UNDP
Guinea Bissau
An intervention by UNDP in Guinea Bissau addressed how spaces providing public services (in this case the Notary in the Ministry of Justice) affect people's behaviours and feelings. Poorly planned and furnished spaces had led to chaos, conflict, and a sense of insecurity. The space was remodeled using participatory design, prototyping and iteration, considering the needs and ideas of users and employees. The result was a space organized in a more efficient manner, addressing the needs with benches including nudging messages about social distancing and glass protection separating staff and users. The Ministry hired two guards to control the flow and number of people in the space as well as to provide protection to the staff when needed. Additionally, a screen and queue number machine were re-installed properly, and training was provided to the staff on its usage. The effects of the intervention were evaluated using pre-post surveys. The intervention underscored the importance of inclusive and user-friendly design of public services and of testing with a variety of users. A lesson learned was that a lack of representation of persons with disabilities resulted in flaws in the design of the intervention. Challenges were also observed in ensuring that user feedback and public participation in the management of the space were sustained following its redesign.