you

Teaching a Dinosaur to Tango
Everybody synchronize your babysteps!
With a range of services as vast as ours, things get complicated.
Commissions and (sub-)departments transform the municipality
into a 100-headed dinosaur, and our job is to make it dance.
We do this by talking to one head at a time. Micro-management?
Yes - intentionally. The result is an agile process that allows us to
be flexible, and react quickly to the world around us.
While many companies consider user-centric design
state-of-the-art, those of us who work in government
have been doing it since our conception. Every day,
we wake up to a job where our clients are also our
employers. And everyone is our client.
SITUATION
This is the story of how we’re empowering individual units in the
municipality. We’re fostering interactions between city and citizen,
and stimulating innovation not just between departments,
but between all stakeholders.
US
YOU
HER
Municipality of Rotterdam Communications + Ping-pong Design
The end user, a citizen of Rotterdam
Employee at Rotterdam’s Social Services
This is you. You’re on welfare. You have trouble
paying your bills. You’re down on your luck.
At this point, letters from the government go
straight to the bin. You have trouble understanding
them. You know from experience that anything
they send you is likely to be bad news, which you
have more than enough of already.
This is us. We’re the communication department
of the municipality and a design agency. We’re
here to get the message across to you, so you
have an easier time talking to her.
This is her. She’s a clerk at the Social Services
in Rotterdam. She’s the one you should talk to
when you need help. And it’s her job to help you.
Problem
WHAT IS NEEDED?
The goal is to help YOU get back on YOUR feet. And SHE is here to help YOU with
that. But before SHE can help YOU, YOU need to know how SHE can help.
OBSERVATIONS
So we start by talking to you. And her. And by
observing how you talk to each other. You could
call it a focus group, but we prefer having a
coffee.This is where we first see what we call...
“When I ask for help I feel like a beggar.”
“I can’t just give away money,
without being asked directly.”
“THE MUTUAL
PRIDE THRESHOLD”
“I don’t know what I’m entitled to ask for.”
“And I don’t have the energy to get an
overview of my options.”
Take a look at what's happening here. In order
to change things we need to find out if increased
accessibility means more scams. And we need to
find out how we can make the whole thing more
inviting for you.
BARRIERS
“It should be a bit difficult to apply.
Otherwise, I will be exploited.”
She’d like to help you, but she won’t do it out of
the blue.
You need help, but don’t want to feel like a looser.
You're insecure about your language and reading
capabilities. So although the information you need
already exists (in the form of ordnances), there's
only a slim chance that you'll ever read them.
We’re in design and communication. Although we
think we can change the world, the truth is that
we only can do so much. Making real change will
take more than clear and compelling visuals.
We need her to teach us about the rules.
And we need you to tell us about your situation.
If she makes things too simple they won't be accurate.
That's why all these texts and guidelines become
so long.
Isn’t it funny how ordnances tell YOU about YOUR possibilities by telling
what YOU can’t do? WE think so. And WE’d like to transform this archive
of limitations into a catalogue of opportunities.
THE PROBLEM
IN CONCLUSION
Solution
TEAM
TABLETOP
We assemble an interdisciplinary team
consisting of independent experts within
the fields required to complete the project.
We invite everyone (including you) for a
coffee around the same table. Get to know
each other. The idea is to align our expectations. Through interviews and field trips
we start creating a map of insights based
on how each participant sees the world.
PROCESS
END USER
M
G
IN
AK
LEGAL
N
IG
Focus on possibilities rather than
limitations
Because you’re more interested in what you
CAN do than what you CAN’T
Next, we agree that we will solve
one problem at a time. We deal
with the issues on a
pragmatic level.
NOTEBOOK
We manufacture a final dummy. A selected
panel from our target group get’s to tear it
apart one last time. The test results allow
us to integrate adjustments before final
deployment.
PO
L
I
C
Y
Overcome the mutual pride threshold
Because your Mojo’s broken we’ll keep things
simple
We boil down the results to a central idea.
How will we make what happen?
Rapid design-prototypes are created.
Rather than testing only on the target
group, we involve all stakeholders.
Result: A clear proof of concept.
