User research conducted by the Design Council team helped reveal some of the real issues preventing people from engaging with the political system.
So the team then carried out a series of workshops among MPs and constituents, hoping to begin the process of transforming the constituency experience both for the public and for Members of Parliament.
‘In transformation design projects, we don’t just research people, we design with them too,’ explains Nick Morton from the Design Council.
‘With public services, it’s the public who are the experts, so involving them in the process and asking them to design something that works for them can give a rich insight into their needs and desires.’
Part of this process involved a workshop for young people, encouraging them to design their perfect MP. They created an individual who:
- Is proactive
- Approaches them with offers of help and assistance rather than sitting and waiting to be asked
- Has a network of local assistants to uncover local opportunities and areas needing attention or help.
This would help time-starved MPs to ensure they were kept up to date with local issues and well informed about everything that was happening within their constituency.
The Design Council also held a workshop within Westminster, bringing together MPs, designers and democracy experts. The workshop was designed to enable politicians across all parties to share ideas, brainstorm solutions and collaborate with each other.
MPs were encouraged to understand the situation from their constituents’ point of view and to define how they see their role within their local communities.
‘The MPs felt strongly that they and their constituents should work more as a team,’ says Mil Vukovic. ‘In a poll we held during this workshop, most MPs voted themselves as fixers and counsellors rather than legislators and leaders.’
