Just before Christmas I finished an eight week research project for the Citizens Advice Bureaux based down in Surrey. I was asked by them to investigate and devise ways that they could diversify their service in order to reach more people within the community but at the same time generate extra income from this to enable the charity to become more financially stable.
I really enjoyed this project. It gave me the chance to use my skills that I have developed as a product designer but apply them to a completely new situation. I went through the same process that I normally would when designing a product but instead of having a tangible outcome I designed services and strategies. I'm really keen to do more work like this, especially in multidisciplinary groups, where people bring their skills together to solve problems out of their normal area of work. I believe it is defiantly a beneficial way of working.
While I was at the CAB I took in an incredible amount of information and learnt so much. It was all really interesting. I also came to realise that the Citizens Advice Bureau is a really under-valued and under-appreciated charity. The volunteers who work there put in a great deal of free time, effort and hard work to give help and advice to anyone who asks for it, no matter who they are and what their situation is. The volunteers contribution to the CAB is estimated to be worth around £730,000 per annum in Waverley alone. (Waverley consists of Farnham, Godalming, Haslemere and Cranleigh - towns within Surrey).
CAB 1980's styleee. The CAB celebrated it's 70th anniversary during 2009.
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