Problem Solving

Bottom Up and Backwards

What can we learn from turning social problem solving back to front? Sarah Schulman & Chris Vanstone

At our Blue Sky's session on Thursday 24th June, we talked about problem solving methods and questions. Soon we'll be publishing a video and transcript from our talk. In the meantime, you can learn more about our favourite methods.

A bit about our methods:

We blend creative, user-centred design methods with analytic methods from policy and social science. At the start of projects, we use methods and ask questions to understand what people want and identify what a good outcome would be. In the middle, we use methods and ask questions to work out how to change practice. At the end, we use methods and ask questions to work out how to change policy. Here's are some of our favourite methods.

Methods to work out what people want

Methods to work out new practice

policy-practice prototypes

people-practice prototypes

action learning

visualisation & scenarios

Methods to work out new policy

cost-benefit analysis