Lior Smith works with social enterprises, the public sector and charities to help them develop user-centered services. She uses a service design methodology.
She finds it meaningful to use her design skills to help create the parameters for a happier society. She enjoys connecting people to ideas and each other.
Since November 2017 she has been unable to work because of a serious health condition called ME/CFS.
She founded the Service Design Fringe Festival. The festival continues to run temporarily without her until she is able to return to work, thanks to the passionate, visionary people on the festival team.
Lior has previously worked with FutureGov in partnership with Surrey County Council, Participle and Designersblock amongst numerous other agencies, as well as within central government at the UKTI Ideas Lab. At the digital transformation consultancy Rainmaker she sparked the beginning of a service design practice there; it is now one of their three core practices.
She occasionally lectures at universities about social design and service design, including CSM, LCC and Camberwell. She graduated from Goldsmiths in 2012 having also studied at Nottingham Trent University and Ravensbourne.
She is often available for freelance and contract work – connect with her on LinkedIn for more information.
Sign up to her mailing list if you would like event recommendations about design, innovation and well-being.
Copyright Information : All content is copyright © Lior Smith and is protected by international copyright laws. No image may be used whole or in part, individually, or as part of a derivative work without express permission.
Lior Smith 
hi,
think this is a great idea in principle…but, I do have some questions about how it is being done…
ok…
1) which part of the country is adopt-a-grandma based?
2) are prospective adoptees (i.e. the grannies/grandads) CRB checked (obvious risks / safeguarding children etc)?
3) do you have links with social services / are social services aware of the services adopt-a-grandma are able to provide? (also, social services post-adoption support would also have knowledge of useful courses for would be grannies/grandads – but maybe wouldn’t fund them)
4) also do you have links with ‘adoption uk’ charity?… think they would have useful info on issues related to children being adopted by older generations outside the immediate family (ok, grannies are not parents, but in some senses, it seems to me that this idea is all about using grannies as surrogate parents)
thanks,
Dave
Hi Dave, thanks for your comment.
Currently Adopt-a-Grandma is not live. Your feedback is very good and if I manage to find a funding stream for the project, then I hope to look into your ideas in more detail.
The idea as it stands is more about connecting up generations in an informal way – it wouldn’t be actual adoption; more like strong friendships. This would be between older people, and parents and their children, in a local area.
Parents of children would be present which would reduce the need to have CRB checks. Of course if the project were developed, CRB checks would be more important, because it would enable the project to link up to other organisations including social services.
Thanks again for your comment, and if you know of any funding available in Enfield or Haringey, please let me know!
Thanks
Lior
Hi Lior,
Thank you so much for the event at DesignersBlock today. I feel like I really benefitted and had the chance to meet so many interesting new people. I’m keen to get involved with other service design events / companies over the next few months so feel free to get in contact if you have any ideas about how I could help you out in promoting the industry and the great work it’s doing (I have a background in event management). My email is b.edgoose@gmail.com. Happy Friday 🙂