Articles
Retrofit Reimagined: designing policy that works for people and place
Retrofit Reimagined is a new collaboration rooted in people, place and lived experience. By designing with, not for, households across the North, we’re building retrofit policy that is practical, targeted and ready for national relevance.
Duplication or due diligence?
Discover why intentional repetition in digital service design fosters trust, adaptability, and meaningful engagement. Learn how strategic repetition balances automation with human-centred care.
Tripod Teams: Bringing balance to public policy
Public policy initiatives often fail due to operational and cultural disconnect. TriPOD Teams—integrating Policy, Operations, and Digital—create a balanced, collaborative approach to ensure strategic alignment, practical implementation, and user-centred solutions. Discover how this model addresses common challenges and enhances public satisfaction.
Appropriate innovation: creating the conditions for test and learn
Appropriate innovation means balancing agility with stability. Test and learn can transform government policy, but it requires robust structures, collaboration, and trust to succeed. At Lighthouse, we help teams bridge gaps, test ideas safely, and deliver meaningful, impactful change.
Navigating the complexities of Policy Portfolio Management
Discover how strategic Policy Portfolio Reviews can help your team navigate complexity, align with shifting government agendas, and maximise policy impact
Understanding Policy Portfolios
A Policy Portfolio approach is essential for effective policy design, offering a structured and flexible way to address complex public issues.
Policy Levers with an indirect impact
Policy Levers that sit in the two Indirect quadrants of the Policy Design Matrix, which focus on delivering both immediate and gradual results through indirect mechanisms
Policy Levers with direct impact
Policy Levers that sit in the two Direct quadrants of the Policy Design Matrix, which focus on delivering results through direct government action
Policy Levers for a gradual impact
Policy Levers positioned in the Gradual Impact quadrants are designed to have a longer implementation timeline. This is crucial for addressing complex issues that require sustained efforts and comprehensive planning.
Policy Levers for an immediate impact
Policy Levers positioned in the Immediate Impact quadrants are designed to produce quick outcomes. This is crucial in scenarios requiring urgent attention or rapid responses to emerging issues.
Introducing the Policy Design Matrix
The Policy Design Matrix is an essential tool that helps policymakers categorise policy options based on two crucial dimensions: the implementation timeline and the implementation mechanism.
The principles and benefits of Policy Design
Policy Design is the meticulous blend of traditional policy-making with complementary ideas and principles from the world of design.
Policymaker Mindsets: The Guardian
The Guardian archetype is a cornerstone of policymaking, focused on safeguarding fairness, equity, and long-term stability.
Policymaker Mindsets: The Collaborator
The Collaborator archetype thrives in teamwork and inclusivity, bringing people together to solve problems and create policies that reflect diverse perspectives.
Policymaker Mindsets: The Pragmatist
The Pragmatist archetype is grounded in practicality, focusing on delivering efficient, actionable solutions to real-world problems.
Policymaker Mindsets: The Operator
The Operator is a tactician, a pragmatic policymaker who values competence and reliability, focusing primarily on making decisions that will reflect positively on them and avoid controversy.
Policymaker Mindsets: The Visionary
The Visionary archetype is all about ambition, creativity, and bold ideas.
Introducing the Lighthouse Policymaker Archetypes
Discover Lighthouse’s policymaker archetypes—a framework built on five key traits that shape policymaking behaviour. Learn how to align delivery and policy teams for more effective collaboration and impactful outcomes.
Bringing balance: The case for and against user-centred policy design
User-centred design (UCD) is celebrated for its potential to make policy more informed and effective, by actively involving the individuals most affected by the issues at hand. However, policy people are still wary…