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Adventures in Policy Land Sophie Dennisservice design and product strategy @sophiedennis

slides: slideshare.net/sophiedennis

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Read all about it on my Week Notesmedium.com/sophiedennis

Blogtransformation.blog.nhs.uk

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Interaction design Content design User research Delivery managers Product managers Developers …jobs.nhs.uk

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Head of Designjobs.nhs.uk

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Two “policy discoveries”

1. Support for pensioners on low incomes

2. How we assess whether people are eligible for health and disability benefits

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Strategic discovery projects

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start enduser journey

pain points

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tactical solution

start enduser journey

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strategic solution

start enduser journey

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There is a lack of shared understanding of how to do discovery within Government

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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 AgileWe’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 openYou have to be able to talk to users to do user-centred policy design

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What is discovery?

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userresearch.blog.gov.uk/2015/05/27/doing-user-research-in-the-discovery-phase

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gov.uk/service-manual/agile-delivery/how-the-discovery-phase-works

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diverg

e

Kick off

diverge

BETA

problem space solution space

discover define develop deliver

peak uncertainty

converge

diver

ge

converge

peak uncertainty

“agile

deliver

y”“Lean UX”

“desi

gn th

inking

”

ImplementExperiment

Wildly!Policy Intent

Desk Research

User Research

Future Landscape

Current Landscape

Outputs &

Deliverables

DISCOVERY ALPHA

Map

ping

Visio

n

Stakeholder Interviews

Spark

What Could We Do?

What Should We Do?

@sophiedennis

diverg

e

Kick off

diverge

problem space

discover define

peak uncertainty

converge

“desi

gn th

inking

”

Policy Intent

Desk Research

User Research

Future Landscape

Current Landscape

Outputs &

Deliverables

DISCOVERY

Map

ping

Visio

n

Stakeholder Interviews

Spark

1. Insight

2. Vision

3. Scoping

@sophiedennis

diverg

e

Kick off

diverge

problem space

discover define

peak uncertainty

converge

“desi

gn th

inking

”

Policy Intent

Desk Research

User Research

Future Landscape

Current Landscape

Outputs &

Deliverables

DISCOVERY

Map

ping

Visio

n

Stakeholder Interviews

Spark

Defining the problem space

User needs

The organisation’s goals and objectives

Constraints

@sophiedennis

diverg

e

Kick off

diverge

problem space

discover define

peak uncertainty

converge

“desi

gn th

inking

”

Policy Intent

Desk Research

User Research

Future Landscape

Current Landscape

Outputs &

Deliverables

DISCOVERY

Map

ping

Visio

n

Stakeholder Interviews

Spark

1. Insight

2. Vision

3. Scoping

@sophiedennis

Insight

Scoping

Scoping

Vision

gov.uk/service-manual/agile-delivery/how-the-discovery-phase-works

Insight

Insight

Vision

VisionInsight

Insight

+

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Who should do it andhow long should it take?

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Keep the team small

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2 people 3 people 4 people

5 people 6 people 7 people

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Use workshops to engage wider stakeholders

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Roles

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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

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“Working software is the primary measure of progress”

The Agile Manifesto agilemanifesto.org/principles.html You’re n

ot

doing this sort

of “Agile”

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Peak Uncertainty

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Fog

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How long should it take?

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“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

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“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

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gds.blog.gov.uk/2015/08/18/mapping-new-ideas-for-the-digital-justice-system-2

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Map the end-to-end big picture

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strategic solution

start enduser journey

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@sophiedennis

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Making the map is as valuable as having the map

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Outcomes and outputs

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1. problem

2. opportunity/objective

3. situation/constraints/context

4. recommendation: Big Idea

5. recommendation: smaller ideas/releasing early value

6. design principles ? Alpha

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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

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Short form creative briefarticles.uie.com/short_form_creative_brief

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Design Principles cxpartners.co.uk/our-thinking/design-principles

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Dan BrownDocumenting Design Discovery

medium.com/eightshapes-llc/documenting-design-discovery-db14da1b0627#.24ud09pj0

Discovery Alpha

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What I learnt about policy

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What do we mean by “policy”?

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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

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What’s the relationship between policy and service design?

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Users’ experience of government services affects the impact of policy

What is the impact on users of how policy

is delivered?

CitizenUsers

PolicyService

Delivery

people who access and benefit from the policy or service

Intenta desired outcome for citizens or society

Policy Designthe detail of how it will be implemented

- legislation, regulations etc

Visiona 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-electedLook good in the papers

realm of actual Politics

! ! ! ! ! !

their support network

wider society

How effectively does it actually do that?

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Policy and service design are loosely coupled

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Flu vaccinations

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Policy

Service design

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Is it

a policy problem

a service design problem

or a bit of both

?

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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?

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What is Policy’s role?

User needs

Business goals and objectives

Constraints

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User need

How could Government address a problem that exists in the world?

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User need

How do we reduce pressure on health services from cases of severe flu?

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Business goals and objectives

How can we best meet the policy intent or deliver the vision?

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Business goals and objectives

Increase take-up of the flu jab

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Constraint

What policies govern our service?

What rules does it need to comply with?

How might policy prevent us delivering a good service to our users?

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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?

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What is Policy’s role?

User needs

Business goals and objectives

Constraints

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bewareProblem Definition Escalation

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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/

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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/

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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!

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“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

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People still don’t have their flu jabs

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It’s not that policy people don’t “get it”

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Ultimate Stakeholder ManagementAndrew Persons / i-images

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The problem isn’t that user-centred design isn’t in the room

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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

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“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/

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Own the problem together

@sophiedennisWe’re h

iring!

jobs.nhs.uk

Adventures in Policy Land Sophie Dennisservice design and product strategy @sophiedennis

slides: slideshare.net/sophiedennis