Lou Downe

@loudowne

Founder of @theschoolofgood Chief bean-wrangler @brodbox Ex-Design Director of the UK Gov. Proudly dyslexic & non-binary 🌈 they/he

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Lou Downe@loudowne· 22h

Ever noticed that it's the services that are the worst that find it the hardest to change? This isn’t a coincidence. Bad services actively create bad relationships with users good.services/writing/bad-services-create-bad-relationships-with-users

Bold green headline on purple background reads "Bad services create bad relationships with users," warning that poor services damage user relationships.

Lou Downe@loudowne· 7d

Why is the old leadership trope of 'Don't get involved in the detail' bad for delivering good services? Our new episode of Bad Services podcast on materials is out now and why we need to care about the detail good.services/badservicespodcast/episode010

Lou Downe@loudowne· 11d

Sometimes, stopping bad decisions is as important as making good ones when it comes to designing good services

Lou Downe@loudowne· 19d

Why is it so hard to design services that meet our user’s needs? Not knowing who our users are or what they need is now so common in some organisations that we almost don't notice anymore. good.services/writing/you-are-not-your-user

Lou Downe@loudowne· 22d

Lets talk users, user needs and why bad services create bad relationships with users. Episode 9 of the Bad Services podcast is out! good.services/badservicesp...

A black and white cathedral image that overlays text saying: Chapter 2: Users

Lou Downe@loudowne· 25d

Last week, we introduced chapter 1 of Bad Services: Purpose Every service has a purpose,but for every purpose, there are infinite possible services..how do you pick the right way of delivering that purpose if you’re starting from scratch? More on purpose/services: good.services/writing/ever...

Every purpose has infinite service possibilities

Lou Downe@loudowne· 27d

15 billions hours are wasted each year dealing with broken services, but do we care enough to fix it? So we built a tracker to show across the year how much time has elapsed good.services/writing/15-billions-hours-are-wasted

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jul 9

You can't design a service if you don't know why you’re delivering it Whether your purpose is to help people get into cycling or get control over money, it's our purpose that tells us what services we might create to deliver that outcome and who our users might be good.services/writing/serv...

An object on ground propping a door is fronted with text saying Form Follows Function Follows Form Follows Function

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jul 7

Episode 8 of the Bad Services Podcast is out. As the book, Bad Services is now out, we’re delving into each chapter, focusing on the causes of Bad Services. In episode 8, we’re talking about Chapter 1, Purpose. Why does a lack of purpose lead to Bad Services? good.services/badservicesp...

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jul 2

Thanks for the pictures John V Willshire & Marta Ferreira de Sá 👏 And to our wonderful volunteers who came via the SDN UK Network Rochelle, Shaleen and Richa. Mega props for your help on the night.

Two people in a shirt and green tie, and a matching green shore jacket smiling for the camera

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jul 2

Good Services are designed, but the work of designing those services is about 10% design. The other 90% is creating the conditions for design to happen. That’s why I wrote bad services. For you. It’s a big green hug, so check it out, or give our Bad Services podcast a listen. x 💚 x

Poster with bold colored typography on a black background reading: "Service design is 10% design, 90% creating the conditions for design to happen."

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jul 2

And a massive thank you to the wonderful Newspeak House for hosting us. I spent most of the evening signing books and answering really thoughtful questions people had and one thing I heard on repeat was what a joy it was to know that we aren't along in our struggle to make services work for users

A diverse audience seated and standing in a low-ceilinged room bathed in purple light, attentively watching a presentation or performance at the front.

Books titled "Good Services" and "Bad Services" displayed on a table for sale, with a green rotary phone and a person in a mint jacket arranging them against a purple-lit exposed brick wall.

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jul 2

Thank you to Sarah Gold & Laura Hutchinson for joining a brilliant panel chat, to all the old and new friends who showed up and brought the energy. Photo credit: Gemma Lord 📸

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jul 2

WOW!!! Tuesday night was absolutely incredible at our London Launch Party We were completely packed out with standing room only, and it was hotter than the sun but what an amazing evening with such good vibes all round.

Pedestrians waiting outside a city storefront, one checking a phone, beside a bright green sign that reads "I fix bad services," suggesting a business offering customer-service or tech support fixes.

Vendor at a purple-lit booth hands a green brochure to attendees across a counter, posters about service design hang above reading "Good services" and "I fix bad services," with a rotary phone and a small "Good Services" booklet on the table.

