Why you should come to the 2018 Service Design Fringe Festival

Long time festival supporter, and service designer at the Government Digital Service, Harry Vos, tells us why he thinks you should all come to this year’s Service Design Fringe Festival.

  1. It’s less samey. The festival spans from vulnerable users of financial services to the future of love. It’s not just talks, but a series of workshops, panels, and a speed recruitment event to help you extend your network. We’re asking how inclusive our industry is, and how inclusive are the services we’re designing? We’re exploring the fringes of the industry, because service design is no longer fringe, and these conversations need a bigger platform.

  2. You can come for free. We have some free tickets, as well as donation tickets. We want to reduce barriers to coming. The festival is volunteer-run and receives some financial help from our partners. The money we get from donations goes towards the hire of the venue, and to pay volunteers expenses.

  3. Everyone is welcome. All venues are fully accessible to wheelchair users. We are hoping to get sponsorship for some sign language interpreters and/or subtitling of the events we film (get in touch if you can help!).

  4. You’ll meet lots of passionate people who we want to inspire you. Our strength has always been the atmosphere in the community we’re lucky to have. This year, we are looking to broaden the community, reaching out to people we feel are under-represented in the service design industry, looking to bring greater diversity to conversations about inclusive services. We are trying to make everyone feel safe and included through our Code of Conduct.

  5. We welcome people from all sectors. We think we have something for everyone, covering business, startups, healthcare, government, 3rd sector, media, and academia. If we missed you out, please let us know!

  6. We’re gonna have a party! At an LGBT+ theatre. Yes, on a Thursday.