Introduction to Service Design Training Course
For government, councils,
charities and
housing associations
Be inspired.
A three-part fun and interactive training course that introduces people to the principles and practices of service design and inspires them to give it a go.
Designed specifically for people working in public service and not-for-profit organisations.
What is service design?
And how does it apply to public & not-for-profit services?
User-centred
An approach to creating and improving services that puts the perspective of the people who use them at the heart of decision making.
Services that work
It starts with discovering the needs, aspirations and motivations of people who use the service, continues with regular check-ins with people and ends with a service that works.
Cost-effective
It’s different from a traditional approach, which often starts by prioritising the needs of the organisation, launching the improved service - then fitting people into what’s created. That’s expensive and wasteful.
Course outline.
Introduction to service design is three short sessions of 2.5-hours each, about one week apart. We expertly combine theory, practice, reflection and action planning to embed learning for the long term.
The three sessions cover:
How service design applies to you and the difference it can make to your services
Experience a mini design cycle
Reflection and action planning
Join our next live, online open course.
Arrange in-house training, remote or in-person for up to 20 people *
Testimonials.
Jess Gildener, Third Sector Lab
“Our group of third sector folk seeking to integrate digital approaches in their organisations loved the 'Design a Better Lunch' activity.
I’ve never come across anything else that makes the whole thing come alive so well, and get the ‘Aha!’ moments so quickly”
— Jess Gildener, Third Sector Lab
Becky Lythgoe, Greenstream Flooring
“I loved the 'Design a Better Lunch Experience' - I will keep going back to that because it wasn't about the lunch break.
It was about understanding the needs, aspirations and motivations of others so that you can design something they will value.”
— Becky Lythgoe, Greenstream Flooring
Elli Meredith, United Welsh HA
“ServiceWorks intro course has given me a much better understanding of service design concepts and how they can be applied in practice.
Highly Recommended!”
— Elli Meredith, Governance & Compliance Partner, United Welsh Housing Association
Amanda Oliver, United Welsh HA
“This intro course has helped me to speak confidently about what user-centred service design is, and why we should do it - all in a really short space of time.”
— Amanda Oliver, Project Manager, United Welsh Housing Association
Nicholas Giles, United Welsh HA
“I came away from the Intro to Service Design course with some techniques to bring more consistency to our discovery.
We've already started reviewing our project process as a result of the course”
— Nicholas Giles, Agile Projects Lead, United Welsh Housing Association
Sarah Johnston, Public Service Transformation Academy
“The sessions were really helpful in developing the confidence of our cohort of local authority commissioners to understand and apply user-centred design.
I've never seen anything that helps people grasp new concepts in such an engaging, fast and effective way before.”
— Sarah Johnston, Chief Operating Officer, Public Service Transformation Academy
Keira Smith, Blaenau Gwent CBC
“It’s really made me think about the way we go about addressing a particular issue.
More emphasis on starting from the beginning to understand a matter at a deeper level rather than just being reactive or going straight into ‘solution’ mode.”
— Keira Smith, Senior HR Business Partner, Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council
Carolyn Jenkins, Blaenau Gwent CBC
“Excellent sessions - thank you!”
— Carolyn Jenkins, Internal Communications Officer, Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council
Who this is for.
Professionals working in public service and non-profit organisations with little or no prior understanding of service design.
Organisations where this forms the start of a new way of working and is followed up with other activities.
Organisations like charities, councils, housing associations and public services.
What they gain.
By the end of the sessions people will:
Have been introduced to approaches that deliver successful services, including the benefits of user-centred service design.
Developed a shared language and understanding.
Gained some practical experience of a mini design cycle.
Developed confidence to begin applying some of the principles.
Reflected on what this means for the future shape of their organisation.
Identified some immediate steps, or micro-actions, to move their organisation towards a new way of working.
What this is not.
These sessions on their own will not make you a service designer.
They’re designed to inspire and ignite curiosity and expose people to things that they may not know exist.
Think of it like the first dip of the toe into the water.
For example, they’re an excellent kick-start for a new community of practice or sit alongside the application of new agile and user-centred practices.
Meet the facilitator.
Jo Carter
SERVICE DESIGN DIRECTOR
Founder of Cardiff-based Service Works, Jo is an Accredited Master in Service Design.
Jo trains professionals in the government and non-profit sectors, bringing service design in-house and reducing dependency on costly external consultants.
A former local government employee, Jo founded ServiceWorks in 2014, fueled by a passion for improving public services. Her dedication has led to transformative partnerships across the UK, including with DWP, Audit Wales, The Pensions Regulator and the Welsh Government.
As an Accredited Master Service Designer, Jo's influence extends beyond her workshops through her blog and speaking roles. Her aim is to put the transformative power of service design in the hands of those shaping our public services.
Pricing.
In-house delivery.
All three sessions delivered in-house with your group of up to 20 people via Teams / Zoom.
That’s about £60 per person per session.
Includes a pre-meeting to discuss and understand the specific context within your organisation.
from £3,750 + VAT per team
Book an informal chat with Jo to answer your questions or discuss pricing for delivery in person - no obligation!
Mixed training courses.
We also run mixed courses. The next one is in July 2024.
Register your interest using “Get in Touch” form below or book now.
from £300 + VAT per person
Session details.
Session 1
the theory bit
This first session brings to life some of the key concepts and approaches that organisations use to deliver successful public services.
Why design services?
What is service design?
Understanding the problem.
Finding a solution.
Balancing the needs of users, the organisation and fixing the problem.
Customer focused vs. customer centric.
We consider the opportunity presented by different ways of working, including examples.
Participants are tasked with co-creating a service design case study library that is relevant to them.
Session 2
the practical bit
This is where we get our hands dirty!
People learn and retain information and ideas better if they experience them first-hand.
We take participants through a ‘mini design cycle’ so they don’t just hear the theory—they experience it.
We use the subject “Design a Better Lunch Experience”.
People leave with a greater understanding of why and how user research is useful in helping uncover hidden motivations, values, and aspirations or revealing one's own unconscious assumptions about others.
Working in pairs, participants work through:
Interviewing for user research - digging deep to understand underlying motivations, emotions and stories.
Identifying user needs and insights and then articulating user stories.
Rapid idea generation.
Improving design ideas based on feedback.
Sharing and evaluating rough prototypes.
Session 3
reflection & action planning
Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences. and failing to achieve anything useful
- Margaret Wheatley
We guide people to think about and share their experiences in the first two sessions; what it means to them and their organisation now and in the future. This builds a shared understanding and spurs coordinated action.
Participants also consider what micro-actions they could personally take to move their organisation towards a different way of working. This helps to initiate individual responsibility for ‘being the change’.
This important part of the learning journey gives the time and space for people and teams to think about how they will apply their learning.
Looking for a deeper dive into service design?
Our eight-month course, Service Design in Practice might be for you.
Ask a question or book
Message or call Jo if you have any questions or want to chat about making a booking.
07454 984 585
Or leave your details in this form and we’ll be in touch.