Policy Lab

Tools & techniquesWork in progress 16th Dec 2014

Tools we have

been using

Workshop prototyping

Road mapping

Collaborative workshop

Co-designChallenge setting

Systems mapping

User journey mapping

EthnographyPersonasHopes and Fears

Visioning workshop

Service blueprinting

Visioning

workshops

help teams

build a

shared view

of the policy

area

Tools & Techniques

Discover: Setting scope

Hopes and

Fears help teams

develop a shared

vision

Tools & Techniques

Discover: Setting scope

‘Personas’ are

used to represent

different end users

Tools & Techniques

Discover: User’s experience

‘Design ethnography’

builds insight by shadowing

users or spending time with

them discussing their lived

experience in real contexts

Tools & Techniques

Discover: User’s experience

‘Journey mapping’

looks at a service

from a user’s point

of view

Tools & Techniques

Discover: User’s experience

Systems mapping

and ‘Touch points’

mark the physical

interactions with a

service

Tools & Techniques

Discover: Areas for improvement

‘Challenge cards’ are

used to build a shared

understanding of a

problem

Tools & Techniques

Define: Challenges

Co-design workshops

enable different people to

come together and share

ideas

Tools & Techniques

Discover: Opportunities

Rapid ideas generation is

a quick fire technique for

teams to co-create new

ideas

Tools & Techniques

Develop: Policy ideas

Collaborative

workshops help

teams generate

shared

ownership and

actions

Tools & Techniques

Develop: Priorities

‘Table top prototyping’

helps visualise a service to

quickly test assumptions

Tools & Techniques

Develop: Prototypes

Service blueprints reveal the

intended service delivery

across different channels e.g.

digital, face to face, print.

Tools & Techniques

Deliver: Blueprints

Road mapping helps build a

shared plan of action using

visual assets and milestones

Tools & Techniques

Deliver: Roadmapping

The Policy Lab is funded by departments for departments, we are a small team

supported by departmental secondees and external experts. We are part of the

Government Innovation Group, working with the Cabinet Office’s Open Policy

Making Team and the Policy Profession Support Unit.

Demonstration projects: Home Office, Surrey and Sussex Police, Ministry of Justice

and HMRC & DWP. Lab Light projects: Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, Cabinet

Office Horizons Scanning team, GO Science, DWP and Departmental Policy Schools.

Design industry experts: Uscreates, Innovation Unit, Livework, Nonon, RedFront,

Sea Communications and Public i. Events: Civil Service Live, Institute for Government.

Advisors, friends and partners: MindLab, GDS, Design Council, Nesta, and RSA and

All Party Parliamentary Group on Design and Innovation.

Policy Lab team: Paul Maltby, Dr Andrea Siodmok, Beatrice Andrews, Cat Drew and

Lisa Graham. AHRC Research Fellow, Dr Lucy Kimbell.

With thanks to

Lab partners, friends

and industry experts

[16 December 2014]

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