Published: Jul 08, 2025
Design thinking, done for the real world
NCS DRIVE is our five-step design thinking approach that helps organisations tackle complex problems with clarity.
Applied to organisations in multiple industries tackling complex projects, NCS DRIVE combines behavioural insights, systems thinking and digital innovation to unlock fresh perspectives and deliver outcomes that stick.
NCS DRIVE: A structured path from insight to impact
DRIVE stands for:
What makes NCS DRIVE powerful is its ability to balance creative exploration with focused execution
It combines divergent thinking (to spark fresh ideas) with convergent thinking (to test, refine, and act), helping organisations move fast, but with purpose.
DRIVE is also modular and flexible.
Whether you’re redesigning a workflow, reimagining a product or transforming an entire experience, it can be tailored to your goals, timeline and level of readiness.
NCS DRIVE in action
From healthcare to defence, transport to hospitality and beyond, NCS DRIVE has helped organisations across sectors tackle complex challenges and accelerate digital transformation with clarity and confidence.
Streamlining case workflows in law enforcement
Challenge
A law enforcement agency needed to modernise how it created criminal case files within its management system as well as reduce manual entry and improve workflow efficiency.
Solution
We applied the NCS DRIVE methodology when facilitating workshops to uncover pain points, reframe the workflow, ideate improvements, prototype a new interface and validate it with users across departments.
Outcome
The new case creation module reduced data entry duplication, enabled system integration and significantly cut down time spent on administrative steps.
Enhancing customer engagement for a regulatory authority
Challenge
A regulatory agency overseeing food safety and animal health wanted to improve its CRM system and website to deliver better service and gain clearer insights into customer needs.
Solution
Using NCS DRIVE, we engaged senior leaders, frontline staff and customers to identify gaps. We then prototyped a new CRM system and website experience tailored to different user groups and tested it with real users.
Outcome
The updated system offered a single point of contact, increased call pickup rates, enabled personalised remote service delivery and gave management access to actionable insights across customer segments.