Apple – While Apple may not be the perfect example of service leadership, its products are developed in-house through close collaboration between the company and its design team. This reflects an equal partnership where ideas are exchanged inclusively, resulting in products that serve the needs of a global customer base. The service relationship here is one of mutual input, where both the company and its team work toward a shared goal. However, Apple, as a for-profit company, likely doesn't offer its products for free to benefit those less fortunate, which limits its outreach to more privileged customers.
Philadelphia Chief Administrator Office has a Service Design Studio, which supports service implementation efforts in the city by "collaborating with Philadelphians to design better City policies and services."
This blog series By the people (linked below) explores how the Service Design Studio partnered with the Office of Homeless Services (OHS) and the Office of Open Data & Digital Transformation (ODDT) to tackle homeless prevention, diversion, and intake services in the city. The project utilized participatory design methods to uncover and prioritize key opportunity areas and design solutions. The series describes their strategy and tactics in detail.
What do person-centered services look like for people experiencing homelessness? In 2019, we’ll share how we answered this question.
In one post, they described the ladder of stakeholder participation, which they utilized to guide their strategy and tactics. This ladder helped them define:
When are we looking for input?
When are we interested in brainstorming ideas?
When do people have decision-making power?
When are we simply sharing information?
I found this heuristic quite helpful for thinking about our commitments to our stakeholders.
Even beyond the By the people series, the Service Design Studio blog offers many insightful resources. Highly recommend!
A reflection on how designers in government can foster more reciprocal relationships when we work with community members.
Netflix's show Maid has a scene where a woman who is experiencing homelessness is brought to a "clothing store." In reality, it's actually an organization that provides free clothing. However, the physical space and experience are designed to replicate shopping. I struggled to find a good clip, but this TikTok gets the idea across.
P6 The woman’s life is a mess.🥺 #foryou #maid #fyp #film
Although this is a fictional example, there are several orgs who use a similar concept. For example, the Wings Resale Store. Wings is an organization that supports victims of domestic violence. While the store takes cash and is open to the public, Wings also provides its beneficiaries with gift cards so they can shop there too.
WINGS services are funded, in part, by proceeds from our three resale stores. These stores are known for their selection of high-end donated
This concept is an example of how intentional, empathic, human-centered design can create a true service relationship rather than a helping relationship. The people who use the store are empowered to make their own choices regarding what they need and what they get out of the program rather than being handed what an org thinks they need.
