Start semester
70 405 Design Driven Innovation in the Public Sector
Passed foundation level (BA-level) courses at AHO or equivalent, 180 ECTS.
Recommend for Service Design students.
This course will give an introduction to what it means to design with, and for, the public sector. The course will introduce students to prominent voices working with innovation in the Norwegian public sector through talks and related exercises. They will give their unique view of the challenges and opportunities facing designers now and in the future.
The course will have a focus upon what it means to brand public services. If branding is defined as “experiencing the values of an organisation as expressed through interactions with touch- points”, then all public services have a brand, even though the term is not popular within the sector itself. We will use this an approach to understand public service branding and the role of design in this.
From discussion with relevant voices working with innovation, and the reading of literature, students will be required to discuss, then design branding material for public service organisations.
Students will gain an understanding of how design is influencing public service development today, and how this differs from the development of commercial services. You will learn the role design can play in supporting policy making processes and in developing effective, sustainable and citizen-centred services.
You will also learn about branding and how it can be applied to public services.
Specifically you will gain:
- An overview of how designers can work together with the public sector in Norway
- An in-depth understanding of branding
- Specialised knowledge regarding branding in the public sector
- The ability to transform public service values into brand propositions
- The ability to understand and identify public service values and meaning
Skills of critical reflection
The course is made up of lectures, cases and discussions with a broad variety of case owners from the public sector, and from designers and others working within the public sector. Follow the Moodle for the course for dates and details.
There will also be individual and group tasks+ reading between lectures + reflecting through writing and visualising.
During the course week, you will get the chance to design and evidence branding artefacts for a public service offering.
A typical Tuesday:
Most Tuesdays we will have a guest lecture from an expert about design and public service.
After the presentation, you will get a chance to discuss the theme of the course with the guest. We expect you to use your knowledge of branding to move the discussion with the guest onto the theme of brand and public service.
Then, there will be a break, and time for you to reflect about what it means (most likely lunch break).
After that, a follow up session, to discuss together what we learned about design and public service, and branding and public service. Two of you will act as facilitators for this session, and you will have time to plan how to facilitate the discussion, in advance. You are free to choose how to facilitate and document the discussion - this is your chance to practice your skills.
You then have time to update your notes and blog for the week. It is compulsory that all of you have notes and a blog that is updated each week. This forms part of your coursework.
Your blog (and notebook)
You are each expected to reflect through a blog and through a physical notebook. You are to keep this updated each week with your thoughts, reflections and questions. A combination of visualisations and written reflection is preferred, but you are free to choose how you do this.
You will be evaluated on the deliverables listed beneath, and your contribution to discussions throughout the course. You should show your understanding of design and public service in your work. Your final piece of work shall be communicated so it highlights the unique characteristics and potentials of the public sector
We will upload links and documents to Moodle. Here are some things to get you going.
- Design for Policy (Christian Bason, 2014)
- Transforming Public Services by Design (Sabine Junginger, 2017)
- Civic Service Design Tools + Tactics (City of New York, 2017): http://www1.nyc.gov/ assets/servicedesign/index.html
- Designing for Public Services (IDEO, Design for Europe & Nesta, 2016):
http://5a5f89b8e10a225a44ac-ccbed124c38c4f7a3066210c073e7d55.r9.cf1.rackcdn.com/files/ pdfs/Nesta_Ideo_Guide_DesigningForPublicServices_100117.pdf
| Form of assessment | Grouping | Grading scale | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio assessment (Vurderingsmappe) | Individual | Pass / fail | You will deliver the following as part of the course and will be evaluated based upon this: • An updated blog with reflections from each Tuesday input • A notebook with reflections and notes from each Tuesday • The results of your facilitations of Tuesday discussions • A co-designed terminology guide for public service branding • Evidencing of branding for a public service of your choice |
| Workload activity | Comment |
|---|---|
| Attendance | The students are expected to take active part and be present in the studio, attend lectures and groupwork throughout the whole course. They are expected to attend all presentations, workshops and formal counsellings. |