Rider Rules: Co-Design Sprints for Gig-Platform Work Rules
A guided process where gig workers help write the actual rules for their pay, work allocation, and account bans.
A facilitated sprint in which a cohort of gig workers co-designs the actual rules that govern their work — deactivation criteria, pay floors, allocation transparency — producing rule changes the platform adopts and the workers sign off.
Concept
A facilitated 6–8 week program in which a cohort of 15–25 gig workers (riders, drivers, freelancers) works directly with a platform's product and policy team to redesign the specific rules that govern their work: deactivation and appeal criteria, allocation transparency, minimum earnings floors per shift, scheduling and shift-swap mechanics. The sprint runs in three phases: (1) workers map the governing rules of their work from lived experience; (2) mixed worker–platform teams prototype alternative rule configurations; (3) the group co-authors a shortlist of rule changes with worker sign-off, followed by a 90-day implementation review. The design stance follows the co-design position set out in [0]: people with the life experiences, expertise, and knowledge are active makers of the tools and services that govern them, not consultees — and the sprint deliberately changes both the object of design (the work rules) and the process of designing (who is in the room when rules are written). The diagnosis-to-design-to-implementation sequence draws on the multi-contingency organizational design framework in [3]. It is sold to platforms as a retention- and dispute-reduction program, and to worker bodies as a generator of concrete, implementable bargaining proposals.
Why now
Paper [0] shows that co-design has consolidated into a codified field — four major traditions with distinctive approaches, plus documented case studies of the politics and practices of participation — meaning there are now proven, teachable methods for structuring genuine involvement rather than ad-hoc consultation. [0] explicitly frames the participatory turn as changing both the objects of design and the processes of designing, which is exactly the dual change required when the "object" is a platform's governing rules and the "process" is who writes them. Our theme map identifies the precariat — insecure workers with low occupational agency — as a growing class and lists a precariat agency toolkit as an open gap; co-design is the demonstrated mechanism for converting lived experience into design decisions. Gig platforms are the natural first customer because their rules are software-configurable and can change quickly, and they face mounting algorithmic-management transparency expectations in the EU and UK.
Written by GLM · 11 Oct 2026
AI assessment
A high-touch consultancy service that applies co-design methodology to platform governance, offering a pragmatic bridge between regulatory pressure and worker unrest.
- Evidence strength 3/5
- The idea correctly applies the general principles of co-design [0] and organizational design [1], but there is no specific evidence provided that gig platforms are willing to cede actual rule-making power to workers.
- Market pull 4/5
- Strong market pull from platforms facing EU/UK algorithmic transparency regulations and worker unions seeking concrete bargaining wins.
- Novelty & moat 3/5
- While it shares a goal with the 'Rule-Change Stake Calculator', it shifts the mechanism from a quantitative tool to a facilitated process, filling the 'Precariat Agency Toolkit' gap.
- Feasibility 5/5
- The MVP is a service-based sprint requiring only a skilled facilitator and a willing partner platform, making it highly feasible to launch quickly.
- Wedge clarity 4/5
- The focus on specific, software-configurable rules (deactivation, pay floors) provides a sharp, actionable entry point.
- Simplicity / focus 5/5
- The product is a single, well-defined 6-8 week program with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Scored by Gemma 4 · 11 Oct 2026. Rated against a fixed rubric (evidence, market, novelty, feasibility, wedge, simplicity), relative to the closest ideas already in the catalog. A prior estimate to compare ideas before real-world signal arrives.
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Who benefits
- Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB)organization
The union organizes couriers and gig workers; the sprint converts member grievances into co-authored, implementable rule proposals, giving negotiators concrete asks instead of complaints.
- Deliveroocompany
Rider churn and deactivation disputes are recurring costs; co-designed rules with rider sign-off reduce disputes and support compliance with growing algorithmic-management transparency expectations in the UK and EU.
- Ubercompany
Driver retention and regulatory positioning benefit from a documented process in which drivers co-authored the rules governing allocation and deactivation — defensible evidence of worker voice.
- Fairworkorganization
The project scores gig platforms on fairness; co-designed, signed-off rule changes give platforms verifiable improvements it can score, and give Fairwork a concrete improvement pathway to recommend.
- Upworkcompany
Freelancer distrust of fee and search-ranking policies could be addressed by co-designing policy changes with experienced freelancers, improving platform legitimacy and top-talent retention.
Research it builds on
- Organizational DesignRichard M. Burton, Børge Obel, Dorthe Døjbak Håkonsson · 2026 · 221 citationsAll ideas from this paper →
- Co-design As Collaborative ResearchTheodore Zamenopoulos, Katerina Alexiou · 2026 · 120 citationsAll ideas from this paper →