Designing a Diagnostic Tool for Northern Ireland’s Voluntary Sector
IREAD (Investment Readiness Evaluation and Diagnostic) is a digital tool created to help community organisations across Northern Ireland assess their readiness to take on social investment. Commissioned by Development Trusts NI (DTNI), the tool was designed to be simple, clear and tailored to the needs of local organisations navigating complex funding decisions.
Creative Coop was responsible for designing and developing the full tool from scratch. We worked closely with the client to define a scoring framework that reflected key areas of organisational readiness, including governance, finance, leadership and social impact. The tool guides users through a series of structured questions, calculates a readiness score, and delivers a clear summary of results alongside personalised recommendations.
A key feature of the platform is its minimal and accessible interface; intentionally designed to support users with varied digital skills. The tool includes a dashboard that allows users to track progress, revisit past results, and download a PDF report they can share with funders or advisors. While the client later restricted access to the tool, it remains a robust example of a diagnostic built for real-world application in the voluntary and community sector.
