Clara Aparisi. Business Design Strategist.
Global experience, local insights.
Designing for Impact.
Some of my favourite projects
Gen Z Store Design Playbook
Global coffeehouse chain
My job
Led an extensive research project in Hong Kong, South Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines to understand and analyze customer preferences during in-store experiences. This involved research, synthesis, ideation, and testing, culminating in a playbook for in-house store designers to guide the redesign of future stores in Asia.
Following the project’s success, senior leadership is assessing the potential for expansion into further APAC markets.
Timeline
October 2024 to May 2025
Approach & Activities
Qualitative research and interviews | Insights and ideation workshops | Online testing sessions | Playbook development | Stakeholder management
Strategic Design & AI as a Tool
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
My job
Invited as an adjunct lecturer in 2022, I designed and delivered a customised 4-month Design Thinking program for the Master of Science in Business Analytics students at HKUST.
In recognition of the program’s success, I was not only invited to return as a adjunct lecturer for the following year’s cohorts in 2023, 2024 and 2025 but also to continue the conversations and engagements beyond the program, including career coaching and more. This opportunity allowed for further collaboration and exploration of innovative problem-solving approaches through design.
Timeline
August 2025 to October 2025
August 2024 to October 2024
August 2023 to November 2023
August 2022 to December 2022
Approach & Activities
Workshop design and facilitation | Advisory Board sessions | Evaluation framework | Mentoring and coaching
Human-Centric Values Activation through Behavioural Change
Leading Asian retail group
My job
Co-developed a scalable Train-the-Trainer Program, equipping 48 ambassadors from 6 regions across Asia Pacific with the skills to promote, raise awareness and understanding of the company’s values among employees.
The positive outcomes were significant, with 100% of participants expressing confidence in their understanding of the company’s core values and their ability to integrate these into their daily routines, fostering cross-regional collaboration and a culture of continuous learning.
Timeline
April 2024 to June 2024
Approach & Activities
Awareness Campaigns | Workshop design and facilitation | Behavioural Design Sessions | Evaluation framework | Learning materials | Stakeholder management
Indonesia Client Value Proposition
Financial services company
My job
Conducted in-depth research by visiting 10 customers’ homes and offices to gain insights into their life and financial goals, as well as their attitudes toward insurance and wealth growth. We synthesized these findings into key insights that informed our ideation and journey mapping sessions.
Through two project phases, I helped distill our research into 15 key insights, capturing the unique needs and opportunities of each segment. This laid the groundwork for generating over 200 innovative solutions, from which we selected and mapped two future service journeys using a blue sky approach.
Timeline
March 2024 to May 2024
Approach & Activities
Qualitative research and interviews | Insights and ideation workshops | Online testing sessions | Report development | Stakeholder management
Brand Experience Proof Points
Financial services provider
My job
Contributed to merging Design Thinking with Brand Experience to establish compelling brand proof points for the Vietnamese market. Over a two-day workshop, we focused on creating a consistent and meaningful brand experience across various touchpoints.
We mapped the brand experience, identifying strengths and weaknesses across touchpoints. From our ideation sessions, we engaged 26 participants and produced 278 initial proof points, ultimately refining them to the six ready for development.
Timeline
April 2023 to May 2023
Approach & Activities
Workshop design and facilitation | Insights and ideation sessions | Mentoring and coaching
Diversity in Action
Financial services company
My job
Designed and delivered a DEI program with 25 participants across 4 key markets: Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore. This pilot program generated 482 diverse ideas aimed at fostering inclusion and a sense of belonging for customers and prospects throughout their journey.
Collaborating closely with senior market leaders, we selected one short-term, one medium-term, and one long-term initiative for each market, resulting in a total of 15 ideas that advanced to detailed design and were ultimately pitched to Senior Leadership for production.
Timeline
September 2022 to December 2022
Approach & Activities
Qualitative research and interviews | Insights and ideation workshops | Stakeholder management and facilitation
Clara Aparisi 