Sophie Dennis shares the lessons from her recent adventures in policy land. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is exploring new ways of developing policy, bringing together multidisciplinary teams of policy experts, service designers, technologists and analysts, to work in an iterative, agile way on potentially significant new policies. Sophie worked as a service designer with two such teams. She discusses the benefits and challenges of these new ways of working, and advice for others hoping to do the same.
13. @sophiedennis
WHAT WE DID WELL
Multidisciplinary, cross-dept team –
diverse expertise, collaboration space
Policy as the product owner who
defines value and outcomes
Continuous engagement with
stakeholders and SMEs, open show ’n’
tells, no surprises
‘Voice of the user’ even if limited
Early exposure of delivery impact to
policy, and vice versa
Pre-ministerial intent/vision –
opportunity for user needs and delivery
realities to meaningfully shape policy
WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE DONE BETTER
Start small, grow when ready
Being agile, not doing Agile
We’re not shipping working software – be
flexible, practices and metrics will change
Right mindset – uncertainty, complexity,
high-level/strategic, flexible roles, problems
not solutions
New roles, skills and training –
discovery coach, facilitation, Digital
Academy tailored to discovery, generative
user research, service mapping
Find ways to work more in the open
You have to be able to talk to users to do
user-centred policy design
17. @sophiedennis
diverge
Kick
off
diverge
BETA
problem space solution space
discover define develop deliver
peak uncertainty
converge
diverge
converge
peak uncertainty
“agile delivery”
“LeanUX”
“designthinking”
ImplementExperiment
Wildly!
Policy
Intent
Desk Research
User Research
Future
Landscape
Current
Landscape
Outputs
&
Deliverables
DISCOVERY ALPHA
Mapping
Vision
Stakeholder
Interviews
Spark
What Could
We Do?
What Should
We Do?
18. @sophiedennis
diverge
Kick
off
diverge
problem space
discover define
peak uncertainty
converge
“designthinking”
Policy
Intent
Desk Research
User Research
Future
Landscape
Current
Landscape
Outputs
&
Deliverables
DISCOVERY
Mapping
Vision
Stakeholder
Interviews
Spark
1. Insight
2. Vision
3. Scoping
19. @sophiedennis
diverge
Kick
off
diverge
problem space
discover define
peak uncertainty
converge
“designthinking”
Policy
Intent
Desk Research
User Research
Future
Landscape
Current
Landscape
Outputs
&
Deliverables
DISCOVERY
Mapping
Vision
Stakeholder
Interviews
Spark
Defining the problem space
User needs
The organisation’s
goals and objectives
Constraints
20. @sophiedennis
diverge
Kick
off
diverge
problem space
discover define
peak uncertainty
converge
“designthinking”
Policy
Intent
Desk Research
User Research
Future
Landscape
Current
Landscape
Outputs
&
Deliverables
DISCOVERY
Mapping
Vision
Stakeholder
Interviews
Spark
1. Insight
2. Vision
3. Scoping
27. @sophiedennis
1. Someone to keep things moving along
2. People with real insight and
experience
3. The people who will be delivering the
solution
Sarah Prag, Discovering Discovery
makeitquotidian.co.uk/2015/06/16/discovering-discovery
28. @sophiedennis
“Working software is the primary
measure of progress”
The Agile Manifesto
agilemanifesto.org/principles.html You’re not
doing this sort
of “Agile”
33. @sophiedennis
“Your discovery should usually
take between 4 and 8 weeks”
GOV.UK Service Manual
gov.uk/service-manual/agile-delivery/
how-the-discovery-phase-works
34. @sophiedennis
“Your discovery should usually
take between 4 and 8 weeks”
it depends GOV.UK Service Manual
gov.uk/service-manual/agile-delivery/
how-the-discovery-phase-works
44. @sophiedennis
Problem statement (What’s the problem?)
This should be made up of:
• the specific problem the team is addressing
• the result of the problem
• the change of situation which means the
problem becomes a higher risk
• the risk that’s a result of the problem and change of
situation
Melanie Cannon, Lead Content Designer, DWP
Helping teams define their focus
dwpdigital.blog.gov.uk/2017/02/28/helping-teams-define-their-focus
50. @sophiedennis
Laws of the land
1. Acts of Parliament
2. Rules and regulations
Things Government has said it will do
1. Principles and priorities
2. Initiatives
The way things are done around here
1. Contractual obligations
2. Processes
53. What is the impact
on users of how policy
is delivered?
Citizen
Users
Policy
Service
Delivery
people who access and benefit
from the policy or service
Intent
a desired outcome for citizens or society
Policy Design
the detail of how it will be implemented
- legislation, regulations etc
Vision
a Big Idea for how to achieve it
What services are provided to citizens?
How are they delivered?
By which organisations?
Does that have a positive or
negative impact on whether
policy is effective?
Policy is intended to make an
impact on citizens and society
Citizens experience
policy through services
Policy is delivered
through services
What is it supposed to do to
address the needs of citizens
or society?
Users’ experience of
government services
affects the impact of policy
people • processes • tech •
data • estates • budget
Get re-elected
Look good in
the papers
realm of actual Politics
! ! ! ! ! !
their support network
wider society
How effectively does it
actually do that?
58. @sophiedennis
Policy
How do we reduce pressure
on NHS services?
Who qualifies for a free flu jab
on the NHS?
People who qualify for a free
flu jab can get one at a high-
street pharmacy
Service design
Give certain groups of people
free flu-jabs on the NHS
How do we increase take up?
What happens when
someone goes for their flu jab
at Boots?
65. @sophiedennis
Constraint
Who qualifies for a free flu jab on the NHS?
What evidence do we need to claim back the
cost from the NHS?
Who counts as “front-line staff” for meeting our
75% target?
68. @sophiedennis
The client asks you to design a business card
You respond that the problem is really the
client’s logo
The client asks you to design a logo
You say the problem is the
entire identity system
The client asks you to design the identity
You say that the problem is the
client’s business plan
Michael Beirut, ‘You’re So Intelligent’, Design Observer, 9 May 2007
designobserver.com/feature/youre-so-intelligent/5917/
69. @sophiedennis
The problem isn’t making something look
pretty, you fool, it’s world hunger!
Michael Beirut, ‘You’re So Intelligent’, Design Observer, 9 May 2007
designobserver.com/feature/youre-so-intelligent/5917/
70. @sophiedennis
What are you doing?
Making it easier to book an appointment for a flu jab
Why?
So more people get their flu jabs
Why?
So fewer people end up in hospital with severe, life-
threatening flu
Why?
To reduce pressure on the health service
Why?
ONLY WE CAN SAVE THE NHS!
71. @sophiedennis
“the nature of these challenges are
emblematic of deeply entrenched flaws in our
institutional structures, our underlying theories,
definitions of success, and ultimately
how we have constructed our
civilization.”
Christian Bason
The frontiers of design for policy
77. @sophiedennis
these challenges are emblematic of deeply entrenched flaws
in our institutional structures, our underlying theories,
definitions of success, and ultimately how we have
constructed our civilization.”
Christian Bason
The frontiers of design for policy
78. @sophiedennis
“I’ve spent hours at that table,” she
whispered to me. “It’s not that great, you
know.”
Michael Beirut, ‘You’re So Intelligent’, Design Observer, 9 May 2007
designobserver.com/feature/youre-so-intelligent/5917/