When we first started what would later become Signals Studios, we were trying to solve a very simple problem: Inside an organisation built to deliver, decide, and move quickly to action, there were very few spaces where people could pause and ask:

What signals of change are we beginning to notice that we don’t see in the quantitative data yet?

What began as “Signal Clinics” was our attempt to create that space — initially to support a small community of colleagues learning how to scan for early signals of change, and to help them feel more confident navigating ambiguity.



As more colleagues joined these conversations, the practice began to change. People brought in signals from different regions, disciplines, and lived experiences, and the discussions became richer, more layered, and more collaborative. We realised that the real value was not in teaching foresight tools, but in lowering the threshold to futures thinking—making it feel intuitive, accessible, and grounded in everyday observation.

Over time, Signal Clinics evolved into Signals Studios:

Spaces designed not to produce answers, but to open up shared understanding; not to converge on conclusions, but to build the capability to hold multiple interpretations side by side.



This toolkit is a reflection of that journey.

It brings together the formats, tools, and adaptations that have helped Signals Studios travel across themes, contexts, and organisational boundaries. We are sharing it not as a definitive guide, but as an open invitation to experiment, adapt, and build on what is here.

Our hope is that others in the foresight and development community will use this toolkit to create their own spaces for collective sense-making, where people can engage with early signals of change, explore interconnections, and build confidence in working with the future, one conversation at a time.

The UNDP Signals Studio Toolkit will be launching soon. Watch this space!