There are many reasons for carrying out a reality check: existing laws are failing to achieve their objectives, there is dissatisfaction among those affected, requirements to reduce bureaucracy need to be met or implementation alternatives need to be examined at the enforcement level. Even with new legislative projects, it is worth considering the practical perspective from the outset.

We have developed a modular system for this purpose and support policy-makers with individual steps or the implementation of the entire process, as required. In principle, a reality check is divided into three phases:

Planning and concept phase

• Issue identification: If the issue has not already been specified by the client, we identify areas with high problem pressure and at the same time realistic scope for action.
• Goal definition: Together with the client, we define the goal of the reality check, for example the acceleration or simplification of bureaucratic processes.
• Target group selection: Stakeholders to be involved are identified on the basis of the goal definition. The focus is on groups of people who are practically affected by the proposed legislation and have practical knowledge - such as citizens, civil servants, practitioners or entrepreneurs.

Implementation phase

• Holistic understanding of the problem: The aim is to identify key hurdles.  In addition to a process analysis, the perspective of those affected is gathered. We employ workshops, focus groups, surveys, data analysis and also citizen journey and experience tests.
• Development of alternative solutions: We develop legally compliant and human- and user-centered design options. In addition to our expertise in the development of consumer policy instruments, behavioral insights and user-centered design, we also analyse the scientific discourse, best practices and conduct expert interviews.
• Testing prototypes: To test the effectiveness of the developed solutions, we test prototypes under realistic conditions. We do this by using surveys and randomized and controlled experiments.

Implementation phase

• Derivation of policy recommendations: Based on the results of the pilot study, we recommend the most effective and scalable option and provide recommendations for implementation.
• Ongoing evaluation: We develop a concept for continuous evaluation in order to monitor implementation in regular operations and identify optimization potential at an early stage.