Capitalist Realism and Service Design - can we move beyond the parameters of cynicism?

In his 2009 work, 'Capitalist Realism - Is there no alternative?', the theorist Mark Fisher wondered why neoliberalism is now taken for granted as the only possible socio-political system. In the past, there were grand visions of a way forward, of various utopian futures. These visions have now been replaced by a general and bitter cynicism - it's just hopeless, you simply can't change the way the world works.

All that we are left with in this contemporary discourse is 'business', business as usual, the world of business, the ontology of business and the grim and limiting parameters of business value.  And that discourse, naturally, now includes government services. It seems we can tinker with technology, but we can't even hope to change the basic structures of how government interacts with its citizens.

So, how can those of us who work in the world of service design in government move beyond our cynicism and self-imposed constraints and deliver real change? What other values besides 'business value' can we measure and prioritise?

Using practical examples of some of the difficulties involved, this presentation will explore how human-centred service designers and UX practitioners can become more aware of the possibilities available to them and begin to abandon their cynicism.

Presentation audio