Research in the midst of society

A good project starts before the first sketch. Together with researchers, we turn a societal question into a project plan. We advise on the grant application, the role of design within it, and the partners you need in your consortium.

What is the real problem, and who is it a problem for? Answering this question can often become your first publication. Sometimes researchers tackle this part on their own, and sometimes we contribute from this stage onwards. We often gather valuable input in our “problem storm”: an interactive session where we work with the people affected to define the “design gap”, the difference between the current situation and the one we want.

Together with end users and stakeholders, we work step by step towards a final design. We start with very simple prototypes and pay close attention to the context in which the solution has to work. The design process itself can also be a subject of research. Think of questions like: “Did co-design change participants’ attitudes towards [x]?”

This phase is about testing and iterating: does it work, is it understood, and does it fit the context? Our support varies, from advice on what data you can collect and how to handle it, to designing and running a complete test protocol. Even if you do much of it yourself, we’re happy to share our knowledge and experience to help you get started.

Does the solution achieve what we set out to do? And what would it take to scale it up? Questions like these are often central to the final phase: measuring impact. Like testing, impact can be measured in many ways and through many different lenses. In a co-design process, there are often “soft” outcomes alongside the hard results, such as high levels of target group engagement. We’re happy to help you turn these into measurable results or a compelling narrative.