About Us

We are Dr Lia Ali and Helena Traill, two experts in human-centred design, healthcare, and innovation. Together, we help organisations—from healthcare and public services to startups and corporate teams—design solutions that truly work for the people they serve.

Through The Root and Branch Collective, we bring together a network of strategists, designers, and behavioural experts to support organisations tackling complex challenges.

Who Are We

Together, Lia and Helena bring a unique blend of clinical, strategic, and design expertise to every project, ensuring that organisations don’t just innovate—they create lasting change.

Dr Lia Ali

Co-Founder and Strategy Consultant

Lia is a consultant neuropsychiatrist, digital health strategist, and service design expert. She has worked across the NHS, industry, and policy, helping organisations integrate human-centred design into service transformation and innovation. With experience leading national-scale digital health projects, Lia specialises in bridging clinical expertise with design thinking to create solutions that are both impactful and practical.

Helena Traill FRSA

Co-Founder and Design Consultant

Helena is a healthcare designer and co-design expert, known for her ability to translate complexity into actionable strategies. As the Founder and Creative Director of nooh Studio, she has led human-centred design projects across healthcare, charities, and startups, helping organisations build compelling brands, services, and experiences. She is particularly passionate about inclusive design and storytelling for social impact.

Our Approach

We believe in human-centred design (HCD)—a methodology that ensures the people using a service, product or innovation are at the heart of its development. We work across digital and in-person services, ensuring organisations don’t just design for users but design with them.

Our approach helps organisations:

Find the Right Problem to Solve

We use Wicked Problem Mapping to help teams navigate complexity.

Design Solutions that Work

Using frameworks like the Double Diamond and User Journey Mapping, we refine ideas into meaningful, actionable solutions.

Bridge Strategy and Delivery

We turn insights into action, ensuring sustainable and scalable impact.

Transforming Healthcare & Public Services

We specialise in helping healthcare, public sector, and mission-driven organisations design better services, digital tools, and strategies. Our human-centred design (HCD) methodology ensures that solutions truly serve patients, clinicians, and communities.

We work with:

  • Healthcare providers & NHS teams – Designing services that improve patient outcomes.

  • Healthtech & MedTech innovators – Ensuring technology is usable, impactful, and scalable.

  • Public sector leaders – Creating user-first policies, services, and experiences.

  • Charities & non-profits – Developing engagement strategies that put communities first.