The City of Philadelphia has welcomed a new Lead Service Designer to its PHL Service Design Studio, an announcement that was made official in a recent post on the city's website. Shira, who has a multifaceted background, ranging from library science to museum collections and Russian, has expressed a strong commitment to the city declaring, "Philly is where I want to be."
Before arriving in her current role as a steward of service design, Shira spent time in various states, including Miami, the NYC area, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, each location serving as a tableau upon which her professional tapestry has been woven; though it was her work in higher education administrative operations that paved the path toward service design. According to the city's announcement, it was "direct service staff member helping folks who needed services" combined with her outside advocacy and organizing work around trans health and inclusion, that has shaped her approach to her new role.
It's through internal consulting and engagement with design thinking and human-centered design that Shira's perspective on service design crystalized; she disclosed a revelation saying, "once I learned about service design and community co-design, I knew that’s how I need to approach my work practice." Her insights reveal a deep-seated belief in the power of a collaborative dynamic in the service design process, which appears to be a central tenet of her new position at the PHL Service Design Studio, as reported by phila.gov.
With a vision grounded in community engagement and a desire to integrate diverse experiences into the design of city services, Shira's journey intersects with her destination in Philadelphia, where according to the official statement "I’m so glad to have landed in the PHL Service Design Studio", which underscores her enthusiasm for the role, and the city seems equally enthusiastic to see how her unique blend of skills and experiences will contribute to enhancing the city services through innovative service design techniques.
