My talk on Service Design within Government

1. Pixels & Prisons
JAY HEAL
Senior Interaction | Service Designer

2. Designer
Interaction
Service
Product
User Experience

3. Role of Design within Tech
2003Interpretation of client /
stakeholder requirements into
digital deliverables
User-centric
Print mentality to
screen
2018The process of finding
solutions for a defined user
problem or need
Process driven

4. How Can We Better
Describe The Role Of A
Designer?

5. Tip 1
Be Humble.

6. ‘Digital By Default’
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-digital-strategy
“The Government Digital Strategy sets out how government will
redesign its digital services to make them so straightforward and
convenient that all those who can use them prefer to do so…
…delivering services digitally will result in savings of £1.7 to £1.8
billion each year” - December 2012
Cabinet Office

7. Prison Visit Bookings
March 2018
84,746 (approx) UK prison population
1.07m transaction per year
54.5% digital take-up

8. Booking Methods
Prisoner led bookings
Prisoner is able to book a visit
using their own in cell laptop or
kiosk on the wing
Visitor led bookings
Visitor is able to book using the
GOV.UK site or using traditional
telephone
Prisoner involved
bookings

9. Service Standard
Discovery Alpha Beta Live
13 weeks
3 prisons
15 prisoners
14 visitors
10 prison staff
8 weeks
6 prisons
31 prisoners (inc. ex)
36 visitors
11 prison staff

10. Alpha 1 Week Sprints
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Plan Design Prototype Research Review
• 7 design based Sprints
• 7 design / prototype iterations (2 paper, 2 low-fi Balsamiq PDFs and 3 HTML)
• 6 prison based research studies
• 1 lab study (2 days at GDS labs)

12. Tip 2
Believe In
The Process.

14. Being a designer is not about
pretending to know all the answers
but knowing the right questions to ask

16. Hypothesis Driven Design
We believe that (this capability)
Will result in (this outcome)
We will know we have succeeded when (we see
an agreed measurable signal this was successful or
not)

17. Tip 3
Design Is A
Team Sport.

18. The Team
Interaction /
Service Designer
Content Designer Researcher
Delivery Manager
Technical Architect
Front-End
Developer
Software Engineer Software Engineer Software Engineer
Business Analyst
Researcher
Product Manager Probation Officer
Prison Visit Bookings
Offender Management in Custody

19. https://medium.com/@harrybr/how-to-run-an-empathy-user-journey-mapping-workshop-813f3737067

22. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/service-blueprints-definition/

24. Tip 4
Not All Solutions
Need To Be
Digital.

25. www.androidauthority.com/
hyundai-virtual-guide-augmented-
reality-app-665687/
Hyundai’s
augmented reality
app turns everyone
into a mechanic

26. www.mysmalt.com
“…looks like a rejected robot from Battlestar Galactica”
“…the dumbest way to season your food”
10 ‘smart’ gadgets that are just plain dumb
38% raised of fixed goal funding ($25,000)

27. Prisoner Involved Bookings
Prisoner un-met need:
to know they have a visit, when it is scheduled and who with

29. Tip 5
Be Curious

30. 39%
“…odds reduction on
offender reoffending when
receiving regular visits from a
partner or family member”
Lord Farmer, Farmer Report 2017

31. Prison Bookings Service Map

32. Visitor Led Bookings

33. Prisoner Led Booking

34. Prisoner Involved Bookings

35. Tip 6
Be Adaptable

38. Wing A, Wandsworth Prison - London
• No technology allowed - unless prior security vetted (2 weeks)
• Staff suspicious of research motivations - discussions will often
go off topic
• Volatile environment - atmosphere can change in a second
• Paper-based artefacts by default (prototypes and notes)
• Impossible to recruit participants - get what is available
• Prisoners not accustom to UCD research (such as usability tests)
• Many prisoners have missed the ‘digital age’
• Prisoners / visitors often in a ‘crisis’ mindset - adapt discussion
guides on the fly
• ‘Digital poverty’ amongst released prisoners
Prison research ground rules

39. Tip 7
Be User-Centred
For All

40. Being User-Centred
User Need

41. Increase Digital Uptake
Reduce 3 day online response time so that users don’t have to wait
up to 4 hours on hold during to make a telephone booking

42. Staff Security Checks
Key learnings
• Staff users don’t have the same needs as citizen - use tool
daily
• Staff don’t make decisions on risk in a linear way
• Often working to targets
• Need to be fully transparent on motivations on changes
• Vast changes to working practices needs to be managed
incrementally

43. 1. Be Humble
2. Believe In The Process
3. Design Is A Team Sport
4. Not All Solutions Need To Be Digital
5. Be Curious
6. Be Adaptable
7. Be User-Centred For All
To Be A Designer…

44. Thank You
Jay Heal
[User-Centred] Designer
www.jayheal.co.uk
@jaymichaelheal