"Wouldn't it be more efficient to specialize in one industry?"
That's a question we hear quite often at my design agency.
💡 Our answer: No. Quite the opposite.
We work with large DAX-listed corporations and small start-ups. With federal ministries, local municipalities, and the hidden champions next door.
And that mix, that diversity, is exactly where our strength lies.
Perspective diversity in design means deliberately working with people who bring different domain experiences, so a pattern from one field can reveal a blind spot in another. Familiarity with an industry helps, but it also narrows the questions you think to ask.
🔍 Because there's a fundamental misunderstanding about what makes design truly shine:
Many people confuse familiarity with fit. They assume the best ideas come from those who already know the terrain.
But they often don't.
A designer coming from e-commerce might suddenly bring new clarity to healthcare. A creative mind who's worked in public administration might give a tech brand fresh energy.
👉 That's the power of perspective.
When you move across different worlds, you start seeing patterns others overlook, and you ask the questions no one else is asking.
Customers don't think in industries. Their expectations flow from one experience to the next. When a fitness app feels beautifully simple, that level of clarity becomes the new standard, even for how they bank, shop, or interact with government services.
That's why we believe:
Innovation doesn't come from repeating what we already know. It emerges when ideas move freely between domains.
Of course, working across these domains means we've also built deep expertise along the way. I can talk just as confidently about modern public administration as I can about medical device regulations or the peculiar dryness of Föhn winds in the Alps. That expertise grows because we enter new worlds, not because we stay in our lane.
🔄 How do you approach diversity in design?
Do you prioritize industry familiarity or fresh perspective?
Read next:
- Dare to do more usability testing — a concrete argument for inviting fresh eyes onto the work
- When a digital product is actually worth it — on filtering ideas with users, not just stakeholders
- The Deutsche Bahn case for systemic design — what cross-domain thinking looks like on a public infrastructure problem
- Accessibility Act meetup — a reminder that "different perspectives" includes people the industry routinely excludes
- Why I'll never get tired of facilitating innovation — cross-domain teams in action over 48 hours
FAQ
What does "diversity of perspective" mean in design?
Diversity of perspective in design means deliberately working with people who bring different domain experiences, so a pattern from one field can reveal a blind spot in another. It is less about demographic diversity and more about the breadth of contexts a designer has actually operated in.
Should a design agency specialize in one industry?
Specializing in one industry is one valid path, but it has a hidden cost: the team slowly stops seeing patterns from outside that field. Agencies that work across DAX-listed corporates, federal ministries, and start-ups can move insights between domains, which is where a lot of unexpected innovation comes from.
Why does cross-industry experience make designers better?
Because customers don't think in industries. A beautifully clear fitness app raises the bar for how people expect to bank, shop, and interact with government. Designers who have built in several of those worlds already know what "clear" feels like in each, and can apply it where it isn't yet the norm.
How do you balance industry expertise with fresh perspective?
You build the expertise by entering new domains, not before. Each new project deepens the library of patterns you can draw on. Staying in one lane feels safe, but it slowly narrows the questions you think to ask, which is the real risk.
What's the risk of hiring a design agency that only knows your industry?
The risk is that the agency optimizes for fit instead of clarity. It mirrors your existing assumptions back at you, which feels comfortable but rarely breaks anything. An outside perspective is uncomfortable precisely because it surfaces the questions your in-house team has stopped asking.