Insights curated by Experientia, the UX research and design consultancy
Insights curated by Experientia, the UX research and design consultancy
80% of the transactions of the UK Government are done with the bottom 25% of society and migrating services online offers great cost savings. Yet, 17 million Britons have never been online and many of those are poor. Now the…
The [British] government’s new public services reforms focus on rights and entitlements, but, argues Charles Leadbeater in this piece for The Guardian, supportive relationships are key to tackling social ills. “Radical public services innovation will only come from a markedly…
Social by Social – a practical guide to using new technologies to deliver social impact by Andy Gibson, Nigel Courtney, Amy Sample Ward, David Wilcox and Professor Clive Holtham 2009 ISBN 978-1-906496-41-8 “New technologies are changing the way we engage…
Will smartphone connectivity become the new measure of civic engagement? Can the app replace the neighborhood association? “While some might feel that engaging communities through handheld devices may erode civic bonds, apps that connect citizens to civil servants and elected…
The Independent is publishing a collection of essays to launch NESTA’s ‘Reboot Britain’ programme. Reboot Britain will explore the role new technologies and online networks can play in driving economic growth and radically changing public services. The programme will begin…
Charles Leadbeater explores what the advent of the web, collaborative practice and open source ways of working mean for the arts and art organisations in this excellent 20-page essay commissioned by Cornerhouse. “The 20 century avant garde was built on…
The first LIFT France conference took place last way in Marseilles. Being in Seoul, South Korea, myself, I missed it entirely, but luckily the videos are now becoming available. Welcome to Lift! Lift founder Laurent Haug and Lift France chair…
Anne Galloway was one of the excellent presenters at the recent LIFT conference in Geneva. So it is with much pleasure to notice that she has written the latest contribution to Vodafone’s Receiver Magazine. In her critical contribution ‘The rise…
British Council press release: Breakthrough cities is a groundbreaking report on how cities can mobilise creativity and knowledge to tackle compelling social challenges. The report was commissioned by the British Council from the Young Foundation. Geoff Mulgan and Charles Leadbeater,…
The European Commission has announced plans for Europe to play a leading part in developing and managing interconnected networks formed from everyday objects with radio frequency identity (RFID) tags embedded in them – the so-called “internet of things”. The Commission…
The UK Design Council just published — a little late — four short case studies based on the experience of Dott07, a year of community projects, events and exhibitions based in North East England and curated by John Thackara, that…
The Economist this week comes with a new edition of its 24-page Technology Quarterly supplement, which contains four articles that are related to the theme of this blog: Taken your medicine? Health care: Mobile phones provide a cheap and simple…
The site of Participle, a UK social design consultancy, contains some good materials on the design of the next generation of public services. Only the Lonely: Public Service Reform, the Individual and the State Article to be published in the…
“The main activity of designers will be as social innovators,” said Ezio Manzini during an intimate conversation with o2NYC on May 6. Ezio’s talk outlined an exit strategy for conscious designers, a shift from making things to designing tools for…
BBC technology correspondent Mark Ward reports on a research project that uses Facebook, mobile phones, and energy meters to nudge people into living healthier lives. “The three-year project will see how people react when data is fed back to them…
Alice Rawsthorn of The New York Times has published an article on social design and service innovation: “When Ritt Bjerregaard became lord mayor of the city of Copenhagen in 2006, she was astonished to discover how many working days were…
Watch this excellent 1 hour documentary film about the power of mass collaboration, government and the internet. “In his student flat in Colchester, Jack Howe is staring intently into his computer screen. He is picking the team for Ebbsfleet United’s…
Anand Giridharadas, South Asia correspondent at International Herald Tribune, describes what makes the cellphone special in India, and what it means for democracy. “The cellphone appeals deeply to the Indian psychology, to the spreading desire for personal space and voice,…
This document from the UK Department for Health outlines the benefits that local authorities, and their residents, enjoy when they work with user-led organisations. Benefits range from helping local authorities deliver greater personalisation to improved engagement with hard-to-reach population groups.…
Ben Fullerton has an article out in the March/April issue of Interactions magazine on Co-creation in Service Design. It focuses on the “Make It Work†project for the Sunderland City Council and live|work’s efforts to collaborate on the design of…