@emmagasson

OUR

SKILLS

OUR

PROCESS
OUR APPROACH

We take products from concept to scale with the initial research paid for by clients wherever possible. We
then provide a chargeable consultancy package of implementation and change management to make sure
ways of working are truly transformed, as well as ongoing tech support for the apps. We complement this
R&D with incubation and capacity-building in the sector, specifically with in-sourced innovation labs.

DESIGN AND PUBLIC SERVICES

WE NEED A NEW APPROACH

OUR

THINKING
SHIFT FROM
PUBLIC
INSTITUTIONS

TO FOCUSING ON
PUBLIC VALUE

SHIFT FROM
THINKING ABOUT
COMMAND AND
CONTROL

TO FOCUSING ON
CREATING
RELATIONSHIPS

FROM TWEAKS TO TRANSFORMATION

TRANSFORMATIONAL
( Financial vulnerability )

TRANSACTIONAL
( Housing benefit service )

TWEAKS &
IMPROVEMENTS
( Application forms )

Casserole helps people share extra portions

of home cooked food with others in their
area who are not always able to cook for
themselves

DESIGN THINKING
AND GOVERNMENT

GOVERNMENT DIGITAL SERVICE

THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

OF GOVERNMENT HAS BEGUN...
WITH PLANS TO BUILD SIMPLE,
FAST, COST-EFFECTIVE ONLINE
SERVICES THAT ARE DESIGNED
AROUND THE USERS NEEDS.

Francis Maude MP

CIVIC PARTICIPATION

OPEN GOVERNMENT

POLICY BY DESIGN

WHY
DESIGN?

WHY DESIGN & PUBLIC SERVICES:

CHALLENGES ASSUMPTIONS AND STAUS QUO
HELPS COMMUNICATE THE CHALLENGES
COHERENTLY (IN ORDER TO FIND SOLUTIONS)
PREVENTS JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS
(RISK MANAGEMENT BY DESIGN)
CRITICAL (IF NAIVE) FRIEND

DESIGN AS
AN AGENT
OF CHANGE

SKID ROW, LOS ANGELES

FACTORY WORKERS,
SRI LANKA

CHILD POVERTY,
NORTH LONDON

CONNECT AND COORDINATE: PREVENTING LONELINESS AND SOCIAL ISOLATION

THE
PROCESS

DISCOVER..
DONT MOVE TO SOLUTIONS
UNTIL YOU REALLY UNDERSTAND
THE PROBLEM

EMPATHY

ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH

My biggest worry would

be that they bring me
somewhere, where I
could not continue with
my life independently.
His house got flooded, but not by the floods but
a broken waste pipe. He needed to move into
a caravan. His biggest worry is, that he needs to
move some where new where he can not continue
his life.
He is registered with the visually impaired people
and the fire brigade.

PLAYERS IN A JOURNEY

MAPPING JOURNIES OVER TIME

ALL THE MOVING PARTS

(SYSTEMS AND PEOPLE)
HOUSING BENEFITS APPLICATIONS IN BOLTON : A CUSTOMER JOURNEY
BEFORE

APPLICATION

Bolton Homes (paper form)

ASSESSMENT

ON-GOING SERVICE

Online application form

Customer brings evidence

relationship breakdown

Sign in online

Letter sent to property with answer

Evidence checklist generated by
online form

Kiosk at the one-Stop-Shop

Council call centre

Online caluclator

new home

new baby

Pjone call centre

Face-to-face meeting at the

One-stop-shop (drop-in or
appointment)

Kiosk at the one-Stop-Shop with

support from an assistant

Bolton website

or

Money transferred to account or

landlord / housing association

One-Stop-Shop

loss of job /
reduction in income
Advice from social /
support worker

evidence checklist sent by post

An assistant lls in the form

for you

Evidence approved and

submitted for assessment

Customer journey

Trigger

First contact

Initial assessment

Filling in the application form and submit

Application form
(different levels of customer support needed)

Gathering
evidence

Face-to-face /
verication /
submit

Need

Change in
circumstances /
life change
eg. new baby,
relationship
breakdown, change in
income etc.

Needs to know:
what to do rst
if they are eligible
how they apply for
housing benets

How much do I qualify

for?

I need this to be
convenient and
self-explanetory
so I can do it myself

I need it to be clear
exactly what evidence I
need to produce and
where to nd it

I need this to be easy

to access, fast and
convenient

Council Action

Channel

I need support in lling

this out myself

I need someone to do
it for me

Customer waits for application to be processed

and answer to be given

Waiting

I want to know how

long Ill be waiting
I want to be
reassured my
application is ok

I want to let my
landlord know my
application is being
processed

Kiosk at the one-Stop-Shop

Receiving an
answer

Moving money

Tracking and
ongoing

I want to understand
the answer Ive been
given

I need to know that

this had gone through
ok

I want to check on my
payment status
(when/how much?)

I want to be reassured
that everything is OK
I want to know what I
do next

Encourage the
customer to do an
assessment and ll
out the form online

Customer is risk
assessed and pushed
to online form if they
qualify

Face-to-face
Call centre
Web

Online calculator
One-stop-shop

Online form

Customer encouraged
to manage application
themselves via any
channel above

Customer encouraged
to manage application
themselves via any
channel above

Online form +
face-to-face

Face-to-face
Call centre

Online form
Post

Verify that evidence is

authentic and scan
Submit application for
assessment

Process application and make nal decision

Face-to-face

Call centre

Verify that evidence is

authentic and scan
Submit application for
assessment

Field calls from customers (and landlords) at

call centre
Post
Call centre

Online
Call centre

Informing of
change of
circumstance
I want to let the
council know of
changes quickly and
easily in a way which
wont effect my
payments

UNDERSTANDING WHERE
THINGS ARE GOING WRONG

UNPACKING INSIGHTS

DESIGN
DREAM, IMAGINE, DO DIFFERENT

WHAT IF...
ITS NOT CASE MANAGEMENT.
HOUSING BENEFIT WAS JUST PAID
IMMEDIATELY AND PROCESSED LATER.
THE COUNCILS CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS
BASED ON GAME OF THRONES.

PROT
OTYPE
THINK BIG,
START
SMALL

MAKE A
DECISION
(JFDI)

AGILE TECHNOLOGY

PROTOTYPE

ALPHA

BETA

INSTANCE #1

INSTANCE #2

INSTANCE #3

BUILD IT

Patchwork is a simple, secure web tool

that connects professionals working with
children, vulnerable adults and supporting
Troubled Families.

HOW MIGHT WE...

DO <SOMETHING>
FOR <SOMEONE>
SO THAT <OUTCOME>
?