Policy design

Understand citizens’ needs with policy design

Policy design is a way to approach challenges that involve collaborations between multiple stakeholders to find better policy initiatives and regulations. A user-centered work method is created by using design-thinking methods and insights into citizens’ experiences and expectations.

The work is exploratory and iterative. Testing new solutions and combining different skill sets leads to more successful policy development. This work approach results in a better, more nuanced understanding of citizens’ conditions while saving resources and time by continually testing, evaluating and improving different ideas. But above all: policy design is a way to be sure your efforts lead to the right results.

Working with policy design means putting the needs of end users front and center when making decisions. Design thinking emphasizes the importance of involving citizens early on. The end user is engaged in the decision-making process, for example by testing several different ideas and prototypes. This kind of participation is based on empathy and co-creation and the result is a solution that gets better and better as work progresses.

Policy labs for testing new regulations

Policy labs consist of a group of people with different skill sets. Together, they invent, develop and test different methods to change regulations. The key here is to base work around citizen insights and to quickly develop testable prototypes. That lets us achieve policy changes that promote sustainable social development. 

System design and Agenda 2030 partnership

In conjunction with the policy lab, we map the system surrounding the challenge we want to solve. This mapping process is based on the entire system and helps us see exactly where we need to work to have the greatest effect; it’s called system acupuncture. This kind of system design is intended to produce long-term effects. It creates a self-reinforcing loop that affects the entire system, and initiatives that can be scaled up.

Policy design is also an effective way to work with the global development goals and Agenda 2030. We use process management to support collaborations and partnerships, the facilitation of workshops, and to ensure well-defined, practical results.

Learn more

• Service design
• Digital design
• Customer-driven organization
• Design system
• Content strategy
• Usability tests
• Innovation
• Customer journey
• Behavioral design
• UX design
• Sustainable design
• Customer Insights