National Disability Data Asset (NDDA) has been newly formed to bring together all available data relating to the disability community.

The brief was to help individuals and policy-makers choose which pathways worked, informed by data driven insights. Less wasted effort. Better outcomes for people living with disability.

Existing thinking was to create a single source of truth. To tell people which pathways lead to which outcomes. To rely on data to dictate the right answer for every situation.

Creating better outcomes for people living with disabilities is complex. Some support pathways succeed, while others don’t. It’s not always apparent why.

Over 14 weeks, we worked alongside NDDA’s team — prototyping and testing with policy-makers, advocacy groups, and individuals.

Through testing, we discovered the underlying assumption was false. People don’t want to be told which support pathway is best. The right answer is entirely dependent on their context.

This powerful insight pivoted existing thinking — allowing us to focus on the true need. Helping people explore data themselves. Make their own connections. Bring their own expertise. Reach their own conclusions.

This held true across all user-groups, from policy-makers to the public. Allowing us to define a single solution for all.

The largest impact of our work was instilling a design-led approach to NDDA’s new product team, and NSW’s Department of Premier and Cabinet.

We provided a hands-on demonstration of design’s ability to generate bulletproof strategy – and turn that strategy into tangible, real world outcomes.

This shifted the mindset from ‘Innovation is a once off task. It only happens at the start’ to design as an everyday practice – constantly re-evaluating, improving, and innovating the product.

The NDDA team was able to successfully acquire more funding, and were seen as design leaders across the department as a whole.

The National Disability Data Asset pilot won a Good Design Award for Design Strategy in 2021.