Follow the evidence to its source
Keep the original material and its provenance available alongside the account or conclusion being considered.
ARCH DEVELOPMENT / PRODUCT 03
CONSOLE
A clearer view of the case and the questions that remain.
Console is being designed to help policing and investigative teams organise accounts, evidence, timelines and lines of enquiry in one reviewable case.
Compare possible explanations, trace information to its source and see what still needs checking. Investigative judgement stays with the people responsible.
Current stage: Requirements and experience design. View availability
For policing and investigative teams, and potential partners helping shape the product.
THE IDEA
What makes Console different?
Console is designed to examine a case through more than one explanation. Accounts, timelines and evidence are considered together so that gaps and contradictions can be identified.
Original sources remain traceable, and recorded material stays separate from interpretation. People remain responsible for investigative judgements and consequential decisions.
WHAT WE ARE DESIGNING FOR
Three things that matter
Compare possible explanations
Examine how different explanations fit the available information, including details that challenge the current view.
Make unanswered questions visible
Bring missing information, contradictions and open lines of enquiry into view, so the next investigation step has a clear purpose.
HOW THE IDEA COULD WORK
A simple example
An illustrative design example:
- An investigator adds an item of information with its original source and relevant context.
- Accounts and timelines are compared, with differences and unanswered questions kept visible.
- An authorised reviewer examines the material and decides which line of enquiry to pursue next.
CURRENT DEVELOPMENT STAGE
Requirements and experience design
Console is at the requirements and experience-design stage. It is not available for operational policing or live investigations.
There is no working Console account login. The proposed approach still needs development, testing and appropriate validation before operational use.