Studio Exception

What Studio Exception does

Studio Exception is an inclusive innovation consultancy founded in 2020 by Ruby and Dawood, both former designers at Smart Design. The firm operates under the tagline 'Design for one, Create for all' and serves global enterprises and public-sector organisations seeking to embed inclusive design principles into their products, services, and innovation processes. Its client base spans automotive (Jaguar Land Rover), technology and media (Spotify, Sky, BBC, Samsung), financial services (Standard Chartered), telecommunications (Zain), retail (Selfridges), sports and events (Paris Olympics, Octagon), healthcare (NHS), and infrastructure (NKT), with operating geographies covering the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and South and Southeast Asia.

The firm's core product is The Exception Method™, a trademarked five-step human-centred design methodology—Discover your Exception, Diverse Perspectives, Design for One, Universal Opportunities, Create for All, Make an Impact—that centres lived experience from excluded populations to surface insights overlooked by mainstream research. Supporting offerings include Inclusive Research (using film to drive empathy with underrepresented communities), Inclusive Innovation (strategy and UX embedding), The Exception Directory (a growing library of lived-experience content), and the Discover The Exception Workshop (a 5-hour facilitated session for up to 40 participants used as a sales-led entry point into consultancy work).

Studio Exception runs as a privately held, founder-owned professional services firm with no disclosed institutional funding, parent entity, or headcount. Revenue is generated through project-based consultancy engagements with corporate and government clients under quote-based pricing, with engagement initiation flowing through the firm's website and direct outreach to the founders. Marketing is driven by website case studies, YouTube video content, and the Exception Directory content library; no app, API, or software product is offered, and the business depends on the founders' domain expertise and relationships rather than a scalable software platform.

Name

Studio Exception

Legal name

Studio Exception

Website

https://studioexception.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Studio Exception is a UK-based inclusive innovation consultancy founded in 2020 that uses its proprietary Exception Method to help global enterprises and public-sector organisations design products and services with underrepresented communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Inclusive Design Consulting

akta.pro primary industry

Professional Development for Inclusive Practices (General Education Staff) (EDAKABAL)

Keywords

• Inclusive design consulting
• Human-centred design
• Innovation strategy services
• Accessibility research
• Lived experience research

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Inclusive Innovation Consultancy: Studio Exception operates as an inclusive innovation consultancy providing research, co-creation, and collaborative services to organizations. They partner with global organizations on inclusive design projects, embedding their Exception Method into client innovation processes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Studio Exception is an inclusive innovation consultancy that partners with global organizations to embed inclusive design into products, services, and culture. Its core offerings centre on The Exception Method™, a proprietary five-step human-centred design process that engages underrepresented communities—those often excluded by disability, language, socio-economic background, or neurodiversity—to surface insights and co-create solutions that work for everyone.

Product overview

Studio Exception is an inclusive innovation consultancy offering a portfolio of services built around The Exception Method™ — their proprietary five-step human-centred design methodology. The core offering comprises Inclusive Research (engaging underrepresented communities through film and lived experience) and Inclusive Innovation (embedding inclusive design into products and services). Supporting these are The Exception Directory (a resource library of edge-case insights) and the Discover The Exception Workshop (a team training module). Founded in 2020 by Ruby and Dawood, the studio operates as a consultancy rather than a software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Exception Method™: A structured five-step approach rooted in human-centred design that centres lived experience to surface hidden insights, shift perspectives, and unlock innovation. Steps include Discover your Exception, Diverse Perspectives, Design for One, Universal Opportunities, Create for All, and Make an Impact.

