All views considered: Co-design at a strategic service level

Service quality standards are set by government. But the people affected by them are rarely considered: users, residents, or business owners. What works at an operational level through user research for individual services is broken at a strategic level. When developing new standards, government usually only listens to itself. Most often, the centre of government decides for everyone else.

The German federal government has taken a different approach to strategic service decisions. To define definitive service quality criteria, it asked over 10,000 citizens for help. The respondents participated in hands-on workshops and took surveys. The result is a strategic alignment that includes all views. In tandem, public servants and members of the public shaped what makes service ‘good’.

Participant Takeaways:

• See what inclusivity for strategic co-creation can look like

• Discover mixed-method approaches for participation at a strategic service level

• Get inspiration for the next iteration of your standards, including a broader range of stakeholders

• Understand how to manage diverse stakeholder groups - from citizen groups to senior government leaders

• Learn how another country develops its larger cross-government service design support offering