CLERK
Focus on small problems rather
than big ones
Because your career starts with
finding a clean shirt
IDEA
TO
M
E
The municipality
only exists as a result of
the components of society that
it represents. Therefore, we can’t
successfully design manage without
involving stakeholders beyond the
municipality. We employ a decentralized
approach to design management based
on the realization that the organization is
not a single body.
CONCEPT & DESIGN
In collaboration with our team, we define
the core concept for the project. Based
on our observations we know that the
fundamentals should be:
PH
A
I
D
O
The process is mapped, so we ensure that
each step in prototyping and production
meets the standards required from the
respective disciplines (design, legal, text,
etc.). Milestones are set, so the end user is
involved in the creation while we develop
the project.
ACTION
DE
S
COPY
Since we know you’re not the big reader,
we transform the mountains of legal
documents into simple flowcharts.
And rather than throwing anonymous
lab-rats into the charts, we focus on the
person that we’re doing all this for:
• Booklet that shows your possibilities in a
flowchart based on your life
• Tip a friend via a selection of insert postcards
• Revised (improved) categorization of your
possibilities
• Word-count reduction by app. 80%
• Look & feel emulates the accessibility
of a mail-order catalogue
YOU
Hoera!
een
baby
extra geld = gewoon meedoen BRUG 2009
Yeah, that’s right buddy.
Verhuisd?
wist je dat...?
extra
geld
=
gewoon
meedoen
Ik heb een bijstandsuitkering
van SoZaWe.
nee
› Ik ben alleenstaand.
› Mijn inkomen is ongeveer
€ 1.000,- netto per maand en mijn
vermogen* is lager dan € 5.480,-.
of
ja
› Ik ben een alleenstaande ouder.
› Mijn inkomen is ongeveer
€ 1.270,- netto per maand en mijn
vermogen* is lager dan € 10.960,-.
of
› Mijn partner en ik zijn jonger
dan 57 jaar*.
› Ons gezamenlijke inkomen is
niet hoger dan € 1395,- netto
per maand.
› Eén van ons tweeën is tussen
de 57 en 65 jaar*.
› Ons gezamenlijke inkomen is
niet hoger dan € 1475,- netto
per maand.
BRUG 2009
voor mama
› Eén van ons tweeën is 65 jaar
of ouder*.
› Ons gezamenlijke inkomen is
niet hoger dan € 1535,- netto
per maand.
* De leeftijd van de oudste partner geldt.
88 Verzekering voor ziektekosten
€ 128,-*
€ 52,-*
voor jou
voor jou
ja
Ik kan een bijdrage vragen
bij de gemeente (SoZaWe).
› Zilveren Kruis Achmea kan mij vertellen wanneer
de verzekering kan ingaan.
voor de baby
€ 120,-*
€ 196,-*
voor jou
voor jou
voor jou
kraampakket
babypakket
Dat zijn kleren die ik
tijdens mijn zwangerschap kan dragen.
Dat zijn spullen die ik
nodig heb voor de
bevalling. Ik krijg geen
vergoeding van mijn
ziektekostenverzekering.
In het pakket horen
luiers, hemdjes, een
bad, kruik, matras,
deken, lakens en/of
een babydraagzak.
babybedje
6
Verzekering voor ziektekosten 89
€ 131,-*
€ 72,-*
€ 398,-*
voor jou
voor jou
› Ik ben ouder dan 17 en jonger dan
21 jaar. Ik kan zelf bijzondere
bijstand aanvragen. Wel gelden
wat andere regels: mijn eigen
inkomen is belangrijk. En het is
belangrijk hoeveel inkomen en
spaargeld mijn ouder(s) of
verzorger(s) hebben.
Ik kijk op pagina 8.
