Brianna, founder and President of Sylver Consulting, focuses on helping clients identify, create and execute on their visions for growth. An innovation strategist and worldwide speaker, educator, and facilitator of innovation process, Brianna has a reputation in the industry as an “innovation leader within the innovation movement.”
Brianna has a unique ability to see and cut through the clutter of indecision, misstep and confusion that accompanies complex growth initiatives. She brings purpose-driven focus to every problem, thereby eliminating unnecessary steps and inefficiencies and creating a clear pathway forward for achieving swift and measurable impact against critical business goals.
Brianna founded Sylver Consulting in 2003 as a sole proprietor and has since grown the company to an international organization with 9 full-time employees and partnership affiliations with dozens of industry specialists across the globe.
In addition to leading client initiatives, Brianna is a sought-after thought leader, speaker, teacher, educator, coach and facilitator with a national reputation for excellence in Innovation, and in integrating the fields of Market Research, Design and Strategy. She has been publicly recognized for her contributions by such organizations as Product Development & Management Association (PDMA), HSM Management (Brazil) and the Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA). She has spoken widely at conferences, led company-wide strategy sessions, serves on the Board of Overseers at the IIT Institute of Design and was selected as a City Coach to the annual Bloomberg Philanthropies' Mayors Challenge - an initiative that fosters government innovation.
Brianna holds a BFA in communication design from the University of Buffalo and a master's degree in human-centered communication design and design strategy (MDES) from the Institute of Design at IIT.
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Adriano, Vice President of Operations, oversees responsibility for human resources, accounting, vendor relationships, and the office’s physical and digital infrastructure. He has a knack for anticipating the needs of the organization, projects, clients, and employees, ensuring that everything runs smoothly. This holistic view of the business helps Adriano find opportunities and, together with Brianna Sylver, define actionable growth strategies for the company.
Adriano is always looking for ways to improve the business of Sylver, which in turn, translates into improved outcomes, benefits and services for our clients. His journey through the process of business innovation is marked by his attention to details, his due diligence as a way to reach informed decision-making and his excellent negotiation skills. Adriano leaves no stone unturned in his search for “better” and is constantly challenging the Sylver team to reach higher.
Outside of the office, Adriano is an author, speaker and adjunct faculty instructor who teaches User-Centered Design courses at Northwestern University (for the school’s Master of Science in Information Design & Strategy program), and at CEDIM (for the school’s Certificate of Innovation and Design Thinking program.) Adriano is passionate about using design-based principles to drive business decisions and superior results. He is especially known for his work linking the outcomes of consumer research to the New Product Development process and for developing a unique methodology (called Function-Task Analysis) that enables this approach. This work, published in a book titled "Design Relationships: Linking Technical Functions to Users' Tasks,” has received a distinguished award from the ASME-DTM engineering community.
Adriano holds a PhD and a master's degree (MDES) in human-centered design and design methods from the Institute of Design at IIT, and a BA in design and mechanical engineering from the University of Brasilia in Brazil.
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An anthropologist with extensive business knowledge, Peter is a project lead experienced in qualitative market and organizational research, design/facilitation of workshops and ideation retreats, and consultation on intercultural and corporate culture issues. His background includes working as Vice President at Research International/TNS and at Beall Research, Inc. He has conducted market research, organizational research, and consulting projects for nearly 25 years on four continents.
Building on the concept of culture, Peter believes that growth arises in the synthesis of action, perception, and most importantly, imagination. In ideations for corporations such as Humana, Citigroup, and Philip Morris, he designed activities around unexpected metaphors to help people see research findings in new ways as well as imagine new product and service possibilities. Peter has combined deep research insights with organizational activation for dozens of global corporate clients. He also published academic research on imagination and strategy as a Research Fellow at the Imagination Lab Foundation in Switzerland.
Peter excavated pre-Incan tombs in Perú as part of his PhD research in Anthropology at the University of Chicago. In addition to his native English, he speaks Spanish, French, German, and Swiss-German dialect, but he will eat in any language. If Peter had a tattoo, it would be: “小籠包,” the traditional Chinese characters for “soup dumpling.”
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Matt is a research consultant and longtime collaborator of the Sylver team, specializing in both advanced statistics and qualitative interviews — yes, really! He has 20+ years of experience working in academic and multiple industry settings, with both qualitative and quantitative expertise across the full research process.
Matt’s origin story involves a radioactive spider, a decade spent in an academic career, and the opportunity to work on an incredibly diverse range of projects in various consulting roles. He has an uncanny ability to uncover the big picture in any messy pile of data, whether that pile comprises interview notes or rows in a spreadsheet. Matt is a research nerd with practical tendencies: He believes that the fun part of research is in approaching a new problem, determining the best approach, and translating findings back into actionable insights.
