Good
Problems
We help funders find the problems that matter and design effective programmes to solve them.
Learn more Get in touchFocusing on one problem rather than another will affect the impact you can achieve with your funding, and the types of solutions you can help grow.
We help you identify important problems where your resources can make a difference. To date, we’ve researched and designed over 30 programmes worth more than £20 million, matching good problems with scientists, technologists, makers, and innovators ready to solve them. We draw on an ever expanding network of over 500 experts across domains ranging from computer security to dementia.
Our services
Find good problems
We help find and prioritise problems that are real, important, and solvable with the resources you can offer.
→ Read moreUnderstand solvers
We figure out which skills and collaborations could offer a solution, then connect with potential solvers and discover their needs.
→ Read moreBuild initiatives
We design problem-led initiatives that achieve impact by matching solvers to your resources and ambitions.
→ Read moreNeed to find a good problem?
Contact usOur work
We take on ambitious projects to help funders realise their impact potential. Working across a wide range of technical, scientific, and social domains, we specialise in translating complex concepts into insights, tools, and programmes that can be used right away.
Innovation brokerage
Working with Nesta and 100%Open, we developed a framework to better understand innovation brokerage and how emerging digital technologies are changing the way it’s done.
→ See project page
Prioritising problems for public engagement
We helped the Public Engagement team at Wellcome confidently select an important problem that could benefit from their focus on collective missions.
→ See project page
EdTech Testbeds
When it comes to educational technology, evidence can be hard to find. Working with Nesta and Prof. Mike Sharples, we proposed four models to build evidence for informing EdTech decisions.
→ See project page
Flying High
Drone tech promises widespread change, but local impacts. Working with Nesta, we helped five UK cities prioritise their needs and design a future with drones that works for their communities.
→ See project pageOur approach
We take an iterative approach to our work. We design something useful, test it, and use the feedback to grow our understanding and design something better.
Do actionable research
We do just enough research to understand barriers preventing progress and highlight concrete opportunities for innovation.
Design prototypes
We communicate our learning by creating visual prompts or text-based documents that serve as prototypes we can use to test our learning.
Engage with experts
We test our prototypes in interviews with domain experts, key stakeholders, and potential innovators, and update our understanding based on feedback.
Our blog
Looking for a good problem?
We are a close team of designers and researchers who are passionate about tackling ambitious and important problems. If you’re looking to grow your impact, we’d love to hear from you!
