Why this programme
Public services are increasingly augmented by AI — from chatbots and predictive analytics to automation and personalisation at scale. Yet many organisations rush into technology adoption without first addressing the strategic design gaps, broken service experiences, or equity blind spots in their systems.
This programme helps leaders ask:
What must be redesigned before AI is introduced?
Who might be left behind by automation?
What new leadership mindsets and design principles are needed to build trust and resilience in public service?
Date
Run 1: 15 – 16 January, 2026
Run 2: 29 – 30 April, 2026
Duration (Hours)
16
Time
9am – 6pm
Format
In-person in Singapore. Venue details to follow.
Price
$800 excluding 9% GST
Who is this for
This programme is for public sector leaders and senior managers who:
Oversee citizen-facing services or policy implementation
Are involved in digital or service transformation initiatives
Need to integrate AI while ensuring services remain human-centred, inclusive, and trusted
Want to build stronger design leadership and ethical foresight in their teams
Learning outcomes
Lead service transformation with strategic design foresight
Understand the principles of service design leadership in an AI era — including what must be redesigned before layering AI and how to navigate complexity with empathy and systems thinking.
Apply the ThinkPlace’s Service Design & AI Audit Toolkit to assess readiness
Evaluate services using a synthesised multi-dimensional lens — behavioural insights, digital heuristics, service systems, and trust — to identify where redesign is needed and where AI may help or harm.
Reimagine inclusive, ethical, and future-ready service blueprints
Use real scenarios and futures thinking to design services that balance automation and human intervention, ensuring public services remain accessible, equitable, and adaptive.
What you'll learn
Diagnosing the Now — Auditing Reality & Re-Mapping Journeys
This segment grounds leaders in the reality of their current service landscape — through an honest, evidence-based assessment. Using the ThinkPlace Service Design Audit Tool, participants assess touchpoints across behavioural, digital, systemic, and trust dimensions to uncover what’s working, what’s not, and who’s left behind. They then embark on a collaborative research journey-mapping exercise to visualise the lived experience of users and frontline staff. This isn’t just about data — it’s about seeing the friction, fragmentation, and emotions that shape real service journeys.Insight Before Ideas — Synthesising What Matters
Design without insight is decoration. In this segment, leaders learn how to move from raw research to refined insight. Through synthesis, they distil complex journey data into powerful themes — surfacing not just the symptoms but the root causes of service pain points. Participants explore how to frame actionable insights that reflect system gaps, behavioural patterns, and unmet human needs. They leave with a deeper appreciation for what’s truly at stake — and the clarity to focus design energy where it matters most.Designing the Future — Four Layers, One Blueprint
This final segment empowers participants to reimagine services not just as workflows, but as experiences shaped by purpose, interaction, infrastructure, and intent. Using the “Four Layers of Design” — Strategy, Experience, Channels and Delivery — participants prototype a future-state service blueprint that integrates empathy, ethics, and innovation. They ask the bold question: Where does AI belong — and where should it never replace human judgment? Through guided provocations, participants develop the blueprints that are not only future-ready, but human-first.
Meet your trainers
Dr. Debbie Ng
Regional Director,
ThinkPlace Singapore and Asia
.