Global · Public Health

Starting point

WHO programme leaders in the Department of Health Promotion / WHO Tobacco-Free Initiative asked me to explore whether anything might be missing from existing graphic health warnings on cigarette packaging, following feedback that audiences were becoming desensitised to established adverse health-impact messaging.

What I explored

I introduced Schwartz's Theory of Universal Human Values as a behavioural lens to analyse 574 graphic health warnings from more than 37 countries, identifying the values currently emphasised and looking for untapped motivational themes beyond health.

I then compared these findings with pro-tobacco industry campaigns and anti-tobacco civil society initiatives, and translated the analysis into visual charts and narrative insights.

What changed

The analysis revealed a strong reliance on loss-framed messaging around Security, alongside underused values such as Self-Direction, Achievement and Tradition. Comparing different parts of the communication landscape highlighted unexplored opportunities for culturally resonant messaging that could engage a wider range of motivations.

The research contributed to new research questions for country-level practitioners, supporting policy innovation and implementation guidance for WHO FCTC Articles 11 and 12. Initial findings were published on page 19 of the 10th WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic.

The approach

I temporarily set aside the dominant health perspective to investigate what became visible when tobacco communication was viewed through a different lens.

London · Climate & Place

Starting point

Hounslow Borough Council's Net Zero team wanted to strengthen community spirit around tackling climate change in one of the borough's most deprived neighbourhoods. An early idea was a parklet focused on air quality, transport and access to green space, but there were questions about whether resources were being directed to the right problem and whether residents would use the proposed intervention.

What I explored

Working with Design Council colleagues, I guided an interdepartmental team through a process combining field research, collaborative workshops and further investigation.

A ward walk brought teams from environment, housing, policy and social services together to see the neighbourhood through one another's eyes. It revealed both community assets and significant barriers, while existing investments such as gym equipment and cycle storage were found to be going unused.

Using my Bridge to Belonging evaluation tool, the team mapped resident needs from basic safety and shelter through to education and belonging. Further research revealed financial insecurity, reliance on sibling care, limited access to green space and distrust of the council.

What changed

The research shifted the focus away from the parklet and towards the conditions that would need to exist for community participation to become possible.

The emerging response was a community hub and council presence at the heart of the Redwood Estate, creating a starting point for building safety, trust and cohesion before asking residents to engage with wider environmental initiatives.

The approach

I combined systems and design thinking to understand the wider situation before deciding whether the proposed intervention was addressing the right problem.

Essex · Climate & Youth Engagement

Starting point

Essex County Council and the Essex Climate Action Commission were developing a Youth-led Climate Ambassador Network and wanted to understand how climate communication could connect more meaningfully with young people across the county.

What I explored

Rather than starting with established climate narratives, I wanted to understand what climate action looked like from young people's perspective.

Working with Design Council colleagues, I co-designed and facilitated The World We Will Create, a participatory research workshop bringing together 15-18-year-old students and teachers to imagine a climate-positive Essex in 2033.

Using storytelling, futures and systems thinking, participants explored how they might live, learn and work in this future across environment, society and economy. Creative exercises inspired by Doughnut Economics helped them develop and illustrate their visions.

What changed

Analysis of the workshop surfaced ten values-led themes, including Circular Communities, Restoring Nature, Caring Communities, The New Role Models, Clean Energy, Future of Work and Our Learning Environments.

These provided different entry points into climate action, grounded in students' interests, identities, relationships and hopes rather than beginning with established climate narratives.

The themes gave Essex a set of perspectives grounded in young people's interests and hopes to inform climate communication and the emerging Climate Ambassador Network. Five were prioritised as initial areas for development, and the workshop was designed as a replicable participatory research method for wider use across schools.

The approach

I temporarily set aside the established climate-action perspective to explore what the challenge looked like from young people's point of view.

Bath · Economic Development & Cross-Sector Learning

Starting point

Between 2023 and 2025, I supported the University of Bath's Living Well Now and in 2050 research project to explore the potential adoption of Doughnut Economics as a regional economic development strategy.

Interest in the framework was growing across research, policy and civil society, but engagement remained largely siloed. People were coming to the framework with different levels of knowledge, professional interests and perspectives, creating a challenge around how to build the shared foundations needed for meaningful participation.

What I explored

I designed and led an experimental engagement programme in Bath, testing different ways of introducing, adapting and using Doughnut Economics across sectors.

Rather than relying on a single engagement format, I created multiple entry points: a nine-week online readalong, 24 workshops, a public lecture at Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, an urban photo walk and an online community of around 100 local members. I also gathered examples of urban initiatives from elsewhere that could prompt discussion about what might be relevant to Bath.

Across these activities, I observed what helped people build confidence with unfamiliar ideas, connect them to the local context and engage constructively with perspectives beyond their own.

What changed

The work identified practical conditions that supported productive cross-sector dialogue: informal and preparatory spaces, creative framing, sustained relationship-building, and tools that helped people connect evidence, lived experience and policy goals.

One particularly revealing moment came when mixed groups independently explored a long-standing tension between social and environmental priorities in Bath. Using only the Doughnut tools provided, participants reached a shared understanding that environmental challenges could be approached through a social lens, without being directed towards that conclusion.

The findings provided practical insight into the early, often invisible work required before meaningful policy conversations can happen: building familiarity, relationships and shared foundations before asking people to collaborate on complex questions.

The approach

I used creative, place-based engagement as a form of participatory research, testing different conditions for bringing people from different backgrounds together, observing what worked, and adapting the programme as I learned.