How to experiment using policy design

We had over 140 people participate in our joint London Policy & Strategy Network and Policy Lab session on how to use policy design methods to tackle today’s complex challenges.

Policy Lab recently launched a set of 12 experimental method cards introducing public sector innovators to new concepts and initiating the sharing of new knowledge across practitioners, nationally and internationally.

We explored a range of methods that could be relevant in the policymaking of today and tomorrow and how they could be integrated into policy development.

Policy Lab is keen to identify opportunities to partner with policy teams to experiment with some of these methods to understand their potential and limitations better.

Sign up for our next session in person where you can experience one of these methods and try it out — legislative theatre on 4 November.

What is Policy Lab?

Policy Lab was founded in 2014; its mission has been to radically explore the cutting edge of policy design practice: to improve policymaking through design, innovation and people-centred approaches.

Back then, applying design thinking to a policy challenge was a new and different way to frame, research and solve policy problems. Today these methods have been adopted by officials — user-centred design, service design, and systems thinking are now part of the latest Policy Professions Standards, and there are teams across the civil service pursuing these methods.