What can Design do for social impact measurement? Bridging evaluation and creative practice

Impact measurement has traditionally been shaped by disciplines such as economics and management, relying on structured methodologies that prioritize quantitative indicators like ROI, cost-benefit analysis, and performance metrics. While these approaches provide valuable insights, they often fail to capture the more nuanced, systemic, and social dimensions of impact. Within design, impact measurement remains fragmented, service design has established structured evaluation methods mainly focused on business value, UX/UI, graphic and product design assess product and market performance, while other design fields engage with impact in an ad hoc manner. However, there is no unified approach that systematically measures social impact from a design perspective. This paper explores how design, as a creative and participatory practice, can bridge the gap between traditional impact measurement and a more holistic understanding of change. By integrating participatory methods and co-creation tools, design can enrich impact assessment beyond numerical performance metrics, allowing a more contextualized and inclusive understanding of impact, particularly in social innovation and community-driven initiatives.