FutureGov’s event highlighted the importance of shifting from a service-led to a user-led approach in the public sector. Cassie Robinson emphasised the need to move beyond digitising existing services to truly transforming them. She acknowledged the challenges of this shift, including the difficulty in measuring the impact of user-centred design and the risk of excluding certain groups.
Robinson also highlighted the importance of understanding the complexity of people’s lives and designing services accordingly. She argued that public services should be designed to adapt to people’s circumstances rather than expecting people to adapt to the service.
Robinson proposed three key shifts: from individual to relational understanding, from transactions to interactions, and from services to capabilities. The first shift involves understanding people in the context of their relationships and networks. The second shift moves from viewing public services as transactions to seeing them as interactions that can build trust and relationships. The third shift involves focusing on building people’s capabilities to improve their own lives rather than just providing services.
Finally, Robinson stressed the importance of investing in the capabilities and culture of public sector organisations to enable this transformation. This includes investing in skills, creating a culture of learning and adaptation, and recognising the importance of relationships and trust in delivering public services.
Go to source article: https://cassierobinson.medium.com/this-is-the-text-from-the-talk-i-gave-at-futuregovs-event-30bd7fef042c