Phillippa Rose

In the run up to Open Space South West we have been thinking a lot about spaces and services, and how they relate.

We have also been thinking about digital service design a lot recently. How best can you translate an offline service online? Digital service design is not just about balancing functionality and aesthetics it’s about facilitating an experience.

Contrary to popular opinion I don’t believe it’s possible to actually design an experience, whether physical or virtual.  With self-service experiences, and automated online services, the service offer itself may be the same, but the individual experience depends on other factors – external environmental factors,  physical, social and motivational factors.

A service designer can only facilitate the creation of an experience up to a point. In designing any service, markers can be laid out, clear routes and pathways, focusing on stimulation, functionality, comfort, and attention to detail, tailored to different types of users, but ultimately the individual experience is still governed by the user.

So, with these caveats in mind how best can we design positive experiences of public services online? What can we learn from what’s gone before, and lessons from other sectors? How can we ensure that any service is user-centric?

As people become increasingly digitally-savvy, and more services are automated online, the internet become less daunting and more part of every day life. People are becoming more empowered, more comfortable directing their own experiences. For example is it now far more cost effective for the public sector and more efficient for individuals to renew car tax discs online. It is possible to streamline, whilst improving online services. The new gov.uk site is a case in point.

The new gov.uk cost almost five times less than direct.gov.uk and was developed in an agile way with user testing and user input built in from the start. Rather than developing a polished product and launching it, this time, the government actually consulted real people, trialled aspects of the service as it was developed, and developed countless iterations of it in beta, in response to user input. The result is one simple, user friendly, entry point for all aspects of national public service.

Nowadays people need less hand-holding, and are often happy to feedback on digital service development, but have higher expectations. People want access to what they want, wherever they are, whenever they need it. They increasingly want to create their own online experience with access to relevant guidance, and information, as and when required.

This is reinforced by lessons from the private sector. Fellow speaker Barney Kirby  gave us an insight into Interactive Strategy at Marriott.com at last month’s Service Design in Tourism conference, in Innsbruck. Marriott customer needs research identified hotel guests have higher expectations of digital access to subsidiary information and local knowledge, e.g. access to more TV, help with how to find their way around a city and how to keep connected to the office etc. He emphasised that personalisation is key. Marriott is now working towards providing a simple single digital entry point for guests to addresses customers needs, wherever they are, before, during and after their stay.

As technology develops, there are more opportunities for user interaction, feedback, personalisation, and even input into the development of an online service. Not only in the public and corporate sectors, but we are seeing increasing peer-peer transactions in the so-called sharing economy. A user of one online service, may well be a provider of another online service.

Public service providers should thus bear in mind that personalisation is key, but that it doesn’t have to be complicated. Surely it’s impossible to design individual user experience, but by involving users early on, we can start to understand how and why people are using a service as it develops. Only then can we provide clear gateways, and pathways for people to plot their own customer journeys and experiences.

“Failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.”

Henry Ford

For those of who you who are uninitiated into the dark world of innopints – it’s a loose gathering of vagrants, who have shared interests at the interface of innovation and pints, founded by George Julian. A few people have gathered a few times already for light banter, food and beverages. There are no presentations, no business cards, no formal introductions, just likeminded people discussing stuff that interests them, with a vague connection to innovation, however tenuous.

At the last innopints, organised by Martin Howitt, we congregated in Newton Abbot for a curry. the hottest un-curry topic was about collaboration. The need to “Collaborate or die” was proposed and debated, then we all went back to our silos…

It’s my turn to organise #innopints and we thought it would be fun to have it in Narnia (aka Totnes). I propose a broad topic as food for thought: failure.

Failure is something I have been thinking about a lot lately, and something I believe is intrinsically linked to innovation.

Bring your thoughts on failure to the Waterside Bistro in Totnes, Monday 25th June 6.30pm. We can have drinks and bar food. Would like to keep as informal as possible, and room for people to move around, rather than sitting in the same seat all evening.

Please let me know by Friday 22nd, if you want to come along so I can book the right table.

A couple of weeks ago I was staying with friends and we drove past a really striking dead tree. The tree’s form was twisted and knarled, a deep grey, silhouetted against the bright blue sky. It struck me how beautiful the dead tree was, and made me think more broadly, about life cycles, and then how this applies to ideas. What happens to dead projects and ideas? Life is a cycle after all, so why are some of us British types so reticent to accept it, when projects don’t work or simply come to an end, or when a great idea isn’t as brilliant anymore?

