Leveraging Platforms
for the Good of All
We conducted research on 14 cutting edge platforms for the good of all led by Ashoka Fellows around the world in key sectors, such as education, health and finance. After a thorough research of their models and a series of in-depth interviews with these Fellows, the paper "Leveraging platforms for the good of all" unveils learnings and patterns that are summarized in nine key design principles that define how platforms for good behave.
It is important to keep in mind that a platform is an entire approach and isn´t just a mobile app or a website; it is a holistic model that creates impact by facilitating exchanges of value between two or more interdependent groups.
9 Design Principles of Platforms for Systems Change
Through ASPIRe we have distilled Design Principles that unlock the potential for exponential impact.

Align towards better outcomes: System Leadership
Help stakeholders in the system define and aim for a better set of outcomes than is currently being achieved.

Create open public goods
Make scarce resources of knowledge, technology, expertise, connections, and data openly and abundantly available.

Empower with data and knowledge
Capture, analyze and share data and insights in ways that enable all stakeholders to make better decisions, and anticipate and solve problems effectively.

Unlock agency
Design solutions that allow for freedom of choice and ability to act, particularly for the groups whose participation was earlier limited.

Distribute the ability to solve
Create solutions that engage diverse stakeholders to solve the problem at scale in their contexts.

Enable open value creation
Create conditions that allow for individuals and institutions to be connected in networks to co-create and exchange value openly.

Seek rapid evolution
Design systems that can learn and evolve quickly in response to new and/or local challenges and opportunities.

Catalyze interactions
Create new ways for stakeholders to connect and exchange value, and become the self-propagating network of people and institutions that spread change.

Cultivate the change offline
Societal change typically requires a change in the behaviors of large numbers of people. While digital platforms allow to scale certain interactions quickly on a unified infrastructure, local leadership and engaged networks and culturally accepted and inclusive solutions are essential for behavioral change to take hold at scale.
Design Principles Tool
This Tool, based on our report "Leveraging Platforms for the Good of All", will help you and your team to discover and reflect upon the core design principles of leveraging system change, platform thinking, and technology for impact at exponential scale.
We encourage any social impact organization to reflect on their current ways of thinking and working, as it may offer fresh insights into their scaling strategy.