On the rare occasions that Matt steps away from his computer, you will most likely find him in a pair of running shoes. In a previous life, Matt held faculty positions at Southwestern University, Bard College, and Arizona State University, teaching courses in social psychology and research methods. He has authored three books and over 30 academic journal articles and book chapters. Matt earned his BA in Psychology from Trinity University, and his PhD in Social Psychology and Statistics from the University of Texas at Austin.
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Robert joined Sylver in 2015 to serve as team project lead of quantitative and hybrid (qual./quant.) methodologies. Robert brings over 15 years of experience in market research and innovation. He is a subject-matter expert and passionate learner who continuously hones his skills for designing and leading quantitative and hybrid-based research to produce actionable marketing management insights.
Robert approaches all of life (personal and professional) from a ‘well-planned explorer’ mindset. At work, every project is a new opportunity to chart new territory – whether it is to improve upon what was already been done or whether it is to head in a wholly new direction. Robert’s knack is for thinking through and planning all details of the journey ahead so that, once embarked on, every activity runs smoothly and everyone involved is fully supported and empowered to enjoy, create, and bring their best to the experience.
Prior to joining Sylver, Robert held various positions of leadership at market research firms, most recently as Director of Market Research Innovation at start-up Lab42 and as Market Research Manager at Home Innovation Research Labs. He has years of experience consulting and managing research projects across a wide variety of industries and project testing modalities, including customer satisfaction/Net Promoter Score (NPS), new product and service testing, point-of-sale testing, brand perception and positioning, pricing, and advertising/media testing projects.
Robert holds an MBA with Honors from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a BA in Marketing from Michigan State University.
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Rebecca has orchestrated all manner of global research — both qual and quant — for more than 16 years. Her work is informed by her experience as a successful marketer and as a failed mechanical engineering student (damn you, extremely boring Thermodynamics and Circuits!). On a positive note, her college education exposed her to design thinking, which has stuck with her ever since. Rebecca's areas of specialty include financial services, technology, healthcare and guacamole, all of which segue nicely into the following ...
Bringing her writing and editing skills to bear, Rebecca is noted for her attention to detail, listening carefully to clients and research participants alike, and getting to the bottom of all matters cultural, linguistic and behavioral. Let's just say that she really gets into her subject matter — whether that's avocados, yogurt or meat alternatives. Literally and figuratively, she can't help but fully consume the subject matter at hand.
A real life case in point about obsession: Rebecca became enthralled with tropical islands at an early age after trips to Puerto Rico, where she visited her grandparents and Disney World's Polynesian Village, where she observed some impressive fire-twirling dancers wearing sarongs. Now, she actually lives on an island in Panamá (9°20'26.0"N 82°10'22.5"W) and often wears a sarong. (Although, she does not twirl fire for safety reasons.) Rebecca earned her bachelor's degree from Stanford University and MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. She is a formally trained moderator and member of ESOMAR, the world research organization.
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Jason is a jovial, young design researcher that seeks knowledge and understanding at every turn. He always aims to bring fresh perspectives from his background as a designer and apply creative solutions to any problem he faces. Whether he is working with coordinating with international partners or conducting qualitative studies himself, Jason approaches every project with passion and an insatiable desire to learn.
Jason strives to form deep understandings of how things, and people, function in the world around him. In his work, this is presented through his ability to dive in and learn each facet of a topic area allowing him to understand how they connect together to form the big picture. It is also evident in the strong working rapport he forms with each client he interacts with, utilizing humor and wit to form connections of mutual trust with any partnering teams.
Jason holds a Bachelor of Fine Art from the Cleveland Institute of Art in Industrial Design with a minor in Graphic Design. His prior experiences stem from roles and grant projects during his time in design school running a gamut of topics including river environmental protection, personal self-defense, Covid-PPE, kids toys, and organizational houseware products.
Outside of his work at Sylver, Jason loves exploring the city, working with tech, and keeping his creative skills sharp through graphic design and other artistic projects.
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Paige engages in human-centered design research to understand user needs and translate them into actionable insights for Sylver clients. On a daily basis, this looks like creating discussion guides, conducting user interviews, engaging in quantitative market research, making frameworks and reports to reveal findings, and hosting ideation sessions with key stakeholders. Paige takes great pride in focusing on representation in her research tactics, seeking out underrepresented voices at every touchpoint for products, services, and systems.
