“The internet is changing our world in more ways than we could ever have imagined. And as it reaches into every corner of our lives, it is transforming our relationships with one another, the jobs we do and the ways we spend our time. For the organizations living through these changes, the operating environment has changed profoundly. Around the world, industry after industry has been turned on its head by the internet and the things that digital technology makes possible. But when we look back over the last two decades, nowhere has the internet revolution been felt less than in the business of government. To its credit, the current administration has made a real effort to up the pace of reform. Much progress has already been made, spearheaded by the new Government Digital Service. The Government Digital Strategy lays out what more there is to do over the next two years. That the government goes on to achieve the goals it has set itself is tremendously important. It is also only the beginning.”

(Chris Yiu with Sarah Fink ~ Policy Exchange)

“Design is a key source of innovation and therefore part of the solution to the growth challenge Europe is facing. Every day we see start-up businesses inspired by design and creative thinking, and leading global enterprises using it as a means to boost business development and gain competitive advantage. Worldwide there is also an increasing focus on how design and other creative skills can contribute to a green transition. A major part of a product’s environmental footprint is defined through the early design phase, so many environmental issues can be solved by focusing on reducing environmental impact early in the development process. Rapid urbanisation is another example. The rise of mega-cities with millions of inhabitants is increasing the need for design solutions both technical and social that can meet the challenge of creating sustainable urban environments on a huge scale.”

(Design Council)

“From April 2014, all new and redesigned digital services will need to be so good that people prefer to use them. (…) Remember, this site is currently a prototype. We are continuing to work on the content that is hosted here, and will add more guidance and features after the release in April 2013.”

(GOV.UK)

“James Lawther has spent the past 20 years working in factories, supermarkets and call centres. Apparently he is fascinated by operations and is always on the lookout for ways to make them work cheaper faster or better. But we are interested in him because he writes a great blog about service improvement and offered to give us some thoughts on service design, so we took him up on this and here’s what he came up with.”

(James Lawther a.k.a. @SquawkPoint ~ The Service Design Programme)