thinkpublic

“In Hong Kong where the “service economy” makes up over 90% of GDP, the search for professional and systematic approaches to ensure continuous improvement and innovation of services is imperative.” (Hong Kong Design Centre, 2008).

The Hong Kong Government are currently focused on “Four Pillars of Economic Improvement”: Design and Creativity, Innovation, Logistics and Tourism. Earlier last month, due to the creative and innovative nature of their improvement plans, the Hong Kong Government invited thinkpublic Founder and Director Deborah Szebeko to participate in the “ReD 2008″ Service Design Conference at the Hong Kong Design Centre in Kowloon Tong.

Speaking to an audience of over 300 people (70% public servants) and alongside presentations by HKSAR Government representatives Teresa Chu and Jennifer Chung, Deborah and Elaine Hide (Service Improvement Lead, Luton and Dunstable Hospital), presented a practical case study about their Experience Based Co-design work at the Head and Neck Cancer Clinic at Luton and Dunstable Hospital.

Whilst in Hong Kong, Deborah was also given the opportunity to visit Tuen Mun Hospital, in the New Territories west cluster (pictured), offering thinkpublic a real insight of their current health services.

The Experience Based Co-design project and methodology received extremely positive feedback and swiftly led to conversations surrounding a potential 2008 pilot project, where thinkpublic could work with Hong Kong public sector departments, exploring service experience improvements.

+ ReD 2008: Hong Kong Design Centre.
+ Tuen Mun Hospital.

“Technology enables government to achieve two seemingly contradictory goals; collaborate at scale and deliver services to citizens with pinpoint accuracy.” (Cabinet Office Minister).

Earlier this month, thinkpublic held a ‘Design Clinic’ at GC 2008 Expo, the UK’s leading public sector IT event. Attended by nearly 5,000 public servants, the GC 2008 Expo exhibition and conference, held at Earls Court London, explored how the latest technological innovations can be implemented to solve government challenges.

In a bid to challenge the predictability of exhibition stands, thinkpublic proudly set up a ‘Design Clinic’ garden, and spent the day helping a range of public sector services understand how best to involve their users and staff in designing services, products and communications. You can see more photographs from the event over on Flickr.

The Social Lab is a space where people can develop concepts to address social change. It brings together people wanting to share ideas and people wanting to support them. The website, www.thesociallab.com, showcases the results of these innovative collaborations. Current Social Lab projects include The Real Work Experience, Public Service Thank You and ithinkpublic.

The website also provides information on monthly Social Lab events. Each lab is themed and invites people to come who represent a range of experience and expertise from different sectors, so our guests benefit from diverse wisdom and perspectives.

The first event on the 29th May is fully booked, however if you would like to attend future events please email us at hello@thesociallab.com.

As a result of a letter to Gordon Brown in February, Thinkpublic’s Deborah Szebeko and Alice Osborne knocked on the door at Number 10, Downing Street this morning, to meet Greg Beales, Senior Advisor for Health and Social Care Issues to the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Sharing stories of health and third sector innovations, Deborah and Alice had the opportunity to discuss the value and potential of co-designing with health sector staff and patients.

Thinkpublic’s work with The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement has been featured in the Summer 2008 issue of DCM (Design Council Magazine).

The article, entitled ‘Why encouraging NHS staff to think differently is good for the nation’s health’, focuses on thinkpublic’s work with The Luton and Dunstable Hospital on the first Experienced Based Design [EBD] project. Highlighting the valuable role of design, Lynne Maher, Head of Innovation practice at the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement explains, “For many in the NHS, when you think of design you think of people designing chairs, not services.”

Thinkpublic and the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement are working together to discover how children and young people want to be involved in designing emergency health services. Recently, Health and Social Care students from Walton High in Milton Keynes took part in an exciting workshop.

The workshop was designed to enable the pupils to share their ideas on how the NHS can better involve children and young people in the design process. They shared their ideas for the value of inviting emergency service professionals from walk-in centres, GP surgeries and Accident & Emergency to talk in schools and help educate them on their local and available options.

We are now in the process of designing a lesson plan and toolkit, to help schools build and sustain relationships with their local health services.

Thinkpublic exhibited work at The Future 500 winners event last week. Deborah Szebeko was listed as one of Britain’s Top Ten ‘Rising Stars’ in The Observer publication. Alongside an array of leading entrepreneurs, Thinkpublic exhibited projects such as The Real Work Experience, Alzheimer100 and Pitch Your Project.

+ Event photographs.
+ The Observer: Future 500 Winners
+ Courvoisier The Future 500

Thinkpublic and The Ideal Government Project are inviting everyone to help design better public services, in a new competition called ‘Mind the Gap’. The competition is an exciting collaboration between Thinkpublic’s Real Work Experience and The Ideal Government’s “Wibbipedia”.

So, if you are a designer or someone who has an idea for improving public services, submit an idea! All you have to do is describe a public service exactly as it is, and then describe how good it could be. For more information and to submit an entry, visit Mind the Gap.

Thinkpublic and TimeBank are inviting volunteering organisations in Northumbria and Sheffield to Pitch their Projects to a panel of experts in an exciting Dragon’s Den style event. We’re looking for health, wellbeing and fitness projects with innovative ideas for using volunteers. Whether you are running a sports club, befriending scheme, patient support group or nutrition programme; if you stand out from the crowd, we want to hear from you!

James Caan, entrepreneur and ‘dragon’ on BBC 2’s Dragons’ Den says: “Nothing can compare to the challenge of pitching your idea to a panel of experts in front of a camera. It really sorts the wheat from the chaff. This project is an interesting opportunity to learn about ideas for improving people’s health and wellbeing. My advice to organisations pitching is to prepare by putting yourself in the shoes of the Dragons and thinking about the sort of questions they might ask.”

Find out more at Journeys to Health: Pitch Your Project.

This month’s RSA Journal features an article on user-centered design by Ann Crawley, Design Directions programme manager at the RSA.

Thinkpublic’s projects The Real Work Experience and Clinic To Go are cited in support of points about new approaches to design and the future challenges that design faces. The article also mentions to the RSA’s design directions projects, which thinkpublic will be involved in judging next week.

The full article is available online at RSA Journal website.