Industry

Nonprofit / Child Safety Tech

Serivces

Product Strategy + User Research

Turning a product suite into an ecosystem strategy

2

new product lines

0

new platforms for investigators to learn

2

new product lines

0

new platforms for investigators to learn

2

new product lines

0

new platforms for investigators to learn

PROBLEM

Three products, one mission, no map

Thorn had three strong products, but none of them connected to the wider system that protects children. By the time investigators reached a case, they had already done hours of manual work and had no intelligence to go on.

Challenges

Three products disconnected from the wider child-protection ecosystem.

Investigators had to deconflict cases across jurisdictions by hand.

Teams went on scene or online with no intelligence in hand.

Challenges

Three products disconnected from the wider child-protection ecosystem.

Investigators had to deconflict cases across jurisdictions by hand.

Teams went on scene or online with no intelligence in hand.

Challenges

Three products disconnected from the wider child-protection ecosystem.

Investigators had to deconflict cases across jurisdictions by hand.

Teams went on scene or online with no intelligence in hand.

APPROACH

Zoom out before you build

Working with user research, we mapped every user interaction across the ecosystem and every handoff between agencies. Both of the biggest gaps came early in the process, before an investigation begins.

Solutions

On-scene triage helps investigators prioritize the highest-harm cases from the start. (Piloting this year)

Pre-investigation intel deconflicts reports across jurisdictions using Thorn’s proprietary data and OSINT.

The same intel gives investigators a head start on victim identification. (Exploratory)

Solutions

On-scene triage helps investigators prioritize the highest-harm cases from the start. (Piloting this year)

Pre-investigation intel deconflicts reports across jurisdictions using Thorn’s proprietary data and OSINT.

The same intel gives investigators a head start on victim identification. (Exploratory)

Solutions

On-scene triage helps investigators prioritize the highest-harm cases from the start. (Piloting this year)

Pre-investigation intel deconflicts reports across jurisdictions using Thorn’s proprietary data and OSINT.

The same intel gives investigators a head start on victim identification. (Exploratory)

THE PIVOT

They didn’t need another platform

Research showed investigators already use an average of 2.7 tools for this work, and we had limited capacity of our own. So neither product became a new platform. One is an external API and MCP server, and the other is a layer on top of the tools investigators already use, built with triage partners.

THE PIVOT

They didn’t need another platform

Research showed investigators already use an average of 2.7 tools for this work, and we had limited capacity of our own. So neither product became a new platform. One is an external API and MCP server, and the other is a layer on top of the tools investigators already use, built with triage partners.

THE PIVOT

They didn’t need another platform

Research showed investigators already use an average of 2.7 tools for this work, and we had limited capacity of our own. So neither product became a new platform. One is an external API and MCP server, and the other is a layer on top of the tools investigators already use, built with triage partners.

OUTCOME

Two new bets, zero new logins

Two exploratory product lines now cover the earliest and most manual stages of an investigation. Both work inside the tools investigators already rely on. The portfolio is now built around the mission, not the product list.


  • 2 new product lines

  • 0 new platforms for investigators to learn