The method, stage by stage

We map who has influence over the problem, what each group needs, and where their interests conflict. We interview and observe the people closest to it, from agency staff to frontline workers.

We review the laws, regulations, and comparable programs in other jurisdictions. We search published and gray literature and report where the evidence is thin. This is where we learn a new domain before we recommend anything.

We field surveys and analyze survey, administrative, and public datasets. Statistical models test which factors are driving the outcomes in question. Interview and focus-group themes sit next to the numbers, so each finding rests on both kinds of evidence.

We test how each option would hold up if conditions change. We then weigh the options against the political, operational, and institutional constraints the client works within.

We turn findings into a logic model that staff, funders, and evaluators can all work from. We lead workshops where stakeholders work through decisions together. We build clickable prototypes and test them with representative users before the full build.

We set the evaluation indicators and data sources now, so results can be measured from launch. The engineers who will build the design review it for feasibility before it is final.

Our engineers write the backend, data, and interface code and connect it to the systems a client already runs. We write the operating plan for launch: roles, workflows, training needs, and checkpoints. Training, outreach, and content go out in the languages the audience speaks.

We track the indicators set during Design and revise in short rounds based on user feedback and usage. We support client teams as they adopt the new program or tool.