I’ve penned down the transformative potential of data & insight in public services, the myriad types of insight at our disposal, and how we can harness them to bolster services swiftly, instilling a sense of inspiration and hope.
Acknowledging the diverse range of data and insights is of utmost importance. These can play a pivotal role in showcasing the impact of the council and our communities in enhancing outcomes. More significantly, they can empower communities to generate and utilise their data and insights, thereby improving their localities and identifying areas for development, fostering a sense of empowerment and involvement.
Allow me to share three innovative approaches I’ve witnessed or participated in. These methods demonstrate how data and insight can be harnessed uniquely to drive positive change.
The Open Data Challenge was an excellent way to show people with different skills in our communities how to use data to tackle challenges, including commissioners, frontline staff, universities, other researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, and residents. I tried something similar with Transformed by You and Made in Lambeth, and I’d recommend the handbook that NESTA created to help others run their challenges.
How about enabling communities to create the tools that give them greater ownership of using data? I love the open and inclusive Bristol Approach, which shows how residents can shape and develop technology. It builds on the fantastic work in Bristol that has blazed the way to using open data to tackle inclusion and support the development of apps by young people. I worked with a local early intervention partnership and a service design agency to work with families living in overcrowded housing to see how they could better look out for each other and better understand the factors influencing their well-being.
Sometimes, you need to create ways for people to share their lived experiences that treat them with dignity and show the richness of people’s lives. Working with European Alternatives, we co-designed several living libraries with people to help them develop their stories or “living books.” These living libraries have become valuable resources for community members to learn from each other’s experiences. The Empathy Museum takes this and makes it three-dimensional with physical exhibits. It works with communities to create stories that help people put themselves in other people’s shoes, fostering empathy and understanding.
