Browse by design practices
Design practice in local government is how public designers work day to day with others—service staff, managers, and communities—to understand issues and improve services, while working within democratic processes and being accountable to the public.
It goes beyond tools and workshops. It’s an ongoing way of working that involves navigating different perspectives and using a mix of skills, knowledge, attitudes, and values, with the aim of making services better and more valuable for the public.
Process Mapping
Process mapping is a way to visualise how a service works end-to-end — from the resident journey through to the behind-the-scenes activities, decisions, teams, and systems. It helps teams build shared understanding, identify risks and gaps, and test how a new service model will operate in practice.
Digital Prototype
A clickable digital prototype is an interactive simulation of a digital product (such as a website, portal, or app) that allows users to click through screens and complete key tasks as if the system were live, even though the underlying functionality may not yet be fully built.
Participatory Design Research
Research approach where people with lived experience co-design research framing, analysis, and outputs rather than only participating as respondents.
Journey Mapping
Journey mapping visualises the steps people or staff take as they move through a service, showing touchpoints, systems, decision points, and pain points along the way.
Service Prototyping
Service prototyping is a design approach that tests a proposed service model in real-world conditions before scaling.
Blueprinting
Service blueprinting is a design method used to map how a service operates across front-stage and back-stage activities, showing the roles, systems, data flows, and decision points that shape the user experience.
Storyboarding
The storyboard is the curated narrative that helps audiences quickly understand the service and build empathy (Based on user journey)
Supported by
LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICE DESIGN NETWORK 