A light prototype (think paper walk through or storyboard) is all you need to be ready for client involvement in your design. Use this simple discussion guide to get valuable client input into your design before you start to climb the investment curve.

The principles in the guide can equally be applied to a public policy setting. Think stakeholder groups, service users and affected communities. An early policy paper can be a prototype. The difference comes in the questions you ask and the analytical lens you put over the responses. Customer satisfaction and service desirability are not the goals of public policy. Think impact, accessibility and need.