Co-designing an evaluation framework for design in the context of policy

Part of the Cabinet Office's Policy Lab pilot, this project will anchor the Policy Lab's initiative within a strong evaluative framework supported by academic research and co-designed with its major stakeholders. This framework will enable the Lab to evaluate and analyse the impact its design approach has on developing and implementing policy. It will be underpinned by a thorough review of existing literature to ground the Lab's evaluation in established research findings and methods.

The Policy Lab was set up in April 2014 by the Cabinet Office, part of the UK Civil Service. It aims to experiment with bringing design approaches to policy-making in central government by undertaking projects with government departments funding the lab. Led by experienced designer Dr Andrea Siodmok, this is a one-year pilot project that will design services around people's experiences, using data analytics and new digital tools based on policy goals. The Policy Lab replicates similar activities elsewhere notably in Denmark, which set up a cross-ministerial innovation unit MindLab a decade ago, as well as Nesta's Public Innovation Lab and The Australian Centre for Social Innovation.

Most of the existing literature on these initiatives currently belong in reports, conferences, and blog posts; there is comparatively little academic writing about using design approaches in policy making in central government. This project will combine the existing literature on design in policy with related academic research in design studies, participatory design, policy and management research to provide a thorough review of this emerging field.

Informed by this review, the Fellow will work with the Policy Lab and its stakeholders (including government departments) to co-design, iterate and implement a framework to evaluate the success of the Policy Lab's pilot year. The framework will look at how using research methods in the development and implementation of policy makes for better, more relevant, more smoothly implemented policy.

A public blog will be set up on mappingsocialdesign.org to inform audience for relevant stakeholders towards the end of the project to reflect on its findings. Finally, a report aimed at practitioners and managers in policy contexts will be published about the framework and its implications for bringing design approaches into policy-making and delivery.

This project will lead to academic and societal impact in the short, medium and long term. Four main beneficiary groups will benefit from this research.

1. The primary users and beneficiaries are in the Policy Lab itself, the Open Policy Making team, the wider Cabinet Office. By co-developing an evaluation framework for the Policy Lab, and helping the Policy Lab team adapt and develop its indicators of success, the project will, in the short term, increase the effectiveness of public services, support increased creativity in devising policy in UK central government, and improve the effectiveness of collaboration between the Cabinet Office and government departments.

2. A secondary set of users and beneficiaries are staff in the 17 government departments directly or indirectly involved in supporting the Lab and learning from its activities including the evaluation framework that is the focus of the fellowship. Activities include joint participation in Policy Lab workshops and opportunities to co-design the Policy Lab evaluation framework. Impacts in the medium to long term will be increased effectiveness of public services, increased creativity in devising policy in UK central government, and improved effectiveness in the collaboration between the Cabinet Office and government departments.

3. A wider group of users and beneficiaries in the UK and internationally are those within other central and local government, including other policy labs, and public sector orientated service design initiatives in the UK and internationally such as The Policy Lab, MindLab, and TACSI. Other users include intermediaries such as Nesta, think tanks such as New Economics Foundation. Impacts in the long term include increased effectiveness of public services, and increased creativity when developing public services. Activities include co-hosting or participating in a workshop at the end of the fellowship.

4. A fourth group of users and beneficiaries are designers and managers working in organisations that work with policy-makers and commissioners of public services, including commercial firms such as Capita and Microsoft, design firms such as Futuregov, and NGOs, social enterprises and charities. Impacts in the longer term include increasing the effectiveness of public services, and increased creativity in working with commissioners of public services.