Service design in the media

Quality of service is often all that separates one business from another. And it's just as important in deciding whether a public service will succeed or not. It all comes down to the experience the customer has - is the service easy to use or confusing? Does it give people what they expect and what they need? Do they get it where and when they want it?

Designers are experts at working out what people need and how best to provide it, so it follows that service design is a growing discipline with a lot to offer public services.

Barry Quirk is chief executive of the London borough of Lewisham - one of previous Public Services by Design success stories. He was a speaker at the Design Council's Design Summit last week, and had a lot to say about public sector procurement needing to encourage innovative solutions to problems. You can read his article on The Guardian's Public Leaders Network.

In 2010, the Youth Justice Board took part in Public Services by Design. As a result of their mentoring, research agency ESRO were commisisioned to produce a piece of ethographic research. Earlier this year, ESRO director Dr. Robin Pharoah wrote about his expereines for the BIS Public Sector Innovation blog.