Quantifiable outcome

• Created 16 new concepts tested across global markets for Jaguar Land Rover, embedded into design strategy
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jaguar Land RovercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Exception used The Exception Method with Jaguar Land Rover to uncover how vehicle design can better serve customers with limited dexterity. The collaboration embedded lived experience into innovation and supported JLR's commitment to systemic inclusion, creating mobility solutions that work better for everyone. Projects include 'Drive to Inspire' which shaped 16 new concepts now tested across global markets.
• SpotifycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Exception conducted inclusive research on Spotify's voice feature with blind and low-vision users, working closely with Spotify's design and research teams. The collaboration identified key exclusions and co-created five voice-led concepts to inspire more accessible, equitable product experiences.
• SkycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Exception partnered with Sky to reimagine home entertainment through cognitive and physical inclusion. By designing with lived experience, they created a universal concept that is now on Sky's five-year roadmap, shifting how inclusive design is practiced internally.
• BBCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Exception assessed the impact of BBC's accessibility and inclusion functions. Through expert interviews and organisational analysis, they provided insights to strengthen internal capability and align BBC's products and culture with inclusive innovation ambitions.
• SamsungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Exception supported Samsung's development of a new UX strategy through expert panels, interviews, and global research. They helped create INKlusion guidelines—a bold strategy and guidebook inspiring Samsung designers to embed DEI in mindset, process, and practice. Also informed Samsung's ESG UX strategy.
• Standard CharteredcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Exception uncovered how young women engage with sport across India, Kenya, and Vietnam for Standard Chartered. The research revealed motivations, barriers, and emotional drivers that informed the 'Play On' campaign—shaping meaningful engagement and tackling gender disparities through culturally grounded research.
• ZaincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Exception helped Zain Kuwait align their WE ABLE goals with innovation strategy by embedding inclusive innovation into their digital-first ambitions, supporting accessibility and strengthening their vision of connecting the disconnected.
• Paris OlympicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Exception curated a best-in-class accessible design resource from inclusive research with Paralympians ahead of Paris 2024. Their guide spanning visual, environmental, and digital accessibility supported inclusive decision-making in the design of Olympic spaces and experiences.
• NHScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Exception co-created inclusive resources and The Pain Group service for patients with chronic pain, combining expert guidance, digital tools, and peer support. Research with patients and clinicians shaped a holistic approach to pain management rooted in empathy and accessibility.
• SelfridgesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Exception collaborated with a visually impaired expert to reimagine audio descriptions for Selfridges' window displays. The project explored inclusive storytelling, centering lived experience to reveal how designing for one can enrich experiences for all.
• OctagonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Exception co-created The Swim Proud Fund with Octagon by gathering lived experiences of Black swimmers across the UK. What began as a brand strategy became a nationwide movement, raising £100k for grassroots projects and redefining Soul Cap's mission.
• NKTminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAt NKT, Studio Exception engaged employees with extreme views to uncover core challenges around connection. By centring these 'exception cases', they gained powerful insights that shape meaningful solutions and drive innovation across the entire business.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cooper: Design strategy consultancy credited with coining 'interaction design' and running inclusive design engagements with enterprise clients. Comparable buyer segment and human-centred design orientation, though broader in scope.
• Frog (Capgemini Invent): Design innovation consultancy now part of Capgemini Invent. Delivers human-centred and inclusive design engagements to global enterprises, directly overlapping with Studio Exception's automotive, consumer electronics, and media clients.
• IDEO: Pioneering global design innovation consultancy with a well-established inclusive design practice. Competes for the same enterprise inclusive-innovation briefs but at significantly larger scale and broader service portfolio.
• Wolff Olins: Global brand and design consultancy that has built inclusion and accessibility practices within its offer. Comparable in targeting large enterprises on human-centred transformation but operates with much broader brand and strategy scope.

Others

• Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation (University of Georgia): University-based research centre producing accessibility research and inclusive design tooling. Adjacent ecosystem player that influences the same buyer conversations but does not compete for commercial enterprise contracts.
• The Valuable 500: Global CEO-led disability inclusion collective that connects enterprises with disability inclusion expertise. Not a direct competitor but operates in the same buyer-ecosystem and could be a partnership or referral channel.
• Microsoft Inclusive Design: Microsoft's internal inclusive design practice and toolkit. Sets much of the public narrative on inclusive design methodology that Studio Exception competes against; an internal function rather than a competitor but a reference point for buyers.

Direct peers

• TPGi (The Paciello Group): Specialist accessibility and inclusive design consultancy providing audits, strategy, and research to enterprise clients. Closest niche-overlap peer focused specifically on accessibility rather than the wider innovation remit Studio Exception covers.
• Smart Design: The product design consultancy where both Studio Exception co-founders previously worked and where the OXO GoodGrips universal-design legacy originated. Closest methodological lineage peer for Studio Exception's inclusive design practice.

Regional players

• AbilityNet: UK-based charity providing accessibility consultancy, research, and guidance to enterprises and public sector. Comparable on accessibility methodology and UK public-sector clients (NHS adjacent) but not a direct competitor for the same premium enterprise briefs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutu.be/ElkH6GK_YoY
• Facebookfacebook.com/Studio-Exception-107396548059152
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-exception-method

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Studio Exception