Bridging the Organizational Disconnect
Norlandia faces a challenge: older children (8-12) often leave their after-school care (BSO) because it feels boring or lacks autonomy. Our research uncovered a deeper issue: a disconnect between Norlandia's Scandinavian "play-outside" philosophy and the reality on the ground. I co-designed the Norlympische Spelen, a competition-based service concept that empowers children, excites staff, and systematically revitalizes the company's Scandinavian roots.
Moving from passive care to active engagement through a cross-unit competition that fosters autonomy and teamwork.
The Invisible Wall
Through field visits, observations, and interviews with stakeholders—ranging from unit managers to the children themselves—we discovered that the core problem wasn't a lack of ideas. It was unclarity.
Critical Insight: Mismatch Information
Management at Norlandia had a clear vision of Scandinavian education (autonomy, nature, self-exploration). However, the staff on the floor often felt limited by regulations or a lack of creative guidance. To the children, this translated into "childish" activities that didn't match their developing need for independence.
We needed to find a way to make the Scandinavian culture tangible and consistent across all locations, while giving the older children a reason to want to stay.
Norlympische Spelen: "Ik speel niet om te winnen, ik win omdat ik speel"
Our concept, the Norlympische Spelen, transforms the BSO into a collaborative playing field. Each BSO unit creates its own "country," competing in challenges that focus on teamwork, nature, and Scandinavian values.
How it Works
- Relative Point System: Points (Nordies) are awarded based on participation and effort, ensuring BSO size doesn't determine the winner.
- Scandinavian Challenges: Activities like "Nature Art Gallery" and "Nordic Scavenger Hunt" encourage outdoor exploration.
- Autonomy: Children vote on which challenges they want to tackle next, giving them control over their own program.
- Digital-Physical Loop: A shared leaderboard creates a sense of community across different BSO units that normally never interact.
Designing for Impact
To ensure feasibility, we applied five strategic lenses to our prototype (Utopia vs. Dystopia, SCAMPER), resulting in several core design principles:
- Fairness over Talent: Challenges are designed so every child can participate, regardless of their specific skills.
- Low-Barrier for Staff: We moved from complex digital platforms to an intuitive "playbook" approach to ensure staff aren't overwhelmed.
- Visible Culture: By making Scandinavian roots the core of the competition, they become a lived experience rather than a management slogan.
Testing with Experts and Users
We evaluated our prototype with unit managers, Norlandia project holders, and children in the target age group. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive:
Key Feedback Takeaways
- Managers: Loved the sports theme and the potential for cross-country (international) involvement.
- Staff: Indicated that clear instructions (a "playbook") are essential to prevent extra workload.
- Children: Expressed excitement about the "cool" name and the competitive team element.
Final Reflection
This project demonstrated that Service Design is as much about internal communication as it is about the end-user experience. By creating the Norlympische Spelen, we didn't just design "more activities"—we designed a mechanism that aligns the organization's high-level strategy with the daily joy of the children in their care.