Commn Oddities
Welcome to Common Oddities
Culture × Futures × Systems

We're surrounded by cultures, forever bracing for unknown futures, and part of countless systems. These things are so common, it's odd how often they're the blind spot. Hence, Common Oddities.

A collective expertise that brings cultural analysis and futures thinking into the design and innovation process.

We go beyond the 'user' to study their context, so your business, product, or service design engages in relevant and responsible ways, across geographies.

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Photo · Willian Justen de Vasconcellos / Unsplash
Why is this important?

Going beyond the 'user' to their context, and studying how that evolves over time and across cultures.

The Gap

Human-centred design optimises for today's user. It rarely accounts for the cultural forces that shape meaning, or the emerging shifts that decide what stays relevant across markets and over time.

The Work

We bring cultural analysis and futures thinking into your research and strategy, feeding the brief before the first concept: decoding the codes that shape meaning, and mapping the shifts that shape what's next.

The Outcome

Design and strategy anchored in cultural relevance and emerging futures, so what you design stays meaningful across geographies and holds up over time.

The practice
01

Culture Decode

Design within context | Design for needs people cannot yet articulate

We decode the cultural codes, symbolic systems, and emerging subcultures beneath behaviour, so your work answers who it's for, where it lives, and why it matters. It's best used in early-to-mid design, surfacing white spaces and emerging needs consumer research cannot answer, because they don't yet know it themselves. Delivered with local analysts across APAC, UK, US and Australia.

  • Cultural codes
  • Ethnography
  • Design guidelines
  • Design foresight
See case studies →
02

FutureSense

Prepare better for volatile future scenarios

FutureSense is long-range strategic planning for leaders in strategy, innovation and category growth, those shaping the next decade, not just the next quarter. Going beyond trends, we track signals of change and map scenarios at the intersection of macro shifts, so cross-functional teams can see the probable, preferable and preposterous futures ahead, and put the systems, skills and investments in place before competitors do.

In collaboration with Chris Hudson

  • Horizon scanning
  • Signals of change
  • Speculative scenarios
  • Backcasting
See case studies →
03

Systems Research

Go beyond 'zero'; design for positive impact.

Systems Research helps small brands, nature-based solution providers and placemaking designers move from sustainability (neutral impact) to regeneration (positive impact). We research the socio-cultural and environmental variables of a specific place and translate complex systemic data into practical design steps, localised briefs that map the local ecosystem, so what you make restores a site's identity in a holistic way.

Currently in development, open to exploratory partners.

  • Systems mapping
  • Leverage points
  • Nature-based solutions
  • Narratives
See case studies →
Selected work
001 Futures

The Future of Beauty × Tech
002 Futures

The Future of Self-Care
003 Culture · Placemaking

Mapping Urban Experiences
004 Culture

Luxury Automotive Retail
005 Systems

WWF Systems Thinking

 006 Archive

See all work →
Ways of working

I'm collaborative, flexible, and I care about arrangements that genuinely work for both sides. I work through Common Oddities, with other industry partners, to assemble the right team for the project. I also work as a fractional strategic lead for boutique consultancies. Engagements usually take one of three shapes:

01

Project based

Focused, scoped research or strategy that feeds your design and innovation work, from a single cultural audit to a full landscape study.

Delivered with a network of cultural analysts & experts, across multiple cities

02

Capability building

Workshops and training that grow cultural and futures literacy inside your design, research, or innovation team.

03

Ongoing partnership

Retained advisory and fractional strategic leadership for organisations and boutique consultancies who want a steady strategic hand.

Current collaborations include Nation Insights

Endorsements
“
Maya's approach is thoughtful, deep and full of nuance, without trying to force a particular point of view. And the work never ends with the findings: it's a starting point for exploring new possibilities and spaces for brands to play in.
Huiwen Tow Head of Strategy, VIRTUE Asia Has worked with Maya on
Culture DecodeFutureSenseSystems Research
“
Maya designed and led a series of thought-provoking and insightful sessions with our team at Plum Insights. It expanded our team's capacity to approach complex briefs with more depth and confidence.
Sneha Kapoor Plum Insights Has worked with Maya on
Capability BuildingMentoring
“
Maya is really able to provide a visionary and inspirational outcome every single time that triggers thoughts and conversation among the C-suite.
Shean Lim Director, Innovation & Research Has worked with Maya on
Culture DecodeFutureSenseInnovation Direction
“
In many ways, Maya became the architect of our brand proposition, shaping not just how we communicated our value externally, but how we understood and articulated it internally.
Geoffrey Dickman Head of Marketing, DirectAsia Has worked with Maya on
Culture DecodeBrand
The network partners
ManifoldGate: Strategy Lab
Collaborator on cultural strategy

Michael Thomas

Manifold Gate is Michael's practice. Michael brings 20 years of brand, communication and design expertise. He has a doctorate in Anthropology, and is a Professor of semiotics and design research at Wayne State and the University of Michigan. He is also on the Executive Board of the Society for Anthropological Sciences. Michael partners with us on global projects, with US presence.

Visit →
Company Road
Collaborator on Future Sense

Chris Hudson

Chris is the founder of Company Road. We collaborate on Future Sense. Chris brings over 20 years of experience as an insights leader across research, design and product thinking; helping leaders envisage and navigate complex change. He works across industry domains and is based in Australia.

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Nation Insights
Ongoing capability and growth partnership

Nation Insights

I work with Nation Insights in two capacities: as their fractional Growth & Partnerships Lead, driving new business and strategic partnerships; and as a capability builder, training their teams in cultural strategy, semiotics and futures thinking. If you're looking for rich cultural strategy in emerging markets, get in touch.

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Plum Insights
Capability building

Plum Insights

I work with Plum Insights, a Mumbai-based qualitative research and cultural insights firm, as an external consultant, building capability across their teams in cultural strategy, semiotic decoding and strategic frameworks. Plum brings deep, culturally attuned fieldwork across the Indian market. Get in touch for projects in India.

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The Carrot Collective
Partner network

The Carrot Collective

A collective partner bringing complementary brand strategy, creative communications, brand experience, events, and media capability to projects that need it.

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The Matcha Initiative
Partner practice

The Matcha Initiative

An initiative partner adding sustainability and systems-minded expertise to the network.

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AlterCOP
Partner practice

Altercop

AlterCOP bridges the gap between global COP proceedings and local organisations, corporations and communities. As part of the working group for Regenerative Practices and Circularity, I multi-task as event programme curator, speaker, panel facilitator and more. Get in touch if you want to know more.

Visit →
Get in touch

Let's talk.

Reach out if you need strategic research (Culture Decode, FutureSense or Systems Research), capability building for your team, or simply want to connect and be part of the network.

Get in touch →