Thursday 31 May 2012
Friday 4 May 2012
Friday 20 April 2012
Notes from 'Public Sector Design: It's All Fun Until Someone Gets Hurt' Talk With Carrie Bishop
Carrie Bishop from Future Gov gave a talk last night at the House of Commons about using design, and web technology to create change in the public sector.
I am currently working on a project exploring ways to gather different people, from completely different backgrounds within a community, together to share experiences and skills. It was very interesting to hear Carrie's thoughts and experiences of working to create change within the public sector; the joys and the difficulties. This blog post is a short summary (which really doesn't do justice to the depth of her talk) of some of the aspects of the subject she explored.
One of the most thought provoking things said, was that when engaging in co-design when creating public services, we should consider ourselves to be collaborating with both the unborn child, and the dead. As such; how is what we're doing, the service we're creating, going to affect those who are yet to be born etc? Public service design affects peoples' lives and is therefore an area of massive responsibility.
The notion of 'responsibility' was also something discussed in detail. Carrie mentioned the stereotype of 'risk averse' people within the sector, but went further to suggest: risk averse = blame averse. People are not necessarily averse to taking risks, they are averse to being blamed for the outcome; should it be negative. This is a massive barrier to creating change and it was suggested that permission structures and blame cultures often come under review when 'risky ideas' are put forward.
Carrie talked about some of the co-design initiatives she's engaged with such as Social Innovation Camp, Benefits Camp and Surrey Camp, where there are opportunities for fresh thinking and collaboration with people you have never met before to solve social problems. She also expressed her frustration that ideas were often not taken beyond these camps, but recognised the networking and connections created at these events were as important as the outcomes.
Two projects were discussed: 'PatchWork' - a child protection workers' app and 'Casserole' - an initiative where people are encouraged to cook a meal with one portion extra than they need, and then give it away to a vulnerable or isolated person within their local community. The difficulties of encouraging engagement were discussed, as was scaling, with questions such as: how do we get a project to go national? Is it right to take this project national, or does it work best within this context?
Respondent Barry Quirk of Lewisham Council also added some thought-provoking comments to the mix:
One of the biggest motivations for change is discontentment with the current reality.
He explored the difference between 'blueprint thinking' and 'recipe thinking.' With 'blueprint thinking' being a model that can be deconstructed and copied exactly, and 'recipe thinking' being a model that can be followed with slightly different outcomes; more commonly the model of people based organisations.
People's needs are liquid and institutions are more solid. As social problems change, our approaches to them must also change. Design is about bringing creativity to these social problems.
A note on incentivisation:
Common reasons for non-engagement: a lack of time and unwillingness to commit. Carrie mentioned the importance of stressing that people who volunteer to be part of a project are not signing their lives away(!) and also focussing on the rewards of engagement which match peoples' personal motivations.
Find out more about Future Gov here and watch this space for the outcome of my project.
I am currently working on a project exploring ways to gather different people, from completely different backgrounds within a community, together to share experiences and skills. It was very interesting to hear Carrie's thoughts and experiences of working to create change within the public sector; the joys and the difficulties. This blog post is a short summary (which really doesn't do justice to the depth of her talk) of some of the aspects of the subject she explored.
One of the most thought provoking things said, was that when engaging in co-design when creating public services, we should consider ourselves to be collaborating with both the unborn child, and the dead. As such; how is what we're doing, the service we're creating, going to affect those who are yet to be born etc? Public service design affects peoples' lives and is therefore an area of massive responsibility.
The notion of 'responsibility' was also something discussed in detail. Carrie mentioned the stereotype of 'risk averse' people within the sector, but went further to suggest: risk averse = blame averse. People are not necessarily averse to taking risks, they are averse to being blamed for the outcome; should it be negative. This is a massive barrier to creating change and it was suggested that permission structures and blame cultures often come under review when 'risky ideas' are put forward.
Carrie talked about some of the co-design initiatives she's engaged with such as Social Innovation Camp, Benefits Camp and Surrey Camp, where there are opportunities for fresh thinking and collaboration with people you have never met before to solve social problems. She also expressed her frustration that ideas were often not taken beyond these camps, but recognised the networking and connections created at these events were as important as the outcomes.
Two projects were discussed: 'PatchWork' - a child protection workers' app and 'Casserole' - an initiative where people are encouraged to cook a meal with one portion extra than they need, and then give it away to a vulnerable or isolated person within their local community. The difficulties of encouraging engagement were discussed, as was scaling, with questions such as: how do we get a project to go national? Is it right to take this project national, or does it work best within this context?
Respondent Barry Quirk of Lewisham Council also added some thought-provoking comments to the mix:
One of the biggest motivations for change is discontentment with the current reality.
He explored the difference between 'blueprint thinking' and 'recipe thinking.' With 'blueprint thinking' being a model that can be deconstructed and copied exactly, and 'recipe thinking' being a model that can be followed with slightly different outcomes; more commonly the model of people based organisations.
People's needs are liquid and institutions are more solid. As social problems change, our approaches to them must also change. Design is about bringing creativity to these social problems.
A note on incentivisation:
Common reasons for non-engagement: a lack of time and unwillingness to commit. Carrie mentioned the importance of stressing that people who volunteer to be part of a project are not signing their lives away(!) and also focussing on the rewards of engagement which match peoples' personal motivations.
Find out more about Future Gov here and watch this space for the outcome of my project.
Luna & Curious Exhibition Review
Last year I had the privilege of working to create branding for Emeline Nkosi's printed textile business Mako. In collaboration with Laura Mifsud, we looked at how Emeline could create collections for her bold designs and create a strong identity for her start-up business. To see more about the work click here.
I visited the preview of Mako's first exhibition last night at Luna & Curious , the Shoreditch boutique established in 2006. The exhibition, 'Curious Interns,' showcased and celebrated work by 10 young artists with backgrounds from fashion to graphics, ceramics to textiles. The variety of work on display was impressive, and the interesting space was brilliantly curated to show each item to it's best. All the items on display were for sale and some can also be purchased online via the Luna and Curious shop. The exhibition runs 'til the 28th April and I would definitely recommend a visit!
Saturday 18 February 2012
Friday 9 December 2011
Wednesday 16 November 2011
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