In the UK, folding a business, or an idea is often seen as failure, whereas in the US it is not seen so critically, and in some cases failure is celebrated. I believe in learning by doing, trial and error, and that nothing is ever finished, or permanent. I believe that all of us, and our ideas, exist in a state of flux. We should accept this, and embrace it.

One of the hardest things is learning when to let go and move on, whether it is people, possessions, projects or ideas. Surely all of us can relate to a moment in which we think we’ve cracked it, but as soon as we do, the market changes, the moment we become content, we become lazy or complacent? I know I certainly can. Entrepreneurs are widely seen as risk-takers, not afraid to try something, and if it doesn’t work, try something else. In this increasingly fast-moving and fragile knowledge-based economy, isn’t this an attitude we should all adopt?

At Redfront we started a talent development project a couple of years ago called co.lab, and got really close to getting significant international funding to roll it out, but not quite close enough. This project was laid to rest – it failed its international mission. However we learnt an incredible amount from co.lab, as did everyone involved, and are now trying out another idea inspired by it, sharing risk and knowledge between larger numbers of UK companies, which we hope ultimately will be more fit for purpose, and sustainable.

Similarly with our pop_up community we try out different ideas and approaches all the time – it is our live network and ideas lab. We have tried themed and co-hosted events, visual showcasing on flickr, and regular events in three locations. We’ve run pop_up practical Sessions, on useful stuff and built up a loyal community on and offline – it’s time to move pop_up on, time for a handover. We think the regular events format is tired and think that flickr isn’t social enough. We are now trying out pinterest for sharing images and developing a pop_up toolkit so others can tap into the network and run their own events. For pop_up to continue it needs to constantly evolve, and be driven by the community it serves.

We don’t see any of these developments as negative. We try things out and try again, as a matter of course. It’s important  - that’s what we are about. Everything has a cycle of its own. The end of one thing signals the beginning of something else. Let’s embrace life-cycles of ideas, learn from them, and keep moving on.

Following on from my pop_up workshop on instagram last month, I thought it about time I shared some thoughts on why so many of us are falling for instagram along with some practical tips.

The social communications landscape is changing; with more and more channels available, people are craving quieter, less crowded, spaces to interact. This year we’re already seeing a rise in niche platforms, and in particular those focusing on visual content sharing, such as Instagram and Pinterest. As 65% of us are visual learners, it seems a natural shift.

So, what is Instagram’s Instappeal?

1.    Simplicity – it’s clean, it has unfussy features, and is easy to use. It appeals to the growing ‘back-to-basics’ mentality.

2.    Stylising – Instagram allows filters to be added after the image is taken. It also has the ability to use creative editing and colour correction, which is ideal for amateur photographers who want to add visual impact.

3.    Personal – it can act as a visual diary, giving unique insights into people’s lives, individual interpretation and storytelling.

4.    Mobile – this is ‘point and shoot’ photography and content sharing, anytime, anywhere, with your smartphone.

5.    Niche – it is interest led, and can allow p2p and brands to connect with consumers that have a specific interest, and so a less crowded environment.

6.   Social – it enables sharing of images with select or multiple communities/audiences, via facebook/4sq/tumblr, comments, and also the use of searchable hashtags across instagram and twitter.

For those of you that are already converted I will leave you with my top 5 associated tools/apps that can allow you to have even more fun with your instagramming:-

Statigr.am – for web viewing, statistics and private messages

Storywheel - for recording a story through soundcloud around your Instagram pictures, and sharing as an audiovisual slideshow.

App.bg – for exploring nearby Instagrams, Foursquare Tips and Tweets

Typoinsta – for adding text to your instagram images

Picframe – this app adds frames and combines photos into single Instagram posts. plus a pocketful of different styles and text options

The biggest downside of Instagram is that it is currently only available for Apple mobile devices… However an Android version of the app is promised for release later this year. Will keep you posted.

pop_up was set up in December 2010 as an experiment in building a network around creative practice and social media. It is now a fast growing community of creatives and geeks, sharing ideas and showcasing their work online via flickr and off-line at events.

I have now run eight monthly events in Totnes, including a dedicated film night and a retro games night curated with remode studios. @mistergough has since firmly established pop_up in Somerset with four great events in Taunton. In addition, we have been able to collaborate with inspiring people such as @socialtechno and @jwengwell who are now to helping shape future pop_up plans, and support like-minded initiatives such as @TQ9.

As Exeter is our Redfront base @mistergough, @shinyshoeclaire and I are increasingly aware of the dynamic practice and cross-over between creatives and geeks in the city. Exeter has some wonderfully active networks and events ranging from Ann Holman’s fantastic Random events, to Designed in Devon’s get-togethers to @robjglover’s smartphone pub quizzes. The recent Exeter Cultural Partnership launch also promises great things for the future.

