We’re rouse—
A small team with big energy.

We lead the decisions most teams struggle to make.

We make complex challenges clear by grounding them in a rigorous understanding of users, stakeholders, and business constraints. The result is focused teams, fewer wasted cycles, and products built around what truly matters.

From research through strategy to execution, we deliver products and experiences that are impeccably crafted and delightful to use.

PRODUCT STUDIO

We work with teams to shape product vision and bring new ideas to life. From initial research to final launch, we help you move faster and build smarter.

  • Uncover user behaviors, clarify target audience, and test features, interactions, and assumptions.

    • Market and competitive analysis

    • Product opportunity framing

    • Target user personas and archetypes

    • Product/feature concept testing and validation

  • Define where the product is headed, find product–market fit, and identify what sets it apart.

    • Product vision and positioning

    • MVP definition and roadmap

    • Engagement and retention strategy

    • Go-to-market strategy

  • Make early ideas tangible with rapid prototypes, test and learn cycles, and phased pilots.

    • End-to-end user journey mapping

    • Prototype development

    • Usability testing and refinement

    • Launch planning with success metrics

Check out our Product Work

AI + EXPERIENCE STUDIO

We work across functions to make experiences better for customers, partners, employees, and everyone in between, helping organizations shift how they work and what they deliver.

  • Dig into where the real opportunities lie—across the experience and the systems that support them.

    • Internal / external system and experience audits

    • Cross-functional workflow and process mapping

    • Voice of customer / employee 

    • Insights and strategic frameworks

  • Build a shared vision that cuts across silos and channels, and set a clear path for change.

    • Experience vision and service strategy

    • End-to-end service and journey maps

    • Strategic implications

    • Change enablement plans

  • Co-create and pilot new services, programs, and ways of working to reduce risk, build buy-in, and scale.

    • Service / solution prototype

    • Pilot design and success measurement

    • Tools and playbooks for internal teams

    • Training, onboarding, and facilitation

Check out our AI + Experience Work

  • Hi. We’re Aradhana and Sara. We met at IDEO Chicago in 2006 — two very different backgrounds, one shared brainwave. From day one, we spoke the same language (some strange mix of design, strategy, and unfiltered honesty) and became fast collaborators and friends. Eventually, we both landed in the Bay Area and picked up right where we left off — this time with 20 years of hard-earned experience to work with.

    Between us, we’ve led product, research, and design initiatives across startups, Fortune 100s, and public institutions. We thrive on turning sharp insights into real-world impact — and we know how to navigate the messy middle between idea and execution. If you're curious to see more tailored work or stories, just ask.

    We’d love to hear from you.

  • Aradhana is a design strategist working at the intersection of human-centered innovation and systems thinking. Her work spans healthcare, energy, finance, and public services—helping organizations turn early ideas into scalable, real-world solutions. She has led design and strategy teams at Bayer, Sunrun, Capital One, and IDEO, with a focus on behavior change, equitable service delivery, and digital transformation. As co-founder of Rouse, she brings deep experience in product strategy, service design, and just enough black magic to shift mindsets and move big transformations forward.

  • Sara is a strategic designer and systems thinker with deep experience spanning startups, nonprofits, and Fortune 500s. Her work focuses on the intersection of design, strategy, and technology—helping teams tackle complex challenges through collaborative leadership and bold experimentation. She has led product and innovation efforts at IDEO, Salesforce, MIT, and the Illinois Department of Human Rights, designing systems that bridge human needs, data, and impact. As co-founder of Rouse, she’s known for turning complexity into clear, actionable outcomes—and making sure the end result sings.

Where we shine

YOU’RE SPINNING UP SOMETHING NEW
A new idea, offering, or something adjacent to your core

YOU’RE NAVIGATING CHANGE
A new org entering a growth phase
An established org in transition

YOU’RE SHIFTING CULTURE
From engineering/sales-driven to design/experience-led
Toward product-led, iterative ways of working

YOU’RE BUILDING SMARTER SYSTEMS
Looking at the full customer journey (service thinking)
Setting up teams, tools, and processes for growth and scale

YOU’RE SHORT ON THE RIGHT SUPPORT
In early build phase or recently downsized
Lacking the right experience or capacity
Caught in day-to-day fire-fighting