Paige has an innate curiosity in collecting and archiving all kinds of information. She seeks to learn from all project stakeholders and reveal the true pain points or user needs behind a product, with the goal of inciting action. She uses a variety of qualitative methods, her favorites including in-depth interviews, co-creation workshops, 2x2 matrix mapping, and service blueprints to synthesize her findings. The more questions she asks, the more she wants to ask, and it leads her to have a great empathy with users while continuously improving her design research tool kit.
Paige joined Sylver in 2022 after completing her Master’s in Engineering Design Innovation at Northwestern, and prior to that worked in a variety of fields from consumer products, design consulting, and environmental sustainability. Her Bachelor's is from Northeastern University in Boston studying mechanical engineering, focusing in physical product design. Paige is a creator in all facets of her life; she enjoys painting, photography, and cooking. She also loves being outside, whether that is walking her dog, going kayaking, hiking in the national parks, or sightseeing in a new city.
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As a design researcher, Mia seeks to deeply understand users’ behaviors and motivations through conversations and primary observations. She strives to use her research to tell compelling stories about people’s lives. Done well, this yields insights which inspire and guide Sylver’s clients to create meaningful innovation. She is most drawn to the intensely human and social aspects of life, which makes serial hobbyists and tight-knit niche communities her favorite user groups to learn about.
Mia is always looking for a new way to look at things. She possesses the special ability to nurture outside perspectives by coaching people through introspection. Her love of storytelling helps her not only communicate a narrative to others, but also allows her to hone in on impactful characters. Her unique background in the social sciences has particularly enriched the perspective she brings to design thinking.
Mia joined Sylver in 2022 after receiving her B.A. in Economics and Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, where she minored in Design Innovation and Italian. While at Notre Dame, she worked as a moderator of philosophical discussions for college freshmen. In addition, she brings work experience in quantitative analytics, project management, graphic design and marketing. Mia’s happy places outside of the office include the boxing gym, antique stores, and botanic gardens.
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Brady supports our quantitative research capabilities, doing everything from project design and material development to analysis and communication. He loves being able to balance deep dives into the data to see what patterns emerge with careful and targeted tests on the effects clients are the most interested in.
Brady prides himself on his ability to pay attention to the things that really matter and the things others may not notice, giving him a critical understanding of the issues at hand. It also affords him the ability to empower collaborators and stakeholders, making sure voices and perspectives that would not otherwise be heard are heard.
Brady holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Biology from Southeast Missouri State University and a Master of Science in Psychology from the Ohio State University. While at Ohio State, his work focused primarily on quantitative research investigating social psychological phenomena like identity and the self, as well as issues such as stereotyping and prejudice. His background allows him to be rigorous in his approach while still keeping real people at the center of every project.
Outside of work, Brady loves trying new recipes, reading, and collecting weird trivia facts and the stories behind them.
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Micaela is a proactive and motivated market researcher and recruiter driven by curiosity and her love of people. She is responsible for supporting all phases of qualitative research from recruitment to moderation to analysis and synthesis. In 2019, Micaela graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University with a B.A. in Mass Communication and Media Studies. With her background in digital marketing, she has held several previous roles in social media management and content writing.
Micaela is an empathetic and attentive listener, enabling her to connect on a deep level with people. Her ability to “take on” the perspective of others, combined with her knack for strategic thinking, allows her to naturally link user needs to the research objectives at hand.
When not working, she enjoys all manner of cozy activities, among her favorites include reading, knitting, and re-watching the Great British Baking Show for the umpteenth time!
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Jacqueline Walker is one of our newest hires at Sylver Consulting, and has stepped into the role of market research recruiter.
Jacqueline restarted her educational journey at University of Illinois at Chicago in 2017, and got a degree in Research Communication. During that time she interned at three different small to midsize companies where she got first hand experience in digital marketing and business development in the healthcare industry. In that same year she was accepted to the Out for Undergrad marketing conference in Dallas Texas. In 2018, she also won first place at Think Chicago competition, which was based on creating and mapping out possible innovative tech ideas for the current social climate of Chicago. All of these experiences have led her to always continue to learn, understand her surroundings, and put her next foot down wisely.
Jacqueline prioritizes the words wisdom and empathy when navigating success and setbacks in professional and personal life. The ability to take a step outside of oneself and back into oneself is the key to connecting with individuals. Differences are what Jacqueline believes brings us together, and she weaves that ideal and passion in the work that she does.
Outside of Sylver she loves to cook, enhance recipes, and hone her gaming skills. She is currently playing Judgement!
