London College of Communication’s MA Service Experience Design & Innovation course applies design as a strategic process to problem-solve and innovate services from a human-centred perspective.
The emphasis on team-working and cross-fertilisation of ideas prepares students for the working world and stimulates innovation. In this year’s exhibition, part of the LCC Postgraduate Shows 2017: Show 2, you can expect to see a range of industry and public projects which apply service design methods and test theory into practice.
We highlight some of the projects on show…
Thomas Wagner
Flatbox
Flatbox by Thomas Wagner
A service that contributes to a better co-living experience, based on principles of a circular economy. Flatbox’ explores opportunities around sustainable and efficient modes of consumption in Central London. Research followed a human-centred design methodology, focusing on circular economy, fast-moving consumer goods, and co-living.
The shift from our wasteful and inefficient linear economic model that is based on take, make and dispose, to a circular system which is built on closed loops, results in complex, system-wide changes which will have far-reaching implications. To reach the goals which were set in London’s Circular Economy Route Map to 2036, (LWARB, 2015) change needs not only to be driven by new business models but mainly by people, who make decisions with their daily consumption of products and services.
‘Flatbox’ therefore presents a future scenario that helps people to understand how the system might work on a daily basis. It questions how products will be sold, used and re-used for a more efficient way of using resources and also how the user behaviour can be improved in the future towards more conscious consumption.
Signe Bek
Our Trans Journey
Our Trans Journey by Signe Bek
‘Our Trans Journey’ is an innovative service start-up for transgender people and partners in the United Kingdom. The service aims to create and optimise value in the transition journey for partners of trans people focusing on the phase of social transition.
The transgender transition journey is complex, stressful and emotionally ambivalent. The transition journey often focuses solely on the trans person. However, there is often a crucial additional stakeholder involved that the external network and service providers tend to forget: the partner. A partner supports the trans person but is also trying to navigate the complex transition journey.
Partners encounter pain points such as anger and a lack of acceptance, a limited vocabulary, loneliness, grief, abuse, some split up – and others become the couple’s communicator or even defender. The lack of acceptance and ‘normalisation’ around being transgender exists on a societal and on an individual level. The lack of acceptance and ‘normalisation’ are symptoms of a core problem concerning a lack of knowledge, understanding and limited vocabulary.
The Empathy Puzzle is a playful and tangible conversational tool provided by ‘Our Trans Journey’. The puzzle caters to user values and needs: enabling communication and resource sharing; involving tangible touchpoints; offering temporal narratives without being linear; being empathic and playful; bridging between the trans minority and the rest of society. The Empathy Puzzle facilitates empathic and playful conversation between trans people and additional stakeholders.
Lindsey Williams
The Golden Rules to Youth Participation
The Golden Rules to Youth Participation by Lindsey Williams
Young people need to have a say in their services; this has become a priority when developing sustainable services and products. Young people’s participation and involvement in design processes offers service providers and designers a unique perspective that produces ideas that adults may overlook. Involvement of young people and children can help improve policies, practices and research but also empowers young people to use their voices and informs them how to make better decisions regarding important issues.
Unfortunately, based on my research, only a few young people ever get to see what happens to their inputs after attending a workshop or consultation. There is a need for young people to know what has happened to their data input and what difference it has made. This knowledge can have a significant impact on the development of a young person.
I use service design and its participatory approach to explore opportunities to encourage the young people of Lambeth to actively engage with Young Lambeth Co-op Youth Insights Consultancy, and improve children’s and young people’s services. In this way, I hope to create better opportunities for them and close the loop on youth participation work. This project was commissioned and supported by Young Lambeth Co-op.
Jora Jie Tang
Invisible
Invisible by Jora Jie Tang
More and more people are starting to notice rising levels of homelessness, as they see rough sleepers on the streets and in the cities across this country and worldwide. Everyone on the streets has their own story, some made bad decisions, others were victims, but none of them deserve what they have been left with, and it is a reflection on our society that we just leave them there.
‘Invisible’ is a service design project that focuses on food innovation as a tool for social change, by creating a space to share stories about rough sleepers in Lambeth. The project brings together day centres in Lambeth, community residents and homeless people volunteering in local organisations.
‘Invisible’ helps key stakeholder Spires organise events at their day centre where people will come and select food from a special menu.
The menu is an empathy tool that has facts about rough sleepers and their stories in relation to the food on offer. People can read the brief stories through the food menu and go to the website for more options.100% of the meal price will go directly to helping homeless people. Through this project, I want to make invisible people on the street visible. I hope these people and their stories connect with you and will start a conversation in your circle of friends.
Shaika Al Thani
Designing support systems for a multicultural community of nurses
Designing support systems for a multicultural community of nurses by Shaika Al Thani
My project focuses on improving the staff experience at Hamad General Hospital’s Emergency and Trauma Department in Qatar. During my initial research, I uncovered a need to enhance the multicultural environment for nurses. The majority of nurses come from outside the country, which can create a number of cultural and language barriers that can affect teamwork. It can also impact patient care since many of the patients come from the Arab community and international nurses lack the confidence to interact with them due to inadequate understanding of the community’s cultural and religious characteristics.
I took this opportunity to not only tear down these barriers but also to encourage information exchange in order to better equip nurses working in the ER. Dar AlHudana is a service offering an informal space and childcare facilities in which nurses can connect with one another in a stress-free environment, exchanging knowledge, skills, and experience by participating in a range of social gatherings.
These gatherings are designed to improve their emotional well-being as well as enhance their ability to interact amongst themselves and with the patients in their care. Given the smaller number of nurses at the department, the primary tool will be an ‘event board’, where social gatherings will be promoted and where nurses can either create or sign up for social events.