User-Centred

Policy Design

Better policy comes from listening, testing, and learning early.

What is user-centred policy design?

User-centred policy design is about shaping policy with the people it affects, not just for them.

It connects research and delivery by involving users, frontline teams and operational realities from the beginning.

Through co-design sprints, prototyping and real-world testing, it turns ideas into practical interventions that are grounded, adaptive and more likely to succeed.

We help policy teams and researchers move from theory to tested, from assumptions to evidence, and from good intent to practical delivery.

Whether you're early in the process or preparing for a national pilot, we bring structure, insight and momentum to help you move forward with confidence.

What we do

We support teams at any stage from early exploration to pre-launch testing, with fast, focused methods that bring clarity and momentum.

Co-design sprints

Short, structured bursts of design that help you clarify goals, map risks, and shape interventions that respond to real user needs.

We bring users and frontline teams into the process, turning complexity into shared understanding and testable ideas.

User research

Rapid qualitative and quantitative insight shaped around your decision points, not a static brief.

We test assumptions, map behaviours, and make sure your intervention reflects how people actually think and live.

Policy pilots

We structure and support real-world trials that help you learn what works before scaling.

That includes outcome frameworks, success criteria, and feedback loops designed to support decision making and funding.

Prototyping and testing

We help you create tangible early versions of policies, services or communications and put them in front of users to explore how they work in practice.

This might include service walkthroughs, policy guidance, conversation scripts, digital tools, forms or calculators, or early versions of regulatory, behavioural or fiscal levers.

North Star Framing

We help policy teams step back from the detail and focus on the bigger picture. Using structured strategy sessions, we help you define a clear direction of travel that others can align around.

This is especially useful when shaping a new programme, aligning stakeholders, or preparing for a funding bid.

Embedded support

Sometimes the fastest way to get moving is to have someone in the room.

We embed researchers, designers or strategists inside your team to deliver, coach, and help shift how work gets done.

Great for

  • Policy teams designing or refining new interventions

  • Academic researchers preparing bids that need user insight or real-world testing

  • Public bodies seeking evidence ahead of a business case or spending decision

  • Delivery teams needing structured support for pilots and experimentation

  • Partnerships looking to bridge research and implementation with practical design

Ready to explore your next step?

Whether you're shaping a new idea, preparing for a funding bid or planning a policy pilot, we can help.

We bring design, research and delivery experience to complex public challenges, and we’re always happy to talk about what might work for you.

Our user-centred policy design services are available to purchase through G-Cloud 14.

Find us on the Digital Marketplace and take the next step toward delivering effective, impactful policies with confidence.