Conference
Ben Rose
Client Partner
SD in Gov 2026
Some of our amazing clients!
Designing Better Public Services in a Changing Digital World
We’re excited to be sponsoring SDinGov 2026, bringing together the people designing, delivering and improving public services. Across three days, service designers, government teams, researchers, technologists and public service professionals will come together to share ideas, challenge thinking and explore new approaches to creating better services for citizens.
Hear from Ben Rose, Client Partner at GAIN 23 September 2026 | 12:15–13:00
Service design has evolved from a niche methodology into a core pillar of public sector transformation. But how did we get here, what have we gained along the way, and what might the future hold?
In this session, Ben traces the evolution of service design through two decades of lived experience, from early experiments in design thinking to navigating the complex machinery of modern government.
Through personal anecdotes, design theory and project war stories, Ben will explore the pivots, failures and breakthroughs that have shaped the discipline, and what they can teach us about where service design goes next.
The session will explore:
The emergence of user-centred design within bureaucratic structures
The shift from designing individual touchpoints to designing whole systems
What happens when policy and design work closely together
How the democratisation of design tools is changing the role of the designer
The skills and approaches that will matter most for the future of service design
What you’ll take away
A deeper context: Understand the origins and evolution of service design across both the public and private sectors.
Reflective tools: Explore how lived experience and institutional memory can help navigate today’s complex project challenges.
A critical perspective: Consider which legacy design methods still serve us, and which might be better left behind.
A renewed sense of possibility: See how far the service design community has come in democratising design, and think about where the discipline could go next.
What else to expect at SDinGov
Practical insight: Hear from people working on real public service challenges and take away ideas, approaches and inspiration you can apply to your own work.
Fresh perspectives: Explore the role of technology, data and AI in creating more effective, accessible and user-centred public services.
New connections: Meet service designers, government teams, researchers, technologists and other professionals working to improve public services.
Meet GAIN at SDinGov
As a sponsor, we’ll be joining conversations about how technology, data, AI and human-centred thinking can help create better digital experiences for citizens.
We’re looking forward to meeting fellow attendees, sharing ideas and exploring the opportunities and challenges facing public services today.
Heading to Edinburgh? Come and find us at SDinGov.
Make sure you catch Ben’s talk on 23 September, 12:15–13:00.