Helping teams look closer and decide better.
From Forward is a research and strategy consultancy for organizations that need more than dashboards and AI-generated answers. When you need a professional people-watcher to embed in operations, interview real humans, and surface patterns everyone else is too far away to see.
A storyteller’s ear.
A researcher’s rigor.
A navigator’s nerve.
Where we’ve gone deep
Immersed in cruise ship turnaround operations (observing the high-pressure window between one voyage ending and the next beginning) to identify bottlenecks, map workflows, and ways to streamline process and reduce costs.
Followed mail carriers and sorting facility workers across Norway to understand how postal operations actually function day-to-day, generating insights to guide product automation strategy without losing the human thread.
Interviewed amateur researchers and academic scholars across New York to understand how they use (and struggle with) the library's digital collections, shaping recommendations to improve accessibility and experience.
Conducted intimate, mixed-methods research with real couples to understand the nuances of sexual health and pleasure, informing product concepts and content strategy for a women's health brand.
Design Research Manager, NPR
“We threw Lily into a controversial product area with a lot of moving parts. She is a dream consultant—a natural self-starter who will ensure the correct research is being done in murky spaces with virtually no supervision and fantastic diplomacy.”
Product Lead, Boston Public Library
“Lily understands what is unique about cultural heritage organizations without getting stuck in limitations. She jumped right in to make improvements and identify bigger picture opportunities for digital systems. We continue to partner with her on research and strategy.”
What We Do
Immersive Research
Ethnographic and field research (ride-alongs, observation, immersion)
Audience insights across contexts and methods, including surveys
Competitive landscape analysis and industry benchmarking
Digital behavior analysis and user journey mapping
Org & Product Strategy
Change management planning
AI integration planning
Operational and process improvement strategy
Facilitation
Strategic planning workshops and visioning sessions
Cross-departmental alignment and team development
Leadership coaching for organizational transformation
CEO & Co-Founder, OMGyes
“We love working with Lily. She's super smart, resourceful, and brings the whole team along on research and strategy projects that consistently deliver. She's brilliant and you should work with her if you get the chance.”
Head of Communications, Commure
“Lily was excellent facilitating our series of strategy workshops, bringing a deep toolkit, keeping us on track, and ensuring everyone was engaged. She helped us boil down our work into something we could use moving forward.”
Got a project in mind?
Let’s discuss!
lily@from-forward.com