Two people chat in front of a projected slide reading "Party!" while a third person checks a tablet nearby; a table with popcorn boxes, bottles and cups sits in the foreground against a brick-wall venue, suggesting a casual event or reception.

Small live event in a brick-walled room: presenters stand by a microphone and keyboards while an audience watches a large neon-green slide titled "Thank yous!" listing contributors.

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jul 1

Making the case for service design is a 1 day course for anyone wanting to learn how to pitch and bring people with you on investing the resources you need to design good services. Our next one day course is on the 14th July good.services/making-the-c...

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jun 30

Sometimes it's easier to spot a bad service, than it is a good one. As part of our new sister company, the Bad Service Corporation, we've launched a training video on the 15 Principles of Bad Services. good.services/writing/the-15-principles-of-bad-services

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jun 29

We’re really excited for the official London launch party tomorrow for Bad Services We’re welcoming Laura Hutchinson and Sarah Gold to join us to reflect on why bad services happen We are sold out, but, some returns are being done today, so do join the waitlist luma.com/bzermheg

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jun 25

The Bad Service Corporation faces into the familiar patterns of Bad Services many of us experience. These are the inverse of the Good Service Principles.

A bad services is: Principles poster in green

The 15 principles of bad service design
A bad service:
1 Is hard to find
2 Does not enable users to complete
the outcome they set out to
3 Does not explain its purpose
4 Does not set expectations a user has of it
5 Works in a way that is extremely unfamiliar
6 Requires prior knowledge to use
7 Is defined by organisational structures
8 Requires the maximum possible
steps to complete
9 Is inconsistent throughout
10 Has multiple dead ends
11 Is usable by a select few, unevenly
12 Encourages the wrong behaviours
from users and staff
13 Never responds to change
14 Never explains why a decision
has been made
15 Makes it hard to get human assistance

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jun 25

The Bad Service Corporation is a creative concept from The School of Good Services. We created it to interrogate the reality of Bad Services and the organisations that deliver them.

Two people in green jackets, sitting side by side at a table. One label says accounts, the other says Billing

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jun 25

Bad Services is out today and I'd like to take this opportunity to announce my unwavering support for services that don't work. So much so that I've launched a new sister company - The Bad Services Corporation Welcome to your Bad Services Corporation staff induction. badservicescorp.com

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jun 24

It’s HEREEEEE!! Bad Services ships tomorrow but here’s a sneak peak of the long awaited sequel to Good Services. good.services/writing/bad-services-has-landed

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jun 23

Our new podcast on the 'Types of Service Design' is out today Is there a right way to do Service Design? Or one process you should follow? good.services/badservicespodcast/episode007

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jun 18

We'll be seeing your for the Bad Services Corporation induction June 25th 2026 badservicescorp.com

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jun 11

Designing services has many different starting points and reasons for it to take centre stage, or be initiated. Our new podcast episode, Starting Points in Service design is all about the reasons service design might happen and what starting points look like good.services/badservicesp...

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jun 8

We’re on a Bad Services UK Book Tour. Actually we’re on it right now, with Glasgow tonight. We’re doing a short Bad Services UK Book Tour over June and July. The link has tour dates listed, with a few more to be updated in the next few days. good.services/badservicesb...

Lou Downe@loudowne· Jun 4

You’ve reached the Bad Service Corporation Customer Help line Did you know we have a website? It’s much easier to do what you’re trying to do online than it is to wait in the queue to speak to one of our customer service representatives Press 1 for New Book

Lou Downe@loudowne· May 29

Bad Services, coming soon Ships on 25th June 2026 good.services/badservicesb...

Lou Downe@loudowne· May 26

Episode 5 of Bad Services is live, and this episode is on context of use. We talk designing boxes to move multi-million £ artwork, creating new volunteer services for older generations facing fraud, and an online service supporting people with divorce good.services/badservicesp...

Context of Use title with episode 05 title. Parking sign in background.

Lou Downe@loudowne· May 14

Our Stakeholder Leadership course is coming up on the 25th June. Fed up of silo’s? Learn how to work with them rather than trying to tear them down. Come learn how to create effective relationships that enable good service design and delivery to happen good.services/stakeholder-...

Lou Downe@loudowne· May 12

Our Making the case for Service Design course is coming up on 14th July + it is (I think) the last time we will run it this year. Learn how to communicate the value of user-centred change and build a compelling financial pitch to gain investment and buy in for design good.services/making-the-c...