Our approach – Design By Kolding

We use design thinking to develop everything from policy and organisational change to driving innovation and concrete welfare benefits. This means, in practice, that we meet people where they are and are curious to understand their real needs. Indeed, it often turns out that the challenge we have to solve is different than first thought.

Simple and intuitive

There are many ways one can work with design thinking, and some models and processes are more theoretical than others. For us, it has been important to adopt and disseminate an approach that is intuitive for both employees and citizens.

On a daily basis, we work with a model called The Citizen's Centre and we simply call the approach 1-2-3. Both help to ensure that the municipality's help is experienced coherently for each citizen, and that there is no throwing ball between different administrations.

Step into the Citizen's Center

The basis for our work with design thinking is the Borgerens Centrum model. Specifically, it ensures that we stand side by side with the individual citizen and try to understand the problem from the citizen's perspective, i.e. without putting on our professional glasses.

This can be easier said than done when you have your own management processes and offerings deep under your skin. Nevertheless, for a while we try to put aside our “professional baggage” and instead focus on meeting person to person. This increases the chance that we will build mutual trust and understanding of the real needs and desires of the citizen.‍

‍Step 1: Ask questions before giving answers

At the Citizen's Center, we ask about the wishes of the citizens. What needs does the person we are talking to have? What is important to him? We try to be curious and challenge our boaters own assumptions.

Create meaning in Borgerland

Borgerland is the place where the citizen and the municipality meet and cooperate with each other on a daily basis. Thus, it is also here that the citizen's experience of the municipality is created. In Borgerland, we do not use our professional language, but only speak an everyday language so that the citizen feels seen and heard.

In addition, it is important that the solutions we create are created in collaboration with the individual citizen. This ensures that the solution makes sense for the person it is all about. We want the citizen to have an experience of 'being able to himself'.

Step 2: Create opinion with the citizen

At the second stage, we use our insights into the citizen's situation to create new, meaningful solutions. We avoid professional language and classic packaging solutions. Our experience shows that it does not have to be more expensive to tailor a solution.

We create action in Fagland

Outside Borgerland lies Fagland, and this is where we as employees in the municipality translate solutions into actions so that they come out and live in the real world.

In Fagland, the citizen is never present, and here we are free to use our professional language, as well as we can bring into play several different professions and administrations. It is also in Fagland that we measure whether a solution has the desired effect or whether we need to develop a new and better one.‍

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Step 3: Make it possible

At Fagland, we involve colleagues and other professional groups to make the good solution succeed. If we notice something that we cannot change ourselves, we ask a manager or boss. Often they can help open up new opportunities.

How do we use our approach in our case studies?

When designing in Kolding Municipality, we use an involving and creative approach to understand the citizens to whom we need to develop and offer services. We focus on the user experience, the unique lives of our citizens, and we are not afraid to ask questions. Our goal is therefore that we always start from the “Citizens' Centre” — not the system.

See cases