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Sheysel holds a Bachelor of Art’s degree in Psychology, with minors in neuroscience and individualized studies. Her individualized studies minor was comprised of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, sociology, and anthropology to gain a deeper understanding of the world around her. In previous academic and professional roles, she has worked as a research assistant in the Higher End Learning Lab at Miami University, researching ways in which individuals make medical decisions and how to guide well-informed decisions through an intelligent tutoring system (GIST). She completed an internship at Sojourner Recovery Services as a mental health crisis hotline consultant, where she completed 80 hours of active listening training and managed community resources for crisis intervention.
Sheysel feels most like herself when helping people feel appreciated and understood. This is seen in her ability to notice people’s individual differences and giving unconditional praise for their strengths. She knows there is always room for growth, and her background in psychology and mental health services have taught her the importance of helping people grow through positive reinforcement. This has helped her connect with team members and brands alike in seeing what unique gifts they have to offer.
During her free-time, Sheysel loves spending time with her friends, attending as many live-music events as possible, and regularly visits Music Box, Chicago’s historic art-house theater. She is learning how to DJ synthwave + house music as her latest creative endeavor.
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Robyn hails from the land of creativity, passion and professionalism but with a dash of spice. Ever since she was six years old, Robyn had a camera in her hands. She brings extensive experience in video editing and video production to Sylver Consulting and thoroughly enjoys creating visual content for an audience. Robyn is particularly skilled in communication, empathy and organizational skills (you should see the color coordination of her social calendar)!
Robyn thrives off taking control and creating something beautiful yet exciting. Whether it’s assembling a social media campaign, producing a video, hosting a themed party with her friends or planning Sylver’s next company BBQ, she loves it all. Robyns passion for detail while brandishing the “woo” trait makes her perfect for being a leader/the girl who takes charge. The task of coordinating may be daunting to others but Robyn embraces it with full confidence and excitement.
Originally in media, Robyn graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in Television with a concentration in Directing and Production in 2018. At the age of 21, the web-based talk-show she was the Executive Producer for, “The 30 with Joshua Short”, was nominated for a NATAS Midwest Student Emmy. After graduation, Robyn gained experience with an Alternative Herbal Supplement company as their Social Media Manager and Videographer while actively working as a social media/video freelancer for local Rogers Park and Chicago businesses from restaurants and wine shops to insurance agents and realtors.
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Enya joined the Sylver team as a Graphic Design Consultant, and is responsible for bringing to life (or to the screen) many things related to graphic design (for example, much of the content you see on Sylver’s social media). Her passion for graphic design started about 13 years ago, when she was fifteen, influenced by her parents who own a wedding invitation stationery’s company in Brasilia, Brazil, where they actually live. Enya has designed a lot of wedding invitations and has improved her skills with graphic design software, as well as her graphic design skills. She loves to live a life of curiosity and creativity, and sees these skills as essential to solve problems. She recently received a degree in Graphic Design from University Center of Federal District (UDF), and is now studying remotely for a certificate in Project Management from the Ensign College through BYU-Pathway Worldwide.
Enya is someone who loves to bring the ideas in her mind and other’s to life through graphic design. In any project, she enjoys the process and all the opportunities she gets to learn and grow, and if she finds some difficulty along the path, she’ll use her curiosity and creativity to persevere and look for other solutions to reach the finish line of the project. You will find her celebrating each small victory, overcoming obstacles along the way. She loves learning new things and celebrates each new skill she gains. Enya has a willingness to jump into new challenges outside her comfort zone. She then obtains the necessary skills to create ideas with graphic design, by hearing and understanding the needs of end users and key project stakeholders.
Outside the computer screens, Enya sees herself as an artist and is always trying new things, like playing musical instruments, bookbinding, drawing, painting and cooking (this is an art for her as well!). She loves to use all of these talents to serve others. She’s completely crazy about her family and cats, and loves to make every person around her laugh!
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Reach out to set up a free discovery call. On this call, we’ll get clear on your scope of work to be tackled, how your initiative ladders to a broader business goal of your organization, and assess — without attachment — if Sylver Consulting is a “best fit partner” to support you in your scope of work.
Last year, Brianna Sylver worked as an Innovation Coach for three of the 35 Champion Cities selected by Bloomberg for the 2018 Mayor’s Challenge. These cities made such impressive strides ...
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What are the opportunities and potential obstacles for companies in a growing economy? UNESCO published Adriano Galvao’s research into this question in their report on sustainable development.
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In this LinkedIn article, Brianna shares the number one obstacle to business growth that she sees with her clients.
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Listen now to hear her talk with Zack Naylor about the differences between Market Research and User Research.
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