About us
ServiceWorks is on a mission to spread passion and skills in service design across the public and nonprofit sectors.
No one plans a bad service, but designing a good one takes the right approach, skills, methods and people. It needs collaboration and some bold, radical thinking to challenge yourself to look at the underlying problems.
And it’s worth it. Good services aren’t just better for the end-user, but for everyone involved.
Who we work with
We work with people who are passionate about making public services great. In fact our training and support is designed specifically for people and organisations who are driven by social purpose rather than by profit.
This means we work with public sector and third sector organisations all across the UK – including councils, charities, government bodies, social enterprises and housing associations.
Who we are
ServiceWorks is the brainchild of founder Jo Carter who discovered a passion for service design over a decade ago and hasn’t looked back since!
Jo works with a small group of specialist associates to provide learning and development opportunities in service design. ServiceWorks is an Accredited Organisation with the Service Design Network meaning our training offers a pathway to service design practitioner accreditation.
Jo’s story
After a break from the rat race in 2002 (travelling with my husband Nick) I decided to use my skills as a chartered surveyor for something more worthwhile. I landed a job as Estates Surveyor with Monmouthshire Council, and discovered a new world working in the public sector, where the people were lovely but everything seemed to take so long!
Discovering user centred design
In 2013 I attended Intrepreneurship School, an in-house training programme designed to knock us out of the business as usual mindset. It really was life changing, showing me a different way to think and solve problems. It exposed me to things like agile, user centred design, and service innovation more broadly.
I was instantly hooked. My brain was racing with ideas and I was filled with a passion to use my new found skills and capability to good use.
Building knowledge and experience
I eventually ran away with the facilitator of the Intrepreneurship programme to set up a consultancy called The Satori Lab in 2014. I was super interested in user centred design of public services. So I made it my mission to learn from others more experienced at this.
Another spell of travelling in 2016 (this time with two children in tow) and some time off for breast cancer treatment in 2017 provided more time for clarity. I realised I could have much more impact if I filled others with the enthusiasm, confidence and skills to apply service design methods and mindsets in their work. ServiceWorks was born.
Spreading a passion for service design
In 2019, I ran a discovery workshop with people from social housing to understand what they needed to learn about to get better at providing services to their residents. This provided the outline for our Service Design in Practice course, and we tested it further with an internal cohort for Welsh Government. We’ve now run it many times, and have a growing alumni of past participants who we keep in touch with.
I became an SDN Accredited Master Service Designer in 2022, and ServiceWorks became an Accredited Organisation with the Service Design Network in 2023 – one of the only in the UK focusing solely on service design in the public and third sector.
I absolutely love what I do. My favourite thing is when I see people develop beyond what they thought was possible and then hearing that they’ve applied it in their jobs.
Our team
Jo Carter
FOUNDER
I’m passionate about service design and the benefits it can bring, especially in government, social housing and charities. As a trained coach, I also love to see others grow and develop, so I feel privileged to have been able to combine these passions through my work.
I set up ServiceWorks after 10 years working in local government, fuelled by a passion for improving public services. I’m now an Accredited Master Service Designer and an experienced consultant, trainer, facilitator and coach. I have a Certificate in Coaching Conversations from the Institute of Leadership and Management and have completed Mentorship training with One Million Mentors.
My mission is to put the transformative power of service design in the hands of those shaping our public services. Over the last decade this has led to some amazing partnerships, including with the likes of DWP, Audit Wales, The Pensions Regulator and the Welsh Government. I also share insights and resources through my blog, speak regularly at events, and am a lead organiser of GovCamp Cymru unconference.
I live in Cardiff with my husband and teenage girls, and in my spare time you’ll find me playing drums and cycling, though rarely both at once!
Katie Driver
COLLABORATION PARTNER
I love helping teams think better together, using their rich experiences and ideas to generate new and better ways to make progress on the work that matters.
Formerly a UK Senior Civil Servant, I’m now an experienced trainer, a qualified coach and Strengths Profile practitioner, and active member of the Time to Think Collegiate. I'm vice-Chair of Governors of my local FE College in South West London, and mum to two almost grown lads. When not at my desk, I can often be found running or reading.
Why does this matter to you? I’m keen to see a more equitable and sustainable world, but I know I can’t create it single-handed. So I play my part by helping the people shaping public policies and services to think deeply and creatively about the task at hand, and to work in ways that foster collaboration and deliver real impact.
Ffion Jones
COLLABORATION PARTNER
I’m passionate about uniting teams to solve their (and the world’s) greatest challenges. By helping teams to understand the key elements of successful collaboration, I help them unlock their collective potential.
Why does this matter to you? Service Design is a team sport, so having someone coach you as a team to deliver excellent outcomes for your users by embedding team purpose, connection, psychological safety and collaborative ways of working is essential to your project delivery.
I am also an experienced presentations and leadership coach and will support you to shift your confidence and build self awareness. I am a certified team coach and Chartered member of the CIPD.
I live by the coast in Wales with my family including two wild and wonderful children and am happiest anywhere near, on or in the sea!
