Our Mission
Sensemaking Labs builds tools and infrastructure for the civic sector — helping governments, nonprofits, and communities understand complex issues, structure dialogue, and reach decisions together. We focus on the hard problem of collective intelligence: turning noise into insight at scale.
Featured Blogs
All posts →
sensemakingcomplexitycognitionWhat Is Sensemaking and Why Does It Matter?
An introduction to sensemaking — the cognitive and social process by which we turn raw experience into understanding — and why it is central to navigating complexity.
dialoguedeliberationcivicStructured Dialogue as a Civic Tool
How structured dialogue methodologies can help communities bridge divides, surface shared values, and make collective decisions with greater legitimacy.
valuesethicspublic dialogueValues in Public Life: Why Explicit Exploration Matters
Values disagreements drive much of our deepest conflict. Exploring values explicitly — rather than assuming shared ground — is a prerequisite for genuine dialogue.
Featured Tools
All tools →- dialoguesimulationfacilitation
Dialogue Simulator
A browser-based tool for simulating structured dialogues between multiple perspectives on contested topics, helping facilitators design and practitioners rehearse deliberative conversations.
- argument mappinglogiccritical thinking
Argument Mapping
An interactive tool for building, visualising, and critiquing argument maps — turning tangled debates into navigable logical structures that reveal where disagreements actually lie.
- valuesethicsdeliberation
Values Explorer
A guided tool for surfacing, articulating, and comparing value systems — helping individuals and groups understand the moral commitments that underlie their positions.
Featured Case Studies
All case studies →- citizens assemblyhousingdeliberation
Deliberative Mini-Public on Housing Policy in Regional Victoria
A citizens' assembly of 45 randomly selected residents deliberated on housing affordability in a fast-growing regional city, producing recommendations that were adopted by council.
- argument mappingeducationcritical thinking
Argument Mapping in a Secondary School Curriculum Trial
A six-week curriculum trial using argument mapping tools with Year 10 students produced measurable improvements in essay quality and self-reported critical thinking confidence.
- valuesinfrastructurepublic engagement
Values-Based Engagement in a National Infrastructure Consultation
A national infrastructure agency used values mapping as the foundation for a public engagement process on a major transport corridor decision, reducing adversarial dynamics and producing more nuanced submissions.