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Who we are

About nth parallel

A designer and an engineer. A pair of experienced leaders. Two curious and empathetic souls. A couple of certifiable humans.

We've spent our careers designing and building systems that serve proven human needs, in a human-friendly way, while being robust, scalable, highly performant, and secure under the hood. That combination — design depth and engineering depth, plus hard-won business savvy — is rare. It's also kind of the perfect blend for getting the most out of AI.

Clay Crenshaw
Partner — Design

Clay Crenshaw

Clay leads design and user experience at nth parallel. His background spans UX research, product design, brand systems, and human-centered design — with a focus on making complex systems feel intuitive to the people who actually use them.

At nth parallel, Clay is responsible for the front door of every engagement: understanding the real problem, translating between business needs and technical possibilities, and making sure the thing we build is actually something your team will use. He believes that most AI failures are design failures — and that fixing them requires starting with the humans, not the computers.

Dylan Mankey
Partner — Engineering

Dylan Mankey

Dylan helps organizations identify which AI and technology investments will deliver real value—and why. He brings deep engineering experience to the conversation, grounding strategy in what is proven to work in practice.

He has a low tolerance for complexity that doesn't serve a purpose, and a good instinct for where organizations can benefit most from improving systems. At nth parallel, Dylan's experience as a technical leader and operator informs how he engages with clients, driving a strong preference for systems that operators can understand and own — with or without a technical team.

What makes us different

Why clients choose us

Design-led systems thinking

We approach AI systems the way good product teams approach software: with the end user at the center. A system that technically works but that nobody uses is a failed project.

Prototype-first

We never ask you to commit to a large engagement on the basis of a proposal alone. We prove value fast — typically with a working prototype in the first two weeks.

Operational realism

We build for the messy, real world — not the clean version that exists in demos. Edge cases, failure modes, and imperfect data are part of the design, not afterthoughts.

Long-tail support

AI systems require care after deployment — especially as models evolve, usage patterns change, and new edge cases emerge. We build relationships designed to last beyond the initial project.

No vendor conflicts

We don't take commissions, referral fees, or revenue-sharing arrangements with tool vendors. Our recommendations are based on what's right for your situation — full stop.

Honest about fit

Are we right for each other?

We'd rather say this upfront than discover it three weeks into an engagement.

We work best with

  • Small to mid-sized companies (10–200 people) with real, specific operational problems
  • Decision-makers who can greenlight small experiments without a six-month procurement cycle
  • Teams with genuine curiosity about AI and healthy skepticism about hype
  • Founders and operators who will be hands-on during the Diagnose phase
  • Organizations looking for a long-term partner, not a one-time vendor

We're probably not the right fit if

  • Your procurement process takes months before work can begin
  • You're looking for a strategy document with no deployment component
  • You want to hand off a problem and check back in three months
  • You're expecting AI to fully replace your team rather than support them
  • The brief is "build a chatbot" and there's no appetite to question whether that's the right solution

Work with us

Let's start the conversation.

Tell us what you're working on — honestly. We'll tell you just as honestly whether we're the right team for it.

Talk to a Human →