How to use the Catalogue

The Catalogue splits the case studies into four experiment “types” according to the assumption or hypothesis the local authority was trying to validate through each experiment:
• Solution – does the technology or service function as intended?
• People – will people use it? Does it fit into existing systems?
• Impact – does the solution reach the intended level of impact?
• Resources – is the solution sustainable and will it grow to the desired scale?

Readers of this directory are encouraged to dip into specific case studies using the contents page at the beginning of the document, where each entry can help the reader understand a particular way an assumption has been tested.
Each entry introduces the local authority alongside the problem they identified and the solution they wanted to test. We then include a description of the experiment in question, what the city learned, and how the experimentation informed their future plans.

The end of the directory summarises the major takeaways for what ASToN has learned about experimentation within local authorities, and our hope is that they are both insightful and useful for any city practitioner. We close the Catalogue by giving practical recommendations for local authorities who wish to experiment themselves.