Research and design

We help organisations understand the people they serve and design services, products, systems and experiences that work for them.

Two young people having a conversation using sign language at home.

Children looking at a solar system display in a museum, lit in warm red and blue tones.

A person speaking at a support group meeting, with others listening attentively.

A visually impaired student studying at a library desk with a laptop and books.

Good research and design starts with asking the right questions, challenging assumptions and designing around real human needs rather than internal ones. We work alongside your team, bringing research, facilitation and design thinking to help you understand what people really need and make informed decisions about what to do next.

Get close to the people who matter most

Research that goes beyond surveys and analytics

We use diary studies, depth interviews and ethnographic methods to understand people in context, like our work with Sue Ryder that revealed what bereaved people really needed from a grief support service.
Clarity before commitment

Map the opportunity before you commit

When the problem feels tangled or the direction unclear, we use tools like Possibility Mapping to help teams cut through complexity and identify where to focus, before investing in research or build.
Do research at scale with AI

Extend the reach of your research

Our Sonar tool uses AI to conduct qualitative research with hundreds of participants simultaneously, reaching more people than traditional methods at a fraction of the cost.
Design services, not just screens

Human-centred design for complex problems

We apply service design thinking to map the full user journey and redesign the moments that matter, as with our Amnesty International insight work and rapid prototyping for NHS services.
Build design systems that scale

Consistent, accessible design across every touchpoint

We create and extend design systems and component libraries that give editorial and development teams a shared visual language. This reduces inconsistency, speeds up delivery and makes accessibility easier to maintain at scale.
Define content strategy and structure

Say the right thing, in the right place

We help organisations develop content strategy, information architecture and content design that make complex services simple to navigate, like our transformation of the US National Institute of Health OITE website.

Working with Torchbox on this research gave us a really strong foundation to build from. It ensured we were not designing in isolation, but instead grounding every decision in the experiences of our members: from local to global humanitarian organisations.

Zofia Piotrowicz Digital Manager, Start Network

Read the case study