Kosten voor
kinderopvang
Mijn inkomen
Mijn inkomen
Ik werk of volg een traject voor scholing,
re-integratie of inburgering. Mijn kinderen
gaan dan naar een kinderdagverblijf,
gastoudergezin of naar de buitenschoolse
opvang. De Belastingdienst betaalt een
deel van de kosten voor de opvang. Ik kan
van de gemeente ook een bijdrage krijgen
om de opvang te betalen.
commode
voor jou
ja
* Mijn vermogen is de optelsom van mijn spaargeld, de waarde van mijn auto, eigen huis
of andere bezittingen. Van die optelsom mag ik schulden aftrekken, zoals een
lening bij de bank. Geld dat ik apart heb gezet voor uitvaartkosten telt niet mee als
eigen vermogen. Ben ik alleenstaand, dan mag ik maximaal € 6.400,- apart zetten voor
uitvaartkosten. Ben ik gehuwd of woon ik samen, dan mogen we daar samen maximaal
€ 12.800,- voor apart zetten.
Ik kijk op pagina 90 en 91
€ 391,-*
of
LET OP! Voor sommige regelingen gelden andere
inkomensgrenzen:
- toelage kinderen van 4 tot en met 17 jaar (p. 35)
- toeslag 65-plussers (p. 55)
- langdurigheidstoeslag (p. 105)
› Ik kan de verzekering van mijn keuze zelf
afsluiten bij Zilveren Kruis Achmea.
positiekleding
› Aanvragen? Kijk op pagina 10.
› Ik ben getrouwd of woon samen.
› Ons inkomen is ongeveer
€ 1.400,- netto per maand en ons
vermogen* is lager dan € 10.960,-.
Ik kan kiezen uit twee
verzekeringspakketten.
... de gemeente Rotterdam extra geld betaalt voor de
gordijnen in een nieuw huis? Het is maar één van de
regelingen voor mensen met een laag inkomen.
Wil je weten of je recht hebt op extra geld? Of welke
andere voordelen je kunt verdienen? Vraag dan de
BRUG 2009 aan.
Bel gratis 0800-1545.
Kijk op www.rotterdam.nl/rondkomen
of op www.sozawe.rotterdam.nl
Ik ben alleenstaand en kijk op pagina 86.
ja
wist je dat...?
Gezondheid!
nee
Ik woon samen of ben
getrouwd
Kom ik in aanmerking?
babybox
kinderstoel
kinderwagen
* De genoemde bedragen zijn een maximale bijdrage.
wist je dat...?
50 Bijdrage babyuitzet
Bijdrage babyuitzet 51
132
Kosten voor kinderopvang 133
Outcome
US
WHAT’S NEW?
YOU
HER
Structure
Using design as a central ingredient in the
communication of public policy.
Clarity
We’ve tamed the paper tiger, and replaced it with
a more instinctive language of communication.
Yes-factor
A paradigm-shift in focus from limiting restrictions
to empowering possibilities.
WHAT CHANGED?
All aboard
We bring all stakeholders (including you) to the
table, and simplify things. What was complex
becomes simple.
You’re invited
You no longer feel excluded: When you receive
an invitation, you’re more likely to show up.
And you can’t complain if you don’t.
She get’s it
We express ourselves through visuals that are as
simple as road signs. Although the communication
is not created for her, it’s inevitable that she sees
it, and thus understands her work better.
HOW WAS THE
CO-ORDINATION?
Reality-check
Radical change can only be achieved by working
in incremental steps. We’re fixing one thing at
a time, and empowering cells consisting of the
stakeholders.
Identification
Since you were involved, the scenarios described
are ones that you recognize. This means less
theory, more practicality: Think laser surgery.
Overview
Because of our deployment and development
plan, we launch one element at a time, rather
than everything at once. She likes this.
Success (management)
We’re now armed with a roadmap that involves
all stakeholders in future projects.
Success (life)
You’re back on track (to getting back on track).
Success (work)
You know what you can ask for, which makes
her job easier.
DID IT WORK?
And not just us
Other municipalities are using the model as well.
And not just you
Applications for support have increased.
And not just her
Dramatic reduction in administrative spending.
SoZaWe Gemeente Rotterdam | www.rotterdam.nl | Librijesteeg 4 | 3000 BA Rotterdam | +31 (0)10 453 39 74 | Mrs. Lucienne Ruhulessin | ltr.ruhulessin@sozawe.rotterdam.nl
Ping-pong Design | www.pingpongdesign.com | Havenstraat 23a | 3024SG Rotterdam | +31 (0)10 436 57 44 | Mr. Barry de Bruin | barry@pingpongdesign.com
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