We interact with public services like post offices, buses or mobile libraries almost every day, but they can be the cause of some major frustrations. Design can help public services work better for their customers, whether that's diabetes patients in Bolton or people who want to post things in Belgium.
Browse these case studies of public sector innovation to find out how design methods could help public services work better.
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'Make It Work' is a Northern Way Worklessness project supporting hard to reach unemployed people into work.
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The NHS spends 5% of its budget - close to £10million a day - treating people with diabetes. In Bolton 29 people are newly diagnosed with diabetes each week and designers came up with a way to help them talk about their condition with doctors and to manage their condition effectively.
Find out how Bolton Primary Care Trust redesigned its diabetes services to get to know what diabetes patients needed from their health service.
As the nation gets less active, health problems like bad backs, heart disease, obesity and high blood pressure take more time and resource to treat. Design has helped people in Kent take a preventative approach to managing their own health. Activmobs are set up by locals to help themselves stay active by doing things they really enjoy, like walking the dog or bouncing on balls to help their backs.
Read the rest of the case study to find out how design helped people in Kent get fit by doing what they enjoyed, and how the idea is going UK-wide.
During the last general election, fewer than two-thirds of people eligible to vote actually did so. Can MPs use design thinking to connect better with their constituents?
Read the rest of the case study to find out how service design can help government
Take action: Ten things every MP can do to help their constituency
Crime levels in the A&E department of Birmingham Heartlands Hospital were rising, particularly violent crimes against staff. A design survey of the department showed that simple changes like repositioning signs and opening up the reception area so more visitors and patients could be seen coming in would make a significant difference to staff and patient safety.
Read the full Birmingham Heartland's Hospital case study to find out how designing signs and spaces helped it cut crime
Belgium's government-owned postal service felt outdated and under threat from Europe's increasingly liberalised postal services. So it turned to design agency Fitch to optimise its shop floor, refresh its service style and give the customers what they wanted. 24 hour access to stamps.
Read how service design helped make 87% of people in Belgium happier with De Post
Taking time to wash your hands regularly can be difficult for hospital staff who are very busy. A poster campaign that reminds them of the infections that can be transferred if hands aren't washed is designed to go up around hospitals. After they were posted above sinks, before doorways in and around hospitals, 90% of staff said the posters made them think about their own hand cleaning and 40% said they were asked by patients if they had cleaned their hands before treatment.
Read the full story to find out how graphic design can help healthcare
