In a time of economic uncertainty, rapid shifts in public policy challenge our capacity to deliver effective public services. In these projects, we developed strategic responses to a changing economy, working with STBY and Live|Work to carry out ethnographic research, strategy workshops, and collaborative brief development.
Project: 'Designing out Crime', for the Design Council and Home Office, UK
'Hot product' crime is extremely high among teenagers in the UK – with mobile phones and consumer electronics increasingly the targets of theft. In this project for the Home Office, the Design Council set out to gather insights from the victims of crime. Collaborating with Live|Work, we used vox pop interviews on the streets of London and workshops with teenagers in Newcastle to collate and analyse experiences of teenage crime. Our findings were presented to the Home Office and members of the Design and Technology Alliance Against Crime.
Project: 'New Water Meters', Southern Water and Design Council, UK
In this project, we worked to develop a better understanding of the ways in which consumers perceive their water consumption, monitoring, and household efficiency. We collaborated with STBY to conduct an in-depth ethnographic study of 23 households in South East England, developing a set of distinct personas, films, touchpoints and briefs. Based on these insights, we identified opportunities for new services and tools to support consumers in managing their water consumption.
Project: 'Design for Patient Dignity', Design Council UK and the NHS
In late 2009, the Design Council and Department of Health organised a national challenge, ‘Design for Patient Dignity‘. In collaboration with STBY, we contributing to the research underpinning the initial design briefs and call for proposals. We spent four days on a London hospital ward, observing the daily routines of patients, staff and visitors. We conducted in-depth discussions and interviews, documenting our research in video and photography. This research was edited into seven short films, each illustrating a specific design space and opportunity.
Structured as an open call for proposals, the challenge tasked designers to find ways to elimate mixed-sex accomodation and increase patient privacy and dignity in hospitals.
Six design agencies, along with the RCA's Helen Hamlyn Centre, were selected to design products, services and systems in answer to the specific briefs. Their results demonstrate that service design encompasses many disciplines, with examples from fashion, product, graphic and interior design.
