
Shaping Policies from a Service Design Approach
In the upcoming April’s Engage with Idea talk titled Shaping Policies from a Service Design Approach: the value of design for more responsive organisations (Komatsu et al., 2021), Mariana Salgado will share her experience while working as a lead designer in the Finnish Design and Innovation Lab, Inland Design at the Ministry of the Interior of Finland. She was responsible to introduce innovation in the creation of migration policies through user centred design approach.
Dr Salgado presentation focuses on the implementation of service design in immigration policy development at Inland Design from 2017 to 2023. Dr Salgado will examine design methodologies in this context through two significant case studies:
- The development of an AI-powered chatbot for customer support
- The creation of a public consultation framework to engage immigrants in policy formulation
These two cases illustrate how service design can enhance both operational efficiency and participatory governance in immigration services. Mariana will outline how by leveraging user-centred approaches, Inland Design was able to improve accessibility and inclusivity in policy-making processes.
The chatbot case study demonstrates how technology can be harnessed to provide timely and accurate information to immigrants, potentially reducing the workload on human staff and improving service delivery. The public consultation mechanism, on the other hand, showcases efforts to incorporate diverse perspectives into policy development, aligning with global trends towards more inclusive governance in immigration matters.
Through these examples, Dr Salgado will reflect on the transformative potential of service design in addressing complex societal challenges, particularly in the context of immigration policy and service delivery.
Dr Mariana Salgado is a senior service designer at ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System), joining the organisation in April 2024. Previously, she worked at Inland, an innovation and design lab in the Finnish Ministry of the Interior and the Finnish Immigration Service. With a doctoral degree from the Media Department at Aalto University and a master’s degree in Product and Strategic Design, Dr. Salgado specializes in service, interaction, and participatory design. Her work focuses on addressing inequality by amplifying the voices of vulnerable groups, particularly in areas such as immigration, cultural heritage, and global health.
Dr Salgado hosts “Diseño y diáspora“, a multilingual podcast on design for social change. With over 550 episodes, it has become the most listened-to design podcast in Spanish-speaking countries, attracting approximately 6000 monthly listeners. At ICOS, Dr Salgado contributes to EU projects, particularly the Integrated Research Infrastructure Services for Climate Change Risks (IRISCC), where she facilitates the development of services addressing climate risks.
References
Komatsu, T., Salgado, M., Deserti, A., & Rizzo, F. (2021). Policy labs challenges in the public sector: the value of design for more responsive organizations. Policy Design and Practice, 4(2), 271–291. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2021.1917173
Inland Design (2019). Kamu – Migri’s customer service chatbot.