Service design
Civic design is crucial in improving Reykjavík residents' experience with the public system. The goal is to make all City services accessible, human-centered, and better for all users. The projects are varied but mostly focus on identifying challenges, changing practices and culture, rethinking internal processes, and—as needed—designing digital solutions.
Who works on civic design?
Civic design is fundamentally about analyzing, designing, producing, and implementing improved services. The City's civic design team includes experts in production, service design, content design, digital product design, user research, and service experience. Staff providing services are also crucial in civic design. Together, we work to prioritize service users' voices at all stages of service.
So, is this all digital?
It's important to note that service design and transformation are not inherently digital, although digital solutions can certainly improve services. The work is primarily about making people's lives easier and prioritizing the user's voice by first talking to the actual users of the service and then implementing.
What is a service?
The City's service is very diverse. By service, we mean everything we do that helps other people do something. If you help people in your work, whether they are residents or colleagues, you are providing a service. Reykjavík City's service guidelines support City employees in providing good services. The keys are ten in total and contain helpful advice and guidelines.
Why do we need to design services?
Everything in the world is subject to change, and service is no exception. It's important to regularly reassess service and adapt to the expectations and needs of those who use it. This can be demanding because people's needs are different. When specialists work on providing a certain service every day, it can also be difficult to see the forest for the trees. It's helpful to get an outside perspective to shed new light on things.
How do we design services in the City?
City services are transformed by teams consisting of experts from the service itself and civic design specialists. The teams work together on a project for a certain time where the service is scrutinized, challenges defined, and creative solutions worked on. The solutions are tested with real users and the best one is further developed and implemented. Our design process has been adapted to Reykjavík City but is based on the methodology of design thinking.
How do we work with other City staff?
In our work, we focus on helping other City staff see the big picture and examine services from different perspectives. The methodology of design fits well with service transformation where the core is always the experience and needs of the user. Design thinking also helps people discover their creative sides and empowers staff by encouraging them to try new things.
People first
We emphasize understanding both the people who use the service and the staff who provide the service. We educate and empower by giving lectures, leading workshops, and providing advice.
Cooperation and co-creation
We do this together. All projects are based on the cooperation and willingness to collaborate of those who provide the service. We work across the City with different people and fields so that everyone's expertise can flourish.
Quick decision making
We make decisions quickly and push ourselves forward. We can always stop or change our minds. We are not afraid to change, improve, and change direction. Flexibility is key because ideas and plans can always change.
We work visually
We draw processes and prototypes to visualize things for ourselves. This helps everyone gain a common understanding of the project.
Want to try civic design?
Want to try your hand at civic design but don't know where to start? The toolbox is full of useful tools to help you work on projects. In the design system, you'll find templates, design elements, and guidelines for digital product design. The style guide contains useful information about the City's voice and user-centered content creation.
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