Design Thinking in Public Sector Health Applications: A Field-Embedded Approach to Digital Transformation in Social Care

Abstract

Design thinking applied to public sector health services represents a significant advancement in addressing complex care delivery challenges, particularly for vulnerable populations. This article documents a transformative digital intervention in UK social care that embedded designers directly alongside frontline caseworkers to develop contextually appropriate solutions. Traditional development approaches that separate designers from end-users frequently result in failed implementations and substantial financial waste. By contrast, the field-embedded methodology described here yielded an iPad application specifically optimized for in-home assessments of elderly and physically challenged individuals, dramatically reducing documentation burdens while improving data quality. Cross-departmental integration with housing services accelerated decision-making processes, benefiting vulnerable clients across multiple regions. The resulting digital solution achieved exceptional user adoption rates compared to typical public sector implementations. Further enhancements through virtual reality and artificial intelligence technologies extended these benefits by reducing isolation among homebound patients and improving assessment consistency. The field-embedded design thinking approach demonstrated in this case provides a replicable model for meaningful digital transformation in public services, generating solutions with measurable social impact and system-wide efficiency improvements while preserving the human relationships essential to effective care delivery.