ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the role of design for services to imagine more collaborative service models as a way to redesign public and community services. It reports how service designers are working with and within public organisations and users' communities to develop platforms and skills to enable a culture of change, to explore new radical service models and innovative usages of social technologies within these processes. Society as a whole is facing growing challenges such as an ageing population, the rise in long-term debilitating health conditions, immigration, racism, environmental degradation, climate change and lately the economic downturn. Collaborative solution aims to break up the paternalistic and top-down approach to public services, transforming the conception of people as passive receivers of services to the one of active participants and collaborators. Service environments are acknowledged to be highly fluid as an increasing number of innovations come from the reformulation of the so-called value network and business model.
