Services

We are experts in design for the public good—we employ multidisciplinary methods to tackle complex social challenges.

Our Approach

We draw from political science, anthropology, technology, public administration, economics, and other disciplines, so our solutions are grounded in the reality of each unique environment.

All of our work is animated by empathy and collaboration, as we work side-by-side with our partners to navigate change. We build interventions that work for both the people that use them and the institutions that deliver them.

Core Services

Reboot’s services span the project cycle, from research to strategy to design to implementation.

Implementation Research Strategy &Design

Research

Design Research

Political Economy Analysis

Institutional Ethnography

Strategy & Design

Policy & Program Co-Creation

Service Design

Strategy Development

Implementation

Program Management

Program Advisory

Add-on Services

We further strengthen your impact through:

Workshop Facilitation & Co-Creation

Communications Design

Training & Technical Capacity Building

Research

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  • Understand the complex forces behind seemingly intractable social problems
  • Resolve questions and assumptions that threaten a program’s impact
  • Uncover the hidden factors that shape an organization’s ability to deliver on its mandate

Design Research

To reach and serve people better, institutions need a comprehensive understanding of those people—including their motivations, interests, skills, and constraints. Through one-on-one interviews, focus groups, service trials, and participant observation, we unearth salient demographic and psychographic characteristics, and behavior patterns. Through synthesis and visual design, we create user personas, journeys, and maps that help clients see new ways forward.

See how we provided New York City with a vividly clear picture of how more residents can solve community problems using public data.

Political Economy Analysis

Through primary research grounded in ethnographic methods, we create a nuanced understanding of the issue at hand—including the people and institutions involved, as well as cultural, political, and economic factors. Our research enables empathy and generates the actionable insights needed to design solutions that are impactful, feasible, and sustainable.

See how our insights helped one humanitarian program make sure aid actually reached those in need.

Institutional Ethnography

To help organizations innovate, we reveal the factors—both formal and informal—that shape the behaviors of staff and partners. Through immersive investigation, process modeling, and landscape analysis, we create a comprehensive portrait of how decisions are made in practice (as opposed to on paper) and identify opportunities for change.

See how our deep research helped reveal the hidden drivers and enablers of corruption in one Nigerian state—and creative ways to address it.

Strategy & Design

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  • Leverage diverse voices in designing your programs, strategies, and services
  • Create new models for participatory decision-making
  • Test and refine initiatives in a rapid and cost-effective way

Policy & Program Co-Creation

Co-creation is one of the most effective tactics for creating policies and programs that reflect the priorities of a broad coalition of stakeholders. We ground the process in the experiences and expectations of each co-creator, and then lead collaborative exercises that break through uneven power dynamics, bringing everyone together through visioning, goal-setting, brainstorming, design, and implementation planning.

See how we led Nicaraguan government officials through participatory design exercises to cultivate an empathetic and effective approach to policy.

Service Design

Effective services are tailored not just for the people who receive them, but for everyone within a system—including those within agenda-setting and implementing organizations. Our solutions are both creative and practical because our evidence-based process incorporates both citizen feedback and institutional mandates, and we use prototypes to model and refine early-stage ideas in rapid cycles of iteration.

See how we designed My Voice, a patient feedback platform that supports Nigerian public health services.

Strategy Development

We help organizations and movements develop strategies to advance their missions, and we mobilize staff and supporters to translate vision into reality. Working from a deep understanding of the moment and opportunity, we engage all actors involved—across functions and hierarchies—and facilitate processes for thoughtful deliberation and design.

See how we helped the global movement behind Wikipedia take an inclusive approach to long-term strategy.

Implementation

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  • Create responsive programs through continuous learning and adaptation
  • Collaboratively guide initiatives from pilot to scale
  • Integrate feedback from people and partners to optimize program management

Program Management

When implementing a new program (or scaling up an existing one), teams need just-in-time support in building new skills and expertise while also measuring results and adapting to maximize success. We embed with organizations to guide pilots and support change for as long as needed, continually adapting and refining initiatives in response to feedback and program data. For larger and collaborative implementations, we also help identify resources to bring pilots to scale.

See how we deployed the world’s first mobile-based voter registration system in support of the 2014 elections in Libya.

Program Advisory

With a commitment to process-driven problem-solving as well as empathy, we identify opportunities for positive change by engaging with all stakeholders. Informed by social dynamics and organizational history and culture, we design and manage communications, messaging, and roll-out plans that foster sustained change.

See how we guided 5 subnational governments to co-create meaningful, citizen-driven plans to make government more transparent and open.

Add-On Services

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  • Further strengthen your impact through our add-on services.

Workshop Facilitation & Co-Creation

We make dynamic, impactful workshops and convenings happen through deliberate pre-engagement, agenda co-creation, and non-stop facilitation. With respect for the goals of all participants, we work collaboratively with organizers to design agendas that are detailed but flexible. Our facilitation techniques are participatory, with exercises that break through uneven power dynamics, freeing everyone to generate new ideas and work together towards common goals.

See how we led a diverse group of civil society groups to co-create a shared vision for an international innovation and support network.

Communications Design

Successful initiatives are supported by strong communications that help both internal and external stakeholders understand the what, the how, and especially the why of a new approach. We use compelling visual design to break down complex topics and relationships, and craft engagement strategies that reach and spark conversation with the right audiences.

See how we helped people navigate the Brooklyn court system through clear and strategic visual communications design.

Training and Technical Capacity Building

We increase the sustainability of interventions by training and building capacity for organizations. From small grassroots advocacy groups to global development institutions, our partners “learn by doing.” We work shoulder-to-shoulder with partners on projects to build practical know-how in skills like design thinking, strategy development, community building, and government outreach and engagement.

See how we worked with a grass-roots advocacy organization in Nigeria to increase its media visibility—and its influence over government spending.