(such as filmed scenarios) that the people who would eventually ties who understood the chal-
clarify the aim of the design end up providing these services lenges they faced and who could
project, but these are likely to to those who needed them. And provide the level of support nec-
be pitched as more of a “vision” by doing this, the support agen- essary to rehabilitate them back
rather than something that can cies felt a much greater level of in to society and subsequently
be easily shared throughout the ownership over the concepts. back into work. The most impor-
entire client organization. First, some context: Sunderland tant part of the discovery phase,
The design process itself deter- is a city in northern England, however, was talking to those
mines the success or failure of with a manufacturing-based support agencies that already
a service-design project. Simply workforce. It has seen increasing worked within the community
delivering a set of documents to levels of economic depression and offered exactly the sort of
management and hoping that over recent years, coinciding assistance that the unemployed
a design’s intention somehow with rising levels of unemploy- needed. live|work discovered
filters down throughout the ment—26 percent of the working- these agencies were all trying to
organization is no guarantee age population is “economically provide valuable and necessary
that the service experience will inactive.” The Sunderland City support, but there was often over-
be as good as it can be when Council engaged live|work to lap in their offerings, as well as a
it eventually reaches the point explore how the long-term unem- lack of communication between
of delivery. The key role of the ployed—those whose special per- agencies, possibly hampering the
design team, then, must be to sonal circumstances (for example, progress of their clients.
attempt to engage with all levels health issues) make it difficult for To solve this, the live|work
of the client organization, from them to find work—could be bet- team outlined a five-stage client
key stakeholders at senior levels ter engaged by services that sup- journey that detailed how a long-
right down to those involved in ported them back into work. term unemployed person would
provisioning the service at the During the discovery phase reenter the world of work, from
point of use. Moreover, focusing of the project, live|work learned “wellness” to “sustained work,”
on the so-called bottom of the that the long-term unemployed and provided a high-level frame-
organizational pyramid provides tended “not to volunteer them- work within which each agency
vital insight—the individuals selves for government employ- could map their involvement.
who work at the point of service ment programs [4].” There were The most crucial part of the
delivery are among the best already such programs in place project was a series of “engage-
resources for learning how well a provided by central government ment events” organized by the
preexisting service functions. To and the Sunderland City Council, design team. In these sessions,
ensure the best possible service but these tended to be aimed at live|work gathered all of the sup-
experience, these staff members the wider unemployed commu- port agencies in the Make It Work
should be included in the design nity and unable to support the program, presented their findings
process on an even deeper lev- specific needs of the long-term from the research phase and sug-

[4] live|work Studio.
“Sunderland: Make
It Work Case Study.”
Accessed 16 November
2008. < http://www.
l ivework.co.uk/case-
studies/sunderland-
make-it-work>

el—they should be empowered as unemployed. Therefore, there was gested themes to be explored, and

• One of the

Make It Work

co-creators who contribute to the a real need for this group to be then moderated breakout sessions
engagement
process of innovation itself. engaged by the local communi- for generating program concepts. events in action.

In the “Make It Work” project for the Sunderland City Council,

London-based service-design consultancy live|work studio enabled a design process that did exactly this. Agencies and workers, who provide employment support services, were empowered as the co-creators of service concepts. live|work facilitated this by running “engagement events” with