amoeba.
Delivering products, policy, and design outcomes that empower experts to lead change.
Leaders tackling these challenges know their domain and the problems they face. Where they get stuck is knowing where to target their limited resource. They need help turning their ideas into something that can be made and building the momentum for change.
I'm Dan Woods (opens in a new tab), and amoeba is my independent strategic design practice. It closes the gap between thinking and doing in complex problem spaces. I use participatory methods to explore the ground truth, and design responses that work where they have to.
I'm a builder who iterates alongside your team. I facilitate productive collaboration and help people do their best work together.
I've spent two decades on design for public good, both inside government and with awarded social design agencies: more than 60 engagements across more than 25 organisations (federal, state and territory government, statutory authorities, not-for-profits, and international clients). That range means I can get to your strategic context quickly.
My practice spans a range of design approaches. Different problems need different methods, and engagements often combine several of the following.
I go beyond the brief to understand the problem space. I use participatory research, systems mapping, and codesign to understand real experiences, and to test insights with the affected users.
What you get: a clear problem definition, research insights, a codesigned strategy or set of recommendations, and a specific, usable next step.
Convening is its own design problem: who's in the room, what they work on together, and what comes out of it. I'm trained in trauma-informed facilitation and comfortable with sensitive subject matter.
What you get: a designed engagement, facilitated sessions that surface genuine insights, and a written synthesis to take forward.
When the problem needs something tangible, I build it: interactive tools, data visualisation, decision support platforms, frameworks, and canvases. I ship functional products at pace.
What you get: a working product, tool, or designed artefact ready to put in front of users.
I bring senior design judgement inside organisations going through sustained change. You get consistent strategic direction across internal teams, external vendors, and the executive tier.
What you get: a senior design partner who understands your context and doesn't need re-briefing.
Your team learns the methods on a live problem they're already trying to solve, so the methods stick in the operating context. I address how to commission external design, run participatory research that translates back into the organisation, and turn strategy into tools your team uses.
What you get: tools, templates, and decision frameworks your team continues to use, plus the capability to apply them on the next problem.
Not sure which of these fits? Tell me where you're stuck.
Tell me about the problemTrusted across government, industry, and the international sector
Government
Treasury · Prime Minister and Cabinet · Foreign Affairs and Trade · Home Affairs · Austrade · Digital Transformation Agency · Services Australia · ASIC · Family Safety Victoria · Agriculture Victoria · ACT Government
Statutory & Industry
Australian Energy Market Operator · Energy Consumers Australia · AgriFutures Australia · CSIRO
Technology & Finance
Google · Atlassian · BNP Paribas · ASICS · GSMA
Impact
Snow Foundation · Menzies Foundation
I build products that help policymakers, diplomats, and public servants make better decisions.
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WINGIA gives a clear view of the supplier landscape: who's winning, who's growing, who's consolidating share. Track amendment activity to see which contracts are quietly expanding. Spot outliers before they become headlines. Built as a transparency and analysis tool that explores both sides of procurement. Better understand how government are procuring digital services and how sellers are responding.
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The UN First Committee considers resolutions on disarmament and international security. Nearly 600 since 2015, each producing a vote record for every member state. Those votes create patterns (blocs, shifts, fractures), but the data sits locked in unstructured PDFs.
VOTIF extracts, validates, and structures it into the first searchable database of its kind: the full General Assembly voting record from 1945 to today, plus committee-aware analytics, voting bloc detection, and country comparison tools.
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Scrittle turns Australia's development spending into explorable data through interactive charts and analysis tools. Track market concentration, spot outliers, and follow trends over time.
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Visit Scrittle (opens in a new tab)I like working with people who are facing a complex problem, where existing approaches haven't worked, and where there's a willingness to try something new. Tell me what you're working on. I'll come back, usually with more questions, and book an exploratory call.