So Exeter is a natural place for the next pop_up location, and I am delighted that @shinyshoeclaire will be your host. The first Exeter pop_up on Thursday 8th September at the cafe bar in Exeter Phoenix. If you live in or around Exeter then please come along.

Totnes pop_up continues to be the first Thursday of every month while Taunton pop_ups are every last Thursday. You can find all event details and join the pop_up community on Facebook.

For the future we are looking at some solid infrastructure development to support our community and are, of course, always looking for new locations. If you want to host your own pop_up then let me know.

While financial markets started to melt-down over the last week or so, so did public order. On Saturday 6th August, riots and looting started in Tottenham, which swiftly spread to other parts of London and key cities across England. I saw Mr Reeves of Reeves Furnishings, Croydon, watch as the fire-wrecked shop building, a family business for five generations , was demolished in front of him after last Monday’s riots, and arson in Croydon and elsewhere.

is still mind-blowing to me. It wasn’t not just gang violence, but full scale pillaging, looting and arson. People have lost homes, businesses, and lives… There is no new war on, no dictators toppling, no sense of solidarity, just boredom, apathy and misguided opportunism. People use broad brush strokes to rationalise these actions blaming mis-spent youth and society’s failings of them. However it wasn’t just young people, a 31 year old primary school teacher was first in the dock for taking part, and he wasn’t the only one… Isn’t it time us grown-ups took responsibility for ourselves?

Whilst horrified by the mindless violence and arson on the streets I have equally been inspired and reassured by the community spirit shown by people affected by the riots. Within hours of rioting and looting, websites such as riotrescue helping small businesses affected and riotcleanup promoting organised clean-ups at specific locations affected. Such websites and associated twitter and facbook campaigns helped galvanise and unite residents of distraught neighbourhoods. The city-wide turnout of people and their brooms in London, Manchester, and Birmingham proves that community, common purpose does exist.

Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that if any future looting or riots occur, the powers that be come to their senses and issue brooms rather than black-outs… #makebroomsnotblackouts

This is the first of two rambles, prompted by recent events over the last week.

After all the talk of recovery, confidence and new opportunities, last week the US credit rating dipped and global financial markets nose-dived. Within 24 hours there was talk of meltdown, crash, armageddon. Just yesterday it was reported that over the last few days $2,5000,0000,0000 has been wiped off the global financial markets, almost the equivalent of the size of the entire French economy, that’s a lot of loot… How much time energy and commerce would it take to replace that? It is almost inconceivable to me.

Surreal and removed as it may seem to you or me on the ground, the effects of global market crashes end up affecting all of us, be it directly through debts or investments,  through to the cost and availability of consumables. I also think these economic horror stories effect all of us indirectly, in terms of confidence, capacity for risk-taking and for collaboration, key attributes we arguably need even more, in an increasingly connected and people orientated economy.

Lets keep up the exchange.

Since moving south west two years ago I have been struck by the range of supportive creative networks and communities out there, connecting virtually through social media, and physically, through Plymouth based meetups Devon Social Media Cafe and Creative Brkfst events, and Designed in Devon meetups in Exeter.

At Redfront we often advise people on communications, developing audiences, networks and communities. I genuinely get a buzz out of bringing people and organisations together around common interests, I love it when ideas are shared, unexpected connections form and new collaborations/projects develop. It recently struck me that it’s been a while since I had a go at starting something myself, and thought why not set up a creatives/social media meetup with a pop_up showcase, where I’m based in Totnes…

Pop_up is an experiment in building a community around creative practice and social media, and doing it on no budget. A pop_up flickr group has been set up for people to share ideas and example of their work, which will be projected on the night. Within a week a fantastic mix of films, blogs, artworks have already been submitted.

If the 1st pop_up event attracts interesting people and they seem to have a fun evening we’ll do more. Tentative plans include themed pop_up evenings around activities – e.g. pop up film night, fashion show, music night etc, and also to galvanise other communities around pop_up sharing/showcase events in other towns/cities in the South West. Am hoping this could be the start of something…

P.S. Big thanks to @mistergough and @shinyshoeclaire for DIY blue-peter style publicity and @cosmictimevans for the digital projector

After all the hulubaloo about the spending review, the fact that the arts were near the bottom of the list, and obviously not a priority, may well create opportunities to make our mark. There will be less regular funding, and some arts organisations and artists will inevitably be hit hard, but historically it is often at times like these when creativity and sense of community flourishes, people are forced to review their approaches, think more entrepreneurially and strike back. Lets do it.