Understanding Users’ Collective Voice in Public Service Innovation

Abstract

Purpose-The study focuses on user-driven service innovation in the public sector. The objective is to discover how individual service users' ideas may be transformed into a collective voice and to parse the collective voice into discrete elements. Approach-A novel framework of analysis is presented, and five elements of the collective voice are identified. Findings and implications-Identification of the elements enables more future-oriented and effective management of the collective voice and its organised use. The elements provide developers with information about the users' needs and views and constitute a structure for the collective voice, enabling developers to better understand and address voice in practical activities. Originality and value-The research results increase scientific and practical understanding of collective voice in user-based service innovation and advance user-driven innovation methods. Users' ideas are the raw material, but collecting and reviewing them is not sufficient; it is vital to deepen the process further, structure the individual ideas and compile the collective voice.

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