as space for creativity and exchange in projects. For her, an environment that supports growth and interdisciplinarity is vital since she believes innovation is driven by a shared dialogue which will lead to a reimagined future. Dedicated to successful project management, design, and human-centred insights, she pursues out-of-the-box concepts. Paying close attention to details, she develops innovative solutions using Design Thinking. Studying and working in Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden, Neele developed a strong intercultural awareness. This, combined with her cross-disciplinary professional background, allows her to tackle any problem and drive it towards the desired goal.
MSc International Marketing and Brand Management. Lund University
BA Creative Business, Media Management. NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences
Apprenticeship as Event Manager. Koelnmesse GmbH
You'd look good here
Pernille Christel Jensen
Pernille Christel Jensen
The one with overview and an impressive eye for detail
Pernille is our calm center of the hurricane, who makes anything and everything in the office run smoothly. Besides the daily accounting and office administration, she is the one in charge of planning events and happenings, and managing the procurement of your technical equipment and design interior. With a former career from the VIP lounge in SAS, you are guaranteed an exceptional service when staying at the office. Never leave without tasting a cup of her well-brewed cafe latté.
Gospel Singer. Østerbro Church
VIP Host. SAS VIP Lounge
Barista and Owner. Kenya Kaffe at Strandvejen
You'd look good here
Seline Dam Temiz
Seline Dam Temiz
Seline is passionate about people and culture. She thrives in diverse environments where she can use her Cameleon-skills to blend in, observe and analyse. As an anthropology student she is taught in ethnographic methods; doing participant observation, qualitative and quantitative methods to gain insights into ways of living and views of life. Her previous fieldwork has made her a semi-expert in 1) the Finns relationship to nature and sauna in Finland and 2) how volunteering brings meaningfulness into senior life for retired New Yorkers who volunteers as gardeners.
She is an idealist, who believes of the possibility to make the world a better place for both human and environment. She wants to contribute to this future with insights and solutions. She has previous work experience from NGO’s where she has been working primarily with voluntarism. She is great at adjusting communication to the right audience, developing methods, tools, and procedures for better support for the user.
MSc Anthropology. University of Copenhagen
You'd look good here
Sune Holm Thøgersen
Sune Holm Thøgersen
Strategist with a deep passion for people
Sune deeply believes that understanding the behaviour, needs and dreams of people is a powerful agent of change. The core theme throughout his career has been both an ambition and ability to put humans at the center of decision making processes. With a background in Political Science and too many hours spend following and participating in debates about society, trends and the possibilities and pitfalls of technology, he combines human insights with larger societal and planetary trends when developing strategies, services and products for clients. He used to obsess over American politics, but after Biden became president he luckily have a lot more spare time not death scrolling Twitter, so he kind of needs a new hobby.
Director of Insights & Strategy. Advice
Consultant. Local Government Denmark Consultancy Agency
Service Design Expert Programme. Summer School of University of the Arts London
MSc Political Science. University of Copenhagen
You'd look good here
Thit Hammerich Clausen
Thit Hammerich Clausen
Thit has always had a profound interest and curiosity when it comes to understanding people, cultures and different ways of being. This is why she moved to Australia when she was 16 years old, chose the profession of anthropology and why she lived in Norway for a semester during her bachelor. Thit is constantly longing to go abroad and her heart is split between her three favourite countries - Denmark, the home of her family, Australia with its beautiful west coast that has the best waves to surf and Norway with its stunning nature and mountains to hike.
Thit is driven by being in the field, immersing herself in people’s stories, changing things for the better and turning insights from the field into findings and tangible solutions. She is especially interested in contributing with anthropological findings that can change our perspective on how we organise our society and the way we view habits that might seem set in stone.
MA in Applied Cultural Analysis. University of Copenhagen
BSc Anthropology. University of Copenhagen