I’ve been in two companies that used IDEO, one project never saw light of day and the other was a collosal flop in the market. I was only on the perifery, and can’t say either wasn’t a case of “garbage in - garbage out” but they were asked to create disruptors in the market - tough gig for anyone.They cost tons of money and lost any future contracts.
This talk of Tier 1 firms or pure design is off base. People and firms have experience and talent and that’s all. Nobody is great at Everything. A Freelancer or small no-name firm that kills in a small market or narrow product category may never win any awards or get on TV but in my mind defines excellence or “Tier 1” status.