I was awarded a prestigious six-month Internship through the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) PhD Internship Scheme to conduct research with the National College of Policing - the professional body for policing in England and Wales.
I worked within the College’s Research, Analysis and Information Unit (now the Knowledge, Research and Practice Unit) at Bramshill Mansion on the design of a visual and interactive 'Research Map' of Policing and Crime Reduction research activity across the UK, part of the ESRC's 'What Works' Centre for Crime Reduction (WWCCR).
Utilising my skills in both service design and research, I worked in partnership with stakeholders across the UK, operating as a conduit between academia and the police to co-design the Map's development (previously an Excel Spreadsheet). I was responsible for designing, organising and facilitating a series of interactive workshops with police officers and staff; government social researchers; applied scientists; postgraduate researchers and academics. I collated stakeholder feedback using a combination of design methods to develop an overall service blueprint of activity, and worked closely with the College's IT department to implement a range of working prototypes on each of the College of Policing, Police Online Knowledge Area (POLKA), and ESRC WWCCR website(s) respectively.
I additionally helped to co-design the Job Description for the College of Policing's first ever full-time Service Designer.