A studio built around the work

Understand the work first. Then make the system that helps it scale.

We’re an international product design and custom software partner for ambitious operations-led companies. Our first job is to understand the people, decisions and exceptions behind the process.

Our philosophy

Smallest effective system. Strong enough to grow.

We don’t begin with features or a preferred technology. We spend time with the people doing the work, look for the friction that matters and shape a system around the useful change.

Sometimes the right answer is a new product. Sometimes it is a clearer workflow, a carefully connected service or a better way to use software you already have. We choose the smallest effective intervention, then build it so it can adapt as the business changes.

That principle keeps the work human, the investment purposeful and the technology sustainable.

How we show up

Values you can see in the work.

  • ClarityMake decisions and trade-offs understandable to everyone involved.
  • Useful craftCare about the details that make a tool easier to use and trust.
  • Shared ownershipWork alongside client teams and leave them stronger than we found them.
  • Accessible by designBuild inclusive journeys into the product from its first sketches.
  • Sustainable decisionsChoose technology that suits the need and remains maintainable.
  • Evidence over theatreUse research, prototypes and small releases to learn what works.

The people behind the practice

A compact, senior team from first map to first release.

Twelve distinct perspectives, working together with your people and sharing responsibility for the outcome.

Portrait of Elliot Mercer, Managing Director at ForgeLayer Studio

Elliot Mercer

Managing Director

Elliot founded ForgeLayer to bring product thinking closer to the realities of operations. He helps leadership teams turn ambitious change into focused, measurable work and keeps the studio accountable for outcomes, not theatre.

Portrait of Priya Lawson, Product Strategy Director at ForgeLayer Studio

Priya Lawson

Product Strategy Director

Priya works with people who hold competing priorities to find a useful product direction. Her practice joins commercial goals, user evidence and delivery realities into roadmaps teams can explain and actually follow.

Portrait of Tom Bennett, Design Director at ForgeLayer Studio

Tom Bennett

Design Director

Tom leads a design practice grounded in clarity and useful detail. He helps teams make dense processes understandable, builds coherent interface systems and makes room for craft without losing sight of everyday use.

Portrait of Miriam Clarke, Technical Director at ForgeLayer Studio

Miriam Clarke

Technical Director

Miriam guides technical decisions from early architecture through to dependable delivery. She is especially interested in making complex systems easier to change, with an emphasis on security, accessibility and sensible operational ownership.

Portrait of Nia Foster, Senior Product Designer at ForgeLayer Studio

Nia Foster

Senior Product Designer

Nia turns research into thoughtful journeys, prototypes and interface patterns. She enjoys working alongside operational teams to remove uncertainty from high-volume tasks and gives particular care to accessible, readable product details.

Portrait of Arjun Patel, UX Research Lead at ForgeLayer Studio

Arjun Patel

UX Research Lead

Arjun creates the conditions for teams to hear what users actually need. He plans inclusive research, makes sense of conflicting evidence and turns observations into specific design questions rather than broad assumptions.

Portrait of Freya Collins, Solutions Architect at ForgeLayer Studio

Freya Collins

Solutions Architect

Freya translates business rules into understandable system boundaries and integration plans. She looks for practical ways to connect existing tools, protect important data and keep future changes within reach.

Portrait of Daniel Okafor, Lead Software Engineer at ForgeLayer Studio

Daniel Okafor

Lead Software Engineer

Daniel builds the dependable foundations behind the product experience. He supports engineers through clear technical decisions, steady code review and a culture that treats maintainability as part of delivering value.

Portrait of Lucy Wren, Front-End Engineer at ForgeLayer Studio

Lucy Wren

Front-End Engineer

Lucy brings interface design to life with careful, resilient front-end engineering. She pays close attention to keyboard access, responsive behaviour and the small feedback moments that help people trust a digital tool.

Portrait of Oliver Hayes, Delivery Manager at ForgeLayer Studio

Oliver Hayes

Delivery Manager

Oliver makes complex work visible and manageable without adding process for its own sake. He helps client and studio teams surface decisions early, keep momentum through uncertainty and make delivery feel collaborative.

Portrait of Amara James, Quality Assurance Lead at ForgeLayer Studio

Amara James

Quality Assurance Lead

Amara builds quality into the way teams think, design and release. She combines exploratory testing, clear acceptance criteria and inclusive checks to catch the details that make software safe and usable.

Portrait of Henry Fletcher, Client Partnerships Manager at ForgeLayer Studio

Henry Fletcher

Client Partnerships Manager

Henry helps partnerships stay open, practical and focused on meaningful progress. He connects the right people, keeps expectations clear and makes sure each client can see how the work is moving forward.

Bring us the workflow that everyone has learned to work around.

Meet your product partner