Resource Human-Centered Design Service Design

Designing government services that work together: Five lessons from the U.K.

This blog post shares five key service design lessons from U.K. experts Lou Downe and Sarah Drummond, offering practical guidance for building more connected, user-centered government services in British Columbia.

Published Year: 2025

The article summarizes insights from a cross-ministerial learning event where B.C. Public Service design leaders engaged with Lou Downe and Sarah Drummond, both renowned for their work in U.K. public service design.

The five lessons emphasize reorienting organizations around services, clarifying service ownership, investing in shared infrastructure, embedding design into strategic decision-making, and using storytelling to drive cultural change. These takeaways are intended to help B.C. teams deliver more seamless, accessible, and people-centered services across governments.